Deanna Davis

Smoothie Bully or Success Story?

Earlier today, I posted to Facebook that my son Carsten (age 2) is a "Smoothie Bully."  He's currently obsessed with fruit smoothies of any kind, to the extent that he asks for them for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, and I'm sure if he knew what it meant, would seek IV smoothie therapy.

But upon significant reflection, I think I've realized that rather than being a smoothie bully, he's really more of a success story. 

For instance, this morning he chorused "Mommy, please make me a smoothie," no less than 15 times before crescendoing to an irritated finale of "I WANT A SMOOTHIE NOW!"   I politely asked him to be patient while I finished talking with his sister.  He wheeled around and left the room in what I thought was a huff (and a rather entertaining one given the wonky gross motor skills of a toddler).

I soon found that it was less a huff, and more a purposeful stride, because he proceeded to bring every single smoothie ingredient to me in the family room, from whey powder to bananas to flax seed, with his last trip delivering the Magic Bullet blender to my waiting lap.

With a fluorish he thrust his chubby little digit toward the heap of fixings and said, "NOW WILL YOU PLEASE MAKE ME A SMOOTHIE, MOMMY?" 

Sure, he pulled together the ingredients for a smoothie.  And he eventually got one.  But seems to me he also shared the ingredients for a success story.  Things like:  Ask for what you want politely.  Ask repeatedly.  Try something different when your first attempts don't work.  Do the work you can on your own.  Then do your best to offer people the tools they need to help you.  Be persistent.  And creative.  And vocal.  Be charming when it's called for and assertive when you need to.  Stay true to your goals. 

Yep, the smoothie bully becomes a success story.  All depends on how you look at a situation.  Food for thought.

Evolution in Spandex...and Gratitude

I got to thinking about the table of human evolution today, and that, my friends, made me decide to add an occasional "gratitude of the day" element to the blog.  I know it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, but trust me, there's a good reason.

As most of my readers know, I injured my back a few weeks ago and was pretty much confined to bed for roughly 18 days, 14 hours, and 44 minutes (give or take).  That's in interesting contrast to my typical "revolving door" of a life.  

In any case, I've been doing my best to focus on healing (rather than complaining) and hopefulness (rather than helplessness), though I'm sure my family would gladly provide candid feedback on my success in that regard.  

Anyway, as I was heading in to get a cup of coffee exactly 18 days, 14 hours and 45 minutes into the whole ordeal, I realized much to my surprise that I was walking nearly completely upright for the first time in almost three weeks. 

Now, I've been roughly measuring my recovery progress against grade-school memories of the table of human evolution, celebrating each transtion between the "homo habilis," homo erectus," and "neanderthal," phases of the bulging disc recovery process.  And then I realized it.  I'd finally evolved to represent the "human" on the table.  Sure, maybe the category could have better been termed the "slowly-shuffling-little-old-lady human" category, but human none the less.  Now that calls for a round of gratitude for the house.  

Since gratitude plays such an important role in happiness, and since it actually reduces depression...and anxiety...and stress, that moment of appreciation was one of the most profound "healing moments" I could recall in recent weeks.  The boost was so significant, I think I straightened up even more when I smiled. 

And then shuffled back to my laptop and somehow sleuthed out this picture, which I think is hysterical, and which quite accurately depicts my evolutionary journey over the past few weeks.  In spandex.  

While I'm happy to report that I've finally evolved to the upright stage of the dude on the right, I'm dismayed to say that I look WAY worse than he does in spandex after 3 weeks of missed workouts (not that I looked markedly better before that, but at least I could fit into them).  But I guess that's something to aspire to.  And I suppose I'll feel that welcome rush of gratitude when I reach that stage, as well.  Kind of a gratitude two-fer.  Since I'm a big fan of efficiency, too, seems like that's worth being thankful for, too.  The gratitude trifecta.  See...it's contagious even in the least likely of situations.  And even in spandex.

*  Attribution for photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/teamtraveller/ / CC BY 2.0

Success Summit Rescheduled for January

Woohoo!  The Success Summit has been re-scheduled for January 15-17 at the Embassy Suites SeaTac in Seattle, Washington.  Thank you to all lof our November registrants who have been patient with this unexpected reschedule due to my back injury...we're thrilled to announce the new details of the event. 

What good luck to be able to start 2010 off with the phenomenal vision, energy, and connections that will come from this unforgettable weekend!  We're honored to welcome Bob Maurer, PhD, author of One Small Step Can Change Your Life as guest faculty for the weekend.  Bob brings a whole new dimension--and incredible practicality to the science of excellence.  And, of course, I've collected an incredible array of new strategies to help you define success in your own way and map out a simple (yes, simple) way to move from where you are now to where you want to be.

Be sure to save your space today and share these details with a friend or team, because the Success Summit is designed to help you live your ideal life on your terms starting NOW.  The countdown begins...see you all there!

The Next Best Time for Your Next Best Step

Today is the day.  There's no better time than now to plant the seeds for growth and transformation in your life. 

My wonderful friend, Torney, once shared a quote with me that I've always remembered.  This chinese proverb speaks to our ability to initiate change right now, regardless of what we did or did not do in the past.  Here is the quote: 

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The second best time is now." 

So, don't waste your precious time and energy worrying about what you didn't do before now, what you should have done back then, or what you regret not doing when you had the chance.  Instead, why not focus on what you can do today to begin creating your ideal life on your own terms right now? 

Remember, as I shared in The Law of Attraction in Action, you don't need to know all of the steps between where you are now and where you want to be.  You only need to know your next best step.  If you commit to make one small decision, take one small step, or devote one small block of time today (yes, even 5 minutes!), you'll be blown away by the big results those small actions can produce tomorrow, next week, or 20 years from now. 

If 20 years (or 20 months, weeks, days or minutes!) ago was the best time for you to start losing weight, repairing your credit, organizing your closet, or building your business empire, let go of the idea that it's a lost opportunity.  Set your intention and take inspired action today.  Right now is the next best time to take your next best step!