An Actual Commercial With A Message I Love

There are commercials out there that I have never seen.

 

Billions of them.

 

I haven't been a television 'programming' watcher for almost 7 years now and I do not miss it.

 

Not one bit.

 

When I moved to the country, I wanted simplicity - and I got exactly that. I tapered my life down from a city dwelling, entertainment crawling social butterfly with a pack of smokes and a non-acknowledged stack of issues I did anything to avoid. I kept busy with work, life in general and ignored the things that needed the most attention.

I eventually started thinking about the things I was seeing everywhere and how it seemed to change me. It changed the way I thought, the way I acted and suddenly I realized that I was just regurgitating all of the things I had seen on that square box......for years.

 

So we turned it off. *click*

 

I love that we have choices. I LOVE IT!

 

This video is making its way around the internet these days and initially, I almost passed over it.

But then I didn't. I went back and watched it.

 

After it was over - my brain did this clicking gear thing.....and I was off again. Thoughts. Positive, wonderful thoughts - with thoughts come realizations - and the message in this video is truly amazing.....

 

......even if it is a commercial.

 

 

If You Haven't Failed, You Haven't Lived.

There are moments in life that make us stop in our conscious thought type of tracks....and really think.

We all have gotten caught up in our daily lives of laundry, work, kids, car repair, school PTA and late night television - and we have all experienced life's moments of clarity where we realize - hey....this applies to me too.

Connections are made in these moments, but never think that they haven't been in the works for quite some time already. We just became aware of them with that thought......

We are a sea of people in an ocean of world and universe. We ebb and flow through the time frame of  our lifetime, meeting and leaving other lives and experiencing things that shape who we end up........and what we end up leaving behind us. We all do things - we try things - we live through things......and we fail. LOTS.

I used to have this 'notion' about failure. It shouldn't happen! I couldn't fail because what would that mean??? It would mean I'm a failure, that's what it would mean! I actually created thoughts like this in my head, and I bought every word.

Failure is necessary. Believe that! Name one human being that ever avoided failure. You can't! There isn't one. The greatest teachers started out as the biggest failures.....why? They kept moving forward - kept trying.....the failure teaches us how to succeed the next time....or the next time.....or if you're like me....the time after that.

People always joke about how life has 'no manual' and if there is one, we haven't found it yet. For some reason, I believe we are each here to write our own manuals. We have individual experiences, live in a collective world where information sharing is critical to our survival (literally....in every sense of the word) and we will always experience failure. I didn't say continually, thank goodness - but it is how we learn about the world, ourselves and each other.

There are those who will fail, fall down, whimper about it and stay there. Life happens and people choose. Others will learn from mistakes, shrug it off as a lesson learned and move forward.

So when I find something that makes me stop and think like this, or experience this clarity, I feel the need to share.

I'm going to only suggest you sit back and watch this video. It will surprise you.
Sometimes, there can be too many words.......

 

Rock your day!

A Music Lesson - The Scientific Power of Music.

I love science and I love music. I wasn't the type who sat in class during my school years and paid close attention, took excessive notes or even did well in labs. I consider myself a student of the world and the experiments must go on! Add some music to that mix and I am a happy gal!

 

We teach simple experiments to our children - remember the baking soda and vinegar volcano? The eruption is a nice touch, and we'll remember it always - but the combination of why the soda and vinegar react the way they do is the important aspect of the experiment. I never retained that information - I fell in love with the volcano part.

 

We all learn in our own ways.....

 

This video explains why music 'gets to us' the way it does. The explanation is simple and easily understood. I prefer lessons like that.

 

I also love music - and now, I actually know the chemical effects of it. Enjoy!

 

 

 

One View to a Motivated You

We're all looking for ways to get motivated, stay motivated and move forward. Sometimes we lose that little spark in us to keep trying, and we have to find new and innovative ways of reigniting it.

 

I'm a movie - pardon me - film buff and I love nothing more than a great inspirational monologue during a movie. It is the speech right before the climactic ending - the one where your skin tingles waiting for the next motivating words that makes men lay down their lives and teachers motivate students to greatness....that kind of thing. I love that stuff!

 

So, without further adieu - I present 40 movie based, skin tingling motivating speeches of characters of yesteryear......in 2 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Keep moving forward.

Overcoming Negativity

There are some people that wake up every day and aren't thankful for what they have. I know - hard to believe. If you find that you fall into this category, listen up! It's time to change perspective on things and start living life in a positive, get-what-you-want kinda way. I know - I fought it forever too. There's really no point. Not if you expect to seriously and absolutely get what you want out of your life.

Living in negative-ville only gets us more negativity - and we don't really want that. Often it is only a matter of becoming aware of how we think, so how can we change things and start seeing real life results?

 

We need to stay positive!

