2/28/2005 09:40:00 AM|||Beth Dargis|||

My friend was telling me about her trip. A one day trip to a big city turned scary when she got snowed in without much money. But, she said she was going to turn this into an adventure. She looked at this with enthusiasm and optimisim that everything would turn out for the best. She said it was her best trip ever. She saw things she never would have dreamed of, she got to know the kindness of others and she had loads of fun with some new friends. I just love adventures, don't you?
|||110994722245935427|||Adventure2/26/2005 03:20:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
Today I was paying bills and noticed the interest rate on my credit card. It went up again for no reason. Paying high interest rates, I knew I couldn’t pay it off that way. So I called the company and asked them what was up. I got my interest rate cut in half – and didn’t even have to raise my voice.

I also set up my Debt Reduction Planner in Quicken. I think they have an online version too:http://www.quicken.com/planning/debt

See more progress on: pay off credit cards

|||110944922827358800|||Getting a lower interest rate2/25/2005 03:39:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
I've had home routines for years to keep myself on track. I've used a few thrown together checklist for my work, but I sat down yesterday to really think about my work goals and which things were high priority. I have two focus days where I really get into high priority projects, two days where I write, coach, etc. and one 1/2 day where I work on things I have been procrastinating on and get those little things done. Saturday morning is my complete day where I see my project list and try to finish some things.

I also have a daily things to do list.

It feels good to get all the things that need to be done for work, organized and clear.
|||110945072235855955|||Work Routines2/24/2005 03:35:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
Since I work from home I spend a lot of time at my desk. On Thursdays I like to get out. I have Bible study in the morning and lunch with a friend or sometimes I just go someplace I think might be fun. I work a few hours on Saturdays so I can have a little time off during the week when the kids are at school and Jeff is sleeping.

Can you re-arrange your schedule to add some fun?
|||110945033670782238|||Getting Out2/23/2005 03:33:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
A new law is going in to effect allowing everyone to get one free credit report a year: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp. Some state are already online, but I have to wait till March.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Game Night with the Kids - we played Sorry and Uno
|||110945010782289311|||Annual Credit Report2/22/2005 01:01:58 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
Being that it is 1 am and I am still awake, I guess I will be starting tomorrow on my goal to get enough sleep :) My goal is to get back to sleeping 10:30 or 11:00pm to 6:30am. My body seems to like this pattern the best.

The plan:

Go to sleep 5 minutes earlier until I am back on schedule.

See more progress on: get enough sleep

|||110905211922371558|||First goal to work on2/21/2005 11:44:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
This is a really fun, interactive site to post your goals, cheer other people on, add notes to how you are doing.

Here is my list:
http://www.43things.com/people/view/encouragingcoach

Now you can make your own:
http://www.43things.com/
|||110904759830972971|||43 Goals2/20/2005 03:56:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
In order to find the cheapest product, many people prefer not to think about where their purchases come from. In a world where corporations get most of the profit, I was excited to have SERRV recommended to me:
https://www.serrv.org/index.php.

This is a non-profit organization which works with groups of artisans in poor area to bring what they make to the States and to make sure the artisans get a fair price. And the products are not very expensive - as cheap or cheaper than you would find at your normal stores.

There are unique items for clothes, accessories, home decor, children's toys and more.

By your purchases you can actually make a difference in the lives of families. People that would go hungry, are able to work for their food. And infrastructures like water and medical care are being provided.

How are you making a difference today?
|||110893357162988511|||Making a Difference2/17/2005 05:49:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
Today, I've been working on my taxes. I ran across a helpful checklist from Turbo Tax: http://www.turbotax.com/articles/tax_preparation_checklist.html
|||110868070865517709|||Doing Taxes2/16/2005 09:44:00 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
12 Things I want in my Life:
1. Close friendships
2. Passionate love
3. Creative outlets
4. Financial integrity
5. Close family
6. Simple home
7. Times of giving
8. Constant relationship with God
9. Health and energy
10. Working through emotions
11. Serenity and Joy
12. Fun

