Knowing how to relax sounds simple, yet relaxing can be hard to find, especially in the Christmas season. We live in a world that thrives on speed and noise. As things spin faster and noisier; it’s now more critical to put yourself in a timeout to relax. Why? Because healthy solitude will fill your soul and renew your mind, this my friend will clarify the steps you take each day. Learn how to reap the rewards of truly relaxing to feed your mental health. Embrace these 4 rock-solid ways of knowing how to relax.
Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright.
Silent Night, the Christmas song, was composed in 1818. This now-traditional Holiday tune debuted all because of an organ…that broke. Without the help of an ill organ who knows if this song would have surfaced; oddly, silence accelerated its success.
How does knowing how to relax help your success?
Recently I saw a commercial, not sure what it was selling, but it did leave me wondering what ‘peace’ really was. In the commercial, we see a couple who left the big city to go camping in the woods. Due to their over joyous accomplishment of setting up camp, they were seeking serenity. However, when night fell and all was calm, they were restless and frustrated. Then one of them downloaded a ‘noise app’ on their phone. Ironically it played cars honking, emergency sirens blaring, and dogs barking…all was ‘calm’ and they instantly fell asleep. What is ‘your silence’?
Our ‘silent night’ is not only where our souls settle down, but it’s where peace waits and where ideas birth. Outside of bedtime, do you intentionally turn off the NOISE?
How to relax: 4 solid reasons to make it happen
1. To hear from God
The most likely time God will talk to us is when we’re relaxed…quiet…still…and alone with Him. Jesus went away all the time to be with the Lord. Why wouldn’t we make time to be alone with God too?
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16
As I said earlier this world will swallow you up with noise, drama, and distractions; so much so that you’ll miss what God is trying to tell you, show you, and bless you with. When we don’t stop to be with the Lord in private, the world will devour us and we will completely miss the blessing God has for us; and this is exactly what the Enemy wants!
In Romans 12:2 Paul says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV). Make this your prayer. Spend time in healthy solitude with God to allow intimacy with Him. He wants your attention so He can love you more than you will ever know. His promises surface when you spend time with Him. There is a transformation in His presence when you make time to be alone with Him and ultimately rest in His arms.
2. Creativity
Inc. Magazine says…awesome creative work can be achieved by shutting out the outside world, whilst you insanely focus on your craft. Do you say you’re not creative? That’s not true! My go-to for taking my mind off things is to put my colored pencils to work and get my hands busy. Develop your hobby and reap the rewards. Tap into relax-mode with a coloring book, here’s one to get you started: The Psalms in Color.
Hence, to get all the benefits of relaxing and creativity, not to mention, getting outside, take up gardening or walking…without the earbuds. Did you know that nature can enhance your creativity and problem-solving skills?
3. Problem-solving
Physically turning off the noise calms our thoughts. We can then think through our issues without distraction. The phrase “Sleep on it” makes a lot of sense now. There is truth in ‘sleeping on it’; not only does it help us think through things, but it restores our bodies, and reduces stress. One of the key tools I use to fall asleep and stay asleep is my white noise machine. Our family has 4 of these amazing things! Seriously, this is a game-changer and has improved all of our sleep and sanity.
4. Restoration in health
Scientifically, the Huffington Post reports that researchers found that two hours of silence daily led to the development of new cells in the hippocampus, a key brain region associated with learning, memory,and emotion. If you can’t get complete silence, the white noise machine as I mentioned above is a great alternative. It helps drown out the distractions with little noises. Again, I LOVE this tool!
The Power in Silent Night
In the dancing noises of our world many of us, unfortunately, will miss these life-enhancing riches. We’ll wander in the racket and wonder why our prayer hasn’t been answered, why this particular problem still lingers, why we feel like we just exist, and why our bodies hurt all the time.
Josef Mohr, author of Silent Night, pondered on what to do about his broken organ. Christmas Eve was the next day, people were expecting music! So he hiked up a hill.
It was there where he looked down at the snow-covered village where he could be in ‘his silence’. It was there where he relaxed yet, gained the courage to turn his poem into a legendary song.
“The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence; the stars, the sun, the moon move in silence. Silence gives us a new perspective.”
Mother Teresa
How to relax recap
The next day, Christmas Eve, Josef approached his organist, Franz Xaver Gruber, and within 3 hours Franz composed the melody via guitar. Silent Night has been sung ever since. Are you making an effort to be in silence a little bit every day?
“Silence” grows, moves, and it gives. How much is ‘your silence’ worth? Recharge by spending some time to relax in silence. You might be surprised at what you hear and how amazing you’ll feel. If you haven’t gotten a daily devotional yet for this year, it’s never too late. One of my favorites is Jesus Calling.
If you want to know how to be more creative it starts with understanding the purpose of creativity. How to be creative is meant to be yourself. Taping into our God-given talents and abilities helps us naturally be creative. A big part of how to be creative is permitting yourself to let go of the world and unlock the abilities God gave you. Doing that can be scary, however, getting the right frame of mind might help ease you into your creative side. Holley Gerth, the Christian author, said it perfectly, “Your dream is a gift God gives you. What you make of it is your gift to Him.” This involves creativity!
Don’t get discouraged in how to be creative
I’ll never forget when I was 10 years old; I reached for the flour in an overhead cupboard. My fingertips were millimeters away from the canister. One… more… bit… CRASH! I was successful in getting the flour down, but it wasn’t in the canister. I stood there and sulked as my older sister laughed at me and called me “Casper”. Creativity can get messy.
Back then my dream was to become a baker. I loved baking cookies, muffins, and quick breads. Mixing simple ingredients with my signature twist was so fun. Unfortunately, it’s harder for me to bake these days. Since I’ve gone gluten-free it makes it more challenging to bake, but I still try and experiment with what I have. 🙂 My baking dream might have gotten messy with my diet restrictions but it hasn’t terminated my need to create.
