charalove

I’m taking French 1 this semester. I do well with reading, writing, and grammar, but find Polish pronunciation a heck of a lot easier.

My move from the SF Bay Area started with a road trip to New Jersey… then down to Virginia to live… then to Florida to live (but I flew!)... then to Georgia to live (drove)... now I’m getting ready to drive back to the Northern California coast! This is definitely worth doing… lonely at times… but a great learning experience.

I’m a terrible navigator and always get lost, so I’m thinking of biting the bullet and investing in a super-duper Garmin navigator. Those things rock!

It all started when me and a friend (and my chihuahua mix) drove from my hometown in the San Francisco Bay Area to New Jersey… I moved down to Charlottesville, VA, then to Orlando, FL, then to Savannah, GA, and now… I’m on my way home! Back across the country… here I come :-) This is WORTH DOING.

Yeah, this is a cool one because you come to realize that you don’t need one “home run” site—if you have 10 sites making $1 a day, you’re at $300/mo. 50 sites = $1500/mo… yeah, that’s feelin’ good!

This is definitely worth doing. Once you have it… it’s auto-income.

Isn’t it embarrassing when someone’s like, “Oh my gosh, hi [your name], I’ve not seen you in so long!” And you’re like… “Yeah… hi! How are you?” ...And your mind races, struggling to recall, feeling the guilt of not remembering her name when she remembered yours.

Yeah. It sucks. Here’s a little trick: After introducing yourselves the first time, repeat their name back to them (“I’m Matt.” “Good to meet you, Matt.”) Then once, in conversation, use it again. Upon departure, use it once more (“Take care, Matt…”)

The repetition will help you pull up the name quickly the next time you come in contact with the person!

Check out PuppyFind.com! I found my precious chihuahua on there! You can search by breed and see pictures and descriptions… it’s great. Just make sure you go with a reputable breeder.

Days when I wake up early, I’m blessed to encounter the quiet and peacefulness and briskness of the morning. It’s my prayer & devotional time and sometimes, a 1/2 hour walk or jog to start the day.

The morning hours are really, really precious.

The easiest way to wake up early is to go to bed earlier! Trust me on this one! Waking early is NOT cool when you’re running on no sleep. It’s difficult, then, to even enjoy the morning.

Ask yourself if you REALLY need to stay up with your friends, surfing the Internet, or watching a movie you don’t even like. It’s ok to feel lame for going to bed at 10 or 11. People will call you an old man or old lady, and you can just smile and say, “I know, I am” and wake up rested and ready to be blessed by the beauty of your morning time.

If you write much on the computer - even just emails, but especially long journal or blog entries - you don’t know what you’re missing by not typing with all 10. It’s amazing… being able to watch the words pour out onto the screen at the very moments you’re thinking the thoughts in your head.

I took a keyboarding class in high school (as a requirement). Thank God. You can check out your local junior college or get typing software. But, don’t buy typing software if you know it’ll collect dust and you won’t be motivated! Evaluate your style—are you self-motivated or do you work better with the accountability of a teacher and a class full of people?

Go for it! It’s totally worth it!

A big motivator for me was reading a Muhammed Ali comment – he said something to effect of, “Some days I loved training and some days I hated every minute of it.” Realizing that to build endurance, muscle – and character! – we have to push as hard as we can… and then a little bit harder. We have to know that every minute isn’t going to be a blast, and some days we’ll hate it, but it will be worth it. Get a visual in mind of when you were smaller & more fit. Think of how easy it was to get dressed (things slid right on – no bulges in unwanted places!), how carefree you felt about your body, not always adjusting your clothes and hoping no one noticed your weight gain.

Hold that picture in your mind. Then keep going.

A couple things that have helped me: DON’T think about how much you hate cardio… before you even get to the gym! Tell yourself, “I’m going to put my gym clothes on, get in the car, and start driving.” Not so hard, huh? And once you’re in the car, you know you’ll drive till you’re at the gym. Once at the gym, you know you’ll do your full workout.

DO start your workout with weights instead of cardio—not so demanding, intimidating, or so much of a turn off to going to the gym in the first place!

DO bring a magazine. Or a book that stays open without you holding it. It makes time go by soo much faster.

DO think productive thoughts while you’re working out. Visualize yourself at your goal weight, solve a problem you’ve been mulling over, or whatever.

DON’T look at the clock! Cover it up if you can. Time goes by so slowly if you’re glancing every ten seconds!

Hope this helps! I’m working at it too! :)