Month: December 2018

Goal Achievement · Uncategorized

9 Quotes on Weight Loss For Your Vision Boards

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Happy Today!

This year I decided against writing New Year Resolutions. Instead I am making different vision boards based on life categories and creating a Strategic Plan for the year 2019.

One of the first categories I plan to address is weight loss through proper nutrition and fitness. I am not choosing to assign myself a number of pounds to lose, instead I have chosen to focus on one thing – Completing a 5K each month.

To stay focused on this goal, I have identified Nine (9) Quotes to meditate on as I train for each 5K.

1. “Make time for it. Just get it done. Nobody ever got in shape by thinking about it. They did it.” – Jim Wendler

2. “Exercise should be regarded as a tribute to the heart.” – Gene Tunney

3. “If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the short end.” — Julius Erving

4. “Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.” – Hippocrates

5. “If you think the pursuit of good health is expensive and time consuming, try illness.” – Lee Swanson

6. “Every human being is the author of his or her own health or disease.” – Buddha

7. “The greatest wealth is health.” – Virgil

8. “Just because you are not sick, it doesn’t not mean you are healthy.” – Your Doctor

9. “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Til next time,

Walk or run a 5K!

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Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays

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Happy Today!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

May we all remember the best present is the gift of time. May you have time this holiday to enjoy those people that make you happy.

Til next time,

Season’s Greetings!

Uncategorized

December Book and Podcast Recommendation

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Happy Today!

A few days ago, I was introduced to a new to me podcast from listening to an episode of the Entreleadership Setting Goals Together.

Yes I know the month is almost done but I thought it would be a great time to post my December book recommendation because it could also serve as a last minute holiday gift or a just because gift to yourself.

The ONE thing is a book and podcast which is trying to help us focus on one thing at a time. By focusing our energies on one thing we will experience a greater sense of productivity and accomplishment. Society has taught us to multi-task but in the process we have lost a part of our internal focus and often times will find us distracted and off task.

The website provides resources which celebrate the simplicity of focusing on that one thing and also highlights the magic of goal setting with your partner. The podcast episode Accountability From A Five Year Old is an episode which gave me the idea to include the entire family into a new habit tracking challenge. Thus, our family has downloaded the 66 Day Challenge form and will be utilizing it to help each of us focus on one thing immediately after Christmas.

I began the book last night and am finding it an inspiring read and I have hopes to attend one of the couples goal setting events in 2019. The podcast is part of my morning routine. My initial favorite episodes are:

It’s Time For Your Goal Setting Retreat

How To Honor Your Time Blocks Without Getting Distracted

This book can be purchased from any of your favorite online sellers or the Website. If you decide to read the book or participate in the challenges, I would love to hear about it. Leave me a comment.

Til next time,

“Multitasking is a lie” – Gary Keller

Goal Achievement · Uncategorized

You Are Never Too Old

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“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C. S. Lewis

Happy Today!

Growing up I would tell anyone who would listen that I wanted to be a sportscaster when I grew up. My love for college football and the University of Florida Gators was leading my desire and as long as they kept winning, I kept dreaming of interviewing players on the sidelines. In his infinite wisdom, a highly respected father figure advised me that it may not be the safest of choices for a girl to be in the men’s locker room. Thus I trusted his wisdom and changed my mind.

Then I wanted to be an architect when I grew up. A woodworking class and a non supportive high school guidance counselor had me re-thinking this career choice as well. Hindsight tells me that I wasn’t as invested in these career options to take the time to fight to pursue these careers. I don’t want to date myself but at the time in which I was formulating my aspirations, there weren’t many examples for me to look up to in either of my chosen jobs. However, with today’s technology there is no limit on what we can choose as careers.

We hear a lot of information about people who have retired from one career and decided to start over in a new career. Colleges have a revitalized their educational programming with non-traditional tracks for non-traditional students. It’s no longer shocking to see students with their child in the class with them or older students within study groups.

Businesses are being created each year by people older than the technology wiz kids that started empires in college from their parents garage. Entrepreneur Magazine highlights 17 Massively Successful Entrepreneurs Who Started Their Businesses After Age 35 while Fortune Magazine highlights Entrepreneurs Who Started Businesses After Age 40

I wonder what the families and friends of those aspiring amazing not quite so young entrepreneurs were thinking when their loved ones advised them of their plans.

Were they supportive?

Were they fearful?

Were they apathetic?

No matter their reaction – persistence and determination ensured their dreams were achieved. As we prepare for the new year and resolutions which will likely be made.

Take a few minutes today and identify what you have longed to do but hesitated because you felt you were either too old or too young.

What or who do you believe is holding you back?

What do you believe is needed in order to start?

Til next time,

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C. S. Lewis

Uncategorized · Weekly Wisdom

Monday Motivation: Holiday Joy

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Happy Today!

