Does Starbucks Feed Your Need For Overcomplication?

Starbucks claims it offers 87,000 drink combinations.

Seriously? How complicated do we need to make one of the most BASIC drinks?

This statement alone got me thinking about how humans just love to overcomplicate the most basic concepts. It applies to business – and how we do business, our social lives, and parenting. (The latter, of course, is included from personal experience!)

Do we feel that a $5 cup of coffee is somehow more worth it when we have ordered the most complex drink on the menu? And there are those who do it daily! Listen, I drink coffee every morning. At home. From my own coffee cup. Simple and quick. (*The coffee I drink is the only patented thermogenic fat-burning kind in the world – nothing complicated about that!) And while I still pay for coffee, I also make money from the coffee I drink….

So what is it that keeps people coming back IN DROVES to their local (and not local) Starbucks? Or any other specialty coffee shop? Is the atmosphere? The options? Watching how these transactions go down, it appears people order pretty much the same thing every time, and do not typically stay long enough for an entire song (when the barista is that fast!).

So it seems, we have become mindless and numb to our tendency to overcomplicate. Over and over….

Is it that you don’t have “time” to make your own, so you go out and buy it? How much time to you spend actually driving there, figure out what you want (though you’ll probably end up getting the same thing you always do), waiting in line to order, then waiting for your order….??

OK, this wasn’t meant to be a coffee rant. If you want to get into it about coffee specifically, GO HERE.

The point is, there are so many things in our lives that we make more difficult than is necessary. Complication does not increase the value or importance of a person, place, or thing. Simplicity is BLISS!

Here’s a shameless plug about a book I love! To get a grip on your life and KISS (Keep It Super Simple) more often, you MUST read The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. My life got less complicated just by reading the first several pages!

In an effort to KISS myself right now…

The End.

INSANITY Day 4 (sort of) – Starting Again….

Speaking of starting again, this will be the second time I’m writing this out because I had connection issues!

So, here we go….again!

My husband and I started with the Fit Test last Wednesday, did the workouts on Thursday and Friday. Then we went out of town, to visit with family. No workout for Saturday or Sunday. This morning we woke up and did the workout that is on the schedule for Monday of week 2. So what day does this actually count as?

Our feet were sore from the workouts last week, so having 2 days off was a good thing – if only for that reason! Who wants to continue with sore feet? And what’s that all about anyway?

As much as we wanted to stay in bed at 6:30am, we knew we had to get up and just PUSH THROUGH IT! With the kids still asleep, it makes for a perfect opportunity to focus and get it done. I just thought about how true that is for business as well – while the others in your industry are “sleeping”, take that opportunity to GO FOR IT! It just so happens you will get more done with less interruptions!

With this new goal to get physically stronger and healthier, it can’t help but make our family life and business life better as well. Nothing is separate – everything joins together at some point, so it makes sense that changes will happen everywhere.

Are your choices making changes for the better?

Are your thoughts and choices moving you in a forward – positive way? If not, change your THOUGHT, then change your ACTION.

THOUGHT + ACTION = RESULT

What are you thinking about? What are you doing? If the two conflict, you will get nowhere! Just wanting to reach a goal, and thinking how great it would be to achieve it are not enough. You must also move forward with ACTION to create a result. Of course, if you give little to the thought, and even less to the action, you will get a less than desirable result. But hear this: You will always get some sort of result. Just look in the mirror of your life. What have you put out? What have you gotten in return?

It would be of no use to do the INSANITY workout, if I was not willing to go all the way. Sure, I can do it half way and get some sort of result, but it would be nothing compared to how great it will be at the end of my 60 days because I pushed myself and went all the way (or at least as far as I can go!). My body has been through so much up until this point anyway – with the birth of both my girls. There is nothing like carrying a human being inside you, stretching your body to crazy limits! Then there’s the birth itself. I had 2 C-Sections, not by choice, and that’s AFTER I labored for hours on end. So, if I can get through the pain of recovery from those, then the INSANITY workout has nothing on this Mommy!

Now, it’s also time to change my diet and make sure I get enough water and rest. See, I said that everything is connected. If we were talking about business, this would be considered getting mentally healthy, by reading, watching webinars, getting in on phone calls by industry leaders, etc. It’s all about choices that will move us in a positive – forward motion everyday.

