the_journey_of_me

Day 16: A Routine that Helps Build Better Relationships

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 11:21:51 GMT

Build Healthy Relationships During this Pandemic

Marcus Smith

Welcome, everyone to the final day of this week, Friday, November 13th, I do want to welcome you all. And don't forget to hit the like button, make sure that you subscribe to this channel and make sure you hit on that bell icon. I want to make sure that you all know that we are growing and developing this channel. And I'm here with my wife, Lela. So Lela will tell us what happened today.

Lela

That was a good day to day, you know, every day is a good day, we make it a good day. And so today, let's start with our our maintaining our personal and spiritual connections, we both got that in. So that is going to be a double check for both of us, there. Always good to connect with friends, family, whatever that means to you know, to stay in balance.

Marcus Smith

Make sure you get those connections at the end of the day, you want to be grounded and connected with your friends, family, your husband and wife. And also make sure you have a grounded spiritual connection too so that's very important. So what happened the E?

Lela

The E today, another success, double check on both sides. Actually, I just finished exercise and not too long ago, really good and eating healthy on both sides. So we're doing really good when it comes to eating and exercise.

Marcus Smith

So I would like to say for the practice, I did get a chance to go to a nursery today and look at some plants. And I thought that was something that I really enjoyed today. So even as I drove on the way home, I really got a chance to think of how to plan out the garden. So I will be upload more videos on our garden experience. So just be on the lookout for that.

Lela

Excellent. So actually, that is a nother double check for both of us practicing something we enjoy. I love that garden experience you're having. And it relaxes me to see you relax like that.

Lela

Alright, sleep. I'm just gonna fall on the sword here. I said I was gonna do better today, I actually did not end up I was one hour shy of my seven hours. So I did not get my sleep in a lot has been happening this week. And I have not been able to get that in. But you brought it home for us.

Marcus Smith

Yeah, just remember, I'm always here for us, you know, Im gonna keep up with the difference and make up for that difference and make sure we get in what really matters. So

Lela

That's what counts, that's Let's count.

Marcus Smith

So I think at the end of the day is time to really look at our overall score. So let's take a look at this. We got a home run. And again, this is our 16 day streak. streak. So we want to definitely clap it up for that. That's something that we're happy for.

Lela

Yes, yes, yes.

Marcus Smith

But we want you all to remember and help us out with a few things. We talked a lot about relationships and building those deep connections, whether it's with friends and family, husband and wife or even a spiritual connection. Let us know what some of the things that you do to actually maximize your relationships. I know COVID-19 is happening currently. And there's a lot of social distance and but

Lela

There's a lot you can do.

Marcus Smith

Yeah. So what tip Can you give everyone?

Lela

I have a couple of tips. So the first thing is keeping a connection with someone doesn't mean you have to spend hours upon hours, I have a very funny story. I had a friend that called me one of my good friends yesterday, she called And normally, sometimes I'm always working things like that I'm really busy. And so we have this ongoing joke where she knows I'm busy, but she does not have a concept of time. And she like, you know, it's like, okay, you know, I just want to talk. So she called yesterday and it was maybe like a five minute phone call. And she said, You know what? I'm good. I have to go. I was like, Oh my gosh, and we just both laugh because we knew what that meant. But I thought it was really important to the R because it doesn't take long to keep that connection. Just a five minute conversation sometimes can make your day and it's memorable for that connection with people. And then other times I use digital strategies today I had a zoom call with one of my friends and just making sure to keep that connection any way we can, especially during this pandemic.

Marcus Smith

Well there you have it. Remember it does not take a long time to build those connections. So make sure you get that R in and again. This acronym is really created to help you remember what matters most in your day. So as you begin that Do this if you're a busy professional or if you're a busy mom or any type of person that is out in the community, helping during this time, make sure you look at these four things and make sure you add these items on and some of them will overlap. But make sure you get them in because this at the end of the day is what we believe will help you hit your home run each day. So definitely sign off here. And again, like and subscribe on this channel. And we'll be back next week. So again, leave your comment what are you doing to help improve your relationships or improve your R in this case, and we'll be online next week and see you soon.

How a Garden Can Improve Your Lifestyle - Our Garden Experience

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 04:41:49 GMT

TIME TO RESET FROM SUMMER TO WINTER:

It is time to get my cold weather vegetable garden ready.

