My Someday Book

Someday I want to write a book, entitled, Confessions of a Control Freak. I believe that control is the root of a lot of social and relationships ills. A psychiatrist, William Glasser who has come up the "Choice Theory," would say that our society is is using a world psychology that is called external control and this kind of control can kill a relationship. He also concludes that at the root of a lot of depression and anger is either trying to control or being controlled. One of the ways that I know I can improve upon my relationships is working at giving up control and allowing people to live and learn on their own. I like what John Lund says, we can only do three things in a relationship and that is love, be a good example, and teach only when invited.

Which eating plan works best

I thought this report was certainly interesting:

"In the long-running debate over diets—low-fat or low-carb—Stanford University researchers reported Wednesday that a genetic test can help people choose which one works best for them."

According to these studies, they have found that some women lose more weight on a low-fat diet whereas some others do better with a low-carb diet. I already know that if I cut out sugar and simple carbs and saturated and hydrogenated fats that I can lose weight quite quickly, and I also believe that a healthy diet that follows the Word of Wisdom is my best long-term "diet." Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and lean meats in moderation is the best kind of diet for me. I also believe that using a moderate amount of healthy oils such as extra virgin olive oil and canola oil and even a little bit of butter, and that occasional, small portion desserts that use healthier ingredients (hostess cupcakes don't count) can still be included in a healthy diet.

There are always some interesting "diets" that are temporary solutions that I don't trust the long-term ramifications of. I have found that the weight that comes off way to quickly also comes back even quicker. Quite simply, for me if a diet can't be long-term and that doesn't follow the principles in the Word of Wisdom, then I won't consider it healthy. If I can't "run and not be weary" on a diet then I am suspicious. For me, I am committed to eat healthy, eat less, and exercise.

I also believe it is important to remember that even on a healthy diet, that we all have different body types and that some will be thinner and some will naturally be more curvy. It is all good and it is especially good for us all to accept and love our bodies. They are gifts from our Heavenly Father.

Travel

I am such a nerd. One of my favorite parts of a hobby is organizing the materials. One of my hobbies is traveling and my favorite part is planning and organizing it all from just organizing my travel bag to planning where to eat. Sometimes I don't even have to actually accomplish my hobby activity. I can just organize everything and get ready for it and I feel accomplished. Maybe this is why we are taught to endure to the end. Instead of remaining a nerd in just organizing, I must actual do something with the stuff I organize. I guess it isn't enough to just alphabetize my spices, maybe it's time to start actually cooking!

Lazy

My keyboard isn't working and I'm too lazy tonight to type this on the iPad keyboard.

Get up and move

The other night while I was watching American Idol, I discovered that I love to bounce on this mini trampoline that we have in our family room while I watch TV. It was one of our grandson's birthday gift and since they haven't taken it home, I have been putting it to good use. When they take it, I might have to get me one. I have been blessed/cursed with my grandmother's and mom's legacy of having a hard time sitting still. Just ask my kids, if ever we watch a TV show or movie, I am usually in and out of the room and then asking them to tell me what has happened while I was gone. Drives them nuts, but then I am really just paying them back for driving me nuts during their teenage years. I still haven't recovered my sanity. But now with the mini trampoline I can stay in the same room and I will be able to be true to my maternal heritage and still watch TV. I just did a little research and found that rebounding has some of the benefits that I am in need of--helping my lymph system and increasing alkaline while reducing acid.

"Rebounding is a affordable way of boosting your energy, getting your lymph flowing, losing weight, toning muscle, alkalising your body and getting a great, all over workout - right in your own home. The rebounder exercises are simple to follow and are a low-impact, risk free, pain free exercise that tones, builds muscle and burns fat, all while alkalising and energising your system."

Chi Machine

Whoops, I had a busy night last night and just forgot to post. Hopefully this early hour makes up for it.

I just used my chi machine and wanted to share its claimed benefits.

CHI MACHINE BENEFITS
Multiple benefits include oxygenation, detox and lymph drainage,
spinal alignment, mental focus, improved circulation, energy and steady weight loss.

I use it for 7 minutes each morning and I feel like it is really working. That and the fact that I am once again avoiding sugar has helped me feel more energetic and loose some pounds. It is so cute when I find one of our 2-year-old grandsons laying with his feet on it and he has figured out how to turn it on. I needed to read the instructions to know how.

