Balancing Corporate & Homesteading Lifestyles
My spiritual life is important to me. When I give regular attention to my spirituality, I find it easier to make it through the challenges of each day. I realize that my inner strength is lessened if I neglect the spiritual part of my being.
When I am in shape physically, I feel energized and my thoughts are clearer and more organized. I make better decisions when my body is in a healthy state.
I commit to making time for both work and enjoyment so one can balance out the other. I take pride in the feeling of accomplishment I get when I excel at my job.
Reducing my stress lets me be at my best.
Today, I strive to pay close attention to the signals in my life. I commit to heeding those signals and acting accordingly so I continue to maintain a balanced life. I know I am more effective in each facet of life when all aspects are given their due share of attention.
My mind is ticking with creativity because I am positive. I realize that when I look on the bright side, I can think clearly and accomplish more.
My relationships with those around me are stronger when I keep an open mind. I take the time to listen to their points of view. This approach results in better collaboration and mutual respect.
Keeping a positive outlook ensures that I avoid getting frazzled. When I feel frustration mounting, I remind myself that I am free to choose how to respond.
Being positive helps me to be patient. It helps me prepare to meet my long term goals.
I avoid allowing my lack of experience to prevent me from applying for new jobs. Even when I have less experience than other candidates, I believe in my abilities.
Today, I vow to live a life full of positivity. I attest to the power of positive thinking because I see its impact on my life. I commit to encouraging others around me to live the same way.
Negative thinking can impact every area of your life. It limits your effectiveness and poisons your outlook on life. If the time you have to spend on self-development is limited, dealing with your negative thinking is good way to allocate your time.
⇒Avoid thinking of yourself as a victim. When you have the mindset of a victim, you’re dooming yourself to a plethora of negative thoughts. A victim has neither hope nor options. There are always ways to move forward. You have choices.
⇒Recognize your negative thought patterns. Your thoughts can be just as habitual as your morning coffee or your cigarette break. Notice your repetitive thoughts and when they occur. The first step to changing these thought patterns is to catch them when they first begin. When you notice negative thinking, change your thought.
⇒Either think a positive thought or redirect your thinking and focus to whatever you’re doing at that moment.
⇒Read positive quotes each day. If you can’t find the time to read a book, at least read a few positive quotes each day. You can buy calendars with positive quotes. There are also plenty of websites with quotes on a wide variety of topics.
⇒Keep your mind in the present. Sure, you can look ahead, as needed, to make plans. But your thoughts should remain rooted in the present. Thinking about the past results in frustration and regret. Thoughts of the future can cause anxiety. Keep your mind on your current surroundings and task
⇒There’s no reason to worry about the next step. Take care of the current step first.
⇒Ask yourself, “Do I know for certain this is a fact? Or is it just my opinion?” You don’t know as much as you think you do. You make a lot of assumptions based on faulty knowledge. This can lead to the belief that a situation is less solvable than it really is. If you don’t have accurate beliefs, you’re already at a huge disadvantage.
⇒Avoid the idea that perfection is possible. Expect that you won’t be perfect at anything. When perfection is the goal, you’ll always fall short and that opens the door for negative thinking.
⇒Spend time doing something that makes you feel good. It’s easy to have positive thoughts if you’re doing something enjoyable. Spend time with your partner or a good friend. Make a list of things you like to do and spend some time each day doing at least one of them. Enjoy yourself each day.
⇒Meditation seems to be a cure for everything. It’s one of the best ways to learn more about your thought patterns. It’s also an effective way for learning to focus and direct your thoughts.
⇒Make a list of affirmations and take control of your self-talk. Instead of inventing positive self-talk on the fly, have a list prepared of positive things you can say to yourself. Build your self-talk around your goals and kill two birds with one stone.
Are your negative thoughts impacting your results and future? Negative thinking is a challenging habit to defeat. Monitor your thoughts and defeat negative thinking before it can take root. Replace those negative thoughts with a positive alternative. Make an effort to spend some time each day enjoying yourself.