How to know if you’re being creative
One way to know when you are using your creative side is when you lose track of time. It’s those moments in between clock numbers when you truly feel alive. Whether it’s cookies, a garden, a writing piece, or simply drawing a picture on your child’s lunch sack. It’s gratifying to see what your creativity can create.
Why creativity is important: don’t miss this!
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Creativity isn’t just for fun. Creative thinking can solve problems, help us perform better at our jobs, help with depression, and help make a difference in people’s lives. Look at music, art, dance, and literature… what are those talents trying to do? Matthew Barnet has a great answer from his book, The Cause Within You.
He says, “Fulfilled artists do not paint or sculpt for the sake of creating more art. They do it to move people and challenge them to see the world differently. “
The scary part about creativity
From CreatingMinds.org they say our creativity fades away when we don’t use it. As in the Bible, it says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything…” Matthew 5:13. (NIV)
In our busy lives, it’s important to take a time out to be creative; and to take a small step in becoming the unique person we were intended to be not just for ourselves, but for the sake of others. More importantly, using our creativity is an excellent way to love God! He gave you the ability and talent, use it to give thanks to Him.
All in all
The creativity flame still glows in us. Feed the fire within. There is no better time to get our hands busy; our minds will love it, our hearts will feel good, and we may spark something in someone’s minutes.
Want no more money problems? Listen up to these 9 must-do steps. There is no way to predict tragic storms, destructive earthquakes, virus pandemics, wars, house fires, the sudden death of a loved one, or unemployment. If we could tell our money ‘a tornado is coming, hang on tight’, life would be so much easier. We can tell our money to do that, but what if we weren’t ready? In knowing how to fix money problems you can do some simple steps. To get started, I’ve got 9 easy-to-do steps to help you manage money wisely starting today!
First things first
First and foremost, remember these times of despair are just that, a time. It’s not forever, it’s not the end of the world; it’s just a season that is visiting for a while. It may seem like an eternity but it will pass like all our other seasons IF you want it to. The hard part is getting through it without much pain. But you must get through it, keep moving forward! Want to know more about motivation? Check out How to Get Motivated: 4 Critical Tips to Start Anything.
Your 1st priority
Your priority is to take care of yourself and your family. If it’s a spreading sickness, do everything in your power to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. Did a storm hit your house? Then get your family to a safer shelter. If you lost your job, then start looking for a replacement job, even if it pays less than the work you had before, just get something going so you have a little income.
When the overall shock has faded, this is usually about a week to 10 days depending on the severity, you can start working on these 9 must-do steps to get your life back on track and put your money problems behind you.
9 Steps to Manage Money Wisely
1. Clean up the unnecessary subscriptions
Get rid of unnecessary subscriptions: magazines, the gym (unless you’re using it), weight loss programs, email subscriptions that you’re not using every week, and might I even say cable TV? When you add all these things up, you will be surprised at how quickly things add up! It will make you sick. Stop giving your money away to companies you’re not using! Again, look at the numbers and the amount of time you use these things. Is it worth it? Is it distracting you from accomplishing your goals?
2. Work on your budget
Having a budget is the BEST tool out there to manage money wisely. Money problems happen when a budget is not in place. What I love about a budget is that it can help you find the holes and see what holes need to be filled. For instance, my husband and I recently redid our budget and found that we were spending way more than we thought on eating out. Ouch! I like to think of a budget as a treasure hunt or a crime scene. It lays it all out so we can solve the case.
A budget doesn’t need to be restrictive, tedious, or confusing. Keep it simple. Paper and pencil work great. Or step it up to an Excel worksheet. I already created one for you that you can use for free. Go to Freebies to get yours.
If you want something beefier that has printable reports I highly recommend Quicken or Quickbooks. We use both for different accounts.
Budget tip
Start your budget out simply. Scale down and only focus on your necessities. This may be hard but look at it from a survival perspective. What can I, or we as a family, live without for two months? Do we have an emergency fund?
Wipe your money problems away by making extra money. There are some amazing side gigs out there that I’ve even done! For instance, you can grocery shop for others. This is a fun job if you like the grocery store. Numerous delivery services are desperate for people to work. I suggest searching online using keywords like “work-from-home jobs”, “part-time jobs”, and “best side hustle jobs”. There are a lot of opportunities.
Heads-up: Many bloggers say to start a blog. FYI – You’ll be spending more money on starting it than making any money on it. They are only telling you to start a blog to sell their blog-building tools or to exercise their affiliate programs. Building a profitable blog takes time and money, it’s not impossible, but it is a lot of hard work, especially starting from scratch. Just being honest here.
Simply look at what businesses are booming in tough times and then go there and inquire about opportunities. For instance, health care during a pandemic, delivery services, construction workers, or restaurants. Search with an open mind and ask yourself what you would enjoy and be willing to try.
4. DIY (Do It Yourself)
Do things yourself. Ideas in this arena include selling your crafts and creations on Etsy, cleaning your own house, mowing your own yard, and for minor fixes around the home getting on YouTube to find ways to fix things yourself. Doing things yourself can help save you money and give you gratification and confidence!
5. Cut Costs
Cutting back on costs can be kind of fun to figure out yet still be content. Things to look at are the number of visits to: the hair salon, getting your nails done, trips to the grocery store, and the car wash. Other ways to cut back are to shop at a lower-priced grocery store, and to be mindful of your utilities: shower or bathe once a day instead of two, turn off the lights when not using that specific room, turn the thermostat down one or two notches, ‘when it’s yellow let it mellow when it’s brown flush it down’, turn the faucet off while scrubbing those pearly whites. Things like that. Here’s a great post on how to savemoney grocery shopping that you should check out.
