Haston Helping Hands

 

Dear Readers, My family of choice is so dear to me, and I would not trade them for anything, especially given my horrible, no good family of origin. As for my family of origin, I will say this for them, they brought me into the world and I thank them for that.

Sometimes I get really mad when I think about how much they weren’t there, didn’t support me, didn’t love me the way I deserve to be loved. Sometimes I hate that I care about people who don’t deserve it.

But then my cheery disposition takes over, and then I am grateful I that I do. It means I am capable of feeling more than they EVER did, which ultimately means I loved them deeper than they will ever love me. I am better off because I learned to love only those who deserve it. 

If you find yourself in a similar situation, Feel what you feel,(the pain, the anger, the sadness) but KNOW this, you are stronger for the choice you made to leave and love yourself.

Think about it…….

 

 

 

Dear Readers, today’s post is dedicated to those who are afraid to try something.

Stop being afraid and do it. RIGHT NOW! Start that run, book or blog post you have been toying with doing.. What is the worst that could happen? You would fall?

Maybe, but my darling.. what if you fly? 

In thinking back on some of the scarier moments of my life, I have to admit they are followed by some of the most exciting.

I moved to Austin from New Orleans the summer of 1997 and while it was very scary and other than a job and an a one bedroom apartment I didn’t have a friend in the world, it was very exciting to be on my own for the first time- Scary and I definitely made mistakes.. (using my credit card to get into thousands of dollars of debt springs to mind as one)

I worked right after high school before attending college and that was mostly by necessity, because it turns out I didn’t have a magical college fund (don’t you hate it when life is NOT like the movies?) and had to work to earn some money before going to school. I started Austin Community College in January of 1999 and I actually looked forward to going to class, I was paying for it so I was absolutely motivated to go and do well. I asked tons of questions and learned so much in every class even the ones I was less inclined to enjoy.

In 2007, I was asked to stage manage my first show by a dear friend who trusted me to handle it.. Her famous words to me were “You are incredibly organized so I know you can handle this” and little did I know that a few years later, this very valuable experience would lead me to directing several of my own shows.  Scared? yes. Did I do it anyway? You bet!

In 2014, I lost 50 pounds by using the paleo diet and to mark the milestone I planned a glamorous photo shoot and when I did the dry run and growing increasingly more freaked out…frantically went through the costume closet…  I found out… “you will be wearing a swimsuit, because it’s the only thing we have in your size” – At first I was pretty mad, after all I lost weight doesn’t that mean more options should be available? This was not the case, so I looked around for a other outfits and panicked thinking.. how can I wear a swimsuit.. but eventually (due to advice from my Mom and several of my mutually sexy friends) decided to go for it and I must say it was very exciting to me how good I did look. Being scared didn’t stop me and I can tell you it wound up being an incredibly edifying experience. For more on that you can read this post:

https://jenniferhastonsays.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/former-fat-girl-to-pin-up/

When an opportunity came for me to do a workshop for 120 people as a professional coach and speaker I was 100% not ready to do it.. but I said to myself… Do it. you will never feel ready to do it but jump in and say you will. Doing that built my confidence even more and I can honestly say, I was not ready.. not even close.. but I got there..

So back to you, gentle reader, is there something that you want to do, have always wanted to do and just feel scared, intimidated and NOT READY? I have bad news and good news.

 

Bad News- You will never FEEL ready.

Good News- You can choose to do it anyway…

Think about it….

Dear Readers,

When I was singing with my church on Monday, during first Monday prayer (which is a totally awesome event that my church does once a month, its a time for us to gather and pray and we all sit and pray and sing songs.. I love it.

Can I tell you a secret? I used to hate it, because I felt like everyone else’s prayers were more eloquent than mine and so I would strive to be more descriptive and impressive until Monday night. I sang the songs and then when it was time to pray, I said aloud exactly what was on my heart. I didn’t care about impressing anyone.. truly.  That is scary and liberating at the same time. I could definitely stand to read my bible more but the praying thing is a step in the right direction. This post is not about me and how well I pray or even how well you pray.. It is about the idea that you do pray.

When you want for something, if you don’t ask for it, how do you expect to get it? I am not saying God is like a genie in a bottle and you rub that lamp and bam its done.. no. Prayer does not work like that. I have had some experience with this. I have prayed for “patience” in the past and God does not give it to you in a beautifully wrapped package with a brightly colored bow.. It tends to be a bedraggled box that you see on the side of the road that through your gain of that gift becomes the asset you seek. It looks different for everyone so watch for it.

Whether you believe in God or not, whether you are guided by the Universe or Karma, I think its a worthwhile thing to meditate, or pray or contemplate what your purpose in life actually is. Also, there is no one right way to pray or do any of the above. 

