Mission Mondays: Patriotism, Politics, and Productivity

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! In this last installment of Mission Mondays, I'm going to delve into the dangerous world of politics a bit, just to keep things interesting and controversial enough to retain my 3-person reader base. I promise I won't get too offensive, and, in reality, I guess what I have to say is more patriotic than political. But, let's face it: which title word caught *your* attention more? I thought so.

I've always been interested in the political processes of our country. And I pretty much mean always. During George Bush's election campaign of 1988, I would get so excited whenever he appeared on TV that I would run up and kiss the screen. I would also repeatedly declare that, "Michael Dukakis is a tax-raiser!" I was seven. Do you realize how few of my first-grade friends were following the presidential campaign at the time? Well, I never got around to taking a Gallup poll during recess, but I would venture to say NONE.

Things hardly let up during my high school years. I took Government and Economics, found out about the dangers of Communism, and made an obscene number of statements that began with "If we do....., then the Communists win!" If they're looking for descendants of some secret love child of Joseph McCarthy, they might want to check my DNA.

As I've gotten older, I've come to realize that there is more to America than political campaigns and propaganda. That political theories debated in the classroom become presidential policies which affect an entire population. But, more importantly, individuals still have the power to change the tide of their family, their community, their nation.

Through my career, I get to offer people the freedom to craft a future of their own making. It doesn't matter what your past is like; you can still shape your future. My students can exchange junk food for real food; they can trade in channel surfing for power walking;  and they can trade in their "I have bad genes" attitude for one that says, "I will beat the odds."

The unemployed and unfulfilled can choose genuine well-being over welfare. Like the amazing Melting Pot we as Americans enjoy, my business team is made up of diversity that shows that the American Dream comes true for those who do. I've never been in a career where age, education, social standing, ethnicity, business experience, or credentialing matter less. Give me a person who is willing to learn and work, and watch the changes take place. When people are given control of their own future, some pretty awesome things happen.

The American Dream is still worth fighting for. I would like to think that all of troops who have ever sacrificed anything for this nation--including their time, their lives, and their own personal comforts--have not sacrificed in vain. That we in gratitude can give them an America filled with people who value freedom as much as our troops do. That we would be a nation of independents, not dependents. That we would never trade in freedom for free-loading. That we would be an America that they are proud to return to, a country full of individuals who realize that the power to choose is a precious gift, given to us at the expense of others, and stripped away from those who no longer value it . America would look like this:


"It is my right to be uncommon--if I can.
I seek opportunity--not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.
I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.
I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.
I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.
It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafrid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say, "This I have done.'"
--Dean Alfange


This inspiring little quote is the essence of the American Dream, the spirit of the entrepreneur. All too often, we are willing to trade our joy for a job, our dreams for a deposit, and our hustle for a handout. Somewhere along the way, we need to be willing to trade in a little security for a lot of success, so that we can prove to the world that the free market works for those who try.


While I didn't really embark on this career path to save America, it's kind of cool to think I can play a small role in making her future brighter just by inviting someone to join my team. Forbes Magazine says that small businesses and entrepreneurs are the key to turning our economy around, and I believe it. My "Now Hiring" sign will never come down, because there is always room for one more self-starter to take the lemons life has handed him and make lemonade from them. Entrepreneurs can put America back to work, and give her the courage to dream about life beyond the unemployment line, about a life that never settles for less than its true worth. 


So this Memorial Day, the best way I can honor our men and women in uniform is to go out and make a difference in the America they love. I hope you'll join me in finding a way to do the same. Because if we don't, then the Communists win. Just had to throw that in there.

Bonus Quote: “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” ― Thomas Jefferson

Interested in what I do? Or just freaked about the Commies taking over? Stick it to them with an entrepreneurial career! Check out this video and let me know how I can help you craft a better future! 

Mission Mondays: It's for the Good of the Children

Welcome back to Mission Mondays! If you're just joining us, this is a special feature of the blog where you get to take a peek into the method behind my madness and find out why I love what I do! If you were one of the twenty people who read my post last week and *still* came back for more, I commend you. And I would probably suggest a psychological evaluation, as well. But thanks for sticking with me anyway.