Drugs

I canceled my appointment with Dr. Kevorkian. I started an antibiotic for Strep yesterday and today I WANT TO LIVE!! I even went hiking up the canyon. Medication can be miraculous.

For the most part I try to use preventative measures and somewhat of an alternative approach to my health, but I know there are times when good old fashion traditional medicine is the only answer, and yes I will resort to prescription medication on rare occasions.

There was a time when I struggled with sinus infections and I used a lot of antibiotics but then I realized it was a vicious cycle. The more antibiotics I used the more susceptible I was to infection. It was then that I read the book entitled, Sinus Survival, which taught me about treating the whole person and other preventative and alternative means of healing.

My avoidance for even over-the-counter medication started in high school when a fellow classmate shared with me that she tried not to take aspirin for headaches because she felt like if she took medication for the simple things then she wondered what would she have to take when there was greater pain. It made sense to me then and so I followed her example, and I have benefited from that suggestion. Now I feel like I have a higher pain tolerance. It works for emotional pain or worry as well. I believe I am stronger in all areas in my life because I haven't always relied on pills to make me feel better.

But today I am grateful for my antibiotic. My family would have missed me (kind of like they miss a headache).

Killing Time

Yesterday I willed myself better so I could hear my kids speak in church and give my lesson in young womens, but then I crashed and have been sick ever since. You would think that I would take advantage of the opportunity to lay in bed and read but nooooooooo, I just killed time sitting like a zombie in front of the computer. I felt too sick to do anything constructive but I did email a funny utube video and posted it on facebook. There is just something about being sick that gives me permission to be a bum.

I have to say that at the worst part of this illness, I am wondering why anyone would want to live longer if they had a terminal and painful disease. I just get a little strep and I am calling Dr. Kevorkian.

Perfectionism

I am a perfectionist and trust me that isn't a good quality. I remember one day being with some women who were admiring someone's home and garage that was perfect. Because it takes one to know one, I cautioned them of admiration of something that might be unhealthy for them and their family. I like what the Amish do when they make a quilt. They purposely make a mistake because they believe that God is the only one that can be perfect. For me I don't have to try to make a mistake, it just happens. I want to get better at rolling with it and saying to myself, "This is good enough."

This is definitely true for me:

What is perfectionism? A lot of people think that to be a perfectionist they must be perfect at something, but that isn't necessarily true.

Perfectionists often...

...have very high standards for themselves and others.

...feel frustrated when they don't meet their goals.

...blame themselves when things go wrong -- even when they are not directly involved.

...intentionally set goals they know are almost impossible to reach.

...are hardly ever really satisfied with their performance.

...procrastinate. Big time.

Procrastination is a symptom of perfectionism. Perfectionists fear they won't be able to complete the task perfectly, so they try to put it off as long as possible.

I'm Sick!!!!

I don't get sick very often anymore but today I am. There must be a reason. Either I haven't taken good enough care of myself or Heavenly Father wants to teach me compassion. Either way, I am off to take a hot bath to soothe these chills and body aches. I am praying that I will feel better tomorrow because I don't want to be sick.

Wait, I just received a text from my daughter-in-law reminding me to come to watch their kids while her and my son speak in church. Kev has already said he will do it without me if I am not well. PAYBACK!! That is why I am sick!!!

Okay, I just got a message that one of my grandchildren that we took to the movie yesterday got sick right after with my same symptoms I got this morning. I know that if I take good care of myself and strengthen my immune system, then I can resist illness even when exposed. I am recommitting to eating lots of healthy foods, which includes colorful fruits and vegetables. My health is always my responsibility. My Heavenly Father will always help me but He helps those that help themselves.

Gardening

Today I did some planting with two of my grandchildren, and right now it is raining so my new plantings and some transplants (plants not hair) are getting good care. There is nothing quite like how good it feels to spend some time gardening and making our yard more attractive. I love making something more beautiful.

I remember years ago when we were anticipating general conference and feeling like there would be some special announcement. The direction we were given at that conference by President Kimball was to plant a garden. At the time, I felt kind of disappointed. I mean, I was hoping they would change Sunday School to a social dinner hour. Anyway, I have come to know that there is joy is simple things. Yes a garden can feed us physically and flowers create beauty, but there are also spiritual, mental, emotional, and social benefits to gardening.

