What do you eat before a tough aerobic workout? Just struggled through a grueling Zumba class...ate wrong, too close to class...trying to get healthy...

JUST booked our house in Duck, NC for family reunion & vacation this summer! OBX here we come!!

What would the world look like if we each set an intention and meditated daily for world peace? http://ping.fm/h3jlB

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." -- St. Augustine

Clean Living Week Challenge

This week I've accepted a challenge from MorningCoach.com to a week of clean living. In order to achieve abundance, spiritual, financial, etc. we must first take care of ourselves. We must live a life believing that we deserve the things we want in our lives. We must believe in and value ourselves first!

Zig Ziglar tells a story of a million-dollar race horse. If you owned a million-dollar race horse would you feed it coffee? Fast food? Cigarettes? Alcohol? I didn't think so. Why do we treat ourselves so much worse?

It's important every now and then for us to change things up. How do we expect things to change if we do the same things over and over again?

This week, beginning today, I'm changing my routine.

Here's the challenge for the week:

1. No sugar - reading labels becomes very important here
2. No alcohol - oh how to sleep without my nightly glass of wine?
3. No caffeine - yikes! Starbucks - I will come back - I promise!
4. Go vegetarian - this might be tough for me - made it today - oatmeal for breakfast, lentil soup for lunch and cheese quesadilla for dinner.
5. No fast food - not a problem
6. No heavy lifting or resistance training - Zumba is my friend here!
7. Drink fluids - plenty of water and teas
8. Have fun with it - posting this blog is my first attempt at putting the challenge out there.

Monday thru Sunday - that's the challenge. The goal is to live cleaner. I'm up for it? You?

Join the 'Smovement

Need some encouragement?

Join the 'Smovement - Smile and Move!

Plant NOW!

I received this from tut.com today:

...the Chinese say, "The best time to plant a tree was always 20 years ago. The second best time is always today."

Funny how planting trees and taking action on the life of your dreams are the same that way.
    The Universe

It all boils down to action doesn't it.  Clearly without action aka inaction, nothing happens. Funny isn't it. Trees don't get planted, businesses don't grow.

Today is the day.

Blessings,
Jan

Communication Skills

I did an interesting online course this week about "Communication Skills". I don't believe you can ever communicate "too" well. It's an area I believe can always be developed.

Some interesting facts:

• 50% of what you say is never heard
• 25% of what you say is forgotten
• 15% of what you say is not understood
• 10% of what you say is actually remembered

Wow! I thought it was more like 20% of what you say is remembered; very eye opening to learn it's actually more like 10%.

Trust is developed and maintained when we seek not only to be understood, but also to understand. What the other person has to say is always more important that what we have to say. We have 2 ears and 1 mouth - we should use them accordingly.

Hmm...interesting food for thought!

Down is the New Up

Keller William's Annual Family Reunion (FR) was held February 21 - 25, 2009. I was blessed to be "required" to attend as a part of my job.

From the FR blog: "Attendees at Gary Keller’s Down is the New Up were treated to a live performance and on stage interview with guitarist Bill McLaughlin.

For twenty years, Billy astounded audiences around the world with his complex and rhythmic music. In 2001, he was diagnosed with Focal Dystonia, an incurable neuromuscular disease that rendered him unable to play his own music.

By 2002, Billy McLaughlin’s career was over. In 2006, Billy began a comeback."

I hope you find the message of hope in this video as I did in experiencing this live.

Right Company, Right Time

We ARE affiliated with the Right Company at the Right Time.

Join us tonight on our "United Nation's Training Call" to learn more.

January 18, 2009 8:30 pm CST

Dial-In Number: (402) 237-2020
Alternate: (402) 426-6963

Access Code: 370610#

Calls are recorded if you can't listen live. Questions? Call or email me!!

Ask me how YOU can earn a little (or a LOT) extra money and/or help benefit Makeovers for Mercy and the girls at Mercy Ministries!

Blessings,

Jan
www.janorga.myarbonne.com
615-400-3019

Amazing Power

I am thankful:

1. that my husband is going on a business trip today; this job has wonderful potential to impact our lives
2. that my son-in-law's deployment flight was pushed back until Sunday night; he and my daughter were blessed with additional hours together!
3. that despite 2 days of single digit weather our pipes have not frozen like so many people I've heard about

I was having a very bad dream this morning right before I woke up; while I was in the shower I was having trouble shaking the ominous feeling it left me with. I keep some Awaken Aromassentials in my shower and after using it to "awaken" my senses, I began reciting things I was grateful for.