Here’s where it’s been fun for me….my husband does this with me! We are partners. We hold each other accountable. We inspire each other to keep going, and do better. Buddies, or partners, can be good for these reasons. It doesn’t matter if it’s a friend or work buddy. The important thing is to have one (or more). Tribes offer this kind of support as well.

I could go on forever about all the resources available, since there are so many industries that can be addressed. If you would like information in regards to your individual needs, please let me know, so I can send you the information.

I promise, there will be pics and video soon!

See You At The Top,

Krisna

INSANITY Day 2

Yikes! I haven’t been this sore since the birth of both my girls!

It’s a good pain, though, and it won’t be here long. Even though I can hardly walk up and down the stairs in my house, I LOVE IT!! Being very out of shape is not good for my health, my fanily, my kids, or my businesses.

I’ve already learned so much about myself after just 2 workouts…and I plan on sharing these revelations with you…as soon as I gather my strength! (My thoughts are in a puddle along with my sweat and a few tears!)

And Yes, I will be posting Before, During and After photos (and maybe a video or two). The Before pics will NOT be posted yet – not until I have some better During ones to compare them to!

It’s nice to get on a schedule, though. My husband and I are doing these workouts first thing in the morning, before the rigors of the day begin. The end of the day is just too easy to make excuses about being tired. “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Yeah, right!

It is so important, as a Mommy, to do something healthy for yourself every day!

Instead of just getting up whenever my kids wake me up (talking in their respective rooms), and feeling rushed in the mornings, I now have CONTROL over my day from the very start! Doing the workout (as difficult as it is) before anything else, really helps keep me on track the rest of the day. It is a scheduled MUST DO, and is something just for me. Though it IS nice to be able to spend time with my husband in the morning too!

NO EXCUSES!! This is a great motto for life in general, and very inportant in business. Taking responsibility for your thoughts, your actions, and your decisions, is something many people avoid, but super important to do every day. I just know that having started this journey of INSANITY, my life is on the fast track to an AWESOME future (in every area)!!!

Time to go drink more water and get some lunch!

Have an INSANE day everybody!

How To Start Your Day With Success In Mind

Call it Affirmations, Prayer, or whatever you want. Starting your day saturated in the mindset for Success, is one of the most important things you can do. It can be for your business, your relationships….anything and everything! I have affirmation flashcards that I pre-made, but will add to them from time to time. I also have a gratitude journal. This keeps the positivity flowing, as well as keeps my focus on what I want more of.

It actually starts the night before, when you fall asleep. What kinds of things are on your mind? Whatever you focus on before bed, just grows in your subconscious overnight. When you wake up the next morning, you either have a beautiful garden planted for the day, or you have a head full of weeds!

But all is not lost if you happen to fall asleep with stress on the brain. While you may have not had restful sleep, your day is not doomed to be more of the same! I learned early on in my life, what an influence Music has on my energy, and my emotions. With the birth of my two daughters, my energy and emotions were obviously depleted – severely! One of the things that has saved me is watching videos on TV. Music is always on in the car, but somehow watching those videos on TV got my girls involved and excited too. When our energy gets low during the day, we turn on the music or watch a few videos, while dancing and singing around the house!

I began to notice how those videos (and music) affected the rest of our day. So I set out to play music and/or videos first thing in the morning. One of our favorite videos is by the Black Eyed Peas.Ironically, their song “Imma Be” is packed full of AFFIRMATIONS!!! Listen to the words (of the clean version – especially for kids!) and tell me if that doesn’t just get you going in a positive way!! There’s a reason it’s so catchy – everyone can identify. Much of what they are saying is what we ALL want for ourselves. LISTEN and WATCH NOW:

What other songs make you feel this way? What other songs or videos can set the tone for your day?

What do YOU listen to in the morning? This will help you figure out where your brain is going for the rest of the day.

**When driving, I resist the urge to listen to really Fast, Loud songs since it makes me break the speed limit!

For night time, slow it down a bit so your mind isn’t racing as you fall asleep. Now, I’m not saying classical music (though I like it at times), but certainly something a bit more mellow. Instrumental is great because it allows your mind to wander and relax. Rest is what we are after now, so we can rev up again in the morning!

Try these things and see what a difference it makes in your day!