It's Sunday so get ready for your weekly challenge

Today's quote.....A good life is when you smile often, dream big, laugh a lot and realize how blessed you are for what you have.

The above are all pretty easy things to do. Make sure you are not just smiling at people you know. Smile at strangers as well. Don't just smile when you think something is funny. Smile if you are feeling blah, it will help lift your mood. We should always have dreams and goals. Laughing a lot is easy too. Just look around you there is always something funny to catch your eye. If not watch a funny video on or movie. As far as realizing how blessed we are just think of people in other parts of the world who are suffering through war, drought , floods, earthquakes, fires, etc  and you will always feel blessed.

So, now for your weekly challenge....
This week set a short term goal...It may be financial, health related, family, renovations, work, friends.
When you decide on a goal write it down, if you can attach a picture of what you envision. Get a mental picture of what you want your goal to look like. Tell at least one person that you have set this goal. Put a time line on it. Practice whatever you need to do to accomplish that goal for 21 days and it will become a habit. Now enjoy the ride and be passionate about accomplishing it.
Example. If I decide I want to be more flexible and better balanced physically I will
write this goal down and beside it put a picture of stretches I want to do.
I will get a mental picture of me being able to get out of bed in the morning without feeling any pain in my joints.
I will tell Bruce what my goal is and tell him that I am going to do some stretches every morning as soon as I get up before starting my day.
I will set a time line of one month.
I will stretch every morning for 21 days in order to form the habit.
I will be passionate about wanting to feel less stiffness in my joints and muscles as I get older.

So start thinking a a short term goal and get going. Once you can do this with short term goals it is easier to do it with long term goals.
I got this idea from reading The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

It's Saturday...Let's learn about the benefits of Kale

Today's Quote.....The world is wide and the world is grand, and there's little or nothing new, but it's sweetest thing is the grip of the hand of the friend who's tried and true.

                                                                                                                                                Unknown

We need to cherish those friends who have been with us through thick and thin. Make sure to tell them how much you appreciate them being there for you.

Soooo let's talk about...

KALE
Kale is a rich source of various anti-cancer compounds. It is a member of the cruciferous family. It is endowed with anti-cancer indoles that help regulate estrogen and fight off colon cancer. It contains more beta carotene than spinach and twice as much lutein. It is also high in the antioxidant Vitamin C.

If you buy kale that is bigger leaves make sure you take the leaf off the stem part as it can be bitter. Baby kale is the best. You can steam it with other greens such as beet greens, Swiss chard or spinach. It can be shredded up and put into a salad raw. It can be added to smoothies. Experiment with it and Enjoy.

Do something for someone somewhere!!!!

Today's Quote.....Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not impress. Don't strive to make your presence known just make you absence felt. 
                                                                                                                                               Unknown

This week's vegetable.
Artichoke
The artichoke, has been known for centuries, to be beneficial for digestion. The most noted effect is increased bile production. Because the body uses cholesterol to make bile acids, increasing bile acid production may balance blood cholesterol. Increasing bile acid secretions also aids digestion.

This week's challenge.

Take a homemade or store bought treat to someone with a note attached. Depending on the situation....thank you for.... I appreciate......Congratulations......Welcome.

Have a great week.

Dream new dreams, set new goals

Today's quote.....You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.
                                                                                                                 C.S.Lewis

So my goals and dreams always involve helping people. Thus the reason I am in the social services field and am developing a business to promote healthy, happy lifestyle. I keep coming up with things I want to incorporate into my business. I have to share with you what has been eating at me for awhile. There is an old farm house that sits empty at the end of my road. It has been empty for at least 4 years. I can honestly say that I never drive by it that I don't think 'one day I want to own that house and do something with it that will help people in some way. I have thought of a respite home for children or adults with disabilities as I know there is a huge need for that service. Have also thought that I could use some of the rooms for my reflexology, reiki and cupping. Could use the kitchen for teaching healthy cooking. It could also be used a drop in/support for people that suffer from mental health and need a get away and support from others with similar diagnosis and professionals. I just keep getting plagued with a need to do something with it. There is property with it that could be used for gardening and sheds that could be used for storage. Now I just need to find someone who can help be develop these ideas.
If anyone has any ideas I am welcome to suggestions.
I think we always need to have goals and dreams to keep us moving forward.

Choices,chances,changes

Today's quote.....The 3 C's of life            
                                   Choices
                                        Chances
                                             Changes
                               You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will                                     never change.
                                                                                                                Unknown

So I guess what this is saying is it is a choice we make whether we want our life to change or not right???? So if we are sitting thinking we aren't happy with the way things are going it is up to us to change it.
That goes against what we think and feel sometimes. Often people want to blame someone else for the way things are going. It my boss, my parents, my spouse, my financial status etc but we need to get another mind set and realize we have the choice to make things better. Not saying this will happen overnight but we need to take the first step to making those changes. We need to figure out what it is that is making us unhappy, stressed, angry, etc. and decide what needs to change in our lives. Decide what we can do about it and take that first step.
I have made a lot of major choices for change in my life. I did take chances, and step into the unknown. Was it worth it OH YA!!!!  The last decade of my life has seen me as a much different person. I am much happier with who I am and where I am. My latest change has been to live a healthier lifestyle and I can't believe how much I am growing in areas I never would have thought of because of that change.
I made the choice to change for me but I think others around me are benefiting from it as well.
So today decide if you are where you want to be and if you are not make some choices for change and take a chance!!!!