Pay Attention To What's Coming Up Behind You

Well, it’s Father's Day and let me just say that my Dad is the best. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful father, protector and friend.  I know everyone says that, but mine really is the best. If you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting my dad, here are just a few fun things about why he is awesome:

1. My father can fix anything. I mean anything. He can fix plumbing, electrical, boo boos, structures, broken heirlooms, cars, breakfast-- you name it. He worked for the phone company and can install a telephone anywhere.  I remember when we built our house back when I was in high school. He put a phone in my parent’s bathroom. I don't think they used it more than once but it was there if it was needed and everyone thought it was cool!  He also fell off the roof once fixing something. He didn't emerge unscathed but he landed on his feet. He's made of rubber. That's my dad.
2. He makes up jokes. Sometimes I get them, sometimes I have no idea what the punch line is. But, watching him tell the joke-- and subsequently crack himself up always makes me laugh. I never know what the joke is going to be, but the delivery is guaranteed to make me laugh.

3. My nephews adore him. It could be the continuous “passing gas” noises he makes with his mouth. They love when my dad is around. He switched his hours to an overnight shift so he could help my sister when John William was born. It was a special time for all of them and you can see it through their relationship. They are quick to ask when Popa T is getting there. When we go to my sister and brother-in-law’s house, my dad is always going to walk in and say hello, then find his chair. He'll hang there until it's time to get up and eat.  Thomas and John William always
   

    

   satellite around where he is—sometimes on him, sometimes just to be near him.  John William has so many facial expressions that remind me of my dad. They are way too similar.  John also laughs at ALL the jokes referenced in #2. He gets every one of them.
4. He's a veteran.  My dad served as a member of the Air Force in Vietnam.  He gives me reasons to celebrate him multiple times a year.  He doesn’t ask to be recognized, but he deserves it.  He is proud of his service and I am proud of him.
5. He's a man of few words. I call my parents every day. Sometimes to chat, sometimes to just say I'm alive. But always to tell them I love them. Usually, my mom answers but occasionally my dad will intercept the phone. He doesn’t talk long, but I always enjoy hearing his voice.  My mom and I are the chatty ones, but I like the chance to say hi and hear his latest musings.
6. He loves Fox News and Corvettes. I mean he loves Fox News. He keeps it on 24/7 and always has a new conspiracy to discuss with me. My mom will turn the channel and if she looks away for a second, he's sneaking the channel back. I think the Fox News people yell when they talk so I can't watch, but if there was a contest for biggest fan via hours logged, William T would win it hands down.   He also watches the Corvette museum cams and spends time tinkering on his Corvette.  I have to say, I’ll take the Corvette over Fox News.
7. His middle name is T. That's it. Just the letter t—not even a period. And he's the third one. He told my mom early on that he thought it was weird and that if there were ever any boys there would not be a fourth. I guess God graced him with two girls to make it easy.  
8. He is the dog whisperer. My dad loves dogs.  He is constantly looking for ways to take care of his dogs better.  And he’s kind of MacGyver about it.  If one of his dogs has a weird health issue, he will figure out a way to help them heal.  He has a very soft heart and it shows with his animals.  They like to lie in his lap.  He can make them mind better than anyone else.  One of their current pups is a little Bassett hound with a big mouth.  But when my dad puts his hand on her or looks at her, she silences immediately.  He just has a way with them.  They trust him implicitly.
9. He’s always had rules about who I could date.  I won’t go into them, but let me just say that while I joke about never getting married, if I meet a guy who makes me feel half as safe and loved as my dad does, I’ll run down the aisle.

There’s so much more I could say about him, but I better stop.  I hope Mom has shown you the blog Dad, and you get a laugh out of it.  Especially the title.  No matter where I’m going, down the street or to Europe my dad’s advice is always “Pay attention to what's coming up behind you.”  I figured I’d put that in here just to prove that yes, I always listen!

William T, I love you so much and I’m a very lucky girl to have you as my dad!  Happy Father’s Day!

Umm, do I know you?

First, I have been negligent about keeping my regular posts coming.  So you’ll see that reflected in this month’s set of challenges (which I’ll post at some point this week).  The funny thing is that I have a TON of stuff to write about, just lacking the time to get online and take care of it.  Again, to my three readers, you’ll be very busy over the next few weeks. 

But, my news for today-- I just had a funny realization.  I opened my “savings” account as part of the February challenges.  And, since then I have put a pre-determined amount in there every month.

With today’s transfer, for the first time, I have more money in my savings account than in my checking.  That just struck me as crazy secure.  Not like I’m rolling in it either way, but I thought hey, at the rate I’m going, one of these will always get smaller (and I’m very used to that), but one will always get bigger.  That is a nice feeling. I'm like Macklemore poppin' tags.

