Fytso

Monday, February 17, 2014

Lesson Learned!

What doesn't kill you makes you wiser.


This past weekend I celebrated becoming another year wiser.  Now that 33 is history, I thought I should share 3.3 lessons of wisdom I've gained.

1.) Don't let external factors overshadow your internal joy.

I am probably Shawn Achor's number one fan.  If you've never heard of him, allow me to introduce!!
He's author of The Happiness Advantage.


He's also written some other books and speaks publicly about positive psychology.

He is currently holding the spot in my heart for Best TED Talk of all time! If you have a few minutes, you can click below to see what he's about:


I'm kind of a psychology geek, so maybe this doesn't resonate as well with someone who isn't, but my big takeaway from this, is that we create the filter in which we see the world (his words).  It's easy to look in the mirror and pick out a flaw or drive to work and see traffic and grey skies, but it's just as easy and so much more fulfilling to look in the mirror and embrace your favorite feature.  Drive to work and listen to your favorite song or an uplifting audiobook (am I the only one who loves audiobooks?)  But ultimately, as we walk through life, we can be struggling with a challenge that seems so unbearable, but we have the privilege of finding joy every day whether it's amongst chaos or amid complete order.  It's our choice.  Find joy in each day.  



2.) Do IT now! 

Whatever your IT may be, if you wait until tomorrow, you'll wish you'd started yesterday.  When I put off doing something because it's seems like it will take too long or the finish line is no where in sight, I have a few quotes in my back pocket that I go to for motivation.

The first one:  How do you eat an Elephant?


While I've never incorporated elephant in a meal plan I've written for someone, you get the point.  It's a metaphor.

Another favorite is this Earl Nightingale quote:



And anyway, things worth accomplishing are worth persevering through.  I have many other favorites, but you get the point.  Get started, an then don't quit, because you are closer than you think!

3.)  A classic message often reiterated by my mother: Garbage in=Garbage out.  That's really all encompassing Mind, Body & Spirit.

I am more attuned to this lesson than I have ever been.  When I put clean, whole foods in my body, I feel and perform better.  When I surround myself with positive & thoughtful people, I become a better person.  When I read, watch and experience life in a way that is enriching to myself and others, that cycle continues and spreads.  This "Garbage In=Garbage Out" philosophy can be phrased so many ways.  Karma.  Reaping what you so.  What goes around comes around, etc.  It's all connected.

To keep this message fresh in my mind, I keep a simple and effective quote close to my heart.  I picked this one up from an unlikely source, The Sweet Potato Queens.

The lead Queen is full of hilarious advice, but most the powerful words she's uttered are the simplest.


  BE PARTICULAR!

And that falls under every category.
What you put in your mouth.  The words that come out of it.  Who you choose to spend your time with.  What you choose to do with your time.  What you read, write, watch, post, etc.  It's the equivalent of being thoughtful, mindful, respectful, [insert relatable word here].

Lastly, Item #.3

This is Lesson Learned .3 because I think I'm only about 1/3 of the way there on this one.  Balancing Priorities.  I'm not even going to dig into this one right now because it's going to lead into a whole other post (one I'm so excited about, so stay tuned!).  But I will say that this year I really recognized the importance of giving the most important parts of my life the biggest part of my attention.  I still struggle with this.  It's so complicated because often times, those less important factors support the most important factors.  Our lives, like our bodies work together as a system!  Can't wait to improve on this balancing act!

Random Conclusion:

If you made it to the end of this post and you are still reading, you deserve a treat.  So let me finish with a recipe that will change your life!  I shared something similar to this before, but it had some kinks.  I have finally perfected(ish) my cauliflower pizza crust!! I'm really not a specific measurer when I cook, but this should be reasonably accurate.  Note:  I made 3 crusts so that I'd be set for the week.





I took about:
4 cups grated cauliflower
3/4 cup lite mozzarella
3 whole eggs (you can use whites if that's your preference, 5 should be enough)
5 cloves of garlic (I love garlic)
Italian herbs to taste (oregano, basil, 21 seasoning blend from TJ's)
Salt & Pepper

Stir it up and press it into a pan sprayed with extra virgin olive oil.  I used 3 totally random pans.  One was a even skillet and that actually turned out awesome.  If you have 3 8" pans, that would probably work best.

