Is your life balanced?
In today’s blog:
Update: Disney World & Exciting NEWS & a GIVEAWAY!
The Quote
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: More set-up
Medical Moment: Relaxation
Book Review: Nanny Needed
Update:
This week’s blog is coming to you all the way from Disney World!
This is my first time going to Disney. Last year, we decided we wanted to go. Our girls are 6 and 3, and I’ve been told by a few people that this is the perfect age to take them. Honestly, for the longest time, I just couldn’t stomach the cost, but we’re breaking down after saving up and going to the magical place that Disney promises to be. What am I saving for if I’m not enjoying? (okay, that’s a loaded question, but you know what I mean.)
The idea of planning a trip to Disney was overwhelming, so we used a travel agent, the amazing and talented Martha Ford. I went to school with Martha, and she has helped us plan our trip and made this process SO much easier. If you’re planning a Disney trip or you know someone who is, I recommend Martha!!
Her services are Free! Feel free to email her here: martha@mickeyworldtravel.com.
She truly is awesome!
I have some exciting news!
The audiobook I narrated, INFINITY DRIVE, is now AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!
(I offered free codes to my newsletter recipients only. Join the group at the bottom of the page, so you don’t miss out on freebies like this!)
I honestly can’t believe I narrated a whole audiobook. I’ve done plenty of short stories, but this is my first attempt at a WHOLE 8-hour novel.
Over 20 different voices, including: 3 furry creatures with “high-pitched, squeaky voices,” 2 males with Native American accents, 2-3 artificial intelligence (robotic voices), military personnel, and a bunch of regular people. Phew!
The summary of this Science Fiction/Fantasy YA novel is below. And even if this isn’t your usual cup of tea, it might be worth a listen just to hear me narrate this thing! Hahaha.
INFINITY DRIVE written by Ross Richdale, narrated by Melissa Collings (ME!) Summary:
To overcome intolerance, she'll have to stay true to her history - and her heart.
Brittany spends her days fearing arrest from the humanz and the IMPACT police force for something that seems like it shouldn't matter: she's too tall. On Sympia, something like that is enough to get a person in deep trouble. When IMPACT forces surround her building, intent on capturing her, Brittany's only hope is to escape with another Sympian species, the fuzzy, spherical little silfs.
But the IMPACT forces want to capture Brittany for much more than her height offense; she’s the carrier of a transmitting device that emits a signal to her human ancestor Alessandra McLean, captain of the galactic cruiser Strabo. This signal could be IMPACT’s ruin. As Brittany and her small crew of outcasts escape to space aboard the Strabo, guided by the holographic memory of Alessandra, they discover that beyond the stars, an even greater enemy lurks.
Go listen!
As far as my own book goes, I am in the query trenches, meaning, I am sending out my baited line and hoping somebody bites. It’ll take time.
I’ve discussed over the last several weeks a need to order my life so that I don’t burn out. I tend to have a great many goals and a complicated plan for achieving those goals. And sometimes, I work myself too hard, and it shows. I’m often missing BALANCE. Do you do this? Is your life sometimes unbalanced? How do we correct?
As I mentioned last week, in an effort to be a highly effective person, I’m slowly reading THE 7 HABITS of HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE to see if I learn anything.
Today, I want to talk about another concept the author discusses before diving into the 7 habits, and it fits with my Disney break.
Keep reading…
Motivate:
Productivity is awesome, right? It’s how we get where we want to go, but it’s temporary if it’s done incorrectly.
-Stephen Covey
I love my car. I’m very appreciative of it. I’d have a hard time without it. But it needs maintenance. I have to care for my car if I want to keep it. If I don’t put gas in it, it won’t continue to run. If I don’t change the oil and rotate the tires and do a whole list of other things, my car won’t last. It takes time and I don’t like doing it, but if I want to keep the car, I have to invest a little into it along the way. I could just drive the car until it needed something, then ditch it and get a new one, but that would be very costly. I can’t afford to do that. So I do little things along the way to maintain it so I avoid the need for something major.
Funny how I’ll do this for a car, but I don’t always do it for myself. Just like a car, we need maintenance and care. If we run ourselves into the ground without stopping to care for ourselves along the way, we’ll need to be replaced. Unlike a car, we can’t just scrap ourselves and get a new us. The same can be said for our relationships. If we don’t put work into maintaining them, they fall apart: friends, family, etc.
And that’s where balance comes in. It’s great to have goals and dreams and a good work ethic and raises and promotions and…but not at all costs. Excessive focus on productivity can really drain you. You’ll be successful in the short term, but not in the long term. Have you ever tried to diet and failed? Same principles apply. You have to do something that is sustaining.
As I’ve said before, it’s one thing to get there; it’s another to stay there.
How’s your relationship with yourself? Are you taking care of you? Do you need a break? If your answer is “I can’t” then you’re wrong. You have a choice, even if you think you don’t. You taking care of you might come with a price, but surely that’s a price you can pay when the alternative is paying with your own life and health. Nothing’s worth that.
Medical Moment: The Epsom Salts bath
A warm bath is a tried-and-true way of relaxing. Adding Epsom salts to your water only enhances that experience. Epsom salt is also a great way to get your magnesium, an essential mineral that helps your body in so many ways: constipation, sleep, blood pressure regulation, muscle and nerve function, and so much more.
(I take magnesium by mouth every night. Email me if you want more info. about dosing!)
So when you take that relaxing bath, add 4 cups or so of Epsom salts to your water and relax those muscles even more and get your daily dose of magnesium. The best way to absorb magnesium is trans-dermally (through the skin!).
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
If you’re like my mother, and the idea of sitting in your own filth if appalling to you (or maybe you don’t have a tub), I recommend her method of relaxation: a good foot soak! Warm/hot water in a pot or bucket with Epsom salts to plunge your feed into is an acceptable alternative.
Either method doesn’t have to take an hour either. A 15-minute bath or foot soak is enough. A little care goes a long way!
Book Review: Nanny Needed
This is another one I really enjoyed! NANNY NEEDED is a psychological suspense/thriller that keeps you on your toes. But it also explores mental illness, past trauma, and coping with mental issues.
When young Sarah Larsen finds a poster advertising the need for a nanny at a fancy NY penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side, she decides to apply even though she’s never been a nanny and even though the poster is a little suspicious, indicating discretion is of the utmost importance.
But she clicks with Mrs. Bird, the mother of the 3 y.o., and gets the job with such a high paying salary that it keeps her from seeing the red flags. When something appears too good to be true, it usually is, and soon Sarah is second-guessing her decision to work at the Bird house. But it’s too late. In her haze of excitement, she signed a contract keeping her there for 3 months. A lot can happen in 3 months, and as the revelations roll, the stakes increase. And Sarah can’t wait for her three months to be up.
I definitely recommend!
Final thoughts:
It’s great to take care of others, to work hard, and to go after success, but you’ll be able to accomplish so much more in the long-term if you care for yourself along the way.
Which brings me back to Disney. I’m going to let myself enjoy this trip. I’m going to let loose and recharge my batteries, fill up my gas tank. (I’m being naïve. This trip is gonna wear me out! But it’s the good kind of worn-out. To be worn out because of fun should be better than being worn out for other reasons!)
Give yourself what your body needs. At the very least, listen to your body, to your mind, and be open to taking care of yourself.
Balance is necessary to be an effective human being. Increase your productivity by caring for the thing that gets you there…you!
Much glitter,
Melissa
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