This is an "encore presentation" of a post I wrote back before anyone actually read my blog.  Given that I am in a major state of "attracting good health" right now, I thought it was worth bumping. Enjoy!

Not too long ago, I asked my amazing young daughter Miss M. what she thought was the key to being truly happy.

She shrugged and replied simply, "You just gotta focus on the good stuff and not the bad stuff."

Imagine that! Top selling books, critically acclaimed experts, numerous podcasts and more to describe the Law of Attraction, easily summarized in the words of a nine year old girl.

Most people have at least heard of "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. In earlier posts I mentioned Shakti Gawain who wrote about the same principles two decades ago with "Creative Visualization" (my personal favorite) and other books since then.

Although Miss M. actually said it more succinctly, this is the simple explanation I usually use:

Energy attracts like energy. Your thoughts, feelings and actions are energy. Therefore, you attract stuff into your life which is consistent with what you think, feel and do.

One saying which describes the concept quite well is, "If you meet more than two jerks in one day, chances are pretty good that you're one of them."

Oh come on now - you must know someone who just constantly complains about how rude everyone is to them, how things always seem to go wrong, how somehow life always manages to screw them in one way or another. They've spent so much energy bitching... that yeah, life is being a bitch right back.

Good luck not snickering the next time you talk to this person and start focusing on everything they say. (OMG - they are SO doing what Charlene said in her blog! It's so true!!)

Yet, so as not to sound too judgmental... the reality is we ALL have our moments.  I certainly do. It may be a particular commute or a temporary rut or really bad PMS. It helps me to be more aware by exploring these moments from mirror view. If I suddenly start to notice a string of bad luck or multiple irritations or whatever, I stop and think. "What have I been doing (or feeling/thinking) to create the negative energy which could possibly be attracting this crap?"

Today for example, I'll admit I'm feeling quite under the weather. I know that "germs happen" and am on board with the miracles of modern medicine. However, suddenly I'm aware of how many times in the past week I've said things like, "I'm SO tired." "Ugh, my head hurts." "I really don't want to be in the office right now."

So now I am more tired, my head hurts a LOT and I'm not in the office (because I'm sick.)

Before I even started to have any "symptoms" I was feeling worried and told several people, "Both my kids have been so sick... I hope I don't get sick. I really can't be sick right now."

The critics would say, "Well no duh - you got the sick germs from your kids. That's why you got sick." But trust me, I travel on airplanes and sleep in hotels where there are lots more icky, germy people spreading their slimy mucus and stuff all over items I end up touching. The only difference is I may not know it when I touch the "ick" of strangers. At least with my kids, I know to wash my hands after they sneeze on me or wipe their nose on my sleeve.

Then again -- I bet people who say, "I always get sick when I travel" actually do get sick when they travel.

The point is, energy only knows the object of what you put out there. So when I say, "I don't want to get sick," the law of attraction provides back the energy of sick. Sick. Sick. Sick.

Think of the drive-up window at your local pitstop as an example. My husband loves Wendy's cheeseburgers. He hates onions. (He also hates pepper and garlic; you'd never know he was Italian.) Literally every time he goes to the Wendy's drive-up, he says, "I'd like a cheeseburger with NO onions." 9 out of 10 times he gets a cheeseburger WITH onions. Often EXTRA onions.

In my husband's case the law of attraction may actually be in action since he is now pretty convinced that he will always get onions. It's a fast food conspiracy.

But really, I'm just using the drive-up window as a metaphor.

Another example is a dear friend who used to order her coffee this way: "I'd like a medium hazelnut hot coffee with milk - NO sugar."

You can see where this going right? Requested that way, she consistently received *...wait for it, wait for it...* yes, SUGAR in her coffee. And loads of it since the order taker heard the emphasis on "sugar" but not the word "no."

Now she orders it this way, "I'd like a medium hazelnut hot coffee, just milk." TAHDAH!

So there you go. That's my (actually Miss M's) sage advice for the day. Be aware of your thoughts, feelings and actions -- including your words. Put your energy into what you WANT.

Focus on the good stuff.

The Kreativ Blogger Award is one for which I've been tagged a few times now.  Most recently by the very kind and always supportive La Jenno. My apologies that I've been putting off actually accepting it for deep psychological reasons.

I really hope nobody takes offense to this and in no way should it diminish the Award's positive intentions.

Really -- it's not you.  It's me.

