Coming Home to Montana

My first shoes!

As I have had the opportunity to return to the land of my roots, there are a few things that I bring with me that have their origin (as close as I can determine) here as well. In my most recent blog post I promised to share some of the items, besides myself, that have returned to Montana. 

The first, and obviously the sweetest, are these baby slippers that were worn with tissue stuffed in the toes to keep them on my feet. I have ogled and treasured them long as I can remember.They were once worn by my own dark haired little girl and then tucked safely away for another time. If you visit, you’ll find them displayed on the wall of our guest room.

Antique dresser from Conrad

The second is this gorgeous dresser. Once covered with blue antique stain, it was hiding its character for many years. I discovered its beauty as I prepared to paint it yellow for my nursery when I was expecting my first child. It, too, came from somewhere near Conrad, Montana. I also discovered my sisters’ initials carved into the top! This dresser now greets visitors as they enter my front door.

The third item I share today is one of several Hoya plants. They are the only indoor plants that thrive in my care! Some friends have tried, in vain, to improve my talents. Perhaps I am not much of a nurturer. This very plant had its origins somewhere in Montana. It is a start from the one I call “The Mother Plant” that my own mother obtained while living here. It followed her to Idaho and now this piece of it returns. Hoyas must truly thrive in this area and climate. I have seen countless healthy, blooming plants in homes and businesses since returning to my roots. I’m anxious to see how my plants embrace their big adventure!

Hoya!
The only plants that
thrive in my care!

Lastly, my dad’s green Thermos. It may have begun its journey long before Montana, but I’m certain it was here – sometime and somewhere. It has long since lost its stopper and cup, but it has a presence that stirs warm feelings and faint memories for me.

Dad's Thermos ... and a rooster!

I am certain to run across more items and memories as this journey continues. How poetic, tho, that these things should make a return. After many years and many moves around Idaho, just like me, they have come home to Montana.

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!


Happy Running!
Carol - aka Running Granny Green

Conquering Obstacles to Self-improvement - Lesson #1

The first challenge to creating change can be summed up in this statement. “You are going to have to get over yourself.” Before you decide to be offended, please read on. I think you will agree.

While it is true that the first step to creating change is recognizing the need for, or having a desire to, change, that’s not the first obstacle. Obstacles or challenges occur once the decision to change has been made. If there is no need or desire for change, then there can be no hurdles to clear.

Why would I state something so harsh as, “You are going to have to get over yourself?” Isn’t a desire for self-improvement the very thing that pushes us to set goals, step out of our comfort zones, and learn new skills? I would argue, “Yes.” I am not suggesting that one abandon his or her desire for improvement. Rather, I would submit that he must abandon those things, usually thinking habits, that are keeping him from moving forward. Let me illustrate with a running story. (I know. I use these stories a lot. Hey, life is hard. So is running. That’s why running is such a good teacher.)

I was once a non-runner. At the tender age of 47 (you read that right) I became a runner. Runners run.  That’s all there is to it. Non-runners who wish they were runners tend to come up with all kinds of excuses why they can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t run. I know. I found several of my own.

“I’m too old to start.”  Yep, I said that.

“I don’t like to run.”  I said that one a lot!

“It hurts to run.”  Uh-huh.

And then there is this one …

“I don’t want anybody to see me trying to run.”

Well, for those of you who are hanging onto this excuse, I have some news for you. NOBODY is looking at a runner and thinking this …

“Boy, that runner sure does look stupid.”

Nor this …

“That runner shouldn’t be running. She’s too big, old, fat, short, weak …”

In fact, those non-runners driving by in their cars with their car snacks by their side are most surely thinking something like this …

“I wish I were a runner. I wish I was strong enough, brave enough, in shape enough … to run.”

I know this to be true. I was once one of those non-runners.  And the runners that happen to be in a car while you are running are thinking …

“Look! There is a runner!  Maybe we could be running buddies!”

“I’m jealous. I wish I was running right now.”

“Wow. I hope I can still run when I’m as old as that guy!”

“I am so proud of that runner out there getting in shape!  Way to go, Runner!”

Early in our running quest my running buddy and I would search for the most hidden routes we could find to avoid being seen, but I got over that. I have learned that if I admire other runners when I am inside a car then surely others are not judging me while I am on the run. This applies to runners and non-runners alike.

It doesn’t matter if you have great running form or a cute outfit. The car riders cannot tell what your pace is and they don’t care. They only know that you are out there putting one foot in front of the other. They respect that, especially if they, too, are a runner. So get over yourself and just run!

Let’s take a look at those same excuses as they apply to other lifestyle changes.

“I’m too old to start a new job, write a book, lose weight, and so forth.” For every “too old” argument you can find, there is someone older than you making those changes today.

