I’ve deciced to put ed’s e-zine on hold for a little while. I’ve got too many projects going on and somethings got to give. Wish me luck! Thanks for reading.

Trina aka ed

I’m taking some time off this week. I will be thinking about how to bring you a better column. I want to clean up the layout and think about my article content in the meantime. Hey, let me know what you like spending your time reading. I enjoy writing on topics that interest and enlighten you.

Have a good week! -ed

I watched Michael Moore’s Sickothis weekend. Have you seen it? I would like your point of view. I like to know all that I can about an issue before I take a firm stance. Before I watched the documentary, I was aware that health care in the US was not perfect. After watching the documentary I am angrier, and validated.

I don’t get turned away by the receptionist at the check-in desk. However, I can’t see the doctor unless I see the cashier first. Even though I pay my doctor bills, there always seems to be a portion of the policy that changes, or requires more money. There is a lot of  havoc that people must go through who are “covered”. We are hazed into the ring of a whole new kind of abuse.

The hoops that we must go through, the jargon we must know in order to half-way understand they way our coverage works is almost like a cruel game that keeps changing the rules every time we get close to decoding the puzzle.

My blood boils to wonder how often I’ve been ripped off because I didn’t understand a new policy or because it was my responsibility to make a dozen of phone calls before I got treatment to make sure it might be covered. My pulse pounds when I get passed around from doctor to doctor because my ailment in question needs a different specialist or another medicine. It makes me fear the pill I swallow or want to dismiss a possible problem because I do not trust the majority of the  medical staff or the health care system that we are forced to abide by if I want to be a healthy citizen.

Please understand me, I do not think that all doctors are bad. But I feel that I am in a catch 22 because I need medicine and am thankful for the caring medical professionals that I have incurred, but I hate the means that I must got through to get it. If the health care industry would do some of the terrible things that I saw in Mr.Moore’s film, then why would they treat me any different?

 I feel that even with health insurance, the government and the health care industry will make sure that I am left in a constant state of confusion about policy, I feel that they will continue to make patients feel responsible for understanding a game that is trying to defeat them instead of designing a system that makes patients/people feel cared for. We, the patients, should be precious jewels to these health companies. They should make us feel secure, safe, and worry free in times we need it most.

Worse of all, I am afraid that we are being kept sick. I don’t believe that our recovery is in their best interest. If it were, wouldn’t they want me to try natural healing? Why so many chemicals?

I admit it, I am confused and broken hearted. I am not trying to be rude or ungrateful for what I have. I am thankful that I have medicine that allows me to live a good life in spite of a chronic illness. But the means to get the medicine seem pretty harsh. I feel guilty every day for the burden that it places on the people around me. I also can’t help but wonder if there is a cure or better way to deal with the side effects of my treatment.

I hope that there is a better solution. I pray for the people with and without insurance, that they/we get the medical attention that they need – and with little grief. This has been a general rant; I might get into specifics later.

I like to believe that people grow by helping others. I think that people discover their own purpose in life by helping others do the same – especially in times of need. How can we grow as a country if we don’t do the same? Wouldn’t we all be far better off we if helped each other instead of beating a person when they are down? Share your ideas with me. How do you feel about healthcare in the United States of America? -ed

Hey, please check out my Audio Updates. It’s a brief expansion on my posts, comments, and new topics that come up in between articles. Sometimes things are just sweeter said than read, a little icing on the cake. Find the link on the right column under More from Trina.

How To Win And Not Compete is a challenge that requires focus towards a goal without letting external factors interfere. It can be easy to get shaken and discouraged when it feels like all of your efforts keep getting squashed by the “competition”. Don’t give up, you can win without competing.

There are three ways to help you re-focus when you feel like external affairs are interfering with your mindset. If you write your goals, chart your progress, and get a mentor (Do You Need A Mentor) you have a much better chance of keeping your eyes on your prize. Let’s use an example situation.

Let’s say that you are a student working to pay the bills. Full time or part time, it doesn’t matter – but you work hard for your money. Along come a co-worker blabbering about his/her promotion and raise. Instantly, you feel threatened, slighted, and want to give up. Here’s where your 3 powers come into play.

1. Write Your Goals – as soon as your co-worker drops the bomb you should refer back to your list of goals. You see that you are working to pay the bills, finishing school is your priority – not getting ahead at the place that you are at temporarily. Of course do the best job at any job you commit to do, but remember that sometimes things are not permanent and your situation is merely a stepping stone to get you to where you want to be.