You may not know that I have a few anxiety triggers.  Down escalators, coffee mugs with dark interiors, any food left in the fridge even a moment past it's expiration date.  None of these things are life altering.  They just make me pause and take a few deep breaths before I can move on.  (This is a no judgment zone, remember?)

So, I also suffer palpitations when I see words spelled incorrectly on purpose.  No joke.  I have never stepped foot into a Krispy Kreme or a Kwik Kopy. 

My friend Eddie can attest to this quirk of mine since it's been a fertile topic of therapy conversation throughout the decades that we've known each other.

In part, I blame one incredibly stressful year of working in a tiny Fotomat booth.  For those not familiar, this is a photo pick-up store about the size of your shower.  Mine was in a parking lot where trucks liked to play, "Scare the Crap Out of Fotomat Girl." 

There were also the sickos who called to see if their pictures "came out alright."  It didn't take long to figure out that the only people who want a clerk to look at their pictures are the ones who shouldn't be seen naked on film.   My 68 year-old co-worker Evelyn loved it though.  She had a special envelope in the file drawer with all her favorite Playgirl wannabe's.  Ew. Ew. Ew. 

I know "foto" (and more liberal nudity) may be acceptable in some countries.  However, for a 17 year-old girl in Suburbia, USA... it was all just horribly wrong.

The rules for the Kreativ Blogger award are as follows:
        1. Post the award on your site
        2. Link to the person from whom you received the award
        3. Disclose seven things readers may not know about you
        4. Pass it on (* I believe the original rules call for giving it to seven people and posting comments on each of their sites.)

Reading the above, I count five things you may not have known about me.  To fulfill my obligations:
               # 6 is that I carry a list of my favorite 60+ songs to sing thanks to prior karaoke bar trauma of being pressured to sing whilst flipping through sticky spiral bound pages of songs, drawing a complete blank.
              # 7 is that I'm allergic to mozzarella cheese.  This is news to me too.  I just found out yesterday.

Since I believe that all of my readers are both Kreativ and well-liked,  I humbly bestow this award to all of you as well.   It's a cop-out I know, but one can only experience so much personal growth in one day.

Konsider yourself awarded.

Maybe you've recently started working out or eating differently or waking up earlier or you're becoming more organized. 

Hopefully, you do have some people in your life which are genuinely happy for you.  However, sometimes even the most supportive feedback is laced with an undertone of, "Yeah...so... um... good luck with that."   Some people may even be downright rude.  Yeah, I've heard it all.

Eating habits really seem to strike a nerve with people.  I'm still amazed at the verbal abuse and general ignorance some people spurt out when they find out I'm a vegetarian.  So I don't like food with a face -- why all the hoopla?

Waking up early and fitness routines can bring about the same response. 

When I first started noticing these reactions, I have to admit that I felt very defensive.  Offended even.
 
But then I figured it out. 

I realised that they're not judging me.  Well, they are -- but mainly because they think I am judging them.  Meanwhile, they are actually judging themselves.

Stick with me here.

When I say, "I am doing this thing because I want to feel healthier....etc... etc..." what they hear is, "YOU should be healthier. YOU should exercise more. YOU should be vegetarian. YOU are a big mess!"

In my mind, my choices have nothing to do with them. In their mind, it does. By talking about what I am doing to invest in my own wellness, I am somehow forcing their own exploration into how they view and treat themselves.

It's sad but true -- most people would rather be in denial.

One of the reasons I find this all so fascinating is because it highlights yet another reason why change is so flippin' hard. Sometimes the only person who wants you to change is you.

Life lesson of the day:  Do what you know is good for you and don't let the reactions of others sway your resolve. 

How other people react is more a reflection of their insecurities vs. your efforts to improve yourself.

What I've also learned is that most of the time we have to ASK for what we need in terms of support. I know some of you are saying, "I shouldn't need to ask."  Get over it. You do.

Anytime you need extra encouragement and support, come see me here at The Balance Beam.  This is officially a "no judgment zone."  *big welcoming smile*

(Also feel free to grab the "My Life Does Not Make Your Butt Look Big" blog button code from my sidebar.)

Take care of yourself!


*The Quantum Wellness Cleanse is program by Kathy Freston which involves increased awareness of eating and health.  It also eliminates alcohol, caffeine, sugar, gluten and animal products for 21-days.  I recommend it! Check out my archives for my day-by-day experience.