I think something that has been weighing on my heart and mind of late is to stop all the busyness. It is often looked at as a badge of honor (and I have certainly said it) “I am sorry I have been too busy to call, write, text, visit, (fill in the blank)” — It doesn’t help that social media lends itself to keeping us in the loop of liking and commenting but not CONNECTING with each other.

So the question I have is.. when saying that.. ask yourself, what are you busy doing?

Are you living the life you want to live? Spending time with the people you want to spend with? Or are you spending time on activities and people that are toxic and don’t add to you or your goals? Really think about that the next time you start to make an excuse for your
“busy”… What are you “busy” doing?

Think About It….

Dear Readers,
A very bold statement.. but truly.. since I gave up soda, my ability to give up other things has increased exponentially! Take today for instance, Its a busy day at work and despite being offered donuts and brownies and cake, OH MY! I have resisted each time.

Here’s my evidence, Between December 17th and January 17th I gave up all processed foods, dairy, and sugar.. so in doing that while it was the most temptation ridden time
(Hello Christmas party, and birthday and holiday) but truly once you make the decision to CHOOSE differently, it does get easier. Now notice.. there was a 30 day period.. not 60..

On my birthday, I ate some very delicious not at all healthy treats but I committed to no keeping up the “no soda” bit.. and I sincerely believe that has helped me to keep resisting (not all the time) but MOST of the time with the idea that I want a different result for my health.. so I am going to have to do some things differently to bring about that result. This includes FRESCA which I love.. but its the idea of soda as much as the caramel coloring and flavoring!!

Don’t get me wrong, I still eat lovely macaroni and other items that are not in the category of vegetable or meat…. Important to note: I fail to resist the sweet treats all the time.. but the intentional act of resisting is there, and it is making a difference. The way I see it, every act of resistance, gives me another building block of more resistance, knowing I can do it.. helps me to keep doing it. 

What ONE thing can you change TODAY? The focus on this question is today, because we can’t speak into the future and say, I will never have a soda again, I can only say, today, I will not drink a soda. The picture below is the result of several months of “resisting” shoe shopping.. then after almost a year. I bought really awesome fabulous shoes…

Think about it….. 

Dear Readers,

So I heard a speech on Tuesday from my good friend Shauna about what the Dalai Lama has to say about humanity and taking a breath to REALLY take in the person across from you and really live in your present and I have had subsequent conversations about the french fry theory- For more on that you will have to talk to my friend Leanne, suffice it to say its about living in the moment and seizing your life (*and the ephemeral fried food which is only good for about 3 minutes and then its worthless.. Science does not lie*) and really living it. I feel as though I do a very good job of this most of the time but today I was reminded that amidst aggravation and frustration I was talking to a real human and it was my duty to SEE her as a human not as the source of my annoyance. Taking that beat, feeling that mindfulness that Rachel talks about (man I have some seriously wise friends) made a TREMENDOUS difference in the interaction and as a result I feel much more at peace with the world in general.

So my message to you? The next time you feel your ire being raised,  take that moment, look the other person in the eye and see them for the human being they are and give them that breath to be themselves and express their humanity to you and then in doing so, embrace your own humanity….

Think about it….

 

Dear Readers,

Today is a stressful day at work and that is okay, I think sometimes stress is good. It means change (always inevitable) is coming and that you get the opportunity to adapt to it.

The same is true about life. I can choose to stress out about the fact that I am not going to be ready for the 1020  in April or I can embrace the fact that I had a health issue and move past it. For those who don’t know, I pulled my back in January (on my birthday in fact) and I am just this week starting to feel like my “old self” so I am going back to working out but it will be a slow track back. I was talking to my workout buddy about this and she was super supportive and said, “you need to do what is right for you” and it got me thinking.

Where does stress actually come from? I think it has to do with expectations, yours for yourself and other people’s expectations of you. You may or may not know this, but you can’t control what other people expect of you. You can ONLY control what YOU expect of you. So if you are expecting too much of yourself, lower your expectations to something slightly more realistic and in doing so, you will likely lower your stress.

It sounds sooooo simple.. but like most simple advice, its simple to say, HARD to do.

What expectations do you have of yourself and are you causing some of your own stress by being too hard on yourself?

Think About It…. The choice is completely up to you!

Dear Readers,

Yesterday I was a little late for work and because I was I got all kinds of questions about where I was and what was wrong and why wasn’t I there?

I can only surmise because it is out of character for me to be late. It is true, I tend to show up early and stay late.. and most of the time I am at least 5 minutes early to boot. I guess it comes from a military mindset of “if you are on time, you are late, if you are early, you are on time” and a strong work ethic. To be sure there are times when you are late that it simply is out of your control but a habit of being late is not one I have.

