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June 25, 2008
SparksPeople, ME News, Vol. 1, Issue 17
We’re winding down June, and here comes July!
Hope you had the chance to check out www.sparkspeople.com . The year is only half over, so there is still time for that healthy or thrifty New Year’s Resolution to become a reality.
Here’s a tip to help out on both: Flavored water is expensive, and I don't care for plain water. My solution? Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup diet juice to your water bottle before you fill it up. I like Ocean Spray Diet White Cranberry Peach or Cran-Raspberry. It adds just a little flavor, plus you get the benefit of cranberry juice, as well as some Vitamin C, too. Don't forget to enter the juice on your SparksPeople Nutrition Tracker. Enjoy!
jak
Posted by jaselin at 07:53 PM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2008
Motivation
What Motivates Me?
On any given day, I might have at least three different answers. One might be profound, one may silly, one could be terribly desperate.
The key to staying motivated, through any task or goal, is to know what motivates you. I place my goals into categories: first, second, and third. You could also call them high, medium, and lower goals.
First/High goals are those which need to stay constantly with you and near the top of your priority list. This may not be your biggest or most monumental goal. It is better described as the goal that will require the most motivation.
Second/Medium goals remain in your mind daily. These are the ones you run through each evening as you check your progress for the day.
Third/Lower goals are not necessarily the least significant, but ones that are easily attained on a daily basis without too much effort. They’re more like good habits you know you will achieve.
I find that tracking my goals is my best motivation. I like to see progress and that keeps me motivated.
Lack of progress motivates me, as well. I know that’s unusual. It hasn’t always been that way. Lack of progress used to mean “I might as well give up.� It meant that I had broken a promise to myself. Then, one day, it occurred to me: when someone breaks a promise to me, I usually confront them and challenge them follow through on whatever it was. I began to challenge myself by requiring that I meet the same standards I expect of others.
Keeping goals separate also makes me more likely to succeed. Doing poorly on a First goal cannot effect my performance on a Second or Third goal. Many days I succeed in a Second or Third and struggle with a First. The very reason I made that goal a First is because I recognized it would take more dedication. Therefore, my intention remains intact.
I take comfort in knowing that each day, in fact each minute, GOD gives me another moment to start over; I always have the opportunity to follow through on my intentions.
Knowing this, I allow myself this healing mantra: If not now, then later. If not today, then tomorrow. If not this road, then another. If it's GOD's will, then I will.
jak
Posted by jaselin at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)
Goals
What is a Goal?
It turns out that while researching this question, I wasn’t so much interested in a goal, but rather an intention.
Merriam-Webster offers these definitions of “intention�: a determination to act in a certain way: RESOLVE 2: IMPORT, SIGNIFICANCE 3 a: what one intends to do or bring about b: the object for which a prayer, mass, or pious act is offered 4: a process or manner of healing of incised wounds 5: CONCEPT; especially : a concept considered as the product of attention directed to an object of knowledge 6 plural : purpose with respect to marriage.
If we consider this definition, a goal becomes a marriage within you, a part of your being. Your intentions become a process of healing, and a process of change.
Process is also a key word. It indicates a plan is needed, a journey must be taken, and it’s going to take some time and effort to arrive at your intended destination.
jak
Posted by jaselin at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2008
Purpose of Lightening, Vol. 1, Issue 16
Congratulations to all 58 ME Members!
You’ve made it to another mid-week Wednesday, and therefore will be treated to more knowledge and love: from me to you.
I’ve found an exciting new way for us to communicate, support, motivate and share knowledge as a team on-line. Hope you’ll check that out and let me know what you think of the idea.
Most forces of nature have a purpose. Rain waters crops, winds pollinate plants… does anyone know what the purpose of lightening is?
Have a sparky and blessed week.
jak
Posted by jaselin at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2008
Scientist, ME News, Vol. 1, Issue 15
Good morning!
I finally figured out that if I attach the newsletter before writing the “howdy" note to y’all, there’d be a better chance of me not having to send 2 emails every week. Sometimes I do believe I should have been a rocket scientist.
Actually, I did want to be a scientist of sorts. While most of my friends were busy dreaming of being actresses or veterinarians, I wanted to be a scientific journalist. That’s someone who translates scientific data into understandable everyday language for magazines such as Scientific American and Discovery. Two decades ago that was a very small, very specific field. Now there are so many more publications dedicated to sciences, and even some great ones for kids. I love that scientific knowledge is so easily accessible to all!
Have a great week, and may GOD bless you with knowledge!
jak
Posted by jaselin at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2008
Awake-a-Meter
Here’s an idea...
