The Real Reason For Not Doing It Is You

There comes a time in life when you have to admit the truth. There is only so long that you can blame others, or reel off excuses. Life has a way of yelling STOP!!!

So many people, including me, think there is an easier or quicker way to achieving something.

When you break it down, some things just take hard work and a commitment.

This was definitely the case for me and weight loss.

I found a million excuses.

There were so many other things I would rather do.

I have no time.

I'm not prepared.

In the end, you either get it, or you don't.

Luckily, for me, I admitted the truth before everything crumbled or came to an end.

Ask yourself ....

How badly do you want something?

What will happen if you keep waiting for a quick fix solution?

What will happen if you DO knuckle down and succeed?

What is your reason for self-sabotage?

It is so much easier to go on doing the same old routine.

Following our dreams is hard.

Change is hard.

Nothing worth doing is easy!!

That's why the feeling of achievement is so good.

That's why the rewards pay so well.

Scratching your back

In our household, we work with "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine". It has worked well for us ever since hubby and I got together. We used it to renovate our home, build a family and shape our lives. We encourage it with our children to work together to get something done. It works well in the community too, so I wonder .... why some people can't see beyond themselves to support others and build their own support network?

It is common knowledge that despite being very skilled and competent, there are some things you just can't do yourself. And some things are achieved easier and faster with help. I'm sure the pioneers of every community around the world have used this system successfully, otherwise the barter system would never have been used. To share your skills, knowledge and material objects with others, who in turn can offer you something you need is invaluable. Even in this modern day, the barter system is used as much as ever to get things done, to save money and to make life easier.

It saddens me when there are people with skills that have a selfish attitude about helping others. Sure, you might have worked hard to obtain those skills, but what is the point if nobody gets benefit from that hard work? Some people need more help than others, and that's OK too. I'm a huge believer of "what comes around, goes around", in both the good and the bad sense. In the end, even if the only reward you get is seeing somebody happier, then isn't it worth it?

Just as bad as those who find it hard to give, are those who are takers. There seems to be many of these around. They are absent or conveniently too busy if someone needs a hand, but are too happy to ask for help, and many actually expect it on a regular basis. I'm sorry but this can only go on for so long before you put someones nose out of joint.

We have often been in the situation of "it's not what you know, it's who you know". We have some amazing friends and contacts that we have called on over the years to get a good deal on a product, to do a particular job at mates' rates or offer advice. We like to think that these friends will call on us in return, and many of them have.

So have a look around you. What do you have to offer? Do you have the need for some expertise in exchange for something you have to offer? Are you a giver, a taker, or doing a great job at both? Do you work on this system?

Things to do NOW for the next school year

I try to be organised. Often, though I just can't think past this week. Well, I'm grabbing onto this by the horns before it takes off down the road. I am planning NOW for the next school year. My God! I'm gunna be super organised.

These are my recommendations:

Take stock Check what you already have, what needs replacing and what you still need. I'm talking essentials like lunch box, drink bottles, socks.

Labels Everything needs to be labelled. This is not a new thing. These days, though, there are so many tools and companies around to help you with this. Online stores are my favourites.

Clothing and shoes Shoe stores usually have a pre-school sale period. If your school provides uniform, then you may want to check if they are making any changes to the range, and what they have now. Otherwise they may have a pre-arranged day for uniform sales in the new year. Department stores and speciality uniform stores are also good sources.

Accessories   Don't forget all the little bits and pieces. I'm talking hair bands, ties, ribbons, as well as tools that will help get things done at home, like a new computer.

Paperwork  Have you completed all of that nasty paperwork the schools require, and even updated the details they already have. There are also things to consider like a Bus pass or student ID, which can often be arranged wither through the school or online at the appropriate department.

Extras  There are always extra things you need to consider. Things you need to have on hand just in case. Coats and umbrellas are usually only available seasonally, so depending where you live, they may or may not be available.

Organisers In my house this means a diary for me, a family Calendar, and a weekly schedule Board. This way, no-one can say they didn't know about an event or activity.

Activities plus What extra things do you need through the year? If this is your child's first year of school then you might not know. Things that spring to mind are Book Week costume, Halloween attire, swimmers, sports attire, sports equipment, or anything for the added activities that your child may enrol in.

Contacts I'm not a parent who knows all of the other parents and children in the class. So, should my children wish to meet up with any of their friends over the holiday period, then phone numbers of friends, and addresses could come in handy.

What other things can you think of that you could do now?

Linking up with Bassgiraffe's Thoughts

 

and Life with Two Boys

Is technology your friend?

Technology is everywhere you look. Some choose to use it, some choose not to.

I am a huge fan of saving time and making things work for me. So since I started blogging I have started using a few new things that work for me.

Kidspot recently did a great article on mummy friendly applications.
From this article I have started using Evernote. This application has been great to record my blog ideas in audio. I can also save photos to it. It has been compared to having your own project manager.  You can sync with others devices that you use and it is free.
There were some other really good applications in the article regarding shopping, social sites, and kid friendly apps.

I was already a huge fan of Facebook (addicted really but don't tell hubby). I have been able to use Facebook to my advantage by listing my blog posts as I publish them. I get quite a few hits from people who see my posts on Facebook. Along with this I have added Twitter to my tools. I certainly don't tweet a lot, but many bloggers tweet their posts and its a great way to get amongst the pack.

I mostly use Google Reader to view the blogs I like to read. This way I can group the blogs together in a way that works for me, like the ones I like to read first, crafty blogs, etc. I mostly use Google Reader as a gathering tool and will quite often go to the blog site to comment on a post and check out other features of the blog.

Since I have my mobile with me most of the time now, I thought it was also good to use the calendar to remind me of where I am meant to be and when.

image source

Technology is a great thing and I am a huge fan of change, as long as I can see the benefits.