(A behind-the-scenes reflection from Day 2 — Clearing Mental Clutter)
That sunrise in Cabo San Lucas will always stay with me.
It was my first girl’s trip — the kind that promised laughter, connection, and warm ocean air. But somewhere between the sunrise and the catamaran, it became more than a vacation.
Standing on the sand that morning, I watched the sun rise from the water. I realized how long it had been since I simply watched something without analyzing it. No plans. No to-do lists. Just breath and light.
Later that day, stretched out on a catamaran, the waves did what words couldn’t. Their rhythm matched my heartbeat. My thoughts slowed down, not because I forced them to, but because I finally let life lead for a while.
That trip reminded me: clearing mental clutter isn’t about fixing or organizing every thought. Sometimes, it’s about trusting that peace knows how to find you — especially when you stop chasing it.
Reflection Prompt
When was the last time your mind truly quieted down? What helped — the place, the people, or simply giving yourself permission to rest?
Read the full reflection from Day 2 — “Clearing Mental Clutter” here →https://bit.ly/470YF3y
“Everyone is self employed and your employer is you.” ― Todd Stocker
Quora Question: Are you working from home? What are the tips to help you stay productive?
I retired from the military in 2010. The last “traditional” job I had outside the home was in 2019. I currently manage two YouTube channels, a podcast channel and five Meetup groups. I also write a weekly blog working Monday through Thursday.
What has been the biggest ‘aha’ for me was realizing I have the right to create my own schedule. For example, I use to ask people, “what day did they want to conduct the recording for the podcast?” I no longer ask. Now provide the days and times I am available. If they are interested in being a guest most of the time, they have found the time to hop on my calendar. It’s like my mother use to say, “when there is a will, there is a way”. This also goes for our schedules and our productivity goals too. Once you determine what is important to you, you will find the time to get it done!
Here are a few of suggestions I would like to offer in helping you stay productive:
Use a daily or weekly planner. Take time to brain dump all the things you want to get done along with the target date for completion. Seeing your tasks written out helps to get the things on your list done. If you are operating with the thoughts in your head, you won’t be able to get a clear picture of what’s going on in your head. Writing things down helps to make your thoughts visible.
Implement daily exercise like a walk. Movement helps to gain clarity. With more clarity, you can determine what is your priority for the day.
Eliminate distractions. One of the things I implemented was setting my phone to automatically enable the Do-Not-Disturb function daily. Most phones have an emergency override feature so you can always be reached. Use that DND time to work on important tasks that require your undivided attention.
Make sure you get up and move throughout the day. As I mentioned, movement helps with clarity. With clarity comes focus. If you are having trouble focusing, get up and move. I sometimes turn on my music and just dance around to get my body moving.
Use your smart devices to your advantage. I use my Alexa as my personal assistant. Use it to set reminders for daily tasks and appointment reminders.
Say no to activities that are not helping you accomplish your goals. I had to scale back on attending networking events, “free” webinars, and scrolling social media sites of others. I learned to guard my attention like I guard my money. Remember: everyone is via for your attention these days.
Celebrate your wins. Set personal target dates with rewards for accomplishing them. It’s amazing how hard we work on days just before we go on vacations. Use this kind of thinking to your advantage. Set daily, weekly, or monthly goals that will inspire you to work hard and then reward yourself.
Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.
“Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it.” ― Steve Maraboli
Quora Question: What advice do you give to make the most of the hours of the day and be more productive?
As an entrepreneur, I think the number one thing to making the most of the hours of the day and to be more productive is developing your mindset and establishing your “why” behind what you are doing each day. Your “why” determines the “how” and the “what” behind all the activities you do each day.
Once you know your “why”, you can ask yourself questions that will help you determine what is going to get you your desired results like, “what is the priority for today?”.
Mindset determines everything first and foremost.
Once you understand your “why” here are some additional suggestions that can aid in your productivity, especially for those who work from home:
Use a weekly planner. Brain dump every task that you want to accomplish within your week along with your target date for completion. There is something about taking the ideas from out of your head and putting them down on paper.
