Tag Archives: goal setting

blogger, Book, food, radical sabbatical, travel

Be on a Radical Sabbatical in the Swiss Alps (with a shift)

November 17, 2019 Be Enough 9 Comments

Feeling surreal in Switzerland.

SURREAL.

GOBSMACKED.

GrateFULL.

Happy Sunday Funday Folks! This journey started on Friday morning.

The 11 months and 10 days we lived in Switzerland in 2004 were some of THE BEST and the darkest time of my life (besides watching my mama die!)

The darkness of living through depression and having no energy but to sleep, to be working in a difficult teaching environment, having Steve away training for volleyball each night and living in a country that is clean and exceptionally beautiful for a reason. They ‘control’ each other. I have never been yelled at more in my life.

The BEST moments meeting friends and students that are still in my life today, living in a pristine natural environment, travelling easily and learning more about myself.

We had such an incredible day on the Rigi.

Being back here now in 2019 with our boys is truly sublime.

Drove from beautiful Milan to the Rigi in the Swiss Alps.

With one stop in Locarno for our last Italian pizza and Calzone.

November 15th

Over 25 tunnels. (We lost count!)

One 17 kilometres long.

The tunnel! They do things right in Switzerland! **This picture was uploaded while driving THROUGH the tunnel. Unbelievable.

We arrived in Vitznau about 3 and a bit hours after leaving Milan. What an indescribable drive. I am not sure my pictures can even explain.

One Mountain Train (Rigi Bahn) straight uphill into the Swiss Alps.

Time Lapse of our 20 minutes ride up to the Rigi Kaltbad

We have snow folks!

Meeting old friends that we taught with and their wonderful eleven year old daughter.

A gorgeous place, an incredible meal and amazing hot pools. Kaltbad Rigi

Guten abend von de Schwiez.

November 16th

Guten morgen friends!

We started off with opening the hot pools before breakfast at 8:00am. We had a solo swim and play in the pools.

Then it was fruhstuck time here in the Alps. First, our super juice that helps our bodies deal with stress and goes everywhere with us. #partner

After a buffet breakfast, we decided to head to the top of the Rigi via the Mountain Train and then hike down. What a gorgeous three hours. And God even gave us another rainbow, like He did on the Eiffel Tower and at Vimy Ridge.

How is it possible for a rainbow to be formed in light cloud without precipitation anywhere in sight?

Now an afternoon of journaling, postcard writing, eating Swiss chocolate, shakes and German cookies!

Awe sweet boys! They are learning so much about people and culture.

PLUS another swim in the hot pools before dinner:

Dinner was many hours long, but the boys rocked it and luckily our friend’s play games like we do.

November 17th

This is THE shift! This morning at 7:20am, Steve headed down the mountain on the train to take two buses and another train to the Zurich Airport as he heads home, then travels to Mexico in five days for another fair.

I had tears this morning as we said goodbye. I love this man on so many levels.

We decided I would stay here with the boys until Steve is done his trip to Mexico. I will travel with the boys for 8 days in Germany visiting old friends and then back to Paris for 3 more days for some tourist activities. And surprises for the boys. 😉

BUT FIRST, one more morning on the Rigi, a get together with some Swiss friends at an old school bowling alley with a jukebox near Zurich, then back to Germany.

A Berliner (donut) with Nutella. This guy is embracing the European life.

This wall in the restaurant was one of my favourite things to look at.

This is the building where we were…

Through that little brown door on the left lies surprises and beauty and bowling!

Then a 1.5 hour drive to one of our favourite spots in Germany with people living God’s plan through their lives and delivering a package from a mother’s heart to her daughter.

Finishing off the night with one of these… Sexy Neck would be proud! It was as good as I remembered.

Goodnight sweet friends from the Bodensee. Thank you to everyone for your kind words and for truly living these simple moments of an unfolding dream with us. I wish I could give you a HUGE HUG.

author, blogger, Goals, musings, poetry, Watercolour, women, Wordsmith

Be Clear

February 20, 2018 Be Enough Leave a comment

Looking back.

What do you see?

I see fear.

I see lack of confidence.

I feel the fear of rejection.

I feel unhappy.

Looking now with clarity.

What do you see?

I see joy.

I see boundless confidence.

I feel spicy.

I feel love.

Isn’t it amazing when you get really clear about what you want to see and feel?

Isn’t it amazing when you get clear on the definitive destination of your daily life, family life and career?

It is magnificent!

The most beautifully created cake, meal, castle, gown or jewel cannot compare to how I feel right now in my life.

Tapping into my core feelings every day thanks to this beautiful planner:

Releasing tension and living with intention throughout my day thanks to the beautiful gift Brendon Burchard has given through his High Performance Habits book.

Quiet in my soul.

Stillness.

Sureness.

Deepness.

Knowing.

Being in my soul.

Loving.

Ease.

Peaceful.

Bliss.

Now, off to change some lives through a great big brown box of super foods.

😘 Joanna

author, Book, friendship, writing

Be Knowing What DRIVES You!

