*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!

dear monday, Mr. Cat has me worried. He has been doing his screaming thing for the past three days a lot.  He woke me up three or four times last night. I think it scares him and he wants the comfort of me holding him (well, him laying on me).  I am going to call the vet tomorrow.  

I was awake from 3 a.m. on. Sigh...... I was going to head out on a walk once I got up, but it was raining.  Not that that ever stopped me before but I ended up working on this blog. I am so far behind.  I hope I can catch up soon.  I should have cleaned instead. My house really needs it right now.  I did clean the bathroom, does that count?  And the kitchen about a hundred times.  I asked Taylor and McKay what they wanted for dinner and Taylor said chicken bundles.  So I was the nice mom and made them. I had to do some chicken in the instapot and then ran to Kents for the other stuff.  They turned out good. I can't taste too well right now.  I've been on Zithromax but it doesn't seem to be helping. Must have bronchitis.  We ate dinner with the boys and then headed to the high school to see the play Legally Blonde.  It was really cute.  

We ran into the Packers after and they seem to be doing well after their big move.  I also talked to Carrie Hunt for a bit about the C word. She has survived breast cancer two, maybe even three times. She told me she has been praying for me since she heard.  She had tears in her eyes. She told me to not listen to people who say things like, "You must not be afraid to die now because you have had to face it head on."  I am definitely no where near that.  But it does change everything.  Life has become much more precious to me and I do not take it for granted...ever.  

dear tuesday, I had PT this morning.  It was pouring outside pretty much all day...week...month! There was no parking so I had to park on the street.  For some reason I regressed in my extension and only got a 3 cold.  I was a 2 last time.  I did get farther on my flexion though.  I was about a -2 warm.  I still have 5 degrees to go.  Everything is getting more bearable to do and so I upped some of the weights on my hamstring press and the level on the bike etc.  It's so nice to not have to do the fun station anymore.  But this ↓ is a close second. 

I headed home and my mom called me on my way home. We decided to head to Maddox for lunch since McKay was working and his last day is tomorrow.  Taylor and I met her and my dad there.  We were upstairs in a big room and the only ones there.  It was a lot of fun. McKay is really a great waiter.  I'm proud of him. I wish he liked it more, but he is so excited to quit.  He even remembered to give me extra beets with my salad.  I was pretty impressed. 

Taylor left his tip in a glass of water.  He learned that from me. Karen and I did that many moons ago actually in that very same room and location of the room.  Too funny.  I don't think McKay would agree. haha  

He gave us dessert but we brought it home because we were so stuffed. It was still pouring when we left.  It's been raining for over a week I think.  But, I do love the rain so I'm not complaining at all.  I practiced the harp for quite a while and then snuggled in my electric blanket because I was freezing.  I did my toes and then finished making dinner.  It was just me and Taylor. 

dear wednesday, Carson showed up and he is so fun to have around.  That little guy is seriously such a huge blessing. It's nice to have McKay home and around more as well.  He hung out in the sand box making some cool things.

It's amazing what you find on Google.  I searched it for a post I wrote in last week's Monday Memos and I decided to just google my name minus Boston Marathon.  So be prepared because here comes a stroll through memory lane!!!  I was surprised at what I found!!! I think I'll add for posterity!  So scroll on past to the next day.  Seriously...

My Sego Lily Blog Post Contest write up HERE appeared there for one thing!   I truly had no idea it even still existed. I guess they are right when they say once it's on the internet, it's always on the internet.  I had over 387 comments (aka votes) on my post.  After reading it again, I really wish I could edit it today, but I guess I need to just be grateful that even though it was lacking, it still won me the gig!  An entire year worth of free spa treatments!  Those were the days!  What I wouldn't give to be able to do that again!  There are at least 24 blog posts I did from each of the treatments I had.  I really should find them and screen shot those too because I am sure one day they will completely vanish and I put a LOT of time into those posts!  But for now, here is the one I wrote trying to win the whole thing:

And I also found the Mother of the Year announcement in the Ensign Magazine article HERE.  Even though they spelled my name wrong.  Actually, it's on LDS.org (ChurchofJesusChrist.org now).  