This week's topic: I work "for the good of the children." And I don't mean that in the way like fighting couples who want to wait until the last kid leaves the nest until they separate do. Nothing emotionally devastating like that. And I don't mean it like some ditzy Miss America contestant would say it, when she lists off her stereotypical goals of world peace and ending hunger. No, I mean I love what I do and I do what I do because I think kids deserve to grow up healthy, and I think Moms deserve to play an active role in their well-being.

Here's an experiment for your day-after-Mother's-Day amusement: Take three kids, preferably your own, if you have that many. Now pick your least favorite (you know who it is...), buy them a Happy Meal, then blindfold them, and tell them not to use one appendage for the day.  After you've completed the experiment and paid the shrink bills for little Johnny, who has now confirmed what he has always suspected--that Susie really *is* your favorite--come back and read this post.

Did you know that the odds of today's kids developing diabetes are 1-in-3? And did you know that, while you may have gotten to *choose* to afflict your least favorite child in this experiment, diabetes can strike your *favorite* kiddo and leave them with a lifetime of health problems that could eventually result in blindness and amputations???? While my experiment may have been off-the-wall and you may be a completely unbiased parent resentful of my assuming you had an obvious favorite like my grandmother does, I hope you let the point of it sink in. Our kids are at risk of being the first Americans to live shorter lives than their parents because of the food culture we've created for them. Couple that with less play time and more PlayStations, and we have a recipe for an unprecedented health crisis in our nation.

As a woman, I believe I have been entrusted with one of the most sacred responsibilities known to man: cooking dinner. I don't know where you fall on the women's lib spectrum, but I tend to enjoy the traditional female role of being the family chef. In this way, I can achieve two main goals: 1) look like wife-of-the-year every night I make a quality meal, and 2) avoid eating the monotonously bland menu of unseasoned chicken breasts and pre-packaged lettuce that I would be subject to if the Hubs were in charge of mealtimes. I believe that women have a HUGE influence over the health of their family just by choosing what meals and snacks will be served in the home and sent in the Justin Bieber lunchbox. 

Personally, when we have a family of our own, I want those little guys and girls to think of ground turkey meatballs as normal, and Goldfish crackers as a snack for bad kids who don't get to eat Mommy's air-popped popcorn with her while she watches Survivor. One of the coolest things I ever saw was a 5-year-old ask her Mom what a Snickers bar was, because she honestly had no idea what delightfully dangerous goodness lay underneath that pretty packaging. That's the type of Mom I want to be (sort of--I think my kids will be able to pick out a Snickers bar in a line-up), and I have the privilege of helping other Moms make healthy the new norm for their families, too. I get to show them how simple it is to cook a healthy meal, how capable they are of providing their kids with the nutrition their little bodies need to thrive and grow, and how much fun it is to have family races and bike rides that don't involve Mario Kart.

Aside from changing family meal times, one of my greatest passions is to give Moms more time with their children. One of the main reasons I chose my career is for the flexibility and power it gave me to earn an income without missing out on the big moments and the little moments that I want to enjoy with my kids. I really don't want to miss a thing. (You can thank me for having a continuous loop of that Aerosmith song in your head later...)   Now, I realize that some Moms are way happier with an eight-hour-a-day break from domestic life, and I totally respect that. But it absolutely breaks my heart to see a Mom who wants to stay at home go back to the office, or a stay-at-home Mom go without, just because neither of them realize that you don't have to sacrifice time for money or money for time. 

I personally choose not to subscribe to the faulty theory that bread-winning and baby-snuggling are mutually exclusive. I don't even have kids yet, and I can't imagine being forced to leave them just to take in a paycheck. Could I choose to leave them for a time? If it's shoe shopping or a Snickers sale, heck yes. No, in all seriousness, I believe that women should decide what's best for their families, instead of letting circumstances dictate their actions. One of my biggest dreams for my business is to have a team of amazingly gratified women who pay for their kids' braces, ballet, and baseball and *still* get to watch every game and recital because their career choice gave them the opportunity to do both.