“I don’t like change.” Most folks don’t, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a worthy pursuit.

“It hurts to change.” Yes, this new venture is probably going to be a bit uncomfortable.

“I don’t want anybody to see me trying …” Because you might fail? Not trying is failing.

NOBODY is looking at you and thinking this …

“Boy, she sure is stupid to try to change!”

Nor this …

“She shouldn’t be going back to school or making a job change. She’s too dumb, old, fat, short, weak, tired, poor …”

In fact, most people watching you strive for self-improvement are going to be cheering you on thinking something like this …

“I wish I were doing something new and interesting. I wish I was strong enough, brave enough, in shape enough, hopeful enough … to change.”

I know this to be true. I’ve been one of those wishing for change. We’ve all been there, hesitant to strive. The others that are well on the road to their goal? They are your best cheerleaders …

“Look! There is a striver, a goal setter!  Maybe we could help each other!”

“I’m jealous. I wish I was working on my goal right now.”

“Wow. I hope I can still learn new things when I’m as old as that guy!”

“I am so proud of that person out there making improvement!  Way to go, Person!”

I have been guilty of keeping my goals to myself, much like my running buddy and I tried to avoid being seen. I have learned that if I admire others for their attempts to achieve, then surely they are not especially critical of me while I am striving for self-improvement. In fact, they are most likely cheering me on.

It doesn’t matter if you have it all figured out. The passersby do not know how far you have come or how quickly you are improving and they don’t care. They only know that you are out there putting one foot in front of the other. They respect that, especially if they are striving to better themselves. So get over yourself and just work towards your goal!

Achievement  Exercise #1:

Begin by making a list of all your excuses - all the reasons you can't. 

Then address each excuse. Is it actual or perceived? Can it be overcome? Is the goal greater than the obstacle?

Clear those hurdles, cross them off, and move forward!

Are you still feeling offended? Tell me what is keeping you from beginning your quest for self-improvement?

Happy Running!
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Tuesday’s Training Tip: Try Something New

Are you stuck in a training rut? Do you have trouble feeling motivated to put on your running shoes and step out of the door? Do your hand weights sit in a corner collecting dust? Perhaps it is time to change things up – do something new. Whether you choose a new goal, a different activity, or the same activity in a strange venue, a little variety can help. Let’s look at a few ways you can create new interest in old routines.

We’ve talked about why you should commit to a 5K or other fitness challenge, but what if you’ve done that and another 5K feels like just another workout? It’s time to try a themed run or something a little more challenging like an obstacle course. Can you run your best time dressed in a Santa suit? Perhaps not, but you might be able to win a prize for the best costume.

Captain a team and recruit your friends to run a relay. This will challenge your physical, mental, and leadership skills. You’ll have the time of your life and forge relationships that will last a lifetime.

Go for a night run. It’s quiet and you can’t really see how far you’ve come or how far you have to go.

Use an App. I like MapMyRun. Fitness apps help you track your progress, review your performance, entertain, and encourage you along the way.

Engage in social media with other fitness folks. Follow other runners on Instagram. Their photos will make you want to go outside, too!

Ride your bike to your favorite breakfast or lunch spot – eat – return.

Whether you need a long term goal or something different to do today, there are no limits to the creative things you can do to add variety to your workouts. Don’t get stuck in a training rut. Try something new!

What do you do to add creativity and interest to your fitness routine?

Tune in every Tuesday for more training tips and visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed.

Question: Do you have a training tip you would like to share?

Happy Running!

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Tech support, passwords, and privacy! Oh, my!

I’ve been expanding my technical horizons and reaching out of my comfort zone this week. I’m attempting to design a website and it is challenging me a bit. I also upgraded my cell phone.  That was the real challenge. It’s a password thing.

When my husband returned home from work on Tuesday he found me in a state that he referred to as, “A gibbering idiot!”  And I was …

You see, I usually defer all telephone changes and upgrades to my tech guy – my eldest son. I had confessed to both hubby and son that I was afraid to activate my new phone.  I waited a day and attempted the activation.  My apprehension proved valid. 

The instructions said, “Call this number to activate your phone.” Okay, I did that. Something went wrong and eventually a live person came on the line.

“What is your password?” I gave her my password that I had recently changed because I could not remember the old one.  “That’s wrong.”

“But … that’s my password.”

“No, that’s your online account password. I need the other password.”

“What other password?” I was confused.

“The password for your account.”

“I just gave it to you!” Bother!

“I need the account owner’s password. Is he there?”

Of course he wasn’t there.  He was at work.

“Well, I can’t help you. I need to talk to the account owner.”

I informed her that the account owner set up the account fifteen years ago and that I make all the upgrade decisions, pay the bills, and otherwise manage the account. I left out the part about my tech guy.

