I Have Something in Common with Michaelangelo – You Do Too!

04/08/10 – 6,950 steps

1 hour of exercise

Good morning Mintdom, 

I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning because all I can think about are complaints. I am having a difficult time keeping up with my life. Have you ever felt that before? Maybe it is my time management, but I just do not have enough time in my day to do all that I want to do. I feel like life is not only flying by – it is flying by a rocket speed! I am not sure what that is about but I will think about it this weekend because I do not have time to do it now! LOL I am cracking myself up. 

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Theresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – H Jackson Brown

 I wish that these folks were still alive for me to ask them how they did it. Hmm… I bet they did not play Facebook games! LOL

 AffirMINTion: I appreciate my life and use my time wisely

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

 What are you waiting for?

http://tinyurl.com/WhatchaWaiting4

Life is good.

 Oh… one more thing before I go. Yesterday was my dad’s birthday and I would just like to take a little time to say how much I love him. He is the BEST father in the world.

When I was a little girl, my dad would come home from work and hang his jacket on the back of the dining room chair and my brother and I would each take a side, reach into the pocket and pull out a treat of some kind. 

When I was a little older, he traveled a lot for business. Somehow, he made it seem like he was never too far away and that he was always thinking about us. When he got home, and unpacked, he would lay out all sorts of important trinkets on his bed like pencils, pads, paper clip holders while my mom looked on and smiled. You know all the stuff you can pick up at conventions. LOL

My dad is my hero. He is one of the best roll models I know for integrity, dedication to his family, and discipline (he can still fit into his army uniform). Lastly, I will be eternally grateful that my dad sent MINTy Mouse and MINTor to the big forest in the sky!

Happy Birthday, dad – I love you xoxo

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Gratitude and the Mint

11/16/09 – 7,919 steps

Food Journal – No

 

Good morning Mintdom,

 

I am going to love my new office – that is for sure!  It is easier to get my step count up there.  ha ha – it is all about the steps!  In addition, the gym in my office opened this week – yes, there is a gym there – free!  A friend of mine and I are thinking about getting together at that gym after work one day a week, and inviting others to join us.  lol I know, I am always thinking of new ways to get in shape – no matter who I have to drag along with me.  LOL!!  I am a little obsessed with this health thing!

 

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” -Brian Tracy

 

Sometimes I focus too much on achieving and attaining, that I forget to just BE, and enjoy what I have around me right now.  That is why that little tea I went to this weekend was so important; it slowed me down a little, at least enough to look around and appreciate my life as it is right now.  Therefore, I want to say this, I am grateful for my life and the ability to enjoy it.  I am grateful for all of you.  Thank you for all that you do, for the examples that you are, and for all the love and support that you give.  I appreciate each one of you.

 

AffirMINTion: I grateful for who I am and what I have right now

 

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

 

Life is good!

 

PS  Someone started this on Facebook, but I think I will start it here.  Each day I will post one thing that I am grateful for.  Feel free to post what you are grateful for on www.Mintdom.com.

 

Today, I am grateful for my new office.

 

Mintdom – Back and Not Forgotten – I Hope!

10/13/09 – 8,192  (whoo hoo!!)

Food Journal – No

10/14/09 – 8,461

Food Journal – No

10/15/09 – 12,517 (double whoo hoo!!)

Food Journal – No

10/16/09 – 8,035

Food Journal – No

10/17/09 – 5,467 (sigh)

Food Journal – No

Happy Weekend Edition, Mintdom!

Even though I have not posted since October 12, I HAVE been keeping track this week while I was away.  I love that my steps were in the 8,000, but my body (especially my left knee) is screaming at me! I have been icing my knee since yesterday, and after it calms down, I am going to try the elliptical machine.  I am also doing some of the knee exercises that I found on Spark People (www.Sparkpeople.com).  I know that I NEED to be diligent in this and I am comMINTing to myself to do so.

