Moving Forward

Heard a great quote today!

2010-06-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

"When we complain, we remain. When we whine, we stay behind. When we praise, we raise."

Just wanted to share this. I thought it was an inspiring quote to live by.

Don't Quit!!

2010-01-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

I have always loved this poem, just wanted to share it.

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is a journey with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out:
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

By Unknown Author...

Clearing Clutter

2009-12-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

Stop what you are doing and look around your desk or house right now. Is clutter all around you? Clutter is defined as anything we don't need, want, or use that takes our time, energy or space, and destroys our serenity. I have the type of personality that if clutter starts building up around me it really bothers me. I start to feel overwhelmed and kind of claustrophobic in a way. =) I know many people that have houses full of stuff they don't use or need anymore and it just keeps piling up. For some reason it is very hard for these people to even get started cleaning up and throwing/donating the stuff away. I am not sure why this is. I think sometimes people become attached to their "stuff" and it becomes part of who they are. Other times I think that people just feel overwhelmed when they look at the clutter and it is easier to just ignore it and go on and do something else. Cleaning up the clutter can be a very emotional thing for some people.

For me, I feel amazing when I clean out a closet or gather up some items for the Goodwill. I feel like I am letting go of old things I do not need and making room for new, exciting things to happen in my life. Sounds kind of strange to admit, but I have read books where others feel the same as I do. So I guess I'm not too weird. =) I have heard it said that clutter in the home is chaos in the soul. I definitely feel this way.

I want to encourage you to get rid of the clutter around you. Clutter in your home, on your desk, in your car. One suggestion is to set a timer and for just 5-10 min a day go through some stuff and separate it into several piles. One for trash, recycling, goodwill, to keep. Or you could choose to say start w/picking up 20 items and doing the same things. Separate it into piles to find a place it belongs. Flylady.net has some great suggestions on how to get started. I think most of us know how to physically handle the clutter, it is just getting the mind set right and the motivation to get started. Start small and before long you will have all of the clutter cleaned up. You will feel energized, organized and that you got rid of some things that were holding you back.

Christmas/New Year

2009-12-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! The New Year is just around the corner. I'm working on the rest of my New Year's resolutions. I actually did pretty good this year at keeping up with mine for 2009! That's a first. Now I will see what kind of changes I can make for 2010! Hope you have some thoughts on how you can improve your life this next year. What better time to get started on a fresh, new life than a New Year!!

Weight Loss

2009-12-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

Do you have a New Year's Resolution to lose weight? Many do this time of year. If you happen to be one of them I would like to help you achieve this goal. I embarked on a mission about this time last year to lose weight. I lost 43lbs in the end and am back to my normal, healthy weight for my height. It was not easy, as all of us who have tried before and failed know. I want to share with you what helped me.

First I took small baby steps. I believe if you change more than 1-2 things at a time you will become overwhelmed eventually and give up. But if you take baby steps you will slowly get to your goal. I started by cutting out sugar. I got rid of all desserts and treats. I did this for a few weeks. I craved sugar like crazy. This was the hardest part of the weight loss for me. To curb the cravings I chewed sugarless gum, found products like yogurt with very low sugar amts, and ate tons of fruit. The fruit really did help w/the cravings. Also I discovered Lara Bars. These are energy bars made only of fruit and nuts. They are all natural and have only a few real ingredients in them. No fillers or preservatives. They taste pretty good when you are craving that candy bar at 3pm.

Next I got rid of all white flour products and switched to whole grains. The white flour products are empty calories for you. The whole grains are not stripped of the vitamins and minerals and help build you up.

3rd step was to increase my veggies and fruits dramatically. I used to eat maybe one veggie every few days. I increased slowly to about 5 a day. This isn't as hard as you think. I ate salads, steamed veggies, applesauce, fruits, carrots/celery in dip etc. Smoothies are another great way to get in more fruit.

After I did these first few steps I started counting calories. Since I had started changing my diet before I started counting calories I had plenty of food to eat per day and was not starving. The foods I was eating were filling and full of nutrition. If you want to count calories there are calculators all over the Internet that tell you what you should eat for your build, height, and activity level.
By the way we all know exercise will help to accelerate your weight loss and make your body stronger. Find something you enjoy doing to keep your body moving. If you enjoy the activity you choose you will be more likely to stick with it.

All of the above will help you to drop the pounds, but perhaps the most important part of the equation is keeping the motivation to chose these healthy actions throughout the day. I kept a mental picture of what I wanted my body to look like when I had reached my goal weight. At times I even had a real photo out in front of me to remind me. I knew I was doing something good for my body and it would help me to feel better physically and emotionally. Keep your goal in your sights. For myself, I set a goal weight for a certain time frame. It worked for me but for some of you it may be too much pressure to set a deadline.

I also joined groups such as sparkpeople.com and caloriecount.com to help me with the motivation part of the equation. I recommend the books "Eat this, not that." These books will help you substitute some of your favorite junk food cravings for more healthy alternatives. Very easy to understand and there are many foods that you think are healthy that really are not. Salads at some restaurants can contain up to 1800 calories.

I write this post to tell you what worked for me. I realize we are all different. If you need any help or support feel free to let me know and I will help you in any way I can. This is a great time of year to make a fresh start to a new you!