P.S This is an internet picture. I will no longer put actual pictures of my family on this blog because someone who doesn't personally know us on the other side of the country with an inappropriate blog got a hold of some of our family pictures and posted them along with some scathing opinions of me and some of the things I wrote about my spiritual beliefs. Sad, isn't it?

It's Back!!!

Hi, I'm Tanya and I'm an addict. (Hi Tanya) Anyway I slip up and give in to sugar and then I am falling down that slippery slope and the climb back up is difficult. How much easier if I just keep away from the edge.

It is important for me to recognize the triggers so that I can at least feel like in my failure at least I'm learning, relearning, and then learning again and again and again. Someone called it recycling, and gee isn't it good to recycle?

Here are my triggers:

Going too long without eating and then overeating
Boredom
Staying up too late and getting off schedule
Hanging out with other sugarholics
Negative thoughts-guilt, self-criticism, dwelling on frustrations
Not staying hydrated
Rationalization--just this once won't hurt
Getting within 10 miles of an ice cream store

I must remind myself once again that nothing tastes as good as healthy feels. Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels. Nothing tastes as good as healthy ice creeee...I mean nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.

Whoops!

While walking with friends this morning, I realized that my last blog could have been misinterpreted. My friends were concerned that I had been offended and that is why I wrote what I did. No, I haven't been offended. Trust me, it takes a lot to offend me, because let's face it, I'm too busy offending others. I wrote what I did because I had just been in a meeting where we were discussing the importance of teaching the young women not to offend or be offended easily.

One of the reasons that I am not easily offended is that I realize that people, for the most part, have good intentions, and so I choose to not be offended and instead try to understand why they did what they did or said. Also because I do seek for constant improvement, I am open to even negative feedback that can help me see where I need to improve and what I might need to repent of.

The bottom line is, I have been blessed to have so much evidence that God loves and cares about me, and so that has given me a quiet confidence that makes my trust in others' opinions who might be having a bad day more unlikely.

What I need to worry more about is being offensive because I have developed a pretty thick skin and am open to helpful criticism, but then I forget that other people are a lot more sensitive than I am. It doesn't help that I am bold and sarcastic, but when sarcasm might be my only talent, I am just so afraid to bury it.

Don't be offended easily

Please don't be offended by this picture but it really hit a cord with me. I have been thinking a lot about the tendency to be offended easily, and I think this picture speaks volumes. Sometimes someone says or does something that could really offend me but I must remember that we all have our bad days, especially us women. I want to always think that people have good intentions and not take offense if they do have a bad day and treat me poorly. Even if they are totally in the wrong and do something intentionally to hurt me, it does me absolutely no good to give away my power and allow them to control how I feel.

Lack of Discipline

I mentioned this before, but just like the 5-point star and how each point is connected and affects the other points, a lack of discipline in one area definitely has an impact on the other parts of my life. For me, the trap door is usually when I go astray in my eating habits and sugar is usually the demon that is dangled above that trap door. Of course anytime I do anything in excess, I am set up for a star meltdown. I am just grateful that at any moment I can course correct and recommit to disciplined eating habits RIGHT THIS MINUTE and keeping everything in my life in healthy moderation. One slip up doesn't mean I have to throw myself off the cliff.

Gadget Geek

The other day while soaking in the tub and brainstorming ideas for my life in an effort to get better focused and balanced, I realized that it is helpful for me to make a daily star with an activity in each area of my life (spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and social) that I want to do every day. I also want to set more long term goals in each area that I am working on.

My new goal for my mental self and in an effort to ward off Alzheimer's (I know, you are thinking it is already too late), I want to work on getting more computer savvy and have my information and pictures on my computers better organized. Yes, I got a new IPAD and I love it. Anyway, I realize there is so much I don't know that I decided to spend time on the internet Apple tutorials so that I can not only get it all organized but so that I can actually use that information and pictures for useful projects. I am such a gadget geek but it really is such a kick for me to figure things out and to go to a whole new neurotic level of organization. I've got my nerd on!

Words to Live By

My good friend Yvonne made and gave this picture and quote to our Relief Society after President Hinckley passed away. I have had it taped to my computer ever since but then it suddenly disappeared. I realize that Kev had taken it and placed it on his car dashboard a couple of months ago, but I now have it as my computer desktop image. It is what having faith is all about. I am grateful for President Hinckley's example.

Lessons in Nature

I absolutely love to exercise in nature and I especially love to hike, walk, run on scenic trails. There is something about being in a natural setting alone with my own thoughts that symbolically teaches me important lessons of life.