“But you’re just the account manager. I can’t make any changes without speaking to the account owner.”

“Okay, well how CAN you help me?”

“I can tell you how to do it online. It’s really easy.”

Great.  Why didn’t she tell me that in the first place? She gave me the instructions and assured me again that it would be really easy. It wasn’t.

When I thought I had completed the activation, I discovered that I had merely turned off my existing phone.  I tried activating the new one – again.

Nothing.

I sent a Facebook message to my tech guy (because I had no phone!)

“I’m at work.  I can probably help you when I am free.”  Cool!  Now I was getting somewhere.

Later … “Okay, I’ve almost got it. You need to remove the SIM card from the old phone and put it in the new phone.”

“How do I do that?”

“There is an oval box on the side of the phone with a small pin hole in it.  Open that.”

There was no such box.  I know he thinks I’m afraid of technology – and I am – but there was no box!  He patiently explained where I would find the box.  It wasn’t there. I even watched the YouTube video that showed the box.  My phone had no such box!

My tech guy gave up.

I waited, becoming more frustrated and agitated as the hours passed. That’s when my hubby came home.

“Kevin, I hate change!  I hate it! Hate IT!” He kind of already knows that.  It’s the same reason that my waterski is 28 years-old and my life vest is following close behind.  It’s the reason I don’t move furniture around. I could go on, but that is a discussion for another post.  This post is about tech support, privacy, and passwords.

Hubby patiently got on his phone and called the provider.

“What is your password?”  He didn’t know his password. How would he know his password? It’s been 15 years!

“What are the last four digits of your SSN?” He gave him those numbers.

“What is your password?” Again with the password question!

“I can give you a hint …” The hint didn’t help.

“Can I change my password?”

“Sure!  What would you like it to be?”

Are you kidding me? I waited all day when I could have grabbed anyone with a man’s voice and had him make a call on his phone?

In the end, I have a new phone. I haven’t added all the apps I’m used to or put any music on it yet. I managed to upload a few random photos from the other phone and I have contact info from people I don’t even know. 

What I don’t have is the authority to make changes to my account with a phone call unless I have the account owner’s password! Guess who chose the password?  That’s right – I did! I feel SO much safer now.

Question: What changes do you struggle with because they don't prove as easy as promised?

Happy Running!

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I Want Further Instructions

 

Some challenges seem greater than our ability to accomplish them.  The note above reads, “Please leave me a fraction of a mm of space between loop and opposing tooth.” A fraction of a millimeter!  What kind of measurement is that? Fractions come in many shapes and sizes – ¼, ½, ¾, 8/10, and 6/3!  Although I understood what the doctor was requesting, I was also frustrated that his instructions were ambiguous. I tend to do that a lot – get frustrated!

Most often my frustrations arise when I feel that I don’t have enough information to make a sure decision.  If only I had more facts, I could make a better choice. If I could just see the finish line … I could get through the challenge! Alas, that is not the way this life works. We are given challenges to help us grow. We are not given all the answers. This allows us to exercise faith.  We make decisions based on the best information we can gather, we listen to promptings from the Spirit, and then we move forward with hope that the decision was wise. 

It’s the first Monday in March.  My husband embarked on a new career today and I can’t see the finish line! I don’t have all the facts, but I have enough information to have faith that we’ve made the best decision we could.  We are moving forward.  I’m learning new things like “How to pack a lunch” and “Set the Wi-Fi on the new iPhone to ON!”

I suppose when we stop learning we stop growing. I’ve often said that change is good because it presents an opportunity for growth. I think that’s great advice to give others! And yet, I hope not to experience too much growth at any one time. 

I don’t have all the answers, but I keep moving forward with hope and gratitude. 
 
Question: What challenges have you experienced that have caused you to grow?  I would love to hear about them in the comments below!

Happy Running!

Guest Blogger: Rebecca writes about making changes

Meet Rebecca Martin, the founder and CEO of dear jane Inc., a career services company. Her mission isn’t simply to get people hired but to help them discover their calling and turn it into a career they can be passionate about. She has helped newcomers to retirees find meaningful work and has coached successful business owners through career-changing transitions.

  

Hope Springs Eternal!

A Time to Rediscover, Renew & Change

Do you ever stop and take an inventory of your life? Or are you on auto pilot? We rarely step back and reflect on how we operate in our daily lives.

We just keep plugging away and sometimes wake after five years and ask ourselves, “Who am I? What am I doing with my life and career?” Sometimes we might even ask ourselves, “Do I even like my life?”

We can get into a rut, and lose our passion and joy.   

I recommend to all my clients to rediscover their passion and joy. How to do this? By conducting an assessment about what they like and dislike about their jobs, careers, relationships and lives. Once they find this out, they can make changes and get themselves back on the right track. 