I had occasion to run into someone today who made it pretty clear to me that I matter to her and something I said to her a YEAR ago has made a large difference to her finances. I have had similar conversations with some of my readers, team members and clients who have said the same in one form or another. It is meaningful each time I hear it.

I think it continues to shock me because for a very long time in my life I was told by relatives that I did not matter and I believed it for a really long time. It’s only after acquiring people in my life (that family of choice I am always talking about) who told me otherwise (on a consistent basis) that I began to believe it. It took years for me to actually take compliments without sloughing them off like its nothing.

So while this post is about making a difference and about me realizing that I profoundly matter.  This post is also about YOU.

YOU make a difference to someone else, trust me. You might be the difference between that someone smiling because of a compliment you gave them. You might be the only nice word that someone hears today. The text you send to a friend you are thinking of could be the lift they need to keep going through a difficult time.

Think About It.

Dear Readers,

My mom says this .. to me.. a lot. She even put it on a pillow so I would always have a reminder.. In fact, I got two adult coloring books, one from her and one from my husband so I think they are both trying to tell me something.. n’cest pas?

Well that is the point of this post, to relax, relax, relax. Yes, have goals, but take stock from time to time to say.. I did this. and that is great.. Relax, Relax, Relax.

So you want to lose weight? Yes, I do. Well, there is going to be king cake and cookies and things to derail you.. Relax, Relax, Relax.. Choose your indulgence and don’t overdo it… being from New Orleans so the idea of not eating king cake????? .. forget about it! I did have a slightly smaller piece than I would have.. but I did eat some. Relax, Relax, Relax…

You want to run a 1/2 marathon? Okay, well realize it may take a while because you recently had a setback with your back so you have to slow down. Relax, Relax, Relax…

You want to give a TED talk? Okay, well realize you need to hone your message and figure out what you REALLY want to talk about  and then decide if its a message worth spreading.. and then .. Relax, Relax, Relax…. I think you get the picture…

But in case you don’t.. try this on for size.. You will always have something to worry about or wonder about but sometimes it is just as important in the journey to (say it with me) Relax, Relax, Relax

This is a foot picture.. we took it at Multnomah Falls last year on our ‘second honeymoon’ I remember feeling very much at peace.. let me ask you, where do you go to “relax, relax, relax”?

Think About It.

 

Dear Readers,

We all have pain, some of its physical and some of it is emotional.

Sometimes you have a little from column A and a little from column B…

In this particular post I am talking about physical pain. Since late Tuesday evening (yep my birthday) my back has been in a chronic state of pain which is REALLY annoying for several reasons not the least of which is that it was my birthday. Let’s not forget, my chiropractor had JUST given me the all clear for “see you in three weeks”…. UGH!!! –so when this cropped up I was saying ..”Um, back, maybe you didn’t get the memo but you are on the mend, I was just told that!!!”

During this time, I was coming to the end of the thirty I spent over thirty five days eating no processed foods, no chocolate and no soda after I decided that 300 pounds is not a number I am happy to call mine. I did this for a few reasons. I kept telling anyone who offered sweets and treats “I am not eating sugar today”.. I used to say “good or bad” but have dispensed with that as it doesn’t help and only moves the cycle back to the destructive place. When in pain (like I am right now) you tell yourself things like – “I deserve it” or “its just one piece of ….” Does it really matter? yes.. yes it does.. because one baby step to decide not to eat that pastry today helps you build another baby step to not have that drive thru on the way home.. and so on.. It works the other way too.. you make one unhealthy decision, it tends to stack others on top of it.. I think its possible to limit that behavior but it takes discipline.

I did stray a bit due to my birthday but it was a conscious choice. I had 5 wings at Pluckers not 10 or 15 and half of a plate of their AMAZING macaroni and cheese. I had amazing Monkey Bread Cake.. which I didn’t even know existed.. but just one piece !

Since my birthday, I have eaten a bit of processed food and a bit of chocolate but not the “normal and uncounted amount” I was previously ingesting. I have completely given up all sodas including Fresca (which they give out for FREE at work so that makes it doubly hard, trust me!!!) and despite choosing to eat some cheese and chocolate and I have continued that and I think its making a very large impact so while I may change the rest that I will do my best to maintain that choice.

Why do I tell you all this? Good question.. right now, my back hurts and I am doing all the exercises the doctor told me to do, using ice and ibuprofen and its getting better but not fast enough for this girl! I am patient and working to become more patient every day. Today is not a good day for patience practice.

