Bigger, Better, Brighter and More

The holidays are rushing by and I have not had a chance to catch up with my blog. This time of year means different things to different people. For me, the older I get, the more I love this season. I love the snow on the ground and being able to bundle up. I love spending time with family (especially when it involves five days at Starbucks Ranch and watching the Clydesdales romp in the snow).

I love thinking about how my life has changed for the better with each new season. I also love the hope that grows into bigger, better, brighter and more. Now mind you, I am not talking bigger, better, brighter and more in the sense of "stuff." I am talking about an abundant hope that can only come from within. With the coming of the new year, I choose to focus on the weeding, pruning, and reshaping of my life. What needs to be to cut out? What hinders my path? What diminishes who I want to be?

Thus, I would like to share with you what I choose to focus on for my New Year from a study on “peace of mind” by Duke University. This is my starting point for my New Year and my being bigger, better, brighter and more:

1. I must learn forgiveness and work harder on not taking offense or holding onto resentment.

2. I have to let go of past mistakes and failures as only through those challenges have I become who I am now.

3. I have to invest my time and talent in places where I can make a difference and not waste time and energy fighting conditions I cannot change. I must cooperate with life.

4. I must force myself to stay involved with the world and resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive because it is safer emotionally.

5. I must refuse to indulge in self pity when my life encounters some sorrow or misfortune.

6. I must continue to cultivate the old fashioned virtues of love, humor, compassion and loyalty.

7. I have to stop expecting too much of myself and be proud of my accomplishments.

8. I need to continue focusing on and believing in something bigger than myself.

It's Great to be a Florida Gator!!!!! The SEC Champions 2008!!!!!!

Need I say more?

Out and About: Networking Opportunities

Thursday, December 11: WOMEN IN BUSINESS BREAKFAST BREAKFAST HOLIDAY EVENT AT GALLERY TWO TEN (210 E. Cimarron Street 80903) Thursday, December 11th at 5:30 p.m. Each member is requested to bring a bottle of their favorite wine to share in wine tasting. Hor d'oeuvres will be provided. As we all will be busy generating holiday cheer for our loved ones there will be no regular meetings will be held in November and December because our meeting day is on the actual holidays!!!!

Friday, December 12: The AMERICAN BUSINESS WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION EXPRESS NETWORK (CSWEN) will hold a Holiday Gala at Tansi's, the newest and classiest boutique in the springs. Mark your calendars now for Friday, DECEMBER 12th 6 PM to 8 PM. If you are not an ABWA member and would like to attend, please contact me at Cris@Carter.net and I will get an invitation to you.

Mark the evening of Friday February 6, 2009 on your calendar for the ABWA Colorado Springs Express Network's Annual Fund-raiser with a live auction and wine and cheese affair at the Gallery Two-Ten, Colorado's newest and best contemporary art gallery, the venue of which has been extended to us for our use by our member, Marianne Gunter, who is the Director and Owner of Gallery Two-Ten.

GENERAL AND ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES:
Would you like to visit my BNI group? Success Partners meets at The Plate restaurant for breakfast at 8:00 every Thursday morning. Contact me directly if you would like to be a guest.

GET IN SHAPE WITH FRIENDS IN TRAINING. I don't know about you but gaining pounds during the holiday season scares me. So in conjunction with the Entrepreneur Club, you can get a discount on membership at Gold's Gym. Email me at Cris@Carter.net if you are interested.

Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels

I am one happy camper right now. For the first time, I can finally wear two pair of pants that I received as gifts last Christmas!! Woooohoooo!!! I've lost 12 lbs since I started the Metabolic Research Center diet November 7th. Their guarantee is 2-5 lbs weight loss per week if you stay on the plan. Today was the end of week 4 and I was 12 lbs less! This Metabolic Diet really works. And it is getting easier. Just what they guaranteed. Amazing. Not hungry, not craving, high energy and no drugs! And I love the cranberry green tea and the strawberry banana jello!

Now don't tell Julia, my weight loss coach at Metabolic, but I have cheated. Not a lot mind you, but a cheat is a cheat. Luckily after a cheat, I have managed to get back on the horse quickly! Although I am still not getting to the gym regularly, as life is a bit to busy this holiday season, I am seeing a skinny new me for 2009 and am delighted in the process. Just think, when I hit a plateau, then I can hit the gym hard. Life is good and getting better every day!

Xerox will send a card to a military member on your behalf

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. Encouragement and appreciation from home, goes a long way. Be blessed as you share with others.

When the student is ready, the teacher will come.

I have found in my life that when I think that I am running the show, I have to have the same lesson presented to me over and over again until I get it. Often times, the lesson has to become more pronounced and the consequences of my failure to learn the lesson become more severe. But then there is that “aha” moment when I get it. And I thank my God that the lessons have persisted long enough and without too severe a consequence and that I now have a new tool in my toolbox.

I think perhaps that is what is happening right now with our economy. We, as Americans have not been paying close enough attention to what is in our best interest. We have become frivolous and glutenous in our consumption of material things.

What better time of year to rid ourselves of those bad habits then the holiday season. This year, just maybe, we will come closer to recognizing the real gratitude lesson that we have given lip service to in the past, but have not held onto once the Thanksgiving meal is off the table. This year my shopping will be with the reality that others close to me cannot shop at all as they have lost their job, their home or are close to doing so. Many of my friends and I will not be gifting each other at all, but rather giving money to charity instead.

I hear people say, we have seen this economic crunch before. May I suggest that the race this time is not going to be a sprint, but a marathon. For anyone who has ever run a marathon, you know that there will be moments of highs and even more moments of lows. Some may find a point where he or she is ready to give up as they are weighed down by the insecurities and doubts that slow us down in this life. Let’s pull together and realize that we are not running this race alone. Let’s surround those who are in this same race but struggling with greater fear and pain. Perhaps together we can learn this important lesson for the last time and live our lives accordingly in the future! Wouldn't that make for a wonderful holiday gift for us all?

Battling the Bulge Once Again!

I have bitten the bullet. I knew I had a little extra weight to lose but when I finally got on the scales it was a bit more discouraging then I was contemplating. I began having nightmares of how much worse it could be if I gained the typical 5 or so pounds that Americans usually gain around the holidays. The thought of starting the new year with an additional poundage on top of the already bulging waist line did not look pretty.

Gold's Gym here I come. Something for everyone there...cardio cinema with new released movies, active classes, restful classes, dodge ball (how long has it been since dodge ball was on your mind?) and a salt water pool along with all the spa facilities. Okay things were looking up. And the price was right! If anyone wants to join me, I have free passes for a one week trial of the gym from my good friend, Antoinne. Just send me an email and I will get a pass to you.

Think I am serious? Yes I am! My next stop was to see Julia Archer at the Metabolic Research Center. A balanced diet, a counselor and accountability. With a guarantee weight loss of 3 lbs a week if I follow the plan, I could be done within two weeks of the New Year! So far so good, my motto is going to be "Nothing Tastes as good, as Skinny Feels."