Ma'am You Were Doing 80 in a 70

My day was going along great until this nice (and kinda cute) KCK police officer pulled me over on I-70 on my morning commute to work. I was listening to an inspiration CD and I had just been thinking about how easy the commute to work had been this morning. Then I saw the dreaded red flashing lights. My blood pressure shot up, I was feeling very anxious, and I started to sweat. Not a good feeling. Traffic was clipping along; unfortunately, I was leading the pack. Lucky for me he gave me a warning and no ticket.  The last speeding ticket I got was a couple years ago and ended up costing me $130, which was NOT in the budget. So I thanked my lucky stars, said a prayer, and continued on to work. And of course, I was now driving at the posted speed limit.


I look at my comfort zone and my lack of goal attainment as a warning. Red lights flashing and time to make some changes. Life is not a dress rehearsal folks. Time is precious and we need to take advantage of every single second. Time for me to take some chances in this game called life. You might ask yourself, where do I begin? I have made my list, but have no idea where to begin...help!   Hmmm, that is a great question that will be the subject in my next blog.   For now, be safe, count your blessings, and for goodness sakes drive the speed limit!! 

"To achieve something you have never achieved before you must become someone you have never been." ~ Les Brown

Here’s to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

Living Life List for 2012

 

Now that we all have the attitude of gratitude, it is time to start thinking about what you want to accomplish in 2012.  I think the phrase “Bucket List” is too depressing so I have changed it to my “Living Life List.”  Sounds much more positive and these thoughts will propel us in the direction of positive action.   

I have started a list for 2012 of all the things I want to do, try, accomplish, no matter how far-fetched they may seem.  It is a mind dump to get the creative juices flowing and get my thoughts focused on the positive and the possibilities.

My Living Life List for 2012

Unfiltered and Work in Progress:

1. Pay off my car ($2,800).
2. Pay off credit card (down to $350).
3. Summer trip with Caroline and Catherine (still working on destination).
4. Trip to Oregon to see my brother.
5. Summer trip to Minnesota to see the family.
6. Weekend trip to Minneapolis to see my girlfriends that I have not seen since 1995.
7. Stamp on my passport (Mexico counts on that one!)
8. Update my will.
9. Evaluate and change if necessary my life insurance policy.
10. Purchase a new bedroom set.
11. Purchase new patio furniture.
12. Landscape my front flower bed which will include flowers and vegetables.
13. Trip to Las Vegas.
14. Open a Roth IRA and begin making monthly contributions.
15. Weekend family trip to Minneapolis in August to go to the State Fair and MOA.
16. CGSC triathlon (doing all three segments).
17. Race three 5K races this summer.
18. Attend all football cheer games for Caroline and Cate.
19. Finish my tattoo.
20. Collect a $250 gift card from BCBS by logging workouts.
21. Get all my numbers (BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc) so I have a baseline.
22. Pay off work scholarship sponsored by the Kansas Board of Regents (last year).
23. Install built in shelves in garage.
24. New countertops in kitchen.
25. Find a church near my new home.
26. Find a new hair stylist/colorist (I know, but it is important).
27. Stain my deck.
28. Take a weekend solitude sabbatical retreat at Christ’s Peace House of Prayer near Easton, KS.
29. Create an online business.
30. Bring my lunches to work every day.
31. $20 per week in the change jar which will help pay for a family vacation.
32. Date the man of my dreams.
33. Run a half-marathon.
34. Create a blog (check, already done).
35. Attend a T-Bones game with kids.
36. Attend a Royals game with kids.
37. Weigh a healthy 130 pounds.
38. Write a book (have no idea what about, but I enjoy writing).
39. Take a cooking class.
40. Eliminate soda from my diet.
41. Buy a Harley Davidson.
42. Volunteer with an organization to give back to the community.
43. Hire Franchesca Alcanter as my personal trainer and boxing coach.
44. Create the Devona Flynn Foundation.
45. Attend an MMA fight.
46. Start playing tennis again.
47. See Nickelback in concert (already have tickets; now just need a date, LOL).
48. Spend the summer at the pool with my girls.
49. Increase contributions to retirement to 25% (increase of 5%).

These are not in any order, and I will organize them into categories later this week.  I just wanted to get all my thoughts and ideas down before they left me (that is a getting older thing)!!!!!  Some of these are regular goals, and some are to get out and try something new, but they will all help me get out of my comfort box and start living. 

Now we must talk about why most goal setting fails.  Here are the top four reasons why people fail to reach their goals:

1. Wish list and cross the fingers:  You simply cannot write down a list of wants, stick it in a drawer for the rest of the year and wait around for your life to change.  Nice try, but no cigar!!
2. Clear as mud:  You goals have to be crystal clear.  You need to give clear instructions to your brain in order for it to see and “draw” into your life what you need to accomplish your goals.
3. All talk:  Proclaiming your goal is just a starting point.   Now you need to actually draw a map for exactly how you are going to get there and define the resources that you will need.
4. Lack of Reinforcements:  Don’t forget the people and resources you will need along the way to making your goals a reality.