First off - no one owes us a thing. We are where we are because of a sequence of events throughout time and we'll never really track it all back to whom to blame.....so let's just move forward and live a happy life, shall we? Great!

So, gratitude. It's what we are thankful for and I can tell you one thing. Once we focus our awareness on what it is we really want, most (if not all) of the negativity melts away. Did you know that stress and negativity have been weighed? They have weight! I found this fascinating.

The first step in making a change from the negative is awareness. Focus on what you say and how you say it. Is it biting? Did it sound brash? Are the words dramatic and hurtful? If our intention is positive, no worries. The words will be too.

If negativity is creeping in, get motivated! Find your passion and get going. It doesn't matter what it is - we all have different passions. Discover what you're about by getting involved in things that keep you busy. Television is not going to be that thing. Sorry. Not having had a subscription to TV for over 5 years now, I can assure you it isn't painful. It is freeing!

Another great tip to escape the negative aspects of your life - cut yourself some slack. We're always harshest on ourselves and this is really unfair. We are doing the best we can with what we have where we are, and that's what we're doing. We can't compare ourselves to anyone else, we just keep moving forward ourselves. If we aren't, awareness will remind us that we may have a little work to do.

Everything starts or stops with a thought. How many times have we stopped ourselves or abandoned opportunity because we talk ourselves out of something? Once we are aware of this too, we can begin to adjust the sails. Remember: there is no such thing as failure - but there is success in the making!

One way of ensuring that we think positive? Avoid revisiting the feelings of the past. Find joy in the memories you cherish, but let go of the ones that made you feel like garbage. Why? Well, if they hurt, they aren't good for us. Secondly, we can never go back there and change it. Third, it left us with a feeling, a negative reminder that something negative was in our life at one time. This doesn't mean it remains there today. We release the past by reminding ourselves of these things and continually being aware that we deserve to move forward.

Through all of these steps mentioned, we still have to be willing to accept change throughout the process. Negativity cannot grow without input - neither can love. We choose one or the other.

My last tidbit of advice would be this: grab onto your life however you can and really get involved. It is so motivating to know the things you are capable of and then shoot far beyond that to see what happens. I have yet to be disappointed!

We're all going to experience loss, pain, hurt and defeat - but attitude is everything. Embrace every moment, good or bad - accept that things happen and dealing with 'stuff' no doubt takes time. Eventually, the negativity will flow right through, leaving only the ability to stand up in our own lives and handle whatever comes our way.

No one wants to choose to be negative - it doesn't 'feel' good. Making changes in our own lives takes work, but it is far easier than dealing with the remaining feelings from always being negative.

Life awaits - get livin' it!

Own Yourself

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

 Arthur Gordon

Dancing Queen at the Bus Stop Made My Day!



A friend of mine posted this incredible video on his Facebook page and I instantly fell in love with this woman!

 

The video is a simple one - a woman standing, waiting at a bus stop. I imagine her day is just beginning and she is on her way to work somewhere.....

 

....and then, she creates magic - right there on the street. It's subtle, and those in vehicles passing by her may not even have noticed - but there she was, creating magic.

 

All you have to do is watch the video to fall in love with her too. She will make you smile, giggle and root for a total stranger - a free spirit who still creates magic.

 

Thank you to whoever introduced the world to this peppy gal - her lust for life and love of tunes made my day!

 

***DANCING QUEEN AT THE BUS STOP ***

SHE WILL MAKE YOUR DAY!

 

A Strong Immune System - Stay Healthy

In our busy lives we tend to neglect our diet the most out of all things. It is the one thing we believe can suffer without doing harm. Fast food quickly replaces nutritionally dense foods and the end result is always the same. Dis-ease.

One of the best ways to avoid illness is to ensure our immune systems are up to the challenge of maintaining wellness. Our bodies produce something called 'glutathione' - and without it we could find ourselves in a heap of trouble.

According to Jimmy Gutman, the man who wrote ' GSH - Your Body's Most Powerful Protector', glutathione works like a kind of flypaper (this is how I understand things....) - it adheres bad toxins to itself to clean them out of our systems.

Free radicals, including mercury actually stick to this glutathione and then it is recycled by the body. If our body becomes overloaded with toxins and we can't produce enough of what we need to clean them out, the system is too bogged down to continue and we lose the best defence we have against free radicals. The next step will be a trip to the doctor and the label of some sort of chronic disease. Let's avoid that!

We can increase our body's defences by increasing the production of glutathione. So how do we accomplish this?

1.> Eat sulphur rich foods - onions, garlic, broccoli, kale.
2.> Move your body - get plenty of exercise and water.
3.> Supplement what you can't get - N-acetyl-cysteine NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Selenium, Vitamin C & E
4. Explore 'Milk Thistle.'

