Archives for February 2018

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 9

 

“Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you.”  

—Anonymous—

 

 

Welcome to week 9 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

Lamb in a Pan

 

Even when I’m short on time, I want to have a great meal. Here’s a fresh and colorful dinner dish for two that doesn’t take long to prepare, it’s super easy, and it sort of looks like you spent hours making it.  When you have a pet rabbit (like me), you always seem to have fresh greens in the fridge.  For the majority of people who don’t, great fresh greens are almost always at the grocery store.  I pick up my lamb at places like Aldi or Costco when it’s available—which is sometimes seasonally, then freeze it in packages of 4 for those busy days when I want to impress a special guest (I allow 2 loins per person because they’re usually pretty small).

 

4 lamb loin steaks

2 potatoes, cubed

4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 small bunch red and yellow Swiss chard chopped into 2”x 2” ish pieces

1 small bunch kale chopped into 2”x 2” ish pieces

2 T EVOO

½ t pepper

¼ t salt

 

  • Heat the EVOO in a large fry pan on medium until oil becomes thin.
  • Add the potatoes, and stir fry for about 3 minutes until coated with the oil, then cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
  • Add the onion and garlic, mix well with the potatoes, cover and cook 5 minutes.
  • Fold the greens into the mixture, and cook covered, 10-15 minutes or until they wilt down and become tender.
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper over the mixture and stir to combine.
  • Lightly salt and pepper the lamb loins on both sides.
  • Push the veggie mixture to the edges of the pan, making room to place the loins into the center of the pan.
  • Cover and pan fry the lamb approximately 4 minutes per side—be careful not to over-cook! Lamb should be just barely pink in the middle for best taste.
  • Plate and enjoy!
  • Serves 2

 

Thank you for reading my post. Does this recipe sound yummy?  If you try it out let me know what you think! All comments are greatly appreciated.  Check out more great recipes under my Killer Cookin’ blog category, and if you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’. There’s a place to do that right on my home page.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

Expectations—Learning about Less Part 4

“All You Need Is Less” is my mantra of the year.

Yes, “Less Self-Imposed Expectations” was a hard, hard lesson to learn, but I was able to do it in part by listening to other people’s similar situations, identifying with them, and being able to envision alternate ways to view those situations. I came up with a Plan Of Action to Ensure Less Unrealistic Expectations.

First was coming to the understanding that it all starts with me. I allowed myself to accept that;

  • The world isn’t going to come to an end without my relentless efforts.
  • I’m not responsible for everything.
  • Just because I know I can, doesn’t mean I should.

And finally,

  • I deserve love, respect, understanding, and kindness from others, AND from myself.

Then I thoughtfully analyzed how I spent my time, and saw room for improvement .  I applied this adjusted way of thinking into my Less of a Schedule SCHEDULE!

So as I was writing this series, I have to admit, I did make some assumptions about how people view time and commitment.  I had to take a step back and remind myself that not everyone over extends.  Not everyone plans.  Not everyone thinks on Monday what they may need to be doing a week from the next Tuesday.  Some people have balanced, happy lives that are relatively stress free.  Odds are, they have already mastered “Less” without even realizing it.  If that’s you, you may or may not find benefit in creating Less of a Schedule.  You may think putting things down on paper is silly or a waste of time.  That’s okay.  But then there are those folks who truly do need ‘Less of a Schedule’.

And that’s when I realized there are just a couple more things to go deeper on before we actually get to creating Less of   Schedule.

As a master planner, I’ve lived by a schedule most of my adult life. One reason is because years ago I worked for a company that was all about time management.  Down. To. The. Seconds.  Time was money, and parts needed to be built quickly and efficiently.  So I spent quite a bit of time…managing time.  I guess you could say I was “conditioned” at an early age.  In essence, the manufacturing workplace became an “adult self-regulating environment”.  We were all programmed to know how many minutes, or even seconds, it took to do ‘thing a, thing b, thing c’, and so on.  I received a number of awards for developing time and cost saving processes back then.  Ah, yes, back in the day!

I. Know. How. To. Get . Stuff. Done!

Of course normal daily life can’t be lived with that kind of rigidity. Yikes, right?  But there is something huge to be said for self-regulating, and being consciously aware of the present.  Not everyone is automatically dialed in to be that way, which typically is a big part of the problem with over extending in the first place.  When you are consciously aware that it actually takes countable minutes to do…any…thing….you know what the ground rules are to getting things done, and you know what happens if you “break” them.   There is no “it just sneaked up on me” business.

I remain a master planner. The difference today is that now my schedule is far more relaxed. I allow myself more than enough time for my commitments.   I have blocks of designated downtime, family time and nothing-at-all time, and plenty of it. That’s what I call my non-negotiable time.

