I watched a chat between Trevor Timbeck (one of the authors of The Power of Systems) and Dominic Scaffidi. At one point in the video Trevor compares our body to a bell. When you hit a bell it has these beautiful sounds and resonance. But if you stuffed that bell full of cottonballs and hit it, it would just make a THUD. He said that this is what most of us have done to our bodies. Stuffed it full with cotton balls. I could really picture that, and so it just made me think of all the ways we 'stuff our bodies with cottonballs' and dull everything. Interesting. Anyway...he says it WAY better than I have explained it here! 🤣

The monthly call this today was amazing. Wendy must be a mind reader. I have been beating myself up, ruminating, regretting, and then doing it more in regard to a purchase I made. I "should know better by now and know how to stop the nagging." Forgiving myself was a key takeaway. I am implementing a new system. I am starting with Clean, Clean, Clean. In addition, I say the statement Wendy shared regarding "I forgive myself for judging myself for_____. And doing rest of routine while I Tap Tap Tap!! I can tweak it and make it my own; however, I am just starting and not "trying" to get it perfect to start. I will be listening to the call again!

This was a short passage from the book "Power of Systems: How to Create a Life that Works" that I highlighted in my Kindle. "I become bogged down trying to find out what psychological qualities I need to add to achieve what I wish to achieve. But as the saying goes, spending all my time in the wishing well has me emerge with a wishbone instead of a backbone." The metaphor of being in the wishing well is quite powerful for me. I am working at developing my backbone, rather than my wishbone!! 🤣

Today I read a quote that said something in the lines of "life is change. Growth is optional" and I had to reflect on it for a minute, feeling profound gratitude for another incredible Fall day, a delightful lunch with @Valerie Kendall (who provides the most amazing hugs), a squeezed in power session at the gym and the opportunity to share the wins and a minute of daily gratitude with this community. Because here we choose Growth every single day, and we choose it with intention. Few people feel and are part of communities that grow. We are incredibly lucky. As per embracing the change.... I had a great walk with the dog in a sunny morning, a short and wet one in the afternoon and a very snow-white, slippery one tonight....🙄... Not impressed by the 3rd walk.... Not impressed at all.... But can't change it, so let's embrace that as well.

The other day, I was walking and listening to a Mel Robbins podcast. You know when you have a podcast that is just giving you lots of little gems, and you keep having to get out your phone and take notes? Well, for me, this episode was like that, and I am sharing it here as there were a number of moments where I was like, "Oh yes, Wendy talks about this!" The podcast title is "How to reinvent yourself & Make the greatest comeback of your life (at any age)." Here are my takeaways or notices. 🚖 I love how she started off using the metaphor of a road trip to describe our lives. As in, "Life is like a road trip and even though we will all have detours along the way, we are never starting over from scratch." ⚠️ She encouraged us to think of our age as a mile marker. I am currently on mile marker number 54. There is a long road still ahead, which is an exciting thought! In her mind, her best years are ahead of her! 💙 She talked about how when something bad happens in your life or to someone you love, think of it like a detour. If you were on your road trip and you had a flat tire, you wouldn't just keep going. You would pull to the side and think about what to do next. She talked about how every detour in life is aligned with pushing us towards the life we are supposed to live. 👀 Mel talked about imagining that you're staring at the open road on your road trip; there’s always something to look forward to, right?? Looking back in your rearview mirror is no fun. It is similar to the 'Taking Stock' in TAMPELL. Wendy reminds us that just like the GPS in your car, it doesn’t care where it went yesterday. ⏰ She referred to a study done by Laura Vanderkamp (she has written many books on how we spend the hours in our day) in 2021 of people who were busy and burnt out. What she discovered was that instead of quiet quitting or reducing the things they were doing, actually ADDING something into their life that was meaningful had way more impact on their lives. 💭 In the last 5 minutes of the podcast, she also has a message from a listener who has finally embarked on a lifelong dream of becoming a voice-over artist! There again I thought of Wendy when she talks about our "Dumpster Dreams."