August 31, 2015 Be Enough Leave a comment

Have you ever wanted something so bad that all you could do was talk about it, think about it, dream about it?

Perhaps you wanted a pony as a child.

Maybe it was to make it to the Olympics.

I wonder if it was thinking about getting married.

What was that “something” that just drove you into perpetual conscious and unconscious thought which caused you massive action?

This morning it started with a question from a personal development course that I am doing: What drives people?

Luckily I have an inner circle that is very tolerant of my philosophical questions coming out of thin air, so I started by texting one person.

Princess P ended up saying: “People that I love and enjoy, nature, adventures… Celebrations and traditions power me.”

Next I texted another person, Dr. K to hear what she had to say: “Before coffee: coffee”. (I must admit that I get up so early and excited for each day that I forget people may still be sleeping.) After coffee, she text back and said, “Health and Happiness”. And then Dr. K asked her mom and she said, “Live in the moment and look to the future… not stuck in the past with regrets. Also strive for excellence not perfection.”

Then I texted a few people more because I was oh so curious. I love PEOPLE and I loved hearing what drives them.

One friend shared that she was contemplating this exact question.

Awesome A shared, “Creating a loving home for my family.”

Double D (the one who keeps giving me back my hat!), said, “My family” and

RvZ said “Work, play, laughter, kinda combo. Achievement. Getting stuff done. But the days that I spend in nature are pretty top.”

When you have great conversations like that all day long and ponder such a question like “What drives you?” the answers come clearly.

What drives me?

Harmony.

Freedom.

I seek harmony in the world around me through relationships, nature, and within myself.

I move towards freedom to be my authentic self, freedom poured out for others to be exactly who they are, time and financial freedom for my family and friends.

What drives you?

Here is my “drive” story for today: Before dinner, my boys, spied a digger down end of our road. They had this incredible drive to go and see this digger. The talked about this digger and wondered why it was there throughout the entire dinner. They ate without complaint and then they were off out the door without a word, just so that they could get an eye on this digger.

Drive.

Target.

Success.

The boys reached their target!

Our brain is a cybernetic system and unless you pick a target, your unconscious brain will choose something for you. Think about these three boys and yourself as a child, what drove you? What did you love to talk about, think about, dream about?

Today, why don’t you find what drives you and then choose the target?

Go for it!

You “Cann” do it.

encouragement, Family, health & fitness, life

Be Hitting the Targets I Set!

August 27, 2015 Be Enough 2 Comments

One of the best hockey players in the world, Wayne Gretzky, was once quoted as saying: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!”

Before I wasn’t even in the game.

I was working very hard.

Going no where.

I was floating.

Listening to all the chatter around me.

Now, I am listening to the still inner voice inside of ME.

In my life right now I am taking a TON of shots.

Saying “yes” to new opportunities.

Being open to the possibilities.

Allowing myself to feel deeply and go deeper still.

This week, I was on the phone with M, someone that I have known for almost ten years… She is twenty-something and she is a FORCE.

I was sharing with M my last sixteen week journey of setting goals and achieving them.

Here is a photo of this first journey:

Now after a very fun sixteen weeks of achieving many goals, I was in a quandary. Weight loss is no longer one of my MAJOR goals. Hmmmmm… Now what? I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with this second challenge and I expressed my ‘unknowing’ to friend/business partner.

Later in the day, she send me her ideas via text. My ‘unknowing’ brought out a ‘knowledge’ in her that profoundly helped me and spurred me on. Isn’t it awesome that she even thought of having “party tricks” as a goal!!

Here is what I came up with because of her awesome inspiration:

And here is me getting started to see where I am at: (It wasn’t pretty!)

4 push-ups (the last one was with VERY shaky arms)

No chin-ups (I could barely hang there for 2 seconds)

And NOW I am off moving towards the targets that I set for myself.

The ULTIMATE goal is to be the healthiest ME and live the most energetic, positive-infused days of my life with my brood of boys, family and incredible circle of friends.

author, blogger, life, musings, poetry, psychology, writing

Be a Tour Guide not a Travel Agent

August 26, 2015 Be Enough Leave a comment

I have a daily choice to make on how I want to live my life.

My life.

Impacting others.

My choice.

On how others impact me.

I have made the decision that I am going to live the rest of my days as a TOUR GUIDE.

I will be a leader.

I will speak clearly and kindly.

I will explore new places with excitement.

I will be show love and forgiveness to those on this journey with me.

I will try all sorts of new food.

I will jump into new activities.

I will not sit in my desk as a travel agent, but I will lead the tour!

Today, I unveil my new website www.beenough.me.

I will be your tour guide on this journey into being “enough”!

Here I am with my boys:

I am taking 100% responsibility for MY LIFE.

I am going to neither blame nor complain.

I will continue to LOVE deeply those placed around me.

I will listen.

I will ask.

I will be overflowing with gratitude that my basic needs of food, clothing and housing are completely met.

I am going to live my dream and create a clear vision for my family.

I will allow my path to wander.

I will believe.

I will know that what others think of me is none of my business.

I will set goals and create small daily tasks for myself.

