Monday, January 11, 2016

Staying Fit, Helping Others, and Living Life


"It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?"



















I will hang out here at the Elks Lodge for a few days and  then head just a few miles down the road to The Fantasy Springs Resort Casino to catch the performances of The Temptations and the Four Tops  and Tony Bennett.



 And finally, I will return to the Quartzite, Arizona  where the population will have  peaked while I have been gone from one thousand people   to over a million. 

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Friday, January 1, 2016

How To Keep Inspiration in your Top 10 Resolutions for 2016


HAPPY NEW YEAR
 from Sportster and me!!
 
According to The Statistic Brain Institute 45% of us usually make resolutions and 45% of us NEVER do. Those in the “never” group will shake their pudgy fingers from the cushy couch on which they are reclining and say, “What’s the use?”

But take note of this statistic to disprove all naysayers.

“People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions.”

Of course we can guess what the top ten resolutions were for 2015. There have been countless jokes made about the demise of each one.

How many were on your list?  For me, all except number seven and the last two. Because of the amazing changes in my life during 2015, I’ve added numbers nine and ten to my 2016 list. I’m combining the two, because the more time I spend with my family members, the more I am falling in love with them.


1.           Lose Weight
 

I have followed  Spark People for years but haven’t been active on the site. It is a wealth of information and interaction for healthy living, weight loss, and motivation. It is free. 
 

 

2.           Getting Organized

I am organized, my friends call me anal.  My downfall  is that it becomes a time suck or I use it to avoid working.  So for those of us who are obsessed with neatness and cleanliness, I recommended assigning a limited amount of time to those chores.  I use my ten to fifteen minutes breaks from writing to vacuum, dust, pull weeds. After eight hours of writing, usually my old brain is too tired for sorting out timelines or punctuation, so I tend to other mindless chores or have dinner with friends. Then I spend the evening catching up on episodes of Blue Bloods (Tom Selleck) and Chicago Fire (Taylor Kinney) and the Blacklist (James Spader). Oh yes, and Mike and Molly for the hilarious take on the life of an author.

Here’s a link that’s outdated but still contains a lot of information. Womans Day - 100 tips on How to get Organized

3.           Spend Less, Save More

This is a worry for me, especially since I sold my pet grooming business. But with the loss of a  guaranteed income, I realize  I no longer have the need for “stuff” anymore. In retirement, life is simple. But still!

 I don’t need stuff, but I  have a bucket list. I will be  celebrating  my 70th birthday this year. So the first item on my bucket list that I'll be checking off is The Mario Andretti Racing Experience! Come join me on April 17th 2016 at The Auto Club Speedway  in Ontario, California.  My friend and New York Times best-selling author, April Reign  has promised to be doing the photo shoot.

4.           Enjoy Life to the Fullest!

Just do it!

 

5.           Stay Fit and Healthy

Refer to Resolutions One and Four.

 

6.           Learn Something Exciting




7.           Quit Smoking

Did it with Chantix.

 

8.           Help Others in Their Dreams

Like everyone,  I often  struggle with my resolutions and become discouraged and depressed. The sure fire antidote ALWAYS is helping others. I am a motivational public  speaker which I enjoy doing. but before each engagement it is inevitable  I  suffer doubts and insecurities. But no matter how low I sink on the “poor me” scale, after I speak I become  renewed in spirit.
Helping others by giving away my time, my expertise and my own unique story ALWAYS saves my soul and brings me peace. I can’t keep it unless I give it away.

To kick off 2016 I will be presenting two seminars at the 28th Annual FMCA Western RV Rally In Indio, Ca. Part One, Have You Ever Thought About Writing? on Thursday January 7th and Part Two, What Makes a Good Story?  Saturday, January 9th..

 And check out another inspirational event! As Vice President of Programs for The Diamond Valley Writers Guild I am inviting  you  to support the  grand opening, ribbon cutting, and first meeting of  The Diamond Valley Writers Guild at the Hemet Library  in Hemet, California on Saturday, January 23, 2016 – Chasing Your Creative Dream: Make 2016 The Year You Get Published! This is a way to share and meet with other writers.

As Vice President of Programs for The Diamond Valley Writers Guild I am inviting everyone to support the grand opening, ribbon cutting, and first meeting of The Diamond Valley Writers Guild at the Hemet Library in Hemet, California on Saturday, January 23, 2016 – Chasing Your Creative Dream: Make 2016 The Year You Get Published! This is a way to share and meet with other writers.

9.           Fall in Love
I intend to fall more in love with my family.

10.        Spend More Time with Family
Achieving #9  will be easy if I concentrate on #10.

Stay tuned for my next blog when I talk about the  10 reasons New Year's resolutions fail, plus tips to turn them around to achieve success once and for all
this year.

It's a new day and a new year.  Love your life and live it!










For more information about Judy Howard's inspirational books, click on this link to go to her Amazon Author Page