It was amazing how the ominous feeling I previously had...dissipated. Gone. Replaced with calm feelings of gratitude!

You can bet I am going to continue this practice!

Blessings,

Jan

Side-Swiped

In my last post I was totally engrossed in my goal setting.  And feeling pretty much in control of my life for the first time in a long time. 

No matter how much you plan, life has a way of coming at you. 

6 days ago my daughter and her husband of 6 months were notified that hubby would be deploying overseas for a 12 month assignment. In about a week. As he is active duty Army, they live with this possibility yet had been assured that he was not going to be deployed. 

And then the Army changed it's mind. 

I'm a military brat - Dad was what we called a "lifer". I went to 12 different schools growing up and never lived anywhere longer than 3 years.  I understand the "shifting sands" feeling from a child's perspective, now my daughter is learning it from a spouse's perspective. 

My plans for this blog suddenly became muddled.  The posts I intended to write suddenly seemed trivial. My heart breaks for my daughter and her husband yet at the same time I am bursting with pride that he is serving our country in this manner. That THEY are serving the country in this manner. 

Yes, military families SERVE too! 

So the newlyweds are making plans to survive and thrive through this deployment; we are making plans to support them however we can and in whatever manner they need and want us to. 

I am going to continue to focus on gratitude and celebrate the abundance in my life, even though sometimes I feel I really have to look for it. God does have a plan. 

Gratitude list for today...

I am grateful for:

1.  All the men and women in uniform AND their families who bravely and selflessly serve our great country so that we may enjoy the many freedoms that we do.
   
2. Texting - so that my daughter and I may communicate easily and often
3. Time with my son while he is home on college break

Blessings,

Jan

Life by Design

Start the New Year off right...with Goals...WRITTEN goals!

I listened to an awesome training last night by Dani Johnson. It was titled "Keys to Setting & Achieving Your Goals in 2009". It was a re-play of a training originally done January 2005 and it was quite evident that the number of the year doesn't matter - the process for goal setting is the same. (You'll find this FREE training at Dani Johnson's website.)

Some pearls of wisdom:

• Nothing becomes dynamic before it becomes specific
  
• Life is short - it can be gone when you least expect it - and within seconds
• Embrace your blessings
• Part of achieving your goals is recognizing how far you have already come - what you have achieved
• God plants desires in us (and gives us the tools to achieve the desires He has given us)
  
• Live your life by design - not by default
• Most people are one (1) decision away from living their life by design
• Refuse mediocrity - it cannot be an option
• We can't expect things to get better or to change unless we are aiming specifically for it
• Nothing happens by accident - it happens by design
• Most people just repeat their past
  
• I say NOT THIS YEAR! Not ever again!
• Feel free to be who YOU want to be
• Life is about winning and achieving
• Look honestly at where you are right now
• You must be trusted with what you have before you will be given more
• for example, if time management or lack of time is an issue - spend your time wisely in order for God to bless you with additional time to achieve your goals
  
• You must sow in the direction you want to go
• Set goals in areas of:
• Personal Growth/Spritual Life
• Business/Financial Goals
• Family/Relationship Goals
• Create a "laundry list" of 50 things you want do do before you die - your own personal "bucket list"
• write anything - don't think about it
• if you weren't afraid and you knew you could not fail what would you do?

It's been proven over and over again that written goals are MUCH more likely to be achieved than a non-written goal. I've seen written on a marquee somewhere - a goal that is not written down and doesn't have a targeted date - is simply a wish.

Aim at nothing...and you will hit it everytime!

I've gotten carried away here...one of my goals is to get the rest my body needs...it's now 1:25 am and I have an 8:30 am staff meeting. Not doing to good on that one right now....

...off to bed.

Blessings to you as you DESIGN the LIFE you want to live!

Jan

My Time Begins NOW!

It's amazing how when you focus on something - you tend to see that something or see it's presence in so many places. 

Like when I was pregnant - suddenly the world was filled with pregnant women. Or when I'm thinking about buying a new car - suddenly I see the cars I'm considering everywhere. 

