I am from UPSTATE NY NOT to be confused with NYC
please!!! I will have some do/don’t for
that in another blog. In any case, when
I was a kid, I used to lie in bed and PRAY for 12 inches of snow so that
the schools would close. Two reasons, I
hated to get up and more than likely I hadn’t done my homework. I was NOT a child who loved school
obviously. Alas, schools normally opened
so I’d have to go to Plan B. When my dad
called me to get ready, I’d tell him I was sick. He’d say “oh, feel better” and that was
it. Then my mother would come get me and
basically say “suck it up, buttercup!”.
She knew when I was faking!
Then I married an Army man (no choice, he was
drafted – remember those days?). Our
first duty station was Brooklyn, NY where I was introduced to my first
roach. I had NO idea that they even
existed. I didn’t care WHERE we were
transferred as long as there were not bugs.
We moved to Anchorage, Alaska.
Whoa, talk about snow banks taller than me. Ok, so I’m not that tall but they were taller
than my husband and he was over 6 feet!
My point is, I’m no stranger to snow but given a
choice of living in NY or living in VA, I choose VA because they don’t have
snow right???? WRONG! My first winter here we had a HORRIBLE
storm. My friends in NY were laughing at
me. Yet, VA is not prepared for snow
like NY was. If someone says snow on the
weather forecast, schools close; shelves in the stores are picked bare of
groceries. We’re not even talking an inch,
much less at least 12!!! Why didn’t I
live HERE as a kid??
Well, it snowed this weekend. It was a heavy, wet snow – actually great for
snowballs or snowmen. Not so good on the
back when you’re shoveling. So, what do
you do??? You “suck it up, buttercup”
and go snow tubing.
Fun in the snow
The first run down was quite dicey. No one told me to kind of lean back in the tube a little and hold my legs up. You’re on your own at the top of the hill. Well, I spun down the whole way! By the time I got to the end, I thought I was going to get sick. That was not an option for me so I got my bearings, talked to some people, learned the trick and did it again. Once I got the hang of it, it was great. However, one of the ladies (and I’m not really sure WHAT she did) as she was going down, fell out of the tube and hit her head. I guess she won’t be tubing again any time in the near future. She was alright but they took her to the hospital for tests to make sure.
So, if you’re in a place that has a lot of snow, get out in it!! I don’t downhill ski – I’d surely break my neck. I cross country on occasion. If you snow tube (which is really quite safe), please keep your feet up and lean back a little then enjoy the ride. Just getting out and walking (carefully) can be invigorating.
Until the next adventure (I have another snow tubing date coming up), enjoy Winter. I mean, do we have a choice??
At the beginning of every year (I am kind of OCD and
need a new year, new month, new week to start something), I evaluate the
previous year to determine where I have grown and what I would like to work on
for the coming year.
Let’s DO THIS!!!
Some people have words that they choose for the
year. I tried that one year. My word was PATIENCE. Whew, I will never do THAT again. I was tested from the moment I made that
decision. My patience muscle was
exercised to the max!! I tried breathing
IN with the good, OUT with the bad but it kind of turned into hyperventilating. I gave up.
lol
The 4 “F”s (or areas of life) to look at
when creating goals. They are:
Faith – Start the day with devotions, perhaps
keep a gratitude journal, find a small group of like minded people that you can
be open with and grow spiritually. Even
if you are not a group person (like me), it helps. When trouble comes (and it
will), know that there is a higher power at work; trust in that; tap into that
power. Never give up hope or let your
joy be stolen.
Family – Plan time with spouse and
(grand)kids. They remember memories
that you make even if you do not have a lot of money to spend. Time is more important that elaborate events
or even money. Plan a night with your
spouse or kids. Go outdoor (sports, hiking
on trails, building a snowman, etc) or inside (board games, restaurant). The most important part is reconnecting and
making memories. Take time to sincerely talk
to one another and I do not mean through texts.
