A pain in my side.....

For the last few days it has felt like I had a pulled muscle in my side. Sleeping was uncomfortable. Last night I did something about it. I didn't put heat on it, I spoke to it. Once I got into bed last night, I pictured all the people that could be causing the pain in my side and spoke to them one-to-one in my mind. This morning the "pulled muscle" is gone. This speaks to the power of mind over matter and the importance of a good night's sleep.

Wise Words on Wednesday.....

"May you have hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone to far." — Irish Saying

Wise Words on Wednesday......

"If you want to know your past, look at your present conditions. If you want to know your future, look into your present actions." — Buddhist Saying

Customer Service at its best

We all know there is good and bad customer services. Today, I experienced customer service that was out of this world. I went into to my local pharmacy to have a prescription refilled. At this pharmacy the pharmacist, knows who I am when I walk in the door. I told him what a I needed refilled and he said it was done. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. My pharmacy had refilled my prescription before I asked for it and therefore it was ready when I came into ask. I take my hat off to Ballard Pharmacy. My oven overheated on self clean more than a month ago, and it has taken me this long with a back and forth to the appliance store where I bought it to get them to arrange service on it. Not to mention I reached out to the service company directly with no luck. The appliance store (which will remain nameless) should take a lesson from Sarge and his staff at Ballard Pharmacy.

Ice cream sundae

IAt my last Reiki session, my friend and practitioner, Cindy, asked, "What was your dad's favorite dessert?" My answer, "An ice cream sundae." So she told me to have one and I did so yesterday. It may not have been the best one I ever had, but it was the most meaningful. I felt an instant connection to my dad and my great uncle (his favorite flavor was cookies n' cream), who both died around this time of year. Just from the sundae, I understood how both of these men, who were integral part of my life, would view my life now. I even felt like they gave me so advice too. Often, I wish they were still here to talk with and learn from, so thank you Cindy for pointing out a way to connect to them in spirit and continue to learn. I learned that my favorite dessert is a simple sundae—vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Unlike my dad, I don't like a cherry on top.

Words on Wednesday

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." — Benjamin Franklin

What we learn from others...

My mom had a childhood friend recently pass away. He was a radio sports jokey and I learned upon his death that he reported the news for several hours on 9/11. He didn't have to; he could have continued to report the sports. Instead he gave his listeners what they wanted and needed—the news of what was happening in the US. I learn from this that no matter who we are or what we do, sometimes we need to reach beyond this to give people what they need. Thank you, George, for teaching me this and being a true friend to my mom.

What a mountain today.

Today I did battle with a mountain and the mountain won. I was supposed to trek into some ruins, but some riding lessons, backpacking in my youth and gym workouts weren't enough preparation. I should have thoroughly researched the trek. Over 20 years ago I did battle with another mountain and lost. Today I learned as I did then to stop while I was ahead and head back to a bed. Today, I also learned that mountains and I aren't friends and that is all right. In life, it is important to be thoroughly prepared and know your limits. My limit is riding a horse down a winding narrow path. Tonight I will sleep in a bed. My traveling companion, more prepared then I, is still on the trek and I wish him a journey of health and good weather.

The importance of downtime....

Having downtime is important. Why? Because it recharges our brains, increases our productivity and boost our creativity according to science. Down time can be as complex as a two week vacation to some exotic destination or as simple as an afternoon at a museum. I try to make a point of seeing museums exhibitions that interest me or museums that are to my liking. Ancient gold, modern jewelry and even mid century furniture inspire me and recharge my brain. So what is your next downtime.

What Tinkerbell Taught me about authority...

I am not referring to the Tinkerbell of Disney or Peter Pan's fairy sidekick. I am referring to Tinkerbell, the Clydesdale at the stable where I take riding lessons. At my last lesson, she wanted to stop and occasionally stop and snack. To get her to move or keep moving, I had to use a stern voice and a swift hand on her side. Tinkerbell taught me that authority comes out of a stern voice and swift actions. As my daughter heads in to her teenage years and if she is like me, this lesson well be in use.