Spiderman came running to me, a full snuggle attack which almost knocked me off my Bandalinos. When it was really time for me to go, he tried to block the front door.  He finally let me exit after an extra tickle.  And I'm sure, the realization that he was being left semi-unsupervised with a full sheet of Halloween stickers from Grandma.  (When I got home I was relieved that Spidey had found a stray piece of copy paper.  No little pumpkins and ghosts all over my windows this time.)

Anyhoo...
As I was pulling out of the dark driveway, I suddenly got this vivid childhood memory of my Dad leaving for work in the pre-dawn hours, even on Saturdays. 

I remember telling my playmates, "My Daddy gets up for work at FOUR O'CLOCK in the morning."  

It might not have actually been that early but my youthful mind just knew it was dark and early.  So, it became 4am in my mind.

Yup, I was bragging.  Somewhere along the line I came to understand that a strong work ethic was to be admired.  My Dad has just about the best work ethic of anyone I have ever known and not just because he starts his day early.  In boasting to my friends, I guess I thought being his daughter made me cool by proxy.

Now that I'm writing this, it makes me wonder about which came first.  Did I think my Dad was great because he worked so hard?  Or, did I think a strong work ethic was such a great characteristic because my Dad (my hero) had it? 

In any case, I think it's pride I feel when I'm already halfway to work just as the sun is rising. Now I know pride is a sin or whatever.  I get a "pass" since it is really energized by that "Dad memory" which has been hiding in my subconscious.  My morning fuel. 

In most discussions of life balance, the primary complaint is "no time."   Well, waking up earlier is one of the easiest ways to increase the time budget.

Furthermore, there is a proven connection between waking up early and both personal and professional success. 

You can blame Ben Franklin with his whole, "early to rise... healthy, wealthy, wise" bit (though I'm pretty sure he got it from Aristotle).

What's your morning fuel? What feeling, memory or motivation can you tap into in order to make an earlier start time more enjoyable?

For those of you whom I lost at "wake up earlier", here are two more posts I wrote about my Dad which you may enjoy instead...

Ten Things I Learned From My Dad

The Consistent Parent

Cheers!

Recently, I’ve regained the privilege of cleaning the soiled underpants of my four-year old son (aka “Spiderman”).  This task includes wiping his similarly smeared derriere of course.

Lovely, right?  My life is so glamorous.

Oh, Spiderman was fully trained on the correct use of the facilities. In fact, he’d been displaying complete competency for more than a year including proper disposal of outputs #1 and #2.   I can hardly remember the days of sticker charts and Cheerios "targets."

However, we seem to have entered the Land of Regression.  Quite unwillingly, I may add... on my part anyway.

Desperate, I’ve taken to conducting complex Google searches such as “was potty trained, now not so much.”

It seems I am not alone. Whew. Who knew normal was such a big place? That, along with the "sanitary" setting on my new LG steam washer, is quite a relief.

Still, I have this ridiculous habit of asking my preschooler “Why?" even though I know the question will be answered honestly and yet yield only further frustration.  Here are some (unrelated) examples:

       Me: “Why did you take that toy from your sister?”

                     Spiderman: “Because I wanted it.”

       Me: “Why did you hide all these candy wrappers under the couch?”

                     Spiderman: “Because I didn’t want you to know I ate the candy.”

The current situation is no exception to this insanity.  I've asked the same question many times over the past couple of weeks and of course I keep getting the same answer.

           “Why did you do poop in your pants?” I plead.

           “Because I didn’t want to stop playing,” comes Spidey’s consistent reply.

I'm actually not at all sure how to handle this new stage.  For now, I am just keeping in mind my own mantra, “This too shall pass.” We'll get through it.  It's a good bet he won't be wearing a Pull-Up to the prom.

In the meantime, I’m determined to find a bigger life lesson in it all.  

So here it is: No matter how much fun you’re having, sometimes you have to take time to deal with the crap.


Personally, I'm thinking about all the times I've had specific tasks or situations which I just didn't want to tackle.  The "big turds" as my friend MES calls them.  Yet, I've learned that (much like Spidey's contaminated underoos) procrastination just makes these things messier. 

Tomorrow being Monday, you're likely thinking about your "to do" list for the week.    My advice is to start with the stinky stuff first.  Get the big turds out of the way and the rest of the week will feel like a clean, fresh breeze.

Enjoy!

Think about each "rating" in terms of your OWN criteria. Don't assess yourself based on the judgment of society or your parents or whomever. It's called a SELF-assessment for a reason.