2. Chart Your Progress – After you finish summer school write it on a progress chart. If you got your writing published (pay or not) chart it. Next time you feel wiped out and slighted for your work, pull out your chart and see your gain. It’s easy to forget all the accomplishments that we make because we tend give negative intrusions more power. Turn it around with a chart.

3. Get A Mentor – I have more than one mentor. Each has a different role but each one gives me a good reality check. I have the tendency to get frustrated very easily and I begin to wonder if I should bother with my efforts. When I check in with my mentor, I get a great balance of positive reinforcement and constructive criticism.

If you try these three simple steps you will find it much easier to stay in focus. You will realize that your goals are just that – yours. They are not the same as your co-worker, friend, or other and therefore, you should respect your own race. You can achieve your goals if you are true to your goals. You can’t put unleaded fuel in a diesel truck and expect it to run. You have to give it what it needs to keep running strong. -ed

I didn’t want to write this morning. Well, maybe I wanted to but I didn’t feel like it was worth my time. Here’s why. Have you ever been going along about your business, making what you feel is progress toward your goal – slow it may be, but you are still pushing forward, then along comes a newbie that seems to make strides toward success in one smooth step, to what felt like ten awkward struggling steps for you?

Someone I know, who has actually been a great supporter of my goals, decided to jot down a few ideas and post them on a blog. The next thing I know his readerS – yes plural – are leaving comments and tweeting about the articles and ReTWEETING about his great blog.

Kudos to his success. Kind of, I mean I’ve been doing this longer and I should have more readers and followers, right! Errr. I’m not a jealous person…am I? I wondered why this bothered me. This person told me I had a gift to reach people, he encouraged me to stick with writing – and my other aspirations, and even supported me to leave behind a corporate career! Now I feel like I am in competition with my biggest supporter.

I tend to overthink issues so you can be certain I put some serious brain juice into resolving my conflicting feelings. I relate  a great deal of my life to running. I’ve come to understand that much of life is a lot like a developing runner. So I asked myself why do I run? I run for the health of it and for the meditation of it, plus it’s somewhat simple to do. Next then, why do I write? I write to learn, practice, it’s good for my mind and I don’t feel like I can do it “wrong” – it’s somewhat easy for me.

OK then, I see that running and writing are both individual tasks that are challenging yet easy enough to make me want to do more. They require dedication and nurturing to develop. But how do I address the feelings of jealousy? It’s not my nature to want another person to perform less than their best.

Back to the running analogy. I would never expect my competition to quit writing, that would be like someone forfeiting a race – not a true win. I also would never expect my competion to hold back, that would be an insulting way to get ahead. At the same time, I would never quit racing because I got beat. There is a finish line to be crossed and I must keep racing my own race in order to pass over it.

I didn’t run Boston two times because I gave up whenever I got passed by another runner. I won’t reach even one reader if I don’t write just because another writer has a larger audience than I do – at the moment.  When I run I expect other great runners to pass me but I also expect to get to the finish line in my best time. The same goes for the other challenges in my life. I expect great people to always be moving around me, but I also expect to get to my destination in my best time.

If you are the only reader that I ever have, I want you to know that I appreciate you. I hope that I make a positive difference in your life. I also hope that my supporters and “competitors” realize how much I appreciate them and that I will be cheering for them with every step of the race.

Life, like running, is easier to deal with if you take it all in stride – each person (runner) has his or her own obstacles to face when moving toward the finish line; beating someone else down only takes time away from your own race. However, an encouraging nod takes less energy, keeps you focused and will get you where you need to be in your own best time.

-ed

I think I learned the term “mentor” at an early age. It seemed like a mentor was reserved for a select group of people or kids. When I was younger, kids that didn’t have good parents needed mentors – I know that not to be true now but that was my early impression of the word. As I entered the workforce, only corporate-types used mentors to get ahead. I certainly know that not to be true as an adult.

The word mentor, defined by Wikipedia, is a trusted friend, counselor or teacher, usually a more experienced person.  I have had many mentors throughout my life. Some have been friends, others only acquaintances, some total strangers. “A more experienced person” can be valuable for making and reaching goals.

That being said, do you need a mentor? You might have one and not even realize it. If you don’t and feel like you could use some direction for improving on a hobby or career try seeking out a mentor. Mentorship doesn’t have to be an assigned task. It does require finding a person that you can relate to in terms of building on a core principle.

