Category Archives: How-To

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Tuesdays With Terrie

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tuesdays-with-terrie-croppedWell, well, well….it’s now been 9 days that I’ve been unable to do anything exercise wise.
Needless to say, I’m not a happy camper. So, what the heck could I write about that would be beneficial to everyone as a result of this event?

There really is always a silver lining however. That’s what I want to share with you today.

Brief background for those who haven’t heard my whining (ha ha). Last Sunday morning while trying to “install” a device that is intended to help my back (a desk extension that elevates the desk top so you don’t sit all day long – not good for your system), my short stature allowed me to only go so far in the lifting attempt. Then I heard and felt a vertebrae move in my back. Since then, well, you can just imagine.

Here’s the good that came from it:

  •  I wasn’t feeling great Monday but had to go to work for a going away luncheon and left work early to go home and go to bed. But instead, I was leaving at exactly the right time to be able to take a detour and help a very good friend get through something that was very painful. If I hadn’t been hurt and leaving early, then I would not have been able to be there! How cool is that?
  •  I have been standing pretty much constantly both at work and home. This has helped increase the time on my feet which should eventually help my endurance (it’s all about time on your feet) when I can get back to running.
  •  I have found that standing helps your entire gastrointestinal process, something which I had been having problems with. The standing has allowed this amazing human body I have to do what it’s supposed to do (we were NOT created to sit so much). That was a very welcome benefit to all this.
  •  I’ve gotten to see two people I hadn’t seen in about 7 months – my AIRROSTI and my Acupuncture providers. They are not only medical practitioners but also very good friends and it was wonderful to see them.
  •  I remembered (finally) my proteolytic enzymes and started taking them and am starting to feel better.
  •  Not being able to run or do other exercise has given me the time to spend studying my coaching course which is very time intensive.
  •  Not being able to run has shown me how important running is to me.
  •  Posting once on Facebook about my withdrawal problems has resulted in an outpouring of support which I greatly appreciate.
  •  Most importantly, I did NOT revert to my past performance matrix of going to work to get more done to “catch up” since I can’t run or do much of anything else. It took me a long time and intense work to get out of that habit.
  •  This has forced me to work standing up and I am liking it.

I’m sure there are other positives (silver linings) but this is enough to give you the idea. If you look for the good, it is there. Sometimes we’re looking for major things and we miss the little ones. In my experience it’s the little things that ad up to the major ones!

Hope this helps you look at things differently in your life.

Terrie

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“What Would ________ Do?”

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what wuold x do 2Have you seen the wrist bands with the letters WWJD? I didn’t know what that was but Anne told me it stood for “What Would Jesus Do?” The young man who had it on his wrist appeared to want to live a wholesome life and was working hard to make a living. I am certain that Jesus was a great inspiration for him.

I thought about this for quite awhile and realized that everyone could use this concept, regardless of their religious beliefs. You just fill in someone else’s name for Jesus in the phrase “What Would _____ Do?”

The person whose name you use could be someone famous, alive or dead, or someone who has had a personal influence on your life (alive or dead too). And the neat part about this strategy is that you can use different people for different situations. I might have a hero ultra runner about whom I would think when I’m in a tough period of a race. But when live is providing some challenges for me, I might draw upon another person – when I need courage I know two people who I think are my heroes – they have both been enduring treatment for cancer this past year and I know they have much more courage than I do. So, when I think I want to give up on something or can’t go on, then one of their names always pops into my head and I say “What would Sally do?” (Name changed to protect their anonymity). Another person whom I admire is the woman who is choosing when to end her life rather than suffering the pain and humility of death from a brain tumor (a horribly painful condition). She has also chosen to speak out to help raise awareness in hopes to help others in similar situations. That is amazing when you consider many others on their last part of the journey would be very selfish and think only about what would make them happy.

I also admire the young girl who is dying also I believe of a brain tumor and wanted to fulfill her dream of playing in a basketball game. She came to practice every day and thanks to the support of everyone she was able to accomplish that goal with about only 2 weeks left in her life. Despite the pain and fatigue she kept showing up and being part of the team. Can you imagine what toughness that girl has? I only wish I had a tiny bit of her courage and strength.

Give this some thought and come up with someone (or several someones) who have inspired you and who has qualities you wish you had. Insert that person’s name in the “What would ____ Do?” and call upon their memory whenever you need some help.

Who’s on your wrist?