And the new State Board bios HERE. 

And HERE is the link to our American Mother's Blog that I was over way back when.
Here are few shots of the posts I wrote:

 From 2011

It's almost scary what you can find on a Google Search! 
On another note, American Mother's has afforded me SO SO SO many amazing opportunities that has enriched my life over the past 28 years!  I can't even imagine my life without that amazing organization that I have been so privileged to be a part of!  I have given back to it a lot of blood, sweat, and tears as well, but I have loved EVERY minute of it!  It has been one of the highlights of my life.  I guess I want to preserve some of it here. I really wish this ↓ was updated to this year, but at least I have this one: 

Here is a little better copy of it.  

McKay asked me the other day if I had ever been published.  I told him about some of the books I was in and the stories I have had published as well as the endorsements for other books (The Power of Positive Parenting by Glenn Latham and Christlike Parenting by him as well).  

 There is my endorsement at the very top ↓...

Why is it my name is always spelled wrong in these kind of things?  I would endorse this book a million times over!  I do have to say that this book is THEE VERY BEST parenting book on the entire planet!  This man KNEW what he was talking about and when you do what he tells you, it truly works like MAGIC!!!  I feel like every parent should leave the hospital with a copy of this book.  The world would be changed!  Sadly, Dr. Latham died and so he is no longer able to promote this.  Such a sad thing because if parents only knew how important his principles were and how well they work, everyone would be lining up to get a copy.  I bought a copy for each of my boys to give them when they became parents.  I already gave Sky his copy. Truly, the most amazing book out there!

This book is also amazing!  It is on a more religious nature but also INCREDIBLE!!!

There is another one that I am published in several places and I can't even remember the name of it.  It was a also a parenting book. Okay I googled some names I thought it might be and I was close enough to find it!  It is called "It Works For Us" by Tom McMahon.  Gosh I even found it online!!!  It was published in 1993 but you can still buy it!  

I am also in Simple Gifts by Lori Nawyn.  This one has my running story relating to Tyson.  

The bad thing with this one is she got my story wrong as far as names. Instead of it saying Tyson, it says Skyler.  That's kind of a huge mistake.  LOL  But it's a good book.  The other interesting thing is this book is a book of daily thoughts and inspirational stories to read one each day and my story begins on March 3rd which is Skyler's birthday.  Another interesting story with this book is I was asked by the author to send in my story to be a part of her book. I think she found me on Facebook and wanted me to write up my story and send it to her.  So I did.  But I never heard back from her.  One day Dave and I were visiting the Hipps, a new couple who moved into our ward we had never met and the lady told me that she had just read about my running story in a book that very day.  I was very puzzled and asked her what book she was talking about.  She went and got the book and showed me my story right there plain as day!  I had NO idea it had even been published.  The author had never contacted me after I emailed her the draft.  So I wasn't even sure she even wrote the book!  I wish she had contacted me so I could have corrected the name mistake.  

And then, of course, there is this AWESOME book that has my story of running the 2018 Boston Monsoonathon!  If you need some inspiration of something hard in your life, just read this book!  The stories in here are incredible as are the people who contributed.  I believe 100 runners contributed to this book.  You can order it HERE.

There are some more, but I have been racking my brain and it's empty!  hah  Maybe it will come to me, but I'm not counting on it! 

