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I had been thinking about going back to vegetarian eating for a while, then a friend mentioned it on Facebook this morning and I am committing.
Why do I want to eat veggie? The reasons are many, but here we go!
1. I feel better. When I eat meat and animal products, my body aches and I am tired. When I eat a plant based diet, I feel lighter and need less sleep!
2. I go to the bathroom better Ok, this might be gross, but I have serious bathroom problems most of the time. When I consume a primarily plant based diet, I have less problems with this part of my life!
3. I work out better A plant based diet, contrary to some opinions, provides a perfectly balanced diet of carbs, proteins and fats. I am getting a higher quality of all, eating whole foods, so I have more energy, more strength to get in workouts!!
4. My grocery bill is less I get really sick of the argument that eating healthy is expensive…says who?? Shop the perimeter, primarily the produce department and your bill will go down dramatically! I just bought a bag of Doritos for my son yesterday and they were $4! Oh my!! That is why he only gets one bag a week! Bananas on the other hand, cost like $2 for 2 pounds! Cheaper, better for you….just center your diet around what is in season.
So, these are some of the basic ones, but feeling better, looking better, losing weight and saving money are pretty important instigators!! Follow my journey here…..
yogajen
Wanna learn how to make money with your blog, or just how to blog better? I am going to try it out!
I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.
It covers:
- The best blogging techniques.
- How to get traffic to your blog.
- How to turn your blog into money.
I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.
I was listening to the news last night, and there was a small plane that crashed. They identified the people who had died in the crash, and one of them was a guy I had attended high school with 25 years ago. I recognized him immediately, even having not seen him in all those years, and without his curly hair.
He was 44 years old, newly married with a brand new job and step-child. He had all of his life to live, and in an instant, it was over.
It made me think hard about how I would want to spend my day if it was my last day on earth? Would I do what I am doing today, or would I do something different? I needed to take the time to think about the impression I will leave on this earth, and if how I am spending my time now, is the way I want to be remembered.
It seems as if he had lived a wonderful, full and giving life. He had done the things he wanted to do, and gone the places he had wanted to go. Have I? Or have I lived life on auto-pilot, but going through the motions, without much thought to the outcomes?
In many ways I think I have spent time wisely…I took time to be with my kids when they were little, I have taken time over the years to walk, meditate, journal and think. I have taken classes on things that interest me, and I have studied yoga enough to hopefully have made a positive impact on the lives of others. But has it been enough? Should I be giving more of myself to the things I truly feel passionate about, and less to those I don’t? Should we let money rule our decisions or should we live life a bit more frugally stuff-wise in order to give more to our families, our communities and ourselves?
What if this was my last day on earth? I would go out for lunch with my daughter, get my son up and take him to the Y to workout. I would teach two yoga classes tonight after putting on a roast for my husband and son. I would list a couple of things on Ebay to cover the heating costs today, and I might take a nap this afternoon. That isn’t what I am doing today….should I rethink my day??
yogajen
A few years ago, I had a tattoo of a small purple flower placed strategically on my right wrist, exactly where a watch face would land. I say strategically, as the intent of this tattoo was to forever keep me from working in an office setting ever again.
I had just sold my tax business that I had had since the early 90’s. I was fried from the long hours and constant demands of tax and accounting work. I had let it get the better of me, by not being able to say “no” to new clients, and not being able to delegate effectively. Having sold it, I felt this intense sense of freedom. Getting the tattoo, in my mind, sealed the deal….never again would I spend 8 hours a day sitting behind a desk in a self-imposed jail.
Ah, but here I am 4 years later, doing it again! Why? Because I did not effectively “burn the bridge”. When I got the tattoo, most financial services organizations would not hire someone with visible tattoos, so I figured I was safe. But as the need for accountants rose, this particular “ban” was lifted. And even with blatant showing of the wrist in interviews, I received several job offers.
Why was I even looking for a job you might ask? Well originally, I just sent out a resume on a whim. There was a job in the paper that I thought might be interesting (accounting, interesting…what was I thinking?), so I put together a quick resume and emailed it. Within 24 hours I had a phone call, within 48 hours I was at an interview and within 72 hours I had an offer, that at the moment seemed to good to pass up. I accepted the offer, and back to the daily work world I went, after two blissful years at home, reading, journaling, teaching yoga…
By the time I realized that I didn’t like this job, it was kind of late. We had moved into a different house, and our expense structure had changed, so I started looking again, for something closer to home, that might be more palatable. Again, send out a resume, and within a few days, I had another offer! What is up? So, this one, being just a few blocks from home, I decided to take, gave notice at the first job, and the rest is history so they say.
I don’t want you to think that I hate what I do, because I really don’t. I do hate the confining nature of work. I do intensely dislike working 8 or 9 hours a day doing the same thing. I don’t enjoy the fact that I have so much responsibility when I don’t own it, but that is somewhat self imposed I suppose. The joy of it is in helping a new business to get their accounting system set up so they flourish…in helping a young family find that awesome tax credit that will allow them to replace the car that broke down and in working with small businesses to create plans that allow them to effectively balance their businesses and lives….so there is good as well!
So, now, here I sit, wondering how to make this all work? Do I stay, work to much, get frustrated and end up leaving? Or do I try to develop a plan with better balance that allows me to do all the things I love, while still working to obtain the funds to do the things I love?
This is my challenge…how much life energy am I willing to expend to get money and how much life energy do I want to save for the things I truly enjoy doing?
Is this a bridge I want to burn at this time, or is this a bridge I may want to cross again at some time in the future? Many of us struggle with this dilemma. Have you come up with an answer? Have you burned a bridge you wish you would have left alone? Is there a bridge you want to burn but fear is standing in your way?
Let me know your thoughts…
yogajen