12 Things I don't Want in my Life
1. Excessive unresolved stress
2. Clutter
3. Noise
4. Incompletions
5. Procrastination
6. Boredom
7. Constant struggling
8. Perfectionism
9. Too much seriousness
10. Feelings of lack
11. Fear
12. Migraines

Some of these I have worked on in the past, some I have, some I don't have, but it is a snapshot of my ideal life. What are your lists?
|||110856532730621996|||12 Things2/16/2005 09:35:00 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
If anyone wants to stop by my chat room for Get it Done Day:
http://www.encouragingcoach.com/coaching-chat-room.htm

at the TOTH's from 10EST to 2EST you are welcome to come post your goals and then your Tada's. You don't need to register just pick a user name and hop into the default room.
|||110856461297482739|||Get it Done Day2/15/2005 09:42:00 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
You can explore procrastination or any other theme through this activities at Human Quest:
http://humanityquest.com/topic/art_activities/index.asp?theme1=procrastination
|||110856502291448791|||Exploring Procrastination2/14/2005 09:37:00 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
Question of the Week:

"What is keeping you from enjoying your life and what can you do to change that today?"
|||110856472199141438|||Question of the Week2/12/2005 11:22:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
Take this helpful stress test to find out your stressers and your coping skills:
http://www.stress-less.com/stressquiz.cfm?#NewURLToken

For tons of links of stress visit here:
http://www.imt.net/%7erandolfi/StressLinks.html
|||110826861273508642|||Stress test and links2/12/2005 02:21:00 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
Here are ways to relieve your stress in 15 minutes:
http://www.mothering.com/community_tools/toolbox/body_soul/stress-relievers.html
|||110823614352189459|||15 minute Stress Relievers2/11/2005 10:53:00 AM|||Beth Dargis|||


Yesterday was Brea's 7th annual Valentine's Tea. Each year she picks different crafts, food, decorations and games. Each year is a slighly different mix of girls. She says her parties are successful because she plans mosts of it and she knows what her and her friends like. She says the boring parties are usually where the mom plans it all LOL. Being that she is 10 1/2 I'm sure I will be even less involved in future parties.

This year:
Food- mini cupcakes, chips, pink lemonade and raspberry apple juice, valentine's peanut M & M's and some Willy Wonka candy (didn't match the theme at all, but she and her friends love it :)

Crafts- butterfly magnets, valentine's cards, and making bead bracelets

Games- not too sure, but one had to do with throwing candy down the stairs and had the girls laughing like crazy

Decorations: a couple are below

|||110813768108098991|||Valentine's Tea2/11/2005 10:06:00 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
A friend was asking for ideas on dealing with stress. I have always been rather sensitive and easily overwhelmed, so to keep my sanity here are some ways I deal with stress:

I journal - a lot. Once the words are on the paper, I don't have to keep them in my head.

Appreciation does wonders. When I am feeling stressed about feeling I have too much to do, I start listing in my head all the things and people I have in my life. I remember many dark times when my life wasn't so good, yet I was sustained. I can feel so blessed today.

I ask myself questions like what is good about this situation, what can I do to make it better, what unrealistic expectations am I having, how can I turn my thinking into something postitive and powerful. Puts you into a much better state than why me?

I stop and pause - I ask myself how I am feeling and what I need.

I control the pace of my life. When I notice I am starting to go non-stop, I postpone a project, decide not to go to an event or take something out of my life to slow it down a bit again. Much of what is in our schedule's we put there. So afraid of missing out on something we choose to do as much as possible that is available to us. Whenever I add a project or committment, I see what I can take out of my schedule. That goes for my kids too.

I make sure I have a daily quiet time, exercise 4-5 times a day, get my fruits and veggies and try to look my best. When I start sleeping too much, or getting really sloppy I know something is off in my life. Also, if I start to feel numb, chances are there are some major feelings there that have just been stuffed down. So I start writing and writing till the feelings start to flow. Then I can deal with them.
Lastly, I am putting only the 3-6 things that I absolutely have to get done today and putting them on a 3 X 5 index card which I tape to my computer monitor.
|||110813446847127355|||Dealing with Stress2/10/2005 09:36:17 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
Another daily to do list (he calls it a Daily Inspired Action Plan)
- but one with categories I've never seen before, like character trait to work on, remember, avoid, and visualize.
http://successnet.org/files/DailyActionPlan.doc. I love to switch around ways I do my to do's. A normal to do list, just isn't inspiring enough for me.
|||110804634384066900|||Daily Inspired Action Plan2/10/2005 09:28:54 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
Michael Angier of Success.net cues us into why affirmation and visualization don't always work in his article,"How Visualization
and Affirmation Can Backfire".

