Been Away Way Too Long

Isn't that a song? Anyway, I have been away from this blog for way too long. I can only say that I let other stuff get in the way, and I shouldn't. Writing here is theraputic.

I read a post on Sparkpeople.com about mindful eating. The basis of the post is that we need to be mindful of what we eat - every little thing does add up. And it takes more effort and more time to lose that extra 10 pounds than it took to gain it. Much easier to be mindless about your life than to be mindful. But the result of mindful eating is so worth the effort.

You could apply this "mindful" concept to about any area in your life. Mindful spending. Think about it. Every little purchase adds up. Dave Ramsey has said something to the effect that large ships are sunk by small leaks. And like the weight example, it takes more effort and more time to save, or earn, that $100 than it takes to spend it. But again, the result of mindful spending is so worth the effort.

I have a new friend at work who recycles everything. We took a walk at lunch and she picked up every aluminum can she saw. I recycle too, but not as much as she does. And it made me think - I can do that too. Mindful consumption. Making the world a better place by recycling cans, which also makes the area litter free. It is a simple action, but makes such a difference.

I often wonder why more people don't recycle, or at least throw their litter away. Do they not care? Do they think that their actions won't make a difference? Can they not be bothered? Probably yes to all of these questions.

So, think about mindful living. You can make a difference in your life, in your community, in your world. Every little action does add up.

I have started a savings account with my recycling money and hope to take a trip with the proceeds this fall. I'm up to $57. Not bad for collecting, crushing and recycling cans.

My quote today speaks to me on so many levels.

"Happiness is not a reward - it is a consequence.

Suffering is not a punishment - it is a result."

Until next time - I promise it won't be months between posts again.

6 Pounds

Hey Friends - just a quick update. I've lost 6 pounds since I started this blog. And it it coming off in odd places - like my wrists. My watch is too big. Hmm.

Anyway, I was getting discouraged, and then I realized this small weight loss.

So don't give up. Many small changes and efforts lead up to many small victories. Small victories add up to large victories.

Have a terrific weekend!

Live Like No One Else ...

I owe that quote to Dave Ramsey - that man is so full of wisdom! The entire quote is:

"Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else."

Sounds redundant, and I thought so too at first. But what he means is that if you have a goal and are competely focused on it, you will give up things, almost anything, to reach that goal. And your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers may joke to you, maybe even make fun of you, about your behavior, but you know that this sacrifice is a means to an end. So you do live like no one else - you stop impulse shopping, you drive your old car a couple more years instead of buying a new one, you bring your lunch to work instead of dining out, you cut back on social activities so that you can stash some extra funds away to pay off bills. Or you do it so that you can focus or healthier eating in order to reach your weight loss goals.

Maybe you are spending more time in the gym to reach your fitness goals. How about you're turning off the TV so that you can read more and enlighten your mind, rather than numbing it? So what if you didn't watch American Idol last night? You finished a book full of new vocabulary, maybe it showed you a new way of looking at a situation.

All this living like no one else will help you reach your goal - whatever it is. So after foregoing all these extras, you are fit - financially, emotionaly, physically, and then when you reach your goal, you can live like no one else. You can go on a dream vacation and pay cash for it. You can go climb a mountain, or hike the Appalacian Trail, with ease and without gasping for breath.

So how does this quote apply to my goals?

Financial

• By not acquiring extra stuff, I am saving the money I used for impuse buying and putting it toward my debts.
• I get up early to work on my real estate work instead of hitting the snooze button. Hopefully this early moring work will lead to some real estate work.
• By packing my lunch and eating dinner at home, David and I are both saving money.

Physical

• Again, packing our lunches and eating at home more often helps us make better food choices.
• I have cut back on drinking alcohol and replaced it with water. Better for my waist line and for my checking account.
• Going the gym makes me feel stronger and is starting to make my clothes fit better. Plus I sleep better and genrally feel happier.

Mental

• I just mentioned at how I feel happier and am getting more sleep.
• My mind is stronger because of the less TV and more reading, plus the reading is making me be a better writer and helps me to be better spoken.

All of these improvements gives me glorious confidence. Confidence, in turn, motivates me to do better and to do more. People notice this confience.

So, a progress report. The furnace guy is 1/3 paid off. I have finished two books: Blink by Malcom Gladwell and The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl by Shauna Reid. I can go longer on the treadmill (and actually run on it) and Spinning class does not leave me as winded as before, plus I can pack on more resistence.

So this goal setting takes time and effort and the results are showing up a little slower than I would like. But progress is progress and I am glad to see it. The quote of the day is again from Dave Ramsey:

"Every time I read the story the Tortise and the Hare, the hare wins every time."