Doing the unthinkable

Last nifgt I took my daughter and her BFF to a concert. This isn't the unthinkable. The seats were high up and I am afraid of heights. Despite my fear, I sat in my seat (after I got acclimated) and enjoyed the concert. I did the unthinkable by pushing aside my fear. The best part is that I taught my daughter and her friend that fears don't have to control you. I didn't wake up this morning with my fear gone, but woke up knowing that I can be up high despite my fear. However, I don't plan on walking a high wire anytime soon.

R&R

This traditionally means rest and relaxation. In my house I am teaching my 11 y.o. teenage daughter that it means respect and responsibility. Respect is for others and their belongings. Responsibility is for accepting her role in a situation and not to be quick to blame others. So far, my new travel coffee mug has been used twice without asking. I still have some teaching to do. Even though the school year ends tomorrow, my daughter still has some learning to do.

The scale tipped

Finally! December 2014, I embarked on a  30-day nutritional cleanse with Isagenix and the help of a friend and health coach, Marie. I lost 5 lbs and my clothes fit better. This lead me to believe that I lost inches too. For over a year, my clothes have remained fitting better. My weight stayed between 160 and 165. Well, today it was below the 160 mark. In the past year I have learned that I need a high protein diet to fight off sugar cravings and snacking. Finally, three high protein meals is paying off. I am not at my goal weight yet, but now I am more hopeful that I can reach it. Awesome!

Wise words....

"Time is a currency you can only spend once, so be careful how you spend it." —Harmon Okinyo

Now I do it...

Today is March 8th and I just sat down to write out my personal, family and business goals for 2016. I used last years goals as my template and they were done on March 8th too. Freaky! As a personal productivity coach, I know first hand about setting goals and why it is important. I preach this to my clients. Yet, it took me this long to do mine. Why? Simple I hadn't made it a priority. Next year I am committing myself to having my goals done by January 8, 2017. I just ask my community to hold me accountable and email me on January 8th to make sure I have done it.

Vacations epiphany

I am on vacation, luckily to a sunny destination, and I realized today that food is my downfall. Funny thing is food is needed to survive. So I how do I change my mindset from food, especially sugar, most of the time to food for sustenance only. I guess I just need to tell myself this repeatly--make an affirmation for it. Any ideas?

Applying to MS, what gives?

I am in the throes of applying to public middle schools for my daughter. Where I live, each school has their own set of criteria to evaluate candidates--some interview, some do assessment tests, some just look at grades and some are by lottery. I feel sorry for my 11 y.o. having to go through all of this. Colleges and universities got it right--grades, SAT or ACT scores and an essay for all of them. What are we doing to our kids?!

For eternity

I just read Kevin Kruse's 15 secrets Successful People Know about Time Management and now I am reading a book of meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Both books, one ancient (literally) and one 21st century, state that time can't be rented, bought or borrowed meaning wasted time is lost time. If this idea/concept has been around for millenniums, then why do some of my clients not get it? I know-- they want to pretend that time is an unlimited resource, when in fact it is finite. There are only 24 hours in day. On this note, I head to bed for my 8 hours sleep. This is how long it takes to recharge my "battery."

An old adage to reality....

The old adage, "If at first you don't succeed, try again." Well, when the first batch of Yorkshire Pudding failed, I made a second that worked. Why one batch and not the other? The oven temp. I failed to realize my recipe was European, so the temperature was Celsius and here in the US we do Fahrenheit. A quick ask to Siri on my phone told me of my mistake and the right temperature. At this time of year, the end that is, often, I think about the mistakes I made and what I learned from them. From this one, I learned that I should I think through what I read before I act on it. What did you learn this year?

As a time management coach.....

"But Time... You can never lose time and get it back again. You can't spend time and go earn more of it. You can't buy it, rent or borrow it." — From 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management by Kevin Kruse

Thank you my ex for gifting me this book; it is a page turner. Sorry to my ex, some friends and former clients who might recipe this book as a gift in the new year along with my nagging you to read it immediately.