Category: Finances

How to remove stumbling blocks from living your best.

Susie Lee1 Comment

JRR tolkien

Living your best will change from day to day. It doesn’t mean having it all together or being happy all the time – it means doing your best under the circumstances that you’re in. Here are some ways I remove stumbling blocks from living my best. By no means is this an exhaustive list but it’s a start…

  • Don’t hold onto grudges – it’ll only damage you and hold you back from fully living and loving.
  • Work on building your character – keep your word, show up, and work hard.
  • Be kind. Always.
  • Stop being a people pleaser.
  • Work hard and mind your own business.
  • Don’t run away from pain but learn from it – it’ll make you stronger, wiser, and build character.
  • Dream big and follow your heart.
  • Don’t let anyone define you, especially your boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife.
  • When you say ‘yes’ to someone, make sure you’re not saying ‘no’ to yourself.
  • Get to know and love yourself – embrace imperfections & brokenness because there’s beauty in those places.
  • Discover the world, especially the world within you.
  • Learn to love those who are difficult to love, this alone will either make you or break you.
  • Have hope, faith, and love.
  • Always believe the best, say the best, and think the best.
  • Don’t compare your chapter 1 with someone else’s chapter 20.
  • Always do your best even when no one’s watching.
  • Don’t settle when it comes to dating – you’re worth the best.
  • Learn to forgive others but especially yourself.
  • Having a good attitude will make all the difference in the world.
  • A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You won’t be able to go anywhere until you change it.
  • Life always offers you a second chance, it’s called tomorrow.
  • Loving is the hardest and the best thing we can do.
  • You can’t start the next chapter in your life, if you keep re-reading the last one. Let go & move on without regrets.
  • You can’t move on to the next chapter of your life, if you keep re-reading the last chapter.
  • Stay humble.
  • Never stop learning.
  • Be thankful everyday.
  • And it’s okay to not be okay. You don’t have to be happy and have it all together all the time. Let that emotion sit with you.
  • Remember that your struggle is just part of your story. And one day, your story will inspire someone else.
  • Lastly, do more of what makes you awesome!

What are some ways you live your best? I’d love to be inspired in hearing from you!

©2013 Susie Lee

Don’t quit.

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Don't quit

Let pain be your teacher. Lean into it.

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Pain - lesson

The Story of a Woodcutter

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“Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.

“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Go on that way!”
Very motivated by the boss’ words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

“I must be losing my strength,” the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.

“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”
-Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Sometimes, our lives can look like that if we’re too busy to take the time to replenish our bodies and nourish our souls. Working harder doesn’t always necessarily mean we’re working better – it’s about working smarter without sacrificing our health and happiness. If we neglect ourselves, overtime, we’ll become less effective to those around us and wear ourselves out. Right now, we may not see the importance of slowing down but our state of mind, heart, and body will eventually catch up to us.

I encourage you to dedicate at least 1 day during the week to replenish yourself by doing something you love to do. This can be anything that gives you joy, happiness, and a sense of freedom. It’s something that gives you a mental break from your work or connects you with others (and nature). Overtime, you’ll learn to keep this 1 day sacred as it’ll be your life line to your overall well-being. By resting and playing, you’ll find you have more energy, focus, strength, and emotional stamina for the rest of the week. And who doesn’t need more of that?

©2013 Susie Lee

It’s NEVER too late

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It’s never too late. It’s never to late to start the career you’ve always dreamed of. It’s never too late to confess your love to the one who got away. It’s never too late to make changes in your current relationship(s). It’s never to late to try something new. It’s never to late to pursue, dream, or imagine. For life is full of surprises everyday. And, I believe, miracles still happen today. But we have to be willing to go out of a limb and take hold of the unknown. We need to be proactive rather than passive. We need to be bold, courageous, and take the chance. Sure, there’s no guarantee how life will turn out but at least you were willing to embrace all life had to offer without regrets. Here’s to beautiful beginnings and surprise endings. Fulfill the destiny you were meant to live.

©2013 Susie Lee

It's never too late

Promise Yourself. Everyday.

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Promise Yourself

Count Your Blessings

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With US Thanksgiving Day right around the corner, I thought today’s post would be quite fitting. Let’s celebrate our blessings 365 days rather than just 1 day of the year. Here’s to you and your loved ones during this Thanksgiving Day.

©2012 Susie Lee

Key to Lifelong Success

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“I’m utterly convinced that the key to lifelong success is the regular exercise of a single emotional muscle: gratitude,” writes Geoffrey James in his Inc. Magazine article, “True Secret of Success (It’s Not What You Think).”