Keep on living like no one else, so later .....

Width and Depth

Do your weekends wear you out? Mine do, sometimes I feel on Monday morning relieved to be back at work so I can rest up. What am I doing that is so tiring? Everything that I didn't get done during the week, I cram into the two and half days between Friday at 4:35 and Sunday evening at 11:30 when I tumble into bed, pet my pets' heads, and wish my husband sweet dreams. We work out, pick up groceries, try to spend time with friends, work on our house, pick up our daughters and help them with homework, I do real estate work and try to squeeze in time to do some reading.

I would not have it any other way, because I see so many people retire, thinking that they will enjoy doing "nothing". Then when they discover they have nothing to do, the become depressed and sleep all day. They miss the interaction they had with their co-workers when they were working. They don't get out like they did when they had a job. So maybe our jobs provide more than just a paycheck and a skill. Maybe they nurture something in our social and sub conscious areas.

Here is the quote of the day:

You can't do anything about the length of your life,

but you can do something about its width and depth.

- Shira Tehrani

So I know that this post doesn't have a direct connection to my goals, but it does indirectly. Think about it as a criss-cross effect that Chris Downie talks about in The Spark.

Ouch!

OK - the working out has caught up with me. My entire body aches - especially when I get out of bed. And starting spinning class always is a pain in the butt. Literally.

And we are due to get 6 inches of snow tonight.

I could just say: "I'm not going to the gym tonight. Body hurts, bad weather. Nope, not me!"

But I did pack my gym bag and it is sitting by the door waiting to go to the gym.

One thing about crummy weather - hopefully most people will just stay home. Maybe I will put my library book in the car and read if I get stuck in traffic.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Quote for today:

"Do. There is no try." ~ Yoda

Update on All Goals

Want some great news? I have worked out for 12 days in a row! Yeah! Yesterday I got back into spinning class and I am feeling it this morning. Oh, what a work out that is and it makes you feel so much stronger when you complete a class. And you feel mentally fit because it really challenges you - mentally and physically.

I have lost 3 pounds since Christmas. That is great news too! This is the kind of news I needed because I was at the gym Monday evening and looked at myself in the full length mirror. I thought I looked like Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin. Big tummy and wide back side. Take that, you full length mirror!

I have been making progress on two books. The first one is called Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. It analyzes the way we think and discusses our conscious and subconscious thoughts. Pretty interesting stuff because it reveals things about us that we didn't even know and teaches the reader how to make better quick decisions.

The second book is The Spark by Chris Downie. This book makes me want to help people even more than I already do. But it also enforces the importance of doing things on your own and for yourself.

Lastly, I am having an Open House at my house for sale at 752 Racine Ave in Columbus this Sunday from 2 pm - 4 pm. If you are around the area, or just want to get out and see a really cute house, stop by.

Here's a thought for the day:

"It's wonderful what we can do if we're always doing."

George Washington

Keep on doing!

Books I Love

Ok - I am such a bookworm. Reading has been a passion for me as soon as I learned how to recognize words and put them together. I would check out books from the library in the 3rd grade and read all of them that evening and return them the next day. The libraian thought I was lying about reading them all over night. Maybe that is why I have such poor vision - reading under the covers with a flash light might not be great for eye sight.

At any rate, I am reading a book called The Spark by Chris Downie, the founder of Sparkpeople. It is an amazing inspirational book because he introduces it by telling his own story of how he struggled to overcome his issues and how he turned his struggle into ways to help others reach their goals.

One of the points he makes in his book is one that I have found in Dave Ramsey's books and radio shows. Set your goals - long term - and then break down the goal into smaller goals - or what Dave calls "Baby Steps." Both authors explain that when you break down your main goal into smaller pieces, it will be easier for you to meet the smaller goals, and the smaller goals will add up to accomplishing the larger goal.

Also, both authors talk about wanting to help people - Chris helps people reach health well being goals and Dave focuses on financial well being goals. But they both have made the same remarkable discovery. You will discover that your small goals may overlap each other and when you, for example, maintain your streak in the fitness arena, it is easier to maintain your streak in other areas, like keeping your house clean, or being very diligent about paying off your bills. Chris calls this "criss-crossing" and Dave just calls it being "giselle intense."

I have discovered this "criss-crossing" effect too. Now that I watch what I eat, and make a point to exercise each day, I have a happier attitude, I sleep better and I am looking forward to selling houses and paying off my bills.

Today's quote of the day is as follows:

"There is nothing like a dream to create the future." ~ Victor Hugo

Let me know if you have experienced the "criss-crossing" effect too. By the way, The Spark is my first of the 12 books I will read this year.