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Archives for November 2008

A Word That’ll Make You Want to Jump Off the Couch and Get Busy

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I was adding a page to the Self Help series of Steps to Increased Self Confidence a few minutes ago when a word picked a fight with me.

In case you the initial post about these steps, here’s a quick refresher: I’m taking a section of one of my favorite Grenville Kleiser books (from 1910, and no, I wasn’t around for the first printing), How to Develop Self-Confidence. I’m using his amazing text to create “steps” for improving one’s self confidence. I’m trying to leave his words alone as much as possible, only changing a few outdated phrases and adding TO his thoughts… never taking AWAY from them.

Anyway, the step Mr. Kleiser’s words and I were creating this evening involved the word Promptitude. I have to confess, I wasn’t entirely familiar with this word. I asked it if it could possibly be any more old school. I think that’s where the whole disagreement began – so, yes, I admit it. I started it.

I recognized PROMPT in the word, of course, so I assumed it had something to do with being “on time.” However, a few visits to a couple of my favorite websites (ones with ridiculously high IQs) let me know that I was only half right. I was on the right road, but what I thought was an avenue was actually a highway. Promptitude is the characteristic of doing things without delay. Furthermore, it’s the quality of being prompt; quickness of decision and action when occasion demands.

…and there, boys and girls is where the fight broke out. All of a sudden, Promptitude was in my face reminding me of instances when I’ve sat in front of my computer with, oh let’s say, 789 gazillion things to do – only to get up, stretch slightly and announce to my cats, “I’m just not in the mood…” Oh, yeah, that totally happened three times this past week! I’m not sure if it’s the holidays or if I just needed a little break. If the latter’s the case, I should be good to go. I took 3 little breaks.

One of my problems is the fact that I’m woefully late to the working class. I got married right out of high school and began having beautiful baby girls right away – three in all. I homeschooled our girls all the way through school. I wore many hats (mom, wife, chef, teacher…) but not one paid monetarily. I had a laid back life that consisted of no more stress than deciding what time to take my girls to the library, which period of history we’d tackle next, what time to go to the store, and what to make for supper.

I’m trying to remember, but I wonder if I ever looked at a clock back then. If I did… why?

Fast forward to today. We run our web publishing business from our home office and I, at any given time, have more stuff to do than the day’s hours permit. I love every busy second, but, sure some days find me missing rainy afternoons in the library, reading a great mystery as my girls worked on research papers or read novels for book reports.

I can’t even remember the last mystery book I read…

I explained all of this to mummy breath – I mean to Promptitude, but he didn’t back down. He said I needed more Drive, I said, “Your momma needs more drive,” he said, “Leave Genesis out of this…”

Then he got me. He asked if doctors, police officers, lawyers, salesmen, beauticians, teachers, waitresses, Starbucks workers (he’s hipper than I thought) and the like were able to pull the old stretching, “I’m so over this…” routine.

Busted.

One of the traits that my family seems to love the most about me is the fact that I’m very, very laid back. Sometimes it’s my undoing, however. I have to admit, there’s something very inspiring and motivating about the definition – “..the quality of being prompt; quickness of decision and action when occasion demands.”

Another problem I run into is one that most of us who work from home encounter: No days off! Think about it – people who work out of the home have certain days when they don’t go in to the office. Out of sight, out of mind. When our office and our work are inside of our home, we’re face to face with it daily. It’s up to us to schedule our time in a way that leaves us with free time for things like mystery novels, walking, crafts, etc.

Too much work leaves us wanting to flee the scene too often. Or, um, so I hear.

I’m glad I encountered the definition tonight – and even the obnoxious word. I feel, somehow, more inspired and focused than I did before. I also love the Lord Chesterfield quote that Grenville Kleiser included in his book, although it sort of has an attitude, itself. “Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination; never put off ’till tomorrow what you can do today.”

Promptitude called in reinforcements.