I have lots to share—books to recap, a few adventures to update you on, new ideas and a whole new 2 months (June/July) of challenges on the horizon.  The second half of the year gets a lot more interesting.  Y’all get ready…

The Mother of All Mother's Days

It's the eve of Mother's Day. And since part of this quest depends on special relationships, I thought it would be fun to write about one of my most special relationships-- my mom. 

Now I should preface this by saying my mom usually gives me grief when I write about her. But, after 39 years, she's pretty much accepted that I'm going to :). She's a very good sport. 

I'll start at the very beginning, well technically her very beginning. She was the only child of two amazing people. While my grandfather passed before my parents married, my Nanny (grandmother) and mom certainly kept him alive through photos and stories. And he must have been amazing because he captured my Nanny's heart. And she was by far the most awesome person ever. She taught me the significance of white roses and red roses on Mother's Day, why it was important to keep my drink away from the edge of the table at dinner (I'd still knock it over every time), how to unconditionally love people and how to take care of everyone in your path. I miss her every day and will certainly drink a coke and have a whatchamacallit in her honor on Sunday. 

So with all this awesomeness, my mom was created. I can't speak to time before I was born, but she has cracked me up on more than one occasion with stories of small town antics, friends taking flight from her balcony, and how she was lucky enough to find my sweet dad at her doorstep one evening (literally). 

I was a difficult birth. It's a long story. But, it created a bond between my mom and I early on. My Nanny was the more naturally maternal of the two and was a key figure in our lives early on, but I always wanted "momma."  My sister and I are only 13 months apart, so we were a handful. I realize now that I'm a grown up how much work children are. I look back on the pictures now and we are all dressed and mom and nanny look so put together and I think, "holy cow, how did they do it?"  

My sister and I joke each other about which traits we get from our parents. We both share their qualities, but it's a safe bet that I got more Martha Jane DNA and Bonnie got more William T DNA. I think it's why I "get" my mom. We don't always agree on things, but I usually get why she feels the way she does. 

I could tell so many stories about our life, but instead, I've picked my top four descriptions of mom to celebrate her today:

1. She has two children by birth, and 200,000+ by education. My mom taught for decades and she can look at a random grown up in a store and call them by name because she taught them 20 years ago. She knows their mom's name and every sibling they had even if she didn't teach that sibling. It happens all the time. Kinda like walking around with the Pope because they always want to hug her and tell her their life story. I usually just say hello and wander away at at socially acceptable time so they can catch up. 
2. She likes decor. Her house always has something interesting popping up. Need to find a realistic battery powered candle-- done. How about tassels for your lampshade or armoire--done. Need pillows of all shapes and sizes-- done. I joke her about it all the time, but truthfully she picks out lovely things. And when I can get her to Akron, she comes through for me. I looked for eight months for an area rug in the living room. She's in town 24 hours and I get a text at work with a photo of the perfect rug. She nailed it. She's like the decor whisperer. We don't always like the same things, but when given the mission, she can usually find something I like. 
3. She loves her friends. And she has a ton of them. She has more friends on Facebook than I do. I admire how she stays in touch with them and I know how she loves getting together with them. We share that love of people.
4. She loves me. Lord, she puts up with me rambling every night on the phone. She remembers who I talk about and what I talk about. She asks me about stuff that I never thought she'd remember. And even though I know she would like to still have me living upstairs at home, she's let me do my thing and have my own adventures. That's the ultimate love. 

There's more I could say, but I better stop here. Thanks for indulging me on my Mom moment. I won't get to be with her this year for Mother's Day, but hopefully she will enjoy this and know how much I truly love her. I'm a lucky girl. Happy Mother's Day Mom!

13 is a surprisingly good number!

Wow, I have really slacked in April.  But the month had some unexpected curveballs so I’m going to cut myself a little slack.  I did however accomplish the following things off my goal list:

• Practice listening to my voice.  This was a great habit to adopt.  I’ve had a lot of people weighing in on different things in my life and I made the very conscious effort to reflect on what I wanted and my opinion.  Upcoming blog post on that.
• Contribute pre-determined amount to savings account
• Volunteer in the community and bring friends.  Wrapped up my year as an Akron Reads tutor.  My student was precious and I convinced a few friends to come when we were short volunteers.  Such a highlight of my week all year!

I’m moving gluten-free and yoga to May and June.  I’ll explain why in a second.

I’m sure you are you now wondering why title of this post is about the number 13. Well, I made an interesting discovery this morning.  I thought I should step on a scale.  It was my first time in three months.  I haven’t gotten on the scale because (as I’ve said many times) this is not a project to lose weight.  I didn’t want that hanging over me.  I just want to get healthy habits in place for my next 40 years.

The inevitable happened.  Exercising, cutting soda amount and adopting healthier eating habits has taken off just over 13 pounds.  That was a delightful surprise.  However, I’m going to stay off it for another three months. It’s nice to know that my body is responding, but it’s not a goal and it can become an obsession so the scale will have to gather dust for a while again.

