Back in 2009, when we started this blog, we had about 6 followers. I thought I would re-share some of our favorite or most popular posts.  :) Enjoy this great post by Lisa!

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What Color are You On? Guaranteed Help with Communicating!

{Originally posted on February 27, 2010}

Has this ever happened to you?

Something exciting happened to you, or maybe you learned something new.  You are about to burst to share it.  The person you want to share it with is on RED.  You share it anyway.  Then you are really disappointed, because they didn’t listen.  It wasn’t that your loved one was mad, in a bad mood, or doesn’t love you.  They simply weren’t ready to listen.

Several years ago I listened to an audio book about being a good listener.  I must share with you the color system that I learned.  I’ve shared it with many friends.  This system saves feelings from being hurt and time. Everyone I’ve ever shared it with, loves it.

If you need attention for an important matter start by asking the listener, “What color are you on?”  If they don’t know the color system it gives you the perfect chance to share it.

RED - I don’t have a lot of time to listen.  I’m busy.  I don’t want to hurt your feelings, so please don’t tell me anything I need to remember.  I NEVER share my heart with someone on RED.  I make it short or I usually go back later.

YELLOW – I have a little time if you hurry, but don’t tell me your life story in order to ask a simple question.  I NEVER share my heart with someone on YELLOW.  I share information only and as quickly as possible.

GREEN – I have all the time in the world.  Let’s go sit on the porch and talk. GREEN is the only time I share my heart.

I’ve learned to take expectations off of people that they should always be ready to listen.  The other person usually likes the fact that I respect their time enough to ask “What color are you on?”.  The system works well, especially on the phone when you can’t see their non-verbal cues.

What color are you on?

Love,

Lisa

2-0-1-2.

Still motivated 9 days in?

Try this:

Step 1. Read this post about goal-setting.

Step 2. Recognize that a person doesn’t get to the position in the picture below without some consistent work.

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Step 3. Read this post about goal-setting.

Step 4. Print out the sheet below (you can also print from the post in #3 above.)

Step 5. Get to work.

I read an article recently that’s titled, “Do Goals Actually Help You Succeed?”  by Brett Jarman.

I’m going to be honest here. My first thought was, “What!?! Are you kidding me?!”

There were some things in the post that I liked and agreed with. For example, he makes the point that people believe that writing down goals helps you achieve them… because “people want to believe that there is simple key to achieving what we want.” I do think there’s some truth to that. Most people are looking for a “quick fix” or a “magic pill” that will help them get what they wish for. Then the trouble comes…. they write down their goals, but they don’t know how to get there. They set no goals for the journey. For the work.

And they may or may not get there.

Just like Brett says in the article, “What doesn’t work though is goal setting for the sake of goal setting.”

I couldn’t agree more.

I had to share the post with my twitter buddy, Coach Bob Starkey. (You can follow him, too: @UCFCoachStarkey). He writes a blog, Hoop Thoughts, on teamwork, motivation, coaching, leadership, success… and more. He’s a current college basketball coach, and who sets goals? (The obvious) – athletic teams. I wanted to see what his thoughts were.

In his usual eloquent, sure-footed, and motivating way, he shared his thoughts here, in a post called, “Thoughts on Goal-Setting: Part I.” I encourage you to read it, as it pulls in thoughts from Nick Saban, Brian Tracy, and Greg Brown.

While Coach Starkey uses athletic analogies, the process-oriented goal setting he refers to – and which successful coaches use - is not exclusive to athletics. Athletics is simply the vehicle for the life lessons that the athletes learn.

In Brett’s article, he references a blog post by Corbett Barr, who says it this way, “Set goals for inputs, not outputs.” This approach to goal-setting works in LIFE, from getting the house clean, to losing weight, to learning Spanish, to getting good grades, to being a better friend….

In network marketing we are taught, “Focus on the activity, not the outcome.” In other words, focus on the process.

The article HERE shares a letter from Jeff Bezos to Amazon.com shareholders. In it, Bezos says  

Senior leaders that are new to Amazon are often surprised by how little time we spend discussing actual financial results or debating projected financial outputs. To be clear, we take these financial outputs seriously, but we believe that focusing our energy on the controllable inputs to our business is the most effective way to maximize financial outputs over time.

{Focus on the process.}

Back in 2009, I wrote about SMART goals. Creating Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely goals. When you write Specific goals, you answer the questions, “What do I want to accomplish and what are the requirements?”

Coach Starkey says,

“I’ve also evolved to believe strongly in ‘process goals’ as opposed to ‘destination
goals.’  Your goals must involve things you can control and not be linked or predicated on things in which you have no control.”

Barr also asks this,

I tend to set and pursue goals like most people do, but more and more I’m wondering where it all leads. Is life supposed to be a series of goal planning/chasing/accomplishing cycles?