Happy Thanksgiving and a Thanksgiving Prayer

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Autumn Trees

Have you ever stopped to think about what a beautiful holiday Thanksgiving is? It’s not about wanting or needing anything. The only thing Thanksgiving has on its mind is thankfulness… and the three mighty f’s: family food, and football.

I hope you’re surrounded today by people who make you smile and feel good to be alive. I hope the food is extra delicious and as for the football – I hope your team wins.. unless, of course they’re playing my Denver Broncos…then, sorry…

Most of all, I hope the attitude of this special holiday stays with us throughout the year. It’ll make us better people if it does.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Joi

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Lord, so often times, as any other day
When we sit down to our meal and pray

We hurry along and make fast the blessing
Thanks, amen. Now please pass the dressing

We’re slaves to the olfactory overload
We must rush our prayer before the food gets cold

But Lord, I’d like to take a few minute more
To really give thanks to what I’m thankful for

For my family, my health, a nice soft bed
My friends, my freedom, a roof over my head

I’m thankful right now to be surrounded by those
Whose lives touch me more than they’ll ever possibly know

Thankful Lord, that You’ve blessed me beyond measure
Thankful that in my heart lives life’s greatest treasure

That You, dear Jesus, reside in that place
And I’m ever so grateful for Your unending grace

So please, heavenly Father, bless this food You’ve provided
And bless each and every person invited

Amen!

-Scott Wesemann

….and amen!

Chase Colds Away With Green Tea

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Cup of Green Tea
My beloved green tea has come through again. Like a champ. A particularly nasty cold has been making the rounds and knocking people off of their feet for about a week and a half. I only got a hint of it, myself, and chased it off with mega doses of green tea.

As soon as I felt it coming on, I drank green tea as though I’d never have the opportunity to do so again. I literally felt better within hours. The congestion cleared, the coughing eased, and the general feeling of “ugh” lifted.

I convinced my daughter, Emily, that Green Tea was friend rather than foe and she also chased the bug away.

Now, like her mother, Em is a green tea convert. She’s actually on her way to drinking it more than I do – which is something I never thought possible.

If you absolutely, positively can’t stand the taste of green tea (rookie!), try the following:

  • Combine one bag of green tea and one bag of Tazo Passion tea in your mug.  The Passion tea, which is extra delicious wins out in the battle of taste supremacy.  It’s all you’ll taste.
  • When brewing water for your green tea, it’ll taste much better if you turn the kettle off before the water actually boils.  I don’t know why it makes a difference, but it surely does.
  • Lemon, lemon, lemon, lemon.
  • Some people swear by floating a slice of orange in their green tea – hot or cold.
  • Sweeten your green tea with honey – enough honey can quiet the nerves of even the most fearful.
  • If you aren’t a fan of hot green tea – try it on ice. I actually had to “work my way up” to loving hot green tea.  I still much prefer it iced, but with a little honey now I love it hot, too. When it comes to hot green tea, honey is the deal maker.
  • Celestial Seasonings makes a FANTASTIC Candy Cane Lane Green Tea (image above). It’s a Holiday Edition, unfortunately, so you’d better stock up now. All of their holiday teas are superb and each are very worthy of stockpiling.

Also See: Check out my tea blog, Crazy Tea Chick for tea reviews, gift ideas for tea lovers, benefits of tea (including green tea), and more.

How Stretching Your Mind Stretches Your World

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What is the last thing you learned? Was it the correct way to spell a particularly hateful word or the meaning of a word you’d sworn meant something else?

Maybe it was something fascinating from history or a scientific fact you never saw coming. My middle daughter, Brittany, is taking an Anatomy class in college and the things she’s sharing with me are incredibly interesting… gross sometimes… but interesting, nonetheless. One afternoon she said, “I’ll let you get through eating first...” I pretty much knew I was in for it!

On Out of Bounds, my mental fitness blog, I’m forever on my reader’s cases about stretching their mind. It so vital to your brain’s health – short term and long term. We wouldn’t dream of slothing through life without getting any physical activity whatsoever, would we? And why? Because our bodies would, for lack of a better word, rot.

