5 Happy Lessons from Unhappy Corporate America

Do you believe America needs enthusiastic, passionate, driven young adults? That corporate America patiently waits for brazen new graduates to enter the work force; young adults are welcomed into working class society with open arms; the “real world” is everything you dreamed about as a child? In four short years, I found myself believing that everything I wanted and needed from working adults and the workplace didn’t exist. I felt overwhelmed, burned out, and started dreaming daily about pumping my life into reverse as fast as possible and driving back to Orono, ME to dance on the Ushia dance floor with my college roommates….life was much more fun and simple back then.

I started changing my thinking and believing that I had to accept status quo, I had to accept statements like: “welcome to cooperate America, Kelley,” I had to wait 20 years to “earn my keep” in business before my ideas, thoughts, work, or ambitions would be recognized. Then, one day, I woke up and realized that I was doing what I promised I would NEVER do: I was becoming “one of them.”

My epiphany arrived in perfect time, in four short years I learned:

My personal values supersede my company’s values, always: what are you top three values in your life? Mine are: God, my family, and my health. Does your job rob you of your own values? One year out of college, I was working 12 hour shift (more like 14 hour shifts), I came home angry, stressed, and defeated every single day, I realized: “I lost my values because I let my job rob them from me.” So, I left my job to peruse a career that allowed me to put my values back into the forefront of my life.

You CAN work within your passion: I am passionate about wellness; however, I quickly learned that many people do not “do what they love.” Corporate America does not understand the value and potential that exists from working within your passion. How do I know this? Because I cannot tell you how many people have mocked me, scorned me, or judged me because I am a nurse who “isn’t really a nurse” because I do not work in a job that society perceives acceptable for a nurse. If corporate Americans followed their passions, they would NEVER judge someone for doing the same.

I am not just a nurse I AM AN AMAZING NURSE! Why? Because every day I know that I am doing the job that I was put on earth to do. I believe in what I do, and I know my wellness clients can see and feel my energy.

Happiness is defined by MY choices: When I graduated college I followed the next steps in life: bought a house, got married, bought a bunch of stuff, admired my robust pay check; however, as I was laying awake at night worrying about paying my mortgage, home repairs, school debts, and dreading going to work the next morning, I realized I wasn’t happy. When I started choosing where, when, and HOW I spend my money, freeing myself from debt, following my passions in life, and starting every single morning thanking God for EVERYTHING I have- even the smallest, simplest things, I suddenly became the happiest person alive.

In three weeks, James and I are moving out of our apartment with nothing but our clothes, our two beautiful kitties, our energetic (and slight psychotic) dog, and each other, and I cannot think of anything in life that I need other than that…..now, that is happiness.

Your potential isn’t defined by your title: Silly corporate Americans really have it alllll wrong. They believe that only people who earned high, fancy, and elite titles have creative, intelligent, and capable minds. They don’t think to give the little guy a chance; after all, what the heck does he know!? I am frustrated with these twisted beliefs; however, one day I realized that I was letting the beliefs consume MY potential. Then, I realized that EVERY DAY I had an amazing opportunity to use my strengths and talents, I just had to choose to follow through. I started committing my heart and energy to those who really needed and wanted my strengths. You might think, “who wants your strengths if managers and leaders don’t?” Maybe it’s the women at the front desk who I decided to greet each and every morning? Maybe it’s the janitor, at my company, his name is Steven, he is sooo sweet and nice and he cleans our bathrooms like you wouldn’t even believe! I wonder how many people in a day tell him that he does a good job? Maybe all he needs is someone to say: “HEY STEVEN, THANK YOU!” Maybe that someone is me. Maybe it’s the people you serve, for me, it is my wellness clients. Every day I learn and grow from them, and every day they remind me in simple ways that my potential in this world has nothing to do with my title.

It’s NOT all about the money: When asked, “why do you work here?” I have heard about a 100 people respond to this question. I will list a few common responses: “To pay for my kid’s college. To pay the BILLS. To pay the mortgage. To get a paycheck.” I have NEVER, EVER, EVER, heard someone respond, “Because I LOVE XYZ!!” You know what? From this point forward, when someone asks me why I work somewhere, I want my response to be: “BECAUSE I LOVE MY JOB!” I believe that when you love what you do, everything will follow: money, happiness, energy, greatness…everything.

For a couple of minutes I thought that corprate American beat me, but then I got my act together. I believed in myself, I made plans, I made choices, and I put my life and my happiness back to where it belongs: in MY hands!

We DID IT: We completed our FIRST Triathlon!!!

Seven weeks ago I did not believe that I “had what it took" to complete a triathlon. Lois inspired me to complete a Tri with her quote, “when was the last time you did something for the first time?” I decided to challenge my own thinking (I brought James along on the journey, too).