And, I’m certain that some of this is due to a massive eating change I had to make a week ago.  For about a month I've had the worst heartburn.  Like killer.  So I went to my doctor and got my treatment options.  Part of it includes dietary triggers.  Get a load of this list:

• Foods high in fat
• Sugar
• Chocolate
• Peppermint and other mint flavorings
• Onions and garlic
• Citrus foods and juices
• Tomato-based foods
• Spicy foods
• Caffeine drinks
• Soda/carbonated drinks (how glad am I that I was down to one coke a day?-- now I'm none)
• Alcohol

So basically it’s everything that is enjoyable in life.  However, when your throat and chest hurt—you are willing to limit anything you can.  After five days, I feel better, but my throat has some healing to do.

My doctor also asked that I get a stress test just to rule out anything else. I did it yesterday.  After paying for that, I see more than ever why it’s important that I have healthy habits in the future.  It’s expensive to be unhealthy!  So, while it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience, I have even more resolve to stay dedicated to a healthier and happier lifestyle.  Hopefully it will ward off pricey visits for a while!

And, I'm trying to hold off on the gluten-free challenge until my stomach levels out.  But I discovered this epic aisle in the grocery store stocked with gluten-free items.  I'll try a few things in May, but will try to do the real GF challenge later.  Yoga is on my list now for May. I discovered that they do a yoga class every Tuesday for lunch at my company.  Happy. 

My nose ain’t broke yet and neither is my accountability team

I’ve been crazy busy the last few weeks and have been slow about updating.  Again, to the three of you reading, I apologize J

But, I couldn’t resist sharing a few things from the past weekend.  I had a fantastic time in NYC with some of my favorite people—two of whom are accountability team members for the quest, Tippa and Beth.

While we were in the city we had the pleasure of seeing Rocky on Broadway.  It was SO good.  Seriously.  If you have the chance to go see it, you must.  We sat in an area where we were able to go on stage for the last 20 minutes and be a part of the show.  It was like experience overload.  The music was great, the acting fantastic and the stage was truly one of the best I’ve seen in a very long time.  That’s where the blog title partially comes from, Rocky takes great pride in the fact his nose ain’t broke yet.

I was so glad to share this experience with these girls.  It was an uplifting story and gave us some quotable lines for the rest of the weekend. 

At one point of the weekend both of my accountability folks commented that they weren’t doing much as coaches.  I had to disagree.  Doing stuff is up to me.  Giving me a listening ear and encouragement is their job.  And both of them have been terrific at it.  I don’t need a lot of handholding, but when I need it, they don’t let me down.

During a short jaunt to FAO Schwartz, Beth and I had a fun encounter with the greeter.  First, the guy knows how to work a large fur hat.  Second, he was so happy and funny—it was a pleasure to talk to him.  I told him I thought he was born to do that job and he shared such a heartfelt explanation about doing what you love and not allowing a desire for more than you need take over.  He said he wants to be happy, so he got a great job doing something he loves. 

That conversation made me think about one of my challenges for this month:  listening to my own voice.  This guy has it figured out.  So, I’m looking forward to seeing what I have to say to myself. 

Have a great week, and “Yo Turtles”

The book that just might change my life

First, I need to state that I have never been a big fan of exercise.  I mean I have found ways to actively avoid it for the vast majority of my life.  For two main reasons:  I don’t like to be hot and I don’t like to sweat.

I hated PE in school. I like to be successful (I’ve talked about that before) and I am just not an athletically inclined person.  PE was a daily reminder of exactly how non-athletic I was.  Ironically, I played tennis in high school, it’s really the only sport I’ve ever been able to play with any advanced level of skill.  I really love it.  Still enjoy playing it.

So, it’s kind of humorous that I picked Spark: TheRevolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey as one of my reading lists in the Quest.  But, when I was researching the most interesting books out there, it kept coming up by the experts.  I thought since exercise was part of the Quest, it might be an interesting read early in the process.  I even gave myself two months to finish it because I was fairly certain the content would bore me to death.

Quite the opposite.  I finished it in three weeks and this book has changed my opinion of exercise forever.  For once it wasn’t about losing weight and pushing your limits, it was about the impact of exercise on the brain.

See, I like my brain.  I want it to function well for many, many, many years.  I love to read, to think, to be creative and to learn.  The thought of not having that one day terrifies me.  But as I get older, I see how it gets harder to keep up with everything going on.  Over the last year, I felt my creativity waning.  Usually I was sparking with ideas—all the time.  But, based on a myriad of reasons over the last year, that creativity was slowly fading.  And, it was frustrating.