So how can they work? He says, "The key for me has been in aligning my
feelings with my thinking."

And for those of you who say you can't control emotions, I tell you that is just a fable. What you say to yourself directly affects what you are feeling. And you can change what you say to yourself. Make it positive and powerful today!
|||110804603497606366|||Affirmation and Visualization2/08/2005 02:13:03 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
I just found this out - if you want to post any comments to my blog, click on the little square at the bottom of each post. That will take you to a comments page. I'd love to hear your thoughts, what you want to read about, what you think about anything I have written or just to say hi.
|||110789010371491688|||Comments2/07/2005 02:04:51 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
Hi all, just wanted to let you know that we are beginning a new book in the Create a Life You Love group. We start today. The book is Debbie Ford's The Best Year of Your Life. It's 12 weeks long. And the first chapter is up at Amazon.com. If you want to join us visit:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/creatingalifewelove/
|||110788951472260594|||New Book2/05/2005 02:27:24 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."

~Edgar Allan Poe
|||110763170449117498|||Poe Quote2/05/2005 01:07:21 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
My gratitude for the past few days...

~new insights at Bible study
~cuddle time with my husband
~getting a new haircut and finally the right color
~money to pay the bills
~shopping with my daughter for her valentine's tea
~my son's mischievous grin
~the smell of dinner when we returned from shopping because my husband started it
~finding black licorice for him
~music, like the song, "I Can Only Imagine"
~safety on the road
~a deal on a book for my group right after we decided on our book
~the fuzzy scarf for Brea and a beret for Jon
~Droste dark chocolate
~the cat purring on my lap and rubbing my face
~books, books, books
~lunch with my friend, discussing deep issues
~scrapbooking with friends

What are you grateful for?
|||110762714150809196|||Gratitude2/04/2005 01:03:26 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
We awoke to a fog delay. When the fog lifted, icy frost lightly covered everything. Everyone made a tiny gasp when they saw how beautiful the world was. Like a fantasy world. Below are tiny birds playing in the translucent bushes.

|||110762684659874136|||Fantasy World2/03/2005 11:39:02 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
Every year I read these wonderful devotional from Alternatives for Simple Living:http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCal2005.html. This year's topic is on Hunger. Glance at other years also for topics on simplicity, reassessing our lifestyle, half the stuff-twice the joy, and connecting with God and others (http://www.simpleliving.org/Archives/Lent/LentCalIndex.html)

In Bible Study today Pastor Jonathan asked the question, "How would you live if you remembered you were God's masterpiece?" How would you live in relationship to others? Use time? Love God and let God love you? How would it be to be spiritually alive?
|||110744928262902365|||Lenten Devotional2/02/2005 02:31:20 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
My friend, Linda, shared this fun, simple, free to do list program:
http://www.tadalist.com
|||110737274095402790|||To Do List2/02/2005 02:12:17 PM|||Beth Dargis|||
This site has great printables for keeping track of health things: http://www.womeninwellness.com/journal.htm

My favorite is the daily wellness log which has you tracking:
What you did for fitness, nutrition, spritual
Obstacles, excuses and barriers you encounter
Your results and solutions
and how you are feeling
|||110737165764603342|||Wellness Printables2/01/2005 01:11:15 AM|||Beth Dargis|||
Question of the Week:

Whose already done what you want to do?

If you have a project, goal or dream, who do you know that has already accomplished this. Research a bit if you need to. Now what did they do that worked? And can you emulate their actions and attitudes?
|||110723485570889342|||Question of the Week Go to the Archives, and click 'republish all'.