Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - July 7th

We have lost contact with reality, the simplicity of life. - Paulo Coelho

There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit. - Alexander Pope

Recently, the author traveled to Virginia Beach, which was the trip she was supposed to take over Memorial Day weekend, but had to delay due to the pandemic.  While traveling, the author was able to catch up on much needed sleep, but she was also reminded of something very important.   

When the author arrived in Virginia Beach, her hotel room was not ready so she went and sat on the beach.  Calling Mama Flow to let her know her status, the author said, “I can’t take the beach the whole time”.  Usually when the author travels, she is determined to learn, grow and take in every opportunity.  So, the author walked across the street to The Cavalier Hotel and took a tour.  Walking back to her hotel, the front desk told the author her room was ready and she took her luggage upstairs.  That evening, she visited with friends that are going through a PCS (permanent change in station) in the military.  The next morning, the author awoke around 5:05am and realized the sun rose about 5:45am.  Quickly, she dressed and walked out to the beach.  Watching the sun start to rise for about 15 minutes, the author almost walked away because she had seen the beginnings of the sun rise and did not think she needed any more pictures.  However, she remembered the simplicity and relaxation of the ocean waves is what brought her to Virginia Beach.  She stopped and took in the beauty of the simple experience.  Finally, after sitting in the sand for an hour and watching a beautiful sunrise, the author walked back into her hotel.

Life was not intended to be simply a round of work, no matter how interesting and important that work may be. A moment’s pause to watch the glory of a sunrise or a sunset is soul-satisfying, while a bird's song will set the steps to music all day long. - Laura Ingalls Wilder

ACTION:  How will you simplify your life this week? 

Resource

·       https://articles.uie.com/simplicity/

·       https://ydraw.com/marketing/simplicity-is-the-ultimate-sophistication-leonardo-da-vinci/

·       https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9010638-simplicity-is-the-ultimate-sophistication-when-once-you-have-tasted

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - June 30th

To educate the intelligence is to expand the horizon of its wants and desires. - James Russell Lowell

Your entire universe is in your mind & nowhere else. To expand the universe expand your mind.  - Unknown

A person can grow only as much as his horizon allows. - John Powell

As this series on Terri Savelle Foy’s quote about living life instead of watching someone else do it comes to an end, it is important to discuss how television impacts individuals. 

·       Mental Energy

Often times, people state that watching television allows them to forget about what is going on in the world and let their mind wander.  However, a different perspective is that when watching television, the mind is drawn into that experience and the reader’s control is given up.  Instead of watching television, the author loves to sit on her patio and just let her mind wander.  This exercise helps relax her mind and renew her strength.

·       Loss of Reality and Satisfaction in Life

Hallmark movies have become very popular for many because they are a clean, fell-good experiences.  However, the author has to be cautious if she watches one because they impair her reality.  Finding the love of one’s live does not happen in 90 minutes where individuals meet, fall in love, conflict arises and then the two individuals’ resolve the issue and live happily ever after.  The author is NOT saying to stop watching Hallmark movies.  What the author learned is that if she watches one, she has to continually make herself keep the right perspective on life.   

Furthermore, the author has to remind herself that her path is different from what she sees on television.  She could be distraught based on what she sees in movies and be less satisfied with her life, but instead she reminds herself that she is moving toward her dreams and to be content with where she it at this time. 

ACTION:  What changes have you made to live your life instead of watching someone else live the life you want?

Resource

·       https://www.becomingminimalist.com/ten-reasons-to-watch-less-television/

·       https://www.searchquotes.com/search/Expand_Your_Horizon/

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - June 23rd

Don't be so judgmental, expand your mind and think with an open one. - Unknown

Always expand. Never be the same. Free your mind. - Unknown

This week, Terri’s Tuesday Tip of the Week is continuing to discuss the quote:

Live is meant to be lived, not watched. – Terri Savelle Foy

Watching less television provides the opportunity to learn and expand an individual’s worldview.  The author has learned over the years that through experiencing different things it provides her the opportunity to bring in different perspectives and provide insight when having conversations with people.

Two different examples:

1.       When the author embarked on “40 before 40” and ended up doing 80 things, she learned and saw many different things.  In conversations, she still incorporates ideas or history learned when completing this challenge and is able to provide ideas of what people should see when they travel to different places to learn and have fun.