So, I was curious to see if this book could give me a possible way to combat that physically.  And it did.  Ratey does an amazing job of showing how exercise raises dopamine and activates parts of your brain that enhance your mental performance.  Our body sends out all kinds of chemicals through different receptors.  It’s a fine balance of stimulants and calming agents.  You need both of them to stay at your strongest mental state.  They don’t always have to be in there in equal parts—sometimes  you need more stimulant, sometimes you need more calm.  Sometimes you have too much of one and need more of the other.  That’s where exercise comes into play.  It puts the right agents in your body naturally to help reduce the need for medicine or other forms of balance.  It doesn’t always eliminate the need for medication, but it can help improve the effects or reduce the amount.

Keeping in mind that your body and your brain are a constant balancing act of stimulants and calming agents, you can see where exercise can have an effect on many conditions that we all deal with.  Ratey specifically addresses learning, stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficit, addiction, and aging. He goes into detail about how exercise can have a positive impact on each of these conditions. 

Here were some of my major learnings from the book:

• When we exercise in response to stress, we’re doing what human beings have evolved to do over the past several million years.  It’s like flight or fight.  Our body should react to stress—not try to avoid it.
• The cortisol that creates belly fat is caused by stress.  Exercising to combat the stress as it’s happening will help stop the belly fat before it comes.
• When you are going through bouts of stress and depression, it’s the chemical makeup of your brain that prevents you from remembering things and causing trouble with learning—not your “mood” or lack of interest.
• Exercise and socialization are evolutionary antidotes to stress.  It’s how we were originally designed!
• The great thing about exercise is that it fires up the recovery process in our muscles and our neurons.  It leaves our bodies and minds stronger and more resilient, better able to handle future challenges, to think on our feet and adapt more easily. (pg. 87)
• The more stress you have, the more your body needs to move to keep your brain running smoothly.
• Marijuana, exercise, and chocolate all activate the same receptors in the brain.
• Start slow, stay connected to people and stay consistent on a routine.  As you stay consistent, your body will adapt itself to take advantage of the activity.

These are just a few of the things I underlined as I read this, but the book is filled with real-life examples of how people are using exercise to keep their minds and their moods healthy.  If you need proof, this is the place to find it.

So, my big takeaway.  This book has a lot of biology in it.  But, it approached exercise in a way that I needed to hear.  It finally spoke to something I care about. 

I put this theory into practice.  I started finding ways to exercise before meetings that required brainstorming or strategic planning.  I have to say, it works.  I feel and see my “spark” re-igniting. 

And of course the big question is always weight.  I’ve been amused as people hear I’m working out regularly because they immediately ask if I’ve lost weight or if I feel better.  I respond, “I don’t know, because I’m not doing it for my weight, I’m doing it for my BRAIN.”  My weight is what it is.  I’ve been big, I’ve been small, I’ve been in between—it will always be a journey to me so exercise for weight has never been a motivation factor.  But my brain?  I want to keep it moving forever and I want to get as much out of it as possible.  It can’t be at its best, if I am not moving.  Exercise is the key to keeping it around for a long time. I’m sure the other benefits of exercise will kick in (or may already have) but in my book, a Jennie who moves is a Jennie who’s has a happy brain.  Happy brain=happy life. 

So these concepts (along with my awesome get moving coach, Kelly) helps me to stay motivated during my work outs.  And thank you to everyone (especially my patient mother and sister) who’ve I’ve annoyed with every detail of this book as I’ve read it for the last month. Now let's get our brains moving!

Say Cheese!

Very big accomplishment today so I had to brag for a second. I had my first dentist visit since I started flossing regularly and reduced soda.

Wow, what a difference it made. 

I got a congratulations from my awesome dentist as well. You may think this isn't a big deal, but I've always hated how sore my mouth was after a visit. My gums always bled all over, the back molers were always dangerously close to gum disease and my mouth just hurt. 

Today, only one tiny spot bled, my back moler gums were not in danger and I had very little tartar so my cleaning was super smooth. As much as I didn't want to admit it, flossing works y'all. 

I got a tip from the hygienist-- who is also in a local band that I'm going to try to go see-- she said to use the picks in the front and string floss in the back. She also suggested wrapping the string around your middle fingers because you can control it better. 

One of my beauty coaches, Kara, recommended a water pic too. I'm on the hunt for one. Now that I know how much better a visit can go, I am all aboard the dental train. Next cleaning is in September. Can't wait to see how EVEN better that one will go!

Crazy what puts you in a great mood. It's been a good day all around!

Don't Fight It

Hang with me on this. It's vague intentionally, but I can't let this week pass without sharing a big learning. Huge. And, I committed myself to sharing the good, the bad, and the better in this blog.

It's funny how what you think you want is really not what you want at all. And, it doesn't matter what the situation is, if it isn't right, it will just never come together. The timing is off, the expectations are too high, or sometimes you just need to be honest about what's right for you. When you are fighting this kind of stuff, you will not win.