“But there’ only 24 hours in a day and I’ve got a running list requiring at least 30” you say. Here’s where rating your time comes in handy.  How important is it to get involved with “X”?  How important is it to say “yes” to “Y”?  What are we talking about in time investment if you agree to “Z”?  Who is affected and how are they affected if I decide to do, or not do, this thing?  What may I have to give up in order to help with this thing? When it comes to anything outside of your non-negotiables, these are good questions to start with before you make any commitment.  Gone are the days when we just say “yes” without careful consideration of what “yes“ will entail.  Gone is the need to conquer the world, do it all and be it all.  Remember, we’ve reached all those profound new realizations that are changing our world, right?  Right! Awesome!  Now on to the next item!

Perhaps the hardest part of creating Less of a Schedule is determining, and admitting, why you may need one. As you consider the things you really want to achieve with your day, do you also acknowledge what typically stops you from following through, whether you’re over committed or not?

Let’s say you committed to a work project that would take the better part of the day to complete, but instead, 15 minutes into it a memo caught your eye and you spent half the day researching and making calls about the memo. It didn’t pertain to you directly.  It wasn’t necessary to give that memo more than a glance, but there you were, sucked into it, and then, suddenly, the day was gone.  No completed project.  You’re scrambling and a frustrated team is waiting on you.

What happened? Be honest now…..

How did putting that commitment off effect those waiting on it to be done?

Who would you never dream of letting down?

What circumstances would it take?

When do you feel inspired to stay the course on getting a specific thing done?

What would it look like if you’d simply glanced at that memo and said “huh” and kept working on the project?

Or let’s say you agreed to be over to the party with the brats at 6:00, but as you were leaving your house you saw the neighbor across the way and a simple greeting turned into talk about the new shop opening. Then another neighbor came by, and then the husbands came out, and before you knew it, it was 7:35.  The beans were cold, the buns were dry, and your friends were eating their paper plates.

What happened?

How would you feel if you were the one waiting on those brats?

Who would you never ever consider being late for?

What circumstances would it take?

When do you feel inspired to be on time?

What would it look like if you’d simply waved “hi” to those neighbors and kept going?

Answering  questions like these may be a little uncomfortable when you lead with knowing it all starts with us and the choices that we make.  What causes us to take on too much is one issue.  What causes us to think it’s acceptable to put those things off once we have made the commitment is double trouble. Being able to honestly look at the answers could be a huge awakening, and eventually bring you closer to your best self.

In my world, the foundation of my decisions has always been based on integrity. I have a framed “saying” in my dining room that’s been there since the beginning of time.

Respect for Self

Respect for Others

Responsibility for All Actions

It’s been a constant reminder and mantra to me my whole life.  Back when I felt like I was falling down with over-extension I could hardly stand myself.   I tried to convince myself that people would understand.  I told myself people wouldn’t notice one way or the other.  I even wallowed to the point where I said if they really cared they’d of said something.

But that’s really not how it works. Unless they tell us, we don’t know what they think.  It’s none of our business WHAT the other guy thinks.  It’s not our place to make assumptions about it, either.  Maybe they lost respect, or maybe they didn’t .  We won’t know unless they decide to tell us, or we flat out ask.  Pffffffh and who does THAT?

The bottom line is, not following through is a choice, consciously, or subconsciously. It’s no one’s fault but our own for being distracted, or procrastinating or forgetful, or whatever happens to be the case (outside of things like innocently driving along and getting t-boned by some A-Hole on the road—or becoming dreadfully sick).  What happens when we make that choice?  Not only do I look bad if I don’t follow through, but my choices could also have negative consequences for those I’ve let down.  My choices affect me, and everyone around me.  We alone are responsible for making wise choices with our time.  With our life.

So what does all this have to do with creating Less of a Schedule?

It’s food for thought. Before diving in to creating Less of a Schedule, give some thought to your typical day.  Is it often a day of self-imposed unrealistic expectations?  With gentle care and without judging, ask yourself these hard questions:

  • Who is impacted by your current mode of operation and behavior?
  • How does not meeting a commitment effect those waiting for it to be done?
  • Who would you never dream of letting down?
  • When do you feel inspired to stay the course on getting a specific thing done?
  • Who would you never ever consider being late for?
  • How would you feel if you were the one waiting on someone?
  • When do you feel inspired to be on time?
  • What would it feel like to not be overwhelmed?
  • How would your life be impacted if you had more time?
  • Who would be impacted if you had more time?
  • How important is it to you to be good for your word?
  • Are you ready to make some changes?

Food for thought. Next time, the much anticipated Less of a Schedule.

 

Thank you for reading my post. Did it strike a chord for you or did it seem far and away from your own perspective?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!  All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can read about all sorts of ideas, opinions and feelings from the heart and soul of an outdoorswoman… there are lots of topics covered in my blog category, “Girl Outdoors”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 8

 

 

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first.”

