There will be times when it will seem that you have no support. Other times, you will find a lot of people helping you along. It takes courage to follow a dream. Some times, it takes a village. You have to make sure that those surrounding you can see the dream and not just offer advice so that you do what you want them to do.

What do I mean by this? Study those around you supporting your dreams and ideas. You surround yourself with people that are willing to tell you when you are procrastinating. They must be honest and praise you for real progress and be willing to scold you when you are digging your heels. You don’t want YES people surrounding you at this time. You don’t need people telling you what to do and how to do it either. This is your dream. Your family and friends can offer ideas and suggestions. However, you are the person doing the work. You do what you feel is right.

Another type of support you must be aware of is the one I call superficial support. This comes from people who are always saying you are doing well in front of you. As soon as you turn around, they show their true feelings. If you are one of those people that offers superficial support, stop. Think for a moment why you are doing this. Is it because you don’t believe the person can do it or are you just feeling anxious that they are trying something new? Be a real friend and give the support wholeheartedly. If you are the recipient of this type of support, be aware that some times it is not jealousy, just fear of loosing you once you move on to something else. Make sure that your friends know that you will not turn your back on them and help them fulfill their dreams.

This is, in a way, my Friday update. Have a great weekend.

I am a big believer that so long as you take one step towards the direction of your goal, you are ahead of the many who keep doing the same thing over and over again. Plus, if you take one step every day, you are taking 365 steps a year and they have cumulative effect on your outcome. More importantly, the important thing is the journey, not the end result.

I will give you an example: today I was going to register my business officially, both the coaching side and the Virtual Assistance side. Unfortunately, two things happen. I woke up with a horrible rash (spare you the details, only thing I will say is that getting dress and walking are both impossible at the moment) and the deposit we made yesterday did not clear yet. I could sit here and pout and feel sorry for myself or, I can turn on the computer, do as much as I can through the internet, wear a robe and put some allergy reducing cream in the affected areas. I also took all the information I am finding out about grants, ventures and alliances and getting some pretty clothes ready for tomorrow, when I have an Entrepreneur fair.

So you have a decision to make: are you going to feel sorry for yourself, or are you going to get unstuck and take one step towards your goal. Remember, whichever decision you make, it is your responsibility 100%. Hope this helps. Don’t forget to leave your comments below. Let us know how you are doing.

Be like the turtle. Slow is better than none.

What challenges are you tackling? What are you procrastinating on? What projects are you leaving for last because of your obligations to family, work, life?

Go ahead and tell us in the comments section below, what challenges are you facing.

Yesterday, we went to Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. Today, who knows what we are going to do. Have a great day and don’t forget to let us know what are your challenges in the comments section below.

This weekend I watched one of my favorite movies: Last Holiday. Georgia Byrd is a woman who has been sensible and quiet all her life. When she finds out she is going to die, she decides to blow all her money on a dream vacation.

The message is simple. Don’t leave any dreams for later. Pursue them today. You might not have a tomorrow.

I’m also telling you about an interesting perspective. The book was written by someone who knows what we are talking about. Tosca Reno is now a different person. When she was 40 she was overweight. She went to the editor of a health publication and asked him to help her shape up. She learned about clean eating and wrote a book about it. The link below is for that book. If you click on it and buy the book, I will get about a quarter. This is not about me getting money, this is about you getting healthy. Check it out and tell me what you think.

Weight issues are in our heads, not our stomachs. The weight problems are a symptom of something else and until you fix that, all the calorie counting in the world is not going to help you. Go ahead and work on the issues that are keeping you from taking care of yourself first.

AviddivA, you are a woman over 40 and it is time to put your health first. This is your time. Stop blaming everything and everyone else. Take care of yourself and work on you now. We are here every step of the way. Good luck and let us know how you are doing by commenting below.

The most frustrating part is trying to figure out portion sizes and how many calories each meal contains. For my own health and well-being, I got rid of my microwave and started cooking most of our meals. I just taste as I go. Then, I use a smaller plate for my serving. I am not going to weight and measure every little thing (again with the obsession of counting). I have an idea visually and I eat a little of everything.

In the interest of fairness, I give you a possible solution. If you must absolutely keep track of your calories, or have an idea, you can check Sparkspeople and/or LiveStrong Membership for both is free. They share recipes, exercises, motivation and more. I use Sparks and I have friends who use LiveStrong. When I use Sparks, I might not count calories every day, I might not even be accurate. However, I have an idea of how much I am consuming and how many calories I am burning. When in doubt, I round up. If I think I have three ounces of chicken, I will write four. Maybe you have the patience to have exact weights and measures. The important thing is that you do what is comfortable for you.

Tomorrow I will share with you the importance of this particular type of procrastination. In the meantime, go ahead and leave your comments below.

Here’s the thing. One of the easiest ways to procrastinate is the counting calories game. From not knowing where to start, frustration at the numbers game, and every other aspect in between. It is self defeating and a great excuse.

I’m on to your game. I use a simple system. I don’t loose weight. Humans have a tendency to find what they loose, always. What I do is to take care of my health and slowly, I’m seeing improvements. Tomorrow, I share my frustrations with calorie counting and one option I use. Make sure you leave your comments or stories on calorie counting below. Thanks.

It is not a matter of learning. It is a matter of what you want to do with your time. Would you rather learn about decorating from a TV show or spend some time decorating your apartment? Would you rather watch a chef do a complicated recipe, or print the recipe of their website and recreate it at home? It is up to you how you choose to learn.

You will never see me say that you should not watch TV. I love television. What I am saying is that there are so many other experiences you can have for yourself. You can travel inside your town, your state or your country. You can learn to cook, teach yourself to sew, learn to paint. Take the bull by the horns and do it. The experience will be more rewarding if you go through it yourself.

The Parthenon

I know what you are going to say. “I need some distraction from work and family”. My answer is simple: save it for the weekend.

We all have free time and you can do with that time whatever you want. What I am asking you to recognize is that all the time you spend in front of the TV is time you are not dedicating to other activities, including time with yourself. That is why they call it the “boob tube”. That is not a reference to your anatomy.

So what can you do? I’m no expert. I am trying to cut my TV time to less than 2 hours a day. What I do is I tape all the shows I like. Then, I only watch what I want. And yes, some times, I do watch some commercials….because they are funny. I also turn the television set off to avoid the distraction all together.

In the end, what you do with your time is up to you. Just keep in mind, you want time with yourself. The same way you make time for your friends, you can have some time to read, play, learn and grow.