Friday, September 21, 2007

Princess Diary Friday September 21

Is it really Friday again? And am I really incapable of remembering to blog about goals?



I should be capable. I love goals. LOL. But it's been an unusually busy month.



Princess Tip of the Week: Suck in your tummy.



Years ago, when I was much younger, my sister Helen and I were once getting dressed and I was whining about being fat. (Fat being a relative term when you're a teenager...LOL) Anyway, she said, "The easiest way to look thinner is to suck in your stomach." And I said, "Well, duh."



She said, "No. I don't mean when you're going out. I mean a couple of times a day. Train the muscles to be where they are supposed to be."



So standing in line at the grocery store, at the copy machine at work...even in church...I remember her advice and I pull in my stomach, envisioning the muscles "returning to their appropriate place" as if I'm instructing them where to stand. LOL.



If you do this several times a day, it will become a habit and before you know it, you really will have a flatter tummy. (Or you'll grow so accustomed to holding it in place that everybody will think you do.)



Something Special for the Weekend?



We'll be having cake for my nephew Jack's birthday...I'll be sucking in my tummy later. And I'm finishing a really wonderful book. Marilyn Pappano's Silhouette Romantic Suspense ONE STORMY NIGHT. I began reading it and had to set it down because of work I had to do and I can't wait to read the ending!



What's on the nightstand?



This week my cat spent a lot of time on my nightstand watching me sleep. LOL. I'm driving my son to work at five-thirty every morning so I'm in bed early. But I've discovered I don't need to be awake to amuse her. She sits on the nightstand, her fuzzy black head tilted to the right, gazing at me adoringly.



Or maybe she just likes the sound of snoring?

Friday, September 14, 2007

Princess Diary!

It's Friday again!

Unfortunately, between working on my next book and learning that I can't pre-blog because I get all kinds of weird symbols in the text...I'm a bit behind.

Princess Tip of the Week:

This week in addition to talking about a specific tip, I thought I'd talk about anchoring yourself so that you remember to do things.

A few years ago, I bought the Facercize tapes and program. I never really got "into" the whole deal, but I did like the exercise for keeping your chin firm. It simply consisted of sucking in your lips, tipping back your head and opening and closing your mouth a hundred times so the potential turkey waddle beneath your chin got enough exercise that it never appeared.

This really worked for me. No turkey waddle here...except, it wasn't exactly easy to remember to do it.

So I searched through my schedule, looking for a few mintues of time I could "schedule" this little (short and simple) exercise in...and still I forgot it.

Until I decided to anchor it. Anchoring is something I learned from Tony Robbins (The 30-days to Personal Power guy.) Tony claims that if you want to remember to do something anchor it to something else. So for the next few weeks, every time I got into the shower I did one hundred of my chin exercises.

Now, every time I step into the shower the first thing I do is a hundred chin exercises. And guess what? I have a nice, firm neck and hope to keep it into my old age.

We remember to put on lotion after our showers. Always brush our teeth before bed. Because we've made these things habits. And we've anchored things together to create rituals so that we do the things we need to do.

Why not add a few arm curls, chin exercises, stretches into your routine?

Something special for the weekend?

Yes! My niece had a baby this week. I'm hoping to drive to Maryland to visit her and Henry Dexter. Cute name. I can't wait to meet the baby it matches.

What's on the night stand?

Believe it or not...LOL...I have a book called When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer by Jerry Sittser.

No. There's no serious unanswered prayer nagging me. But sometimes I like a book about something a little deeper than catching a serial killer or somebody saving the world. LOL

I'm a firm believer that we're only a real princess outside, if we're a princess inside. And this book by Sittser is one of my favorites for reminding me of what's really important in life.

That's it for this princess this week. I hope to get back to blogging about goals on Monday!

We shall see. Life sort of got away from me this week.

Peace

susan

Friday, September 7, 2007

Princess Diary! Friday Special!

The Princess Diary

Every Friday we're going to take a time out from our quest for perfection in our careers and problem solving and indulge. Take a little time for ourselves!

Deep down inside every woman lives a princess...no matter how old that woman is. So I've decided to dedicate one day a week to coaxing out our inner princess! One tip at a time!
My daughter works at a spa. My sister is a beautician. And there are hundreds of great books and websites out there to not only help us look like the princess we know we are, but also feel like a princess.

Tip: Shall we start with something easy? This tip is about as simple as it gets. Once a month, I grab a basin, fill it about half way with warm water and dump in a cup of peroxide and a cup of Epsom salts and create my own spa!

I soak my feet in that for twenty minutes, then buff them with a foot brush or stone, push back the softened cuticles on my toenails, remove old toe nail polish and repaint those nails.

Now, this sounds like a pedicure...LOL...and in some respects it is. But the combination of Epsom salts and peroxide also help get rid of dead skin on your heels and the bottoms of your feet. Even better, this dynamic duo kills under-the-toenail and between-the-toe germs, which wards off all kinds of problems that can sometimes stop you from buying the glass slippers or pretty sandals you found on sale.