If someone wants to improve a skill, change a negative behavior pattern, or just get another job, this exercise will also help them get back on track. 

It’s your turn.

Take a moment to think about what you like and dislike about your current relationships, job, career or even your life in general. Now, imagine YOU are the BOSS of your own life. How can you change your dislikes into likes? What are the next steps you have to take in order to make those changes? 

 

Once you define what you need to do to make the changes in your life, CAN YOU?

Let’s talk about what motivates people to change.

It could be a number of things. Everyone is different. 

However, in general there are two things that motivate people to change.

1) You’re either in a lot of pain and/or fear.

2) You’re passionate about a goal and have a vision about doing something.

Most people don’t make changes easily; they usually go along with the status quo.

Change can be challenging! Stepping outside of your comfort zone and standing outside of the crowd isn’t always easy. But if you want to be true to yourself, you have to!

STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD!

Individuals feel that they can’t make changes because it comes down to taking care of their basic needs: food, water and shelter. It’s overwhelming just to take care of the basics, so they ask how they can do more. Some people feel trapped in their lives because of their responsibilities, i.e., paying the mortgage or rent, taking care of children or spouses, or taking care of elderly parents.

It is easy to get overwhelmed. Figuring out where to begin to make the changes is sometimes too hard for people.  It’s really an internal struggle. But individuals need to know that they can make changes. 

But how?

They need to imagine themselves in other roles. Open their minds up to other possibilities. For example, if you have been a stay at home mom for the past twenty years, you might not feel like you can go back to school to get your teaching credential. Or you might feel that if you have been a Realtor your entire life that you are meant to stay in that profession until you retire. This is not true.

“All meaningful and lasting change starts first in your imagination and then works its way out. Imagination is more important than knowledge.” 

Albert Einstein

Learning to daydream is so important. Don’t give up on your own dreams. 

Take the first step.  Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. 

Satisfaction and joy come to those people who figure out who they really are (their true selves) and not who they project themselves to be (their ideal personality, which puts a lot of stress on the individual). Find out about WHO YOU REALLY ARE. 

Life is a Marathon.

Think about a marathon. It is a grueling, 26.2-mile race. It takes a lot of preparation and work, and most people cannot run a marathon at a sprint pace. It is slow and challenging, but really owning it is a rewarding experience. Just think about all those months of preparation, and then the final moment of crossing the finish line.

Life is a marathon. It’s challenging at times. Gaining control one day at a time in your life is so important so that you, too, can cross a rewarding finish line.  Let’s say you are ready to look in your new field of vision, about yourself. Focus on are your core competencies, skills, personality traits, core values, aptitudes, etc.

Build a Foundation based on your core values, i.e. family, security, challenges, and lifestyle. 

In a world of constant change, building a foundation based on your core values is more important than ever.

“In this era of dramatic change, we’re hit from all sides with lopsided perspectives that urge us to hold nothing sacred, to fight chaos with chaos, to battle a crazy world with total, unfettered craziness. Everybody knows that the transformations facing us—social, political, technological, economic—render obsolete the lessons of the past.”

Jim Collins, Author

Change Is a Choice.

The secret to an innovative life and career is to first recognize that you are in control of your destiny! You are the master of your ship. You are making the decisions, and no one else is in charge of You! Isn’t that refreshing? You are in the driver’s seat. 

Accept a new way of life for you. Accept that change is inevitable. Set new goals. Believe that CHANGE EQUALS OPPORTUNITY.

Change doesn’t have to be a crisis. 

However, some of us may go through change and some of us may see it as a crisis, but I can guarantee you it will be for the betterment of you and your life. 

You Have to Let Go to Change.

As human beings, we have all feared change as negative.  Just like the earth revolves around the sun, just as humans continue to evolve, it is part of life.

Just change.

You may think, "I made a change and got this promotion I asked for, and now I am scared and don’t think I can really do the job." Take a breath. It’s ok, it’s part of life, and everyone goes through what you are going through. Give it time, and allow change to come into your life.

Amazing things will happen when you welcome change.

Change is an opportunity for growth. Everyone I have ever worked with has told me that it might have taken them three, six or nine months, or maybe even years, to overcome the fear, anger or resentment that came with changing. But they pressed on anyway. And whatever the obstacle or adversity they faced while changing, in the end it was the best thing that ever happened to them.

Hope for a better way, which leads to change which leads to excitement and growth. 

Enjoy your new journey!

Rebecca Jane Martin, CDF

Catch up with Rebecca at Dear Jane Inc. www.dearjane.info

Visit my Guest Blogger Page to get to know all my blogging friends!

 

Happy Running!