Honoring Those Who Protect

Dear Friend,   "Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" ~Star Spandled Banner ~ Francis Scott Key  In the United States Memorial Day is observed the last Monday of each May. On this day we celebrate the U.S. men and women who died while in military service.   This week those in my community lost a daughter, a sister and a friend. Roslyn (Roz) Schulte was a 2006 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. She was a first lieutenant and intelligence officer in the Air Force. She was on a six-month assignment in Afghanistan when she was killed by an explosive device on May 20, 2009. She was a leader at the Academy as well as at our high school, John Burroughs, achieving academic and athletic honors. Bless Roz for finding her passion and serving her country -- our country. In her service to our country she and her family have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Fittingly, the services will take place tomorrow, on Memorial Day.   My request this week is that we take time each day to give thanks for our men and women in uniform who've risked it all to protect us. Let us give thanks for the mom's and dad's who stay behind and run families and businesses to enable our service men and women to be away. Let us give thanks for all of the parents who have inspired and nurtured courageous children to serve our country. Let us give thanks to the parents who impart values of service and love of our country. Let us pray for the safety and security of each and every man and woman who is today, potentially in harm's way. This week keep our men and women in your thoughts and prayers - give thanks for every single one. Thank you, Roz.   Here is an eloquent tribute to Roz (and all serving our country) written by her high school classmate, Jennifer Lowe.

Blessings to you, Margaret.

TUT - Notes from the universe

I really liked today's note...enjoy {and} fill in your name!

My wish for you, {{       }}, is that you succeed beyond your wildest imagination. That you find love in places that astound you. And that you have friends who call you "just because." I dream that you go barefoot more than you wear shoes. That you play as hard as you work. And that you laugh more than you cry. I want you to set the bar high, but not too high. To reach for the stars, but with your toes on the ground. And to never, ever stop dreaming. But most of all, Margaret, I wish for your happiness. And these dreams of mine are what started it all. Besos,      The Universe To subscribe: http://www.tut.com/

Just in Time vs. Just in Case - How Do You Live Your Life?

I was re-reading what I thought was a great article from Oprah's Magazine from April 2009.

Martha Beck is a life coach and I've read several of her books. She is a true academic and weaves great stories in her writing.

Here is the article ... it is on JIT vs. JIC ... Just in Time vs. Just in Case management that the Japaneese use for their inventory and manufacturing. She weaves this business lesson with client storieslessons we can apply to our life - food, relationships, money, stuff, love...thought you may enjoy!!!

http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200904-omag-beck

Love & Hugs,

Margaret.

Do You Sweat the Small Stuff

This Week's Topic: Do You Sweat the Small Stuff? Dear Friend,  God grant me the serenity  to accept the things I cannot change;  courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. ~Reinhold Niebuhr This column is dedicated to the late Richard Carlson, (who died suddenly in 2006 of a pulmanary emblism) author of thirty books including the well known best seller, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. In Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, Richard shares a message as simple as it comes and yet somehow the message is quite difficult to execute in our day-to-day lives. This is true because our lives are dynamic and unpredictable. In the midst of -- your spouse being late for an important event, a big truck cutting you off as you exit the highway, your child having a fender-bender, your boss asking you to cancel your vacation, finding half consumed water bottles left all over your home, realizing your dry cleaning for the big event won't ready until Monday -- it is easy to loose perspective and get bogged down in the moment rather than realize that all of this is just small stuff. As a family friend often says, "don't major in the minors of life!" How true is it that we can become consumed with the little things that don't go just as we think they should and loose perspective on what is really important? We each have a choice: to focus on the small stuff or resolve today that life's little things will not derail us. Why is it important to stay cool, steady, and focus on life's majors? It is better for our health. Anger and Stress raise our blood pressure and over time are thought to contribute to heart disease among other illnesses. Our mind works better. When we get angry blood rushes to our brain and disrupts logical and rational functioning. Hence, we are able to think more clearly and make intelligent, unemotional choices.   We keep life in balance and perspective As we focus on what is working we remain with the big picture and with positive energy rather than bogged down by the small stuff!    Make It Happen Before life comes at you, resolve to distance yourself from the situation before you react. Ask: Can I impact this situation?  If yes, then change it! If no, then accept it. Consider the phrase: And, this, too shall pass. Allow yourself to linger on it. When you get heated, upset, or annoyed remember the impermanence - the temporary nature - of most situations. This week may you be slow major in the minors and quick to let go. May you let life's little annoyances roll off your back, like water off of a duck! And may you change what you can, accept what you cannot change, and have the wisdom to know the difference! In the words of the wise Richard Carlson, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!"

