Resolution Ideas for 2012 – #3

 

Stop all reoccurring monthly charges

 

In order to stop the treadmill of money in – money out every month, let’s focus on where that money is going and do really “need” or even want the “reocurring” lifestyle you have created.  Yes, you “can” have anything your want, but at what cost?  Think about how we remember “the good old days and how simple everything was.”

 

Too many choices = sense of overwhelm

Too many choices = less or no appreciation

Too many choices = less or no productivity

 

Do as much of the physical labor yourself as possible like mowing your own grass and cleaning your house, pool and car. Physical labor outside is wonderful for the mind and body.  You can work-out at home, perhaps with your family, using DVDs so you can cut your gym membership and one more drive in the car at the same time. Stop magazine and newspaper subscriptions and buy one occasionally if you really want one.

 

Reduce your cable TV to just basis, save $50 a month and break the habit of mindless watching while replacing it with “selected” viewing like documentaries or on-line learning.  Better yet, turn on some music and interact with your   family by playing a board game, cooking or baking together.

 

The point is to be acutely aware of how you have “set up” your lifestyle and what tweaks you can make to jump off the treadmill and go back to the basics.  Everyone has the same amount of time.  The key is to “build in the good stuff” otherwise, life finds a way of using up all our time. Make a quick weekly schedule of how you are currently spending your time by blocking it into chunks of time and then make a new one of how you “could” spend it and gain satisfaction while saving money.

Resolution Ideas in 2012 – #2

 

Buy Nothing. Use up household stuff you have on hand. Stay out of the stores. 

 

Physical clutter causes mental clutter and keeps you going in a circle rather than moving forward.  Strive for lean, clean and streamline.  This will open up time, space and lighten your to-do list giving you an opportunity to focus on other area of your life.

 

Rampant Consumerism is a waste of time, energy, money and is bad for our earth.  No one’s willpower is stronger than the power of American marketing. Don’t get sucked into consumerism. If you don’t know it existed, you won’t want to buy it. Things bring only temperary satisfaction.  Get to the good stuff -joy, bliss, relationships, self discover, adventure, nature and learning.

 

Shop with a list and only as needed, not just for 1 or 2 items. Do not shop for entertainment. Use up all the items in your pantry, freezer, garage, bathroom, bar and wine cellar.  Buy only perishables in small quantities.  Make it a game to find new recipes to use up whatever you have on hand until every can and dry good is used. Try www.Kraft.com.  

Shopping less saves you money. Spend $10 a week on bread and fruit rather than $100 and save $360 a month.

Resolution Ideas for 2012

 

New Year Resolutions for 2012

Resolve to Downsize, Reduce Debt Fast and Gain Time

If your life feels like it is spinning out of control and you are being buried under stuff with an unmanageable schedule that has you running from dawn until midnight, here are some simple solutions you can make today.  As you may know, I live in Italy most of the year and have adopted the European lifestyle of quality vs. quantity. These are simple yet powerful ways to downsizing your stuff and schedule, while creating a lifestyle that gives you time and freedom to choose how to spend your precious days. Are you acting or reacting to life’s events?  Don’t be the pinball in an arcade game anymore!

Disconnect! Stop doing everything that doesn’t bring you joy. Busyness is a false sense of importance and robs you of time. Become acutely aware of how you spend your time and money and what influences you are allowing into your mind.  Turn off the TV, turn on some music, spend time outside in nature daily by walking in your neighborhood or park or riding bike without headphones or telephone. Learn to enjoy time in the beautiful home you have created.  Practice by spending a full day or long periods at home without TV and check email and/or your cell phone once every 4 hours. You control them, not the other way around. Give yourself unhurried time to remember your passions and things you wanted to accomplish that got pushed aside by daily life.  Eat your meals sitting down in a lovely setting and enjoy every undistracted bite. Live with purpose, not circumstances. Choose how you spend your precious days. Look for the good things in your life, right them down and say thank you.

What Triggers us to Change?

 

A Letter from Eric

 

You have been on an amazing journey. Love that you’ve put it into a book. The fact that it weaves through (or ‘ends’) in Italy is fantastic. My Mom is Italian, and my sister lives in Milan, married with children.

You had some Powerful events that led you to a strong sense of – “Make the most of your time and life.” But…for most people, Barbara, what do you think is the impetus to really roll up our sleeves and challenge ourselves in all ways, on all levels?