But I had a person moment of reflection.

A man's true delight is the do the things he was made for. At the core of everything in life, I have learned to continue to till the soil. Yes, It is frustrating. It is repetitive. It is mundane.

However, if you embrace that action, you might find hidden secret. It can help you to focus and develop IF YOU VIEW IT FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.

Now that I am getting into the repetitive and seasonal demand of a garden, I am learning that there is a personal development application to anything that you practice in life. Some choose music or some other hobby. I choose THE GARDEN.

There is a lot to learn from a garden. Tell me what are some of the personal development factors that you are finding in learning how to maintain a garden.

Day 15: 7 Hours of Deep Sleep for Life Rhythm

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 04:15:53 GMT

The first thing and the most crucial thing that we found to help is starting with sleep and rhythm.

Lela

Hello, and welcome to the journey of me, this is Thursday, November 12, our daily recap, let's see how we did.

Marcus Smith

And today we had a really good day. I mean, at the end of the day is something that we enjoy doing, which is definitely catching up on our reps each day. And making sure that we get our relationships in as far as connecting and making sure that we're good spiritually and personally. And then of course, eating and exercise, practicing something we enjoy and get into sleep and rhythm. So if you're new to this channel, please like and subscribe. Today we're going to talk a little bit about how we accomplish these three goals in our life. So Lela, tell us what happened today.

Lela

All right, but the R we did great. So we were able to connect personally, we also have great spiritual connections that we want to maintain. And we were able to do that today. So double check on R

Marcus Smith

Alright, what happened with the E.

Lela

Again, double check there, we've both eating healthy exercising,

Marcus Smith

I'm feeling great that we're both on a roll. And we're just doing good. We're in the rhythm. So I really like that we're getting consistent with this

Lela

Yes a great, great rhythm.

Marcus Smith

And the P which is practicing something that we enjoy. Again, if you have a hobby, or something that you do that you like to learn, this is something that is you definitely need to make room in your day and make sure you get the total fulfillment, the joy out of it. So today, I got a chance to go into the garden, and I had a great day in the garden resetting for the winter. So that definitely helped me get my checkmark.

Lela

That's really good. And I'm happy to announce that I have started my second real estate course. So that's an accomplishment there. So I did get my P in.

Marcus Smith

And last but not least is our sleep and rhythm. Now for me, I've been really going to sleep extremely early, and making sure that I get that sleep in. But I'm really deep into my routine. And again, I've talked in previous videos about sleep hygiene, you want to look at that, because those are some tips and tricks that we have done to keep us in a rhythm. And of course, my wife has taught me some deep secrets of having her sprays and her lavender diffuser going but we that goal is for us to stay into that rhythm. So today I was able to get that in and was able to wake up early and get straight to work. What about you?

Lela

Well, as you can see, it wasn't a full full for checks for me. But I did do some things taking care of our household I was able to get that in. However, there's also the main thing of the S is dealing with our sleep. So I did to get the rhythm sign in which we don't talk about a lot. But their rhythm has to do with things like your household chores, or just other things that you have to do to take care of the household to make sure that things are in balance. And so, but I do have to admit that I did not get seven hours of sleep last night. So I'm gonna get it tonight, we're gonna see me with four checks tomorrow.

Marcus Smith

Now, overall, we still consider this a home run because we were able to complete one item in each of the areas and we do this as a household. So if there's some areas that Leila may not be able to fulfill, I'm there to catch her and vice versa. She's definitely carrying me last week. So it's my duty to keep us going this week.

Lela

My knight in shining armor.

Marcus Smith

Thank you. Thank you. So before we leave, what are some tips that you want to give someone that is beginning to start these, this rhythm of creating the reps in their life? Is there anything that you want to share with them that they can do to get started?

Lela

Sure, it's actually gonna sound funny. But if you're just getting started with this, I would actually say to start backwards. And what I mean by that is it's reps starting with the REPS. The first thing and the most crucial thing that I found to help me is actually starting with that s and that sleep in that rhythm is off, everything else goes down the drain. So if you're just getting started, it could help to start by going backwards with this and see if that helps you.

Marcus Smith

So the best way forward is actually taking a step back.

Lela

Absolutely.