McKay and I got talking about some other things I had done and then he told me he had no idea I had done so much.  I hadn't really even told him very much. But it got me wondering if any of my boys really have any clue what things I have done in my past.  I don't really think they even know.  So I guess I am over posting on all these past things because I don't talk about it much with them and when I die at least I will have some kind of record of at least a few of the things.  That is IF they ever would take the time to read any of this.  Which I highly doubt!  LOL  But the historian in me can't help it.  I truly have a bug inside me to keep history of things.  One of my biggest guilt's is that I never kept up with the boys scrapbooks.  I took way too many photos and with five boys, a husband in medical school, residency and then a busy practice, not to mention busy church callings, most of the parenting stuff fell on me and frankly, I just didn't have the time.  But, it will always and forever be one of my greatest regrets.  I think seeing photos and things they accomplished, creates great self esteem in kids and so I will always wish I had done better at that.  I kept vigilant records of their daily life in teeny tiny small calendar squares that I wrote down EVERY SINGLE night as a journal.  I have tons of those but they never look at them and I wrote so small it's hard to read.  How sad is that?  Yeah....

And I also found THIS ↓

 I was a little disappointed they have the younger photo of him as what you first see.  I found the older photo but it's not what you see when you open it.   

 So, I tried to fix it at least for on here (for posterity of course)  ☺

Okay, that's it for now. Today I had harp.  I thought my lesson was at 10, but I messed up. It was at 9!  She was still able to do it at 10 but she had to leave by 10:30.  My lesson went well but her husband had to leave at 9:30 and so she had her hands full with her twin babies and two of her other kids.  They all were crying at one time and I felt so bad for her and for messing up and not being there at 9.  I am learning harmonics again (I almost had them down before the accident) and dang those things are hard to master!  The harp is a tough instrument in so many ways.  But, I am SO happy I am learning it!  It is one of my greatest joys in life.  I regret I didn't start sooner, but I am so grateful I am learning now.  I pray I can have many more years to learn so I can get really good and play at funerals and weddings and maybe even in church?  I'm not sure about that last one.  I will only do that IF someone else is playing a duet with a violin or flute or piano or singing and I am not the sole person.  I just love the way the harp sounds.  I have really come a long way but I still have SO far to go.  I don't love practicing because it is really challenging when I am trying to learn new things and master my songs, but I still love it and I am so grateful I have the blessing of being able to learn.  I am sure it would have come MUCH easier if I had done this when I was younger, but it is what it is. 

I ran and looked at a few furniture stores for a new couch and tables.  I found a couple, but just have such a hard time deciding!  I ran into Costco and the samples were my lunch today. Hah  McKay had to take my car to work because his is getting fixed so I stayed home after he left.  My leg is starting to actually look like normal again.  You can still see the extension isn't 100% but it's getting there!  YAY!

dear thursday, the wind howled big time last night.  The city had lots of trees that had uprooted.  Crazy. And there is still snow in many of the campgrounds up the canyon.  Memorial Day is Monday and that's not usually the case.  I went to lunch with Bonnie today.  We went to Idle Isle.  And stayed...umm....almost four hours!  Yeah.  But it didn't seem like that long. I could honestly talk to Bonnie all day.  We had a lot to catch up on.  LOL  Plus, it was really slow.  We talked about my Dr. appt with the specialist she referred me to and about her foot issues and her Boston trip to go see the Sox play. She said she thought about me the whole time they were there and that they did the Freedom Trail and her and Brad kept saying how amazing I was to run 26.2 miles because that 2.5 trail about killed them.  Haha  We talked about a ton of things. I think we are each other's counselors.  I am going to miss her terribly when they move when Brad retires.  I hope he doesn't for several more years.  She is a good friend and has taught me so much.  Her son in law is going through chemo right now for cancer (testicular) and it's been pretty rough. She constantly tells me I am amazing and how she knows I will beat this because I am a fighter and determined and there is nothing I can't accomplish. She told me that the way I have handled all this has been very inspiring to so many and that I am influencing many by the way I have chosen to deal with it.  It's nice to hear that from your friends.  We got into some deep things such as if we knew what our trials would be before we came to earth or if they come only from our choices and depending on our choices we would have different trials. It's an interesting thought.  She is more for the later and I am more prone to believe the former.  But, we weren't sure either way.  We shared a lot. 