“Never Quit. “Don’t ever, ever quit. Recognize that stopping now, regrouping to try a new approach isn’t quitting. If you quit you’ll regret it forever.” -Rudy Ruettiger

Check out Rudy’s story here http://www.rudyintl.com/

I spent this week with an awesome group of leaders in the real estate world, helping to put on a retreat.  We held team building exercises from the beginning to the end, both indoors, and outdoors in the rain – talking about never quitting!  It was wonderful to watch individuals (and even competitors in the real estate world) come together as a team!  We held the retreat at Nemacolin, in Farmington, PA, not far from Pittsburgh.  If you ever get a chance to go, go; it is fabulous!

One of the team building exercises was for each market center (there were nine) to put on a musical skit.  Here is an example of one of the market centers.  You can find others by going to www.YouTube.com and search KW Rocks ALC Retreat.  You can also find them on Facebook.  They are a hoot!

http://tinyurl.com/KWRocksLG

Although the retreat was work for me and my body is screaming at me, I loved every minute of it!  The group that I was working with is not only energetic, smart, capable, dependable, and upbeat, but they are also ALWAYS upbeat, and positive. We are very blessed with that same kind of leader, and one that thanks you with time at the spa!

I am excited to be home in my real life, and to regroup with a fresh outlook and approach to my health (trying the elliptical machine, and some new recipes), and mostly to be back with you!

AffirMINTion:  I love trying to ways to reach my goals!

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to

Life is good!

PS  I cannot stop without posting these two items.  One is a poem from an unknown author, and the other are the lyrics to the song ‘The Climb’ I hope you enjoy and are as inspired as I am with these words!!

“When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but do not quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never 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 go wrong that you must not quit.”

~ Unknown

http://tinyurl.com/ItsYourClimb2

The Climb

By Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe

(from the movie Hanna Montana sung by Miley Cyrus)

Miley Cyrus – The Climb Ringtone

I can almost see it,
That dream I’m dreamin’
But theres a voice inside my head sayin’
You’ll never reach it

Every step I’m taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep tryin’
Gotta keep my head held high
Theres always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a up-hill battle
Sometimes i’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about whats waiting on the other side
Its the climb

The struggles I’m facing
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But, No, I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m gonna remember Most, yeah
Just gotta keep goin’

And, I, I got to be Strong
Just Keep pushing, on
‘Cause theres always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a up-hill battle
Sometimes i’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about whats waiting on the other side
Its The Climb

Yeah

Theres always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a up-hill battle
somebody’s gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about whats waiting on the other side
Its the climb

Keep on movin’
Keep climbin’
Keep the faith baby
Its all about
Its all about
The climb
Keep the faith, keep the faith woah

Winning Locker Room!

10/1/09 – 5,049

Food Journal – Yes

11-Knee Exercises – No

Good morning Mintdom,

If it takes 21 days to make a habit – I think it only takes 2 days to break it!  When I was going to the gym and or walking every morning, I swear I had more time!  I know that it does not make sense.  I have the same amount of time in my day, but since I started adding the knee exercises to my program, I do not have enough hours in my day to do them!

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein”  -H. Jackson Brown

OK (rolling eyes) last night I came upon this quote – darn it.  Jeepers – do you mean that I have the same amount of time in my day as ALL those people?  Well, that is certainly humbling for me.  This quote tells me that I DO have enough time in my day; I am just not prioritizing the knee exercises.  It means that I have NO EXCUSE for not doing them and that I need to be vigilante about getting my exercise in.  In addition, I guess it means that I need to do another 21-day sprint – on Facebook, and now I can add the Spark People site. Starting Saturday, October 3, 2009 (I need to put a date on it) I will do the 11 exercises for 21 days in a row – stay tuned!  The famous coach and speaker, Lou Holtz said, “Excuses come from the losing locker room.” I want to be in the winning locker room – do you?  What important things are you putting off because you do not have the ‘time’ to do them?  Think about it.  Are you making excuses?  Let us all stay in the winning locker room!

AffirMINTion1:  I prioritize my time for the important things in my life

AffirMINTion2:  I do what it takes to be in the winning locker room

Here is a tip:  If you can relate to the AffirMINTions that you see, or find them helpful, write them down on a 3×5 card and keep them with you.  Repeat throughout the day.