Lois (middle) inspired me to register for the Tri!

The first week of Tri training, James and I went to the YMCA to swim for our seed time. James, nor I, had ever participated in swim lessons, and we certainly did not have experience in swim racing, or competitive swimming. Let’s just say that our seed swim was a humorous scene: I busted out my sweetest doggy paddle/pseudo breath stroke, and James tried the over hand crawl for a couple of minutes and then decided to switch to his back and bust out some back stroke (at one point, during the swim, he blew into my lane and wacked me in the face).

I completed my seed swim in 11:20 and James 7:80. Immediately after the swim, we felt exhausted. My body felt like a million bricks, and James felt like a semi-truck smashed into him. With dead bodies, we went directly home and laid on our coach. We enjoyed a loooong discussion that involved numerous inquiries of, “how on EARTH are we going to bike 12-miles and turn around and run 3-miles after that swim???”

Me & James after the race!

The second week of Tri training, James and I completed our first bricking routine. Bricking is completing one activity and immediately moving to the next. Our first bricking consisted of a 12-mile bike immediately to a 1.2-mile run. When I jumped off my bike and started to run, my knees literally felt like they were going to bust out the back side of my legs. My legs did not want to move, my body felt like I weighed about 600 pounds. I had to talk to myself through the entire 1.2-mile run and convince myself that I wouldn’t die.
Once the bricking routine was over, I had to lay down. Seriously, I never want to lay down in the middle of the day. Usually, my energy is never-ending, NOT after bricking!

James- almost at the finish line and SMILING- WOW!

I had multiple doubts along the Tri training journey. I doubted that I could learn to swim in time; I doubted that I could run the entire race. I doubted that I would be able to function after the race. However, I never let my doubts interfere with my training.

When the training was hard, I just kept going. What I discovered along the way is that our bodies are miracles. Every time I bricked, I recovered faster. Every time I swam, I could breathe better. Everytime I ran, I could ran faster and farther.

On Saturday, May 22, 2010, James and I officially completed the Triathlon. Not only did we “finish” but I swam the entire distance using the crawl swim with fully intact breathing! I completed the swim in 8:38 seconds. I biked the entire 12-miles on a mountain bike, and I cheered on every 50+ year old biker that passed me (yes, every person who passed me was OVER 50 years old). I ran the entire 3 miles in 29 minutes, and I finished the race with a .20-mile SPRINT to the finish to beat the woman who trailed slightly in front of me (I beat her with 1 foot!) I placed 8th in my age group and 135 overall!

Sprinting to the finish- check out the chick behind me, she tried to bust ahead! 

James swam the entire distance using the crawl, NO BACKSTROKE, NO WACKING PEOPLE in the face in 4:58 seconds (he placed 17th overall in the swim!!!) He raced the entire 12-mile bike ride on a mountain bike and placed 53rd overall, and he ran the 3-miles (after not being able to run for 6 WEEKS because of a knee injury) in 25 minutes and placed 23rd overall!!

James earned 2nd place in his age category and 27th overall!!

James finishing up his bike and staring his run!

The entire day was amazing! We felt accomplished and proud. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine what we couldn’t do seven weeks ago. I mean, seven WEEKS is such a short time to come SO far. Our bodies are MIRACULOUS! This experience proves that you CAN do ANYTHING you put your mind to.

*Our next Tri is July 10th! The swim is ½-mile IN THE OCEAN! Training starts: TODAY! Let’s see what we can accomplish in 7 MORE weeks!

Little Known Ways to Appreciate your Life!

Do you need more gratitude in your life? Our chaotic lives tend to leave us feeling deflated and unfulfilled. We are always searching for the next thing, trying to reach the next “stage” in life. Sometimes we get caught up in the past or the present, and we forget to live in the moment. We start obsessing about future or past events, hurts, pains, situations, and we forget to take time to relax, reflect, and appreciate today. In the end, today is all we really have.

Is it possible to increase your gratitude and appreciation for everything in your life? Yes! These simple activities can act as powerful propellants to a more enriched and satisfying life!

Write a gratitude letter: Take time to reflect on people in your life to date. Think about one person who positively influenced you in a big or small way. Maybe this person is a secretary at your elementary school, or maybe this person is your mother. Sit down and write a well thought letter describing why and how this person positively influenced your life. Once the letter is complete, you can either send the letter or arrange to visit the person face-to-face and read the letter to them.

Gratitude journals: Take at least 5 minutes every morning to write down everything you appreciate about yourself and your life. If you think, “I don’t have anything to appreciate about myself!” Start with your head and work your way down your entire body. Write down why you appreciate being about to talk, see, hear, smell; sometimes we forget to appreciate life’s basic miracles.