2.       On Saturday night, the author was hanging out with friends.  She could have stayed home and watched television as it was a hard day for her; however, she mustered up the energy to go.  While talking with friends, the author learned a new concept about the military.  It is not something major, but it opened her eyes to expand her horizons and now she has the assignment to go learn more to be able to discuss with other military friends in the future.     

In How to Lead When You Are Not in Charge, Scroggins says:

My eyes are open to the world around me every day, of course, but when I get away to a new environment, I see things from a different vantage point.  I may be looking at something familiar, but because of where I am, I’m looking at it differently.  The more I see of the world, the better I see my own world.  And the better you see your world, the more informed and equipped you will be to make wise decisions.  Understanding can help you develop patience, graciousness, and greater discernment for all of life.  A wider angle brings a wiser perspective. (p. 115)

To have an open-mind and interesting conversations, it is beneficial to have different experiences that allow the reader to expand their horizons, incorporate new knowledge and pass knowledge on to others.   

ACTION:  What are you going to do this week to expand your perspective? 

Resource

·       https://www.becomingminimalist.com/ten-reasons-to-watch-less-television/

·       https://www.searchquotes.com/search/Expand_Your_Horizon/

·       Scroggins, C. (2017). How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - June 16th

Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows. - Pope Paul VI

A couple months ago, the author was talking with someone who wanted to make a career change.  The author asked this person, “What do you want to do?”  The person looked at her and said, “I want this to be my eat, pray, love moment like in the movie.”  Smiling and nodding her head, the author then asked, “What does that mean for you?”  The person looked at the author with a blank stare and said, “I don’t know.”  This individual continually brought up different things seen on television, but had no goals or ideas of what they wanted to accomplish.  The author mentioned different places she had traveled, books read, things she wanted to do and the person she was talking with became excited to do similar activities, but took no action.  Truly, this broke the author’s heart.  

Recently, the author heard the below quote while watching a motivational speaker and it has been lodged in her thoughts for a couple months:

Live is meant to be lived, not watched. – Terri Savelle Foy

During the stay-at-home order, the author has had to be very careful what she watched on television because it can be an abyss of hours lost in a day for her.  She constantly reminded herself not to watch the same movies over and over again.

As we continually make progress of returning to social interactions with others, take time to live life and not watch other people live their lives.

ACTION: How are you going to live your life this week and not watch someone else live theirs?

Resource

·       https://www.becomingminimalist.com/ten-reasons-to-watch-less-television/

·       https://www.facebook.com/terrisavellefoy/videos/250006259489558 - Minute 9

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - June 9th

Being connected to everything has disconnected us from ourselves and the preciousness of this present moment. - L.M. Browning, Vagabonds and Sundries

We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own to-do list. - Michelle Obama

As the author has mentioned, she has been working too much during the lock down.  Living alone, she has continued to wake up at her normal time, administer her morning routine and then start working when she normally would be leaving for the office.  Often, she would work late into the evening because she had to complete a task or was bored because she did not have the option to go hang out with friends.  Through this time, the author did not have the opportunity to disconnect, have fun, laugh and change perspectives.  The breaking point came this past week when she had to work 13 hours due to other people not planning well and her emotional state was not good.  She ended up sleeping 9 hours the following night, which was a rare commodity for her that has not happened in a very long time.    

During this time of the stay-at-home order, the author read an article titled “Work/Life Separation Is Impossible. Here’s How to Deal with It”.  There were many good points in the article, but the one that really stuck out to her was based on what she was experiencing.  It is vital that we disconnect from work.  In this unique environment, we have to have the opportunity to disconnect just like if we were leaving the office after a long day.  To accomplish our dreams and goals and for our loved ones, we have to renew our emotional and physical well-being.  Ultimately, it is hard to sometimes separate ourselves from the office when we leave because of a problem or an important project that is being worked on.  However, disconnecting is good for our emotional and physical well-being. 

As the country is reopening and people are starting to commute back to the office or still teleworking, it is important that we find ways to disconnect so that we are fully there for family and our work.  There will be overlap sometimes because of different issues, but we should strive to be present in each part of our lives.

We have overstretched our personal boundaries and forgotten that true happiness comes from living an authentic life fueled with a sense of purpose and balance. - Dr. Kathleen Hall, stress expert

For the author to disconnect from teleworking while living in an 850 square foot apartment, it meant she simply turned off her work laptop and put it in a cabinet where she was not able to see it.  That simple action helped her emotional well-being by not seeing it each day.