Little by little, you’ll find that you’re spending more of your time thinking positively, and your life will take a turn for the better.
Your inner world has a tremendous impact on your circumstances. Your beliefs affect your thoughts, emotions, and actions. Your actions ultimately create your life. Interestingly, many of your beliefs are unfounded, and your thoughts and emotions are largely habitual. Changing any of these internal components will affect the results you experience.
Fortunately, your inner world is under your control, though making changes can be challenging.
⇒Start and end your day by experiencing gratitude. It’s easy to focus on what you don’t have. Instead, spend a few minutes in the morning and before bed to list your blessings.
⇒By focusing on the positive, you’ll brighten your mood and increase the number of good things that come into your life.
⇒Focus on solutions. It’s a mistake to spend your time focusing on your problems. It makes you feel terrible and hopeless. It also fails to rectify the challenge you’re facing. When something is going wrong in your life, switch into solution-finding mode.
⇒What can you do to make a positive change? You have far more options that you realize.
⇒Take care of your body. One of the common causes of depression has been found to be undiagnosed heart disease. When your body is out of sorts, it skews the way you interpret the world. We are guided by our feelings, and when your health is compromised, your emotions can be misleading.
⇒Stay grounded in reality. Most of us live in a fantasy-land. We’re thinking about the past or speculating on the future. However, if you concentrate on living wisely and well in the present moment, the future will bring the joy you hope for.
⇒Remember that life is whizzing by 24/7. The actions you take right now determine your future. You can’t act today if your mind is elsewhere.
⇒Use positive affirmations. Give yourself the gift of positive thoughts and uplifting self-talk throughout the day. Negative thoughts lead to negative emotions. Positive thoughts will fill you with positive emotions. With positive thoughts, you can change your world.
⇒Examine your beliefs. Make a list of the beliefs that are holding you back and then question them. Where did you get this belief? Why do you believe it’s accurate? Is there a possibility that this belief is false? How much evidence do you really have in support of this belief?
⇒Track your thoughts. Set an alarm, perhaps on your smart phone, to notify you each hour. When the alarm sounds, consider how you’ve used your mind over the previous 60 minutes.
⇒What did you think about? Was your attention focused on your work, or did you worry about the cable bill? Did you use your mind to better your future?
⇒Measuring yourself each hour will help you to stay focused. It’s too easy to fall into old patterns if you only check yourself once per day.
⇒Learn to meditate. Meditation has many physical and mental benefits. It can reduce stress, strengthen your health, help to strip away your erroneous beliefs, and bring you clarity and focus. Meditation is one action that can have a huge, positive effect on your life. Incorporate time for meditation into your schedule each day.
No matter how bad your situation might be, someone has started with an even worse situation and led an incredible life. Changing your inner world is the key to changing your outer world.
While you're not hearing as much about it in the media these days, the Law of Attraction still holds true. Just what is the Law of Attraction, and how can it work to help you be happier and more successful?
The basic rule of the Law of Attraction is that like attracts like. When you're in a healthy, successful mindset, you'll be healthier and more successful. Positive thinking is a powerful tool as long as you use it correctly. So how do you do it?
⇒Visualize what you desire. You need to have a clear idea of what you want out of life, not just a general or vague picture. By envisioning every detail of your desire, you'll eventually receive it!
Know exactly what your goal is and outline the path for getting there.
Then track your progress. You'll be surprised at how much of a difference this makes!
⇒Allow yourself to succeed. You may think this sounds silly. After all, you're not the one holding yourself back – or are you? Many of us keep ourselves from the success we hope for, whether it's because we feel like we don't deserve it or we're just not paying attention.
Take a look at your life and ask yourself if you have behavior patterns or attitudes that keep you from taking advantage of opportunities that can help you succeed. Recognizing and being aware of these self-sabotaging attitudes is a big step toward change.
Do you consistently do something that sets you back every time you’re on the verge of achieving a goal? Forming a mindset that will allow you to be a success can make a huge difference.