Plan, Do, Review and Improve

First you make a Plan or set goals.  Next, you Do or execute.  Then you Review in order to assess how you did.  In the review stage you measure your accomplishments, counting your wins and losses.  Then you make any necessary adjustments and Improve.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results ~ Albert Einstein

Looking forward to hearing what you all have planned for 2012.

Here’s to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude is the attitude that changes everything.

We can stop the negative thoughts deep inside our minds by redirecting them toward abundance. This simple shift can change your world. An attitude of gratitude allows your mind to focus on the positive. Thus, you will see, discover and create more of the same. You will experience more abundance, prosperity, well-being, love, joy, and happiness. Who doesn’t want all of that????

The other thing to note is that gratitude is a choice. OMG, back to the word choice, but it is a fact. I have friends that ooze gratitude and it shows in everything they do. The have a glow about them and opportunities just seem to naturally come their way. I also had (notice past tense here) a friend that was just the opposite. Negative, no attitude of gratitude and his life, more like lack of, consists of watching four hours of mindless TV each night along with 2-3 Captain/cokes. Being around someone like that sucks the life out of you and if you are not careful, that person will drag you down with them (I was on that path). Remember, you are who you associate with. We are driven by those around us in life and we can quickly get complacent (this was me) when the people around us do not live with gratitude running through their veins.

  

How do we get gratitude you might ask? Well, gratitude can be a productive habit, but only with discipline. With continued practice, having gratitude will create more abundance, prosperity, well-being, and happiness than you thought possible. Remember like attracts like. An abundant state of mind will allow for your inner creative genius to work its magic.

Let’s take a look at some staggering statistics:

If your combined household earns more than $24,600 a year you are in the top 10% of all income earners in the world.

The average monthly salary for someone living in Afghanistan is only $14 a month.

37 million Americans live below the National poverty line. That’s 1 in every 8 Americans living in poverty.  3.5% of U.S. households (that’s people within a home) experience hunger every day. That’s 9.6 million people each and every day.

An estimated 750,000 people in America experience homelessness and out of those people only 56 percent find shelter at night for sleeping while the other 44 percent end up sleeping on the streets.

Also, did you know that only 34% of American adults say they are truly happy??

So on with that gratitude list:

I am thankful for…

1. My children, Caroline and Catherine.
2. My mom, may she rest in peace.
3. My dad.
4. My step-mom.
5. My bother and sister.
6. My nieces and nephew.
7. My many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
8. My dog Annie.
9. My home.
10. My job.
11. My ability to pay my monthly bills.
12. That I discovered the importance of gratitude.
13. That I am loved by so many people, and they love me unconditionally.
14. My friends, all of them. I really am blessed by the good friends I have.
15. My gym (and I need to use it more).
16. That I never go hungry and always have plenty to eat.
17. My health. I am pretty healthy.
18. My health, dental, and vision insurance.
19. The flowers, because they never stop making me smile.
20. My neighborhood, it is peaceful.
21. My neighbors. They are all very pleasant.
22. The ability to laugh and maintain a positive outlook.
23. The sunrise, what an amazing thing in nature.
24. My ability to reflect.
25. That my bank account has a positive balance!
26. My teeth, they’re pretty nice.
27. Being self-confident.
28. All of the wonderful vacations I have taken and will take.

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude – Thomas Jefferson

So make your gratitude list and review it daily. What are you most grateful for?

  

Here’s to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

Year in Review

Before I get to my year in review, I thought I would share with you a new adventure that I had yesterday.  I spent eight hours riding with a friend in his 18 wheeler while he delivered two trailers of pork butts from Chillicothe, MO to Kansas City, KS.  What I thought particularly funny and interesting was that this meat was being shipped to Korea.  In fact, the US exports 170,000 tons of pork to Korea a year.  In 2007 Korea raised 10 million pigs, so why are we sending Korea all this pork butt???  Folks, we may never get the answer to this life altering question…… 


Anyway, truck driving is hard work and I was just the passenger.  I did learn a lot about the trucking industry and what type of cab I should purchase (Peterbilt or Kenworth) should I decide to change professions (thinking not) and go over the road.  The only problem I see is that I would need to learn to shift 8, 10, and 13 gears, back a trailer into a tight spot and turn corners wide enough so I don’t take anyone out.  One cool thing about riding in a big truck is that you see what everyone is doing inside their cars...and I mean everything (yes, you know what I am talking about....eewwwww). 