Love for Pets

2009-12-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

This little guy has captured my heart. His name is Blaze and he is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. We have had him for over 6 years now and since my husband and I don't have kids yet, well lets just say he is a little spoiled. =) Before we got Blaze I never really like animals and hated going to people's houses and getting licked to death by their dogs. My husband talked me into getting a dog and it has totally changed my heart. I notice animals everywhere I go now and have a special place in my heart for them.

I didn't realize how much I was attached to Blaze until a couple of months ago. He had a tumor on his back and the vet said we should have it removed. When the vet was removing the tumor he said it very well could be malignant. My husband and I were devastated and I think I cried nonstop for an entire week while we waited to hear the news from the pathology report. It was during that week that I realized how our pets give us unconditional love and are ALWAYS there for us in ways that humans are not. They offer us love and healing during tough times. They offer us a distraction when we need to get our minds off our troubles. They offer us endless amounts of laughter and smiles. For me, our little guy is a huge part of our family. After the long week we found out that the tumor was Benign. Thank God. I will never take for granted all of the blessings that Blaze has brought into my life. I know some of you have pets now or have in the past that really touched your heart. I think you have to have experienced this unconditional love to really appreciate what pets can do for us. I encourage you today to spend some special time with your pet and take him on a long walk, play fetch with his favorite toy, or just get down on the floor and scratch his back and belly. He will thank you for it and I know he will pay you back tenfold in return. =)

Serenity Prayer

2009-12-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

How great would life be if we could just follow this simple prayer? My New Year's Resolution is to live by this prayer. I seem to do the opposite in my life. I try to force things to change that I have no power over and at times don't give enough attention to the things in my life that I can change. I don't know why but it is so hard for me to give up control and just LET GO. I know in my mind that there are circumstances in life that are out of my hands and I just have to trust that everything will work out in the end. I know that I am just spinning my wheels and getting no where..then why do I keep pushing forward? Maybe I think if I push hard enough that I can force things to go my way. Life doesn't work that way, as you know. I feel that there are valuable lessons to be learned during the times in our lives where we have no control. These are the times that we are really allowed to grow. Trust would be one of my main lessons. I need to trust God more and know that I cannot do everything by myself. Trust that there are reasons for the suffering in my life. Trust that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. So this next year I will put this prayer in my sight everyday so I am reminded of the important lessons it contains. How about you? Do some of you think you could benefit from this simple prayer? Maybe you are like me and need the most help with the first part of the prayer and need to give up some control, or maybe you are a person that really lacks motivation and you need to mainly focus on the second part- Courage to change the things you can. Either way it can be a tough thing to do. I truly feel this prayer can teach us a lot and change our lives for the better.

Gratitude

2009-12-05T08:04:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share one thing that has really changed my life for the better in the past couple of years. A couple of years ago I found myself dwelling on all the negative situations around me and finding it hard to see the positive. I had been hearing people like Oprah and some Pastors talk about gratitude journals. My first thought was that this would be a waste of time, but one of my New Year's Resolutions back in 2008 was to try this. So each night when I go to bed I always make a mental note of at least 5 things from the day that I can find to be grateful for. At first I had to force myself to do this as I am by nature a pessimist. I really had a tough time finding something to be grateful for on days where I had not been feeling well or was just cranky. As I continued to do this I noticed a slight change in me for the better. I noticed that I now look for positive things in my life all day long. When something good happens to me, I make a note of it and thank God for it right when it is happening. I feel that it has helped me through many difficult situations. When we only see the negative in our lives it keeps us in a cycle where we feel defeated and depressed. When we can switch that over to also seeing the positive, we realize that we are blessed no matter what is going on in our life. There is always someone dealing with something worse than your situation. So today I encourage you to try and find 5 things you are grateful for in your life. Not a day goes by that I miss doing this. Something that only takes a few minutes really can have a big impact on your life...what do you have to lose by trying it?

Grandparents

2009-12-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

Lately it seems that time goes so fast. I can't believe it is already December. Where does the time go? I have been thinking about my grandparents a lot lately and have been missing them. They have all been deceased for many years now. Oh what wonderful memories I have with them as I was growing up. There is no special connection like a grandchild and grandparent. Grandparents are always there for you even when your parents are not. They don't judge, just love and want the best for you. As time goes by so fast now days it seems that a lot of us get caught up in the rush of everyday life and maybe we don't make the time to visit our grandparents as much as we should. They won't be with us forever and once that time is gone, well it's gone. You can't go back. I want to encourage you today to remember some of the pleasant memories you have shared with your grandparents. Spend a few minutes looking back and I guarantee there is something that will put a smile on your face. Better yet, call your grandparents today or stop by to visit. I love hearing stories from older people. I feel that can teach us a lot about life, we have to just make the time to listen and take that in. This is one thing you don't want to put off, after all you might not have tomorrow.

Welcome

2009-12-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to my new blog. This is the first time I have done something like this but am looking forward to it. I think this will be a great way to share my thoughts on many topics, get some feedback and help me to vent and clear my thoughts at times. I have been doing a lot of deep thinking about life lately and want to get my life in order and help others to do the same. I hope this blog will help me do just that. So welcome and I hope you will stop by again soon.