One week out from Christmas and it seems a struggle to get in the holiday spirit. Between the consistency of inconsistent weather, the flu making its way through each of my three children, holiday school events and work demands – the joy of the holiday hasn’t reached my spirit.

School is out for my Win on Wednesday and then I know I will be overcome with the infectious spirit of kids’ holiday joy. This week we will watch holiday movies, bake cookies, listen to carols and start shopping. Then it will feel like Christmas.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Santa baby is on his way!

And All I want for Christmas is you!

While me, the adult, is ready for the time off that comes with the holidays. I understand that this time of year is about more than me and that thought helps push joy into the day.

Til next time,

“Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.” – Eric Sevareid

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Three (3) Gift Ideas for College Students

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Happy Today!

A few days ago I posted Four (4) Gift Ideas For Those In Need of CEUSof the 2018 holiday season. Today I want to introduce to you the latest suggestion. Now I know we are getting closer to Santa’s visit and last-minute shoppers like myself are feeling no need to rush. However for those of you who want to be finished before the week before Christmas, here is another idea for you.

Today I want to suggest gift ideas for the college student. College students are not known to have access to discretionary funds. We laugh now about how we survived on ramen noodles, Vienna sausages, and PB&J. But if asked, not many of us would want to eat that diet now. With the abundance of health information available today, I wouldn’t recommend a diet which mimicked my college days.

Thus I think it is essential that any college gift guide include the obvious – food.  There are two types of food you must have as you elevate your mind – the nutritional kind and the instructional kind.

Benefit Bake Sale.jpg

1. Good and Cheap: Eat Well In $4/Day by Leanne Brown.

This is a cookbook which provides low-cost quality recipes which can be made for the same amount of money as a combo meal at McDonald’s or Wendy’s but healthier. Staples such as eggs and oatmeal can be elevated to a new culinary thought while also maintaining the student’s budget.

2. Grocery delivery box

I like this idea instead of a grocery gift card because it allows for the giver to select items that are not only nutritious but also include basic items that may be overlooked due to practicality like shrimp, cake, ice cream, etc.. Multiple retailers offer the options of shopping online and pick up in store or delivery. Both are great options for the student pressed on time.

3. Amazon Textbook Rental

Textbooks are not consistently covered under graduation gifts and financial aid. The price range for this resource can be upwards of $120 a course and if the student has an accompanying lab, there may be additional materials to purchase. Amazon offers a textbook rental service which can help defray costs. Casually ask a student which books cost the most for their upcoming semester and then gift them with the rental.

The great thing about most college students is that they are receptive to any type of gift you bestow upon them.  They are also sometimes overlooked in the gift giving department once they reach the golden age of no longer in high school.  These two characteristics combined, make the three gift ideas safe choices for the student in your life.

Til next time,

“Everything I know about minimalism, I learned as a college student.  It’s true, you really can survive on less.” – Tiffany Tom-Johnson

Goal Achievement · Uncategorized

Down With Homework, Say U.S. School Districts – WSJ

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Happy Today!!

Down With Homework, Say U.S. School Districts – WSJ

What a way to get parents and students attention than by announcing a ban on homework. I saw this headline and had a few reactions, which seemed to match a few detailed in the article.

As an elementary school parent, I feel homework is a vital part of the educational process as it allows for independent processing of academic lessons. My IJ loves school and he understands the materials better when he has an opportunity to practice and review materials without the teacher giving verbal prompts. It also helps me to see what he struggles with as well as which homework assignments are to easy.

It allows me to communicate with his teachers while also giving me ideas of ways to incorporate teachable moments throughout the week which align with the his academic lessons.

As a Pre-K parent, I feel some of the homework my Win is given is beyond what he can do alone. But I was made aware of this fact when I enrolled him in his program. This advance notice ensured that we understood that our parental involvement would be not only required but also encouraged. While Win doesn’t like school he does like homework because he gets 1:1 time which allows him to make mistakes without his classmates’ reactions.

But the fact that my Pre-K son is aware of his preference for doing his work at home does indicate that emotional resilience is just as vital as academic achievement. It reminds me that children learn in different ways using a variety of tools.

However, I was more concerned with our reliance on test scores only as a means of measuring academic achievement. Knowing that some people don’t perform well on tests makes me sad that school systems and marking this the only method of measuring academic achievement.

So I guess long story short, I want homework for my kids but I want it to be graded. However, I do think homework given should be in moderation and is best served for school breaks. This is to ensure cognitive retention while ensuring kids can demonstrate mastery of skills in a variety of ways.

Homework allows students to begin to develop an appreciation or aversion to continual learning. How it’s handled will determine the achievement of future goals. But at the end of the day, my kids are happier to do their homework when it doesn’t occur every day AND they get opportunities to just be kids.

What are your thought on homework? Did homework enhance or inhibit your love of learning?

Til next time,

“As an entrepreneur, you never stop learning.” Daymond John