I got my virtual medal (the police guy dropped it by). It's so cool.  I wanted to do the race, but obviously couldn't, but I found out they had a mile walk and so my first 2.5 walk is what I am counting as my virtual race.  I need some more motivation now to get out walking each day.  When I had a race in the future it was what motivated me to get out running each day.  Just walking is going to be hard to stay motivated! 

It was seminary graduation tonight.  I was debating if I should go and figured I better go and support Dave and those in our ward.  It was a nice meeting.  We stayed and chatted for a bit after.  The Packers were there and it was nice to see them for a bit.  Kathryn invited us over for rhubarb crisp afterwards and it was so good. They have re-done their kitchen and it was pretty.  Mont hung out with me.  He is such a cute kid.

Great article HERE. byCarlfred Broderick, Why, Even After We Do Everything Right, Bad Things Still Happen to Us. 

dear friday, today I had PT in the morning.  I have been going for about four months now.  Who would have EVER thought?  That one tiny little decision to go on a snowmobile ride would bring this?  Life is so crazy sometimes!  

It was raining AGAIN!  We have had rain EVERY day for about the past 10 days!  And for almost the entire spring so far.  I love rain, don't get me wrong, but I am kind of ready for some warmth. I had winter clothes on again today.  But, at least it's not hot!  Everyone complains about the rain and cold, but as soon as the heat hits, they complain about that.  Are we humans ever happy?  LOL 

I came home and then headed to Walmart. I was in that store for so long.  I need to have a time limit when I go in there.  I got some plants for Tyson's grave and meant to take them by but forgot and I am glad I did because Bryce was here with the 
Littles.  I had fun with them for a few and then they headed out.  They are so cute.  Brinlee wants a tea party with me and so I need to get that planned.  It will be fun.  I then headed to the cemetery and spent quite awhile cleaning up around his grave. I haven't been there for a while. I walked around a bit and saw my friend who lost her son in a snowmobile accident who was there decorating his grave.  I stopped and asked if she remembered me because it's been years and years.  She did and we had the nicest chat.  When you meet someone that has also buried a child you have an instant bond.  She moved to Riverton but we picked up where we left off.  I didn't know her that well, in fact I honestly can't remember her first name.  We were introduced by a mutual friend and went to lunch with a group once and that was about it.  But we talked about my snowmobile accident and about her son's and how it affected her one son and she hasn't seem him in years.  So sad.  We chatted how a death affects the family in so many ways but we can't blame ourselves because we did the best we could with what we had at the time.  We can't look back and have regrets because that doesn't serve us. We had quite a deep discussion standing right there in the cemetery.  I think parents who have lost a child need to talk to others because it really is therapeutic.  She is so sweet.  We hugged and I went on my way. 

Those flowers are made out of pop cans.  I did them at RS. Turned out pretty cute!

Dave got home and McKay suggested we go to eat at Lone Star Steakhouse.  Taylor and I were on board and so we headed to Ogden and hit Costco first and then Lone Star.  It was so good.  It was very chilly tonight.  It was so fun to be out with the boys.  Wish the other two could have made it.  

Two years ago today! This stud returned from Russia!  What a great day it was to have him back on American soil! #russia #vladivostokmission #mybabysafelyhome

dear saturday, I was going to head to the cemetery early this morning and get my walk in but it was very windy and chilly so I waited a while. I ended up going to the high school instead. I found some coins, (of course) and listened to several podcasts as I walked.  I got in 3.55 miles!  Woo-hoo!  This popped up on my email:

Cracks me up, but unfortunately it is my life now.  There were peeps on the track training some younger kids. They told me it was children's track club.  How cool is that?  Get em started young!  

