Ugh! Finally!!!

I was not shirking my blog! I couldn't get logged in. But here I am now. I can't believe how fast January has gone! I find that time goes so fast these days. Looking forward to getting away to Rio in a month - aaahhh!!!

Anyhoo...It's been a good month. I spent the first 2 months in a terrible funk that I couldn't get out of no matter how hard I tried. Then I realized that was the problem - I was trying too hard. I just needed to allow myself a day to let go & once I did that, I was fine. Plus I got this really cool button for my desk at the Hallmark store. It looks a bit like those "easy" buttons they have at Staples, except it's called a "Boogie Button" and when you push it, it plays "Shake your Groove Thing." I think my favorite part is that now Elijah goes around the house singing "Shake your Groove Thing" - very funny!

I am also reading a new book which I highly recommend. It's called "S.C.O.R.E" by Jim Fannin. The letters stand for Self-discipline, Concentration, Optimism, Relaxation & Enjoyment. It is about having balance in all arenas of life & being able to get into a performance "zone" - it's fantastic! I read the chapter on Optimism this morning & it couldnt have come at a better time. Tomorrow is month end & I needed to finish some sales in order to be where I wanted to be. Well, after reading that chapter, I was able to head optimistically into my day & the orders have been flowing & I have been connecting with customers.

One of the women I connected with was a new mom & their baby has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy & micro-cephaly (the brain does not develop at a "normal" rate). My heart just broke for her & I was once again so thankful to have healthy children. I cannot imagine the struggles and trials they have and will go through. I will have the pleasure of meeting with them next week. It's at times like this I feel very inadequate & ill-prepared. But who knows, maybe all that mom needs is someone to talk to. I just hope I can be of help in some small way. I thank God every day for my children and the blessing they are.

Anybody Out There??

I've been reading "Me to We" lately - a book written by Craig & Marc Kielburger. It's about how we help ourselves by helping others. They talk alot about community and our need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Our society, although more connected globally now than at any point in history, is also very individual. We do so much in isolation, whether it's work, entertainment or whatever. Look at me - instead of calling people to share all these thoughts, I sit in my office by myself posting them on a blog that you can read, also by yourself, and maybe respond to. Email, although very efficient and a great tool, is so impersonal. One of my favorite quotes in the book is "We watch Friends instead of having friends."

When we lived in Winnipeg, we experienced community in a very true form. We had the unique priveledge of attending Grain of Wheat church. The church was in Wolseley and the majority of the people who attended also lived in Wolseley, many in walking distance. For them, church was not just Sunday morning. They really had a sense of what "community" meant. Living in Wolseley was very deliberate - it kept everyone close and connected. There were local businesses run by people in the church that were heartily supported, including Tall Grass Prairie Bread Company (the absolute best bread & cinnamon buns in the world! I can't go back to Winnipeg without stocking up) and the Wolseley Oak restaurant. It was such a unique experience - people were there for each other. When someone was sick, there was no need for a sign-up sheet to look after them - it just happened. My friend Mona went there as well & after we had moved she told me that one of the things they started doing was common meals. At supper time on weeknights, they would have 5 (I think) houses who ate together. The meal was rotated between the houses so that each family only had to cook one meal a week (it was just a bigger meal). This was just a supper thing - people came & ate and then went on with their evening. Because everyone lived so close, they could just walk to each others' places. I feel so blessed to have been able to share in this community. It was a truly unique experience.

I find it hard to reclaim that sense of community but feel a longing for it. I don't do well in isolation. None of us do. Just look at the statitstics of depression today. We are social people & we need each other. We need to return to a place of being involved with other people in a more meaningful way - beyond just email and the occasional telephone call. It is in helping others that we truly find peace and fulfillment.

Goal Setting Time

It's that time of year for me again. Well, actually I set goals many times during the year but I always look at the big picture at the beginning of the year. In a couple weeks, I will be in Red Deer for our annual Business Builders' Retreat. One of the traditions of this weekend is dream-mapping - cutting out pictures & words and adding photos & things like that and gluing them on a large colored sheet. I have these hanging in my office by my desk & I see them every day. Last year's included pictures of Rio, family pictures (and the words "Smart Kids"), a picture of a woman doing yoga on the beach and lots of words ("the power of positive", "life is too short to waste time", "surrounded by miracles", "take time to take care of yourself", just to name a few). I love this exercise. I find it very meaningful and motivating.

So I got together with my friend Holly this morning & we talked about business goals & personal goals. One of the things we talked about was how so often we feel the pressure to take on other people's goals. If someone else is doing great & we maybe aren't, it's so easy to feel bad about yourself. But who's to say that that person's goals are the same as mine? I know I have done this lots and I have learned to take a step back & look at my own goals & evaluate myself against that. Another thing we talked about was something that I struggle with & that is giving myself permission to just take time for me. I used to be very good at this & I remember saying at one point that I would always take at least an hour for myself every day. Well, that was before kids & careers & all the rest of it. I have fallen out of the habit of taking time for myself, other than my 15 minutes of reading each morning. So that was one of my personal goals - taking 30-60 minutes for myself each day. That might mean a trip to the gym or it might mean watching Oprah in the afternoon (something I always feel guilty for whenever I take the time).

I have a feeling this is going to be a very exciting year and I am looking forward to everything it has in store. I know that the challenges are there as a neccessary path to growing. Later this week, Troy & I will be going out on a date to do our own family goal setting. Another habit we've fallen out of. I am so glad I have a husband who sees the value of goals. My biggest piece of advice to anyone who is reading this & going to do goal setting of your own:
1. Make it tangible and measurable.
2. Write it down & post it where you will see it.