You can’t teach an old dog a new trick

False.

Most people aren’t consistent enough for the dog to learn the trick. 

We had a wonderful Old Dog named Stella.  We moved into a new house just a couple years before she died.  She learned the new habits of the house and yard fairly quickly.  She could have learned any trick at any time if we would take the effort to teach her. 

How about you?  Do you lean on this classic American folk statement as a reason you at 60 can’t get a handle on your eating or exercise habits?  Many do. 

If you believe in this falsehood you won’t try the 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, or 34^th time it takes to learn the new habit.  In my experience most adults only allow themselves 2 times to try something new.  If they don’t get it in the first 2 they say, “I’m no good at that.” 

Your brain is just confused on how the world works. 

When you are tempted to give up early, remind yourself that in the real world EVERYONE else has to try more times.  Chan...

Growth ain’t for wimps

We are in a “growth” season right now as individuals, society, and world.  Growth is most often uncomfortable.  We have an 11 month old baby right now as I type this.  She is cutting teeth right now.  I use that phrase because the teeth have to cut through the skin (gums) inside the mouth in order to emerge.  This makes for a cranky baby sometimes. 

Growth can be painful and uncomfortable. 

Thinking about the spring break we are all missing right now I thought of the palm tree.  The palm tree simultaneously grows and part of it dies.  It was actually difficult to find a picture of a non-trimmed palm tree to show you. 

There are beautiful fan like leaves on a palm tree that wave in the wind and a towering trunk.  An unpruned palm has a mass of dead palm leaves hanging underneath it.  The new leaves grow out of the top and the old leaves droop below. 

As we experience this challenge we are called out to change.  To grow in new ways and to leave ...

What other people think of me is NONE of MY business.

Years ago, I was sitting in a counseling session going through a pretty rough time.  It shook me at my core and triggered many emotions within me.  My counselor looked at me and said “Sarah, what other people think of you is none of your business.”  Uh huh, yeah.  “Sarah, what other people think of you is NONE of your business.”  I must have had the glossy look in my eyes because he then handed me a print out of that quote filling an entire page.  It took a few days for me to let that one sink in. 

Ya’ll,  I had spent my life being a people pleaser.  I’m not sure up until that point I can remember doing ANYTHING that I didn’t think about “what will others think of this” before I acted.  This is not a very authentic, full of joy way of life.  It is pretty much like living in a prison within your own body.  Honestly, I am thankful I have gone through a couple of hard periods of rejection and ridicule that made me look at that ...

I recently heard the quote: “The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.”   I don’t 100% buy into that because my house is WAY cleaner than my car.  But there is A LOT of truth to that statement as well.

In our country, some of the top struggles are with finances and health. By health, I mean by what we have control of, what we put into our bodies and how we move our bodies.  I also think the way many people manage their health and their finances go hand in hand.  They just don’t pay attention or feel they don’t have the time to take control.

Both areas have WAY TOO many shiny objects distracting us to what we truly want.  You cannot leave your house or look at ANYTHING without some enticement for MORE,  MORE,  MORE. 

When finances are out of control, the solutions seems simple.  Set a budget based on your income and your expenses and tell your money what to do.  If you need more income then pick up some extra work.  It’s not exciting, it’s not fancy but IT WORKS...

In May of 2019 my wife Samantha and I had a miscarriage. A few short months later in October, we miscarried again.

The first miscarriage was incredibly difficult. The grieving process was sharp and we felt many powerful emotions flowing through us. The pain of loss was indescribable. We are blessed to have a strong network of family and friends who were able to share with us in that time and since. If you’re reading this, you are likely a part of that special group. Thank you.

The hardest part of the experience was the changing of expectations. We had been imagining playing with a new one, going through feeding rituals, seeing her smile for the first time, and picturing a future with a family of four. None of that was going to happen. Perhaps it would some day with another child, but not this one. 

We worked through our grief and put our focus on the future. And we tried again. The positive pregnancy test seemed like the answer to our prayers. We felt relief, joy, and jubil...

I remember in high school the “NO FEAR” thing started getting big.  I didn’t really think much of it at the time- accept if you wore the T-shirt your parents must have had more money than mine because those t-shirts weren’t cheap. :P

Recently I have been “marketed” to and have seen the “NO FEAR” or “FEARLESS” pop back up in my demographic in a more feminine way and frankly IT DRIVES ME NUTS.  I get what they are saying and know it is meant to be encouraging.  BUT-I think it does a HUGE DISCREDIT to those who are winning every day battles or doing impressive things.  They are doing those WITH fear!

When I think of someone who has “no fear”- I often wonder what happened to them??  Were they born without some connection in their brain??  I don’t relate with this person.  Honestly, I really don’t think they exist.

Often, we look at people doing things that scare us and are quick to think- “they must NOT be scared to do that- they must NOT have fear”.  I can’t count how many tim...

Say what?  It is so!  OK- interrupting is totally rude!  Most of the time.

But there is a time when interrupting is 100% OK to do!  It is when I need to cut myself off from a destructive behavior or thought. 

If you pay attention to your day, your mood, your eating patterns and you can get to the point when you realize that those things are happening. A quick interruption in that thought pattern or behavior (usually less then 2 minutes) can put you back on track!

One of the MOST helpful steps I have taken in maintaining my weight loss is recognizing a behavior that needs interrupting!

Learning to pay attention to habits and what is happening around those habits will change your life. 

For food, I notice that around 3pm and 7pm I want to eat-eat-eat and I want it sweet-sweet- sweet.  I had followed that pattern for YEARS and it became a straight up habit.   A habit the NO LONGER served me and NEEDED interrupting.  So, when 3pm or 7pm came and I was reaching for somet...

Live like you are going to live to 100. 

Be smart with your body

Be smart with your nutrition

Be smart with your finances

Be smart in your relationships

If today was my last day on earth, I wouldn’t exercise, I wouldn’t eat any vegetables and I would spend a little more money than is reasonable to do every day.  And while I truly love my job, I would skip work on my last day to spend extra time with family. 

I think we need to live everyday like it could be our last in our personal relationships but not in all areas. 

Move like you want to be independent at 90. 

Eat like you want to have energy in your 70’s. 

Save money like you are going to live to 100. 

And tell people what they mean to you as if you will never see them again.