I’ve received a few emails asking for the “wedding in St. Maarten” story. First of all, THANK YOU for your kind messages. Please keep ‘em coming and feel free to leave comments here as well.
Love it!

This seems to be a good time to give my romantic partner a name. Let’s call him “Rob.” (Okay, that’s his real name.)

It was 1999 and I was pregnant with our daughter. It was very much a planned pregnancy with the “out of wedlock” piece planned as well.  I was once introduced as, “our step-son’s girlfriend who is pregnant with his child and whether or not they will get married nobody knows.”

Still, given both our previous experiences with the official marriage thing, we figured it was better to leave well enough alone. We actually liked each other. Why take unnecessary chances?

Instead, we planned a romantic St. Maarten getaway in June to celebrate the upcoming birth of our baby and enjoy some time alone together.  

A few days into the vacation, Rob and I went on a beautiful sunset cruise. Luckily I did not have issues with nausea on the catamaran as we sailed along; puking may have ruined the romantic moment. We were joined by four or five newly married couples, all aglow and basking in their “til death do us part”-ness.

Rob turned to me and said, “It feels kinda weird being surrounded by all these newlyweds and we’re not.” I shrugged. (“Cool with me. Whatever.”) He continued somewhat hesitantly, “Well, what would you do if I asked you to marry me?”

I replied maybe too sarcastically, “Well, duh… I’m carrying your child so you’re stuck with me anyway.”

He held up his hand. On his pinky finger was a round diamond solitaire ring, “Well, will you? Marry me, that is?”

Okay – stop scene for a second. Normally, this is where the woman says breathlessly, “of course I will!” They hug and kiss. Everyone around them claps and happily cries "awwwwww!" The sun sets as they sail off into the horizon. Just two happy silhouettes off to start their happy little lives together.

In my story (well, what really happened)… I responded to his "proposal" by laughing hysterically. Then I punched him on the arm and said sardonically, “SHUT UP!” I looked around trying to figure out which chick had lent Rob her engagement ring so he could pull this prank on me. “Okay – give it back,” I said. “Very funny.”

Rob had a look of complete horror on his face. One, because when I punched him he sort of bobbled the ring. Keep in mind we were sitting on catamaran rope net traveling at a fast pace over ocean waters. (Luckily he didn’t actually drop it.) And two, he was suddenly not sure of my answer.

“No REALLY,” he said somewhat panicked. “Will you REALLY marry me?”

Okay… now you can refer to the traditional ending as described above.

A few days later, we were married near the ocean at our resort. The couples who had been on that cruise were our guests and witnesses. Our “reception” was a nice lunch followed by snorkeling.

And they lived happily….ever….after.

It was 38°F yesterday morning.  I think I pulled a muscle from the fifteen minutes of convulsive shivering while my car heater percolated to a respectable temperature. 

Mom Nat wins by a nose. After work, I broke down (just me, not my car) and extracted my wool coat from the hall closet.

Not the thickly lined black dress coat. That one is much heavier than is currently required.  Mainly I use it for holiday parties; when I'm wearing an outfit which might be wholly unsuitable for New England weather but perfect for an evening of ballroom dancing, house wine and mystery chicken.

I've had my dress coat for about seven years but it's classic enough that I can still get away with wearing it. I especially love the great big velvety hood which makes me look like a storybook character when I drape it over my comparatively small head.


Mind you, I have a dear friend who has a major coat addiction.  This is someone who has more coats than pants, by a long shot.  I'm sure she's reading this now and physically cringing at the idea that I have only three cold winter options. Nevermind that I haven't bought a new coat in at least three years. Shutter to think!   Then again, we are the same size. This could expand my options considerably.  Hmmm.... I wonder if she locks her coat closet.  *evil grin*

Anyway, so I pulled out the Jones NY coat and gave it the once over to see how dire the need for dry-cleaning might be.  (Again, thinking of the budget.)   A couple of years ago I was almost certain to have, at minimum, someone's dietary contents dribbled down the left shoulder.  Luckily I and both my kids have outgrown that stage.  Looks pretty clean actually.  Smells okay.  Nothing a quick spin in the dryer on low heat with a Bounce softener sheet won't fix.  I checked the pockets.

My hand touched something smooth and roundish.  About the size of an acorn.  Even before I pulled it out, I could see the sapphire blue in my mind.


