One Minute Rule

At times we suddenly find ourselves in a state of overwhelm; we go from calm to chaos in the blink of an eye. The realization of having too much to do, too little time, too many people counting on us, too much clutter on our desk; it is overwhelming. At times like these, call upon the “One Minute Rule.”

This brilliant piece of advice comes to us via Gretchen Rubin, author and creator of The Happiness Project. Rather than look at the “mess” before you and allow chaos to take hold, choose to instead do just one thing for one minute.

Open up a piece of mail, clean one corner of your desk, make that one phone call, answer one email, put the clean dishes in the dishwasher away, throw one load of clothes in the laundry – do just one thing for one minute.  That’s it. Now you have one thing done. Yay! Happy dance!

I am an entrepreneur, which means that I am not only a naturopath, author and mom, but an accountant, administrative assistant and marketer as well. I too find myself in chaotic states. Now, rather than have a meltdown, I just sit for a moment, look around and decide what I am going to spend the next minute doing and then I do it.

It gives me an opportunity to just be with one project at that one moment, and allows me to build up the strength to get to that next minute. Life goes by one minute at a time, do not allow those precious minutes to find you in a state of overwhelm (or you may end up with less of them in the end.) Go from chaos to calm with the One Minute Rule.

 

Build Your Own Arcade

In my last blog I talked about quitting certain things that are creating angst in your life. One was to quit procrastinating and to learn to listen to those little nudges, even when they do not make complete sense. Those nudges may seem silly to you, but guess what? You will never know unless you act on them and give them a try; you will never know where those nudges will lead unless you explore the opportunity.

Have you heard of Caine’s Arcade? A little boy in Los Angeles got the nudge to create an arcade. He used what he had available, along with his own ingenuity to create an entire arcade out of cardboard, tape and whatever else he could find lying about. Seems silly, seems like child’s play.

The father of this little boy did not stifle his son’s “silly” idea, he let him run with it. H literally let his son build an entire cardboard arcade in the front of his store.

One day a man came by and was taken by this young man’s creation. So he asked the father if it would be okay to create a video about Caine’s Arcade and use social media to  talk about it. The father thought it was a great idea.

The video went viral, Caine’s Arcade Facebook Page has over 100,000 Fans, and $122,000 has been raised to send Caine to college! All because Caine listened to the nudge and his father did not squash his creative spirit.

Watch the video and be inspired to build your own arcade.

Just Quit!

There are things you need to quit doing. I am not going to go into the obvious, like quit eating tons of sugar, quit smoking, or quit sleeping in instead of exercising. These are things that you may not even be aware of that are affecting you a negative way. But if you quit them, you will feel quite a bit better.

Quit some or all of the following for two weeks and see how much better you feel:

1. Quit watching the news. Most of it is negative, depressing, sad and who knows if you are really being told the truth or not. Instead, trust that whatever news you need to know will make its way to you.
2. Quit Chatter Matter. In my book, How to Beat a Tough Economy, I talk about that voice in our head that tells us what we cannot do, it beats us down and does not allow us shine. Stop listening to this and be gentle with yourself. Chalk up past misgivings to lessons. Learn the lesson, move on.
3. Quit procrastinating. Wondering why your life is not moving in the direction you want? Perhaps you are not doing what you need to do. What information has been tapping you on your shoulder? Even if that nudge seems “silly” in your estimation, go for it anyway. You never know where it may lead.
4. Quit  trying to control everything. You simply cannot. You don’t have control of the weather, other people, situations, etc. Be at peace with it.
5. Quit complaining. How often do you complain? If you complain more so than bask in happiness and satisfaction of what you do have, then what message are you sending? You are basically saying, “I like complaining, so give me more to complain about.” The next time a complaint begins to emerge from your lips, stop and talk about something that makes your heart sing!

Try this out for a few weeks and see what happens. Be a quitter, on these matters anyway. You will feel better! Have you ever quit something that lead to a better you? Talk to me on Facebook and let me know.

Teen Jobs

Summer is a great time for teens to get a job. Job experience of any kind will serve them well in the years to come; from the interview to the responsibility of timeliness and taking on duties, all will pay off with a lot more than minimum wage.

Here are some ideas for teens to consider:

Lawn Care is great for the entrepreneurial teen. Busy families are happy to pay someone to come out and mow the lawn, trim the bushes, and keep the drives and walks clean from debris.

Restaurants hire teens for bussing tables, dish washing, hosting and perhaps even waiting on tables. This is a great way to learn about customer service.

Local Libraries need help keeping the library organized. Teens may also be able to take part in special events like story hour for the younger set.

Pet Walking and Care is another great way to earn some income. Fido needs his walks and baths. If your teen proves themselves responsible, it could also lead to a pet sitting job for the families that go on vacation.