Blessings to you, Margaret.        P.S. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretPundmann.com where they can sign up.  Margaret Pundmann is a life and business coach, speaker, and author of numerous articles on living your most powerful life. Stay tuned, Margaret's first book for emerging women will be available for pre-order in the coming weeks.

Stress Management Solutions

This Week's Topic: Stress Management Solutions Dear Friend,   Rule 1. Don't sweat the small stuff. Rule 2. It's all small stuff. Rule 3. If you can't fight or flee, then flow.   This week we are going to connect the six mental and emotional responses to stress we discussed last week to some tips for stress management. A how-to if you will of applying your responses to stress management techniques. If you tend to Over-generalize - you see a specific event as a never ending pattern of defeat, then try: Positive Thinking - choose your thoughts, focus on the positive, and surround yourself with people who can help you contextualize this "defeat" or "circumstance" Talking with people who really listen to and understand you For example a client of mine was given two options: move the store to a different location or move to a different space in the current building. She came to me to help her make a decision and put the options into perspective. Additionally through our work together she arrived that this was "a blessing in disguise." Oh yeah and she saved one month's rent, too! If you tend to Hyper-focus - you pick a specific detail and focus on it exclusively, then try: Enlarging Your Focus - see the forest rather than the trees! Meditating - clear your mind Deep Breathing - clear your body Exercising/Yoga - clear your body Laughing - clear your mind and body If you tend to Emotionally Reason - you assume that your negative feelings reflect the ways things really are, then try: Sleeping - allows us to have a more clear and more realistic perspective Laughing - there is humor in thinking that every situation is exactly as you currently see it If you tend to Self-Blame - hold yourself responsible for something that isn't entirely in your control, then try: Mindfulness - consider how much control and power you had over the situation. Positive Affirmations - create an affirmation of what you are doing right. For example, a client of my was bearing a lot of burden for how much her clients investment accounts had fallen. By reframing and reassessing the situation she was able to realize that in reality she didn't have much control over how much the portfolios had fallen and her clients accounts had fallen less than the average clients account. Sometimes we can bear the weight of the world on our shoulders, but unfortunately we don't control the world. If you tend to be Helpless - you fail to see your choices, then try: Exercising/Yoga - create a shift in your activities and do something new. New activities give us new perspective. Mindfulness - become conscious of your unconscious - remember we all have all the answers we just need to tap into them. Use this technique to connect with your unconscious. Talking with someone who will really listen to you and who understands you. They may be able to help you see your options. If you tend to be a Perfectionist - you expect too much from yourself and others, then try: Recognizing your limits and accepting them - we all have limits and expecting perfection isn't reasonable or fair to yourself or those around you. Positive Thinking Positive Affirmations Make It Happen Use these techniques to help you when you are feeling stressed out. Remember there are no "right ways" to manage your stress. Try a variety of exercises and see what works best for you. Allow yourself the grace to play a little ... bring the child-like wonderment out to play and that will be a strong first step in managing your stress and your responses to stress. Review this list of tips and see which work for you!   Tips for Stress Management 1.    Exercising 2.    Deep Breathing - the act of breathing deeply into your lungs by flexing your diaphragm rather than breathing shallowly 3.    Meditating 4.    Positive Thinking - the practice of embracing the affirmative in our thoughts, our feelings, our reactions and our speech. 5.    Yoga - is a physical and mental practice of examining and moving the mind and body. 6.    Sleeping 7.    Laughing 8.    Talking with people who really listen to and understand you 9.    Recognizing your limits and accepting them 10.   Mindfulness - is a mental state characterized by calm awareness of one's body functions, feelings and consciousness 11.   Positive Affirmations - create an affirmation to switch your thoughts from I am stuck to I am right where I need to be right now. 12.   Enlarging your focus - see the forest from the trees. Blessings to you, Margaret.        P.S. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretPundmann.com where they can sign up.  Margaret Pundmann is a life and business coach, speaker, and author The Emerging Woman.