A good mentor will take the time to try to understand your goals. They will share experiences with you and keep you in the back of their mind as they continue to grow goals. Mentorship can be great for each party involved. It gives both parties a chance to share and grow.

I’m always interested in how I can help someone reach their goals as much as I am interested in learning from more experienced people. A plant doesn’t grow in isolation. It needs light, water, and environmental interaction in order to thrive. How do you thrive? If you need some tips, That Works Too has some unconventional advice that might appy to you too. Moving forward and learning more is what a mentor’s for. -ed

Last week I wrote about feedback.(Feedback Flourish) Actually, how to respond to feedback. Feedback is as powerful as you let it be. It can be harsh, constructive, or even very good but if you give it more credit than it’s worth then you might miss lose focus of the main goal.

Goals are also better guides than destinations. They make wonderful landmarks along the journey and help steer us as we embark to the next goal. Using feedback can be great motivation. It can also be discouraging. Taking the less encouraging feedback into account while not letting it interrupt the journey towards a goal – or goals – is challenging.

It can be hard to take negative feedback and turn into a positive learning experience. I think that is one of the hardest things to do. Pulling ourselves up with our bootstraps takes courage. It takes thought, too. However, to move forward and learn from feedback is worth it because you understand more about your situation. Feedback isn’t always from another person; it can be from you to you. You have to learn not to be hard on yourself but also don’t dismiss feedback just because it isn’t what you want it to be. It will be, it just takes practice.

This is one of the areas that can be difficult for many people, including myself. I would love to hear suggestions on how you keep moving toward a goal when you get discouraged. I think one of the best ways to keep encouraging myself is to sometimes step back and encourage somebody else with their goal. I could use the boost, write to me! -ed

“ ‘Failure’ is nothing more than feedback.” This phrase is from a must read article titled, Eliminate Failure From Your Vocabulary. Think about how true that is. Failure is worth as much effort as you choose to put into it.

There is a lot of pressure to be successful in life. Success is a word much like failure in the sense that it is measured by the amount of effort that you choose to put into it. Some people believe that if they don’t have a ton of money, a hot-shot job, and some plastic lifestyle designed by another person’s standards then they are not a success, or they are a failure. Bleh!

That’s hooey if you let someone else set standards to how you should measure up. When a person delivers feedback to the way you live your life, it is up to you as to how you digest and process the feedback. I’m not saying dismiss feedback every time it’s something you might not want to hear.  However, try harder to find a constructive message within criticism. Learn not to wallow in disarray.

I think that successful people have tough, thick skin. It’s not easy to pick yourself up over and over when you fall down. If it were, perhaps everyone would be a self-proclaimed success and failure wouldn’t exist.

Believe me, this is a message that I constantly practice. It can be difficult to let go of bad practices, but pushing toward a positive frame of mind will work if you are diligent. There are plenty of negative people that try to interrupt your personal progress, don’t be one of them! Once you begin seeking – and giving – positive feedback, success will flourish. -ed

Summer, like each season, holds a special magic that seems to create special memories for many people. As kids summer meant no school to worry about. It meant playing outside longer and hoping the temperatures would get really hot because then the sprinklers came on.

As adults summer means much of the opposite. many try to fit in extra school sessions and if the temperatures get too hot then we have to spend extra money to keep it cool. Not the same thrills that we aimed for as kids. However, as grownups it’s important to remember that play time can, and should exist for us too.

Just because we hit adulthood doesn’t mean we have to quit making fun summer memories. It also doesn’t mean we have to give up on reaching our education or financial goals. Sure things like school cost time and money but there is also a cost for forgetting to have fun. Fuddy-dud syndrome. Fuddy-dud syndrome can creep in and make life more stressful.

Of course I’m being facetious, but it really is important to try to do things that bring us simple joy. It’s does get difficult when we have so many responsibilities that we must prioritize; however, taking a break to sit in the sun with the sprinkler cooling your toes can be a simple refresher. Some of the simple pleasures are the most fun and memorable ways to savor summer.

A few weeks ago I did something that I rarely do. I took a magazine outside and sat on a blanket under the sun and just chilled for a while. I called a friend and let the dogs lay in the shade and I didn’t have to spend a dime to sit back and savor summer. If you find yourself needing to catch a break but don’t have time to take a vacation, you can still make great memories and relax without leaving your own backyard.

I’d love to hear how you chill out. Sometimes we forget some of the simple fun things that surround us. Remember flavoring ice cubes to make a cool treat on a hot day? What else do you do? Please share and remember to savor your summer! -ed