GenuLines (blog) | Chi For Yourself

Appreciate Who You Are

January 22, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

It’s such a simple concept to accept and appreciate who you are. When you do that, you’ll find that others will appreciate you as well.

It doesn’t cost anything, and it’s the right thing to do. GenuLines reminds you that you’re unique, and that’s something to celebrate!

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Appreciate And Be Grateful

When you appreciate who you are, you can be grateful for other aspects of your life. These are the aspects that others take for granted, i.e., their health, their family, and their friends.

When you’re grateful, you will attract the right people and things. By contrast, a lack of gratitude can repel others.

Life is short. During the limited time you have, why not appreciate what you have?

All systems go?
Let’s say you have a great family and great friends. Your job is going well.
But you feel you could be making more money.

Wealth is something you can increase if you want or need it. Do your best not to stress over finances.

Doing that could make you lose sight of life’s most important things.

Appreciate the less than perfect
Accept your imperfections. Those “flaws” help you learn and define who you are.

Sure, work on the ones that hurt you or other people. But a wholesale change is probably not necessary.

Change for change sake could take you away from your genuine self. That pretense won’t last long.

Handle the “buzzkill”
Dealing with the world’s negative energy is something you do every day. The effect can be a loss of self-acceptance.

People around you may put you down. Or they won’t accept you.

This can impact your emotional well-being. But you can counter the effects through affirmations.

Affirm who you are and why you appreciate yourself. If someone does a negative beat down on you cancel the negativity with affirmations.

You can interrupt negative thinking if your thoughts slip back in that direction. Think of all you’re grateful for, especially the small but important things.

You shall overcome
The process can be challenging. But you can prevail by using gratitude as a tool.

Do your best to be with people who are grateful for what they have. This will remind you that you’re on the right path.

Grateful people are upbeat. And, well, they just might be more fun to be around!

JohnK 1-22-2019
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Why Routine Is Good for You

January 8, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Your daily routine probably doesn’t vary much. But today GenuLines looks at routine in a different way. Read on and you might do the same!

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Why Routine Is Good for You

You hear people refer to routine as being dull or boring. It implies that life is the same from one day to the next.

But, routines are a great way to get your work done. They’re also a great means for teams to work together toward a common goal.

When everyone has an idea of what needs to get done, projects tend to run smoother. Each member knows what they need to do.

We also have routines in our society. In some ways, laws are routines.

You know that you aren’t supposed to run a red light and that can be thought of as a routine. When you come to a red light, you stop as best as you can.

There may be instances when you unsuccessfully try to beat one here or there. But, most people will stop for red lights.

To no one’s surprise this helps to reduce accidents.

It Starts at Home
You set up routines for your kids in the form of chores. You know that certain tasks need to get done each week.

Many parents tie kids’ allowances to these chores. When the kids finish their chores, they receive their allowances.

It teaches the kids a work ethic. They need to perform tasks, and when they complete those tasks, they receive money for them.

When you pay bills, you tend to have a routine for this. Some people like to get everything sorted on one day and pay all the bills on that day.

Others will pay them whenever they receive them. Others, still, will set up automatic payments through their bank or brokerage.

There isn’t a right answer for how to do this. Whatever works for you is the right answer.

But, the method you choose will be routine.

When There Is No Routine
Contrast this with people who don’t have routines to manage their lives. They tend to handle tasks when the mood strikes them.

These people are usually late with their bills and have messy environments. Some of these people will say that this way of life works for them.

Others call it chaos. It’s something you can easily avoid setting up routines for the tasks you need to complete.

Of course, people are not robots. They do break up their routines on occasion.

You may use weekends to do activities that you don’t get to do during the work week. Also, many families use vacations to help break up their routines.

JohnK 1-8-2019

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Trust and Confidence: A Powerful Combination

January 3, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

If you’re having a hard time trusting yourself, it may be a sign that you lack confidence. Trust in this case is near impossible without confidence.

Lacking Confidence
Feel secure in your abilities and be strong in your convictions. But, know when you’re wrong, too.

This may seem scary to you.