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

Life is good!

The MintBlitz!

09/19/09 – No Data

Food Journal – Yes

Welcome, to another Weekend Edition of Mintdom!

Ok, there is no data from yesterday because I did not even put on my pedoMINTer (Michelle <smile>).  I slept in until 8:00 yesterday and I got productive right away by making my bed.  I had a nice smoothie for breakfast, and got ready to go to the pool.  I walked out the door and it was actually TOO cold to go to the pool.  I chose not to walk too.  I figured I would go to the pool later in the afternoon when it warmed up, and if it did not warm up, I would swim in the indoor pool.  After 2:00, I made it up to the pool.  It was beautiful!  I finished the book I was reading “Training Camp” and decided to go in and swim.  Well, I never made it inside.  I saw a girlfriend and we ended up sitting out in the sun for the next hour or so, and then I ended up going home.  Therefore, yesterday did not walk, swim, or go to gym.  Do you see a lesson in all this?  I certainly see it.  The lesson for me is, ‘Do It Now’ or it will probably not get done. Jeepers – September is looking a little skimpy on the exercise.  I need to really need to have a Mint Blitz until the end of the month, which is only a little over a week away.

My Mint Blitz starts or I should say, started today in the form of my retreat with myself.  (To see retreat schedule, click on MintBlitz tab) My daughter Patsi laughed and said that most people call this alone time.  She asked me if I was going to put signs up on my doors to designate which room had which activity!  Well, I am not putting up any signs, but I am having different activities.  I learned my lesson from yesterday, and I started by making my bed before it cooled off, got dressed in gym clothes, turned on FitTV , http://www.FitTV.com and did a cardio workout WITH my pedoMINTer on.  I did the low impact exercise because my knee is giving me a fit, and I am getting nervous now that the doctor might tell me to stop, so I am babying it.  I still had a GREAT workout and worked up a good sweat.  I am going to try this for a while along with swimming a couple of days a week after work.

FitTV

I also discovered the best site that I have come across.  It mixes health and life goals together, and the BEST part is that it is FREE – EVERY part of it is FREE.  It began when Chris Downie started an auction site that was so successful that EBay bought it.  Now Chris’s mission is to Spark people to meet not only their health goals and to lose weight but any other goals you have in mind, AND he has already spent $5 million dollars of his own money to do this.  Watch this video for more details.

Fox News Video Sparks People

The site is www.SparkPeople.com.  It is such a robust site, AND you get points for meeting your goals, which perfect for us Facebook game people!  My name is TheMint2 (TheMint was already takenL) and if you decide to sign up, please write that TheMint2 referred you because I get points!  LOL!  Anyway, it is an amazing site, started by an amazing man – try it today.

Well, I have six minutes before my next retreat activity, so I will sign off for today.  Try FitTV and Spark People – I promise it can help you.  Now… on to my next activity – cleaning out the refrigerator!

Make it a MintBlitz day, IF you choose to.

Life is good!

Out of The Mint Zone

09/15/09 – 4,223

Food Journal – Yes

Good morning Mintdom!

I feel much better this morning and this will be the last day of no intentional walking / exercise in the morning. Today, I am committing to at least 5,000 steps.  I know that I can do it if I focus.  I need to focus on my health and my business today.  I mentioned this before but I write down four things that are vital for me to do each day (most days).  It is a good way to stay focused, and gives me four things to put over on my 10 accomplishMINTs page! I know, I know another journal LOL but trust me it works.  Have you tried it yet?  I thought I would share mine with you today; here are my four vitals for today.

1.  Coffee with two business owners who are dear friends

2.  Complete brochure and power site for client

3.  Food Journal

4.  Planning committee meeting/dinner for KW retreat

“Do a little more each day than you think you possible can.” –Lowell Thomas

“It’s never crowded along the extra mile.” –Wayne Dyer

Jeepers – sometimes I think I read too much!  I came across these two quotes this morning, and I realize that I have one more thing that I need to do before I go to bed tonight.