Not sure what was going on in the middle photo.  Kind of funny though.  It was HOT and I had on a hoodie and long pants. I headed to the cemetery to put up the pop can flowers I had made.  I posted them on the 'dear friday' post.  It was crowded.  Then I came home and organized the pantry and started on the playroom. I feel so overwhelmed with my house right now.  Every room, closet, drawer, space has seemed to atrophy while I was down.  I guess the good thing is at least I see how much I do around here that doesn't happen when I'm not on top of it.  I just wish I had the energy to really plow into it, but I don't last too long still when it comes to that. Sky and crew arrived.  Dave and Sky smoked some ribs and chicken.  It was good.  We had a bonfire to burn some of the eyesore wood in the back and it felt and smelled like we were camping.  

It was the hottest day of the year I believe so far.  Maybe not officially, but I had to go change from my hoody to something cooler.  Then it rained. Hah  It has rained more this spring than any I remember.  Love it though.  I came inside and worked on the playroom a bit.  I'm trying to get it rearranged so I can add the kitchen Sarah gave us that Carson no longer uses.  I know Brinlee will enjoy it.  I practiced the harp.  Carson came in and played the piano and wrestled with Taylor.  Carson and I watched 101 Dalmatians (the real one). I think we watched the cartoon one at least 101 times when he first joined the fam. LOL I did my PT while we watched.  He loves to play with my PT stretch bands.  ↓

dear sunday, Carson came in my room early before I had gotten out of bed around 6:30.  We snuggled for a bit and then headed downstairs and he helped me work on the new Sunbeam pix stix.  I got them done and then hurried and got ready for church.  It was just me, Carson, Sarah and Sky today. Taylor had to work at the fire station and McKay had a homecoming.  Dave spoke in sacrament about challenges. Seems to be the main topic lately.  Primary went well.  Sam still sits by me even though she is no longer in my class, but that's okay.  We only had two kids today. I teach  next week and we will probably have all 8.  LOL. 
I made Rice Kripsy Treats and  a Frog Eye Salad.  My mom used to make it all the time. Here is the recipe:

Haylie and kiddos arrived and it was fun having everyone here (minus Taylor).  We played outside in the sand and it was fun watching little Liam try to keep up with everyone.  Dave and Sky smoked pork chops in the smoker for lunch.  They were huge and so delicious.  It was a feast.  The kids had fun. Carson and Brinlee have fun together even with the two year age span.  She is so tall that she sometimes gets treated like she is older.  It is such a blessing to have such adorable Littles in my life.  I sure do love each one of them.  They exhaust me at times, but they are so fun and sweet.  I read some books to them.

Liam loves to pretend he's talking on the phone.  He put his legs up like he was just chillin' .  Cracks me up.  He says "Uhlo"

McKay's friend Tanner showed up on a motorcycle. I didn't even know it was him at first. He grew up here.  He's a good kid and just stopped by (all the way from West Haven) to say hi.  

Here a few of them when they were growing up.  They were so cute!  McKay cracks me up always asleep leaning on Tanner.  LOL. 

Carson had an idea of going to the park and so we all did that for a bit.  It rained off and on this afternoon.  Bryce took the Littles on the four wheeler for a short spin as well.  Just up our street and back. But they loved it. 

I am feeling bad we didn't go to the cemetery today since we had everyone here except Taylor and tomorrow Sky and Bryce won't be around.  Oh well.  We played in the playroom for a while. Sky and Sarah tried to print out some vinyl on my Cricut.  It wasn't working unfortunately.  I did my PT while Carson watched a movie in my room.  McKay joined us.  Man, I was so beat because I was awake since about 2:30 last night.  So. So. Tired.

These are the flowers I have in my front yard that the deer seem to love. I had to snap some shots before they eat them!  The last one is my porch pot.  Thankfully, they don't eat that one.  

dear quotes, 

One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.   - Iris Murdoch

♥"We cannot tell what may happen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us...how we can take it, what we can do with it...and that is what really counts in the end." -Joseph Newton  
♥"I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." ~Martha Washington 
♥ "It's all about choices"
♥ "The heart has reasons that reason does not understand"
♥ "If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough." 

dear random, this is the St. Benedict's Hospital where I was born in Ogden, UT.  It's also where I had my first surgery when I was 8 years old for a bladder thing.