Marcus Smith

I thought that was very insightful. So, again, we're gonna close here, if you're new to this channel, tell us some of the things that you're doing just to get started to stay consistent, and we're celebrating our 15th day in our streak. Yes, so we definitely gonna keep sharing the journey of M and E. That's Marcus and Lela, and we're gonna keep sharing this and letting you all know where we are. So again, if you're new to this channel, like and subscribe and tell us leave a comment on some of the things that help you get started with your day to day routine. See you later.

Day 13: A Recap of How We Are Achieving Work-Life Balance

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 03:55:34 GMT

Sleep Hygiene Is the Key: Train your Brain to Fall Asleep and Sleep Better

Lela

Hello World here we are the Smiths, we're talking about our journey of me. And this is for November.

Marcus Smith

So the first week of November, we're going to give you a weekly recap of what we did. And the reason why we're doing this weekend recap, we know that we spent the whole week, we really got really busy, but we did stick to our reps. And we really focus on our relationships in an exercise, practice and something we enjoy and get in the right amount of sleep. So if you're new to this channel, and you're trying to strive to improve in any of these areas, please hit the like and subscribe. But today, we're gonna go over our weekly recap. So let's talk about what happened on Monday.

Lela

On Monday, the R the E the P, the S, I'm happy to report that I got it all in. So the previous week, I was on a few days streak, we were out a few days streak. And I wanted to make sure that we actually kept that going. So I was able to eat healthy exercise. That's really right now the hardest thing on this for me to do, and I was able to do that on Monday.

Marcus Smith

I was really happy about that. And the way that we do it is if you have to eat an exercise. So we are given the you know, in some days, we're really holding ourselves to doing so. But overall, you definitely carry this and I want to thank you for that, because we still got a home run from Monday to our seven day Street. So yes, a seven day streak. That is the day that

Lela

the crowd applause. lol...

Marcus Smith

I think I'm gonna work on a sound effect for that. lol. So what happened on the next day,

Lela

So you can't industry, right. So on the next day, I was determined to keep going. And same thing, I'm happy to report I was consistent, I was able to get it in all four. And we kept our streak for another home run, which means that we turned into an eight day streak, which I'm happy to report.

Marcus Smith

That's great. The key is to make sure we keep it consistent and keep it going. And there had to carry me again. But that's fine. I think you haven't done that. For me. I think even in Wednesday, it turned out to be the same thing. But you have been seal credit for that, especially on the demo days when I tried to kind of negotiate Can I get this one? I like this. And now that I think about it a lot. I kind of have it combined, eat right exercise.

Lela

What purpose is it to eat? Right? You don't really exercise or you exercise. Definitely.

Marcus Smith

Another day,

Lela

I want to mention on Thursday, I had a major accomplishment. So I'm in the middle of the middle of a real estate certification. And as of Thursday, I completed my first course for that certification. So I'm really happy about it. It has to do with learning something new, you know, I do things professionally. But this is just an interest of mine. And I really wanted to make sure that I got it. And so that was an accomplishment for me, you know, in between everything else that I'm doing, I was able to get that in and I'm on my way to completing my second course now.

Marcus Smith

So for those people that are out there. Is there any advice on something in a certain area?

Lela

There's no rhyme or reason? There's no rule. It's really what makes you happy what the key is, what do you enjoy doing? So it's not work? You know, all of us work. We all have things we have to do to put food on the table, but it's really what are you passionate about? What do you really enjoy and what relaxes you?

Marcus Smith

And that gave us another Thursday? That's a 10 day straight. So it looked like we were definitely on a roll. And then going into Friday, we noticed that had to stay strong on Friday. Yeah, I think during the week that Monday through Friday, you definitely kept it going and you were strong, and definitely held the status of the weekly hopefully that'll go into next week. There is a story here though because there was a time that I did come did and bring us home but for the Monday through Friday, normally I do one or the other and I know most of these are focused on eating right but then not get the exercise in ,

Lela

It was and we have to stay true to it right. So I think that speaks to the integrity of how we're keeping each other accountable. That's really good to have a buddy system. And the integrity is we did say, we wrote it down, we say eat and exercise, and we're holding true to that.