⇒Have focus. It's easy to have many desires at once. For your best results, work on one or two things at a time and give them your full attention. Without the ability to focus your energy and thoughts on your goal, the chances of failure and distraction go up.So if you find yourself pursuing multiple goals but never get near any of them, it's time to focus. The Law of Attraction tells us that in order to achieve, we have to be in a clear, focused mindset, with a strong picture of a single goal.
Once you've focused on a single goal and achieved it, you can turn your focus to your next goal. This way, one by one, you are realizing success.
⇒Be willing to receive the bounty the universe offers you. The world is constantly giving you chances to make things better. If you maintain the right mindset, stay focused, and know what you want and how to get there, you’ll reap the benefits of those opportunities.
Every day there are opportunities that could lift you out of the rut and put you on the road to a better tomorrow. You just have to be willing to take advantage of them.
The Law of Attraction principles have helped many people change their lives for the better. Keeping a positive mindset and taking action to accomplish your goals will help you achieve the life you’ve always dreamed of.
With the winter cold coming and no more grass until spring, I like to provide my flock with sprouts throughout the winter. Wheat berries are one of their favorites! These are one well-balanced and nutritious food to include in a chicken’s daily diet!
Here's why: Wheat berries are the least processed form of the plant, and they generally retain most of their nutritional value. Wheat berries provide a balance of protein and macronutrients and contain methionine, an amino acid that is important for a chicken's growth.
Wheat berries have a high fiber content that helps chickens with digestion too. The fiber also slows down the absorption of sugar, preventing unhealthy blood sugar spikes.
And the benefits don't stop there, they also contain calcium and phosphorus, which are needed for bone formation. Lastly, wheat berries have high vitamin C levels, which promote iron absorption.
Ever since I started with chickens, friends and family love sharing posts and chicken tips with me. Facebook loves to share too since the algorithm picked up my interest in chickens.
My daughter shared an interesting post on wheat berries, and after a little research on my own, this was something I wanted to add to my chickens' diet ... and they LOVE it!
There are multiple ways to feed wheat berries ... dry, soaked, or sprouted. Since my flock gets scratch grains too, I decided it would work best to sprout them for the highest nutritional value.
In addition to the wheat berries, I also sprout alfalfa. On most days the flock gets a mix of both now that I have the sprouts on a perfect schedule. The 4 tray system for the wheat berries works like a clock ... and those buggers grow fast. As you can see in the far right photo, they are pushing out of the tray ... they were in there nicely this morning but were popping out by the afternoon ... just in time for the flock's afternoon treat.
Our feeding schedule: Out of the coop and breakfast (fermented grains) by 7:30 am. Sprouts at 2 pm and a little scratch at 3:30 pm before bedtime. This late snack gets their metabolism going to help keep them warm on the cold winter nights.
To sprout wheat berries or alfalfa, soak them for 24 hours then put them in a sprouting tray or mason jar. Water daily and after 4 days, they should be ready to go.
As an alternative, you can sprout your chicken's scratch grains. We use Hen Up Scratch Grains.
On the left is my set up for my sprouts.
Below are the products that I use. These are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you choose to purchase from one of my links.
These are the wheat berries that I buy from Amazon (this is an affiliate link)
These are the stands & trays that I use for alfalfa sprouts
This sprouting tray system works very well with wheat berries & I prefer over jars.
I use these lids for my mason jars with the sprouting trays & stands.
The long, winter months and short days can increase your risk of getting sick. However, there are many things you can do to stay healthy, even when it’s cold outside and many around you have the flu.
Continue to exercise. It’s common to avoid exercising in the winter. When it’s snowing or freezing rain covers your driveway, it may be tempting to stay home under the covers. Instead of hiding from the elements, find unique ways to stay active.
⇒Exercise can boost your immune system and keep you healthy during these cold months. Exercise will also improve your mood, give you energy, and help you sleep.
⇒Try exercising indoors if the winter weather is harsh or go to a gym near you.