Mr. Chilly Bam Billy as a kitten. Known as Dash at the time. Now officially Mr. Cat, but he has MANY nick names.

Taylor and I in Alaska. Love this pix.

After my first Boston Marathon!  2017 with the fam!

With my pal Mickey at Disney on Ice in 2018

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These 20 Pictures Will Teach You More Than Reading 100 Books

Link HERE for rest of article 

17. When The “WHY” Is Strong Enough You’ll Find The “HOW”

“I think the ability of the average man could be doubled if it were demanded, if the situation demanded.” — Will Durant

When the why is strong enough, you’ll figure out how. When your why is strong enough, you’ll do whatever it takes.

In the book, The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy gives an example of a scenario where you have to risk your life for 20 bucks. Would you do it? Probably not.

But would you risk your life in the same scenario if instead of 20 bucks, your child was in danger? Of course you would!

What’s the difference? The difference is WHY-power! And why is often based on situational factors. Said historian Will Durant, “I think the ability of the average man could be doubled if it were demanded, if the situation demanded.”

If you want more motivation, you generally need a situation that calls upon you to rise above where you currently are. You also need a compelling vision that really really matters to you. The more clear you get on that vision, the more WHY will be behind it.

18. Truth Is The Relationship “BETWEEN”

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” — John Muir

“Social psychologists argue that who we are at any one time depends mostly on the context in which we find ourselves. But who creates the context? The more mindful we are, the more we can create the contexts we are in. Mindfulness lets us see things in a new light and believe in the possibility of change.” — Ellen Langer

Most Western-thinkers have an atomistic view of the world, assuming that something can be understood regardless of context. For example, who I am as a person is the same from one situation to the next.

In contrast to the atomistic worldview is the relational worldview, which assumes something can only be understood within a particular context. From this perspective, I am not the same person from one situation to the next.

Depending on the situation and the current role I’m playing, the meaning of who I am can be greatly different. In one situation, I may be a teacher whereas in another situation I may be the student. I could be a father in one situation and a son in another.

How I view my wife is completely different from how someone who has never met her before would view her. It is the relationship between me and my wife that makes her who she is, to me. Without the context, she doesn’t have the same meaning. Thus, it is the relationship BETWEEN things that is more fundamental and real than the things themselves.

Context is what gives meaning. When you change the context, you change yourself. This is where freedom lies. You aren’t fixed, but incredibly fluid and flexible. You can change and be transformed in incredible ways if you open yourself to new experiences, new situations, and new relationships.

19. If You Have A 20-25 Year Plan, It Will Change Everything

“If you work on something important for 20 years, it will transform everything around you.” — Dan Sullivan

What are you working toward that drives you to wake up every single day?

What is your 20-year plan?

Most people don’t want to think that far out. Common advice today is to not make big plans. To not go all in. But instead, to play it safe.

As billionaire Peter Thiel says in Zero to One:

“Indefinite attitudes to the future explain what’s most dysfunctional in our world today. Process trumps substance: when people lack concrete plans to carry out, they use formal rules to assemble a portfolio of various options. This describes Americans today. In middle school, we’re encouraged to start hoarding “extracurricular activities.” In high school, ambitious students compete even harder to appear omnicompetent. By the time a student gets to college, he’s spent a decade curating a bewilderingly diverse résumé to prepare for a completely unknowable future. Come what may, he’s ready—for nothing in particular.” 

The reason people don’t make big plans for their life is that they lack the confidence to make concrete decisions. Instead of making a true decision and stand for what they want, people try to keep their options open. They’re afraid to commit 100% to something they believe in. They aren’t truly living their lives!

They are operating out of fear and scarcity! They don’t truly believe in themselves. And the reason they don’t believe in themselves is two-fold.

Number one, they don’t have confidence in themselves because their behavior is totally incongruent. They aren’t living well on a daily basis, so they don’t trust themselves.