And -- by the way -- now now is the time to buy your sandals, Princess! Most will be on sale. So pretty up your feet, go to your favorite shoe store and stock up for next year. Because even though most of us want to dress like our inner princess, we have the budget of a waif. Shop now for next year's killer sandals and get them for the price of a glass of ale!

Something special for the weekend? After working like a serf all week, every princess needs at least one indulgence. My husband is still on vacation, so this weekend we’re planning a trip to the drive-in. Not only is it a way to see two movies for the price of one, but it's a treat that goes away in the winter. If there's a drive-in near you, one that hasn’t closed for the summer...Indulge!

What's on the bedside table? Body lotion. I'm not the kind of person who wears cologne, but I'm always slathering on cream to ward off wrinkles and keep my skin soft and smooth. Lotions have come a long way in the past decade or so. I've even got a lotion that smells like a margarita! My point here is that the first thing I see when I sit on my bed is my lotion. It's like one final chance to make sure I stay soft! And make myself smell enticing to my Prince Charming.

susan

Goals ... Day 3

I got a little busy yesterday, writing a synopsis for a new book, and I forgot to Blog!

So maybe one of my new goals will be .... don't forget to blog. LOL.

Anyway, I haven't yet come up with any solid goals. Though I do know a few things about myself. First, rather than make the usual "lose weight" goal, I'd like to make a goal about eating healthier.

But a goal has to be visible, time bound -- in other words you have to know when you've accomplished it. A goal like losing 20 pounds is a good goal because you know when you've accomplished it. A goal like "eating better" or "eating healthy" isn't as good because you don't know when you've reached it.

So I wonder if I should set the goal of eating my four or five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, eating whole grain bread, eating fish and chicken. I could set a goal of only having a treat on Sundays...something like that, too.

Notice I'm not trying to totally do without sweets! But if I want to "eat healthy" I really think I have to create some specific, measurable things I can do.

The question is...can I do them for a whole year? LOL

susan

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Goals...Day Two

So, I'm seriously thinking about my goals for next year today. This is a process that takes awhile because not only do you have to decide what you really want....I like to add in an extra step and see if it's really possible. LOL.



There's nothing worse than setting goals that are out of the realm of possibility, if only because they discourage you from even trying.



At the same time, I don't want to set the goal of losing five pounds when I need to lose thirty.



There are also different kinds of goals. Not just long-term and short-term, but also personal, spiritual, relaxation, and business or professional goals. And I'll bet some of us could even create subcategories for professional goals.



So, today, as I'm straightening up the house, I'm going to be thinking about what I really want and what's really possible. I'm going to be honest with myself. And I'm going to think in terms of all the categories.



If you want to set some goals before the end of the month, you should also think about your life. Think about what you want and also what's really possible. Be honest.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Goals

Goal Setting

Can you believe it's already September? I can't. Seriously, I've had a heck of a year and I didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted to. I had a good excuse. Maybe I should have said I had a legitimate/real reason. My son who has suffered from a seizure disorder his entire life faced the possibility of brain surgery. Several months and tests later, we discovered he wasn't a candidate. But lots of good came of the months we spent. His meds were changed and he is much healthier and happier.

Still, valid reason or not, I'm now behind. I can't write three books before December 31. LOL. So my best alternative is to create some really good goals for next year and get myself back on track. And that's what I'll be blogging about for the month of September: goal setting.

SIDEBAR: The material in this article is all found in a goal setting workshop which I will be giving at a writer's loop called Motivated Writer. You can find out how to subscribe to this loop at earthlycharms.com. Subscription to the loop is free and though the workshop is being given on a writer's loop, the information pertains to all goals. So if you're interested in making next year one of your best, stop by Su Kopil's site...earthlycharms.com.

Okay, back to the blog...

September may seem like a weird time to be discussing goals. Everybody wants to set new goals for the "first of the year" but I think September is the perfect time. First, there's more to goal setting than just listing a bunch of things you want to get done. Second, taking extra time to really think about what you want to accomplish may net some surprising results. Third, once you figure out what you want, you should have several weeks to gear up to get started on whatever it is you need to do to accomplish your goals.

So...for today...I want you to begin thinking about what you'd like to see yourself accomplish next year. 2008. Do you want to lose weight? Write a book? Write several books? Increase your income? Go to more concerts? Spend more time with your kids

What do you want your life to be about?

susan

Intro and Welcome

Welcome!

We're all new here at susanmeier.com! New website, new to blogging.

For the past several years, I've been listening to motivational tapes and reading books by such greats as Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Tom Peterson, Zig Ziglar, Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale and a host of others. I've always wanted to do something like this. Create a place where I could post a composite of their ideas and hear from you.

This forum isn't a Dear Abby type place. I can't comment on your troubles. First, I'm not a psychologist. I also can't help you with your business problems. That would be a disaster. LOL.

But we can discuss things like problem solving skills, goal setting techniques, time management and motivation.

This month we'll be discussing goals.

susan