6. Sell stuff
Sell stuff through Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, or other trustworthy platforms. This is a great time to declutter your home and ask yourself if you need certain things. Selling your things is a lot easier these days too. If you don’t want to hassle with a garage sale, sell things online. I have done well using both methods. In my last garage sale, I squashed a money problem using my profits. It felt so good!
7. Be smart
Make smarter buying decisions on the necessities. Okay, toilet paper baffles me, unless you have an underlying condition like Crohn’s, colitis, or cancer, cool your jets on the TP. Simply take what you need for two weeks then manage the toilet paper you have in the house.
Ask yourself if you NEED a particular item before buying it. Look for deals or coupons. Opt to never buy full price for anything! Always keep your receipt in case you have buyer’s remorse and want to return an item.
8. Whoa-back on large money deals
It’s human to be uneasy during uncertain times, but only allow yourself one day to ‘freak out’. After that, get your battle face on and make adjustments. However, the one caveat to making change is to not make any major financial decisions in the first 7-14 days. For instance, don’t cash in your 401K buy a new car/house, or rank up your credit cards. Put your mind to work and figure out some ways to adjust in ways that help you and not hurt. Put together a budget and get a plan in place.
9. Emergency fund
When all is back up to speed, start to build your emergency fund for the next time something like a pandemic or war sucker punches us again. One way to do this is to put a little bit away every paycheck. Some people do 10%, others 5%, and so forth. You will be amazed at how quickly this adds up, especially if you put it in a savings account that accumulates interest.
In closing
I believe in you. You got this. Just remember your priority is to take care of yourself and your family with the necessities. Work together as a family. Working together will not only bring you all closer together and working as a team, but it will be a lasting memory and bring more happiness into your home.
God has some mysterious creations, the lightning bug or firefly is one of them! To this day I still get awestruck at this tiny bug that emits light in the darkness. The firefly is my favorite bug if anyone were to ask me, “What’s your favorite bug?” With that said, I wanted to look deeper into the firefly and came across some cool facts I thought you’d enjoy and share with your family. Enjoy and be gentle!
Firefly Fact #1
There isn’t just one kind of firefly. There are more than 2000 species of fireflies in the world! That’s a lot of light.
Fact #2
Speaking of natural light, the firefly light is the most efficient light in the WORLD! Yep. Bug light is the best light in the world…natural light. The sun doesn’t count. Let’s face it, what other bug or animal produces its own light?
Actually, there are some other bioluminescent species that exist on this planet, however, most of them live deep in the ocean.
Fact #3
What else is cool about the firefly glow? Not all light from the firefly is the same color. The glow can be yellow, green, orange, or blue! How cool is that? Way cool.
Firefly Facts #4
Their handy blink and frequency of the blink are how fireflies communicate with each other. I kind of like to think of them using the Morris Code. They also use their light as a mating signal. Oo, la la!
Fireflies do not taste good. If I were you I’d cancel that side of firefly and stick with your kale. Fireflies are actually poisonous to some animals if they eat them. When the firefly is attacked it releases a little blood. Ew. But the blood contains a chemical that creates a bigger taste and emits poison! It’s how they protect themselves.
Fact #6
Okay, this one is super important. Firefly numbers are reducing in the world. Some of this is due to climate change, but another reason is because of their habitats. The healthy living environments are being destroyed; not to mention, they are also being ‘harvested’ for their luciferase (their glow substance). Luciferase is used for scientific research forensic tests and food safety. They do have a way to make this stuff synthetically, but people still kill these amazing bugs (beetles) for the natural stuff…
Fireflies love to eat snails, worms, and slugs. Where there are snails, worms, and slugs, you’ll likely find fireflies. A garden is a perfect place for fireflies to enjoy life. Firefly larvae enjoy a good pile of wet leaves. It is suggested to make a compost pile of leaves and to keep the leaves moist throughout the year. The leaves will attract the slugs, and the baby fireflies will eat them as they grow. In the Spring, put some of the leaves in your garden as compost. Do this every year and watch your firefly population grow!
Fact #7
Fireflies also enjoy these plants: Passionflower, Morning Glory, Goldenrod, Asters, and River Fern. They also like trees! Good choices are Sycamore, Cottonwood, Elm, Bur Oak, Dogwood, and Trumpet Creeper.
How do we safely catch them?
We can catch them carefully. When they land you or when you gently catch them, simply put them in a glass jar with many holes punched through the top for oxygen. Place a damp paper towel in the jar to prevent them from drying out. Put a slice of apple in there for them to munch on. Please only keep the fireflies for 1 day. They only live for two-three months, so let them be free and enjoy life.
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Want the glow to last longer?
If you want the fun glow and blinking to last longer, first let the fireflies go, then buy fairy lights and put them in a jar. I personally love these lights. The solar-powered ones are pretty cool, I keep them up all year round.
That does it on firefly facts! Hope you learned something new. Be sure to download my free Firefly Fun Sheet! Thanks for visiting!
There are massive loads of information about how to manage money, how to budget, how to save money, and how to live a debt-free life. It can be overwhelming and paralyzing! I’ll reveal to you the #1 cause of our money management problems and give you a quick review of four different tools for how to manage money better. You’ll also get a free downloadable cash flow worksheet to get you started! Let’s keep it simple because it is simple.
What’s the #1 Mistake in Managing Money?
When we leave the house, we make one big mistake. I’m going to make this simple for you. The very first step to doing anything with your money is to know what to do with it before you leave home or get online.