Marcus Smith

Yep. And then integrity is important, that means you're actually doing what you said he was going to do. And it's not always a bad thing to mark something down that you did not get accomplished. Because at least you can start seeing a pattern develop and maybe figure out why you're not being that consistent. But all in all, as a household, we still hit the home run again, the goal is one of us should definitely try to cover an area that the other person may not have accomplished. But going into Monday. So this is the beginning.

Lela

I wish we had a sound effects for this because this the tables has TURNED!! lol

Marcus Smith

So on Monday, and remember, I did say before, I wanted to thank my wife for really being very consistent and helping me with doing this, some that I need personally, for sure. And I know she said sad. But she's our she's already intact and beautiful. And I have no need of doing any of these reps in my mind. But I really need this. So I really wanted to come and step up to the play. And it was just so happened the day that we didn't even really communicate on this no day that I ended up just so happen to do it. And that we end up getting a HOMERUN

Lela

Yea mean I ate healthy Monday, but I did not get my exercise. And I ended up taking on some other projects at work and things like that, and I just did not get it in, I didn't make the time and balance my time to get it in.

Marcus Smith

So that led to our 12 day streak. And again, one of these areas that I really wanted to focus in, I know going into this week was getting ample sleep. So I know that that's within itself is a whole paradigm to have the right sleep hygiene, you know, training your brain to fall asleep, and actually get sleep better. So this leads into my next day. So that goes and gets you today. So this is where we are today. So this yesterday, yesterday, Tuesday, see, I don't even know what day it is. But though cuz I'm, I'm very steadfast. And we see that there's a shift. But that's one thing that's good even as a household we should be able to identify when one or the other needs help, but it's a healthy competition, sometimes

Lela

Yes it's a healthy competition, and I again, back to integrity, you know, I really have to be honest, when I just did not make the cut. And again, regarding that he you know, I'm gonna fall on the store. You know, I did eat healthy, but I did not exercise yesterday. And I did not. So I talked about that accomplishment for the real estate course. My goal was to make sure and get a little bit in every day on the second course and yesterday, I did not get that in I got it in Monday, did not get it in yesterday. And so I have to make sure that I've picked up the pieces there. And on top of that, I stayed up way too late and did not end up sleeping enough.

Marcus Smith

Well, that's alright Honey, I still

Lela

But you held it down for the team. So no doubt,

Marcus Smith

I stepped up to the plate, pointing to the fences, and we got us another home run that A 13 Day Streak. Im ganna have to make a sound effect of somebody hitting the bat,

Lela

I think we're gonna have to because we're getting into strict

Marcus Smith

Yea we're getting into really some serious game. So I am really happy now today, though, this is where we are

Lela

Redemption,

Marcus Smith

we did have a really good conversation you can see where you kind of pivot. And now you're definitely back on track. It's only one thing that you were

Lela

I did not quite get enough sleep. But I did bounce back on the exercising, give making time, making sure I get things in.

Marcus Smith

And that's why we talked about having that proper sleep hygiene. And I think that's you can't stress that enough. Make sure that you get that complete. So important sleep. For me, I know not for you. But I know when the sleep is gone. They eat and automatically is in jeopardy. And also, you're too tired to do one of your hobbies. So to me sleep is a foundation but

Lela

it's definitely a foundation for me. And I think it forces me to push harder. If I don't get the sleep like today I'm having to push harder to get the other that R the E and the P in. I didn't want it to be another completely failed day. So I'm pushing to make sure that didn't happen.

Marcus Smith

Nevertheless, we're on a 14 day streak and I think that brings us current today. And I think in closing I think again, the goal is to for us to really work on these four areas of life because we really feel that these are things that can help build Peace and Clarity for you and your household. But what we're going to do is get deeper into things that we're doing to even build a strong, healthy relationship or really build a strong eating pattern or a meal plan that we're doing. A lot of people are eating clean, but really defining what that is to you. It's very important, we'll share what it means to us. We're practicing something that we enjoy again, like you said, finding something that we like to do that we really enjoy, not work, and then finding something that helps us with our sleep and rhythm. But in closing, what do you want to tell everyone out there? Before we leave?