The other day while hiking in a favorite canyon named after my great-great-great grandfather, I came across this trail that was obstructed by a fallen tree. It didn't take long for a new path to form, and I find that that is also true of life.

Sometimes something happens and the path that we were on is suddenly blocked, but God provides a new path if we keep walking with faith. It is good to have goals but sometimes that goal isn't what my Heavenly Father wants for me, and so I need to be better at letting Him guide me down new paths before He has to send a catastrophe to stop me from continuing on the original path.

Never enough

A wise friend once said, "You can never get enough of that which you don't really need." That is true. I realize that a lot of my clutter is because I can't ever get enough of what I don't really need. It is what leads to addictions. It is that way with eating also and that is why I can keep eating junk food and why I will never be guilty of downing a whole bag of broccoli.

Tribute to Ethan

I mentioned this before but my new hero is Helaman. He is such a great example of being positive even in the middle of war.

I just came from the apartment building where a little memorial of candles and stuffed animals is set up for that little 4 year old Ethan, who was killed by his step father. As horrific as his death was, I am so grateful that he is now in a safe and loving place and being well cared for. I also have faith that even during his troubling last days that he was surrounded by angels that comforted and helped him.

As I looked around at the people that came to pay their respect, I was also filled with tremendous faith and hope that there are so many good people that care, and who far out number those who would do harm. I am thankful for the goodness and sensitivity of so many wonderful people. May we all use this experience to soften our hearts and be more loving to all people. Thank you Heavenly Father for taking Ethan unto you.

Food Cleanse

I love to watch the Dr. Oz show while I am exercising. I also enjoy his website, and want to share a challenge that he gave about what food to get rid of in my home.

Dr. Oz’s Rule of 5, which forces you to throw away all the food in your house that list ANY of the following within the first 5 ingredients:

1. Simple sugars
2. Syrups
3. White flours
4. Saturated fats
5. Trans fats

So now my dejunking will move to the kitchen.

I have been told that 80% of weight loss success is due to the foods I eat and 20% is due to exercise. Honestly I find it easier to exercise than to always eat healthy but that means that I need to get serious about label reading and follow the Rule of 5.

Organizing

I was just at my son's home and he was showing me the progress on their basement that they are finishing, and I mentioned something about organizing. He told me something that is so true. He said that I am always thinking about organizing. Yes, it's true. I am always on the look out for the perfectly organized purse. When I am shopping for a new car, I could care less about the engine's power, brakes, etc.; just show me where the cup holders are and a convenient place for my purse and other stuff and then I'll decide if I want to buy it.

For me, instead of saying I should get more organized because I am already to the extreme neurotic, on the verge of psychiatric hospitalization side of the organization scale, I should pull back and get a little more relaxed.

After a few years of teaching organization classes and giving ideas that could push people into my neurotic realm, I started to just teach the principles of organizing and asking people to figure out where they were on the scale. If they were completely disorganized, then by all means move towards being more organized. If, however, they were roommates with me in the obsessive compulsively organized psych ward, then relax and enjoy life and people instead of organizing stuff.

A balanced form of organizing can make life less stressful,but just like under organization can be depressing and stressful, so can over organizing. I am committed to staying in the balanced place where I feel peace.

Contest

If you have been dejunking, be sure and submit your entry for the craziest thing you finally got rid of. See May 7th post.

The Paradox of Choice

I'm still dejunking and this morning when I was deciding on which exercise tape to use, it was so much easier now that my choices are limited (although I am going to miss Richard and his oiled legs).

I have read excerpts of this book and essential it says what is on the cover. Sometimes too many choices are debilitating, and studies have shown that even after making a choice that there is more likelihood of regret for possibly making the wrong choice when there are too many options.

Once again, it is interesting how too much or too little of anything isn't healthy. I am always grateful I have some choices, but it can be counterproductive to have too many. Balance is key. I am going to continue to dejunk and limit my choices.

Happy Mothers Day to my Mom

I want to wish my Mom a Happy Mother's Day. I am so grateful for her because she has been the perfect mother for me. I appreciate her diligence and hard work to make our home a great place to be and to provide wonderful traditions and family closeness. She taught me to be independent and strong and gave me wonderful opportunities to learn and develop a variety of talents. The fact that I don't have any talents isn't her fault because she did give me the opportunities. (Oh wait, I forgot about the baton twirling!) My Mom is a great lady with a very sensitive and caring heart. Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day

I had been asked to take a few minutes in Relief Society today about a time when I botched motherhood. Now mind you I had an extremely tough time thinking of such a time but Yvonne said to dig deep. Kidding, it was hard to actually narrow it down! It would have easier to pick the one or two times I DIDN'T botch motherhood.