When it comes to keeping track of our money you either love it, hate it, or are half-*ssed about it. And for most Americans, this can be a real pain in the butt. It’s not the task at hand, but it’s the mind that messes with us. We know we need to do a budget, but we just don’t want to. Hence, we find ourselves in a hole deeper than we want to be.
A survey,
conducted by Slickdeals.com asked 2,000 adults last August about their money
habits. Topping the list of categories
where respondents overspend is online shopping, followed by grocery shopping
and subscription services. Take a look at their list, you may find some
things surprising.
Trusting your brain with all the figures is not a good idea. We get distracted; we cheat and lie to ourselves. Then we hear the forbidden word “Budget”. Whether you make $30,000/year to $1,000,000/year everyone needs a budget, no one is excluded, not even a homeless person.
To make this more fun I’m not going to use the word ‘budget’, it sounds super boring. Instead, I’m going to use “harmony”…that’s sounds kind of corny but when there is harmony in our finances, everything works together. And gosh, when we get jammin’, financial freedom will be a #1 hit for years! Isn’t that what we’re all aiming for? On a side note, no pun intended, when you go off-key you’ll TRY to believe the harmony still sounds nice, but in reality it stink-ith. Stop lying to yourself. Developing a routine saves us a lot of hard-earned cash.
How do we fine-tune our money?
First and foremost, I want
to make this clear, a ‘harmonic wallet’ (B-word) isn’t created to punish us and
hold us captive; it’s here to simplify
life and set us free.
Money management has a few different layers. One layer is keeping a record of every single expense. This may sound tedious, but it’s the most important step to understanding where the cash flow holes are and where the money mountains prevail. However, keeping track is where most people fall.
WARNING! People will manage money for a few days and then stop. Just like a diet. Listen up friend, you’re not a quitter. If you want this bad enough, you’ll make it happen. I believe in you. Keep up the good work, it will pay off. This is the difference between living debt-free and frugal living. There is nothing wrong with frugal living, but when you depend on it to live every day it can be an exhausting life.
The know-how in a harmonic budget
This leads me to the know-how. Over the years my husband and I have used a few techniques that have helped us manage our money. Most importantly money management helps us understand what’s going on. Our money management techniques kind of mimic our camping life. We started with a tent, then we moved to a small camper, yet got a travel trailer, and now we have a 5th Wheel. We’ve learned something in every phase until we found our jam. In which our jam got us a 5th Wheel! Below are the four tools we’ve benefited from over the years.
Tracking Tool #1: Old School
The Tent
Good old pencil & paper. There are LOADS of downloadable printables online; finding one that fits your needs is the hard part. It’s overwhelming. My rule of thumb: Keep It Simple. Think of your finances like a business treat it like a business. All businesses start with pen and paper. Grab the old college-ruled notebook and a No. 2 pencil to get started. You can also get a Budget Planner which brings a little ‘pretty’ to the party.
5 Steps with Old School
Step 1: Dust off the old notebook; rip out your old psychology notes, sharpen your pencil, and jot down all the categories that take your money. For instance: groceries, autogas, utilities, insurance, phone, memberships, or subscriptions. This is the first step. Just list the categories in one column.
Step 2: Start saving receipts and keeping track of what is EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer every month). Even if you’re putting these things on a credit card, keep the receipt. Remember this is a gradual approach to finding harmony.
Step 3: Pick a regular time once a week to go through the receipts and bills that were collected. Maybe Sunday afternoon or Thursday night. Write alongside the category of how much you spent that week. Keep the list going for the whole month.
Below is an example of what your paper might look like…this is for one month. Note the tallies for coffee.
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Step 4: Don’t forget your income! You can put your income on the top or bottom of your sheet. List all your paychecks for the month.
Step 5: It’s math time! Add up all the amounts from each category (row) and write in the total for that specific category. Then the scary part happens; add all the expenses together (column), then subtract that from your income.
PRO: Anyone can do it. All you need is a calculator.
CON: This method takes a bit of time. Generating a report would take forever and require a lot of math.
Tracking Tool #2: graduate to desktop
The Small Camper
After we mastered the pencil & paper method, my husband and I decided to move up to a computer accounting program. I’m not talking Google Docs, which is a great way to keep track; many of my friends use Excel these days. Do what fits your lifestyle. If you like Excel I have a free spreadsheet download below!
PRO: If you want to print a report or reconcile your account, an accounting program makes it so much easier…, especially for taxes. Essentially it’s a glorified check register with the ability to print reports. Another feature I like is that you can have multiple accounts. For instance, we have our personal checking, savings, health savings, and our son’s account all in one program. And they are from all different banks! We use Quicken. It’s a simple way to start. Unfortunately, you do have to pay for it, but they have a 30-day free trial.
In our household, I’m the one who updates “the books”. I pay the bills, I keep the receipts, and I reconcile the account. My husband analyzes the reports and strategizes. We have our roles figured out…SUPER IMPORTANT!
CON: It doesn’t automatically update your account in real time. So if you go to Taco Bob’s for lunch, Quicken doesn’t know that right away. Plus you have to pay for it but it’s not that much for what it does.
Tracking Tool #3: now to an app
The Little Bit Bigger Camper
We then experimented with Mint. It’s an online-only app for managing your money. Mint is FREE! But it’s a bit more complicated. You can see all your transitions, but to itemize them, you need to wait until they clear. It’s great for budgeting, tracking, and bill reminders, but it doesn’t have the reconciliation feature and reports can be a bit tricky. Again, do what fits your lifestyle, but please keep it simple. Other Apps to checkout are YNAB (You Need A Budget), nerdwallet, and mvelopes.
PRO: It’s free and on your phone.
CON: It’s free and on your phone. No reconciliation option or easy access to reports.