On the flip side, when you find the person, the thing, or the direction that is right-- no matter how much you try to screw it up, you can't. It's a constant.

I felt it full force from both sides in the last two days. It was frustrating, enlightening and frankly, I'm glad it's over. But, something really good came from all of it. I learned how to re-engage a part of myself.

Someone I really respect made a reference to wanting me to get back to the person he knew a year ago. I get what he meant, but I know I'm not who I used to be. Parts of that girl are working their way back, but parts I've intentionally dialed back because they aren't really me. I'm OK with that. I'm a work in progress. And while it isn't perfect now, down the road with some calibration, it will be a hell of a story to share. And, I won't be the person that I used to be. In my opinion, I'll be way better :).

Fast forward to the last six hours and that's when the re-engagement happened-- I think it's a God thing. I gave a pretty direct comment to a very trusted friend. Little did I know that my comment was in direct line with something he was working on. And, if it works out it could be a very good thing.

To quote one of my favorite parts of Jersey Boys-- Nick Massi talks about why he made a decision that surprised the group:

"I don't know why I said it. It just came out of my mouth. But once I said it, I knew it was what I wanted."

Luckily, I said it to the right person-- so hopefully a new adventure could be on the horizon. But even if it isn't, it's still OK. It's all a part of the journey.

Sorry for the random post, but it'll all make sense later. I hope. Ha!

Ups, Downs and All-Arounds

It's been a super busy week on the Quest front. The week started with a quick weekend in NYC. I went with my "Go and Do Stuff" coach, Kelly and we had a great time. We decided to try something different, since this whole year is about new experiences. So we went up. Way up. We took a helicopter tour around the City.   I have to say it was an awesome memory. If you want to do one, I highly recommend Manhattan Helicopters. We caught a show, got our nails done, ate great food and sadly had to go back to reality within 48 hours. And, best of all, I got to see my awesome "Beauty" coaches Julie and Kara.  Love my hair family.

(view from the helicopter)

I was back in town and had one hour of sleep under my belt when my cell started ringing with a work emergency. I won't give details, but it was a nervous moment that wasn't resolved for another 12 hours. But, we had a very happy ending. I, however, hit a wall when I realized I was pulling my seventeenth hour of work on one hour of sleep. Luckily, I work with great people and they helped me wrap it all up and get home!

So the first two days were kind of a wash. But My "Get Moving" coach Kelly got me back in the swing and we hit the gym. I actually accomplished my goal of two visits for the week. It's seriously a great way to relieve stress and have a quiet moment. I'm really glad I started it, and I'm grateful that my company provides a nice space to exercise. 

I was all proud of staying on track and then it hit me:  the one habit I neglected was my gratitude page for the week. So, I'm going to have to make that a priority. I'm not going to backfill-- just going to start it again.  

Now, I'm heading into another week and this one's gonna be crazy too. But my goal is to stay focused, not lose my habits and give it my best. 

Have a great Monday!  

Here's your sign...

I have lots to share, but for once I am actually too tired to type. But for the people who read my blog regularly, this note's for you-- because you are awesome. All three of you :)

Stay tuned. Lots to share in the coming days about helicopter rides, working out and working on a novel/screenplay. Where to begin... Who knew in the first two months I'd be this busy on the quest!  I guess that was the point...

Go out and do something good today. Make it a great one!

Get MOVING!

Well, I started the process of “working out” at work.  My company has an on-site exercise facility that associates can access.  The concept of exercising during the day was a little daunting for me. But, luckily I have the greatest “Get Moving” coach ever.

My coach is Kelly Dell’Anno.  She joined my company a few months before I did and actually works for our health and wellness team—primarily with setting up programs in our facilities and communications for those programs that are happening across the organization. 

I love working with Kelly.  She’s was certainly one of my first friends when I was new on the job.  One of the things Kelly does that inspired me—she is relentless about finding opportunities to work out during breaks in the day.  As a result, she manages her stress well, and is always in great shape. And she is just great fun to be around. 

So, I decided I would take advantage of our on-site facility and commit to exercise at least twice a week starting in March.  I have an elliptical at home so I wanted to start with just weight machines—you can get a good workout and not walk out too gross to finish the day.  I can follow it up with cardio at home.

Lucky for me, my coach took her job seriously and immediately got me scheduled in the gym.  I was offsite in a meeting for half of the week so we got a late start.  But, last Friday we ventured into the gym.  And, I learned that Kelly isn’t just someone who works out, she is pretty amazing at understanding where all the areas are that you should work on in your body.  This is a good thing, because it is all a true mystery to me. 