Go for a daily walk or run. These types of activities help to gain mental clarity for the tasks of the day.
Reduce the number of distractions throughout the day. For example, my phone comes on automatic “Do Not Disturb” mode every day for a four-hour period. Distractions can be the biggest enemy in productivity.
Get up and move around throughout the day. If you are struggling on staying focused, getting up and moving helps to relax the brain. This is a great way to reset and spark new ideas.
Set office hours. This works great with suggestion #3 because it helps to put you into work mode mindset.
Find an accountability partner. Sometimes we work harder for others than we do for ourselves. Share you goals with them and then schedule “check-in” calls with each other.
Give yourself grace. There will be days when you are more productive than others. Sometimes a non-productive day is what helps to reset yourself.
Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.
“You can keep as quiet as you like, but one of these days somebody is going to find you.” ― Haruki Murakami
Quora Question: What are you hiding from the world?
I am a planner person. I love the washi tape and stickers and all that crafty, creativity stuff! I used to run an Esty shop and sell my items at craft shows, so when I sit down to work on my planner, I usually have it all laid out on the living room floor. Recently, when I had all my crafting stuff out to update my planner and my husband was upstairs, I could hear him getting ready to come downstairs and my first reaction was to gather up all my things. As I started to, the first thought that popped in my head was “stop hiding.”
Ask yourself… what are you hiding from the world?
I can’t speak for others, but as a child of an alcoholic parent and a young girl who grew up in an area where there weren’t many others who looked like me, you try not to bring attention to yourself. It wasn’t until a few years ago, that I realized my opinions and feelings mattered. I didn’t learn anything about self-care until I was in my forties. That’s a long time to stay in a hiding place.
As I continue to come out of my hiding space, I am learning more about who I am and what I want, and I encourage you to come out of your hiding place too!
Our “wounds have wisdom” as Oprah Winfrey often says. What I am learning along this journey is our experiences can be lessons for us and blessing for others. Here are some practices that have helped me thus far:
Meditation. I sign up for the free meditation programs that Deepak Chopra offers. You can also search YouTube for guided meditation practices if this of interest to you. I like the guided meditations in the beginning because they helped me stay focused.
Reading. Anything you are interested in learning is available in a book, an eBook, or an audiobook. Reading helped me to realize, I am not alone. Many of the personal struggles we are dealing with, have been encountered by others who chose to share how they overcame and can be a source of inspiration for you.
Walking or Exercise. Getting up and moving is a great way to shift your energy. I say it helps to get the “gunk” out of our system. It’s like taking your car our on the highway and opening it up.
Join a group. There are several great groups that you can connect with in-person as well and virtually.
Journal. I started journaling years ago, but I never stayed consistent. What I found that can help is keeping the journal in my sights. If I see it, I am reminded to pick it up and write.
Blog. Share your story with others. You may hold the key to unlocking someone else’s breakthrough.
Have Grace with Yourself. Your life is a marathon not a sprint. Take time to sit and get to know who you are. You are worth it!
Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.
“Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.” ― Marcus Aurelius
Quora Question: What do you do to pass the time other than social media (Reddit included), TV or reading a book?
My favorite “go-to” activity is always a walk in the park. I love getting out and connecting with nature. But like anything in life, I have times when I just don’t feel like walking. So, I would ask myself, “what else can I do that I can do for free?”
Here are some things that happened when I stopped watching TV, reduced my time on social media and applied action from the information I learned from the books I read.
I discovered Zentangle drawing on a networking call one day which is like a form of meditation. I started learning a foreign language last year. I learned how to use the editing software that came free on my computer and created my own podcast and used the video to create a YouTube channel. I made time to play and learn from my granddaughter on days I don’t have to work. I dedicate quiet time for self-reflection and journaling which has been life changing. I started and organized Meetup groups and connect with people in such places as India and Africa and I write for two blogs.
One of my favorite quotes I read that made such a huge impact was “Create before you Consume.” -Marie Forleo.
Time is always “passing by” but it is what you choose to do with your time and the kind of life you want to live that determines the quality of life you will have. Watching TV and surfing the internet are easy things to do, dig deeper and find out what you can create!
Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.
“It is less about becoming a better person, and more of being better, as a person.” ― J.R. Rim
How can I be better for myself and my partner? – Quora
My relationships got better when I stopped trying to change my partner and focused on changing myself. My husband and I have been married now for fifteen years. I had been married twice before. This marriage was heading towards divorce too until I got an epiphany on a walk one day where I asked myself, “what has all of these marriages have in common?” The answer was ME!
I went from relationship to relationship never taking time out to figure out who I was. I was carrying baggage from one relationship to another without taking time to unpack from the last relationship.
This marriage would have ended too if I hadn’t learned that I can’t change others, the only person I have control over is myself.
I started reading books on spirituality to personal development, including books on personal relationships. I started asking myself questions like, “what or how have I contributed to the marriage breakdowns?” Looking back now, I realized, I really didn’t know what love was. Learning about self-care was an eye-opener!
During that time in my life, I started to learn more about what I liked and didn’t like. I learned about forgiveness not only for my ex-husbands but for myself. I learned that life is as good as our current mindset. Change your mindset and watch your life change too.
I would offer this advice, to be better for others, the journey to be better must begin from within you first. (I know it sounds backwards!)
Here’s are a few ideas I would like to offer:
Learn about self-care is all about.
Practice forgiveness with others and yourself
Find out what triggers your emotions. Pay attention to what makes you mad, sad, happy, and peaceful. Don’t suppress then, feel them all.
Read and learn. Focus on expanding your mind. Others have been where you are and can offer great insight or at least a different perspective on how to look at things.
Extend grace to others as well as yourself. We are all doing the best we can with our current state of mind. One of my favorite quotes “When you know better, you do better.” -Maya Angelou.
I would like to close out with this, take time out to figure out who you are and what you like. If we don’t take time out to learn about ourselves, no one else will do it for us. Remember, when you change for the better, life will reflect that change back to you.
I also would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss
How do I cultivate reading daily? – Quora
As we close out 2021, I thought this was a great Quora question for anyone looking to make lasting changes in 2022. I think reading is a great fundamental habit to cultivate that will make a big impact on anyone’s life.
My reading habit started out of curiosity. I was going through a period of struggle that just tested everything I had. I wanted answers!
I started out reading religious books. When I read the books, I would have the Bible as a reference guide to see what the whole scripture was about that was referenced in the book. My reading then expanded into self-help and personal development books. The more information I got out of reading my world view also expanded. My reading list now consists of books about neuroscience, business, finances to leadership and much more.
To cultivate a daily reading habit, I would like to offer a few suggestions:
Get curious- What questions do you have that you have been looking for answers for? Don’t just limit yourself to “second-hand” accounts like summaries or podcasts, go to the source. Learn where people are getting their information from and read it for yourself. What people extract from books are what “they” need or pick up. What you get out of a book, may be completely different.
Make reading a non-negotiable habit – I added reading to my daily schedule of events. It’s amazing what we do when we have a daily reminder of what we want to do each day. I put it on my calendar because it became important to me.
Be patient with yourself – Usually, we quit something if we don’t think it is working. Learning takes time like a seed takes time to grow. After a while, you’ll be able to recall information you read in your books and apply it to current struggles you face each day. It’s like your mind becomes a rolodex of information.
Share your knowledge with others. – This is also a great way to learn and retain the information. (Check out the food for thought on learning pyramid below). Readers become good writers.
No matter how you get started, always remember, anything worth having will take time to develop. If it was easy, everyone would do it!
Food for thought – According to the American educator Edgar Dale’s learning pyramid:
We remember…
10 percent of what we read,
20 percent of what we hear,
30 percent of what we see,
50 percent of what we see and hear,
70 percent of what we discuss with others,
80 percent of what we personally experience,
95 percent of what we teach others.
Food for thought excerpt taken from “Love People Use Things” by Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Feel free to use this Amazon link to purchase the book and read along with me: https://amzn.to/3sHOCOv
I also would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.