I posted on January 1st about 2009 being "all about me". On January 2nd, "Today's Word" with Joel Osteen was entitled "It's Your Time".

Today is the day to give your dreams a new beginning. Today is the day to allow faith to rise in your heart. Remember, what's happened to you is not nearly as important as what's happened in you, and you are stronger and wiser than ever before. It's your time; it's your season to move forward into the destiny that God has prepared for you!

Is that timely or what? 

I am beginning MY new year and this new season in my life, by beginning yoga. My first class is this afternoon. I'm quite confident it will be the topic of many posts to come. Right now I'm focusing on pushing back the fear of the unknown and making sure I'm well hydrated and have all necessary accoutrements to take with me. 

Cotton Bowl

Ole Miss is in the Cotton Bowl!

I am prepping to grocery shop, I'm thinking chili, rotel cheese dip (a family favorite) and whatever else grabs me while roaming the aisles.

It's a cold, partly cloudy, great football day here! Should be a great game against Texas Tech!

I am looking forward to a fun afternoon of family and football.

Go Rebs!!

It's All About ME

Happy New Year!

I've spent an unusual amount of energy lately thinking about me. Just ME! It's amazing the guilt that creeps in when I start thinking that I'm being selfish in just thinking about me.

Well, I am kicking that to the curb in 2009.

2009 is all about me.

I love my family and have loved raising our children. The raising is now pretty much done. Meg is married. Alex just finished his first semester of college. Sure - I hope and trust that they will continue to value my opinion and thoughts and will seek me out for guidance periodically. I know I still do that with my parents.

I've realized during my mental slump this fall (empty nest depression) that somewhere along the way - I've lost who I am. Not really lost - just buried deep amongst all the layers of caring for others.

The time has come for that to change. It will only make me a better person, better wife, better parent.

I plan to plan this weekend. I've asked my husband to participate. I'm looking forward to a few hours of goal setting and looking forward to the possibilities of the new year!

The Glow Project

Reading "Motivational Monday" today by Dale Thomas I learned about "The GLOW Project". 

From the website:

GLOW is a powerful word that is often used by women praising women who exude grace, confidence and strength. GLOW is unique in that, while it is invisible, women can see it, and while it can't be touched, women can feel it. 

Check out the website, watch the trailer and learn about this inspirational movie. 

I'm thinking of a GLOW night at work...

. 

Drip, drip, drip...

While my husband has been watching Sunday night football, I've been surfing the web, feeding my brain. OK, I didn't mean that to sound like watch football is not brain food - it's certainly entertainment - it just doesn't hold my attention 100% of the time.

In any event, I stumbled across an interesting blog entry by Seth Godin, who by the way is fast becoming one of my favorite authors! He writes:

I discovered a lucky secret the hard way about thirty years ago: you can outlast the other guys if you try. If you stick at stuff that bores them, it accrues. Drip, drip, drip you win.

It still takes ten years to become a success, web or no web.

This message has been consistently in my face over the past year or so. I've heard it at my job with Keller Williams Realty. As the market has shifted, training in our market center has also shifted. Back to basics. Lead generate. Consistently. Those who stay in the game and do the basics, over and over, remaining in activity, will only increase their own market share in the long run. Drip, drip, drip...

I've heard it at my team training for my network marketing business. Desire to succeed = Action, ie. Activity = Momentum. Over and over again, you have to consistently re-qualify yourself monthly. Drip, drip, drip...

Do you see the same theme here that I do?

Activity...consistent activity is KEY! In any venture. You must do the boring, over and over again. For me the challenge there is to GET OVER the activity being boring and Just Do It! It's truly the only path to success!

I'm off to work on my calendar of BORING (read success) activities for the week! I hope you do yours as well!

OH - Have you read SHIFT How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times by Gary Keller - read it and get back to basics with the rest of us!

Check out the Seth Godin's blog that inspired this post here: The secret of the web (hint: it's a virtue)

Blessings,

Jan
My Website

Social Networking

Lately, all my research regarding online marketing points to social networks. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Whew - this is a new world out here!