Tracking Tool #4: The best of both
The 5th Wheel
We’ve now moved up to Quickbooks Online. If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, do it the simple way with this program. It’s an online check register, with reports, and account reconciliation. My husband and I have been using it and are loving it! I can’t believe how much fun he has with this program. The downside of this program is that you have to pay for it. But, don’t look at that as an expense because the program and its capabilities can save you a lot of money. Worth it.
Click on the picture for more details.
PRO: You got it all here. You can access it from your phone or computer. Reconciles on its own. Captures expenses. Has budgeting tools…oops…I meant ‘harmony’ tools. And it’s easy to use. Many businesses use this program.
CON: You have to pay for it. You can only use accounts from one bank. It can be kind of confusing.
The bottom line is how to manage money easily
To create harmony is to understand where your money is going and how you will process that information. What needs to change? And how are you going to do that? David Bach says, “The solution to your money problems isn’t more money; it’s new habits.”
Make harmony with your money by looking at your habits and experimenting with new ways how to change them without losing your lifestyle. This is the most effective way how to manage money easily.
Here’s a free Excel cash flow worksheet to help you get started. Simply click on the link and it will download automatically. Then in the lower-left corner, click the up arrow and click ‘Open’. You can then save it on your computer and start plugging away! Har-Money Worksheet.
Problems are going to happen, be ready for the next one by learning these three problem solving strategies people often forget! In life, we are going to be dealt some hands we may not be able to control, but we can adjust how we react to it. Let me share a personal story with you before we get to the 3 problem solving strategies.
Years ago, I went sailing in a Butterfly sailboat. This sailing trip wasn’t just for leisure but for clarity in life and direction. Engaging in the outdoors helps me put things in perspective and take a step back to look at the picture I’m in. This particular solo sail was different than my previous marine quests. It was in the fall, in beautiful Michigan. Gray skies, inconsistent wind, and cool temperatures circled me, but I went anyway.
My husband was working on his computer while I ventured out on the water. As I left I said, “Honey, please keep an eye on me. If I tip over, I might need your help,” He replied back with, “Yeah, no problem. Have fun.”
Off I went. The wind pressed my face. The sound of the wake soothed my spirit. This is just what I needed, then WHOOSH! A gust of wind caught the sail. I quickly loosened my grip on the rope. My skin prickled as I stood vertical for a few seconds; then the boat crashed back down where I almost tipped over backward! “That was a close one,” I said out loud. I continued to get random gusts. My grip on the rope ached.
This is the actual sailboat I was on.
Circumstance defined
A circumstance is a condition that accompanies a fact or an event. We all face circumstances (a.k.a. problems) in life. And we all are challenged by how we react to them. We can throw a fit, fight it, or blame everyone…but ourselves; however, our other choice is to tighten our belt, accept the challenge, and work through it.
In Psalm 16:8 David says this about circumstance, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (NIV) If only I had practiced this throughout my life. I’ve been through many problems where I threw fits and blamed others…not proud moments of mine. But when I give the problem to God for him to figure it out, the circumstance isn’t as big as I make it anymore.
With the wind howling and my grip weakening, I started to head back to shore. WHOOSH! The boom shot out! The rope burned my palms. I couldn’t control it. “Oh crap!” Into the water, I went.
After fully realizing what just happened, and seeing that the wind was pushing the tipped-over boat. I looked to the shore for my husband. Eck-em’…I looked to the shore for my husband. Hmm. Husband?
“Okay, I can do this,” I coached.
With all my might, I shimmied up the daggerboard with my lifejacket on…this is a lot harder than it seems. From past experiences, I knew I had to stand on the board and lean back to get the sail out of the water. The only problem was that I was by myself and was worried the wind would grab hold of the sail and the boat would take off. As soon as the boat flipped upright, I clinched the edge. Sure enough, the wind got a hold of the sail and I quickly got my body back in the middle of the boat. I took hold of the rudder and carefully managed the sail, but the wind gusts yelled at me. This was a bad idea.
My mind raced. I was about 150 yards from the dock. Whitecaps were forming. Darker clouds were approaching. And there was no way I could sail without tipping again. I looked to the shore for my husband. Hmm. Where was he?
“Oh help me God,” I prayed.
Then I got an idea, take the sail down and swim back.
3 powerful problem solving strategies people often forget
1. Discern.
How is this making me feel? Who is this affecting besides me? What values do I have that are above this circumstance? What can I learn from this? How can I solve this puzzle of a problem? What are my options?
2. Discipline.
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) Discipline isn’t a bad word, it helps direct us. We have the power to discipline ourselves. We can discipline our tongues, actions, and even thoughts. To help us, we can feed on goodness…good music, positive movies, healthy conversations, healthy clean food, and the words and stories of the Bible. Even just a little bit can make a big impact.
3. Do.
We pray and ask for help while we try everything in our power to manage the circumstances. We give it all to God and let God be who He is, our Savior. Have you heard, “If we do our part, then He will do His”? Do what you can to move forward while praying for Him to do His work in you.
“You can’t be a prisoner of your circumstances.”
Joyce Meyer
Wrapping problem solving strategies up
I swam the boat back to the dock that day. I faced my problem; in fact, I jumped right into it. It was humbling, cold, and hard, but I used what God gave me and saw Him help me through it.
This sailboat experience is just a small physical example of how we cannot control all the problems that happen to us. I know my sailing event doesn’t compare to unemployment, infertility, sickness, loss, expenses, and broken relationships…or does it?
What is one small step you can do to help manage a problem you’re facing now?
Be sure to check out my other posts to keep moving forward.
Is time management a thing of the past? Never! What are you doing in between the numbers? In other words, how are you spending your time when you’re not working? If you were to look back on your life do you see any regrets?