“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” ― Douglas Adams
How do I change lifestyle habits?- Quora
Before I think about creating or eliminating lifestyle habits, I like to see where I am on my road map called life.
The end of the year or a birthday, or any other lifechanging event is always a great time to take a closer look and see if we are still on the path for what you want out of life. Don’t just look at what you want from your career but what you want personally and spiritually. Are you still in alignment with those goals and dreams or have they changed? That’s when you can figure out what you need to add or eliminate from your life.
What I wanted in life when I was twenty isn’t what I wanted when I reached my forties. My lifestyle had changed that means my habits had to change too.
For example, I got serious about my health when I had a grandchild. You think it would have been important throughout my life but realizing I wanted to be around when my grandchild turns 20 was a like a “aha” moment. I started questioning what I must do to reach that dream or at least head in that direction.
I think any lifestyle change must begin with taking time for self-reflection. By know where you are on the Life map, you can then set your GPS with intention. With intention, you will gain the clarity and focus you need to stay on your path. You will recognize what habits are taking you towards your destination and what ones are taking you away.
Here are some suggestions on how to reset or recalibrate you GPS system if you’ve gotten off track:
Unplug – Disconnect from the distractions that are keeping you from hearing the navigation. Take time to reconnect with who you are. Take up walking, running, or cycling, or something that gets you out of your head and back in balance.
Trust the process- Many times we think we know the way and don’t trust the insight that we are receiving from within. We look for external guidance instead of learning how to turn up the GPS volume. We turn it down or off if we don’t like what we are getting.
Become a lifetime learner. We are not alone in our struggles. By reading and learning from others, we cut our learning curve in half the time. Time is too short to be going around in circles.
Determine what’s right for you. This goes with the first suggestion. The more you find out what’s right for you, you begin to do what’s right for you and turning off the external noise of the world gets a little bit easier.
Celebrate how far you have come. This is a life road map, so enjoy the ride!
When you start with knowing who you are and what you want, take a step everyday towards it. This is a life journey not a life sprint.
I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.
When is enough, enough? There is a such thing as being there to help your friends in times of need but when your friend no longer takes responsibility for the decisions that they make. Its okay to say “NO”. It’s called self-care and there is nothing selfish about it.
Many years ago I learned that so many of us are always ready to help others but fail to put the same kind of energy into helping ourselves. We can’t pour out what we have not taken the time to pour into. I like to think of ourselves as vehicles on this Earth. We zoom around running errands for our children, spouses, and friends. As in life, we need to gas up the car in order to keep the car in motion. The self-care that we do for ourselves is like going to the gas station for a fill up. When we don take acre of the car, we run the risk of damaging the vehicle. Everyone I know, hates to see the check engine light come on. That’s the same thing that our bodies are doing with headaches, backaches and other aches.
Don’t wait for the check engine light to come on before you decide to take care of yourself. You are just as important as your children, spouse and friends. We are given this one life to live. Make is your best life by taking care of yourself like you take care of your car.
I watch my granddaughter four days out of the week. On days I don’t have her, I try and make them my “Relaxation Days” but on most occasions, I get a feeling of restlessness.
One Monday afternoon, on a day I didn’t have Charli, I just couldn’t sit still. On most days, when I have “Charli Watch”, I start my day at 4 AM by listening to morning motivation videos on YouTube, do early morning stretches with Joanna Suh, and sit in mediation with Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey. By 5:30 AM, I am off to the gym for a date with a treadmill. I make it back home with enough time to get my son up and off to school with a smoothie. My morning is like a well oiled machine.
My thinking days without Charli as “off days” , I feel I don’t have to put in work. I do not have to get up early and I do not have to put in the effort to take care of myself, I just want to “relax.” I finally realized at self-care isn’t work, it’s necessary to have a balanced and productive day, no matter what is on the schedule. So I will put in the work , maybe just not so early in the morning.
I watch my granddaughter four days out of the week. On days I don’t have her, I try and make them my “Relaxation Days” but on most occasions, I get a feeling of restlessness.
Sweet N Social 
