TCOY Lessons From My Favorite Bloggers (Jan11)

In last month's TCOY Lessons, there was an overload of "Self-Improvement" posts as blogs were focusing on resolutions and goals. This month, the tide has turned and there was an abundance of "Awareness" posts to share. As I believe that inner awareness is key to self-improvement, it's nice to see it being spotlighted, albeit belatedly!

Finances
From Pick The Brain: 4 Reasons You Need To Pursue Financial Solvency
Understanding financial solvency is a life lesson that I wish we learned solely from parental guidance or in a class setting. For many of us, though, it seems we need to learn it through mistakes made and awareness gained.
From Get Rich Slowly: Take Control of Your Finances
J.D.'s annual "road map" posting, with a new tip added each year

Awareness
From Raptitude: A Day In The Future
If you're a regular Raptitude reader, you'll understand what I mean when I say this is classic David. He can write a story and deliver a message in an unexpectedly refreshing way.
From Simple Marriage: 5 Passionate Truths About You
In this powerful post, Corey helps us to narrow down "reminders about what’s really important, what matters, what will make the difference in the long run, have enduring value, you name it." Definitely a must read!
From Trent at The Simple Dollar:
Intimidated By The Mistakes of the Past
"Change. Right now. And don’t look back."
Some Perspectives On Career Success
"Your real boss is you", says Trent. Are you an Option A or Option B worker? And, are you being the kind of worker that is best for you?
From J.D. (and staff) at Get Rich Slowly and Foldedspace (his personal blog):
One Problem, One Correction
I thought the quote from J.D.'s fitness trainer summed it up well: "When you try to correct more than one thing at a time, it’s easy to get distracted. You can’t do any one thing well because you’re trying to do many things poorly. But if you concentrate on a single goal, you’re able to obtain a laser-like focus that better helps you achieve that objective."
Underachievement and The All-or-Nothing Mindset
Ah, perfectionism...my old friend. Thankfully I'm detached from the emotional pull it used to have on me. Now I can feel the all-or-nothing tendencies in my life but in the light of grace I show to myself. I love the quote from Anais Nin that she included: "You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right, too.”
Action is Character
"What we say doesn’t matter; it’s what we do that counts."
From Pick The Brain:
Lies Unhappy People Love To Tell
Good read! I loved how she approached the flip-side of this topic.
10 Things Your Mom Said That Were Actually Right
Another great one from Tracy (see lies above).
Stop Taking Yourself So Seriously
"Many of us die before we’re ready. We spend hours, months, years, engaged in activities which bleed life from us one miserable moment at a time."
From Shake Off The Grind: Feeling Stuck?
"You may have learned to get comfortable in your current surroundings. Even with all the frustration and unhappiness, you have simply adjusted to this way of living...Because of this, being stuck might be quite a habit for you. It might be all you know...There is a time to stay and adapt to a situation, and a time to change and move forward. Knowing when to move on is powerful self-awareness to gain."

Life Clutter
From MaryJo at reSPACEd:
Dealing with the post-Christmas gift explosion
"If you are like a lot of people, there's a lot of new stuff laying around -- stuff that doesn't fit anywhere, stuff that you don't know what to do with, stuff you don't really want but feel obligated to keep."
To Get Organized, Avoid These 4 traps
Before you open a cabinet or purchase one storage container, read this!
From David at Raptitude: I Don't Want Stuff Any More, Only Things
Take a look and see if you only want things as well.
From Kristen, the Frugal Girl: Cut Schedule Clutter
"Simply put, I try not to fill my life with things that don’t matter to me or that don’t mesh with the overarching beliefs and goals that shape me."

TCOY on the outside
From Sally at Already Pretty: 3 Stages To Becoming Truly Stylish
I've done pretty well with #1 and #2, and am still working my way through level #3. I had to work through mental clutter issues (fear of letting go of clothing that didn't look great on me just because money had been spent on it, it was still useful, still fit, etc.) to begin to see what truly mattered were the clothes that looked great on me as in not just OK but ones that made me/others say terrific, fabulous or super cute!