Anyway, this is what I wrote to share but as usual it wasn't the same as I planned.

Motherhood is the best of times; it is the worst of times. Sometimes I have been confused about what constitutes good mothering. I use to feel that a perfect family or at least perfect family appearances would demonstrate my success as a mother and now that has all been shot to heck, I am getting clearer about the greatest lessons that being a mom have taught me.

I remember a time when I was struggling alone with my children in the Sacrament meeting mosh pit while their dad was calmly sitting in the bishopric suite. One of our children was being very irreverent and I very discreetly pinched him to get him to perform properly. So that I could look like the perfect mother, my controlling and mean spirited infraction was performed below the bench line so as not to be in view of any other ward members that I wanted to impress. Not understanding the below the bench line rule in order to keep up appearances (dang, that should have been a FHE lesson), my son pinched me back in full view of all those in back of us making it obvious what I had just done to him. So much for appearances.

Now I have a greater test of having children who are not always living my ideal expectations in the mosh pit of life (but hey, I'm not either), but now I get to learn some valuable lessons. One of the most important lessons is that being a mother isn’t always about having the perfect outcome and it is certainly not about keeping up appearances; it is what Adam and Eve were told in the Garden of Eden that they would learn by their experience.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned from my experience is to not feel like a complete failure as a mother if my children are not behaving the way I think they should but to just love them and have faith that they too will learn by their experience. I might actual discover that they are, in fact, behaving the way they should for my benefit because I am learning so much more from their disobedience than from perfect obedience.

I have been impressed to understand that my Heavenly Father also has children who not on the right path but He loves them just the same. In trying to be like Him, I too have the great test and privilege to love my own wayward children in that same way. I realize that it would be easy to love my children if they were all doing what I think they should be doing but it wouldn’t give me the opportunity to develop that kind of unconditional love that Heavenly Father has when they aren’t. It also reminds me that God loves me unconditionally, even when I am not on the right path.

I have to admit that I have learned the most from my mistakes. It has been my failures that have brought me to my knees to learn the greatest lesson of life, and that is to repent and rely on my Savior and know that He will make up for my mistakes and sins (even the sacrament meeting brutality!).

A contest

I keep hearing from people that have been doing a lot of dejunking, and so I thought it would be fun to have a little contest to see what is the most unique junk that you are finally parting with. Also include the creative/crazy reason you have held onto it.

For me I finally gave up my old drill team sweater from high school. I held onto it just in case I went to a 50's costume party. I don't think that is going to happen. I was also worried that if I gave it away and someone else would wear it they would get a demerit. You see, back in high school it was such a "privilege" to have and wear one that if we ever let someone who wasn't actually a Lancelle wear ours, then we would get a demerit. Now they will probably just get beat up. Anyway, it's off to DI it goes. Hopefully it makes it to Russia where the name Tanya is popular and 1973 means something to them.

I also threw away some mineral makeup that is way too light for me. I have been holding onto it just in case I get pale and sickly and then it will finally match my skin color. I also got rid of my Richard Simmons exercise videos. I have finally learned to copy his hair style and so I don't need them. If you hurry you can get a good deal for them at the DI. I also got rid of some shoe boxes that I was saving in case I needed to throw together a Valentine's box.

Share what you have parted with and why you have held onto it. There will be a prize for the best item and excuse.

Dejunking with technology

How great is it that I can clear out cupboards and drawers full of pictures and CDs and put them all on computers and ipods. Technology is helping me eliminate all that physical stuff in storage and still have access to it. Now I just need to be selective what I put on my computer because let's face it; that can get cluttered also.

Thank you to all those if have been dejunking along with me. Sharing your stories is helping me be more brave and less creative in trying to talk myself into saving something. Has anyone thought of using rows of CD's as wall covering?

Temptation

Traveling can make my avoiding sugar commitment difficult, especially when there are Cold Stones, Ben & Jerry's, and Haagen-Dazs stores everywhere I go. In a big city I end up walking right by it and then I am sucked in. At least here at home I have to go to a little more effort to get a treat.

