Is that a leaky faucet I hear?  Aren’t those weeds in the flowerbed getting just a tad bit out of control?  Is there any end to that stack of dirty clothes in the laundry room?  Is there any hope to paying off that credit card if you keeping making only minimum payments?  Are you ever going to get in to see the dentist about that bad tooth?  How long has that petrified french fry been on your car floorboard?  The dust on the ceiling fan blades is hanging on for dear life!

These are just a few of the things we ignore, but never go away.  They loom over our heads whether we are consciously aware of it or not.  Those little things add up and start to drag us down.  We begin to lose our energy, our focus and our joy and we may not even know why.  Now you know!

Over the weekend I want you to write down a list with all of the little things that need your attention.  Dig down and write down every thing you can think of.  Ask your significant other or your children for help with this.  Get it all down on paper.

Now prioritize your list. What is the most important thing you should get done first?  If it is something that is costing you money, then do that first.  Something as simple as a leaky faucet is costing you money.  If it’s paying bills late or only paying minimums, set a calendar alert to remind yourself when to pay and find a way to pay a little extra on those bills with the highest interest rates.

Get some early wins. Take on a few things on the list that are easy, but you just keep putting off and get them done right away.   Feel how good it feels to get things done and then move on to the next items on your list.

Make the list a competition with a prize. Whether it is a solo competition with yourself or if you divide the list with someone else, set some challenges to addressing everything on the list and set some rewards for finishing the list within a specific time period.  We all like to be rewarded for our accomplishments – and it’s okay if you are the only one who knows what you accomplished.

Delegate or hire help. Don’t try to do it all yourself, even if you are physically capable.  Just because you can doesn’t necessarily mean you should.  Pay for that which will take you more time than money to do.  Then use your time to do things you cannot pay for or delegate.  Now you are doubling your efforts and before you know it – you are done!

So, if you are feeling gloomy, get off your butt and get things done! If it to be, it is up to YOU!

Enjoy today’s quote and be happy! It’s a choice!

Today’s Quote

“Enjoy your life and be happy. Being happy is of the utmost importance.  Success in anything is through happiness. More support of nature comes from being happy.

Under all circumstances be happy, even if you have to force it a bit to change some long standing habits. Just think of any negativity that comes to you as a raindrop falling into the ocean of your bliss. You may not always have an ocean of bliss, but think that way anyway and it will help it come.

Doubting is not blissful and does not create happiness. Be happy, healthy and let all that love flow through your heart.”

~ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

*** Maharishi Mahesh Yogi developed the Transcendental Meditation technique. In the late 1960s and early 1970s he achieved fame as the guru to the Beatles and other celebrities.

As you may know by now, I try to rhyme my daily posts and today the word mellow popped into my head.  I’m not so sure I can say that my Monday has been mellow.  Nope, in fact, it’s been a little hectic.  I think most Monday’s are that way – and Tuesday, and Wedn…. You get the point.

So, why Mellow Monday?  I think it is my subconscious reminding to mellow out.  As I find myself cranking through my to-do list, I find myself typing faster, abbreviating words and pausing only long enough for bio breaks.  And it hit me… checkout this post I did back in April 2009:  Spinning Wheel-Getting caught up in the spin cycle of life. 

I’m off to mellow out a bit and maybe even take a little nap…

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Your thoughts and comments are welcome.  Thank you!

Tip 1

Drink your coffee – The Harvard School of Public Health study of 125,000 individuals who drank 6 to 8 cups of caffinated coffee daily actually found it lowered the risk of type II diabetes risk 50% in men and 30% in women

Tip 2

Get your sleep – Everyone needs sleep. Sleep allows the body to rest and affects both physical and mental health. The amount of sleep a person requires is affected by the person’s age. As people age, they tend to need less sleep.

Tip 3

Learn to forgive – Studies show that people who forgive are happier and healthier than those who hold resentments and the more forgiving people were, the less they suffered from a wide range of illnesses.

“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.” – Anthony Robbins

Fitness doesn’t just refer to bodybuilders or physical fitness trainers. Think of being fit as a way of life. It’s like having a car that is tuned up and ready to go. Fit people have more energy. How do you get a higher energy level? Here are a couple of tips:

1. Healthful eating – Think of the food you eat as fuel for your body. The better the fuel, the better the results. GIGO (Garbage In = Garbage Out).

2. Physical exercise – By expending energy, you will create more energy. This is similar to Newton’s 1st Law of Motion – An object at rest tends to stay at rest, or if it is in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by a sum of physical forces.

3. Proper rest – Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night is important for muscle cell growth and repair. (There are many studies coming out that challenge the magic 8 hours of sleep rule with findings that we all have different sleep/rest requirements to optimal functioning).

Do you have a solid fitness plan? If not, then it’s time – today! Not tomorrow, not Monday, not next week – today!

I want you to be healthy, happy and FIT! I hope you do too.

~ Angie

Texas ranks one of top states in preparedness for public health emergency

In the seventh annual “Ready or not” report out of Washington Tuesday, Texas ranked as one of the best-prepared states in the U.S. to respond to a public health emergency.

The report, sponsored by Trust for America’s Health, a disease prevention advocacy group, rates each state in 10 criteria.  The criteria include areas such as state public health funding and the ability to respond to an infectious disease outbreak.

While the report showed that the country as a whole is significantly unprepared, Texas and eight other states scored nine out of the 10 possible points.  The only criteria Texas did not meet are for Medical Reserve Corps readiness.  The report did not specify why Texas did not pass this specific area.

A big win for Texas is that in a time when more than half the country is slashing public health funding, Texas increased its funding by 3.1 percent in the fiscal year.

While Texas should feel confident in its ability to respond to a public health emergency, it still has work to do.  According to Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Texas has the highest uninsured rate in the country.

Angie’s Freefall 21 stories at Zero Gravity in Dallas

If you know me, you will know that I am generally a reserved person.  When things are going crazy and people are losing their minds, I remain the calm in the storm.  I am the grounded one, the one that helps keep everyone focused and on track.  These are admirable traits in most people – at least that is what people tell me.  However, sometimes reserved and calm can equal boring.  This last year, when I quit my job, I made a commitment to do things that I normally would not do and to take more risks.  This video is of my conquering two of my fears – the fear of heights and of falling.  I have to admit, being lifted up 21 stories, hovering over a net and then allowing someone to release me was scary and hard to take.  There were several times when I wanted to back out of it.  My stomach flipped then flopped.  My heart pounded and my palms sweated.  I had such a death-grip on the railing of the platform they hoists you up in, that I had to consciously talk myself into letting go.  The dangling over the net seemed like it took forever, but the fall was quick and painless.  I am proud of myself for doing it and not chickening out.  Will I do it again?  Probably not.  Enjoy the video my husband, Tommy, put together.  He made a few creative edits – I hope you get a few good laughs from it.  I did!

The Optimist Creed

I promise myself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, & prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is
something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything
& make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best,
& to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on
to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times &
give a smile to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself
that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
& too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of myself & to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side,
so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

–Christian D. Larson