I think he should add “/failing” in there. We don’t always accomplish our goals. It’s called the “Seasons of Life,” and it is most definitely a cycle.

What are YOUR thoughts on goal setting?

What are some things that YOU will be doing??

We normally do a Casual Friday recommendation around here on Fridays… things we love and want to tell you about… books, blogs, movies, etc.

Since today’s the last Friday of the year, I thought I’d do a wrap-up and share the top 10 posts from the year.

#10 – March 7, 2011

Sports Lesson: Failure

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#9 – January 31, 2011

A List of Favorite Convenience Foods

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#8 – October 11, 2011

The Two Things We Can Control

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#7 – December 21, 2011

We’re Those Neighbors This Year {Wordless Wednesday} 12.21.11

(Note: I didn’t really want to include a Wordless Wednesday post, but I always love getting a chance to post a picture of Hubs!)

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#6 – January 6, 2011

Lessons from the most committed Mother {Virgin Mary}

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#5 – January 18, 2011

What Would the Pope Say?

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#4 – April 29, 2011

Tornadoes Across Alabama: How to Help

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#3 – January 17, 2011

“Somebodiness”

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#2 – December 22, 2011

Christmas Eve Gift – A Family Tradition  {re-post} 12.22.11

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Drumroll, please!!!

The Number 1 post from 2011….

#1 – February 21, 2011

Five Affirmations for Kids {Free Printable}

I would love to hear from you. Which of these is your favorite? Leave us a comment.

It’s not everyday I get to see deer on the way to work. Lucky Pioneer Woman… she gets to see them regularly, I’m sure.

When I saw these three this morning, I had to stop my car and snap a picture with my phone. (Sorry the quality is not better. The car behind me made me nervous!) And there’s a fourth deer to the left of my camera’s field of vision… Pretty cool sight at 7am!

Here’s a story about the lion and the deer.

Well, Christmas is over. Dad’s birthday is celebrated (day after Christmas). Trash is at the street.

The tree’s not down. YET.

We usually take it down the day after Christmas…sometimes even on Christmas afternoon.

 image credit

We’re really not Grinches… we just like to be organized. Getting the house back in order allows room for new other things to enter our lives.

The one trick I use for organizing our decor is that I use colored bins. I bought them a few years ago at after-Christmas sales, then I labeled them. One holds lights, another holds ornaments, another holds other home decor. (My Halloween decor is in black and orange bins.)

There are lots of organizing ideas out there in blogland, so I thought I’d do a mini-round-up for you.

Of course, Martha has a lot of ideas.

Click HERE for her Holiday Organizing Tips.

My favorite tip from her is to use cardboard paper towel tubes to store candles.

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Real Simple also has some great ideas.

I LOVE their suggestion to run used wrapping paper through a shredder and use it a filler when packing away ornaments. {Too late for this year… but there’s always next year!}

Click HERE to read their organizing tips.

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Over at Pure & Simple Organizing, Jennifer gives us some practical tips to getting our stuff in order. Click HERE to check out her article!

I hope you’ll share your tips. Do you use colored bins, too?

Back in 2009, when we started this blog, we had about 6 followers. I thought I would re-share some of our favorite or most popular posts. :) Enjoy!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have a peculiar special tradition in our family, and I think it must be a Southern thing.  Since I can remember, every year on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we try to be the first one to say “Christmas Eve Gift!” or “Christmas Gift!” to each other. My dad always said that if you ”got” the other person, he or she was supposed to give you a gift. (No gifts are ever exchanged, just braggin’ rights for a year!)

I still have fond memories of my grandmother calling each year and trying to “get” us, and it was even more fun when we were together on those special days and we would wake up and try to be first with our gleeful shouts of “Christmas Eve Gift!” or “Christmas Gift!”

This tradition has resulted in phone calls just past midnight to “catch” my mom or dad in their sleep only to hear an enthusiastic “Christmas Eve Gift!” at the other end of the line, or having my kids to answer the phone so that I can pick up another line and shout out the words before anyone notices I’m on the line. We still try to “get” each other – my siblings, parents, and my dad’s sister. In 17 years of marriage, my husband has “gotten” me once, and I love passing on the tradition to my girls.

After some Googling, I have found that there are other families with the “Christmas Eve Gift” tradition (although I’ve NEVER encountered another person in real life with this family tradition). Here’s a link with A LOT of families with the tradition.

What about you and your family? Do you play?

Not to get too wordy on Wordless Wednesday… BUT…. I have some ‘splaining to do, Lucy!

Hubs’ father was in the navy for many years and actually built a huge sailboat himself. (It took many years!)

Hubs grew up learning about sailing and loves nautical things.

Imagine my surprise when he marked our house with starboard and port.

This is during the process of putting up decorations. Notice the lights on the front of house.

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Yep. We’re those neighbors this year.