—Mark Twain—

 

Welcome to week 8 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 7

 

 

 

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”                —Lao Tzu—

 

 

Welcome to week 7 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 6

 

 

“Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another.”

–Madonna–

 

 

Welcome to week 6 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!

My 2018 Cleanse And Restore 30 Day Challenge Completed

With victory flags a-flyin’, I’m pleased to be checking in with a final update on the 30 Day Cleanse and Restore Challenge I committed to on January 3rd. Yes, I am happy to say I’ve completed the challenge and am feeling awesome.  Thank you to everyone who reached out to me throughout the month with your curiosity and support, I really appreciated your questions and interest!

I thought it would be hard to follow this challenge, but it took virtually no time to adjust. My biggest shift was with portion size, since I eat pretty clean as it is.  I never really felt like I’d “given up” anything to eat, although I did choose to omit certain things for 30 days just for the principal of following more of a Keto/Paleo diet.  It really wasn’t a big deal to do knowing it was temporary.

My body has definitely changed over 30 days. I no longer feel puffy.   My skin feels softer and tighter.  I dropped a whopping  12 pounds in 30 days without trying and my clothes are feeling loose!  I’ve stopped shedding my hair.  I have increased energy and stamina.  My trips to the bathroom are normal.  I sleep like a log and wake up refreshed. My physical condition remains fantastic and pain free.  I’d call that a successful cleanse!

I am done with the complicated array of supplements that had to happen on certain days at certain times and my routine is back to normal. Or is it?  It’s February 12th and life is anything but normal.  I couldn’t be busier—and all in a good way!  And I’m down another 3 pounds.  Moving forward, I’m using elements of the cleanse, exercise, mindfulness and essential oils to get me the rest of the way to my goal by Memorial weekend.

One thing I must say is this: after doing this challenge I realize that I have not been drinking enough water for years. Consciously making sure to drink 64 ounces of water a day was difficult at first, but doing it sure opened my eyes.  I believe the increased water is one of the key factors of my feeling better over all.  When you consider of all the ways our bodies are impacted by what we do, and don’t do.  I’m pretty sure I’ve been living a dehydrated life for years.  Water flushes out the toxins our bodies are subjected to all day every day.  All I know is I will now continue to drink lots and lots of water with essential lemon oil daily.

Of course I’ll also continue to use the Life Long Vitality Supplements as a staple part of my daily routine. The PB Assist (probiotics) and the TerraZyme (digestive enzyme complex) are products that I will continue to use at low levels for maintenance as well.

I’m ramping up my exercise program—more cardio, and more core muscle group specific strength training, along with my daily Yoga, and regular meditation.   I’m continuing to incorporate essential oils to protect my immune system, assist with curbing food cravings, and to increase my metabolism.  Life will be very busy between now and my goal of losing 25 pounds by Memorial Weekend, so I want to make sure I’m strong, healthy and on track to achieve my goal while I’m pushing myself so hard.

In closing, I’d say this 30 Day Challenge has not just been a cleanse and restore of my body. It’s also been an adventure of the mind.  An adventure to  test the mind; test the will; test the unknown, hold myself accountable to me and push myself to see what I am willing to do to effect positive change in my life.  A challenge of the mind to set the mark, stay the course, and reach for the ring at the end. Oh, yeah, RINGS!  That’s another thing…..I can finally wear my rings again after almost 5 years….

 

Thank you for reading my post. I’d love to hear your thoughts!  All comments are greatly appreciated.  Life is an adventure—good or bad, and it begins today!  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my home page.  If you are interested in learning more about doTerra and the Cleanse and Restore Challenge, please reach out for me! I would love nothing more than to help you achieve your healthiest self too!  I also offer essential oil wellness workshops for formal and informal groups.  As always, please feel free to share with others who may find meaning and value in exploring limitless possibilities with PR Brady AdVentures. Thanks again!

                                                                                                                                                       

 

Notable Quotable Thought Provoke-able 5

 

 

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”

–Marcus Aurelius–

 

 

 

Welcome to week 5 of 52 weeks of quotes meant to give you something to think about……..please do share your thoughts in the comments on my website in this post!  The opportunities in 2018 can be endless!

 

Thank you for reading my post. What do you dream about seeing, doing, being?  Got a bucket list? A life plan?  Want to start one?  I’d love to help you get there, check out my services.  The first step to believing ‘opportunities are endless’ is sometimes not as hard if you grab some inspiration under my blog category, “Bucket of Limitless Possibilities”.  If you like what you see, please let me know by “liking” my website. All comments are greatly appreciated.  You can even join my tribe to automatically receive new postings ‘hot off the press’.  There’s a place to do that right on my website homepage.  As always, please feel free to share my information with others who may find interest and value in PR Brady AdVentures!  Thanks again!