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Do you hate doing dishes? I did too!
I AM SO EXCITED to tell you about my most recent discovery!
Ever since I got married, the #1 thing that annoys my husband is that the kitchen is always full of dirty dishes and cluttered counters. I will admit, I put off this task because I feel so overwhelmed by the endless pile of dishes. It seems pointless for me to spend so much time cleaning, when it is a never-ending job.
For years I have tried everything to fix this problem. I would start on “Monday” and make the kitchen top priority. Well you know what happened, I would get swamped with other things, get behind, and then the kitchen would be a mess again and I would feel like a failure. (Kinda like what we say about dieting, right?!)
A few weeks ago, I reached my breaking point. I could tell Doug was annoyed and I want to make him happy and fix this problem, so I asked myself some questions that were inspired by our book.
*What is the least amount of work I would have to do, to get the biggest return on my investment?
*What is 1 small step I could take to improve this current problem?
*What will bring me peace, now and in the long run?
After thinking about these questions, I knew I needed to experiment to find what would work for me.
THIS IS WHAT I DID: I decided it was okay to break the RULE that “They” say, which is to NEVER start your dishwasher unless it is completely full (because you are wasting money).
I made the realistic goal that every night, before I went to bed, all I had to do is start the dishwasher. Not clean the sink. Not load the dishwasher with more dirty dishes, simply start the dish washer with whatever was in it.
GUESS WHAT? It has worked like a charm. And now, every morning while the kids eat breakfast, I can unload the clean dishes, load up the dirty dishes, and start the dishwasher again. For whatever reason, this system keeps me from getting in over my head with a huge pile of dishes. Apparently starting fresh, with a dishwasher of clean dishes each morning, was enough to keep me on track.
Now this doesn’t mean that my counters are constantly clean, but it has certainly helped 🙂 Remember, you can’t be all-or-nothing. This is a huge improvement, even though it isn’t “perfect”.
Seems like such a simple solution and it has taken me over 10 years to figure out. But the important thing is→→now I know←←and I can continue to tweak and experiment with it if needed.
What is something you are constantly fighting with every day? Could you apply some of the same questions as above? How can your pitch the all-or-nothing mindset and forget the rules set by “They”?
(I figure the extra expense of running a 1/2 full dishwasher at night is worth the investment of not feeling overwhelmed every day 😉 Would you agree? )
Are you having a “fat” jeans day?
Oh, you guys.
This picture was taken while I was grocery shopping last week. Now that the weather is getting colder I grabbed these jeans and threw them on before I ran out the door to head to town.
As I was walking the food isles I couldn’t help but constantly be reminded by HOW UNCOMFORTABLE my jeans were making me feel. That’s right–they were s.n.u.g.
The funny thing is, I attempted to take this picture because I planned to write a post to you on how yucky I felt, but then I caught myself being surprised that the picture didn’t look near as bad as I felt. Remember in the book when we talk about the disconnect? This is a prime example of that!
Anyway, I still want to talk about how crummy I felt and what I did when I got home. I took the jeans, folded them up, and hid them away in a box. That’s right. Just the thought of seeing them hang in my closet was going to present too much negative energy, reminding me how unpleasant I felt when I wore them last.
Sure, I will probably pull them out some day, and try them on again. But in the near future, I need a break from them. I am going to wear clothes that make me feel good and not fat (I don’t like to use that word…but let’s face it…that is how some clothes can make us feel).
Are there some clothing items that you are surrounding yourself with, and they only serve as a constant remember at how much you hate the way you feel when wearing them? You don’t have to necessarily throw them away, but consider boxing them up for now. Today, let’s focus on surrounding ourselves with things that lift us up and make us feel GOOD. It is amazing how doing that will rub off on how you treat others, the food choices you make…and the smile you see in your eyes when you catch yourself in the mirror.
We have one choice to make today. To either remove negative energy so we can treat ourselves and others better OR let the negative energy hang around and underestimate the power it has over us.
Which will you choose?
Lara’s Podcast: My Recent Slip-Up with Cookies
Lara’s Podcast: Making Realistic Goals for the Holidays
Day 90 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Focus
When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.
~Ken Blanchard
WoO-HoO! Today is the final day – Day 90 – of the 1% Change {90-Day Challenge}!
How did you do? After looking back over these 90 days, can you see some growth? Maybe you didn’t experience 1% Change every day, but how about every week? If you were to rate your growth how would you rate yourself?