What I WANT to do is eat really tasty greasy food and I want my back to feel great so I can go run it off.. but I need to look at the reality.. doing what I have always done which is eat what I want ALL the time has led me where I am now and I am not happy with those results so I NEED to change something.

This helps me resist the fast-food on the way home-  I hope!

Baby Steps helped me out of debt, Baby Steps will get me to my ideal weight!

What baby steps can YOU take  (or not take) TODAY to pursue a goal? This picture is from March of last year completing 10 miles— I did that, so I can definitely DO THIS!

Think About It! 

Dear Readers– Some of you know this already but I am a HUGE Sex and the City fan…. let me quantify that for you.. With a glance at a frame of the show, I can tell you the plot, season and title.. and even give you a line or two.. If that wasn’t enough to prove the statement, I can also tell you whether Sarah Jessica Parker was pregnant at the time of filming.. Yeah, I am a fangirl.. and in fact.. My wedding shoes were majorly inspired by the shoes she wears in the movie.. so we have now firmly established that I am obsessed.. Okay..so that’s done.

In 2008, I was working at Dell Computer in the sales department and I said to myself, I am going to be making some serious money.. so I am going to buy myself some Manolo Blahniks.. (they are the black ones pictured below) and of course I didn’t pay cash so I paid 500.00 (not the 485 quoted for them using a Nieman Marcus credit card that I opened just for the purchase.. I also spent more money on my other credit cards that day with the same mentality. I wound up making mediocre bucks at Dell because while I am good at sales, I HATE IT. I am ashamed to tell you it took me almost three years to pay off that purchase and while I definitely enjoyed those shoes….. but they were not worth what I paid.. especially when you consider that after interest I probably paid almost 1500.00 for ONE PAIR SHOES!

So I couldn’t help thinking about that when I returned to the “scene of the crime” this Sunday for the long awaited “Debt Free Shoe Shopping”– What is that, you ask?

Well let me explain, much like Carrie Bradshaw, I LOVE shoes. I have a lot already.. so much so that when we started really getting intense about eradicating our debt last year in March, I made a promise that I wouldn’t buy shoes or movies until we were out of debt. I will be brutally honest, I really thought we would be out of debt sooner.. but as it turned out.. we didn’t get debt free till November *see here for more details on that* (https://jenniferhastonsays.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/we-are-debt-free)

So it was a longer wait to go shoe shopping than I thought. Even more so when the car decided to have issues in December and I had to be a grown up.. (groan, when did that happen?) and pay for my car repairs instead of using that budgeted money for the splurge of shoe shopping.. but at long last I did in fact go shoe shopping with some close friends and it was great.. We started at Nieman Marcus where I had fun pretending that I was rich (s0meday!!) and after trying on hats.. I love hats and purses too… Then I went over to the Gucci counter and looked at 500.00 purses (on sale even!!) but did not feel tempted at all.. then meandered to the shoe department, the smell of new shoes was intoxicating and the carpet felt lush under my feet, and I thought back to all those years ago when I bought the shoes in the first place. I remember feeling like, this will be turning point for me, I will start making good money and be able to shop like this all the time… oh and I have a wedding to wear them too, oh and hey since I am here I will buy a dress too.. really scary how fact that thinking can get you into trouble. You can justify anything, if you try and I really did justify those shoes.. But back to the present, Fun fact, the Manolos that inspired my wedding shoes were there.. but they are now.. 8 years later.. 1000.00 not 500.00.. so we moved to another store. There may come a day when I am comfortable paying 1000.00 for shoes but I don’t really think its any time soon. So we went to another store and I spent 150.00 ( half my allocated budget by the way!) for three pairs of awesome shoes. The feeling of freedom I got knowing that a payment on these shoes does not await…  was incredible.. and made the finds that much sweeter! I love that I waited, it was hard, but worth it. I also LOVE my new shoes!!!

I really feel like its important to mention the need for rewards, we spent three years of sacrificing, saving, and scrimping and working extra jobs to get out of debt and along the way we did things like this (nothing this big before) to acknowledge that hard work.

 

The next thing we will do to acknowledge the hard work we have done is to take a road trip to Houston, New Orleans, Nashville, and St. Louis to see family and some sightseeing sometime in April. Stay tuned to this blog for that one 🙂

What goal have YOU (that’s right you!) been working toward that is “still in process” or close to fruition.. have you had a “milestone celebration” or “getting there award” If you haven’t, I recommend planning one.. it will truly help you stay on course.

That applies whether you are in graduate school, getting out of debt or losing weight.

You get to decide what your “shoes” are.. and plan it.. put pictures on your refrigerator, write it down and make it a goal, YOU CAN DO IT!!! It will just take time, hard work, and sacrifice!

Think about it!!!