Bake it in the oven at 450° for about 18 min.  Once you take it out, let it cool and top it with your favorite pizza toppings.  Pop it back in the oven for 6-8 minutes or until desired doneness.  Honestly, It's so good, you could eat it with nothing on it and it's fabulous!

My sister said she wouldn't Pin my recipes unless I put the macronutrient breakdown on it, so here you go, Steph :-P 

Serving size: 1/2 of one 8 inch crust (you may consider this a huge portion, but let's be real, no one is eating 1/8 of a crust)

Calories:170
Fat: 5 grams
Protein: 14 grams
Carbs: 14 grams
Fiber: 6 grams

Those calculations are approximate, but should be pretty accurate.  Keep in mind, that's a generous portion :)

One last note:  I learned way more than 3.3 things last year, but I promise I'm trying to keep this brief enough for you to enjoy :)  

Now share with me a powerful lesson that's recently resonated with you!

39 comments:

  1. Wow, where to begin... I pick number 2. It resonates the most with how I live my life. I am a get it done kind of gal. Why wait? If I do, it will still be waiting for me. I also hate having something hanging over me. When I get to the end of my day I want to know that I have accomplished all that I could for the day. The problem is I can't always do everything that I do well. That's the part I'm working on. Also I HAVE to try this recipe. I love cauliflower anything so you had me at first mention but this seriously looks great.

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  2. I'm going to go with number one and add don't stifle your creativity

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  3. Yolanda,

    I made it to the end and wish I could grab one of the pizza crusts. They look fantastic. My family is GF and my husband has been asking me to do a GF or carb free pizza. I've been too lazy to bother with the recipe he gave me but this looks so good that I'll have to try it.

    Sabrina J

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  4. Lesson .3 is one that's always a battle. At times it's difficult to figure out that priorities have changed or need to change. It's awesome you are learning these lessons already. I think I was more into my 30's before figuring them out.

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  5. Sometimes just smiling will actually make you happy.
    Remaining positive and finding all of life's little joys even when youre down is a goal worth striving for. There is a great blog that started just that way: 1000awesomethings.com - he also gives a great TED talk :)

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  6. #2!!! YES!!! I was feeling glum because I wasn't getting anywhere with my writing. Suddenly, I realized that I was the only thing holding me back! I set a goal to write 15 minutes every day in 2014 and this has been HUGE for me! Why did I not do this years ago?

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    1. That's a great example! I should probably implement that same goal!

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  7. Love that Earl Nightingale quote! I get so caught up in procrastination ville and passing away time that just makes for crazy not pursing my real life dreams.

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  8. First, Happy 34th birthday! Enjoyed reading your lessons learned, and no, you're not the only one who enjoys audio books. My husband keeps a digital library. I'm thankful because we wouldn't have room in our home for all those bookshelves. Happy learning!

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  9. Happy Birthday!
    Let's see, I love all of this but what really stands out is the balancing priorities. I think it's a big issue for me but the older I get, the easier it is to figure it all out. Whether it's friendships, family, work...It becomes much more clear what those priorities are and who gets the benefit of my endevours. The biggest challenge after identifying those priorities are putting the balancing act into action. Sometimes, that is easier said than done. It took me until I hit my 40s to figure it all out. You are way ahead! Great post!

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  10. Happy birthday! I've got the TED talk open in another window to watch tomorrow (is that in violation of #2? lol. seriously though, I'm off to bed). I'm working on .3, myself. As a new mom, free time is at a premium and I need to sort out and discipline myself to focus on what is most important.

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    1. Thanks! LOL, not a violation :) Sleep is way to important!!

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  11. Beautifully AND thoughtfully written! I went thru some very serious surgeries just over a year ago....and in the year of healing since then I have been impacted by the truths you've shared. I got myself into the position of needing emergency surgery b/c I had my priorities way out of whack. I live my life SO differently now....and I am still learning healthier ways to live and enjoy life and relationships. Thanks for sharing this beautiful post!

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  12. I LOVED this post. I'm 34, and relate to you. I also relate to lesson .3--good stuff, and look forward to hearing more about this. I agree that we need to stay positive and look at things in a positive way, but sometimes that's easier said than done! Thanks for the encouragement.

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  13. I LOVE #2. I am definitely trying to do the touch it once method. Whatever it is - an email, task, dishes, whatever. Only touch it once. Don't let it hang over your head and take up important mental real estate. Do it now and be done with it.