The good news is that have have renewed evidence that the 10 minutes of indulgence isn't worth it. How many times do I have to learn that lesson?! When temptation hits, I will keep repeating to myself, "Nothing tastes as good as thin (ie healthy) feels."

I am recommitting to eating healthy and cleansing my body AGAIN as I continue to clean out my home AGAIN. Once again I am converted to how good every part of me feels when my body is cleansed and my home is cleansed. What I do physically has so much to do with how I feel mentally, emotionally, socially, and especially spiritually. (I know, I know, I've said this before but I still need to keep reminding myself.)

My Body Believes Everything I Say

What I especially like about writing this blog is that I don't have to have any rhyme or reason to what I post. It doesn't really matter if I talk about random subjects as long as it has something to do with my self discovery and improvement journey. So here I go on a repeated tangent.

Today I was reminded of a Walmart commercial I saw awhile ago about cold and cough medication. The commercial said,  "Stock up because you know you are going to need  it." Now that's an interesting belief and one I am not going to subscribe to.

It reminds me of an interesting book I read entitled, "Your Body Believes Every Word You Say." In essence it says that what we believe, think and say gets played out in our physical bodies. So if I believe, think, and say that I will need cold and cough medication; then I will.

One interesting study discussed in that book was about people who were allergic to strawberries and how they would break out in hives when they entered a room with strawberry wallpaper because of that power of thought that could translate into really physical symptoms. I wonder then if I have pictures of desserts in my home, will I gain weight; and if that is the case, maybe I should have pictures of celery.

Once again I am reminded to have positive faith that I will be healthy and then work at making choices to promote good health. Does anyone know a good vegetable photographer?

They will figure it out

Okay, I'm getting up there in years but it has taken me a long time to figure out some important lessons in life. I've mentioned this before, but one of the most important lessons is that I don't have to protect or fix people anymore. Yes, when the little chickadees were young, it was necessary to keep them from running into the street and making sure they brushed their teeth; but now I can finally let them lose and trust that they can do it on their own. (If you see any of my kids running into traffic, please don't tell me) That also goes for anyone else that I care about and am tempted to protect from harm. Some of life's greatest lessons come from pain and sometimes we all have to learn it the hard way.

My new saying that I credit to my good friend Patty is, "They will figure it out."  It is the path to letting go and trusting that others either know what they are doing and what they need or that the consequences of their wrong choices will teach them what they need to know. I can now quit my job as their teacher and their course corrector. My job is just to be a good example (whoops, I've blown it already) and to love them.

Yes, I'm a slow learner but at least my head is catching on. Now let's just hope that my actions will follow. I will keep repeating, "They will figure it out." "They will figure it out." "They will figure it out." (and if you are thinking that they will figure it out that the garbage needs to be taken out; don't count on it.)

Jealousy

Sometimes I have spent too much focus and energy on being jealous of someone and making excuses of why I can't have or do what I am jealous of them having and doing.

Recently I learned from a good friend's blog that when she exercises that she doesn't leave the gym until she has burned 600 calories. The next time I was on my treadmill I paid attention to how many calories I burned and felt somewhat discouraged that I didn't come close to that. (what? Am I suppose to actually do more than strolling?) My naturally tendency was to make excuses and be jealous that she was in such great physical shape but I stopped myself before I got desperate and tacky enough to accuse her of being on steroids to make myself feel better (yes, that is how caddy jealousy can make me).

So instead of tearing her down in an effort to make me feel better, I was just inspired by her. Thank you Lisa, the last time I was on my treadmill I got up to burning 550 calories. You inspired me to push myself and in the process, I discovered that I am capable of so much more--even without steroids. I am grateful for good friends that inspire me to be a better person.

Not Gross National Stuff

As I go through my home and dejunk, I can't help but think of my first college experience as a business major. I learned about GNP (Gross National Product) and how countries measure their success by how high it is. To me this means that the more junk will make, sell, and buy, then we feel like we are progressing.

Recently a country (remember I'm old and so I forgot which country) decided that instead of measuring their success by their GNP, they would start tracking and trying to increase GNH (Gross National Happiness). That's a novel idea. I'm convinced the more I get rid of the happier I am.

Distractions

Sometimes it is hard to stay on course and avoid the many distractions that can take me away from what is really important. I am committed to getting more focused on a disciplined morning routine that doesn't include searching on the internet because it is amazing how that can eat up so much time.