Lela

I just want to say how much I know this, you know, it looks nice to say oh, we're on the street, but this really actually does change my mood, it I feel better. I hold myself accountable. I know you'd say the same you feel better, but it really does work. You know, these reps were something that it just we thought about it came to us and just trying to put this in but when I really think about it, this really is what I value. And I really can tell the difference honestly, when I get it in

Marcus Smith

If work and life balance is something that you value as well please like and subscribe. This is a new channel, or check us out on http://journeyofmeblog.com , and we'll be growing this channel, please let us know what are you doing in these areas, any tools and the processes that you're doing that help us achieve this consistent journey? Talk to you later.

Day 8: Completing the 1st Week of Work-Life Balance

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 02:07:00 GMT

We have Finish Week 1 with a Homerun!!!

Marcus Smith

All right, everyone, welcome to another day of journey of me, this is the reps challenge that me and my wife has taken mouse she asleep. So she don't know that I'm doing this. But she did a great job of carrying us through for our Friday, October 30 2020. And if you're new to this channel, again, the reps is something that we do to remind us each day, what matters. So making sure we get our relationships and making sure that we give our eating and exercise and practicing something that we enjoy, and also sleeping rhythm. So if you're new to this channel, please encourage us like and subscribe and follow us moving forward because this is the channel that definitely will help us have more of a productive and balanced work life. So I want to definitely thank her for being very strong. And making sure that today we kept up with all these items. So there's a relationship that eat right to practice and then asleep and rhythm. She basically held it down today, I have to give it to her. She's sleep right now, she's been very tired working a lot this weekend. But I've been working and not sleeping, which leads to me not being able to eat and exercise. So we have to do them both, even though we eat healthy and still have to exercise get to 20 minutes a day. And so it is something that definitely unpacked our schedule. So I want to give her a big shout out because she did a great job of holding us down. Now on Saturday and Sunday. We do not do the exercise, but she did a really good job. And I give her credit for our home run. Again, we work as a team, I want to tell her I know she's not able to be on the call today. But I do love her, we're definitely give her a lot of respect for holding the reps down. But next week, I plan on coming very strong with making sure that each day I keep with my sleep and my rhythm. So that is kind of the I guess the crux of each of my days is making sure that I get sleep. So if you all have any questions or comments or even advice on how to maximize your sleep, I am the one that's looking for that advice. So definitely, she's been making sure she get her sleep in. But I want to let you all know that I know that she's asleep right now. But I'm getting rest. But I want to let her know that I thank her for holding us down for this weekend. So next week, I do look forward to seeing everyone that is following this channel. It is a new channel, this is more of a journal for her and I have to get our reps in. And again, that's the show everything that matters. So if you're new to the channel, definitely like and subscribe, and follow us on the journey of me. Blog comm so if you ever see that, definitely let us know that you're there the support, we will be growing the channel doing more in the future. And again, that's journey of me.com. So this is the website, we give some details about what each area means to us and what it really is, as far as you know, some of the tools and things that we use to help us get through it. Tools, tactics, processes. We also talk about our daily journals. So we do keep a log of that. And we're only in the first week so and then of course one of the main things that I do is garden. So that's something that helped me achieve that balanced life. So if you're new to the channel again, if you care about capturing what matters mochi, stay, definitely like and subscribe to this channel. So definitely want to thank you all for supporting us in our first week and there'll be many more weeks to come. And just want to let you all know that me and my wife, Marcus and Leila, which is the journey of me will continue this series and begin to build a strong relationship with you all so definitely like and subscribe this channel and let us know what you are doing to get your daily reps in. Thank you talk to you later.

Day 7: Tips to Maintain Household Rhythm

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 07:52:55 GMT

Another Homerun!!! Work-Life Balance Here We Come

Marcus Smith

Welcome everyone to another day of journey of me. So I am here with my wife, Lila, and we've been definitely working. Today is October 29, that is a Thursday, we are happy to get our reps in, some of us hit our target some of us didn't. So let's talk about how we did today. And again, if you're new to the channel, definitely like and subscribe. This is where we're basically working on having a balanced life, and a life of peace and clarity. So we're achieving that by doing these things each day, because this is really what matters. So Lila, tell me how did we do in our different areas here we have the relationships to eat, right exercise, practice, something that we enjoy, and then sleep and rhythm.

But how did you do in your R today?

Lela

I did really good in my art today, I got a slam dunk with both personal and spiritual connections today. So did really good. feel really good about that?