But it’s not as difficult as you think. No one is born with confidence. It’s something people learn and develop during their lives.

It’s the same for you. Take steps to develop your confidence and trusting yourself will become easy.

Fear Sabotages Confidence
When you give in to your fears, you’ll diminish the chances of building up your confidence. This can get out of hand if you don’t deal with it right away.

You need to face your fears head-on. That doesn’t mean you should throw caution to the wind and be reckless.

You can take chances but only if they won’t put your life or others’ lives in danger. You wouldn’t jump out of a plane without a parachute.

Don’t make frivolous decisions, either. Confidence is about knowing the difference.

Start out with small tasks that you have been afraid to try in the past. Most outcomes will turn out better than you imagine.

If you try to project what will happen, and it is always a negative outcome, you will never make any decisions. Take on those small tasks without thinking too much about what’s going to happen.

That will build up your confidence as you’ve never seen before.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
You should ask questions when you aren’t sure about the situations you face. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about knowing where to find them and who to rely on with the knowledge that you need. It’s also about pulling the trigger when you’ve gathered enough information.

Confidence is about taking responsibility for your decisions and your actions. If you believe in what you’re doing, you can convey that belief to the people affected by your decisions.

If you start blaming others when your situation doesn’t go as planned you’ll come across as weak.

Once this happens, others will lose faith in you. Your confidence will erode, and self-doubt will take over.

When you make your decisions, you own them, even if they don’t work out.
Increase your confidence and you’ll increase self-trust.

Then, you can soar higher than you ever imagined.

JohnK 1-3-2019

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New Year Greetings and Gratitude From GenuLines and Chi For Yourself

January 1, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

The new year of 2019 is here!

A good time to thank you for choosing GenuLines and Chi For Yourself.

Also a good time to send you “good chi” toward living your Genuine Life.

All the best!

JohnK 1-1-2019

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Secrets That Weight Loss Companies Don’t Want You To Know

December 27, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

It’s the time of the year when weight loss is on a lot of minds. You know, New Year resolutions and such.

Weight loss companies want your business and GenuLines wants you to be mindful when you decide to shed some pounds.

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ARTICLE

A good secret can be exhilarating and juicy. Sometimes even entertaining. But, secrets can put people at a disadvantage.

And the feelings of excitement can turn to rage.

This is the case with some weight loss companies around the world. They feed vulnerable people their “keys to weight loss.”

But it’s all designed to fuel the company’s own agenda.

Weight loss companies in the United States rack up big profits- about 20 billion dollars a year. More than half the country is on a diet.

The marketing concepts at least seem to be working.

To be fair, there are companies that have their clients’ best interests at heart. But for others, it’s all about the dollars.

All That Glitters is Not Gold

Weight loss companies might claim their product is better than the rest. Or that it’s the key you’ve been missing.

Their claims are compelling. But it pays to look closer.

You may have seen the “lose 10 pounds just by sleeping” ads on television and online.

In 2002, a popular company endorsed a similar idea. That one brought in more than $155 million dollars in sales.

But one lawyer took a close look at this shedding pounds while you sleep offer.

Tom Carter handled hundreds of lawsuits filed against the company. Carter zeroed in on the marketing used in the ads.

“They picked D.J.’s to endorse the product who commanded and controlled their audience. It wasn’t just misleading advertising, it was false.”

The result? The company went out of business.

Other weight loss companies say that their products are 100% natural, and holistic.

They also claim to be effective simply because they’re government approved. But a label that brags “government approved” doesn’t guarantee safety.

There’s something called The Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act. Sounds impressive.

But it doesn’t hold companies to testing, surveying, or researching for effectiveness.

This means that companies can endorse a product that may not really work.

Do good research to find what works best for you.

Consult with your doctor before taking dietary supplements

or starting a new program

Big results in almost no time! It’s an inviting pitch.

You get the idea that you can be fit and healthy without putting in the necessary work.

But to change your body structure, lose weight, and live a healthy life requires some effort.

Weight loss companies can offer some valid advice. But your journey to wellness isn’t one-stop shopping.

Consult with your doctor, analyze your body and make the best decision for you.

