It is what It Is!

Purpose – schmurpose! LOL 20 days down and I've spent most of it rather down … but not quite out... due to some of life's unexpected troubles. :( The damages are reversing, healing, returning to normal, slowly. But, as usual, it's not going to stop me from moving toward my goals!

And I am still moving ahead WITH PURPOSE! I am determined that even starting my business month 33% behind (so to speak) will not keep me from building my business!

Same for SPARKnEarthlyBest – no progress to report, but no backsliding either!

On the green front... we are doing LOTS BETTER at eating REAL FOODS! I found a few new blogs to follow in this effort of avoiding processed foods more:

100daysofrealfood.com and foodformyfamily.com and eatingrules.com

If you have any interest at all in eating less processed foods, more organic foods, or more local foods you may find one or all of these very helpful! :)

And with ANDEE365 – Wow! Have we been 'thru the ringer' and then some! It wasn't fun. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. :( However, we have had some extensive family discussions about the things that have happened and the things that could yet happen. These have resulted in a number of things improving around here. But there are still some “issues” to resolve ~ aren't there always such things in large families? LOL So, we move ahead! We go forward WITH PURPOSE! We take stock of where we are at; where we want to go; and which path(s) we want to take to get there.

I do have to say this: In the last 20 days I've talked to a number of locals and met some really nice people! This makes me look forward even more to what's ahead as I seek out more and more of the people of my little town and help them understand what a wonderful thing I have for them with my company! :) There are lots of hard-working folks around here who are barely getting by and really struggling to find that “something” that will help them get to the next check, help them get to feeling better so they can do more to meet their families' needs, and give them hope for a brighter future. Before long they will all know! I can't wait to share what I have with all of them!!!

I close with this:

"Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

~ Steve Jobs (Feb. 24, 1955 – Oct. 5, 2011)

Quick! Time's almost up!

Not much time just now, but really wanted to get a little note out here:


There are improvements in my 100# goal... check my SPARKnEarthlyBest blog for details! :)


There is news in my new business as well... read about it in my Eco~Mom~Andee blog!


And in things around here moving in an earthly best direction... 
using cloth shopping bags more consistently;
making more foods & meals from scratch;
removed about 80% of the toxic products from our home;
steadily finding more ways to conserve, to reduce, to reuse, to recycle, to repurpose more and more things in our lives in an effort to live healthier and more purposeful lives to our earthly best!

It Takes Money:

So I just keep on keeping on, and hanging on, and going on!


There is so much I wish to do but this body of mine doesn't wish to cooperate so often. :(  You know the saying, "It takes money to make money" ??? (Sure you do - everyone does)  Well, it's true; but so is this! It takes money to regain health!


Why is it that the more you see a doctor, the more you need to see a doctor?  And why is that when a doctor gives you a prescription for one ailment it causes a few others to develop for which you need a few more prescriptions for?  Why aren't doctors really interested in helping people get healthy?


MONEY!


That's what it's all about! Money!  See, if the doctors make you well then you don't need to see them so much so they don't make as much money.  And if they don't give you a prescription when they see you then the pharmacy guys don't make as much money either.  And somewhere in the picture are all the other entities that make a little money with every visit: the clinics, the hospitals, the labs, the insurance companies... there are so many people (jobs) with a vested interest in keeping you coming back time after time.  You wouldn't come back if you were well!!!


HOW does it take money to regain health?


The basic recipe to regain health is to do what your body needs to be healthy.
1. You need to stop doing things that make it unhealthy.
2. You need to start doing things that help it be healthy.
3. It's best to both 1 & 2 at the same time until you regain full health.


Sounds so simple!  So easy!  Right?


Wrong!!!


Let's take #1 - what makes us unhealthy?
Pollution, chemical exposures, poor quality foods, a lack of nutrients in whatever we take in, lack of exercise.  That's about it.  "Garbage IN, Garbage OUT" is really all our unhealthy bodies are saying to us!


Let's stop it! 
Pollution - just for us personally it's expensive to remove pollutants from our environment.  Same with chemical exposures.  Poor quality foods - we can buy higher quality at a higher price. So again we're back to money.  Same thing for nutritional values of anything we eat or drink... takes more money to get more quality.  Exercise is maybe the one thing that doesn't need to cost more for us - we just need to make it a higher priority in our lives and do it more often.  But exercise alone generally won't make us completely healthy.
To regain health takes money!


Let's look at #2! Start buying better quality foods with higher nutritional values... those cost more, but aren't you worth it?  Remove all the chemicals from your home - the cleaning stuff, the shampoos, toothpaste, body washes, soaps, cosmetics, air fresheners, etc. Watch for furnishings that contain chemicals that emit fumes into your home.  And what about the foods and drinks you consume? Some are loaded with chemicals and carcinogens and other harmful stuff.  Read all the labels carefully!  Ask questions!  Do your research!
But, to do a really top-notch job (there's a lot of stuff to replace!) with this it takes more money!


I mean, let's face it!  Look around you!  Who do you see with the most health problems?  Those with the least money! I'd be willing to bet that if you could take away the money issue, make it so everyone has equal access to the best quality foods and the highest level of nutritional value for everything they ate and drank then you would find lots more healthier people.  They would just keep on getting healthier too!


Right now I am so tired of always needing more money to keep doing what I'm already doing!  It's making it harder and harder to save up for things I really need yet! I need to eat totally organic foods, and drink totally organic beverages.  But the highly processed stuff is cheaper and fits my present budget better. :(  I need to build up my own business more. But that means more printing stuff from my home computer (business cards, flyers, info sheets, invitations, etc.) or paying someone else to do it.  I need to keep my bills (rent, utilities, phone, car, groceries, etc) paid up but that gets tricky when the cost for those things goes up and the income stays the same, or worse, goes down!