Marcus Smith

Good. Good. So and I actually got mine in as well. So we definitely had a chance to think we had a moment nice phone call today with a few friends, friends and really connected with them. I thought that was really good.

So let's go to the eat right and exercise .

Lela

Not a slam dunk. I held it down for us.

Marcus Smith

Yeah, I mean, you can tell that I hesitated a little bit because definitely I didn't get a chance to get mine in today had a busy day. And I didn't sleep well. In a working super late note. This looks like yeah, I guess I'm telling myself, but it's a chain reaction. That's one thing I noticed if you get something off, it'll kind of bleed into other areas.

So let's go into

Lela

wait can we celebrate? Yeah. Exercise 30 minutes I did I actually split it up today for the first time I did 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at night. And I really liked it. So I'll see if I'll do that again. But I definitely got that in and stayed with my healthy eating. So

Marcus Smith

definitely, I appreciate you for that for keeping us going. So let's go to the next area, which is practice something that we enjoy. So this has to do with hobbies or learning something new. today. For me it was more on the hobby side. After I finished my my heavy meetings throughout the day, I went outside, had a chance to go through the garden harvested a few tomatoes, got a chance to see some butterflies and some bees and really definitely relaxed me and then also got a chance to sit next to one of our lavender plants. So definitely, videos thought. And then now the last area is

Lela

Wait I got my P in to

Marcus Smith

I'm sorry. Tell me about your P though.

Lela

I'm feeling really good. Today I listened to an audiobook. It's called actually it's called breaking up with sugar. Hmm. And it's a book that I've been reading for a while, but I decided to pick it back up, read it, listen to it. And so I was able to get that in today's I was happy about that.

Marcus Smith

Good, good. Let's go into our sleeping rhythm .

Which I guess I'm always kind of anxious to take knowledge. And that's one thing when you're doing these reps, it's not necessarily a bad thing to acknowledge, you know, when you don't hit the mark, you know, it's a level of integrity to look at it and say, Hey, I didn't do it. And to analyze it. That's why we're journaling it to see why that chain reaction happened that day, but thankful again, for my dear wife holding this down by getting a good, I appreciate you for that asleep for that and

Lela

did some things for the household, got the chores and everything. So s definitely was taking care of today. Because you've held it down for a few days this week, I do have to acknowledge that where I wasn't pulling my weight on the P and different things like that. So I was happy to get one in 14.

Marcus Smith

So tell me a little bit about the rhythm site you talked about, we got the chores, and we were able to make sure that that happened. What are some tips for any of our viewers on how to make sure that that happened?

Lela

You know, it's all about having some sort of schedule. So we get busy during the week. So when it comes to rhythm, just trying to do things as systematic as possible really helps me. So trying to make sure that I know what I need to do, whether it's just a load of laundry, whatever it is trying to squeeze that in making sure I you know, around the house, we clean up behind ourselves too much to clean up at the end of the night, at the end of the day. So just little things help. Good, good. I get everything.

Marcus Smith

So I think that definitely is something that I like. It definitely helps. And I think if you're out there and you have any tips to you know, even let us know how you're keeping those rhythm. Even with your chores, please let us know. But now let's go to the unveiling. So I did as a team, we worked as a team I have to admit, I'm still in the dugout and I did miss the mark a little bit but overall he was able to go to bat for us today

Lela

team you've been doing it for us this week as well.

Marcus Smith

And we got another home run for we're gonna definitely clap that up. I'm gonna get like some cheer animated something, you got to start celebrating it, where you can hear the crowd kind of, you know, celebrate this. But I do want to thank my wife, again for inspiring me a lot of this, you know, the design of all of this and even pulling us aside that makes sure that we get our time in throughout the day. I do want to tell you that presets and your creativity.

Lela

Thank you. I'm glad you're on this journey with me. It wouldn't be the journey of me without the M Yeah, the M and the me so so

Marcus Smith

the M and E. So that's Marcus and and Leila. So if you want to follow the journey of me continue to like and subscribe and we'll definitely see you next time. The goal is again to keep that hundred percent home run going each day and close it out our week really strong. So thank you and see you next time.

Day 6: Our Tactic to Create Life Balance

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 06:41:03 GMT

Another Homerun!!! Let Make It a Full Week

Hello world where it's Wednesday, October 28. And this is our journey of me. So we have done a good job today. Yes, looking at our reps. And let's go through how we did today on our scoreboard, relationships, personal spiritual connections, how did we do? I think

we did pretty good.