Terrie

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Divine Wisdom

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divine wisdomYou can be a success if you rely on Divine Wisdom. Often when we’ve done something that hasn’t turned out exactly like we would have wanted, we think back and say something like “I just knew that wasn’t the right thing to do” – that means you didn’t listen to Divine Wisdom.

What is Divine Wisdom? People call it different things but it’s the Universal Mind which knows all. It can also be considered your inner source, your connection to the universe.  Your source is that connection to all that there is and your source knows  what is the correct course of action for you.

You hear me talk about always saying “Show me the way”. You can use this when you’re not certain what to do or you can use it all the time. This simple statement will guide you and give you the answers that you are looking for.

I did this when I was trying to figure out what to take with me for my Tennessee run. I packed and repacked and just couldn’t decide. So, I took a few minutes, a few deep breaths and said out loud “show me the way”, “show me what pack I should take and whether I should check my bag or try to cram it all in for carry-on”. Then I sat for a bit in silence and let the answer come to me. After that, I acted without indecision.  I realized that I would deal with whatever came to me once I had made my choices after “consulting” with the Universe (Divine Wisdom).  I love that peaceful feeling once I know I have received the correct information.

We second guess ourselves way too much.  Whenever you find yourself doing that, do what I did. It only takes a few seconds and you will be surprised at how calm you feel when you’re done. As you divine-wisdom1feel that sensation, you will know you’ve made the right decision.

Some people call it intuition or their “gut” feeling. I’m sure there are other names it’s called but it all boils down to the same thing – your source will speak to you if you ask it.

I frequently also use the phrase “Let the Truth Be Revealed” – this is one I use when I’m not really after an immediate answer but want to know what is going on with a situation or if I want others to see the truth of a situation. But you certainly can use it to assist you perhaps with more complex scenarios that you’re not sure how to maneuver.

The key point to all of this is that you know that there is an energy outside of you (although it is also within you) that will provide you with the answers you need when you are uncertain about something. Just as you do when you’ve used contrast to figure out what you want, you simply have to ask for the answer.

Terrie

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Stories, Stories and More Stories

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newspaper navy yard shooting The tragic Navy Yard shooting yesterday brought a few items up for me (that’s where I worked for 9 years before I retired):

  1. I think that people seem to have become immune (or maybe numb/anesthetized) to events like this and that bothers me.
    • It first struck me last week when the news sites had very very little coverage of 9/11. People where I work (on an Army base even) didn’t even bother to observe the moment of silence – not one single moment. That disgusted me.
    • Yesterday as I was driving home there was a talk show (another thing I normally pay no attention to fortunately) and the guy’s primary concern was whether the news folks in Texas should be talking more about the shooting or the fact that we finally got rain. That is really pathetic. He was not even concerned about all the flooding in Colorado. I know we are in the midst of a big drought here but come on – what are the important things in life?
    • Almost none of my Facebook friends even acknowledged the shooting. That made me wonder about my friends. It was all about running and internet business and food and whatever else they normally posted about. Nothing different. Funny that the runners were “all over” the Boston Marathon Bombing but this event seemed “unimportant” to everyone.
  2. I remembered why I don’t watch the news last night. It’s NOT news. It’s a bunch of opinions and slurs and stirring everyone up to be afraid.  Even the one good news story (the raising of the Concordia ship) was minimally covered sitting_on_news_text_reading_paper_400_clr_9470and they emphasized the cost and problems – not the fact that this is the first time this has been done and how it will help lead the way for other salvage operations. The news is supposed to report the facts. I suppose that if they did that, there would be no material for all the time they have to fill. Imagine if they had to fill a full 24 hours every single day with just facts! What a challenge that would be for them. Because I was stationed at the Navy Yard I am somewhat qualified to render an opinion about some of what they reported as “facts”.  These were not facts, they were misinterpretations, they were statements by people who were willing to go on the radio to say stupid, inciteful things just to get some acknowledgement. I remembered why I don’t watch the news.
  3. People all have their stories and they carry them around like a gunny sack of rocks.

If you just concentrated on the facts that occurred yesterday you would be able to make an informed opinion on what happened – if an opinion was/is even required. What are the facts? This man was formerly in the Navy; he worked as a subcontractor and had access to the Navy Yard as a subcontractor; He gained entry to this particular building carrying at least 1 weapon if not more; he opened fire and killed 12 people and wounded several others; he died during this event.

