Protecting your morning

I read something by Dan Miller the other day about protecting your morning that I have been reflecting on. Check out his routine on slide #5. I have been thinking a lot about how I spend my mornings and how that sets the tone for the day. As the article says, "The first hour is the rudder of the day." I'm trying to get my quiet time and workouts done in the morning because I operate better that way, but I've also started thinking about how I spend my get-ready time and drive time. I used to listen to War of the Roses on 107.5 every Thursday morning, but I've since stopped doing that. That segment just allowed me to be entertained from someone's heartbreak. I've tried to find uplifting, happy songs/messages to start my day right. If you have any tips for incorporating other good things into your morning, let me know. I'm a sponge for this stuff.

Not your average workout

I almost killed Justin by talking him into trying Team Training with me. It was a Biggest-Loser-Jillian-wants-you-to-puke day. He made it through one of the circuits and the next thing I know, he's looking green under the gills.

But no wonder-- the boy gets up at 5:05, throws on some clothes and walks out the door. I try to give myself a little longer to do my morning bible study, drink some OJ and get ready. And this is not your average workout. (One of the older ladies, 60ish, trying the class said "I would not pay money to do this.") Even the warmup had me exhausted with the plyos and crawling work we were doing on the floor. I started saying "I can't do this," but I stuck with it and felt much better after I started letting out a few "woot woots" and counting out loud the last 10 seconds of each circuit. Our trainer is tough but sweet. My reaction to her telling me so sweetly the impossible thing I'm about to do is to laugh. Laughing is better than whining, right.

So the workout was killer but after I got home and took a shower, I started bouncing off the walls. I feel great; just sad I have to sit behind a computer all day. I'm ready to conquer the world. :)

Getting Ready for Gymapolooza

Justin has been talking to me lately about wanting to go back to the gym and get into a routine of going. That's fine by me; I don't mind working out at 5:30 and I actually enjoy the exercise part of losing weight. The dieting part is another story. There are so many great foods out there that just don't compare to pizza and mac n' cheese. Anyway, Justin had mentioned going back to Brooke at DAC to be our personal trainer. I found something on Facebook today and figured it was a sign from God to get off my butt. DAC in Southaven is starting a new personal training concept called Team Training, where there are 8 people in a group training together. The exercises are more functional, so they strengthen your muscles in the same way that you actually use them from day to day. For the next 2 weeks, they are offering a free trial and we are definitely on the list for the class the next 2 Saturdays starting 2/20. I'm on the reserve list for a couple of other classes and we'll just see what happens. Some of the exercises looked like what I've seen on Biggest Loser, so that's exciting. Check out the YouTube video from DAC.

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar

I got the coolest story in my inbox this morning and wanted to share. I'd love to get this guy's cab and get some tips on how to stop being a duck.


Ducks Quack - Eagles Soar

No one can make you serve customers well....that's because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed Harvey a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment....

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' Harvey said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today..'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed Harvey another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts...

'Tell me, Wally,' Mr McKay asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers.. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. Harvey says he's probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever he goes to their cities, he gives them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told him all the reasons they couldn't do any of what he was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

Starting the career coaching process

I mentioned in the last post that I was going to start the career coaching process by filling out a questionnaire for Dan Miller. I started answering all the questions last Friday and finished yesterday. Some of them were doozies and really got my wheels turning. Thought I would share a couple just to start some good discussion.

• If the doctor told you today you had 6 months to live, what would you do in those remaining months? I realized that I would do a lot more to help others. Right now, it seems like I spend way too much time in a bubble. My little job, my husband, my friends, etc. Spending so much time on me isn't a very good legacy.
• What are you doing in your life now that will last forever? This was a bit depressing as I realized how short that list is. Only the things we do for God's Kingdom will last forever, so I need to get busy serving others.
• In writing your epitaph, what would you want people to remember about you? I identified two things-- I want people to see that I love God and that I lived each day to the fullest. Even though I have a pretty outgoing personality, I am a timid Christian and that needs to change. And I certainly don't live each day to the fullest. I survive Monday through Friday and spend the weekend being lazy and spending time with Justin.

The questionnaire was a great exercise in getting me to evaluate my life. Even though some of the things I discovered weren't so great, it at least opened my eyes. I pray that God does something extraordinary in my life and pushes me outside my box. (I know I should be careful what I ask for. My box is comfy.) :)

A Brand New Day

Well, yesterday was rotten to the core, but today is a new story. My work situation is still a disaster, but I sense God telling me that it's time to take a risk-- time to ditch my job and go find my calling.

I've started re-reading Dan Miller's book 48 Days to the Work You Love and I read something today that I had missed the first time. Isaiah 65:21 is talking about heaven and says: "In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards." Apparently, there will be work in heaven; we'll be building houses and growing vineyards. Who knew? If work is important enough that we'll have it in heaven, God definitely doesn't want me wasting my life on earth going to a job that makes me want to poke my eyeballs out. When you wish for Jesus to come back on Sunday so you don't have to go to work on Monday, you know it's bad.

I really feel like it's time to step out of the boat and trust God. He knows the desires of my heart and he wants me to live an abundant life. I just have to totally give up control and jump out in faith-- always the hardest part for me. The past 24 hours has been a revelation to me; the only thing that is keeping me in this situation is me. Now is the time to be bold-- to hold His hand and jump.

Work is the devil

I think I can safely say that this has been a rough week. I had applied for two positions at STJ and found out the status of them both this week.

The first was the same job I have now, just one level up. My management had asked me to apply for it and then ended up offering it to someone else. Pretty much a slap in the face to me. I guess they were comfortable taking the risk since the job market is bad, and they think I'll stick around and suck it up.

The second was for a job in marketing which would be very different from what I'm doing now. More creative, strategic, etc. I did awesome on the interview, but got a call from HR today saying the position would not be filled.

So now I'm back at square one. I just wish God would show me what I'm meant to do. Maybe He's trying, but I'm not getting it. Back to the job hunt again. I can't keep doing a job I hate for people I don't respect anymore.

Groundhog Day

While I was getting ready this morning, I was able to catch Punxsutawney Phil announce that we are going to have six more weeks of winter. Naturally, like the majority of other people watching, I immediately thought of Bill Murray and the movie Groundhog Day. Then I checked my Hotmail this morning to find an email from Dan Miller with the following thought: Whatever you do, don't get stuck in your own version of Groundhog Day like Bill Murray did in the movie of the same name. Make each day a new day, full of activities that bring excitement and joy to your life.

For some reason, that depressed me. I feel a lot like Bill Murray, especially Monday through Friday. It seems like I'm often on the cusp of seeing my life become exactly what I want, but I can't figure out how to get to the other side. I want to be closer to God and be doing something for His Kingdom. I want to finally get control of my health and stop letting the extra weight limit my life. I want out of yet another useless job and into something that I love to do. It seems all I have are wishful thoughts and I can never make it to where I'm trying to go. All my goal-setting, fresh starts and plans seem to fall flat after a couple of days.

Frustrating. I'm determined to live an abundant, extraordinary life, but I can't figure out how to ditch the ordinary.