The instructor related the story to the concept of karma.  Whereas people think of "good karma" and "bad karma," we discussed the ideal to be neutral.  To be in such a balanced place that you know both good and bad are fleeting.  This too shall pass.

So, I'd taken to the habit of always carrying this one smooth stone in my pocket or purse.  In my happiest moments, I rubbed it and reminded myself that I needed to appreciate my joy to the fullest extent possible.  When I was feeling depressed or anxious, I rubbed the stone to remind myself not to get too bogged down in the negative.  That, this too shall pass.

Just recently I discovered that the old man was actually King Solomon and it was a ring, not a rock. In any case, I had lost mine with great regret.  Finding it or getting a new one has been on my "things I've been meaning to do" list for a while now.

Yet, here it found me.

Okay, I'm lying. Put me on a Caribbean beach where it's just the right kind of hot everyday and the pina coladas are just the right kind of cold. And the cabana boys are just the right kind of...  Ahem!  Nevermind.


Each season has it's own beauty I guess.  And yet, there are some flukes.  Snow in May.  Indian summer in November.  Ice storms in March which teach a person that lake water is not only pretty to look at but can also be used for flushing toilets when the power goes out for a week straight.

Yep, Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor.  And boy oh boy, do we like to talk about it. 

Playing off my last post, if Facebook put a ban on weather-related status updates, I know several folks who would have nothing at all to say.

Last June, it was all about the rain.  This week it's all about the cold.

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As I was getting ready to leave for work the other day, I noticed frost on my car windshield.  Begrudgingly, I went on the hunt for my winter jacket. I opened the storage closet where I (in my sunshine haze only three months earlier) had buried it. 

First, I found the hats, scarves and mittens.  They stared out at me from their cozy, vacuum-sealed SpaceSaver bag.  It was as if they had no greater desire to be unpacked from their nest than I had to release them.  I stuffed them back onto the corner shelf.  It's only October for goodness sake.

And then, there it was. Seasonal practicality, nestled between my daughter's wombat costume and my circa-Heathers black sequin mermaid gown.  Wool.  Warm and functional.  Perfect for cold weather.

Ugh. I couldn't do it.  I hastily closed the door of the storage closet without removing any of the contents.

In my car, shivering and driving with as little skin to steering wheel contact as possible, I was smug and rebellious. 

Kiss my grits, Mother Nature!

(bbrrrrrr)

Speaking of competitive reality television....

There is a common type of "challenge" whether the theme of the show is cooking or interior design or dating. It revolves around creating something for someone else based on understanding that "customer's" expectations, needs, tastes, etc.

Recently, a judge on one of the shows -- I think it was Vern Yip but don't quote me on that -- made a comment which got me thinking. He wasn't complimenting the winner so much as explaining why the runner-up didn't win, despite the fact that he done a great job executing exactly what the "customer" had asked.

"Sometimes it's not about just giving someone what they imagine as the perfect thing. It's about going to that place where you give them something even better than anything they could have dreamed."

As you know, I enjoy relating principles which work in a successful business as well as in a successful personal life. (Thus the birth of Personal Strategic Management.)

So I got to thinking about all of the training I've received over the years about Quality, TQM, Customer Delight and so forth. Throughout my professional life, I've made it a priority to build relationships and perform to a level of service that significantly exceeded what my clients had ever expected. My goal has been to go far beyond "satisfied customers."

In my previous career, this is what helped me (and my amazing team of like-minded professionals) grow a strategic accounts business from $3M to $38M in less than four years.

I know it's a practice which leads to professional success.

But what about in life? In my last post, I said that we are our own customers. So now I'm wondering: How well am I doing for myself and my own "customer satisfaction"?

What are my service level expectations? Am I capable of exceeding those to my own delight? Gosh - am I even meeting my basic needs, let alone anything above that?

How would you answer that question?

My thought process extends out beyond myself to my next nearest target market: my children and my husband. I honestly think I do delight my kids and it brings me the greatest joy to do so. My dear hubby? I'm not 100% sure. I may need to conduct a survey, though I can think of a specific test environment which may influence the results to my favor. *evil grin*

This question about not only meeting, but exceeding expectations applies throughout the extended layers of our lives. Family. Friends. Work. Local community. Globally.

As you ask yourself and others "How can I help you today?" how great it would be to go even one step further towards creating delight.

Call me a hopeless optimist, but I believe it is possible to live a life which is even better than our wildest dreams.