Remember, the best secret to weight loss is putting in an honest effort and taking action.

JohnK 12-27-2018

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Overheard: “Bigger snacks mean bigger slacks.”

~Unknown

* Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Failed To Reach A Goal? Move On And Learn From It!

December 20, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

So your goal(s) for 2018 failed. You’re looking for a better 2019.

But you’re not really sure how you’ll do it. Maybe it’s how you’re looking at it.

Today GenuLines looks at failure and offers some ideas on how to re-frame it.

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____________________

Failed To Reach A Goal? Move On And Learn From It!

We tend to think of missing our goals as something shameful, undesirable. Failing to realize our intentions can cause negative feelings.

No matter how big or small the goal.

The way to overcome those feelings is by changing the way you understand failure. It’s part of the success process and it teaches valuable lessons if we know how to learn from it.

Ways to redefine failure and learn from it

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Learning from your mistakes is about more than just thinking about what went wrong.

The first step towards using failure as a tool for success is to stop seeing mistakes as shameful.

Think about it – a mistake is not only a natural part of embarking on a new project; it is also part of the human experience. Accept it as a necessary step towards achieving your goals.

In her article “Strategies for Learning from Failure”, Amy C. Edmondson classifies mistakes:

Preventable

These are the mistakes we often think of as bad. They result from a lack of focus or attention to the procedures needed to achieve the goal.

Complexity-related

These mistakes happen when the goal is the product of various factors. They include:

your own motivation

previous skills

your environment

support network

your resources

If any of these fail, you might be unable to reach the goal.

Intelligent mistakes

According to Adam Mendler, having the freedom to make mistakes increases creativity. And it boosts work performance.

Mendler looks at the pressures to avoid mistakes and the shame that comes with them. Minus those, he found that employees contribute more often.

And they’re able to express more original ideas.

For example, many inventors stumbled upon some of the great inventions. Think Post-It notes or penicillin.

There is a beginning step toward learning from the setback, whatever its source. Remove any negative feelings about it and re-frame it as a source of new knowledge.

What’s next?

Rethink your approach to your goal

Now that you’re looking at the mistake without judgment, think of how you got into the situation.

Guy Winch* suggests you analyze your motivation levels, focus, and mindset.

Did you feel less motivated to achieve your goal at some point? Did something else distract you from it?

If your dedication and focus decreased at any time, make note of it and try to find the cause. Identify the internal and external causes that affected your resolve.

This helps you prepare for them in the future.

At times you can discuss the failure with someone you trust. This might help you see the issues from a different perspective.

Rely on your support network to pinpoint what went wrong and how you could’ve prevented it.

Plan ahead

Identifying what caused the mistake is not enough to prevent it in the future. You need to take steps to prevent that mistake from happening again.

Say your goal was to write a novel in six months. You’ve identified a few reasons why you couldn’t achieve it.

They include lack of time, insufficient planning, or lack of motivation.

But what can you do to prevent those issues from getting in the way of your goal in the future? In our example, you could scale down the scope of the novel.

Spend more time planning the story. Or set a specific time to write undisturbed.

Bottom line?

Failure is not permanent.

“Accept” failure. Analyze its causes. And look at how you can by-pass those causes.

Now you’re on your way to achieving your goals.

JohnK 12-20-2018

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Overheard: “The errors of great men are venerable because they are more fruitful than the truths of little men.”

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

* “The 4 Keys to Learning From Failure”- Guy Winch

* “What Sales Executives Can Learn From Failure”- Adam Mendler

Prioritizing: A Key Stress Management Skill

December 11, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

We’re into a stressful time of the year, and prioritizing tasks may not be top of mind for you right now. But it’s worth thinking about, especially if the stress is really starting to build.

Since wellness is a high priority around here, GenuLines offers a tip “yule” be glad you used!

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ARTICLE:

The skill of prioritizing can be a key tool in your ability to manage stress. It allows you to look at a set of tasks and determine which are the most important.

You’ll put your focus on completing those first at the expense of those lower on the list.

It isn’t about working smarter, it’s about dedicating your time to the correct tasks.