Kelly walked me through all the machines and while it might sound silly, it was great to have someone show me the proper form and how to adjust the machines correctly.  Here’s what I’ve learned from day one:

1. If you can do 8-10 reps at a certain weight and feel like it is a challenge then it is the right weight.  If you can’t do at least 8 reps, it is too heavy.  If you can do 15 reps with minimal effort, then it’s too light.
2. Seats go up and down and machines can be adjusted to fit your body.  Just because your seat is in the position it’s in, if it doesn’t feel comfortable, you need to move it to where you will be.
3. The hard part is not the exercise itself, but the focus to go downstairs to do it. 
4. Bring a towel and get a gym bag.  For day one, I did not bring a towel and I rolled into the locker room with my stuff in a Nordstrom’s bag.  That’s appropriate.

Kelly and I scheduled two more sessions this week (Wed and Fri) but I’m going to try to get down there as much as I can so it becomes a habit. 

Having someone who is willing to follow up with me and encourage me through the process is amazing.  If you are going to start an exercise routine, you need to find your Kelly.  It makes it so much better and fun. 

A huge thank you and shout out to Kelly—you rock and I’ll see you in the gym on Wednesday!

(this pic is following our first session-- awesome)

How Untethered Can I Get?

It took me a few days longer than planned, but I finally finished “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Singer.  First, I have to say that it is a pretty spectacular book.  If you want to be alone with your thoughts for a while, it is the book to read.  It took me a while to digest because the content was really difficult to absorb and come to terms with.  But, if you are willing to go out there, it’s totally worth it.

The basic purpose of the book is to help with transcendence.  I know, that sounds spacey, but it really is about learning how to face the good and bad in life but never lose your center.  I like the concept that we are who we are and life happens around us, not to us.  It’s our reactions that determine if we are stressed, happy, angry, frustrated, sad, etc.  It also talked about how we think we know who we “are” but really that’s just a construct of life experiences that we’ve chosen to accept.  For example: I have never believed I was a very athletic person and I just assumed since my parents had certain metabolisms, that was my future as well.  I also have a tendency to like to be the leader or the “best” at something.  So when I put it together, I wasn’t the best at sports and it bothered me.  I also saw that not everyone led an active lifestyle.  So I just put the construct up that I could be a couch potato because that was “me”.   In actuality, I have a sister who exercises daily and looks totally different than I do.  She always has.  For some reason, she chose not to build the constructs I did and embraced different habits.

The book challenged me to drop those constructs.  I might be the greatest unknown distance runner on earth.  I need to accept that I'm not always the best at some things.  I like the fact that I can drop some of these ideas about myself.  It’s freeing.  It means I can try pretty much anything.  I intend to do just that.  And not to “find myself,” but rather to embrace the experience, learn from it and stay centered. I think that's what the quest is really all about if you boil it down.

Singer encourages us to focus on core beliefs instead of goals.  Instead of saying, I want a certain type of job, or I need to accomplish X amount of things in my life—we should be saying “I want to be happy”, or “I want to be honest”, or “I want to be encouraging.”  And he says we should never allow life to sway us away from those beliefs.  If we want to be happy, we have to commit to it—even if the world is falling apart around us and sad things happen.  We can choose to let it consume us, or remember our happy and stay centered.

The book ends with an amazing chapter on walking with God.  But you can’t skip to the end.  You have to read all the heady stuff before it to really appreciate what he is saying.  But I’m telling you it made me tear up when I realized how simple it all really was.

Deep right?  Told ya.  So again, if you want to dig deep, get this book.  We can be untethered together.

Up next is a totally different read:  “SPARK! The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” by John J. Ratey, M.D. and Eric Hagerman.  It’s all about understanding the effect exercise has on the human brain.  Good thing I’m about to become the most happily mediocre athlete ever. 

Have a great day friends!

Feb. Results: what matters gets measured...

Ok, so month one is in the books and I already shared my learning points, but thought I owed at least a score card of the actual goals. I'm pretty proud. And appreciate my accountability team and coaches so much for keeping me going.  And special shout out to my coach Julie who I can't wait to see this weekend!  

Goal One:      

• Floss—HABIT!
• Reducing soda to one a day—HABIT!
• Begin exercise program and join a gym—joined the gym, minor exercise. This one gets new energy this month. 
• Start to track the “numbers". -- I started tracking. Some weren't so hot, some weren't so bad!

Goal Two:

• Find a church in town-- rerouted. Decided not to do this one, but am finding many ways to follow faith-- blogs to come (it'll make sense then)
• One day of a social media fast—It took 3 tries but I nailed it. 
• Finish reading The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer http://www.untetheredsoul.com/ -- almost done. 70 more pages left. But it's pretty epic. Lots to share with all of you, however I'm going to read the whole process before sharing. 

Goal Three:    

• Start a savings account-- HABIT!  And even got a candy treat at the bank. 

More fun to come in March. I think it will be a good month. Let's get started....

One Month Down, Two New Habits!

One day until I'm officially a year from forty and through my first month of the quest. Good time to stop and check progress, no?  

