by Lucy | May 18, 2015 | Motivational Mondays
“Ask for feedback; then shut up and take notes.” – Corey Lerch
Recently, I had dinner with a fellow small business owner. I admire for how driven and committed he to continuing to learn and improve in order to succeed. One method of self-improvement he practices is to regularly ask for feedback.
Once I got past feeling awkward, I decided this was brilliant!
[The original post included a survey based on the business model of May 2015]
Now is a good chance to meditate on what is not going how you’d like. Perhaps it’s a good time to reach out to a mentor, friend or counselor for some feedback on that situation?
by Lucy | May 11, 2015 | Motivational Mondays
Dread grocery shopping? You’re not alone.
American’s restaurant spending just surpassed their spending at the grocery store according to this article in Bloomberg Business. The article suggests this is a generational trend from millennials. Unfortunately, eating out still comes with it’s pitfalls such as the increased risk of developing high-blood pressure as discussed in the Medical News Today article – Eating out ‘raises risk for high blood pressure’.
Truth be told, I actually really enjoy grocery shopping! It’s one of my happy places – I have even been caught dancing in front of the produce aisle. I am aware that this is weird.
Food for thought:
Recently as I was wandering around the grocery store I realized that it’s not easy to eat healthy by grocery shopping instead of going out to restaurants. The wonderful world of convenience foods has worked its way into every corner of our lives, which may be one reason why we are just going out to eat instead of messing up our own kitchens.
The good news is there are still lots of healthy choices it’s just a matter of learning to play my favorite game, which I like to call good versus better. Simply pull 2 options off the shelf – for example 2 marinara sauces. Look at the label for sodium, sugar and number of ingredients to determine which has less. There is so much information to look at and often it depends what your goals are to know what to monitor. I suggest working with a dietitian for more personalized recommendations.
by Lucy | May 4, 2015 | Motivational Mondays
What do you know about chiropractics?
Probably, like most things in this world you know what you’ve heard or experienced. I had very little exposure or knowledge to chiropractics in my education and early career. I was always under the impression that it is for people with chronic back pain. Last autumn a friend of mine referred me to her chiropractor for a free consult and it wasn’t bad, but also not life-changing.
Recently I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with and getting adjusted by Dr. Cate, a skilled, knowledgeable and approachable chiropractor in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Earlier this year she explained she certainly pays attention to the spine; however her practice focuses on the whole body. I had never consider going to the chiropractor for my chronic knee issues, but was very curious to hear more about her practice. Recently Dr. Cate did a thorough full body exam (which I enjoyed because it was almost like a massage!). I especially appreciated her hands on approach instead of relying on “fancy machines” to diagnose and try to impress me.
Food for thought:
I share this experience because sometimes we don’t consider all of our options when it comes to what ails us. The human body is very resilient and often we just push through the pain, because it’s “not that bad” or we tell ourselves it will go away eventually.
If something is holding you back from doing regular exercise or even activities of daily care, I definitely encourage that you go to a provider (or 2-3) until you find somebody that can adjust your perspective and maybe even start to fix your problems.
by Lucy | Apr 27, 2015 | Motivational Mondays
Sometimes you have to do it wrong to learn how to do it right.
As an upcoming small business owner I find myself doing all sorts of new things. From researching information technology to becoming my own marketing and sales expert, there are all sorts of learning opportunities every week.
I joke that they did not even teach me how to spell in school (duh, that’s what spell-check is for!), let alone all this other business. As you can imagine while trying all these new things I’m not going to get it right the first time and last week I learned I really don’t like to do things wrong. This may explain why I didn’t make it past level 1 of swim lessons, but that’s another story.
Human nature includes a fear of failure.
Perhaps you’ve been wanting to try paddle-boarding? Or maybe you have always wanted to cook tofu. Possibly you’ve been thinking about trying yoga? Personally, I’ve been experimenting to cook my own Indian food, which is also learning experience!
Food for thought:
This week:
(1) Choose one new activity or food you’ve been thinking about trying
(2) Tell a friend or email me – [email protected]
(3) Put it on the calendar and/or to-do list
(4) Feel proud and inspired when you have successfully accomplished it!
If you need inspiration, I recommend checking out the local farmers market on Saturday morning for something fresh, local and delicious to make for Sunday’s family dinner.
Of course, your new activity could be to go check out the farmers market on Saturday morning!
by Lucy | Apr 20, 2015 | Motivational Mondays
While exploring the Franklin Park Conservatory with my friend, Cameron, last week we got to talking about how much more alive we feel when in nature. He is very connected to nature and I asked him to share what that means and how his connection affects his day-to-day life.
Q: What does it mean to you to be one with nature? 
Being one with nature means both respecting and participating in nature. Everything in nature finds balance, we as a species are currently in search of this balance.
Q: How has your connection to nature affected your health and well-being in the past year?
I have been blessed with wonderful health over the last year, the noticeable differences in my life come from my mood. When I am able to spend time with fresh air and plants I am always more calm and understanding, when I am confined indoors the first thing to go is my sense of balance with my emotions.
Q: Do you have any words of advice for someone interested in becoming more connected to nature?
Learn about ways that life comes into balance. For example cows and grass help each other, cows eat the grass to feed themselves while the saliva from the cows actually help the grass to heal. Animals and plants are completely dependent on each other, most plants inhale CO2 and exhale O2, and most animals do the opposite. The more I’ve learned about the many relationships between species the more I truly began to see how we are a part of nature and nature is a part of us.
Q: Does your connection to nature affect your food or activity choices? If yes, how?
This is an interesting question as right now I have a bit of an internal conflict going on around my food. There is a part of me that feels so connected to animals that I am having a harder and harder time eating them. It’s also increased my understanding of the importance of eating non-processed foods. Animals and humans remain healthier when eating food as close to nature as possible.
by Lucy | Apr 13, 2015 | Motivational Mondays
I fancy myself a fairly relaxed person, but when I notice the other drivers on the road are more annoying than usual I can safely assume that I’m probably stressed out.
At times, I do not yet know what I’m worried about. Could it be an interview or business meeting? Something regarding my health? Or perhaps an upcoming trip?
Talking with a friend – in the woods of course – she explained how relieved she was after her team successfully completed a project last Friday. My friend then said she did not even realize how stressed and preoccupied she was until Friday came and she felt that sigh of relief. It got me wondering, how often are we responding to things out of stress or worry and not thinking clearly?
I believe one healthy way to cope with this is through meditation or prayer. I’m curious, how do you deal with it?
Some of us are able to turn to things like exercise such as dancing, kickboxing or crafting projects to deal with stress. Others might be apt to turn to food, alcohol or tobacco. Clearly, some of these choices and coping mechanisms are healthier than others.
Food for thought
First step is recognizing.
If you find yourself reaching for a less healthy coping strategy first say it out loud; “Yes, I am eating these cookies because I’m stressed out!”
From here, you are able to take away some power from the food because you know in your mind that cookies will not make your problems or stress go away. That doesn’t always mean that we won’t eat a couple anyway, but maybe we will eat less or instead go on a walk to clear your mind.