Today may be a day for celebration for you – you made some positive changes – or it may be a DaY FoR ReFleCtiOn if you didn’t follow through on your good intentions. I’m hoping it is a day for both.
And as you reflect, use these questions and come up with your own to assess your growth, as well as learn from your experience:
- How did I succeed?
- Why did I have this success? (What did I do to contribute to that success?)
- How did I fail?
- Why did I have this failure? (What did I do to contribute to that failure?)
- If I were to do this challenge again or something similar, what would I need to adjust to have better results?
As I reflect on my 90 days, I see successes – I kept at it even when I didn’t feel like it, but I also see failures – I lost focus from time to time. With my successes I congratulate myself and with my failures I devise a plan for the next time I face a similar situation.
How are you going to build on your experience from this challenge? You can use it for your BeNeFiT regardless of whether it was a success or failure. What is your next step?
I hope you’ll use this experience as a stepping stone to where you want to go!
BeSt WiShEs!!
P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.
Day 88 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Quantum Leap
Nothing builds upon your momentum and sense of progress like taking massive action.
~Ed DeCosta
This past summer my family visited a hotel that had a beautiful small lake directly behind it. Crossing over this lake was a picturesque bridge and on the lake people were in boats enjoying this relaxing resort with all its amenities.
As my family watched people in paddle boats we decided that we too wanted to get in a paddle boat and cruise around the lake. So we jumped in a boat – my husband and oldest daughter in one paddle boat and my youngest daughter and I in another.
It was an incredibly windy day and we were heading into the wind. OuR GoaL was to cross under the bridge to the other side of the lake. As my boat began to approach the bridge we were met by a lady in a paddle boat who yelled to me that the current under the bridge, along with the wind, was too strong for one person to paddle through. Well, that was all the motivation I needed. I was determined I would make it over to the other side.
Reaching the bridge I quickly realized how difficult it would be to overcome this current and pass under the bridge. I peddled like my life depended on it, making only tiny strides, but I kept at it.
If I let up in the slightest, any effort I had made was quickly lost, so I peddled like mad and after a minute or so of giving it my all, I was able to overcome the current and wind and get to the other side. From that point on, everything was a breeze.
This story reminds me of life. Sometimes in order for change to occur, the situation requires a QuAnTuM LeAp, a breakthrough, or whatever you want to call it. Sort of like the energy needed to lift a rocket. Initially the energy exerted is incredible, but once you have your momentum, the rest is actually almost easy.
As you assess your situation and what you desire to accomplish, ask yourself if it can be best accomplished with small steps, or do you need a quantum leap to get the ball moving? Answering this question might help you determine which approach would be best for reaching your goal.
What action are you going to take to get momentum on your side?
P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.
For the next post in this series click HERE.
Day 85 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Gaining Momentum
Tenacity is the solution to many a problem that you will encounter on the road to your dream.
~John C. Maxwell
This may sound nerdy to some, but one thing I love to do is learn, read, and grow. I love to do this so much that I joined the John Maxwell Team becoming a Certified Speaker, Trainer, and Coach. {{By the way, if you are interested in joining this World Class Team, let me know and I can hook you up! }}
In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John talks about the Law of the Big Mo. The Big Mo, that John is referring to, is momentum and earlier this year I found myself in desperate need for momentum. I was stuck. Just couldn’t seem to make any forward progress in Peace with Food.
So, I began reflecting on the principle of momentum and was later given the opportunity to ask John the following question:
How do you gain MoMenTuM? Is it by taking baby steps or by taking a quantum leap?
His answer:
Ask yourself, “What is the SiMpLeSt ThiNg (not necessarily the easiest thing) I can do that will give me the greatest return?”
I love that answer.
As I look back on my life I see how his answer was spot on. At times I had gained momentum due to small steps and other times I had taken the quantum leap to get the ball rolling. But before John answered my question I had never connected the dots.
Do you feel stuck? Do you need to gain momentum in some area of your life? If so, ask yourself John’s simple, but powerful question and then as John says, “Begin stringing together little wins to GeT A BiG WiN.”
P.S. For the previous post in this series click HERE.
For the next post in this series click HERE.
Day 82 – 1% Change {90-Day Challenge} Don’t Quit
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
~Dale Carnegie
How are you doing on your 1% Change? Are you pressing on even when you feel like quitting?
I memorized this quote during my high school basketball season. It EnCoUrAgEs me to this day – reminding me not to quit.
Don’t Quit
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you WaNt To SmiLe, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he StUcK It OuT;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you MuSt NoT QuiT.
– Edgar A. Guest
Peace with Food 
