There was a time when all I could think about was winning.  Losses weren’t an option.  A tick in the loss column, no matter how big or small, was catastrophic to say the least.  A loss is a loss and a win is a win – no matter how ugly.   I’d beat myself up for a long time just trying to figure out how to get it right the next time around.  Oftentimes missing the true wins, some of my biggest wins.  The wins became less significant because of the losses.  How crazy is that?

Fast forward some years and some great wins and losses later, I realize (and accept) that losses are  inevitable. Right? (You don’t have to agree, but they are LOL)  They have helped me to learn some valuable lessons. They have become some of my life’s best teachable moments.  Wins are great, overcoming losses are even better.

For 2013 and beyond, there is only one thing I’m now concentrating on daily.  It is simply to get up and play the  same game plan.  There will definitely be some losses, but there must be and typically is one GOOD win daily. In addition to learning from the losses, I commit to recognizing and embracing the wins!

#OneGoodWin

It’s been a full year since receiving the best gift that I could have given to myself – 8 hours of sleep per day!  For well over a decade, I was committed to the “hustle and flow” and busy “grind” of my professional career.  No sleep meant I was using the extra time to get things done.  As a result, my professional accomplishments during this time were tremendous.  Prior to 2012, I pushed through pneumonia, bronchitis, a sprained knee, the flu and major headaches all in an 18 month period.  And prior to that,  a good fainting spell on the dance floor was enough to make new friends at a party and keep old friends asking “are you ok?” for years.  If I wasn’t flatlining , then my mind reminded me that I had enough energy to keep going.  Sadly, how I treated myself is the construct of the door that I allowed others to come through when they needed something too.

Recognizing that I needed more rest came very unexpectedly, but I guess on time.  I was approaching my first full year of entrepreneurship and was also forcing myself to stay up to complete a few things.  Feeling mentally and physically exhausted, I decided to go to bed and wake up when my body was ready.  Twelve hours later, I woke up and that is how my love affair with sleep began.  Who knew that I had been missing out on good “Zs” for over a decade?  A year later, there haven’t been any hospital stays, emergency room visits, fainting spells or major illnesses.  It’s amazing what good rest can do.  I’m learning to listen to my body more and to go at my own pace.

So when I get tired now,  I create a comfy and cozy space with pillows, blankets, my meditation gongs and headphones.

Have space? Will sleep!

Video via YouTube: Arianna Huffington: How to Succeed? Get More Sleep!

Photos {1~2~3~4~5}

Setting my expectations high. I can’t simply wish because I really want.
#Chronicling40 #LifeAfter40

But as I contemplated launching the campaign, I was able to press the “Go Live” button because the purpose of the event is not about me or my nerves. It’s truly about the children who live in a domestic violence shelter that will be served on December 18, 2012 with the best holiday party filled with fun, laughter, food and gifts.

So won’t you help me get the word out? I’d surely appreciate it and so will the babies that will be blessed by the event.

Happy Monday!