What is it that gets us to go for the most authentic, powerful, joyful, abundant expression of ourselves that we can?

Would love to hear your thoughts if you feel so inclined to answer…

 

Hi Eric,

 

Thanks for writing such a great thoughtful letter. 

 

I think we all start our lives with a certain expectation of how it is going to be and when that wears off, we evaluate things differently.  Life experiences can either stop us dead in our tracks or it can motivate us to move forward.  Near death experiences tend to “instantly” change a person.  Dr. Phil says there are “pivotal” moments in everyone’s life that push us into different directions.  Of course, you can just wake up one day and say “No more!”

 

For me, Tom’s death lit a fire under my chair.  I saw  in a flash,  how quickly a  life can be over and if I had dreams, I better get on with it.  I also felt that I had nothing to lose by taking the leap of faith.  My long term marriage was over, my fiance was dead and  my only child gone off to college out-of-state.  I no longer found joy in living in Orlando, maintaining a home or doing the activities that kept me entertained for all those years. 

 

I am grateful for having all of those things, but at that point, I wanted something new, fresh and exciting.  For me, it was time and freedom to do whatever I wanted and not be strapped to schedule and, I wanted adventure. I was too young to wait for retirement and not wealthy enough to live without a job.  So, I came up with an idea of how to live differently.

 

Once you decide to want a certain thing, close off all other distractions or time wasters and focus daily on your goal.  Take action every day to move toward it.  The more actions in one day the faster you get there. All actions are either going toward or away from you goal.  There is no neutral.  If today, I decided not to take action, I am actually moving away from my goal because the earth/world is constantly moving and by doing nothing, you are naturally moving away.

 

We are each born with a natural talent. A skill that we love doing and makes us feel alive and happy to start each day. We feel like contributing productive members of society.  To find out what it is, ask yourself this simple question. “If money were no object, how would I choose to spend my day?”   At first you may say I want today on the beach and basks in the sun all day on a tropical island, which would be fun for a few weeks, but then gets a little boring.  Think more along the lines of create, teach, build, sew, write, draw, help, paint, live, etc.  We all want to feel that we are needed, appreciated, and contributing.

 

I am a natural motivator  and teacher.  I wanted to travel and live in Tuscany.  Never did I dream that I would meet Giuseppe and be able to help him promote his family winery and get to travel while using my natural talents.

 

When you are “basking in your glory”, whatever that is, people, places and events are naturally attracted to you.  When you give your best with passion, others automatically want to be a part of what you are doing.  Do what you love and radiate joy, then everything else falls into place.  Energy attracts energy.

How to Make Things Happen in Your Life

 

Sharon from Canada Asks:

 

Could you tell me what you feel you have done so far to be successful?

Your question is stately perfectly because you said thus far. Success is temporary. I am a work in progress. Once a thing is accomplished and the “thrill” has died down, then a new thing comes to mind.  The key is not to become “fat and happy” and let the mind become numb with routine and compliancy.  Always keep learning, growing and questioning. What can I discover, create or participate in?  Who can I help?  Become a go giver.  Here are some simple steps take to stay on track.

 

1. Stay focused on your goal.

2. Surround yourself with others who want the same things and accept help.

3. Don’t listen to anyone negative. Operate out of joy, not fear.

4. Develop self control and habits that draw you to your goals. Keep your word, eat well, love your body, turn of TV and read/learn, change your daily routine and teach your children to do better.  Become aware of every move and thought you make.

 

 

On a different note and hopefully very useful to those surviving abuse that you are helping, Sharon,  is that change is constant, but it up to the individual to mold it for good.  I knew that my time as wife, mother and worker had come to an end.  It did not fill me the way it had in the past. But before I could create a new life of living inItaly, I had to make some changes.  I had to stop doing a lot of things before I could create a new life.  Stopping working at my job, stop living in my home and liquidate my possessions, stop being in a relationship, and accept that my daughter was an adult and living in another state. All of these were anchors for me to stay in my current situation and my choices to change hurt other. Change is scary and sometimes difficult, especially at first.

 

But follow your heart and do it anyway.  I said yes to new situations that felt right and no to other choices that came up that felt wrong. Make your best choice given your options at the moment.  If it does work out, adjust and try again and again. Never give up.

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