Alright back to my year in review.  In order for me to move forward I need to analyze my past to assess where we I am at, a starting point you might say.  Now, when I began thinking about my happenings from last year I immediately started thinking about all the negative things that took place, but I am thinking positive people.   I decided to make a list of the 20 positive things that took place.  Sad to say I could only come up with 16 (sad face).  So here is the list from 2011.  What I realized was that in my mind I did not accomplish a lot.  Now some of you might think I accomplished a lot, but for me I fell way short.  For 2012 I want to triple the list.  Anyway, here are my accomplishments and adventures for 2011:

1.     Received a MA degree in Adaptive Special Education from the University of St. Mary.

2.    Purchased a home on my own.

3.    Accepted a teaching position in the Kansas City, KS School District.

4.    Invested 20% for retirement.

5.    Paid car loan down to $2800.

6.    Passed Praxis test for state licensure.

7.    Ran a 5K race and placed 3^rd in my age division.

8.    Completed the swim/run portion of a triathlon with my friend Shawn doing the biking portion.

9.    Vacation to Las Vegas for New Years (wow, all I can say is what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas).

10. Vacation to Denver (and discovered I love crepes).

11.  Vacation to Savannah, GA/Hilton Head for Labor Day Weekend (most haunted city in America I might add).

12. Weekend getaway with family to attend the Minnesota State Fair and trip to the Mall of America.

13. Spent a memorable Christmas (even with no snow) in Minnesota with family, including my brother from Seattle.

14. Traveled to St. Louis to see the Foo Fighters in concert (awesome show).

15. Attended my first NASCAR race (super boring I might add).

16. Spent a glorious summer going to the pool daily with my girls.

When I look at this list there are some items that put a smile on my face.  I also get a little sad when I compare what I had on my goal list for 2011.  I fell short in a lot of areas.  This list should have been a lot longer, but I got lazy.  Bottom line is I am not living up to my potential and a lot of time if being wasted doing nothing, or next to nothing.  I don’t want to live my life with regrets so change is underway.   


I would love to know what you have done to get out of the zone and what new and exciting things you did last year or are planning on doing this year.  Please share, I might add them to my living life list.


Here’s to getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa

Wake Up and Smell The Coffee

Every person wakes up one morning and finds themselves wondering how in the heck they got to be this old and contemplates why they have not accomplished more in life.

Well folks, I am one of those people.

Oprah might call this an "aha" moment, but I call it a "WTF" moment.  I am always wondering if I should have taken more chances and darn it, how come my bank balance is so low, can that be right?  Well, I have decided that it is time to put the big girl panties on, update my living life list (formally know as the bucket list) and make a few changes in my life.   Rather than bore you with my life story (it is really not that exciting), I am going to focus on the present and the future.  There is no point in worrying about the stuff that has already happened because you cannot change a gosh darn thing (hopefully lessons learned are tucked away for future reference), but to focus on the present and how the choices I made today will affect my tomorrow.  Remember, time goes by quickly, so embrace life and life life to the fullest. 

First, I must talk about choices.  My dad, the wise man he is, always says life is about choices.  But dad, Forrest told me "Life is like a box of chocoates, not choices."

Choices, choices, choices.

I don't always agree with him, but for me specifically, I have made some "interesting" choices to say the least.  I get really tired of hearing him talk about choices, but then he is right.  I catch myself talking to my children about choices and how the decisions they will make today will affect their lives.  My girls are 10 and 12 so for them it is hard to get past next day let alone thinking about life after high school.  So, I need to revisit the past and see how my past choices, good or bad, have affected my life here today in 2012.  Well, there are way too many to contemplate, so I will pick the top five and as painful and somewhat depressing as it is sharing them with you, here they are: 

1.  Divorce in 2007 after 10 years of marriage (he is now my BFF so go figure).

2.  $72,000 in student loans (yep, just added them up today).

3.  Dating a man or almost two years when it should have been a one day relationship.  (Note to self, pay attention to the red flags even as insignificant as they may seem at the time).

4.  Living beyond my means for way too many years (are you telling me that a mani/pedi are a want not a need)?

5.  Gaining 70 pounds since graduating high school (ouch, that one is painful).

Needless to say I find myself at a crossroads (dare I say mid-life crisis?) in my life that made me realize that my life needs some major overhauling and that time starts right now.  My days on the comfort couch are over baby and I am goiong to share with the world, or anyone who gives a darn, how I am going to make this miraculous turn around in just 10 months.  If I would have had my act together I would have already been two months in the process.  Oh yeah, I forgot, don't dwell on the past.

So here is my game plan although it will probably be altered as I go along.  Just like this blog, it is work in progress.  Oh, and did I tell you it took me hours to get this little no frills blog started?  Due to my lack of technical expertise I am going to enlist in a friend to help make this a more sophisticated site, but for now it will suffice.  Gosh, maybe I should have asked my 12 year old daughter, Caroline, to help.  She could probably have had it up and running in 30 minutes.  Oh yeah, back to my plan.

For the first step, I thought it best to review the previous year.  As a teacher, I am constantly reflecting on my work as an educator, to see how I can make improvements.  So in my next blog, I will go into detail on my year in review.  Remember, I am working myself off the comfort couch, so it will not be that exciting to most of you out there.

Then again, as I talk myself off of MY comfort couch, maybe you will be encouraged to tell me about YOUR first steps off of your comfort couch.

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we hit it."  ~ Michelangelo

Getting off the comfort couch and living life ~ Lisa