Family & Family Positivity journals: Write down the names of the people you love in your life. Sometimes these people get on your nerves, irritate you, or disappoint you. Then, we begin to define the people we love based on our negative feelings about the past. We forget to step back and appreciate why we love them. Write a positive journal entry for everyone you love. In the entry, do not write anything negative, no matter how hard it is.

Believe it or not, if you take the time to do one of these activities, you will feel incredibly blessed. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with life, I let anger about the past and worry of the future eat me up inside. But, when I take the time to appreciate what I have and remember why I love everyone in my life, I feel like the luckiest person alive.

So you want to eat a healthy meat ball sub?

Do you believe that healthy eating means you avoiding or "quitting" foods your love? James LOVES meatballs subs! I am a firm believer that optimal health is not about willpower, or sacrificing food you love. So, we set out on a mission: operation healthy meat ball sub!

I am pretty psyched with our final product consisting of 100% whole grain breads, lentils, tomatoes, walnuts, and a dash of cheese!

In our meatball sub creation, lentils substitute ground beaf. After a little research, I discovered that a small ¼ cup serving of lentils provides our body with 15 GRAMS of FIBER 13 GRAMS of PROTEIN and 25% of the daily recommended value of iron!

The subs are AAMMAZING, one of the best concoctions we created in a loooong time!
Try them out; don't let the lentils scare you!

Lentil Meatballs:
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup finely diced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts
2 cup Cooked Lentils
4 tablespoons oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, rinsed, and chopped

 ½ teaspoon dry sage
½ teaspoon thyme

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic stirring until the onions just begin to brown. Add the walnuts and continue to sauté for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven broiler. In a food processor, combine the lentils, tomatoes, and seasoning. Add the cooled onion mixture, stir well.

Use a tablespoon or melon baller to form the meatballs. If the mixture is too moist- add bread crumbs.

Spray cooking pan- place meatballs on pan. Broil 2-3 minutes until brown. Rotate meatballs and broil for 2 more minutes.
(Pratt, S. 2009).

Meatball Sandwich Artist

Gently place meatballs in 100% toasted whole grain hot dog rolls
Cover the balls with warmed 100% all natural tomato sauce (less than 190mg sodium per serving)
Top with a slim layer of cheese

ENJOY!!

Mission Possible: 8 Grochery Shopping Tips that Save $$ & Improve Health

1. Set a budget: Then try to come in under budget. For example, James and I budget $500/month for food ($125/week); however, we try to shoot for $100/week.

Today's Final Grochery Bill- Not too shabby!!

2. Create a weekly food plan: Plan each meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner (and don’t forget snacks)!

05/10/2010-Strout's Weekly food plan!

3. Write a grocery list: If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t go in the cart!

4. Shop the perimeter: The outside perimeter contains most of the superfoods you need for a high-energy, productive week!

5. Check unit price:

4.68/unit price??WOW that's a little STEEP!

$2.99/unit price!!!  YAY-MUCH BETTER!

6. Double check your list: the goal is to purchase all of your food in one trip. Why? This method saves money, time, and your waist line!

7. Do not waste food: Why? The average credit card debt per house hold in the US is $16,000; we live in the worst recession since the Great Depression; 15 million children die of hunger every year; 1 out of 8 children under the age of 12 in the U.S goes to bed hungry every night; 1.02 billion people across the world are hungry……get the point?

                           This is our fridge on Sunday Morning- no waste baby!!
8. Eat! Yummmm….healthy food keeps us active, young, strong, and happy (especially when we didn’t break the bank buying it!)

The 4 Secrets to Training for your First TriAthalon

Think you can’t complete a Triathlon? Think again! If I can do it, anyone can do it! Here are the 4 fool-proof steps for first time Tri-athletes.


1. Sign up! Once you sign up, you can’t back down. Signing up for a Tri changes your thinking, suddenly exercise has purpose.

2. Get a buddy! Preferably a roommate, spouse, close friend, or co-worker. Buddies help motivate you when you feel defeated and burned out; they remind you of the end goal. At first, your buddy might give you a little resistance. I know that when I asked James to sign up for the Tri, he FALT OUT refused. But, he finally agreed and he is hard core now. In fact, yesterday he registered the two of us for ANOTHER Tri in July!

3. Remind and Track! I hung this calendar on my bedroom wall directly across from my bed. The first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see before I go to bed: James and my training progress. The calendar acts as motivation as well as celebration; reflecting on past training and progress is exciting!

4. Reward! Training for a Tri is HARD! We need to reward our hard work, time, and energy. In May, we budgeted an extra $50 each for the two of us to buy a new training item. I am thinking about buying a new pink Nike bathing suit, but I might change my mind! Who knows, if we shop clearance, we might find that $50 buys us more than one item each!