ACTION: Contemplate and write down how you plan to disconnect from work to create a more fulfilling, enjoyable and meaningful life.

Resource

·       https://www.joinforge.com/work-life-balance-quotes-2018/

·       https://99u.adobe.com/articles/31721/worklife-separation-is-impossible-heres-how-to-deal-with-it?utm_sq=g0oyds7ll9&fbclid=IwAR0U2mdjt5Hb7j1aw9Cwb7e94iW3dozCW8e8a96SoBNgOnTItc7BkHYdOx4

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - June 2nd

 Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient. - Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare. - Angela Duckworth

Quick update, the author did not go to Virginia Beach over Memorial Day weekend as she had planned for various reasons.  It was not an easy decision, but she knows it was the right decision.  After talking to a friend that she plans to visit while down there, she started looking for another weekend to travel down to have a relaxing weekend away.  As she wrote about, the author immediately took action to help keep herself motivated since she was not able to walk in the sand as she had dreamed of doing.

When the author made the decision not to travel over Memorial Day weekend, she decided to be resilient like a palm tree.  Palm trees go through horrible hurricanes and are bent over to the point that their branches are touching the ground during the worst of the storm.  Once the storm is over, the palm tree bounces back to its upright position.  Science believes the pressure of the storm makes the palm tree stronger when they are hunched over.

Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you've lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that's good. - Elizabeth Edwards

We have been living through trying times and we all go through them regularly.  It is our decision of how we will handle the trial.  Will we be depressed and unmotivated or will we bounce back like a palm tree?

ACTION: What actions are you going to take to become resilient like a palm tree?

Resource

·       https://www.joelosteen.com/Pages/MessageViewer.aspx?date=2014-11-13

·       https://www.livescience.com/60393-why-palm-trees-are-so-flexible.html

·       https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/2019/08/26/want-to-grow-palm-trees-these-choices-actually-tolerate-cold-and-shade/

·       https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_tree

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - May 26th

Believe in yourself and you can change a sunset into a new dawn. – Anthony T. Hincks

A couple weeks ago, the author wrote about the quote from Dave Hollis, which states:

In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.  – Dave Hollis

As the author wrote last week, she learned that she has to take action instead of just wishing to make things happen in her life.  From this lesson, she decided to incorporate a few other new ideas that she has started during the stay-at-home order.

      1.       Take Action – For every dream and goal, she plans on doing something each week to help move her closer to accomplishing it.  It may mean reading a book, visiting a historical site, etc.

Take small steps every day and one day you will get there. – Unknown

      2.       After her morning run, the author has started going outside on her balcony to watch the sunrise and drink her morning coffee.  The peace and quiet is a great start to the day. 

What better motivation are you looking for in the morning than the incredible motivation of the morning sunrise? – Mehmet Murat Ildan

The secret to a good morning is to watch the sunrise with an open heart. – Anthony T. Hincks

There are also a couple things the author has started doing she needs to stop.

      1.       Stop working so much.  Without having to commute to and from the office, the author has been working 10-12 hour days and she cannot physically continue to do this.

      2.       A quiet apartment is annoying for the author and she has had the television on non-stop in her apartment for long periods of time while working from home.  However, the author determined this was not something that was beneficial for her if the program is not something she is learning from. 

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom. - Francis Bacon

ACTION: What new actions are you incorporating into your life that you started during the stay-at-home order?  What actions do you need to stop?

Resource

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsM75CI9V4U&t=4315s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnNMaRBk0ow

https://pastorrick.com/when-making-a-decision-use-the-investment-test/?roi=echo7-37190542707-55477596-d07a78eaf9d9c5413d6281a4961b4a6a

My New Morning Routine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cH4qgV15q8&t=331s

Terri 's Tuesday Tip of the Week - May 19th

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. - Dale Carnegie

What motivates the reader?  The author writes about working towards accomplishing dreams and has tried to be intentional during the stay-at-home order, but as the author wrote last week it has been difficult.  Last weekend, the author had a shift in her life and started pressing hard to accomplish tasks.  On Sunday when she turned off her laptop, she had completed every task on her to-do list. 