Coaching and Tutoring is another area to explore. If your teen excels in a particular area, you can bet there is a child out there that needs to better themselves in that same area.  Be it a sport like basketball, football or cheerleading, or a school subject like Math or English, someone out there is looking to improve.

Cleaning and Organization skills can be put to work for many a family whose households are overflowing with too much stuff.

Recycle for Your Neighborhood! Many people wish that recycling was easier, but if your area does not offer it, it means running everything over to a recycling center. Have your teen collect aluminum cans, glass, and paper from the neighbors, organize it and run it. People will pay for this service and if a center pays for some of the materials you can make even more money!

A great site to check out is Snagajob. Here your teen can type in your zip code and see the job postings for your area. Have any other ideas? Share your teen job ideas on my Facebook page. Even better, post if you have a job to offer!

 

 

Family Dinner

Yes , we are busy families with crazy schedules. Understood. However, committing to at least a few family dinners per week could mean a much healthier family physically, emotionally and mentally.

When we eat at home we tend to cook at home. These meals usually include fresh food like fruits and vegetables, which are packed with more vitamins and minerals than meals out. Of course, healthier meals will also contribute to children who are less likely to be overweight.

There are several more benefits to meals at home. A Lou Harris – Readers Digest National Poll revealed that children from homes where the families ate dinner together resulted in better grades. The poll also revealed that these children tended to be much happier!

A Harvard University study reported that at home family meals produced children with better language skills. News flash – television does not teach higher level language skills, but listening to mom and dad talk about their day does. Yay parents!

A Columbia University study shows that children are less likely to become involved with drugs, alcohol or cigarettes when they participate in family dinners. Perhaps this is due to the fact that family dinner gives everyone an opportunity engage and keep up with each other’s lives; it keeps everyone in check and kids will be less likely to succumb to peer pressure.

Other studies have shown that family dinners help to keep stress levels down. Still other studies show that teenage girls tend to be less depressed and less likely to experience teen pregnancy.

Finally, family dinner gives everyone a chance to communicate and build relationships. It is a special time where we are encouraged to share our days, our thoughts and challenges. What an opportune time to deepen those family connections!

Now it is your turn. Tell us about your family dinner experiences on my Facebook page!

Nutrition Boosters for Kids

Adding these nutritious goodies packs a bit of extra nutrition in your kids meals and may even make more finicky kids actually want to eat. Here are some simple ideas to try out!

• Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes: To regular pancake mix, add in whole oats, raisins and chopped walnuts.
• Cheesecake Sandwiches: Between 2 graham crackers spread cream cheese and raspberry puree.
• Jazzy Lasagna: Finely chop veggies in a food processor and add them to the sauce you will be using in the lasagna. This trick also works for pizza sauce. (The kids will never know).
• Fruit Juice Soda: Mix equal amounts of fruit juice with sparkling water. Cuts down on the sugar and hydrates!
• Peanut Butter Spiders: Spread peanut butter between whole grain crackers, use pretzel sticks to make “spider legs.”
• Oatmeal Bar: Create a fun oatmeal bar for kids. Put out small bowls filled with nuts, dried fruits, chopped apples, low-fat granola and more. Give the kids ice cream sprinkles to sprinkle on top of their oatmeal creations and see how fast their breakfasts disappear.

Do you have any great ideas to share – I know you do! Come over to Facebook and tell us!

Stop Driving Yourself Crazy

I read something crazy the other day. Americans are commuting farther than ever. Even with gas prices soaring, we are driving further and spending more time in our cars. It is speculated, however, that most of this is due to the fact that people are finding it necessary to drive further distances in order to find employment, while at the same time housing markets are practically frozen.

Driving can be stressful, let’s look at some healthy ways to stop driving yourself crazy.

• Use the headrest, it is there for a reason. Do not lean forward, this adds unnecessary stress to your neck. Lean slightly back and rest your head on the headrest.
• Be mindful of your posture, don’t slump. This only increases the pressure on your spinal disks and will eventually lead to pain. Sit upright, however, as suggested in the first bullet point, do lean back slightly; this is the ideal driving posture.
• Honor that curve in your lower back. Roll up a towel to match the approximate circumference of your forearm and tuck it into the small of your back.
• Create a ritual where you stop along the way to your destination to pick up a coffee or hot tea.
• Many of us stress out because we view our drive time as wasting time. While you absolutely should not be texting or reading emails, you can spend the multitask wisely. Try listening to an audio book, playing your favorite music, or listening to a podcast. There are podcasts on just about every subject you can imagine, listen to podcasts about your industry, your health or entertaining movie updates!
• Finally, just surrender. Know that you are going to be in traffic and just be okay with it.

Stop driving yourself crazy, be a sane driver and learn a few new things along the way!