Jet Lag

It is 1AM in Brazil right now & I am attempting to stay up past 9:00 local time to help myself readjust. So this post will be short and sorry - I haven't downloaded any of the pictures yet. But I do have this one that was actually taken this summer in San Francisco. I was there for convention & a group of us decided to do some touring on our last day after convention was over. So we all went to Bubba Gump's for lunch & they sat us at a table right next to this licence plate and of course we all had our pictures taken next to it. Well, wouldn't you know it, I am now the proud owner of an identical licence plate (except it says 2007) that I bought from a guy on the street outside Corcovado.
There aren't enough words to describe how much we enjoyed Rio. Troy & I have done a fair bit of travelling, together & before we were married. We both agreed that Brazil was our favorite. The people there are just amazing - so very friendly & helpful. My Portuguese was atrocious but every local was very willing to help me - whether it was to get directions or order pizza!
Anyways, I have so much more to say about the trip & no energy to put words together right now. Hopefully I will have pictures up in the next few days...

On Pins and Needles...

Well as some of you know, last week I managed to injure my SI joint (lower back & hip) - don't know how...just know that I could barely walk, And, of course the thought of a 20-hour plane ride had me searching for solutions. I started, of course, with positive thinking - which actually did some remarkable work! I went to bed with visions of dancing in Rio and woke up the next morning feeling much better. However, I was not 100%. So I continued to slowly recover but had told myself if I wasn't totally better by Monday, I would have to look into alternative therapy. Well, alternative indeed. Yesterday I went for my first acupuncture treatment. I could not believe the difference! It was truly amazing! I went again today and I feel basically healed. I have to say that I was a bit nervous about the whole idea - a series of needles sticking out of my spine for a period of time...But I barely felt them go in at all and although I wouldn't say I was totally relaxed, I did manage to close my eyes & take in the soothing music. I have to say that I am glad the needles were in my back so I could not see what was going on. On the first day, after taking the needles out, she told me what she was going to do next. However, I really had a hard time understanding her (she had a fairly strong accent). I didn't mind that I didn't know what was coming - I actually preferred it that way. But then she asked if I was going to be swimming in Brazil, if I would be wearing a swimsuit. I said yes and she said "Oh, then I won't do this because it wil leave a mark." At this point I lifted my head to see her holding a cotton ball in a long pair of tweezers in one hand and a lighter in the other! Maybe it's best I didn't understand her. All in all, though I am now a fan of acupuncture & will probably go back when I return if the pain returns.
But now I must go to bed. Tomorrow & Thursday will be long days. We fly out first thing tomorrow so I will post pictures & stories when we return. I am very excited - although fading fast at this somewhat late hour... That's what you get when you save everyone's packing until the night before.....and try to make arrangements for someone to buy you tickets to the Police while you're away...
Toodles for now!

The Final Countdown

Doo doo doo doo...Doo doo doo doo doo...Doo doo doo doo...Doo doo doo doo doo doo doooo do do doooo do do doooo do do doo doo doo doo doooo doo dooo...

So we leave a week from tomorrow. I am trying something different this time before we go - tanning! For any of you who saw our Mexico & Bahamas pictures, you might remember my classic white -to-pink-to-white-again tanning attempts! And I just burned in all the wrong places. The bottom of my belly was a strip of oh-so-agonizing red while the top of my belly remained white... So I am trying to develop a "base coat" to alleviate some of the pain. It would be nice to also come back from some place tropical & have people look at me and say "Wow - you must have gone somewhere warm" instead of the usual me saying "I just spent a week in Mexico" and them saying "Really?"
I also find it amusing that Stewie from the Family Guy also started tanning on this week's episode. So now when I come home Troy looks at me cheekily & says "It's not a look, Brian - it's a lifestyle!"
Anyways, I do actually have a tan line, which is actually quite sad when I look at how white my legs are and realize that they were whiter than that last week.
Troy and I also watched a travel video on Rio last night. I learned about many things, including Cachaca - a 40-proof drink made from distilled sugar cane....yowza. Think I'll stay away from that one. (On a side note, I couldn't remember the name of it so I googled it & found it on a website that sells not only alcohol, but also windows & doors, sports shoes and granite...)
Well, I have developed a terrible back ache this evening so I am going to nurse myself back to health and prepare for the 20-hour plane ride!

Dancing on the Sand

Well the countdown is on - only 20 days until we leave for Rio!! I am so excited! It was one of those things that I knew from the moment we found out, that we would be there. When I first saw the announcement on the webstie about the trip, I called Troy and said "We're going to Rio!!!" There was never any doubt. I didn't think "Ooo - that would be nice. Hope I can do that but I'm not sure..." Every year I strive to grow my business more & more. I recently adjusted my goals based on things that were happening around me. I have decided to push myself & I will be a Sales Director by convention this year (July). I've learned alot about visualization, both from Jim Fannin's book (S.C.O.R.E.) and from other books & people's stories. It is a powerful tool and right now I see myself walking across the stage being introduced as a new Sales Director. It's already happened in my mind. I read a great story in S.C.O.R.E. - it was the story of John Mackenroe & how when he was just starting out, he beat one of the top champions in the world. Years later, Fannin asked him how he did it & he said "I was number one in the world. My raing just hadn't caught up yet." I love that!!! So now I have been going around saying that I am a Diamond Sales Director & a millionaire - my rank & my bank account just haven't caught up yet! My goal with DT has always been to make enough money so that Troy could quit his job & pursue his dream. I forsee this happening in the next couple of years.

And on a much less serious note, check out these new shoes I got for Rio!!!!!

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.