Recently I attended a party where I was the only one not to have seen a single episode of LOST, CSI, West Wing, ER, Gossip Girl, Law & Order or a bunch of other shows I've never even heard of. (In lieu of linking each individual show, you can find most of my mentions through TV Guide.)

I have seen a few episodes of The Office thanks to United In-Flight Entertainment. I've also seen several episodes of Two and a Half Men since it happens to be on at the same time I make dinner. Actually I think I've seen the same five episodes over and over; that's what you get when you watch reruns.

I've enjoyed every episode of The Starter Wife series on the USA Network. At first just to be supportive of my very talented college friend David Basche, but then because I was completely hooked on the the storylines and the other characters.

You probably understand not watching a lot of TV because of time. I can't possibly be a Supermom, career woman, student, volunteer, self-health freak, freelance Life Balance Strategist AND a couch potato. It's easy to give the "no time" excuse when I'm lost about LOST.

Yet, I know that "no time" is really what we call in Salesland, a lazy objection. It's the "no budget" of life balance.

For those who have never carried a bag (harkening back to a day when salestypes actually had a bag o' goods), "no budget" is the easiest way to end a potential sale.

Without turning this post into a sales tutorial, the easiest response is, "Okay, thanks. Keep us in mind for the future." And then move on to the next rejection. Easiest... and yet not so much, since finding and starting over with a new prospect can be more difficult than overcoming objections. Definitely not the path to success.

When it comes to life balance challenges, the easy way out is to say, "no time."

I know I should exercise more but I don't have the time. I know I should eat healthier but I don't have the time. Meditate - no time. Read more books - no time. Go back to school - no time. Get organized - no time. Be more romantic - no time. Create a detailed financial plan so when I say "no budget" I know how lazy an objection it really is - no time.

You get the idea. We may even know that these things will actually help us but we tell ourselves we don't have time to deal with it.

The most basic way to overcome an objection is to say, "If *insert objection* wasn't an issue, would you do it?"

Sales 101, I know. I can hear some of my co-workers groan as I type this. But it's applicable, even in life balance.

Regarding my TV issue, some astute person at a cocktail party might ask me, "If you had the time, would you watch CSI: Miami?" In response to which, I'd take a sip of my Cosmopolitan martini (since I also sometimes catch old late night repeats of Sex & the City) and say, "Nope."

The truth is I just don't enjoy popular TV dramas. They actually kinda stress me out. Maybe it's because I'm too empathic, not sure.

But you can see it's really not about time; it's about value. Value in all things, whether you're talking widgets, life balance or television, is individual. People value different things for different reasons. There's no magic formula. In Salesland, it's as much an art as a science figuring out exactly how each company, department and individual perceives value.

Personally, I most enjoy a specific genre of television: competitive reality shows. Survivor, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef (or Iron Chef or Chopped), Project Runway. Stuff other people, including my husband, consider a complete waste of time. (I can now also hear the groan of my hard-working actor friends.)

It's also about prioritization. There's really never a moment in my life where I prioritize TV above other things. As much as I enjoy a good American Idol showdown, I'm not going to give up a night out or time to write so as not to miss an episode.

As in business, there's a spectrum of value. The key in presenting something new is to figure out where it would most likely sit on that spectrum (if at all) and then figure out how to elevate it's position of value. Sometimes this means moving other things farther down the list, displacing them altogether or somehow allowing them to share priority placement.

When it comes to television, we are lucky to have online options as well as magical recording devices which no longer need bulky tapes or keep us up at night flashing 12:00 -- 12:00 -- 12:00 -- 12:00 -- 12:00 -- . TV has accomplished that rare "have your cake and eat it too" solution. No wonder it's a trillion dollar industry. Still not going to get me to watch CSI, but I can watch the shows I do value whilst walking on my treadmill, making dinner or driving to work. (Just kidding.)

The life balance lesson for you is about overcoming your own "lazy objections" especially in regards to taking better care of yourself.

Can you honestly answer "yes" to the question, "If you did have the time, would you do it?"

Look at your value spectrum. Where does exercise or eating better or meditating (or whatever) fit on that scale? What's above it? Thinking about both value and prioritization, is that the picture of your "best life"? Is it sustainable?

The coolest thing of all in this scenario is that you are both the salesperson and the customer. You have control over the entire transaction. You can tap into creative solutions which work for you in unique ways. You control the outcome.

Don't sell yourself short.