Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Success Principles - #3 Face what isn't Working

Okay - here we go again!!!
We left off at Principle #2 - Cleaning up the Incompletes. I must say that is a lot of work! I have been working at my incompletes and have realized that it is much larger than a weekend project for me! Since my last article on this I have:

Caught up with 2 years worth of taxes
Cleaned out my office and started filing a years worth of paper! Cleaned out the 'file box' (Toss it/File it) and just have to purchase storage file boxes to put 06 and 07 in.
Did my Spring Cleaning
Cleaned out my closet

Ongoing Incompletes that I am currently working on:

Mailing Tamisha her chocolate molds!!!
Cleaning out old photo galleries at Studio13
Cleaning out my Inbox weekly.
Mailing photo submissions to Mexico agencies

I must admit, it does feel really good to finish incomplete projects. As I do I realize that there actually is a place in my brain that all this incomplete stuff resides and as I finish it - I have more room to take on new things. Anyone else notice this? How are you guys doing on your "Incompletes"?

Anyway - on to the next chapter! Facing what isn't working. This was a very short chapter but some things don't need a lot of explaining. This is one of them. Jack Canfield explains the situations most of us are guilty of, denying things aren't working by excusing them away.
We do this because by facing the truth, we are also going to have to do something that is uncomfortable for us. We fear that facing the facts and fixing the situation may lead to a worse circumstance. Fear, once again holds us back.
Oddly enough, a situation in my personal life fits right into this! I was paying my credit card bills today and was so happy to announce to my husband that our balances were going down. I made the comment to him "As soon as we have this one paid down, you can get your Lasik, and when these are paid down you can get the Xbox 360 (he's a big kid)". He just shook his head. I said "What?"
Mike's reply was this "The idea is to pay all these cards off and not use them unless it's an emergency. If we can't pay cash for it, then we don't need it."
I was in shock! Imagine no credit cards?! My rebuttal was "When are we going to be able to pay $2000 cash for Lasik? We can't do that, but we can pay $50 a month on a credit card."
Again he shook his head, "Kim, this is how we get into these debt situations, $50 a month here, $30 a month there and pretty soon we are paying $400-$500 a month for things we want on top of paying for the things we need like our mortgage and car payment." He went on to explain that he would rather go without some things then live with the stress of all the bills we face each month, especially when business slows down and income is low.
It hit me like a ton of bricks! What he was saying was basically "this isn't working" and I have been ignoring or living in denial of our real financial abilities. I needed to face the fact that true situation and adjust my spending habits! And believe me, for me, that is extremely uncomfortable!
I have such plans! Painting, Building 2 decks, Updating my wardrobe, going on vacation and others - all things I planned on going in debt for. Now my partner in life wants me to pay 'cash'?! I have always been a pay now - find the money later kind of person.
The new way of approaching things is going to be a bit difficult for me - but I realize that he definitely has a point. My way is not working for us. So I am going give this 'cash' thing a try!
Obviously, some things still need to be done with credit where our businesses are concerned - but our personal lives are going on cash - only diet! Ugh....
This was such an epiphany, that I am going to take a deep breath and see where else I have living in denial. I am going to try to "face what else in my life isn't working?"
In the workbook the Author points out the "Yellow Alerts" we discussed in Principle #1 (E+R=O). The subtle alerts that we sometimes overlook. Pay attentions to warning signs that things may not be working. Don't ignore them, pretend not to notice them, or excuse them away. It's very hard to face these things and probably harder to change them; however, this is what we must do. This is what successful people do; find what is not working and fix it.
Jack Canfield explains that these could be bad situations at work, in a relationship (especially an abusive one), with your health or weight and so on. He lists the following excuses we often use and I will list them here, because many of us really don't realize that we are excusing them away - this is why it is so important for us to truly and honestly look at our lives and our situations. It took my husband to put the truth right in front of me for me to realize what I was doing. So here are some common excuses listed in the book:

It's just what guys do. (ignoring bad relationships)
It's none of my business. (bad work environment, relationship, etc)
I don't want to rock the boat.
There's nothing I can do about it. (the 'worst' excuse!!! I could write an entire essay on the damage to your psyche that this statement makes!)
Credit card debt like this is normal. (*kim raises her hand* "guilty!")
That doesn't happen to people like us. (ignoring problem teens, marital situations etc - my mother's personal favorite! I can't tell you how many times I heard this growing up.)
I'll get Fired
She's just at that age
I need these/this/that to help me relax
I have to work these long hours to get ahead
We just have to wait it out
I'm sure he/she will pay me back
He/she's just venting his frustrations
He/she didn't really mean it

Do you recognize any of these? Good luck with this principle - it's another tough one. Like they say, hard work pays off!
See you all next month for the next principle of success.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Healthy You - Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar
My friend Rene and I always have interesting discussions about natural healthcare and the other day she mentioned that she drinks apple cider vinegar everyday. My response was "Yuk!!! why would you do that!" After she was finished laughing she began to explain all the benefits of apple cider vinegar and that she mixes hers with honey and it's actually not bad. She gave me a jar to take home an try. Folks, I've got to admit - It's actually really good and after just one week, I can really feel a difference - especially in my energy levels! My recipe is:
In a coffee cup:
2-3 TBSP honey
2 TBSP ACV
Splash of Lime Juice.
Add hot water and stir until honey is dissovled!
It's actually pretty good! I am going to pick up some fresh mint at the market and try adding that as well. I think it would be good over ice.
I did some further research on EarthClinic.com and found that there are folk remedies using apple cider vinegar for everything from sore throat to gout!
Click here for very detailed information and some great user feedback!
Try it ~ you'll like it!
If you do - leave a comment!
Leave comments if you have other websites or information on Apple Cider Vinegar.

New Blog!!!

As I promised in my April newsletter, I have started my new Blog!
The Dream Coaching and Success Coaching will be located here with a link in the newsletter.
I will also write short articles on natural health, our herbal ingredients, and hints/tips/recipes for our products.
I will also post short informational posts each month on one of the women in business that I have listed on my newsletter and here on this blog. I am a strong believer in Supporting Women in Business!
And last but not least you will find essays on other causes I believe in.

I hope you all enjoy the new blog. Please leave comments when the mood strikes!