I'm jumping in and trying to figure this thing out - I'm finding 20 and 30 "somethings" that I work with to act as mentors. They have been kind with my questions. It's sure odd to seek out younger, more experienced people to act as mentors. I'm intrigued by the whole process - the world has certainly changed, thanks to technology!

Thank you Kimberly, Meghan and Brandy specifically! You guys rock!

Jan
www.janorga.myarbonne.com

RIP "I Can't"

Shared today in Dale Thomas' Motivational Monday email. "Tonight I am sharing a story with you that I felt was so powerful. I have always believed that " I Can't" should be words we should remove from our vocabulary. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did."

An Inspirational Story, Motivational Story -
The I Can't Funeral
by Author Unknown
Donna's fourth grade classroom looked like many others I had seen in the past. The teacher's desk was in front and faced the students. The bulletin board featured student work. In most respects it appeared to be a typically traditional elementary classroom. Yet something seemed different that day I entered it for the first time.

My job was to make classroom visitations and encourage implementation of a training program that focused on language arts ideas that would empower students to feel good about themselves and take charge of their lives. Donna was one of the volunteer teachers who participated in this project.

I took an empty seat in the back of the room and watched. All the students were working on a task, filling a sheet of notebook paper with thoughts and ideas. The ten-year-old student next to me was filling her page with "I Can'ts". "I can't kick the soccer ball past second base." "I can't do long division with more than three numerals." "I can't get Debbie to like me." Her page was half full and she showed no signs of letting up. She worked on with determination and persistence. I walked down the row glancing at student's papers. Everyone was writing sentences, describing things they couldn't do.

By this time the activity engaged my curiosity, so I decided to check with the teacher to see what was going on but I noticed she too was busy writing. I felt it best not to interrupt. "I can't get John's mother to come for a teacher conference." "I can't get my daughter to put gas in the car." "I can't get Alan to use words instead of fists."

Thwarted in my efforts to determine why students and teacher were dwelling on the negative instead of writing the more positive "I Can" statements, I returned to my seat and continued my observations.

Students wrote for another ten minutes. They were then instructed to fold the papers in half and bring them to the front. They placed their "I Can't" statements into an empty shoe box. Then Donna added hers. She put the lid on the box, tucked it under her arm and headed out the door and down the hall.

Students followed the teacher. I followed the students. Halfway down the hallway Donna entered the custodian's room, rummaged around and came out with a shovel. Shovel in one hand, shoe box in the other, Donna marched the students out to the school to the farthest corner of the playground. There they began to dig. They were going to bury their "I Can'ts"!

The digging took over ten minutes because most of the fourth graders wanted a turn. The box of "I Can'ts" was placed in a position at the bottom of the hole and then quickly covered with dirt. Thirty-one 10 and 11 year-olds stood around the freshly dug grave site. At this point Donna announced, "Boys and girls, please join hands and bow your heads." They quickly formed a circle around the grave, creating a bond with their hands.

They lowered their heads and waited. Donna delivered the eulogy.

"Friends, we gathered here today to honor the memory of 'I Can't.' While he was with us here on earth, he touched the lives of everyone, some more than others. We have provided 'I Can't' with a final resting place and a headstone that contains his epitaph. His is survived by his brothers and sisters, 'I Can', 'I Will', and 'I'm Going to Right Away'. They are not as well known as their famous relative and are certainly not as strong and powerful yet. Perhaps some day, with your help, they will make an even bigger mark on the world. May 'I Can't' rest in peace and may everyone present pick up their lives and move forward in his absence. Amen."

As I listened I realized that these students would never forget this day. Writing "I Can'ts", burying them and hearing the eulogy. That was a major effort on this part of the teacher. And she wasn't done yet.

She turned the students around, marched them back into the classroom and held a wake. They celebrated the passing of "I Can't" with cookies, popcorn and fruit juices. As part of the celebration, Donna cut a large tombstone from butcher paper. She wrote the words "I Can't" at the top and put RIP in the middle. The date was added at the bottom. The paper tombstone hung in Donna's classroom for the remainder of the year.

On those rare occasions when a student forgot and said, "I Can't", Donna simply pointed to the RIP sign. The student then remembered that "I Can't" was dead and chose to rephrase the statement. I wasn't one of Donna's students. She was one of mine. Yet that day I learned an enduring lesson from her as years later, I still envision that fourth grade class laying to rest, "I Can't".