It's almost as good as having your cake and eating it, too. If you follow the link to this easy, healthy cake, you can do both AND be a dinner goddess tonight.


Bonus Quote: The future destiny of a child is always the work of the mother.  
- Napoleon Bonaparte
Um.....I wonder where his Mom went wrong? Probably too much French bread.

Mission Mondays: Why I Do What I Do (And We're Not Talking Ice Cream and Cinnabons Here...)

Welcome to the newest feature of the Waist Management blog, affectionately to be known henceforth as Mission Mondays! This is designed to give you a little more insight into the meaningful side of a being a health and wellness entrepreneur/ health coach, not just the fringe benefits of looking up facts about Snickers, Cinnabons, and Oreos. Why do I do what I do? Why do I care about the obesity crisis in America? Whose lives have I seen get better? What makes me think you have any business reading about my business of helping other people with their business?  You will find answers to these and other compelling questions that none of you have lost any sleep over in this feature!

So, with all my confessionals about being in love with chocolate and growing up as an awkwardly nonathletic child, you may be wondering how in the world I became so fascinated by the world of health & wellness. There's probably not a short answer to that question. Or any question I've ever been asked. Which is exactly why I write blogs and why I haven't joined Twitter, with its oppressive 140 character limit.

While a love for wellness may be in my genes, I didn't really become aware of how powerful and life-changing wellness could be until I started working for a local chiropractor in 2004. (And, yes, I will unabashedly give a plug right here for Dr. Dale Goode ...the man is amazing!) Through his work, I saw that people who had resigned themselves to a life of pain became whole again without surgery and without medication that had harmful side effects. I saw the power of the human body to heal and correct itself, given the proper guidance of experienced hands. And, most importantly, I saw people regain hope. Hope that they could walk upright again, hope that they could sit through their grandson's high school graduation without excruciating pain, hope that they could swing a golf club or hold a grandbaby or simply just tackle their daily to-do list painlessly.

And that's exactly what my business is all about. Hope. Every day, I have the opportunity to offer hope to women who feel stuck in their bodies; by teaching them to feed their body right, they discover that losing weight is more than just wishful thinking. I offer hope to people whose stiff joints keep them from bringing their best on the court; by finding nutrients that reduce inflammation and improve mobility, they rediscover the joy of motion.  I offer hope to the Mom who doesn't want to miss out on all baby's firsts; by inviting her to join my team, she discovers how to earn a living without sacrificing a life. I offer hope to those stressed out by the economy, deceived by "job security," and disgruntled with the status quo. I offer hope to those who have just "learned to live with the pain" and those who believe that their best days are behind them, only to discover that there's more life in their body now than there has been in years.

I guess the key to that hope is discovering that their problem has a solution. That nothing is permanent, and, given the right tools, nearly any situation can improve. Through this industry, I've heard mind-blowing stories of MS patients walking again, fibromyalgia patients getting back in the saddle (literally!), and Moms carrying babies to full-term after suffering a series of miscarriages. And I've watched hope emerge on a smaller scale, too, as women drop dress sizes, go off their blood pressure medication, or realize that diabetes doesn't have to be "in the cards" for them.  I've personally watched the Hubs morph from musician to triathlete, and I went from meandering to marathoning, because I have seen that hope fuels change, and change fuels solutions, and solutions fuel results. At any rate, it's a game-changer!

So maybe the next time I go to write my job title down, I'll just scratch the Certified Trinity Health Coach and write "Purveyor of Hope" or something snazzy like that. That sounds pretty cool, don't you think?

Bonus Feature: Mission Mondays will also come with an inspiring or motivational quote at the end of each article, written or spoken by folks way more famous or eloquent than I am. You know, people who don't have food fantasies or people who have like, 3, blog followers. Check out this thought for the day:

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."--H. Thurman 

(Thanks, Dr. Libby Weaver, for posting this on Facebook! Check out her amazing work, Accidentally Overweight, and remember to read it with an awesome Aussie accent in your head. Because she has one. And I want one.)