Month: October 2013

Who is fanning the flames of your greatness?

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“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames”- Rumi

My acting class is exposing me to all things artistic, including poetry and new authors. In fact, I did a color by number for the first time ever because of this class, its new and exciting especially since I have never done it before. Also with doing something new, comes frustration with not being perfect immediately. Surely, I am not alone here, but it feels like I am the only one who has ever experienced the agitation of waking of a new part of your brain to work on something and think in a new way, n’est-ce pas?

This week we had a quote from Rumi who I am starting to explore and really enjoying. I love this quote because it embodies so many things I am passionate about. First of all, it speaks to living a life that is not ordinary “set your life on fire”.  Second, and perhaps more important, seeking out people who increase your being, and make sure that you are not seeking those who serve only to extinguish your passion or excitement. As an extremely enthusiastic person, I have allowed my light to be clicked off more times than I care to remember. It hurts most when it comes from those who supposedly love you and have your best interests at heart. At times like this, it is important to remember that you can get support from lots of people but you are the only one capable of making the best decision for you since its your life, not theirs.

A very good friend of mine once said to me, I don’t say “take care” because I don’t want people to take care, I want them to take off and soar!

I invite you to do the same… Soar and soar high and do one thing today that utterly scares you. As of this writing, I have done that for the day.

Be curious. Be patient. Watch what happens!

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Dear Readers, I am taking a class right now that implores that you “be curious and be patient with yourself and others”

It occurred to me this is excellent life advice. Think about it. If you are curious, you are always learning. If you are patient, you lower your heart rate and your level of stress.

For instance, if you have a bad day or are stressed out about how you did at work, you can take the stance of being curious to figure out what you need to do to improve things. Instead of judging yourself for the difficulty, you can be patient with yourself as you learn about what needs to change.

On a personal note, in the last two weeks, I have gained almost 10 pounds due to an excess of eating foods not on our paleo diet. As my nurse friend pointed out, its easy to pack on the pounds when you go off such a strict diet. In the past, I would have shamed myself and tried to hide it or make excuses or feel guilty but now, with the advent of this advice, I am finding myself to be more patient with myself and forgiving the cheating and have a renewed vigor to resume the lifestyle choice of paleo, and give myself some grace for the past. To be clear, this is not license to continue the cheating, this is an acknowledgment that this is something I am still working on, just like the rest of life, we are all evolving and moving to whatever our next level is going to be. So I implore you, be curious and be patient. The results will surprise you. Think about it! 

Customer Service Appreciation Week

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What can you do to celebrate? Say “Happy Customer Service Week” to someone. This morning as I was getting my gas I did that and the smile that came back was lovely.

Thank anyone you know in the service industry, whether they are a server, host, hostess, or customer support representative. There are legions of other people that qualify, just think about it, your bank, your doctor, your dentist. The list goes on and on.

As someone who has spent most of her working years in customer service I can testify that it is hard work but extremely rewarding.  I am so glad that there is a week to recognize the efforts of this segment of the working public.

In 1992….and here is the excerpt where President Bush signed the proclamation. “The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 166, has designated the week of October 4 through October 10, 1992, as “National Customer Service Week” and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of October 4 through October 10, 1992, as [http://www.csweek.com/ National Customer Service Week]. I invite all Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and seventeenth. George Bush”

 

brush. floss. rinse. REPEAT

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There is one thing that everyone is embarrassed to talk about or deal with openly.

In hopes that it will help just one of my readers with their own issue, I am going to address one of mine.

I have horrible teeth. I went to the dentist this morning and dreaded it, (like I always do) but was pleasantly surprised to find that my teeth are on the mend and do not need further bridges, fillings and what not. For more background on the past, see this post.

https://jenniferhastonsays.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/flying-in-the-teeth-of-failure/

But with so many things that we are afraid to talk about or address, the first step is admitting that there IS in fact an issue. I had to get over the fact that just brushing once a week wasn’t going to cut it. I have spent almost $7000.00 over the last three years correcting that oversight along with feeling a large amount of shame that I had the issue in the first place.

Its hard to get excited about paying that much money for something people don’t really see. I realized I had to get serious, so after my last appointment and having the hygienist show me how to properly do the things that are needed for a healthy mouth I am proud to report that after six solid months of flossing, brushing and rinsing daily (sometimes twice) I have a healthy mouth. 

In case you didn’t know, here is a 3 minute video about how to floss

How to floss- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfLOgPzwny4

And to follow that, here is a how to on how to brush

In efforts to motivate myself (and others) I spoke to my dentist about some far-reaching effects of bad dental health and he told me it can extend even to having problems with your health up to and including your heart. So think about it, if you don’t take proper care of your teeth, you could die. Yes, that is a MAJOR exaggeration but the point shouldn’t be lost on you.

In his words, “It’s better to do maintenance than repair” If I could, I would have that tattoo placed on the roof of my mouth!

So after reading this, you say to yourself, I probably need to schedule my cleaning for this week, then I have done my job.

If I have made you think about something else you aren’t so keen on discussing, well that’s good too.

Think about it!