Bottom line... IT TAKES MONEY!!!

It's been awhile

Yes, it's certainly been a long time since my last post! :)


My list of links is growing - so I may just create a post soon that puts them all in one place and then more slowly I will add some info about them. Sorry, there won't be any with this post.


This is just a huge update of all sorts of things.  


First - the new kittens (born June 17th) and their mama got really sick in July and finally in mid-August (just before they would be 10 weeks old) we lost them all.  It's been a hard blow for all of us as we worked so hard and put so much into caring for them in efforts to save them all. :(


Second - in the ever-changing lives of my kids we have been having one crisis after another with different kids.  Of course, they are all adults now - but four still live with me - and just because they are legally adults doesn't mean they aren't still my kids. lol  Cars breaking down; jobs changing - cutting hours, laying off, or just being challenging in new ways; searching for jobs - first jobs, new jobs, different jobs; new health challenges developing; old health challenges getting worse; all in all, it's the same ol' - same ol' - never really changing status of needing more money than we have to care for all the things that come up.  It's not unlike a dog chasing it's tail - totally futile to attempt; but having done so, IF one should catch up then suddenly you find yourself getting bitten!


Third - we're into a decluttering mode - more now than ever.  It began when my sister moved out - and it's taking on a whole new meaning after attending our district convention at the end of July and then our circuit assembly at the beginning of September!  Now, it's not just get rid of things we're not using or haven't used in over a year; it's become get rid of things we don't really need. In other words, let's take a close look at every single thing in every single room of the house, including closets, porches, deck, garage and yard and let's see if we REALLY & TRULY NEED IT for survival. :)


This has become a huge project. One we hope to finish by the end of September. :)


I'm still working on building my business - ecomomandee.blogspot.com and I'm still working on my weight loss goals - sparknearthlybest.blogspot.com/ and like always I'll keep working on all these.  I'm not one to give up!

Goals - 365 days - 173 days - 51 days - 20 days

Goals - 365 days - 173 days - 51 days - 20 days!


The interesting thing about goals is that anyone can set them - anyone can say they are going to have "this goal" to shoot for.  But, does anyone meet that goal?  (Maybe)  Does everyone?  (Not at all!)  Of course, a few do actually meet their goals.  These people set a goal, keep it in mind, stay focused on it, and meet it on time!  I want to be one of these people!  :)


Today begins DAY ONE for me.  Some will say I'm nuts; some will say I'm trying to do too much; some will say it's not possible.  One or two people I know will say, "Go for it!" and/or "You can do it!"  Those people I want to keep close to help me when I feel like what all the others have said is true!


This blog has at this point a small bunch of followers (mostly lurking, not letting others know they are following) that actually know me personally, in real life, not just online.  Some day there will be more I'm sure but for now, to those few who stop to read I invite you to share with me a journey that goes beyond going green and getting healthy as it has been seen so far since I started this blog.


I am posting some goals for myself and will welcome your support to keep me on track with them. :)  


365 day goal: to be 100+ pounds lighter!  Huge goal (pun intended) for me and one I've had for a long time.  Things keep getting in the way. :(  Well, now I want that to change.  I know what to do to lose the weight.  I know how to do it safely, and so it will stay off after losing it.  But I keep letting other things pull me away from doing the tasks I need to do to meet this goal.  So, from this point on I need to remember to not allow that (feel free to remind me)!
(I will also be doing this one on my SPARKnEarthlyBest blog.)
WHY do I want this? Aside from the obvious fact of getting to a "normal" weight, I hope that losing 100+ pounds will improve my health, improve my mobility, improve my stamina, and even improve my battle with depression!


173 day goal: to be a Senior Director in my business!  This is big too!  The company has a plan they call Pacesetter that sets up your business goals to become a Senior Director within a year.  My team also has a plan; it ups the pace; follow that plan and you could become a Senior Director in 6 months!  Now, to add to that the company has just added an incentive to become a Director V (5) within my own Pacesetter time frame and they will give a bonus of $5,000!  I am in my first month for all of these potential goals!  173 days is what I have left to achieve them!  If I go for the Senior in Six plan I'll make Director V about halfway there (about 86 days)!
(I will also be doing this one on my EcoMomAndee blog!)
WHY do I want this?  One, for the money, of course, LOL  But two, and more importantly; achieving this success will release me from feeling dependent on others for the means to even have just a minimally simple life!


51 day goal: to have enrolled 20+ customers in my business!  That's what I do!  It's fairly simple - call people to set appointments for an overview of a healthier, safer, better way to shop and after they understand how it works then I enroll them so they can do it too!  Together we make a difference now in our homes, our lives, and our environments!
(I will also be doing this one on my EcoMomAndee blog!)
WHY do I want this? 20 customers by this point will have me on track to meet the 173 day goal.


20 day goal: to have enrolled 10+ customers in my business!  Same as 51 day goal but it's set to end at the end of July.  I already have 2 customers so I just need 8 more in the next 20 days. :)
(I will also be doing this one on my EcoMomAndee blog!)
WHY do I want this?  10 customers puts me well on track to meeting my goals!   Getting 10 every month right on through December will pretty much guarantee that I'll get to Senior Director by then.


Wondering why I'm putting all this out here in a blog?


Accountability for one! LOL
But also tracking and/or journaling the process or progress, lol.  
Maybe it will help others in some way or inspire them to do the same! :)