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  14. What has been resonating with me lately is do it now! I have a habit of putting things off and then sometimes not doing them and then regretting it. I am working on it! The recipe looks yummy! I love that you included all the details of the recipe!

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  15. Yes to everything, and especially to balancing priorities! Really working on that this yr!

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  16. Happy Birthday! .3 is really where I am now too. Hoping to find balance to life as we are adding another baby soon!

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  17. Since I am 10 years older than you, I can tell you that you will also learn to remove negative people from your live over the next few years. You will find that surrounding yourself with people who pick you up and support you will make for a healthier life.

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  18. Number 2 has been my recent change. I kept saying I didn't have enough time to do certain things, but when I evaluated my day, I saw lots of little pockets of time to add in things I enjoy. I have also learned to make sure I have time to worship God and to have face time with my husband each day. When those two things take place, my day is much calmer and more peaceful.

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  19. I have the tendency to procrastinate and #2 is perfect reminder for me. Do it now! I need to print that and post it on my fridge door. :)

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  20. I like the quote that time will pass anyway. This is so true. I've been thinking about "just getting started to get it done" related to projects.

    Thanks also for the recipe. I've tried this type of pizza crust. It does work well and I should make it more. But I'm interested to compare your recipe to the one I have. I suspect yours has some flavourful additions to it.

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  21. I relate the most with no.2. I sometimes get discouraged and distracted with lengthy projects or something that I'm working with in my life. Like your elephant illustration, it's how we take the baby steps in front of us, taking it a day at a time. Eventually it will take us reach our goals. Thanks you for sharing!

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  22. Totally distracted by the recipe, I was just talking to my sister-in-law about a cauliflower crust - you've saved me looking for it, thank you! I really like the Earl Nightengale quote - "...the time will pass anyway." So very true.

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  23. Im a firm believer in #2 and i follow it.. #3 i have trouble with balancing priorities when you work full time, are a mom to 4 and trying to get your own business off the ground is tough!

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  24. Some great lessons there. I LOVE that Earl Nightingale quote! Never seen it before but I'm going to be using it for sure! Thanks for sharing.

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  25. Yum! I've been wanting to try a cauliflower crust but haven't done it yet… I did make cauliflower bagels last night, which were awesome last night, but horrible today. I'm thinking that part of the problem was that I left them out overnight, treating them like bread and now I realize that I should have kept them in the fridge!!! It didn't occur to me until I thought that I would, of course, keep these in the fridge if I made them ahead of time… so, there's one thing I just learned, right now!

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  26. Your post is very reflective. I’m turning 33 this year as well, and in a way, I learned how to choose my battles wisely. I like your “Garbage In, Garbage Out” philosophy. It really does apply to all aspects of life. It’s something that I need to keep in mind each day. How I feed my brain and my heart determines my future actions. And btw, the recipe looks great! I’ll try it one of these days with lots and lots of cheese!

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  27. I did not expect an awesome recipe for cauliflower pizza at the end of this post. It looks delicious, by the way. These are wonderful pointers to share. I think my favorite was the quote you used from Earl Nightingale.

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  28. Totally didn't see the recipe coming at the end of the post. You have some good points to share. I think I like number two the best. You just have to start something. That's what it takes. Thanks for sharing!

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  29. I agree so much with all your points, but especially #2! I always regret when I don't make time for certain things and I often find myself thinking about where I'd be with something if I had started at such and such a date.

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  30. I was starting to copy and paste quotes to let you know I liked them.... then stopped because I would have highlighted the whole thing! Happy Birthday! I am also turning 34 in a few weeks. This place that you in, in life, is the same as me. I really enjoyed this post and those great quotes. I even shared it with my kiddos as we were just discussing some of these things! I love how God works :) Blessings!

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  31. I totally agree. Thanks for that interesting Ted talk! My husband and I love to watch Ted talks....definitely going to watch Shawn's :)

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  32. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy reading your post, the recipe makes me so happy as I have been gluten free for 9 month. Thank you!!!

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  33. You are so fun! I enjoyed the post and completely agree. Life and the time in it are precious and I choose to spend them with people I enjoy and focused on the positive- well at least as much as I can anyway :-) When you practice trying to see the light and positive around you, you feel better.

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  34. Great lessons! And the recipe sounds awesome! Will have to try it. Thank you for a great post. I like the way you think.

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  35. Patience! Everything tests our patience. I'm trying to learn to have more of it. I know once I have children it will really be tested & I need to get a grip on it now before its too late. :)

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