If there is one thing I have learned since entering retirement, it is that demands for my time and attention have not changed.  If anything, armed with the knowledge that I have time on my hands, the demands have seemed to escalate.  If I am being honest, some of these demands are coming from within but others are coming from well-meaning but misguided acquaintances.  Take note that I did not say “friends” but rather acquaintances.  More about that in a moment.

So here is the thing.  Saying yes to every request is exhausting.  Whether it is an invitation to a social event or a request to serve on a committee, the never-ending list of demands on your time can turn you into a rat on a treadmill.  Without adequate time to stop and catch your breath, your sleep suffers as does your health, and even though you otherwise have a healthy lifestyle, your immune system becomes compromised.  Heck, even rats need to rest!

In this article, I am going to reaffirm nine things we all need to embrace in order to maintain our sanity in this crazy mixed up world.  Some will call this self-care, while others will call it mindfulness.  The ignorant will call it selfish.  But trust me on this:  putting a priority on self-care is not being selfish.  Instead, it is an important component of living a strategic life.

For most of my adult life, my eating habits have been simple:  real food, unadorned, and prepared well.  This gets me into a lot of trouble when the eating out or at someone’s home.  Usually, I use my fork to chase food around the plate, without really eating much. 

Case in point is Thanksgiving.  I am happy with a few slices of turkey, steamed green beans, and a baked sweet potato.  No gravy, no marshmallows. and definitely no green bean and mushroom soup goop.  So yeah, this puts me in an awkward situation but I deal because eating this way causes me no bloat, no indigestion, and no lethargy from carb overload.

That brings me to the topic of this article, namely how to cook a perfectly moist, delicious, and unadorned turkey or turkey breast in 2 hours or less.

A few nights ago I was reflecting on life in general.  Who doesn’t do that from time to time?  So there I was, staring out into the forest and thinking about life and how I could make it better.

The epiphany I came to during this round of self-reflection was that for as long as I can remember, I have been a happiness seeker.  And in that process of seeking happiness, I often get very close but never quite 100%.   This is not to say that life has been bad, or that I am sad.  To the contrary.  Instead, it reflects some deep insecurity that makes me think that things could be better and if I don’t keep searching, I will miss out.

I do not think this is unusual for type A’s such as myself.  We have our happy moments and boom, the next day becomes mundane and we are back in happiness-seeking mode.  Nuts, right?

Since happiness is one of the tenets of living a strategic life, I decided to come up with a list of ways to be happier during those times when life gets boring, or difficult, or simple routine and mundane.

On July 4th those of us in the United States celebrate Independence Day and each year I tend to muse about the true meaning of this important day in our history.  And no, it is not about barbeques, kids games, and beer drinking.

That said, this year I  take a different approach and offer up my own set of fireworks in the form of a “Let the Sparks Fly” giveaway.  What sparks are flying?  An Essential 4-Pack Kit of essential oils from Spark Naturals plus a Fizzy Bath Bomb that will allow you to soak away the day in utter bliss.  Entering this giveaway is really easy and there is no requirement other than to submit your entry.