This cold hit me like a truck! Maybe it knocked me back on track?

I am back from a fantastic vacation. Ready to get back to my day job and break some records, start that serious exercise program I have on DVD, and outline my novel so I can finish writing a draft by the end of November.And those extra responsibilities I took on for my networking group, I am on top of it! Yes, that was me less than a week ago. 

What started out as sniffles and a little sore throat Saturday, has now turned into a pretty nasty cold. It is Wednesday, and I've finally given in to the fact that I am sick. I struggled through Monday, Tuesday and half of today before heading home. I can barely move. As I was making the decision on whether to take the rest of the day off, (highly recommended by the nurse at the VA,) I realized something. Although I have a full to-do list this week, nothing is more important than taking care of myself right now. Do I need to mention all the innocent bystanders I infected with my illness while I was trying to push through? 

I confess, I am a consistent worrier. My worries manifest because I work in commission only face to face sales. Now I have to set that worry aside, and get healthy. Yes, I have deadlines that I will miss. People will be let down. Yes, there are those in management that will probably be unhappy with my sales this week. I am trying hard to be OK with that. 

So here I am, home in bed with my laptop. I am not tired but determined to relax. I realize something very important. My blog, which started out about my spiritual journey to get closer to God, and to be a better person - has taken a detour. My bible reading and quiet time have diminished as well.

I'm pretty far from being thankful that I have this nasty sickness, but I am glad I have been forced to take time on this Wednesday afternoon to get in my comfy clothes, be quiet and think.

I also have time to read one of my favorite books, the Bible! Matthew 6:25-34 (look it up!) These verses are important to me. Today, these verses stand out more. 

I am on the road to recovery in many ways. I am resting and taking care of my physical body.  I am also getting better God's way by making time for my Heavenly Father, who comforts me in sickness and in health.

Will I be ready for work tomorrow? According to the nurse I spoke to earlier, the answer is no. I sure hope she is wrong. At this point, it is in God's hands. 

In the mean time, I am going to relax, take my medicine and work on that outline.

Blessings, 

Tammy

I'm back from vacation

And feeling rejuvenated, even refreshed after 7 exhausting days at theme parks in Orlando, walking every day - all day, I did not wear cosmetics or touch a hair dryer for 9 days. Sunscreen was my only extra while on this trip. I ate whenever and whatever I liked. Surprising enough, I chose healthy foods in most cases. I wore comfortable baggy clothing and a goofy hat.

My goal was to see all of the Disney Parks and both Universal Studios Parks, and more importantly, to take a vacation from worrying what people thought of me. Yes, negative thoughts and self doubt did creep in several times, especially when my husband took out the camera. I fought mightily with my self image - and won! How refreshing.

Physically, I am exhausted. Mentally - I am good to go. I recommend that every woman takes a break like this, even if it is a weekend stay-cation.  

As a side note, I intended to write while on this trip, and did not. I did do much plotting in my mind and have some new character inspiration from the strangers and new friends who surrounded me daily. A hug from this lady helped too!

Obstinacy – A Good Trait?

Bad things happen; this does not mean I need to have a bad day.

My day started off on the rough side. For the first day since I set my personal goals, I could not drag my backside out of bed at 5 am to write. Once I got moving, my hair dryer decided to quit. Side note, I have curly, actually frizzy hair – so this could be a very ugly predicament. I started brushing my teeth, and my handy battery powered toothbrush ran out of power. When I went outside, it was raining. My low tire indicator was on in my car. All of this before 6:30 am.

But you know what? I have decided to BE in a good mood. I have been accused of being obstinate. This is a day to put that character trait to use. I REFUSE to allow whatever was trying to sabotage my day have any success at all. I will have a good day.

I moussed up my hair and left it to dry. With the extra 15 minutes saved on drying, I read my devotional. I managed to actually brush my teeth without any mechanical assistance. Imagine that! The rain is beautiful. Living in the hot dry desert, we do not get many days like this. It was amazing, and I did not have to worry about it messing with my hair, right?!?

As I write, I am sitting in the waiting room getting the oil changed on my car. What a wonderful coincidence that I was already scheduled to be at the repair shop when the tire light came on. And I am writing. Right here, right now as I wait for my car. So I did meet my goal of writing every day. 

Overall, I’d say this Tuesday is shaping up to be pretty amazing!  

Stranger things have happened!

Yesterday I was extremely stressed, and time was not on my side. This week I took on additional responsibilities with a networking group, and the workload of this volunteer position are overwhelming and time consuming. This is partially because I am new to it - still learning and getting systems in place to keep me organized. I am trying hard to fulfill my new role while not letting my work suffer. Or my newly set personal goals.

I was meeting with a client in the morning, and I had a much looked forward to lunch date with a good friend, who I had not seen in over a month.

I knew I would be a few minutes late, and sent her a text. She, of course, was fine with it, and replied that she would get us a table and that I should take my time. I was still beyond stressed out. If you know me personally, you know that I am a stickler for timeliness.

While in my car, I flipped on the radio to my usual station. I heard static, then relaxing music - no vocals, played as I drove across town. Half way through my drive, there was static and Dani Johnson's voice came on, she was in the middle of a talk about stress.  Static again,and back to music. This may seem like a normal occurrence to some, but was not the norm for this station. Perfect timing! God's timing. A blessed reminder.

I arrived at the restaurant to a warm greeting and big hug from my friend, I was only 3 minutes past our regular time and I felt somewhat relaxed! We had a lovely lunch, catching up and just enjoying each other's company. Yes, I did have to leave an hour later to get to the next appointment, but I felt so much better.

I still feel better.

Somehow, in the busyness of life and work, I have put faith into a side compartment. A package to only open on Sunday.  How did this happen?  Can anyone else relate?

Why do I place more weight on work goals than I do personal ones?

Yep, I've set goals, great goals. Goals for diet, exercise, regular writing, and sales at work. And guess what? I've only ever kept up with the sales/work goals.

Why is this? The answer lies in the goal setting process itself.

Work goals - I write them down. I track them. I put all the steps down with dates for completion. I celebrate my mini successes along the way. I get cards in the mail, trophies and awards to line up on my shelf.

Personal goals are a little different for me. I wish and dream. I talk and blog. I have plans to do certain things. I never set the steps in motion. These goals get pushed to the side when work goals need to be achieved. When I get busy, my personal goals go down the commode.

It is time for change.

Its time for a big change. It's time to do more than just blog and talk about my writing goals with friends. IT IS TIME TO GET OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE! Yes, I am yelling - yelling at myself.

No more just talking about it, I am going to blog about my successes on my writing blog:
 
tammyarlene.blogspot.com

I will use this current blog - gettingbettergodsway.blogspot.com  for my rants and observations. Would love to stay and chat, but I've got to go - it's time to set personal goals. Really set them. Really reach them, and reward myself along the way. I'm thinking massages and pedicures are pretty good rewards.