Predictive Scoring

Many years ago while working at Dun & Bradstreet, I sold services which enabled companies to predict business' credit ability and marketing response. These services are based on predictive scoring models that are widely used for many aspects in business.  I often recall these models as I know my own predictive score for exercise, reading and other matters I should do, however, am not always motivated to do.  My own predictive score is that if I do my exercise right when I wake up and I read my materials (books, proposals and other informative email) the likeliness of doing it increases exponentially before 6am.  So for today I am up, I have exercised, read part of my book and written this blog.  As for the rest the of the day.... I predict that this early activity has motivated me for full productivity. Two reflection questions: 1. What are the activities that you can predict based on your previous habits?, and 2. What is your predictive score for the day?

One thing at a time.

Many to do's, feeling overwhelmed and recognizing that one thing at a time is all I can do.  Life comes at me full force every day and I choose each day to just go down the list and get one thing done at a time. While in the midst of completing the list, more calls and requests come in, I add them to my notepad and just keep methodically moving through the list that grows.  How do I cut back, I don't. I just do what I can do and work hard and continue do do one thing at a time. Just for today, one thing at a time starting with love.

Find time to pray

Nourishing my soul with prayer. As I continue my path of living simply, I am finding more time for prayer. I wake up early and refreshed, and I pray and in the process, I am even more energized, focused and clear on what matters most. As most of your know I am the great purger of stuff, getting rid of all of the superfluous stuff in the house, fridge, car, briefcase, and most of all my mind. As I have done for many years and find ways on a daily basis to continue to clear clutter e.g., recycling bulk mail pieces immediately, I am utterly free to pray, to be and to do what matters and most. For me that is caring for the poor and being a good wife, daughter, sister, aunt and friend.

My friend Mohammed

Yesterday Mohammed was in San Francisco. Mohammed Pervaiz, my friend from Xoriant, lives in Utah with his wife and son and was here on business.  During our brief visit we chatted about career, family, marriage, friends from Xoriant whom we had stayed connected and a myriad of other topics. The highlight was, that even though we had not seen each other since 2002,
 it was as if we had never been apart. In the end of our visit we got to the topic of God, a circuitous route to this last deep discussion, inspired by my recent travels to Dubai. Mohammed is Muslin, I am Christian and we discovered that we both share a common love of the poet Rumi. At the end of our short visit together, we connected at a Divine level and I am still experiencing the deep joy from our most profound connection.  In the years I worked with Mohammed, we had never discussed our faith. Our friendship has endured all these years with little contact and yet a living example of the Oneness we share.

From Love Poems from God, translated by Daniel Ladinsky:

Rumi, Pay Homage

If God said,

"Rumi, pay homage to everything that has helped you enter my arms,"  there would not be one experience of my life, not one thought, not one feeling, not any act, I would not bow to.

Mohammed, my soul bows to you and to our beloved universal all.

Every day a clean slate

As I begin this day I am reminded by a theme that keeps coming to my mind, every day is a clean slate. Each day is a fresh start to each day to be all that you can be. Lent started several weeks ago and I always think of Lent as a fresh start to being a better person. I spoke to my niece Sarah and nephew Matthew and both indicated that for Lent they were giving up swearing and trying to be better Christians. I am so inspired by their Lenten commitment also known as “sacrifice,” that I too am trying to give up swearing, and be a better Christian. For me that means working every day at kindness, service and not swearing. Of course, hence the title of my blog today, “every day a clean slate,” is needed for I don’t always succeed alas each day is a new opportunity.  So I begin again today with a clean slate.  Whatever happened yesterday is over and today is all we have so make it a great day, use your clean slate to create something great and be the miracle you are.

Homemaking and Crafting

I was dreaming last night of sewing, patchwork quilt making and loving my dream. I woke up so inspired that I was able to add a vibrant strip of fabric to a quilt I am designing for my niece Bethany. I then proceeded to wrap a gift for a friend’s birthday party I am attending this evening and it looks pretty too.

Present for friend

Quilt in progress

As I admired my work, I became ever more grateful for the joy of crafting, homemaking and life. I looked up homemaking in Wikipedia and found this definition:

 “Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a house or estate, and the managing of other domestic concerns”. I realized that I enjoy all these defined aspects of homemaking grateful I have a home to “make.”  I hope you find things you love to do too so that you wake up inspired to jump out of bed live fully in every moment doing something you love.

Keeping up with the Joneses

Everyone’s heard of the phrase, “Keeping up with the Joneses,” which refers to the phenomenon of using one’s neighbors as a standard of comparison for the consumption and desire of material goods.

I have been less guilty of this then most, maybe because I am more inspired to simplify than to complicate my life with more stuff, material goods included. Today’s blog is about transforming the mantra of “Keeping up with the Joneses,” to  “Simplifying with the Joneses.”  I do not know the Joneses, alas I know about their life, it is burdened, unfulfilled and costly. It creates debt and struggle.  Simplifying with the Joneses is about letting go, reducing and beginning to create a new way of life for all.  Just as we created a culture of keeping up with this family we call the Joneses and created at least 4 decades of excess stuff, debt, and lackluster living, we can recreate our next 100 decades into simplifying, and becoming less encumbered and hence more alive and present. I have begun my journey towards simplification over the past few years and am finding greater and greater joy and presence in every encounter. I am more alive then ever and I wish to create this experience for all of you. I am the change I want to make for our world and my change mantra is Simplifying with the Joneses.  Call me Mrs. Jones.