⇒Another option is to use winter activities as exercise. You can get a cardio workout by shoveling the snow and building snowmen. You can also get a great workout from skiing or sledding.
Get more vitamin D. Your body makes vitamin D when it’s exposed to sunlight. This vitamin regulates many processes in the human body, including your genes.
⇒When you don’t have enough vitamin D, you may get bone pain, heart disease, depression, muscle weakness, dementia, arthritis, and other health issues. This deficiency can also increase the risk of cancer.
⇒It’s harder to get vitamin D from the sun during the winter, so it’s important to make an effort to spend more time outdoors.
⇒Another option is to take supplements and eat foods with vitamin D. Fortified milk, cereals, and orange juice have extra vitamin D. Eggs and mushrooms are also good sources of this vitamin.
Wash your hands. You need to wash your hands all the time, but it becomes especially important in the winter months.
⇒One of the reasons more people get sick in the winter is because they’re indoors more, and they can’t open the windows or doors to circulate the air. This allows germs to build up in the air and spread easily. Spending more time indoors with others exposes you to more illness.
⇒Wash your hands with soap and water frequently. If you find that this dries out your skin, use moisturizer immediately after washing your hands.
Pay attention to your diet. What you eat affects your health. Nutrition sometimes suffers during the winter because fruits, grains, and vegetables can become more expensive and may be harder to find in parts of the country.
⇒You may also be tempted to eat more comfort food, such as mashed potatoes and gravy, because of the colder weather. Try to limit comfort foods with high fat, sugar, or salt. Instead, consider making healthier versions of your favorite meals.
⇒Fruits and vegetables have important antioxidants and other nutrients that can help your immune system and prevent some illnesses. So, you want to ensure they’re still part of your diet in the winter.
⇒In addition, you tend to wear more clothes in the winter, and may not notice body changes, so gaining weight can become an issue. Pay attention to the total number of calories you’re consuming each day. Read labels and measure portions. Avoid turning to junk food or snacks.
Studies show that optimists live longer, achieve more, and enjoy greater happiness and health. Even if you tend to see the glass as half empty, you can tap into these advantages.
Psychologists believe that about 50% of your optimist quotient is determined at birth. That leaves the remaining 50% that you can work on.
Train yourself to become more hopeful. You can complete most of these steps instantly, and a few require a little more time.
Wear rose-colored glasses and walk on the sunny side of the street. Being more optimistic is likely to extend your life and help you to enjoy those extra years more.
Having a positive mindset sets the stage for my life. When I keep my mind from doubt and anxiety, I allow myself to enjoy my reality.
There is very little space in my life for worry. When I choose to expect only positive outcomes, that is exactly what I receive. Although what happens is sometimes different from what I expect, there is still enough to give thanks for.
Although the path towards a goal may be unclear today, I expect it to reveal itself in due course.
My approach is to prepare myself for my wishes and desires to become reality. I do that by remaining humble and driven at the same time. When they come my way, I know how to handle them. I use those realized dreams to further enhance my hopefulness.
Today, even the most trying circumstances fail to dampen my spirit. I know that even when things go in an unexpected direction, the onus is on me to continue along a positive path. My heart and soul are ready to receive goodness and light.
Instead, I quickly analyze the feelings and the root causes of the negative emotion or thought. This allows me to make a fast judgment call on how to handle the situation.
I have the emotional and mental freedom to manage my thoughts and decide for myself what I think. I choose to fight negativity and eliminate it from my life. I avoid creating bonds to negative things, experiences, or emotions.
I eliminate all the stress, anxiety, and worries that come with negativity. I throw away and forget harmful things. I get rid of the pain that can damage my soul.
I focus on my center, values, and support network. I turn to them for help during negative circumstances. I also have the option of professional help. I have multiple choices that assist me on this journey.
I distance myself from negative people because they hurt my mind and spirit. I know this is healthier than dwelling on the pain.
Today, I detach from the negative things in my life to focus on the positive. I appreciate the universe through an optimistic lens.
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