I think every car should be equipped with an “Awake-a-Meter." This nifty little gadget could gauge the level of your oxygen intake to determine if you really are awake enough to be driving your car in the midst of rush hour traffic.
Because some mornings, there’s just too much roadside gravel and dirt being slung around by tires wandering off the road. Yeah, I know some of this is caused by dropping a cell phone, spilling coffee, trying to read a map, or just the multi-tasking inability to drive while also concentrating on the radio news.
But seriously, the Awake-a-Meter could also be designed to project your awake-ness rating on to your rear window so other drivers would know if you are about to try passing a school bus, uphill, in a non-passing zone. I think something like that would be helpful.
Or maybe, it could be hooked up to a mandatory Awake-a-Meter roof light.
Green means you’re ok.
Yellow means you’ve been driving at least long enough to stop yawning.
Red means “Watch Out! They’re going to jump out of the exit ramp, across three lanes, all with moving traffic, coffee in one hand and a cell phone in the other, totally without warning, just to make sure they make it to their office 10 seconds before you do!"
These folks must love their jobs more way than I do. Or maybe, it’s just that I have passengers to consider. So, every move I make or don’t make is with their safety in mind. Now, suppose everyone drove like that? Like someone else’s life depended on their driving?
Well, guess what? Most times, someone else’s life does depend on your driving. Their lives occupy the car behind you, the car in front of you, the car beside you, the car in the opposite lane, the car pulled off to the side with a flat tire, the school bus making frequent stops, the truck trying to merge into traffic, the eco-friendly bicyclist, the motorcyclist with the extra loud pipes so you can hear him coming and avoid cutting him off, etc.
Think about this, please, for the safety and sanity of my passengers.
They kind of freak out when I wake them up by having to slam on the breaks and use my horn in an extended, yet friendly, “Thank You for Not Being Considerate" kind of way.
jak
Posted by jaselin at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
June 04, 2008
Landlocked, ME News, Vol. 1, Issue 14
Evenin’.
I love the sound of distant thundershowers in Michigan. They remind me of the way the Atlantic Ocean sounds on summer nights. I know Michiganders don’t consider themselves landlocked, but I do. There are lots of pretty, placid lakes, and of course the Great Lakes, but I still miss the sea.
Anyway, it’s a nice night tonight; cool breezes are blowing softly, rain pitter patters and thunder rolls. I’ve noticed Michigan also has a lot of geese. It’s the “perfect weather" state for ducks, and waterproof tape....
jak
Posted by jaselin at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)
Love and Duct Tape
Tecumseh, Michigan, Fall 2005
A lot of times, it’s only the laughter that holds me together; memories that jump up out of nowhere, or ones that end up being obscurely related to something else.
Jeff and I had bravely, and a bit brashly, opened The Michigan Hot Sauce Club. The 10’ x 10’ space in the Selder’s Mall was, well, very small. But, the price was right. All we really needed to squeeze in there were some shelves and a few hundred bottles of hot sauce. The space was just big enough for one display case. One red chair behind the display became the “office." Six white metal storage shelves were plenty. We spent a day painting, and then stamping the new white walls with red and black swirls. I found a piece of fabric that looked like a traditional red/white/black checkered cloth, except there were chili peppers in the squares! Yup, we had a theme going: red, black, and white. We were cute, color coordinated, and open for business.
That’s when I made “the big mistake". I asked Jeff to please organize all the wires from the phone, register, clocks, etc. They were jumbled on the floor, and ugly besides. Bless his heart, he said he didn’t understand why that irked me so, but promised that he’d handle it right away. I stopped by the store that night on my way home from work, and true to his word he had handled it. My incredibly inventive, thrifty un-handyman had used bright teal-colored duct tape to bind all the wires together, in one bundle. Then, he’d taped the whole teal bundle around the perimeter of our newly painted white walls!
I was appalled and amused. There wasn’t going to be an easy way to remedy that situation. So, I just let it be. It was beautiful evidence that my husband loved me, tried to please me with what he had on hand, and it reflected his colorful personality exactly. It was hard getting all those wires un-duct-taped when I closed the store.
In my usual over-preparedness, I took what was left of that roll of teal tape with me on my first Get In The Car mission trip to New Orleans. I used almost all of it taping up boxes of our homeowner’s belongings. I brought the nearly empty roll back with me, too. It’s been sitting on Jeff’s dresser since October 2007. It’ll probably be sitting there for a while still.
jak
Posted by jaselin at 07:53 AM | Comments (0)