Major learning of month one: sometimes simple things are very hard-- and the things you thought would be very hard, really aren't.  Case in point: I was fairly certain I'd never be able to reduce soda and I was sure I'd "forget" to floss many days each week.  I also thought I'd be able to read easily because I love to read. 

Well, the flossing is now a daily habit-- and really became one within the first week. Once I realized the sugar impact of soda, it just became less attractive. So I'm down to one and sometimes none a day. I wish I'd tried these habits earlier. But I still haven't finished the book yet! Shocked! It's not even that big. I just can't seem to wind down enough to get it done.

So two new life habits are in play and lots of fun stuff in March to look forward to. But for now, I'm going to dive (back) into my book, and enjoy an enormous piece of birthday cake with my family tomorrow. And water. Ha!

Happy Birthday y'all!

Sans Soda. I've lost my mind.

Oh soda.  How I have forsaken ye.

From my childhood in the south, I've been a big Coca-Cola drinker.  I pretty much missed the whole emerging coffee scene about a decade (or two) ago because I thought, WHY mess with coffee when I get all the caffeine and sugar I could ever want in a single can of soda? I referred to it as my "cold coffee".

When I say I drank a lot, I mean it was a lot.  Multiple cans a day.  It kept me going.  It made me happy.  It was fizzy, sweet, satisfying-- everything wonderful.  Every week it was a mainstay on my grocery list, and every week I would time it just right to where the 20 pack was running out on grocery day. Yep, at least two at home and a third one on a weekend day-- and that doesn't even count the ones I'd pick up during the day.

As I was working with my accountability team on ideas for the challenge, one of my awesome team members, Gina, shared how cutting out all sodas and sugary drinks had made a huge contribution to her improved health.  Still, I couldn't imagine dropping the soda.  My Coke.

But, something told me she was right and I needed to make this a part of my challenge.  It is probably my oldest habit, so I knew I had to start on it early and that I would go into shock if I tried to go cold turkey. This suspicion was confirmed as I started researching soda and what it is really doing to your body (and special thanks to get moving coach Kelly for that video!).  Then I found all these articles about people whose death was linked to soda intake.  And of course, the one that got me the most was people who had elevated levels of aluminum in their bodies from drinking soda in cans.

I read how it could be used to take acid off a car battery, clean a toilet, shine a dull penny.  All kinds of stomach churning things. Each story I read pushed me to be more committed to breaking this habit.

But the kicker was when I picked up a 5 lb bag of sugar.  There are 2270 grams of sugar in that bag.  There are 33 grams of sugar in a single can of coke.  That means 69 cans of coke have the same amount of sugar as the one bag of sugar I was holding.  So, at my usual pace, in roughly every 2.5-3 weeks, I was consuming the equivalent of a 5lb sugar bag. That just seemed crazy to me.

I've done well this month.  I've gone many days down to just one soda and overall am drinking less of it than usual.  I'm now on my second full day with no soda-- my weekly supply ran out and I made the decision to not buy it this week.  Instead, I grabbed another 24-pack of Aquafina and rolled on over to the paper towel aisle.

My goal was to eliminate soda in March, so I haven't gone totally cold turkey.  It does surprise me, however, that I am without soda so much earlier than planned.  My first few days on reduced soda were awful.  I was sleepy, craved sugar, was super cranky.  But, each day got a little easier.

And, this doesn't mean I will never have another soda again in my life.  Rather, I will have it as it was intended to be enjoyed when it was conceived-- a treat to enjoy occasionally.  Not as a daily piece of my diet.

So, soda-- it's not you, it's me.  I just don't want all you bring with you in my body.

But, we can enjoy our future few and far between special times because you will always have a special place in my heart.

Me relax? Seriously?

So, I’m making good progress on my goals for this month, but I’ve discovered an area that I need to put a little more focus on than before.  This is in the area of managing stress.

I’ve always prided myself on the fact that regardless of how crazy life can get, I stay pretty cool on the outside. But, inside is a whole different story.  Talk about a brain going a million miles a minute.  In most situations, I can just start working on something logically and move it forward. I rarely stay stressed for long.

But, the time has come that the stress is getting pretty big, pretty fast.  And I’m feeling the physical effects much more than I ever have.  I think it’s because things I want take time.  Patience is not one of my better virtues—I like to GO! 

One thing I’ve learned over time is that the periods of stress don’t last forever.  But man, when you are stuck in one, it feels like it’s going to.  So, I want to add a few challenges to the quest that specifically deal with managing stress.  Just like I’m practicing gratitude, I want to focus on strengthening the mental aspects of staying calm when life gets a little crazy.

As luck would have it, while I was writing this, a friend posted a great article on LinkedIn.  This is where I’ll start. 

Look for more ideas to be added to the quest in the following months and feel free to share your ideas in the comments below!

