8 SEP 2014 :: Developing Goals

On Saturday I turned on the computer to YouTube and looked for some motivational videos to listen to about goals and goal setting, selling, rising above your circumstances, success, etc. I started out trying to hear some old Nightingale-Conant messages, but they stopped after about 15 minutes. My "goal" was to start a recording and then let it continue until I turned it off.

I found a Zig Ziglar page and listened. Then I found one of his recordings that was almost 8 hours long. That definitely fit my goal plan. I listened to it like I would a radio, catching parts along the way as I did other things nearby. One part I remember was about TV watching. Zig Ziglar went through a list of various levels of working people and compared them using the amount of time they watched TV a week. The higher the position in a company, the less time they spent with the TV and the more focused they were on learning something that applied to making their work/results better. 

Today I happened to turn the TV on when I sat down to eat something. I flipped channels and wound up at Rocco Dispirito on ION LIFE TV. He makes regular food into versions that are healthier for a family. It is hard to keep track of all the good details you need to remember, but I was interested in his comments on salt reduction by using spices to add flavor instead of salt.  I tend to use garlic salt on most of my food. I make my own and am still working on the best ratio for me. (I recently purchased a bottle of economy garlic salt and I thought I was using only salt. It was an eye-opener to me!) As I learn about food groups and calories, I am growing more interested in using spices rather than salt. It has been on my list of things to learn for a long time. As a food stamp recipient, my food choices are fairly limited. I don't get very far past my basics: garlic salt, parsley, Italian blend, and various forms of pepper.

I have been very surprised at the way Mr. Dispirito makes foods healthier, though. One time he used pureed leeks as a base for a pasta sauce. In this show he highlighted using grapeseed oil as a healthier alternative with the ability to reach 400 degrees for frying. If it doesn't cost a fortune, I may try it.  :-)

Right after his show I happened on to a Chef highlighting program called "At the table with...." This program was about a man that came from a poverty background, an addicted mother, and being abandoned on the street at an early age, I think he was 15 or 16. There are always a lot of issues in poverty households, and even more when addictions are part of the interactions. Children being cared for is an ongoing problem in houses where addictions live, including children being fed the way children need to be fed. It was suggested that his experiences as a child in poverty, without food, became a motivation for him to attend culinary school. He is working to create food options that may help children and families all over the world. From what I could see, the program was created in 2007. I hope he has continued that quest.

The only part I didn't like about the chef narrative was its attitude toward food stamps and soup kitchens. These are essential community outreaches for many reasons, and they are not just for families with addictions, but for anyone fighting poverty and it's daily crises. This can include the elderly and disabled on limited income, and those who cannot qualify for government food assistance. Food is something we cannot live without. The lack of it causes crime, and death. As the economy worsens, community programs like these will become even more critical.

On the GOALS pathway, I have been trying to focus my activities more, keeping the TV and radio off more, thinking and reading and working on things I need to do more. I would like to say I can function just fine with "background noise," but it wouldn't be true. It is distracting. It is better to have silence and the ability to think without interruptions. I have been remembering my earlier days and how much I loved the silence.

There was a time when I didn't own a TV (and didn't want one). When I have to rest on my bed now, it seems like the only option available. It becomes a habit that is hard to get away from, and the quality of the programming is very limited, even with all the channels available. I struggle to find a balance within my limitations and dreams.

This weekend I was finally able to make a reasonable working space for my art and crafts activities. It was a major accomplishment. It is close to being christened.

I am nearly done with household essentials and will be building a schedule I can live with.

Photos for online sales options is my next challenge...kind of. I am praying for several LARGE needs these days...and hoping GOD will be kind to me and provide them. Each day I do the best I can and look to GOD for the next day.

I am still trying to find the goal to list as number one.  Each one of my goals seems necessary to my survival or WT's survival. My habit has been to rotate them, like children getting treats, as I keep on trying to get to the place where I can hire help, have the equipment I need, figure out a financial base, etc. I often wonder where all my goals, and my life, will be when GOD calls me home...maybe the book IS the most important goal.

Help me to decide, pray for me, ask GOD to provide what is needed, sooner rather than later, today rather than tomorrow. Thanks.