The saying “Time is money” seeps into my heart every time I hear a life ended prematurely, or when I hear of a sobering diagnosis of a family member, or a grave attack on the innocent. Let me ask you this: Do you truly and honestly value your time? How dare I ask that question! No matter our race, age, religion, pocketbook, or sex we all have time.
Time management tips and sex?
Sex has a lot to do with time. Not physical sex. Got ya there, but sex is in sexagesimal.
Wikipedia assured me that sexagesimal has nothing to do with actual sex, but it has a lot to do with time. In the 3rd millennium BC sexagesimal was defined as a numerical system for time having a base of 60.
Sexagesimal helped us put numbers on the clock. What we do in between those numbers defines how we live. The choices we make affect how we use our time.
Regrets, what are they?
Regrets happen when you feel sad or sorry for something you did or didn’t do…with your time. If you ‘Google’ “regrets in life” you’ll find a slew of articles. One of those articles was about a nurse, who cared for people on their deathbeds. She had a lot of conversations with her patients about regrets. What’s interesting is that she heard a lot of the same thing.
The most common regrets include:
To of had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
To of had the courage to express my feelings.
I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
To let myself be happier.
Did any of those regrets strike a chord with you? Scary to think that one of those could be our regret someday. But we don’t have to think that way. We can take charge of our time between the numbers and use them to better ourselves and the people around us so that when we can live a grateful life of freedom.
5 time management tips to live a life without regrets
1. Pray
Praying has got to be the most effective way to live a life without regret. Our Creator made us, He knows us best. Let’s align our prayers with His will for us! When we do He will open doors, He will help us prosper. Makes me think of His truth in Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and future.” Ask Him to help you use your time and talents the way He designed us to.
2. Define
Write out your priorities. Where do you want to spend your minutes, what type of work makes you feel productive, what relationships do you want to work on, and what can you do to work towards your passions? Writing things out on paper helps you see where you want to go. This exercise is great for getting to know yourself better.
3. Use a vision board
Vision boards are a great tool to help you stay focused on your goals so you don’t have any regrets. This is a fun project for yourself and even your family. A vision board allows you to dream big. Did you hear that? You have permission to put anything on your vision that you want! Simply put, a vision board is being able to see your goals and dreams. They are reachable, especially if you look at your board every day and take at least one step toward making that board come alive. You can find directions on how to make a vision board in my freebies.
4. Put the phone down
Seriously. The phone is distracting and it will prevent you from making things happen. This is especially true for our teens. It’s not just social media I’m talking about, which can be very debilitating, but it’s the meaningless crap people get wrapped into. Before they knew it, 45 minutes passed. Give yourself time with your family. Set boundaries with your phone and do something that works towards your goals. The world has managed 2000 years without a cell phone. Incorporate a turn-off electronics day.
5. Schedule “solo time”
Learn to love discovering yourself, organize your thoughts, and listen to your heart. ‘Solo time’ or ‘Me time’ is actually one of my favorite times! This time rejuvenates me. It helps us clear our minds from the madness of the world and to refocus on what really matters. This time is a great time to love yourself. Talking positively to yourself with affirmations is effective and talking to yourself for that matter helps us solve problems and plan our day. There are some affirmations in my Freebies for you. A ‘solo day’ isn’t just to pamper yourself, but to challenge yourself and build self-confidence and courage. Try something new. Do a challenging workout. Create something amazing that you love. And don’t forget to journal.
Wrapping up time management tips
We all may experience a ‘regretful season’ in life. I know I have. How to fix more regrets in the future boils down to knowing yourself. Knowing yourself better helps you make smarter decisions so you won’t have any regrets. Build that self-confidence up so you have the courage to conquer your goals and dreams. Stop regret in its tracks. Notice what is happening. Be aware of your surroundings and keep moving forward.
Are you looking to have an awesome Christmas this year? A Christmas that will have meaning? I know I am. This past month I researched Christmas, that’s kind of funny to say, we all know Jesus was born and it’s about His birthday. But I sought out more understanding of Christmas and how I can make it more meaningful. Who knew it had to do with our own personal identity? Buckle up for an ‘Ah ha’ moment and 3 amazing tips!
What’s up with ‘Merry Christmas’?
In 1843 it was Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” that introduced the word ‘Merry’ for “Merry Christmas”. The dictionary defines Merry as cheerful and lively. Occasionally you’ll hear “Happy Christmas”, but “Merry” fits the bill. The word “Christmas” originated from “Christ’s Mass” which literally means a group of many people gathering to celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th. In fact, this celebration started in 313 AD, three centuries after Jesus’s crucifixion. Interesting isn’t it?
The history of gifts
For most people, Christmas’s meaning equals presents. Gifts are fun! Even for those who are hard to buy, yes, it’s a fun challenge. How did gift-giving come into play on Christmas? Well, it’s not a black-and-white answer:
1– It started in Europe as a pagan custom around the Winter Solstice, a celebration to mark the shortest day of the year. It falls in the range of December 20th-23rd each year. At this time ancient Rome would celebrate this day by gift-giving.
2– Around 336 AD December 25th was established as Jesus’s birthday in which the solstice gift-giving tradition leaked into the Christian holiday. Some believe that gift-giving started with the three Magi (wise men) giving gifts to baby Jesus.
3– On top of that, Santa Claus was introduced by a fourth-century Greek bishop who was a gift giver, Saint Nicholas. His legacy gradually blended into the Christmas celebration.
So “Merry Christmas” is a combination of things, but one thing is for sure, “Christ’s Mass” has stood the test of time. Jesus came to save us from our sins so we would have the opportunity to have life after death. “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost”, says Jesus. And in Mark 10:45 Jesus also says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
How serving others comes into play
A few years ago I read Matthew Barnett’s book The Cause Within You. He talks about his experience of listening and obeying God’s cause that He placed in his heart. Based in LA, he tells great stories about how people off the street, the homeless, drug dealers, and prostitutes have completely turned their lives around by focusing on Jesus and the cause God placed in their hearts. How serving others, rather than serving themselves and their addictions has changed their life.