5.  Write the agenda for Communications Committee for meeting on Thursday.

I know that if I want to be successful in any area, I need to keep my goals in front of me, I need to push myself, I need to remain focused, and go that extra mile.  I think that means I am probably going to be out of my Mint (comfort) zone a lot.  One last thing that I learned along this journey is that success comes with sacrifice, and that is why “it’s never crowded along the extra mile.”  I am willing to “do a little more each day…” are you?  Share your thoughts by visiting www.Mintdom.com, and do not forget to take the poll while you are there.

Thanks for your patience these couple of weeks, and for the nice notes and calls.  You all are the BEST!

AffirMINTion:  I am willing to pay the price for my success.

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

Life is good!

Do you want a fabulous date idea?  Go the extra mile and try grape picking!

(Fabbioli Vineyards, Leesburg, Virginia)

PS  Follow FabbioliWines on Twitter and

become a fan of Fabbioli Cellars on Facebook

One Minty Step at a Time!

08/29/09 – 3,300

Good morning Mintdom!

No amount of commas (looks like a bigger number with a comma) or font size will make that number look bigger or better.  No excuses – it is what it is. AND I did not go to the pool yesterday either.  I had a low-step day in addition to a low movement day.  I am also not going to say, this is all a process, even though it is a process, because to me, that sounds like an excuse.  It is what it is. The GOOD NEWS is that I actually KNOW that I had a low step day yesterday!  There is more good news too; I am not kicking myself about it. You know when I am kicking myself with one foot it is very difficult to take a step!  I woke up this morning and I am ready to tackle my goal again.

“It is not enough to take steps which may someday lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.” -Goethe

This quote fits right in with me right now.  Each step in itself is a goal, and when I put enough of those together, WOW, I will be at the 10,000 mark and beyond.  Just think though, even the 3,300 steps looks good when I think that I accomplished 3,300 goals in just one day!  If that does not boost my self-esteem, nothing will!  It can boost yours too.  Now that I said that, I need to go back and revise my 10 accomplishments* that I wrote last night. LOL!

I have decided that I need to step up my health goal so I hired a VERY strict health coach to hold me accountable, my sister Nancy.  LOL!  I am just kidding, sort of.  I am cracking myself up.  Seriously, Nancy is such an inspiration to me when it comes to as she calls it, “self-mastery” and I could not think of a better person to help me.  If that is not enough, I am including all of you too, to help hold me accountable.  Yikes – I think I might be going off the deep end here!  Starting on Monday, August 31, and for 7 days I am going to keep a food journal, and write down EVERYTHING that I eat and drink.  That means starting Tuesday morning, there will be a new statistic at the top of the page.  It will say Food Journal – yes or no, depending if I kept it or not.  My goal is also to stay away from white food (white flour, rice, sugar).  It should look like this:

09/01/09 – step #

Food Journal – Yes (I kept the journal)

White Food – Yes (I stayed away from white food)

I think that if I eat white food, I will tell you what it was.  It is timely that I am starting September 1.  September is a memorable month.  My sister Becky’s birthday is the first.  My daughter, Kelly is turning 30 on the fourth (yikes!); My son Michael is turning 32 on the fourteenth; and my Mom’s birthday is on the 30th, but I will not tell you how old she is; although, you would be shocked because she looks a lot younger then she is!

Thank you in advance for helping me achieve my goals, and for accompanying me on this journey. Now, I am going to take advantage of the weatherman’s error ** and go to the pool for an hour.

AffirMINTion: I accomplish my goals, one-step at a time.

* Each night (honestly, most nights) before I go to bed, I write down the three things that I HAVE to do the next day, and my 10 accomplishments from the day.  They do not have to be big things even.  It could be things as I made my bed, I worked on my budget, I read an article that I wanted to read, or I leveled up on a Facebook game!

** Visit www.UmbrellaToday.com for the BEST weather website

Make it a GREAT day, IF you choose to.

Life is good!