The reader probably wonders what she did that changed her mindset.  She took the action of reserving a hotel room in Virginia Beach and plans to spend Memorial Day weekend on the beach.  The author had talked about going to the beach, but when she took action everything changed. 

Since making that reservation, the author has questioned if it is safe for her to go and she is praying and researching safety concerns in that area.  However, the author is still moving towards taking the trip, which is helping push the author to get more tasks completed.  The author took action and is following the perspective of John Maxwell who said:

Pay now, play later; play now, pay later.

By accomplishing tasks and working on other activities, the author will be able to play next weekend hopefully in Virginia Beach. 

The future depends on what you do today. - Mahatma Gandhi

And the author incorporated this quote into her life when writing this blog post.  She used her time wisely to write the blog post while waiting for car repairs to be completed and after the repairs were done, she played in the afternoon.   

ACTION: What action will you take today to allow yourself the opportunity to play over Memorial Day Weekend and after your areas stay-at-home order is lifted?

Resource

Unbeatable Mind Podcast with Mark Divine –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsM75CI9V4U&t=4315s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnNMaRBk0ow 

https://pastorrick.com/when-making-a-decision-use-the-investment-test/?roi=echo7-37190542707-55477596-d07a78eaf9d9c5413d6281a4961b4a6a

My New Morning Routine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cH4qgV15q8&t=331s

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - May 12th

In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.  – Dave Hollis

About the same time the lock-down order was announced in Virginia, the author read the above quote and did not really think much about it.  Always looking for good quotes for Terri’s Tuesday Tip of the Week, she figured she could use it somehow in a blog post later, but she let the quote simmer in her thoughts for the last couple of months.  Now that the country is starting to reopen, the author has been contemplating this quote more and more. 

Through this season, the author has lived intentionally in some areas and not in others.  As the author wrote last week, she has been unmotivated to read knowing that a big part of the problem is the 10-hour days she has been working causing the desire to read to not be there.  Contemplating what she wants her life to be like when she starts commuting back to the office and is able to socialize with friends, she pondered the above quote. 

The stay-at-home order has been difficult on many of us.  For the author, being alone in an apartment staring at four walls reminded her of the 25 months she was unemployed where she stayed at home most days and would go to the grocery store to just get out of her apartment.  Additionally, not seeing an end to this situation has been difficult for her.  However, this past Saturday, there was a change in the author that she will write about next week.   

Sometimes in order for change to be made in a positive fashion, we must force ourselves to look unblinkingly at painful realities and reevaluate. - Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman

Many of the podcasts the author listens to have asked people what they plan on taking from this time and continuing as we return back to commuting to the office, socializing, sports, etc.   Over the next week, create a list of the things the reader has learned from this time?  What changes do you plan to incorporating into the next season of life?  

ACTION: Create a list of the things you are going to continue in life that you started during the stay-at-home order.

Resource

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsM75CI9V4U&t=4315s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnNMaRBk0ow

https://pastorrick.com/when-making-a-decision-use-the-investment-test/?roi=echo7-37190542707-55477596-d07a78eaf9d9c5413d6281a4961b4a6a

My New Morning Routine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cH4qgV15q8&t=331s

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - May 5th

I often lose motivation, but it's something I accept as normal.

― Bill Rodgers

Slow and steady wins the race. - https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/awesome-motivational-quotes-on-weight-loss/

How is your motivation?  Over the last month and half, the author has been challenging readers to be intentional about accomplishing tasks during the lockdown, but she has not been very motivated to work on some of her goals.  Her loss of motivation is due to various issues at work and physical distancing.  Weekends have been spent working and sitting on the couch chilling.  However this past weekend, the author had the opportunity to watch the Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds fly over the Pentagon in recognition of COVID-19 Responders.  Additionally, the author spent time outside in beautiful spring weather and finally had time to read.

As an individual that is consistently working towards goal achievement, this has been very hard because the author wants to continually learn and surpass her goals.  The author listens to podcasts daily, but she also knows the benefits of reading and has not been motivated after a long day at work. 

With making time over the weekend to spend outside and read, the author was reminded of the truth of the following statement by Confucius:

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

If you like the author have not been motivated to work on goals, Eleanor Roosevelt said:

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. - Eleanor Roosevelt

CHALLENGE: How is your motivation?  How do you handle times when you are not motivated?  How can the quotes from Confucius and Elanor Roosevelt help you in life?

Resource

https://jamesclear.com/power-of-environment