He says, “As soon as you start thinking about the needs and burdens of others, and what you can do to alleviate them, or how you can bless and build up others, you begin to establish a new identity for yourself – your true identity. “ (page 38) This brings on meaning! Meaning for living.
Think about that for a minute. Christmas is the most popular time of year to give; not just presents. Just look at the Christmas movies: It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, or even Die Hard. Yes, I just referenced Elf and Die Hard in the same sentence. But hear me out, they all have something in common.
Time is of the essence
Let me ask you this, what do you think would be a powerful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus this year? Sure we can give tangible gifts or donate money to a cause, those are fantastic ideas! But what about your time? Your precious time?
What about sacrificing a slice of your time and putting your talents to work to take the burden off someone else? Helping a neighbor with a project? Lifting someone up with a little encouragement? You might say, “But I do that already Christy” But do you do it with Jesus in mind? Do you consciously say, “Hey Jesus, let’s bless someone today! Use me. Work through me. Let’s do this!”?
I love this statement from Rick Warren, “What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how you lived.” In the Bible, 1 Peter 4 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” But here’s a bonus in all this. If you think serving is just for the person being served, you’re missing it.
What does serving do for you?
Serving others produces being Merry. It gives you meaning and purpose…do I dare say dream life? Serving mysteriously produces a deep joy in your heart.
1 – To serve others gives significance. Putting our talents to work to help someone else is meaningful for us. It warms the cockles of God’s heart. And generates joy in your own.
2 – It produces gratitude both for the servant and the person being served.
3 – Serving brings us back to earth. Serving helps take the focus off what’s going on inside us, to what’s going on around us. This helps us put our own lives in perspective, need I say, to learn more about ourselves.
3 Tips on Serving Others:
1. The Golden Rule. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
2. Vision yourself helping.
3. Pray for opportunities in which you can help someone out.
Wrapping up Christmas and serving others
I have an experiment for you to try this month to gain more meaning in this holiday. I bet you know what it is. Serve with the mindset of giving a gift to Jesus; use your time, talents, and strength to give back to Him. Not sure where to serve? Don’t make this complicated. Open your eyes and pay attention to your surroundings. He’ll tell you.
One more thing, I encourage you to experience a “Christ’s Mass” and attend a Christmas Eve service at church this year.
The only way to change is to change. If you want to feel better and lose weight then grab these tips for weight loss. Here’s the thing, weight loss doesn’t have to be hard or depriving. Set yourself free and become who God made you to be. I have a simple philosophy that will bring you inspiration; plus it’s backed up by science. Simply put: TAKE. IT. SLOW. Remember the saying, ‘nothing changes if nothing changes’. Read about my four game-changing tips that change you without feeling like a change.
4 Tips for Weight Loss
Changing the diet isn’t something I could do cold turkey. In fact, I’m allergic to turkey! Hence the going slow part. The most successful thing with ‘change’ without feeling like it’s a change is to take it slow. With a gradual approach, you’re more likely to stick with it for longer… if not forever! Chris Kresser uses the words, “shrink the change“.
#1: Weight loss Tip #1: Go Gradual
The trick to losing weight is to eat a healthier diet so the body can clean out the bad stuff, call me Sherlock-Homes. I repeat, taking a gradual approach gives your body time to adjust and not be shocked. If you lose weight too fast, it could backfire and you’ll be headfirst in the bag of cheese puffs…not to mention gain even more weight! The cool thing about gradually reducing the bad stuff, like sugar, is that your body will start to crave healthier foods. You’ll feel better and the sugary snacks will start to taste bad. Interesting, eh? The bottom line is that our bodies will feel better with cleaner foods and they’ll want more of that awesome clean energy. Stick to simple ingredients and ingredients you understand.
Tip #2: Awareness is key!
Awareness. Sugar was my number one weakness. It still is, but I’m now aware of my consumption and I know my limits. When I adjusted my intake of the sweet stuff I finally understood the ‘less is more’ philosophy. My taste buds became more content and my body was a happy human. Did you hear that? I didn’t give up sugar completely, I just cut back immensely. Toxic foods can do a number on our bodily systems; in other words, inflammation. I wrote a short ebook on digestion and what things might trigger our inflammation. Once we remove the trigger, the inflammation heals. Check it out here: Triggers and What to do for IBD.
What’s for lunch?
Back in the day of wanting to lose weight, I would only eat a salad for lunch. It contained greens, Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and maybe fresh broccoli. I didn’t have any protein or cheese. Just veggies. I chose whatever salad dressing sounded good, however, I would dip my fork in the dressing before I stabbed a helping of lettuce. Not too shabby of a lunch; but for me, it didn’t hold me over, which led to a Snickers Bar in the afternoon, and then a hefty snack after work. Can we say blood sugar on the fritz?
The small change I made was to add protein to my salad in the form of lean protein, I’m not talking cheese or other dairy products; but things like nuts, eggs, or grilled chicken. At lunch, I still aim to have more greens than protein, yet with a little protein.
Eatingwell.com
Tip for losing weight #3: Know your body
Know your body. If you need protein, get protein with every meal. Whether it’s nuts, clean meat, or low-fat dairy (if you can tolerate it) make sure you get enough protein into your diet. If you don’t, you’ll be hungry all the time and your blood sugar will yo-yo. Let me reiterate, protein helps you feel satisfied longer, it gives you energy, and need I say meat is an excellent source of B12, B6, zinc, and iron to name a few?