Little-by-little I've been editing and then editing some more, while picking up something new now & again, to create a wardrobe that reflects all of my preferences (within budget, a complimenting color, comfortable fit, something that thrills me when I wear it, etc.) And along the way I've begun to find my creativity. That has been the best, I mean absolute awesomest part of this whole journey. I never thought expressing myself through clothing would be something I'd ever do.

Until next time...Take Care Of You!

Photo Credit: Iron Design

Copyright © 2010 by tcoyou.com | all rights reserved

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What's In Your Cup?

Just as there are "cat people" and there are "dog people", I believe the same distinction exists between drinking coffee or tea. You may drink them both but one or the other is your true drink of choice.

I am a coffee-drinker, though not a coffee-aholic. In the dark morning hours, I enjoy wrapping my hands around a steaming mug as I inhale the delicious fragrance of the steam. I sip the drink slowly as I work at the computer, enjoying the silence and solitude of the this time of day. Until the kids wake up or it's time to get us up and moving out the door, this is my time.

For a few weeks last year, I tried to be more healthy and become a green tea drinker. Since my taste buds would not go for anything but coffee in the morning, I drank only a glass of water in the morning and a cup of hot tea sometime during the day in lieu of my regular glass of water. (A bit off topic but to explain, from 11 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., I drink 8 oz. of water at the top of each hour while at work.) Though I was happy for the healthier switch, I still missed the chocolate part of my hot drink routine. So, I returned to my warm cuppa love in the morning.

After reading Jo-Lynne's post over at Musings of a Housewife, I am thinking of attempting another "healthier switch"...this time to Choffy.

Choffy is made from 100% organic cacão beans (also known as cocoa beans), roasted to perfection. All the antioxidant value, mineral benefits, neurotransmitter rejuvenating properties and overall health-giving qualities are found naturally in cacão beans. No sugar, no dairy, no chemicals. Just one ingredient: cacão.
The most favorite part of my warm cuppa love routine is the chocolate I put into the mug. And now I find out that they've actually brewed that chocolatey love and I can have an entire cup of it...Where can I get some of that?!

I emailed Melisa Mons (Jo-Lynne's source) to request a sample and I didn't have to wait long to hear from her. Within a few minutes, she had replied and my sample was scheduled for delivery.

A sample bag of Choffy is $3 (shipping included!) Melisa would love to get the word out about Choffy, so she offered the sample for FREE if I shared my thoughts on it somewhere, such as the blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Of course I would be glad to tell the world about brewed chocolate, thankyouverymuch!

Now, Choffy is 100% organic cacão beans, so if you don't enjoy the taste of dark chocolate you might need to enhance your drink with some sweetness! After trying it straight, I decided that just like regular coffee I needed to add some creamy sweetness to my drink. The best part is that with the health benefits of cacão in my warm drink, and not caffeine, I did feel like this was a healthier drink overall.

If you're looking to enjoy a warm cup of something delicious, I would highly recommend trying Choffy for yourself!

Jo-Lynne also mentioned the amazing truffles she tried from Choffy...which are organic, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free. She is going to give them as teacher gifts and said that they'd make a fabulous Valentine's gift as well. As for me, I've been nibbling on a few grounds left in the sample bag. So incredibly good! I can imagine sprinkling them anywhere I'd like a touch of dark chocolate.

Until next time...Take Care Of You!

Copyright © 2010 by tcoyou.com | all rights reserved
What are your thoughts on this topic? Leave a comment and let us know!
__________________________________________________________________
You should follow me on twitter. Thank you for adding your Twitter identity to the guestbook on the right! Enjoy what you read at Taking Care Of You? It's easy to receive free updates by email or RSS. Click SHARE to help spread the word about TCOYou.com. Please and thank you!

Quote to Reflect Upon (Jan11)


Don't worry about what happened yesterday (or last year);
it ended last night.

- Jennifer Enloe


Until next time...Take Care Of You!

Photo Credit: Light Reflection

Copyright © 2010 by tcoyou.com | all rights reserved

What are your thoughts on this topic? Leave a comment and let us know!

__________________________________________________________________

You should follow me on twitter. Thank you for adding your Twitter identity to the guestbook on the right! Enjoy what you read at Taking Care Of You? It's easy to receive free updates by email or RSS. Click SHARE to help spread the word about TCOYou.com. Please and thank you!

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