I will look for others who have done what I am going to do.

I will link arms with those who inspire, encourage and love me as I am.

I AM releasing the BRAKES.

Here we go….

Boys, Goals, mindset

Be a Dreamer

August 1, 2015 Be Enough Leave a comment

As I grew through grade school, University, professional life and motherhood, my dreamer’s heart began to fade. My mind became prominent in my life. Other’s words about myself and my life began to permeate my being. My brain and other’s opinions became my driving force in what was ‘right’ for me. It became the motor and the compass.

Now, I am beginning to dream again. I have found freedom to look beyond my current circumstances and be filled with wonder of ‘what if?”.

Full on, life-changing, nourishing dreaming.

I am surrounding myself with other dreamers and asking people about where they see themselves in five years if time nor money were a consideration. I am dreaming every day and encouraged greatly to hear other’s dreams.
My decision to dream combined with daily hard work and discipline has propelled us to become gypsies for a week, open our home to families affected by cancer or needing hospice care, reach my person health goals, allow our tall eight year old join a competitive gymnastics team and create a list of dreams I have looking forward to the next two years.

Be a dreamer.

——————————————————

This post is dedicated to two incredible parents CC and TH. We were talking about their son’s dream of playing NHL hockey. CC said that he needed to stay in reality, but I want to encourage this whole family to dream. Remember the dream you had of owning a home and how you made it happen. Dream of playing NHL hockey or professionally in Europe. There is nothing holding this young man back. He has two hardworking, dedicated parents who would help him in any way. He has an outdoor backyard lighted rink with boards and lights! Wow! He has a love and heart for hockey that just oozes out of him. There is no barriers for this young hockey player.

Dream Zach, dream! It will propel you forward and take you to places you never thought possible. Your dreams may change but I hope you never stop dreaming.

Boys, Family, Grief, Jesus Christ

Be Treading Water

March 16, 2015 Be Enough Leave a comment

When you’re in the middle of the ocean, when you can’t seem to find a place to set your foot or something to grab onto, the best thing you can do is just tread water.

Keep your head up.

Kick your legs.

Move your arms around and around and around.

It’s pretty hard to notice the beautiful bird that flies by or the duck-shaped cloud above your head when you’re treading water. You can’t see the beautiful turtle swimming underneath you.

It’s also difficult to have the person treading water beside you telling you what to do or give feedback.

The very best thing you can do, is just be with them.

Try to find a rhythm.

Ask God to be with your friend.

Try to encourage them.

Ask God to help you.

Try to deal with your own thing you have going on.

Most of us are treading water in our daily lives.

Over scheduled.

Stretched in our finances and head over heals in debt.

Always striving for more and better.

No time to be with your chosen partner in a meaningful way, as the details of life almost push you over.

Unable to attend to your children’s needs because imagine how hard it is to tread water with a child holding onto you?

We are really unable to do or see anything except the water enveloping us.

I have treaded water during my November midterms in my first year of University. To say that I coasted through high school, would be a mild understatement.

I barely had my head above water my first year of teaching in a wonderful country school one hour away from my home.

My body and mind were working hard when I had our firstborn son and caught mastitis. I now joke that this should be a weapon of mass distraction. Forget bombs, mastitis would level the strongest man.

And now I have just come out of a season of treading water in the waves of grief. A year and a half ago we moved cities, the day after this move my mom was diagnosed with cancer and we watched her die five months later. Many relationships I had also died during this season.

Now, I can finally really see and feel what is going on around me. Isn’t hindsight wonderfully freeing?

I now feel very deeply for those I see treading water around me.

I don’t have much to offer but I do know what has helped me.

Let go of the non-essentials. What do you really need in your life?

Lean in to those who love you. Who accepts you for who you are and love you unconditionally?

Hold on to memories made and to be made. Can you look at old photos or picture a future holiday in your mind?

Move you body in some way every day. What gets your heart beating and legs moving?

Eat to be fit, not for feelings. Do you like to stuff your feelings with food? I did and it didn’t make me feel any better.

Hold on.

Strap yourself in.

God is the ‘Life preserver’.

Ask Him for help, for wisdom and for guidance on the path of life.

You are not alone.

You were wonderfully created.

In the messiness of life, your imperfect ways are a gift.

Let go of perfection.

Let go of the vision that your home will look like an one hour fixer-up reality tv show and your body like the cover of a magazine. This is not real life!

Give what you can.

Be where you are.

Be who you are.

Be enough.

One.

Day.

At.

Time.

Family, Grief

Be Skiing Through Your Grief

January 31, 2015 Be Enough 1 Comment

Grief is very personal.

I would love there to be a recipe for grief to follow or a ‘how-to’ book.

But nope.

No recipe.

No book.

Just living each moment.

Feeling the emotions.

My dad is choosing to cross country ski through this month of grief.

January has thirty-one days.

He has skied twenty-seven days.

Each day.

Getting up.

Getting out.

And skiing.

For a total of ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY- TWO kilometres this month.

One kilometre at a time.

"Be" ENOUGH