There you have it - the wonderful world of glutathione! If we give our body's the tools they need to run at peak performance, they will. We have a far greater chance of successfully bettering our wellness. Avoid the dis-ease labels and keep the immune system functioning.

An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.

Do Diet Drinks Matter?

Diet Drinks – Do They Matter?

The answer to the question is ‘of course they do – everything matters.

Admittedly, I was ‘The Fat Girl’ who would go into a fast food place and order a double you know what with everything, super giant fries with mayo for dipping.......and a diet drink. I knew the joke – I knew it applied to me...and it still didn’t sink in that something needed to change.

So I wondered  – does the theory of ordering a diet drink, or switching from regular soda to diet make us even a smidge healthier?

The answer is no.

I started with regular soda. I drank these for over 20 years and I drank way too much. I substituted the sugary drinks for the water, tea....even coffee. I have never had a real cup of coffee in my life, yet I could pour the cold carbonation of a soda down my throat every morning. I cracked my first soda before I hit the bathroom – and sometimes, I did both at the same time. There – I said it.

I also admit that I thought I was enjoying every millisecond of it. I would chug my morning meal, then be sure to pack another for the ride to work. I figured it was all that was keeping me going, and I needed the caffeine.

What I didn’t know was the silent effects these chemicals (and that is what they are) were doing to my system. To start, a soda has a Ph of approximately 2.0. Our bodies operate optimally at a Ph between roughly 6.7-7.2. Armed with the information that dis-ease can occur in our bodies when our Ph level falls below 5.7, it should be a no-brainer to stop throwing a Ph of 2.0 into the mix.

The other factoid that I learned was that caffeine, one cup of coffee or a soda will stay in our system for up to 30 hours. Someone who drinks a pot of coffee a day is probably running on sheer caffeine. There is nothing wrong with a cup of java in the morning as long as the desire isn’t to consume every grande latte tall cappuccino espresso we come across. One soda, (based on the theory of the caffiene 30 hour rule) will do the same thing.

So when I would drink over 12 cans of soda in a day – I literally drank myself to dis-ease.

Awareness and the desire to change is all it takes to go that next step toward wellness. I always thought I was weak, without will power and destined to suffer for all of eternity.

I soon discovered I held all of the power to change....and then I did.

 

 

Feel the Burn - Aloe versus Coconut Oil

Have you ever burned yourself and wondered why you don't have an aloe vera plant in your house when you need one? This happens to me often.

I used to have an aloe vera plant - and I used to have a cat. Can you see where this is heading? I would nurture this plant and use it regularly until one day I realized that the poor thing looked like someone had sucked the life out of it.........and then I realized someone had literally done just that. Sucked the life out of it. My cat, being an old and ailing animal was biting the giant sections of this well matured product of nature - and draining it dry!

At first I laughed, but I wasn't laughing when the plant had to be tossed out and I realized that I was now without a crucial healing product I had come to rely on. My aloe vera plant was gone.

Aloe is great for so many things, but I never did find a new plant....and I probably didn't search too hard. If I couldn't get it from my Grandmother (who provided the aloe vera plant to begin with), I never tried too hard.

So the day came when I was introduced to coconut oil....and then the day came when I seriously burned my hand filling our woodstove one night. The first thing I reached for - the coconut oil. I applied it and let it sink in. I felt no pain within minutes. Aloe vera never seemed to do that for me.

The coconut oil healed my burn within a few days - I kept re-applying it daily and left it open to the air.

No pain, no scar. No problem!

Do you have a terrific home remedy that you'd love to share?
I'd love to hear it! Comment below.

My Inevitable Return To The Blog

I realize how long it has been since I have posted. Life happens and my old, now disconnected computer that ran XP has been retired. Equipped with a brand new spankin' Windows 8 system, I have returned! I do like the new windows operating system - it took a day or two to get used to it, but it sure beat Vista!

Get ready.....

The blog is going to be developing quickly from now on. This is my intention. I have projects flying around in my head I have been waiting to get to that can no longer wait.

Do it or don't do it. It's time for me.

A daily post is what you are all in store for and that's just for starters! I have been offline awhile.....but that's all about to change. I have so many articles, ideas, projects I have done, recipes I have tried and folks I have learned from - and I want to share them all with you.

I'm also toying with the idea of establishing a magazine. I have wanted to do this for years. I'm not sure what held me back, but these days I think differently. I have watched a very inspirational friend of mine develop her own pinup magazine (Lush Kittens) and I'd love to get involved in my own venture. You never know what I come up with.

Between the forum, the website, the blog, my Facebook Fan Page and my soon to be online Etsy shop, I have been a determined gal!

All good things in time......I'm workin' on it......stay tuned!

What If We Just Did It?

There used to be some shoe company advertising on television - way back when I watched television 'programming.' Said shoe company always had a catchy slogan about 'doing it'. I won't mention the exact slogan or the shoe company (I know I don't have to) - but I could use a new pair of runners....so who knows. Perhaps the universe company will grant me the new shoes. Stay tuned - we'll see.