There are more facts but other than for the law enforcement investigators, what difference do they make to you or me? Ok, maybe we “need” to know if it was an act of terrorism and if so, are there others out there that could be planning other events. I’m not sure I “need” to know that as opposed to needing to know if they found out positively that there was other potential danger. Do I need to know about his background and about him working at a restaurant etc? Heck no. What import does that have for me? Not a bit. So why should I clutter up my mind and my thoughts and feelings with all the emotional reporting that is going on about this. These folks are not expressing sorrow and desire to help the families and other victims (those that were frightened at being shot at etc). They are trying to stir people up and get them going – this time it’s once more about gun control. It’s to perpetuate fear. I think people are good enough at creating and living their fears without the help of the media magnifying those fears. I also heard these same news people reporting that if the government shut down in October then in a couple of weeks the US wouldn’t be able to pay it’s bills and would be “broken”.  They snuck that in but you know that’s another fear generating story they are implanting in us.

story wiht baggageWhat stories are you carrying around? I talked about this last week or the week before.  Can you change your past (and even present) stories into “feel good” (or maybe even neutral) stories instead of the bad news stories we make them. Bad things happen but what we feel about them is what counts.  We can replay an event, see it as just a series of facts (without applying/feeling the emotions) and have it be a part of our past – without negative influence. What types of good things can you pull out of that experience once you extract the negative emotions? What have you learned? How has your life changed and how can you change it even more in a positive way.

I’m not discounting how we are affected by events and situations but it’s how we respond and later relive that has to be changed. If you don’t work at changing your feelings about those things, you will continue to be miserable and you will continue to attract more of the same.  We are not taught to “spin” our stories in a positive direction. We are just taught to tell them. Often we go into great detail so that we can tell an “interesting story”.  Consider not even telling your story. Allow it to dissipate in power. Or see if you can write it out or talk it out putting the positive spin on it. Start small and work your way up. It’s a new habit but one that will change your life!

All those that think I went on a rant are free to comment. You are right, it is a rant but there’s also an important metaphysical lesson here if you want to attract more good things in your life.

Terrie

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What’s Missing In Your Life….The Story of My Dog

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I bet you’re wondering what on earth my dog has to do with what’s missing in your life….am I right?

What could an animal have to do with your life? What could an animal you don’t even know have to do with your life?

Grab a cup of tea or coffee and find out…

As some of you may remember, one of my two Siberian huskies died almost 2 years ago.  I was left with Jackie and things have been rough with her (health wise) for the past year…but that will come later.

I had Jackie and Crystal for 9 years before Crystal left us. I was always yelling at them…dead birds in the house – once there was a possum (fortunately I was away and my neighbor got the brunt of that wonderful woman that she is). I had to get bookcases with glass doors so they wouldn’t eat the books. I had to “doggie proof” the house every day when I went to work – put things away or push them away from the edge of the table or counter, close all the doors etc. Don’t get me wrong – I loved them but they were what I considered “typical” huskies – always in trouble.

Well, once Crystal left and it was just Jackie and me, I quickly realized that Jackie was THE PERFECT DOG. I have had dogs all my life and she is the most well behaved and really perfect dog I’ve ever seen. She does NOT get into anything, doesn’t catch things, doesn’t get up on the counter or table, doesn’t eat books etc. AND she follows commands. I was truly amazed…but also felt pretty guilty. Why? Because I had spent all these years yelling at both of them when it was really only Crystal that was being bad, not Jackie. I should have been loving her for being so special.

What had happened is what happens to many of us. We don’t look beyond the surface. We go along with a blind eye to the details or to what’s behind the external appearance. How often have you hear “don’t judge a book by its cover”? That’s the same thing. And I’ll tell you that that has happened to me more than once. I have had people ignore me in furniture stores or house shopping because I was wearing blue jeans or cut off shorts. But then when they find out I wanted to pay cash for the whole enchilada (if I stayed in that store – remember “Pretty Woman” where the lady wouldn’t wait on her and she had all that money to spend), their attitude was different.

So what should you do now? Take a look around you but don’t be in a hurry for once – we move way too fast in this world today. Look at things in your life but then look past the surface. Is there something beneath the surface that you are grateful for or that has more meaning than you think. What’s right there in front of you that you’ve been searching for all your life.  Have you read “Acres of Diamonds“? You should – it’s about a man who wanted to be rich and was searching all over his world for diamonds and sold his land to go search some more. Turns out there were diamonds all over his very own property but he had never looked there.

What riches are you missing out on because you’re not looking?

Once you find those riches, do not neglect them! Pay attention to what you love and find today.

Terrie