A little bit more about protein
Protein builds muscle mass, and it’s especially good after a workout. Add a little vitamin C to the mix and you’ve got a digestive helper and a helping hand at iron absorption. Listen up! The meat won’t make you fat unless it’s highly marbled or fatty; you also want to keep in check your portions. Choose lean beef, grilled chicken, grilled or baked fish, nuts, legumes, eggs, or pork loin. Don’t be scared to add it to your diet or your salad. Remember portion control is king.
Okay, okay, okay…you’re at work and can’t make lunch. That’s okay! You have a couple of options for a healthy clean lunch; the most obvious is to make it the night before. The other is to choose simple, limited-ingredient dishes when eating out. For instance, a 100% beef burger without the bun paired with a side of steamed veggies or a cup of clear broth soup, is a great lunch. It’s not heavy in carbs (bread or pasta) and it’s high in protein. You can also opt for an “unwich”, a sandwich without the bread. I eat this all the time but use lettuce instead of bread. Some people use a gluten-free wrap. Turn the sandwich inside out…lettuce in the center and lean ham for the wrap. If you want this weight loss thing to work, you need to be prepared and stay on point. Pack ahead or have a plan when eating out.
Think ‘simple’ when at a restaurant and think portion control! As for drinks, you know what I’m going to say…water without ice. Hey, it may be a little boring, but your body will be quieter and happier. You may not even need to drink water with your meal. Too much aqua with food will cause a lot of vitamins to flush through your system, plus it will take longer to digest the yum yums.
Your body is a temple, keeping it clean and feeling great is an amazing way to show God you love Him and thank Him. I hope you found these tips for losing weight helpful. Remember to take a gradual approach, be aware of what you’re eating, know your body, and be prepared. You got this if you want it. Keep moving forward!
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Have you ever gotten overwhelmed, in a funk, or frustrated about the pace of life? Having a hobby can help quiet the roar of chaos and make you feel human again. I’ve got some great hobby ideas for you. But wait! I know what you might say, “I don’t have time for a hobby”. I used to think that way too, but after a little experimenting, I found my hobby to be a superhero to my mental health. Let’s get a better understanding of why a hobby helps us then get hobby ideas to try out.
What exactly is a hobby?
A hobby is an activity that someone does for pleasure when they are not working. The keyword in that definition is “not working”. The hard part is knowing when to stop working. What I love about a hobby is that time isn’t ticking in your ear. You’re not looking at the clock to see when your shift is over. A hobby is your gift to yourself, so you can be yourself! When we’re under heavy stress our bodies produce more cortisol which can be harmful to our health. But when we’re engaged in, let’s say, a hobby, we’re producing the ‘feel-good’ hormones.
I like to look at a hobby as a type of recreation that rejuvenates your spirit. It’s an activity that challenges you in a way in which you want to be challenged. You see, your hobby is YOUR hobby. No one can tell you how to do it unless you welcome the suggestions.
12. Helps prevent boredom when boredom can be harmful to you. Let me expand: overeating, depression, drug use, looking at things you know you shouldn’t, or alcohol use usually come into play when we’re bored. Boredom and its adverse effects are going to get the best of us at times, but when we have a hobby we have an easy way out and can focus on that.
13. The icing on the cake about a hobby is that it actually helps you do a better job at work. CNBC posted an article about how a hobby can improve your work performance. For one, it helps prevent burnout. As said earlier, it helps inspire creativity and enhance your problem-solving skills. A hobby helps reduce stress.
More on hormones.
Hormones are a love/hate relationship. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. As said earlier, the most damaging hormone is cortisol which is produced in our bodies when we’re under stress. The good news is that happy hormones do exist, but to get them we must do a few things. There are four major blissful boosters: endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Each hormone serves a different purpose, in a nutshell, this is what they do:
Endorphins are essentially the body’s painkillers. Vigorous exercise or even eating spicy food releases endorphins.
Serotonin is the mood mediator. Get outside. Being in the sun helps our bodies produce vitamin D, which helps produce serotonin. Even low-intensity exercise helps.
Dopamine is a gratifying hormone, in terms of
goal achievement. It’s all about goals and achieving them to bring on the
dopamine. We set an achievable goal and go after it, when we reach it, dopamine
is experienced.
Oxytocin. This is the love hormone. I think my
husband has an abundance of this one! LOL. Physical contact, hugs, massage, and
sex release this hormone.
When it comes to your hobby, aim to achieve one of these hormones. Now if you want to experience all the bliss boosters at once, you might want to look into “R5HHPJ” as your hobby: Run 5 miles while holding hands with your honey, drinking hot pepper juice from your water bottle…now that’s a hobby!
What are some great hobby ideas?
This is a loaded question because you can make a hobby of your own; the trick to finding one you love is to try some on. Here are some hobby ideas for you to check out:
Knitting, exercising, reading, sales shopping and discount hunting, start a blog, music, woodworking, organizing, auto work, boating, horseback riding, hobby farming, candle making, photography, dance, winemaking, beer brewing, cooking, traveling, wilderness survival, Bible memory, drawing, painting, decorating, gardening, hunting, fishing, camping, running, write a book, kayaking, cycling, walking, surfing, sewing, essentially any sport, collections, puzzles, and pretty much anything other than work.
Remember a hobby is something that gives YOU personal enjoyment yet still a little challenge to enhance your well-being. Think of it as keeping your hands and mind busy getting lost in creativity. This could very well be the peacekeeper you’ve been looking for to help balance life.
In conclusion
There are some great hobby ideas out there to suit you, you just need to experiment with which one or ones find your fancy. Hobbies do change too. Pay attention to when you might be phasing out of one hobby, so you can start searching for new hobby ideas. Just remember, hobbies are not a waste of time, they are our therapy to keep us happy.
