Time for Me!

This was one of those weekends when I had a LOT to accomplish in a few short hours...

Just like a lot of people, the temptation is to put my head down and soldier forward without taking a breath!  You know... do not pass go, do not collect $200!!

So, how did I make out?  I got almost everything done (this blog is my second to last chore of the night), the final chore is going to have to be postponed to tomorrow.  BUT, and this is a new behavior for me, most importantly, I put some time aside to take care of myself.  I spent time exercising 1 - 2 hours each weekend day, I took several hours yesterday to go and purchase a new cell phone (not a 5 minute chore), I took time to eat my lunch outside in the wonderful sunshine today and I spent time this afternoon doing food prep for the week.

How often have we said not to push our own needs off to the side?  I hear it all the time in my meeting rooms, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks "yeah, sure, that works for others, but it doesn't work with my life".  This weekend, I wanted to prove to myself that I could take time to do what was important to me as well as what HAD to be done!

And the moral of the story, in the end, even though I did not complete everything, I prioritized and made sure that, what could absolutely not be neglected, was completed.  And, I am left feeling relatively relaxed and got all, but one, chore on my to-do list completed.

This Week's Topic in the Meeting Room:

So, I'm breaking a rule here:  I don't ever discuss the topic of the week in advance of the meeting, but today I am.  The reason is because I believe that reading the process of ANCHORING in advance of the meeting will help when discussing this topic.  I'm hoping it'll stimulate some thoughts and memories in you as to when ANCHORING has helped you in the past with your weight and health journey.  I also want to remind you to bring something you use as an anchor to the meeting this week for "Show and Tell"!

This is taken directly from the Weight Watcher's Website.

When sticking to the plan is tough, that's when you need Anchoring, a process for creating cues and triggers to remind yourself of your weight goal and the inner resources you have to achieve it.

You use Anchoring every day. When you hear a song that makes you smile because you associate it with a certain memory, that's an anchor to that memory.

Anchoring can help you achieve your Winning
Outcome by reminding you of a particular inner resource you may need to connect to when you're having a hard time.

Ann's Anchor
When Ann needs to be reminded of her strongest inner resource, she anchors herself to the day her son was born. She reconnects to that day because it reminds her of the love she felt for herself and the pride she felt in her future. To help get back to those feelings, she keeps her son's diaper pin attached to her daily planner. Ann touches it or looks at it whenever she's hit a rough patch in her plan.

Now create your own anchor with these steps:

1. Identify the inner resource you need to respond the way you want.

2. Remember a time when you had that inner resource. Think about the circumstances that surrounded you. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel what you felt at that time.

3. Choose an anchor that will bring you back to that time in an instant— a mental picture, a word, a gesture or an object.

4. Then, remember again that time when you had that strong inner resource. When the feeling you had then is strong within you, connect it to your Anchor.

5. Use your Anchor by itself. Did it work? Are you in touch with your resource? If not, keep repeating Step 4 until your Anchor grounds you when times are rough.

Are you taking "Time for ME"?  That means taking time to come to a meeting this week - don't skip it, you will get everything done - even when you do!