Either way.....

The slogan really caught me. I loved it. I can't say I ever used it and consciously thought about it but I'm certain it was a stored 'item' that I drew from when I needed to. It was (and still is) meant for consumers to purchase mass quantities of their products, but for me it was more of a kick in the brain. It all starts in the mind, after all. I needed something - a spark. That slogan was a little part of it all.

My biggest 'brick wall' - something I had to get past instead of allowing me to sit down and stop - was myself. My mind. I could think of a bazilliion different ways to get out of something I didn't feel like doing in a moment.

So the question I have that stems from this company slogan is this; What would happen if we attempted to disconnect the wire on the brain that allows the excuses through and we just went ahead and started something we knew (or previously thought) we wanted anyway? Why do we have to dredge up all of those past feelings of yuck - the ones that make us want to crawl under a blanket and chalk the day up to a 'maybe tomorrow?

The fact is - we don't. We are 'dredging up' these things as mechanisms. We learned how to do this and we can learn how to stop. Twenty one times makes a habit....and these habits we form are undone within the same number of repeats. Getting someone to believe it before seeing it is much more task intensive.

I tried a 'me experiment' once. I really didn't want to workout. I had avoided it for almost a week and although my body knew we should get moving, I had less and less energy the more I thought about it. The experiment? Force myself.

What? Force myself? Y'mean....'make me?' I still didn't want to.

I can sit here and think constantly about the things I'm not liking when it comes to my wellness, or I can get up and start moving. I was walking by the DVD player the next day when my brain screamed at me to throw in a DVD workout and get moving. Without thinking, I did - and 50 minutes later I felt incredible and energized!

After the workout, I questioned this whole process - analyzed it. What was the difference this time? Why was it so easy to get started that day? If you go back and re-read the first couple of words in that sentence.....'Without thinking....' is the key you are looking for.

I was just going ahead and getting it done! Before I knew it, I was finished and felt really proud of my accomplishment for that day. Small steps to start off doesn't mean we take one step and then feel good and stop when we should have taken another 6 steps. Keep moving.

Once we find that spark that tells us we are passionate about something (like feeling good and being well) there is still the issue of old habits and reworking thought. It will happen. Be patient and kind with yourself.

Keep moving.

Takin' the Long Way Around

Friday - the beginning, if you're lucky, of a two day 'unwind.' Are you ready?? I wasn't sure how to catapult myself into the weekend, but music is always a great way to find inspiration - and that's exactly what I did this morning.

I found a playlist of my favorite stuff. It's nothing that anyone else has influenced (unless you were the artist). Some of it would be considered' giggle-worthy' but the list belongs to no one but me. It's personal. Each song means something to me. A moment in time that captured my attention through energy, feeling, vibration (as music tends to be) and timing. It really is fascinating to explore why the choices we have in music exist to begin with.

What 'strikes the chord' in us so to speak? Again, it's personal.

I was going through my list of great songs - and one country tune flung itself to the forefront of my mind. One song - that encapsulates my life to this point. That's a tough one - I've been through some stuff and although many songs touch on portions of the journey, no one defined it like this one.

"The Long Way Around."

If you don't know the controversy behind the Dixie Chicks and the subsequent album they wrote, no worries. It's over. Let the music speak for itself. This song struck me at a time in my life when I was literally at the major crossroads in my world. Decisions had to be made - and I despised making them. What if I was wrong? I was always wrong! What if.....What if......

When I realized it was far worse to stand there 'what if'ing than it was to get up and move forward, things got easier. I look back at this song and draw power from it. My power. My discovery. My new changes thanks to decisions I made to keep going.

Find the music that makes you want to be better. Explore the magic music creates in your life. I may always take the long way around, but at least I get there eventually.

Have a great weekend!

Keeping Calm

Keep Calm - Click Here

My Radio Spot

Introducing The Fat Girl Now 50% Lighter radio spot!

OK, OK - so it hasn't been on any radio programs YET - but I'm working on it.

I added photos to create a short video file for your viewing enjoyment, but here it is!

I always envision what I want to see happen in my life first before anything else. I make a plan.
Everything starts with a thought, right? So I envisioned this radio spot for awhile now.....but that's all I did. The next step was organizing and having it recorded. Once I finally did that, it wasn't long until I found someone amazing to record it. Another project completed.

Through the power of non-procrastination, The Fat Girl Now 50% Lighter audio clip (and now video clip) has come to fruition! 

The video portion of the clip will be updated one day, but for now this works.

If you would like permission to use this video on your website, blog or radio show, shoot me an email and request permission.

It's not that I'll say no, I just want to see where it ends up.

The radio spot itself is also posted in the media section of the website.