We’d look as terrible as we felt.

Are you green and growing, or ripe and rotten? – Ray Kroc, McDonald’s founder and personal hero to Emily Erin Sigers (my oldest daughter)

Imagine how an unused, unchallenged, unstretched mind feels. Rotten! Some people make the mistake of thinking that they get enough of a mental workout within their typical day. What they fail to realize is that no matter what we do for a living, our brain gets pretty much used to the routine. Even if it’s a job that calls for constant thinking and problem-solving.

I’ll give you an example. I write daily, and it usually involves a lot of reading and research. While that’s all find and good for my brain, to a certain extent it has become accustomed to the drill. I can literally feel the difference when I challenge my mind in areas it isn’t accustomed to.

Our brain craves problem solving in all areas. If we keep exposing it to the same type of problems day in and day out, it will become weak in other areas.

Below are a few ideas to give your brain a broader work out.

  • If you work predominently with words, like I do – find mathematical games, puzzles, and even workbooks to challenge your mind in an area that one can get soft in FAST. I speaketh from experience.
  • Another mathematically-inclined exercise for those of us who are anything but mathematically-inclinded: When shopping, keep a mental running tab of what you’ve spent. Round to the nearest dollar if you have to.
  • If your job doesn’t involve a great deal of writing, get back in touch with this discipline. Start a journal, even, recording each day’s events. Write as though you’re writing an autobiographical account that others will read. In other words, no LOL’s, btw’s, or blah, blah, blah’s.
  • Make it a point to learn a new word each day. Buy a desk calendar with this very thing in mind.
  • Give the creative part of your mind a great workout by taking up a new craft such as woodworking, candle-making, sewing (I’m dying to learn how to make candles and would love to take sewing up again – but, time??), knitting, paint by number, etc. Look in the arts and crafts section of your favorite department store. There’s so much fun just waiting to happen!
  • My favorite way to give the creative part of my mind a workout is in the kitchen. I love cooking and baking and find that it can be a very rewarding way to express yourself and to even stretch the creative envelope.

When endeavoring to call upon your brain cells more often, never underestimate listening to other people. Whether they’re telling you about their day at work, in class, on the golf course, or even watching a movie – you never know what gems they’ll throw in your lap. As Brian Koval said, “Lessons are where you look for them. You can learn something from anyone.” So keep your eyes, ears, and mind open!

“Discovery consists in seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Never make the mistake of thinking that you’ve learned all there is to learn or that you can’t possibly grow any more. As long as you never get overly satisfied with who you are, you’ll continue to grow. In the words of B. Copeland, “Life is now in session. Are you present?”

I’ve added a few more “steps” to the Daily Steps in Self Confidence lessons.

In This Month’s Success Magazine

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I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – I love SUCCESS Magazine. Month in, month out they come up with the most amazing stories, quotes, advice, and tips you’ll find on the newstand (or in my case, the mailbox).

This month’s issue is no exception. I had it open a few days ago, lying on the counter (it, not me) – reading along as I mashed potatoes….

Okay, I’m going dangerously off course here, but the next time you make mashed potatoes (and, please, always make REAL mashed potatoes – never instant, not even as a joke), use half and half instead of milk. Trust me.

One of the most interesting features in this issue is a special section called Take Control of Your Life. It includes the following articles:

  • “The First Step is Changing Your Thoughts” by Anne Clarrissimeaux
  • “Chasing Down Their Dreams: 3 Entrepreneurs’ Stories” by Lisa Ocker
  • “The Customer Kind of Told Us That Was the Way We Needed to Go: We Just Listened to the Customer” by John Schnatter, Papa John’s

The entire issue’s a great read, but the Take Control of Your Life section alone is more than worth more than the price of the magazine.

Another great read can be found on their website.  It’s an article filled with advice from the brilliant Dr. Mehmet Oz – author of the bestselling YOU books and frequent quest on the Oprah show.  The article, Habits for a Healthier Life is a must read.