"Limits exist only in the mind" - Unknown

Get rid of DEBT once and For ALL: 1 Car Challenge

What would you do if your car crapped the bed? 22 months ago, 3 weeks after James and my wedding, the worst happened: James car crapped the bed. Meanwhile, the gas prices reached a steep $5.25 per GALLON! We looked at one another and said, “HONEY MOON’S OVER!!”

We wanted to buy another car because we believed that there was absolutely NO WAY we could survive on one car. James had to attend school 25 minutes away from our house and he worked about 40 minutes from school! However, we couldn’t afford to buy a new car because he was in school and our house required most of our extra income!

I was ANGRY about the gas prices, and I was bound and determined to use as little gas as possible just to show the mean people who caused the prices to rise who’s the BOSS!

So what did we do? We dedicated to sharing ONE car. At first, our solution was temporary- 6 months MAX!

The first six months were terrible. James had to arrive at school at LEAST two hours early to drop me off at work before 7am. I had to ride my bike to work quite often, and sometimes I had to walk or ride my bike to doctor’s appointments. I will never forget the day that I got caught in a DOWN POUR, thunder and lightning storm 3 miles away from home! The whole walk I thought, “THAT’S IT!! 2nd car is IN ORDER EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!!!”

Well, the truth is I didn’t melt and I didn’t die and we didn’t buy another car. Actually, we learned that living on one car was WAAAAY better for our life! So, we committed to staying a ONE CAR FAMILY! I have a 2nd car: my legs and they happen to get excellent gas mileage!

Why did we choose to remain a 1 car family?


Save $$

We save SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much money driving one car. First, we were able to pay off our one car quickly! So we do not CARRY a car payment! As Dave Ramsey would say, “cars get better gas mileage when they don't carry a payment.”
                                                  LAST CAR STATEMENT                                                           

We pay for ONE cars' oil change, inspection, registration, and routine maintenance check

We Fill ONE car with gas

We pay ONE car insurance

We pay to fix ONE car’s repairs

We pay to Fill ONE cars' wiper fluid

Increase EXERCISE

I walk to work daily. I tell people, “My transportation is MY LEGS!” Now, sometimes I have to travel for my job and I cannot walk to work. This does pose challenges for me, but to date I am able to conquer all challenges. When I have to go to an appointment, I ride my bike to work and proceed to ride my bike to my appointments. Once my doctor said, “WOW, I have never had a patient RIDE THEIR BIKE to an APPOINTMENT.”

Improved Relationship

We spend more time together because we depend on one another to get around

Improved patience: sometimes you have to wait a looooooong time for the other person

James practices patience with road rage, and I practice patience coping with James' road rage

Environment

We support a healthy environment because we put less pollution in the air EVERY DAY and that feels GOOD!

22 months ago, I believed that James’ car breaking down was one of the worst things that could happen to us 3 weeks post marriage. Today, I believe it was the best.

Try it for 1 week! You might immediately think, “we just can’t.” You can! I thought I couldn’t either, but you can find a way!

How do you eat your balls??

Do you eat balls? James and I love to eat a few balls every now and then; I am talking about spaghetti and meat balls! Our super food inspired spaghetti and meat ball recipe melts in your mouth. We substitute spaghetti squash for traditional spaghetti; a healthy and mouth watering alternative! We create our meatballs from scratch using all white meat turkey burger. We add some flair and BRAVO a delicious dish!

We save $$ with this dish by purchasing one mid-sized spaghetti squash and ½ pound of white meat turkey (makes 16 small balls). We divide the supplies to make dinner for two nights! We save time by cooking the meal one night and enjoying for TWO NIGHTS- win win!

How to cook the squash:

Cut the squash length wise
place the squash face down on a cook sheet or baking dish
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (times differ based on squash size)
*You can tell if the squash is finished by completing the "fork test" slip your fork into the squash guts, if the guts peel off the skin easily, your squash is done! Also, you will notice that the squash looks like sphegetti.
Scoop the guts of the squash into a large glass bowl

Stout’s Love Balls (meatballs) recipe

1/2 ground white meat turkey
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup of ketchup or tomato paste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard - optional

Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 30 minutes.

Stout’s saucy mix

1 jar of all natural tomato sauce (try to find one with less than 200mg sodium per serving)
1 orange bell pepper
*Combine the squash, meat balls and sauce and ENJOY YOUR HEALTHY BALLS!
**4 meatballs per serving!

Want to make home-made healthy food for your baby?!  My friend Denise wrote in to share an amazing healthy baby food receipie website:  http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.wholesomebabyfood.com%252F&h=322c8&ref=nf  Denise and her husband have a beautiful baby girl!  They spend around $100 per week for a three-person family on grocheries, which includes the ingredients for home-made organic baby food for their daughter Samantha!! 

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”

Buddha