Secret of Simplicity

Having the best things is no substitute for having the best life.

Lost Generation

And we're back...

I am so sorry for the sparse posts in February! I have been busy, ill, out of town, and all the rest. I know I am preaching to the choir! I will get back on track with more posting in the next day or two.
Ciao for now!
H2

Zen for today

Calm in quietude is not real calm. When you can be calm in the midst of activity, this is the true state of nature. Happiness in comfort is not real happiness. When you can be happy in the midst of hardship, then you see the true potential of the mind.
-Huanchu Daoren

A Whole New World

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

-Norman Vincent Peale

Fiscally Fit

I am a big fan of Oprah...as are many of you, I am sure! I loved her "Best Life" series last week. Especially Thursdays show with Suze Orman. There were many things that Suze said that resonated with me in terms of getting my money life "fiscally fit". There was a BIG challenge that I am going to try my hardest to tackle. By so doing I hope to notice a few extra coins to rub together in my wallet! The challenge is this:

For one DAY: Do not spend any money. Leave your wallet at home...but don't forget your driver's license.

For one WEEK: Do not use your credit card(s). You don't R E A L L Y need those shoes, girlfirends.

And this is the tough one...

For one MONTH: Do not eat at any restaurants. No Wendy's. No TGIFriday's. No Starbucks. I know this sounds harsh, but I know we can do it!

Good luck!!!

Energy Balance

For all of us who perpetually feel that there aren't enough hours in the day, performance psychologist Jim Loehr argues that managing your energy is far more important than managing your time. And while the time bind gets all the press, Loehr must be onto something: Oprah says that when she read his book, The Power of Full Engagement (Free Press), coauthored with Tony Schwartz, she thought, "I've been doing this for years."

Nicole Keeter finds out more from Loehr:

Q: You encourage people to actively seek stress, though most of us have been taught that stress is unhealthy and to be avoided.

A: It's a conundrum. People think that they're being devoured by stress, but I always ask them where they got the strength they have now. Has it been from the storms, the challenges—the stress? Or from the good times, the great parties? In every case, people say that what's pushed them the most has helped them the most. Stress pushes us to expend energy emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. Then comes a period of recovery and healing—and growth.

Q: You developed much of The Power of Full Engagement through years of working with world-class athletes. How did you connect these ideas to the energy use of average people?

A: Athletes think about energy recovery. Most people don't. If there's a massive energy expenditure, you need an equivalent recovery period or you end up exploding. It's an exciting concept because it gives people permission to go to the beach.

Q: We tend to see taking a break as a waste of time.

A: So many people give 100 percent all day long, but they never renew. Renewal can be doing yoga, getting a massage, listening to relaxing music, turning off your cell phone on the way home, or eating five or six small meals a day rather than one or two bigger ones, to keep your blood sugar up. We usually try to give people one or two things maximum that they can do to convert a negative habit into a positive ritual. If you bring every resource you have to making one change the most important thing in your life for 30 to 60 days, it will start to take. Within four months, you might put together two or three of these, and the balance of your life will begin to shift.