Finances – Get out of debt, go on a
spending hiatus. Think carefully about
each purchase. Do you NEED it or WANT
it. If you are able to buy anything you
want without going into debt, kudos to you.
Go for it but most of us need a budget.
Perhaps you are planning for retirement or even a trip. It was on the radio this morning that many
people would rather sit in traffic than sit down to evaluate where they are in
their finances. You have to know where
you are NOW so you can determine what it will take to get you to where you want
to be.
Fitness – Do NOT be a couch potato. Some of us have limitations but our bodies were made to move. It keeps the joints lubricated. Some insurance plans cover Silver Sneakers where they will pay for your gym membership. Check it out! I am loving it! Swimming is great for sore joints. Remember eating is part of this plan as well. I am a junk food person so this is tough for me. I HATE to cook so I tell everyone if you are what you eat then I must be cheap, easy and fast. I basically have a kitchen because it came with the house. I made a plan for this though.
You may rank the list differently and it is ok. The objective is to make you the best you can
be mind, body and spirit because we are made up of all three parts. Do any of the above need a reboot? It is never too late to start but the
beginning of a new year always helps with my mindset – starting fresh. Now that you have determined the area, make
SMART goals.
I did not always do this. In the past, my goals were
vague. “I want to lose weight” This year, I drew a line in the sand and
said 2019 WILL be MY year! I set SMART
GOALS – not resolutions.
What is the difference? I looked it up. A resolution is a firm decision to do/not to do something (often unachievable) whereas a goal is the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result. I understand there is a fine line here but, admit it, resolutions get broken quickly. To me, it sounds like going cold turkey. In my mind: resolution: I will not eat bad food vs. goal: I can have a cheat day once a week (but only 1). I can plan, stay motivated and still reach my goal.
Back to SMART GOALS. It is not a new concept. I have heard it many times and used it in work but not in life. So, what are SMART goals?
S=Specific,
M=Measurable, A=Achievable, R=Relevant
and T=Time-Sensitive For example:
(S) Instead of saying I want to lose weight (I wish I was the weight I was 20 years ago and thought I was fat), I wrote “I wanted to lose 21 lbs.”
(M) This is certainly measurable (ask my scale – at least it is not one of those talking ones). I figured out how much I wanted to lose per month and the steps I would take to do it such as go to the gym and eat healthier.
(A) Certainly achievable and realistic. I mean not even GOD can make me taller now so no matter how much I do, I will still be short – no sense in making THAT goal!
(R) It has to fit with an overall objective that you have for your life. Yep, it is something that will benefit me overall. I will feel better, help prevent diabetes (runs in family), help my asthma, have more energy and have less stress on my joints. …and yeah, I will fit into those jeans!!! Total win!
(T) You need a finish line. My time limit is June.
VICTORY!
What areas do you want to work on? Do you have a plan? Have you heard that a GOAL without a PLAN is simply a WISH? I am calling 2019 to be the BEST YEAR EVER! With all the stuff that is going on in our world these days, we HAVE to remain positive. I believe that staying positive is half the battle.
Comments/Thoughts are Welcome. I would love to hear from you.
So, it is a new year and I am trying to get through
all my “put aside for later mail”. If it
was not a bill, Christmas card or something that LOOKED important, it was put
aside until such a time as this.
I am having a nice cup of coffee and what do I
see. In the December 2018 AARP Bulletin,
there is an article regarding Website Wolves.
UGH, I mean I am thankful for AARP calling these people out because it
makes me MAD when these scammers try to take advantage of us seniors.
Frauds
They offer to help you set up an internet
business. OK, there are legitimate
people who do that. HOWEVER, you do not
just create a website, put it online and expect people to come rushing to buy
from you. These scammers were offering
inexpensive web design kits simply to generate leads for telemarketing.
If I could just be Queen for a day, I would do
horrible things to people who bilk money from others simply for their own
profit. There are people, like me, that
really need help creating an online business and you cannot assume everyone is
honest. There are pros and cons to
living “back in the day” when a hand shake meant something. So, what is a person to do? You always have to do your due
diligence. Check them out first and get
references.
