There are only 24 hours in a day!

I've learned that I can only do so much. My business is booming, my marriage is flourishing, my personal health and fitness goals are in tip-top shape, but there is so much more going on in life. Spending time with family, spending time with friends, working on projects inside and outside of the house. Life gets completely crazy at times and it feels like the list of things to do, places to be, people to see never ends.

The result: some things get put on the back burner. Like blogging. It's something I do to keep track of what I'm doing, where I am on my goals, and hopefully to motivate a few people at the same time.



Here's where I'm at;



Business:

• I am still out there networking, I have made so many new friends and am building great relationships. 
• I am still working on single-tasking. I KNOW that it's the key to getting things done for me. However, I still have my days where I am so busy that I lapse back into my habit of multi-tasking. I do realize it at some point in the day when I'm feeling frazzled and that forces me to re-focus myself and take one task at a time. 
• I completed one year as President of Team WIN and I was voted in for a second term.We have an influx of new members and visitors. We're so organized this year with the addition of a marketing director and we have a fantastic speaker lineup for the year! 
• I am still focused on my goals for 2018 and working hard to smash them! I am right on track.

Marriage:

• All marriages have ups and downs. We all know that the reason is because MEN can just be annoying as hell sometimes. Just kidding. =) We can all be annoying at times. For us, we've learned that the key is to remember we're a team. And no matter what, we're on the same side and want the same things. Sometimes you just have to remember that there are things more important than being right. 
• We've learned to have a healthy balance of things we do together and things we do apart. 
• We've also learned to give each other time to just be alone. One of my favorite things is having the house all to myself. No one needs anything, wants anything, or is talking to me. It's peace and quiet and blissful. 
• We communicate quite well. We discuss life, our finances, the kids, our plans, our goals, our likes, wants, needs, etc... This was an acquired skill. We had to work hard at it and have learned to talk about things without arguing or taking things personally. We've learned to listen to each other's point of view and try to see things both ways.  

Personal Health & Fitness:

• Those of you who know me personally, know that I spent about 6 months last year killing myself by going to the gym 8x a week in 6 days. Yes, that means for two days, I went in the morning and then back at night for boot camp. I even had a personal trainer, yet, I was in a complete stand still (plateau). This has been an on-going (off and on) process since I turned 45. My doctor says that you have to realize that after 40+ your body changes and things that worked before, may (probably won't) not work anymore. Thus, I upped my exercise to 6 days a week and added in boot camp. However, nothing changed. My dr. eventually advised me that going that often was increasing my cortisol levels and that might be what was keeping me from losing weight. I was eating well (mostly), drinking a ton of water, and exercising. Her suggestion was to cut the exercise back to every other day, thus giving my body days of rest. And what do you know, it worked! I'll admit I sometimes feel like I'm slacking, but I am still feeling great and do a lot of walking in my day to day activities.
• Beyond exercise, it's always work to stay on track eating clean and healthy when you're traveling, eating out, and spending a lot of time with friends. I do my best to stick to my plan, but I don't beat myself up over an off day, days, or even a week during travel. All I can do is the best I can do.
• I am one of those who gets annual physicals and mammograms. Happy to report all good for another year! It's a great feeling when you find out that all is well.
• Massage! I have been getting bi-weekly massages now for about 18 months and can testify to the health benefits. There are so many things that go on inside your body, and regular massages help regulate those things by removing toxins. Massage relaxes you and helps to heal small strains and pains due to exercise. Massage helps you to focus on your breathing and teaches you ways to keep stress at bay.

Friendships (with friends and family):

• How in the world does everyone keep up with all of their friends?
• When it comes to friends I've made through networking, I am pretty good at keeping up because we see each other during working hours. We see each other at meetings, schedule lunches or coffee's to catch up.
• However, when it comes to friends outside of work, it's hard to balance them because they're from so many different parts of my life. (And many don't live in my immediate area)
• I have my bestest friends from middle school, who live in the next state over - only about an hour to an hour and a half away, but it feels like 10 hours because you have to drive around the beltway to get there.
• I have a group of friends I play Bunco with every month.
• I have a group of friends that we ride motorcycles with.
• I have old friends from high school and old friends from my early childhood.
• I have sisters and brothers, and in-laws and 4 parents to keep up with, not to mention 4 grown kids of my own.
• There just isn't enough time to spend quality time with everyone. This leaves me feeling overwhelmed, like a terrible friend. Who do you make time for? When do you make the time?
• The easiest for me is our motorcycle friends, because they are friends that my husband and I have together so we generally make plans with them on a regular basis. There is a group of us, and then there's one couple in particular (Deb & Jamie) that we spend a lot of time with.
• If anyone has any advice on how to be better at friendships, please let me know!!

Personal Growth and Development:

• This year, I've been working on my goals in a different way. I heard about Lara Casey through a business friend and am working diligently to cultivate my life in ways that matter.
• I'm focused on being more grateful.
• My daughter and I are working on new vision boards. Looking back at my olds ones, it's amazing how many things on them came to be.
• Minimalism... this is something that intrigues me and I feel a calling deep in my soul to de-clutter and live a minimalistic life. However, it doesn't happen over night. I'm reading everything I can on the subject and making s-l-o-w but steady progress.
• My husband and I have been working on figuring out some of our goals for our future. We're trying to decide where we want to live in the future. We're leaning towards building in North Carolina, because it's where my heart is the happiest. Our friends (Deb & Jamie) are part of the equation, because we plan on moving together. 

Travel:

• We've planned another year of traveling with friends and family. If you know us at all, you know we love to take trips, whether it's a weekend close by or a long trip somewhere further away. There are so many things to see and people to meet out there. I'm thankful to be married to someone who feels the same way.
• Because I will turn 50 in June, I am the one who got to pick our main trip for the year! I won't let the cat out of the bag yet, but it's going to be a new adventure for us.
• Our first stop on the 2018 tour is this coming weekend! We're heading to our favorite cabin in WV for 4 days of fun and relaxation with friends!

MW
Copyright 2018