“People who approach life with a sense of gratitude are constantly aware of what’s wonderful in their life. Because they enjoy the fruits of their successes, they seek out more success. And when things don’t go as planned, people who are grateful can put failure into perspective.

“By contrast, people who lack gratitude are never truly happy. If they succeed at a task, they don’t enjoy it. For them, a string of successes is like trying to fill a bucket with a huge leak in the bottom. And failure invariably makes them bitter, angry, and discouraged.

“Therefore, if you want to be successful, you need to feel more gratitude. Fortunately, gratitude, like most emotions, is like a muscle: The more you use it, the stronger and more resilient it becomes. The best time to exercise gratitude is just before bed. Take out your tablet (electronic or otherwise) and record the events of the day that created positive emotions, either in you or in those around you.

“Did you help somebody solve a problem? Write it down. Did you connect with a colleague or friend? Write it down. Did you make somebody smile? Write it down.

“What you’re doing is “programming your brain” to view your day more positively. You’re throwing mental focus on what worked well, and shrugging off what didn’t. As a result, you’ll sleep better, and you’ll wake up more refreshed.”

Article from Exchange Everyday
© 2012 Susie Lee

Poste of the Week | Happiness is a choice. Choose happy.

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If I Don’t Start, I Don’t Have a Problem

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I love reading books especially the ones that are filled with pockets of wisdom for everyday living.  Today, I’d like to give you a simple and practical tool from Magic Words – 101 Ways to Talk Your Way Through Life’s Challenges.  Thank you to my good friend, Nisha, who recommended this book to me!

(Magic Words #31)
IF I DON’T START, I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM

Betcha can’t eat just one: that old potato chip commercial definitely hits a very deep nerve.  Think Ben & Jerry’s, M&M’s, whipped cream, French fries, triple chocolate-chip cookies…even pickles.

Jeri, a newspaper reporter, was working on an important investigative piece on a labor racketeering project.  Since she was on a tight deadline, she found herself getting takeout lunches from the gourmet shop next door to her office.  For the first week she stuck to her usual turkey sandwich or tuna-from-a can with Diet Dr Pepper, but then she spied a row of large round glass self-service containers of nuts and dried fruits behind the deli area.  Knowing she had a weakness for unsalted cashews, she stayed away.  But one day, just as a special treat, she scooped a handful of jumbo nuts into a plastic bag.  The next day she was back, snapping up some more.

A week later, she was eating cashews for afternoon snacks and popping a few on the subway ride home.  Two months passed, and she’d gain seven pounds plus a couple more from overdosing on morning Danish and wolfing down chunks of Taleggio cheese with an evening glass of wine.

We told her about Dr. Stephen Gullo, a well-known weight control expert who would be able to help her quit the cashew habit.  She made an appointment with him for the following week.

Jeri’s problem is a common one.  Many of us, according to Dr. Gullo, have “trigger foods” that activate a “can’t resist” process.  Potato chips are a great example.  Ice cream, bread, cake, and cookies are all culprits, as is almost anything that contains chocolate.  How do you stop the process?  Dr. Gullo prescribes these magic words: If I don’t start, I don’t have a problem.

Jeri wrote them on a piece of paper, which she Scotch-taped to her change purse.  If she surrendered to her urges and loaded up on cashews, when she reached the checkout counter she’d give them back to the cashier.  If she was at a party and a bowl of nuts came into view, Dr. Gullo advised that she move out of range immediately and repeat the magic words to herself.  At the end of three weeks, Jeri had shed half a dozen pounds and was well on her way to zipping up her Levi’s again.

Dr. Gullo’s magic words also work for problems that don’t involve food.  For instance, it’s easy to start complaining in today’s stressful employment climate – the boss is inaccessible, the hours are excruciating, the pay is unfair, blah, blah, blah.  Complaining begets more complaining and inevitably the boss finds out who started the griping, so it’s bad for the complainer – and for general morale.  A lot of people have a tendency to air grievances around the water cooler.  If you’re one of those who sets up a negative situation, do yourself a favor and say “If I don’t start…” and you and your co-workers will steer clear of a common problem.

Nagging is another prime area where “If you don’t start” has a positive effect.  Unfortunately, women have been stereotyped as naggers, though in many cases they nag for a good reason.  Men nag too.  We think it can easily be stopped by changing the magic words slightly, to “If I don’t start, WE don’t have a problem.”

From nachos to nagging, cashews to complaining, the best approach to stopping something you shouldn’t be doing is not starting in the first place.

-Magic Words – 101 Ways to Talk Your Way Through Life’s Challenges
by Howard Kaminsky & Alexandra Penney (pg. 87-89)