Before I retired, I figured out my finances. I looked at what monthly living expenses and income would be, the savings I had and what I hoped to do in retirement such as travel and enjoy myself while I still could. I determined that with what I had, I could go “crazy” for 3 years. Then I would have to find a part time job to cover my deficit. My deficit was small but it existed. I could not wait any longer to get more money. I was SO over my job and the long commute. I would NEED a job.
I started looking for Online or Home based work. I did not want to deal with a commute and wanted income that fit MY schedule. I stumbled upon Wealthy Affiliate. I can tell you with all sincerity, it was the best decision I ever made. I say this for a few reasons that I have stated below.
If you check my profile, you will see that I started in 2011 (before retirement) but in reality, I did not engage until a couple years later. I meant to but work got in the way. After retirement, I got serious and jumped into the training. It was exciting! Let me say upfront, it is NOT A GET RICH QUICK deal. If you need money right NOW to pay your bills, get a part time job or stay with the job you have.
What it IS is an opportunity to make money
legitimately doing affiliate marketing.
What is affiliate marketing? It
is simple. You promote product(s) or
services for companies online. When one
of your readers purchases, you get a commission. This is the Cliff Notes (loved them)
version. Kyle (co-owner) shows you step
by step how to do this.
Baby boomers have a lot of experience and blogging
is one of the ways we can share that experience. We might as well make money at it. Let me say right here that you have to have
the right mindset. Do not do this if you
want to scam people out of money. You
should truly want to be of assistance. I
take pride in our generation of people.
The majority of us have ethics and treat people right.
Write about your passion. My first site is about scrapbooking. http://scrapbookingforanyone.com/ I love scrapbooking and have been doing it for YEARS. People would see my books and feel overwhelmed. So, I created a blog to help them see that it really isn’t that hard. It is more about your heart than your artistic ability. I put in some links to products that I use from Amazon and voila, when they use my link and purchase from Amazon, I get a commission. The beauty with Amazon is that they do not even have to buy scrapbooking supplies. If they buy a car from that link, I get the commission. Hey, with the way Amazon is going, they could sell cars in the future.
You get out of it what you put in. Honestly, I could make more out of it but I
get sidetracked a lot with my family and friends. This is my choice though and the beauty is, I
can come back and pick up where I left off.
I like that.
From the beginning, Kyle (co-owner/trainer) takes you step by step on HOW to do everything. I definitely needed this as I did NOT have a clue. I took 2 computer coding classes (Pascal) back in the day and RAN back to my accounting class. I could not code my way out of a box!!
I have all the flexibility I could want – working when/where I want (have computer will travel)
I can make as much or as little as I want (more effort/dedication = more money)
There is no “pay this small amount then we will up sell you more……..” (ANNOYING!)
The community is huge and diverse (age, country and knowledge wise) so I have met people all over the globe and communicate with them frequently
The community is not cut throat (hello workplace). Everyone actually helps you if they can
There is continuous training online and every Fri there is a webinar addressing different issues. Of course, there is NO additional charge. Aside from that Jay (the guy who does the webinars) is entertaining
I love Kyle and Carson (co-owners) – they are sincere, down to earth guys. They WANT you to succeed and do everything in their power to help
SO, if you are like me, and overspent on Christmas
and waiting for the bills, take a look at this.
I say it may not help you with the Christmas bills but I have known
people that make money right away.
However, they were more experienced and focused than I was. Maybe you are too. It took me maybe 6 months? Full disclosure, I do make a commission from
you joining but it is NOT a MLM where I want to sign you up so you sign others
up under me.
NEVER too Old
Trust me said the spider to the fly….sorry, could not resist. Seriously, it costs nothing to look and decide for yourself. I am passionate about this and tired of all the scams out there. I was duped a couple times. This IS a part time job and you have to put time and energy in but it is so worth everything you get out of it.
Comments and Thoughts are welcomed and encouraged. I am seriously here to help.