They’re still holding on to their identity from the past. They aren’t emerging out of the past and opening themselves to the new person their future is demanding them to become.

Number two, they don’t have faith in a higher power, nor faith in a future they want to create.

Consider this statement from Napoleon Hill:

“ALL THOUGHTS WHICH HAVE BEEN EMOTIONALIZED, (given feeling) AND MIXED WITH FAITH, begin immediately to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart.”

Confidence and faith are actually very highly connected concepts. You can have confidence in yourself with faith in a higher power. But confidence, by very nature, is the belief that you can do things you’ve never yet done before. 

So confidence involves faith in the future. The belief that you can do something you cannot currently see. 

The lower the confidence a person has, the less faith they will have in their future. 

The lower the confidence a person has, the shorter-term will be their goals and visions.

According to Dan Sullivan, if you relentlessly pursue something for 20+ years, it will transform everything around you. Your life, your relationships, your environment. Everything will be changed.

If you operate from a place of decision, gratitude, and abundance, you will have such an amazing life in 20 years. You’ll have become all that you wanted to be and more. You’ll look back and be shocked by all you did.

You need to find something that could fascinate you for 20+ years. How that thing is manifested will obviously change forms. But commitment to a vision, a pursuit, a contribution, is key.

What fascinates you enough to build your life around it?

What is your unique ability?

What is your greatest contribution to the world?

What would bring you incredible joy and passion?

What would transform you into the person you want to become?

20. Do What Is Right Let The Consequence Follow

“We control our actions, but the consequences that flow from those actions are controlled by principles.” — Dr. Stephen R. Covey

You control your behavior, but principles control the outcomes. The law of the harvest is always in effect. What you plant, you must harvest. Furthermore, what you plant consistently overtime eventually yields a compounded or exponential harvest.

You often don’t experience the consequences of your actions immediately, which can be deceiving. If you smoked one cigarette, you probably wouldn’t get cancer. If you spent $10 on coffee just one day, it probably wouldn’t affect your financial life. However, over time, these habits have drastic outcomes. It turns out, $10 daily over 50 years at 5% compounding interest becomes $816,000. Your coffee habit may really be costing you.

Given the choice, which would you rather have: $1,000,000 in your pocket right now or a penny that doubles in value for 31 days? Most people would choose the million. However, the doubling penny actually ends up being $10.7 million dollars. 

Yet, the majority of the growth happens at the very end, and most people aren’t patient enough for the big return. The live for the moment culture of today stops people from investing.

Here is where the notion of “over-night” success comes from. Anything on an exponential curve looks small at the beginning. When you first start a habit, the effects are minor. However, over time, they become major. Thus, out-of-nowhere, someone emerges onto the scene. What you didn’t see were the years of consistent preparation that got them there. Principles govern.

The same holds true of the reverse. Obesity, debt, identity confusion, broken marriages. These things are governed by principles, the compounded effect of daily decisions and misguided premises.

Small things become big things, always.

This final principle ties all of the other 19 together. It brings us right back to where we started.

Everything in your life follows your behavior. You choose your behavior and the universe returns in likeness. The more bold and aligned your behavior, the more abundant the outcome.

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13 questions to start great conversations

If you've bought on to this idea of banning small talk from your conversations, here are thirteen no-fail conversation starters cherry-picked from a few credible sources:

1. What's your story?
2. What's the most expensive thing you've ever stolen?
3. What is your present state of mind?
4. What absolutely excites you right now? 
5. What book has influenced you the most?
6. If you could do anything you wanted tonight (anywhere, for any amount of money), what would you do and why?
7. If you had the opportunity to meet one person you haven't met who would it be, why and what would you talk about?
8. What's the most important thing I should know about you?
9. What do you value more, intelligence or common sense?
10. What movie is your favorite guilty pleasure, and why? 
11. You are stuck on a deserted island, and you can only take three things. What would they be?
12. When and where were you happiest in your life?
13. What do you think is the driving force in your life?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Interesting Boston Marathon article HERE.