When you have a list of things to do you think that you won’t have the energy (or the time) to get through them all. So, a lot of it will get left undone and you’ll be left feeling guilty about what you couldn’t get to.

But when you take the time to prioritize them you ditch the guilt. You’re more efficient.

It seems as though there’s an 80/20 rule in every aspect of life and prioritizing is no different. In this case, the rule states that 80% of your activities contribute under 20% of your value of work.

Focus on completing 20% of your tasks (the most important ones of course). This way you’ll achieve more.

This should make your working life run a bit more smoothly and allow you to spend more quality time with your family (or yourself!).

The Trick To Prioritization

Well, there actually isn’t a trick. It’s all about choosing what you should be doing and what you shouldn’t be doing.

High priority tasks should be taken care of first. No doubt you’ll have more energy to do them at the start of your day anyway.

To achieve this, though, you need to be able to see what tasks or projects are of greatest importance. These jobs will help you achieve long-term goals, or have a consequence for not completing.

You might be thinking that everything on your list is important – they’re all urgent. But in the big picture many of the activities you consider urgent are not.

Good prioritizing lets you finish the most urgent/important tasks early in the day. Then you can shift your focus to the non-priority tasks.

These are more than likely the jobs you find most rewarding. It’s human nature to put off tasks that aren’t enjoyable and instead indulge your enjoyable tasks.

You can put tasks in order of importance to keep yourself on track or categorize them. The choice is yours and you should choose whichever method would serve you best.

You can have a list of A tasks, B tasks, and C tasks. Of course, anything in the A category should be completed first and then you can move onto the B’s and then the Cs.

While you make your list question yourself about tasks you can delegate or remove.

Wrenches In The Mix

What about unplanned activities? They can throw a wrench into the works. These types of tasks crop up all the time and often throw your day out of whack.

You have to rely on your instinct in these situations. When you’re better at prioritizing, you’ll be more confident making judgment calls.

But consider your goals and determine how best to fit in unplanned activities.

How effectively you handle these situations will depend on how clear you are on your goals.

JohnK 12-11-2018

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Overheard: “Action expresses priorities.”

~Mahatma Gandhi

Thyme For Some Sage Advice About Parsley

December 4, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

You sit down to dinner and you can’t wait to dig in to everything, EXCEPT the parsley. Today GenuLines looks at the humble parsley and why it’s a nutritional star!

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ARTICLE:

You may have seen that parsley on your plate and thought of it as a mere decoration. And while parsley is often used as a pretty garnish, it also has many health benefits.

It turns out that parsley is very high in antioxidants. These chemicals help to prevent disease and improve your health in general.

What exactly is so special about parsley? It:

slows the aging process
contains powerful antioxidants luteolin, vitamin A, and vitamin C
can strengthen your immunity
helps your body repair connective tissue
strengthens bones and teeth
repairs cuts and scratches faster
protects you from hardened arteries and heart disease
discourages plaque buildup in your blood vessels
protects nerve cells to help prevent nervous system disorders

The natural oils in parsley are also known to fight cancer. Specifically, you can reduce your risk of colon cancer and prostate cancer.

You can even get some protection from the carcinogens in cigarette smoke. (though parsley consumption won’t make it a good idea to start or keep smoking)

Parsley can help inflammation-related diseases. These include arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and autoimmune disease.

How much do you need to eat to get the benefit? It turns out that you only need about two (fresh) tablespoons each day.

This gives you the vitamins and antioxidants it provides in high levels.

Parsley is delicious in its own right. It makes a great compliment to many dishes either raw or cooked.

Raw parsley gives you you the most benefits. And don’t forget to throw a few sprigs into the juicer for a tasty and healthy drink! (you can mix the juice with something sweet like apple)

Oh, there’s also a cosmetic benefit to consuming parsley. The oils and texture of parsley help to clean your teeth and freshen your breath after a meal.

This is great when you don’t have time to brush your teeth between meals.

Next time, instead of leaving the parsley on the plate, go ahead and eat a bit of the garnish to get the health benefits.

You’ll come away with fresher breath and an army of nutrients to help keep your body healthier and younger.

JohnK 12-4-2018

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