Good Intentions

Moment of confession.  I ALMOST made it through the social media fast.  Almost.

I made it to 4 p.m.  But, I picked a pretty lousy day to stay off the sites because I was working from home all day.  So, I'm going to give it a go again this week.  Just to officially complete the challenge.

Here's what I learned from the time off.  Social media is awesome.  It's a great way to keep up with what's going on in the world and your friends/connections.  But, putting down the phone is almost like breaking an addiction.  It isn't so much the content I'm craving, it's just having something to do to fill the down spaces.

The thing I missed the most was Twitter.  Mostly because I follow most major news outlets there.  It felt a little archaic to actually go to websites for news.  I actually watched the morning, afternoon and evening news that day.  Crazy what you miss.

So, I think I'm going to actually pare back my initial goal of building up to 5 days a month.  I think I'll see if I can peak at 3 and keep it there.

So far this has been an interesting journey.  Check out the weekly wins to see how I'm doing!

Listen to the Minions

I love this cartoon. And it perfectly sums up why I'm trying a growing social media fast during the quest. Did you know:

1. Each Facebook user spends on average 15 hours and 33 minutes a month on the site
2. More than 250 million people access Facebook through their mobile devices

Yep, I'm in that number somewhere. 

I love social media. I'm a communicator by trade, so I'm inherently designed to see the value. But for me, I really jumped in the fray when I moved from my home in Memphis to Akron, OH about 18 months ago. It was a lifeline for me to my friends and family. Suddenly, I was very interested in the fact that someone was having pot roast for dinner, or the fact that they hated Mondays. Crazy. 

Well, 18 months later, I am tweeting, hash tagging, videoing,  pinning, sharing, and liking as a way of life. No biggie right?  Then I missed something big. 

About a week ago, thanks to two cancelled flights, I went to see the Super Bowl kickoff party in Times Square. I was so excited about filming the Jersey Boys, the Rockettes and the Boys Choir of Harlem all performing together (I mean it had to go on Facebook right?)  I was staring through my phone and framed the stage perfectly. Score. 

When I was riding to the airport that night it occurred to me-- the point of the event was to unveil the massive Super Bowl numbers. I realized I never saw them. I googled them (of course) and realized that while I was posting and videoing away, the numbers rose behind the stage and they were gold and enormous. I totally missed it. And I was mere feet away. I looked at my pictures and video and sure enough, you can barely see the bottom of them. They were completely cut off. 

That's when it hit me, I need to spend some time away from the apps. And this will be hard. Very hard. I turn off my alarm and grab the iPhone to scroll Facebook and Twitter first thing every morning. Habit!  

Well I realized that tomorrow, no one has a birthday on Facebook. So I can cut the cord then. I'm committing to one day off of social media. The tweeting and buzzing will stop for the day. I'm increasing a day per month until I can go five days a month offline. 

Now, don't think I've gone crazy. I will still care about your pot roast on Thursday. 

Getting Started

I'm a big believer that if you want to do something, do it big and have fun with it.  It's probably why most people who know me will attest to the fact that I tend to run toward challenges and face them head on. I leave little unresolved.  I find that God consistently puts the people and resources I need at that moment, in my path.  I also think that's why I've been lucky to have so many wonderful friends in my life.  They are perfectly placed there by a reason much bigger than me.

Well, that all leads me to today.  13 months away from turning 40.  This means I'm in the danger zone of all my friends turning 39 and 40.  Which means the topic of conversation for many of us these days starts with "Seriously, 40?  How did that happen? Why is it so close? Dear Lord, my life is over."  Rarely does anyone seem excited about it. I mean, we made it on this earth for 40 years-- and we have a lot to show for it.

I decided, in typical Jennie fashion, to be the exception.  Yes.  The big birthday is looming, but if I spend the year prior to it establishing how I'll take care of myself in the next 40 years, then I'm guaranteed to enter the big 40 with a smile.  And, it means I'll hit my goal of being a hot 40 year-old.

See, I've always joked about being a hot 40 year-old.  And, that extends to my health, my emotional state and the experiences I've had in life.  It helps that so many celebrities are turning 50 or older and they look incredible.  It's proof it can be done. So why not me too?

Now, of course my resources are not as great as those in the celebrity world, but I am blessed with a wonderful network of creative friends and a wicked imagination.  I'm calling on all of them to make this a great year of growth, experience and success. Thankfully, they are just as game as I am.

So that's the point of this site.  I created it so anything I learn on this journey can be shared with others who might be facing similar challenges.  You'll see the navigation will show you the details of my challenges, reflection points, the amazing people on the journey with me and resources that I'll be using throughout the quest.

Thanks for joining me on this site and I hope you'll pick up a few tips, as well as share a few tips along the way.  Hottness loves company.  Have a great day!

Jennie B.