We both got those the R in . And for those who are new, this is a part of our reps. So welcome to the channel, what we're doing is looking at each one of these categories, and we're just trying to, you know, build that household life balance as a family. And these are the main things that we want to get accomplished today. So relationships, whether they're personal or spiritual connections, we should try to make those everyday.

So how about the eat and exercise, which is the E,

I am happy to report that after a much struggle, we are on a three day streak when

I'm pretty healthy and exercising for at least 20 minutes every single day. Definitely wanted to make sure I get that. And this is the main area that I feel because we work so much. We kind of let this go first. No more, but we got to just keep up with standard.

That's what we're at. So what about the practice something I enjoy the P.

All right now this is one I've struggled the last couple of days, I did not get mine in again. So I did not do good, but you brought it home for us on that one definitely did got a chance to really focus on two different things. today.

I am doing swing trading. So I did do a small course on that today. And then also tonight, I did a training my second part and Docker, which I'm leading up to Kubernetes, which is technical mumbo jumbo that no one needs to know about. It is really, you know, good. And it's something I enjoy to do.

Now what about sleep? That is, to me one of the main parts of making sure that we hit our target if my sleep doesn't go right. For that day. My overall rhythm for that day is just kind of shot. So I think I mentioned this before, but I noticed that when we went to sleep the other night you have this, you know certain spray that you did. Tell us about that? What is that all about? And what is it doing for us when we sleep?

You know, well, for me, my bedroom is my spa. That's what I say that's my motto. I have a lot of sleep issues I've had sleep apnea had a lot of just genetic sleep issues. And so it's really important for me to wind down, I use a Roma therapy a lot. So that's the spray that you smell lavender, vanilla, all of that helps me wind down. You know, I have different scrubs that I use at night with that same sense and things like that to help me wind down so I do love my good sense. So creating that ambience and creating the ambience I have my diffuser gives us some music a little bit too, which I know you don't

like trends. It's always beautiful smells, I love it.

I have to admit, even for those gentlemen that out there, I mean, it does want you down, start laying down, he just breathe in, whether it's the lavender smells, or whatever it is you kind of do get this calm that comes over you and you know it is a good closer of the day as well as keep it you know, turn off all the lights, even turning off or turning away all the phone screens as far as you can from you. But have I pillow blackout all the light, everything helps pick it up off the floor, even making sure nothing's on the floor. At the end of the day in the morning. It really does help.

So overall, how did we do? Because we are doing this scoring system, at least if one of us get those items in each category completed, it helps. We do use the theory of baseball, if we get one out of four, you know, first base, second base, third base, but if we get all the way back to home, we get a home run. So let's clap it up. We got us three days Dream

Home Run exactly a three day streak.

So now that we're kind of hidden a streak here, what we want to do is try to eventually hit a target and keep up with our maximum streak. So I think it's very important to definitely celebrate this and I think we really want to close out the week strong. So for now, I definitely want to close out the week and keep this streak going. But you know, you never know. Take it one week at a time one day at a time. And we can go into next week a lot stronger. So if you're out there and You're worried or trying to find things that can really balance your life. This is something that can definitely help you get those key, the big rocks, the big priorities in your life, done first. And then of course, everything else can follow suit but building those relationships, even exercising, practicing something that you enjoy, and also making sure that you're sleeping to get that rhythm. So, if you're new to this channel, like and subscribe, definitely give us some encouraging words of what you're doing to build your reps.

Any last words everyone,

Congratulations to us. See you tomorrow. See you tomorrow.

Day 5: How to Improve Your Sleep?

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 07:20:38 GMT

Another Homerun!!! Let the Streak Days Begin

Text coming soon

Day 4: Listing The Things That Can Prevent Our Goal

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 05:40:50 GMT

Another Homerun!!! Now we need to get consistent

All right, so it's Monday, October 26 2020. Let's talk about our journey for today.

Another day, how's it going, dear, it's going good. I'm ready to get very consistent with this. I think we started it. And it is a journey. And when you start moving toward a goal, you start really realizing the resistance that comes up. So think is good to just stay consistent.

I agree. I agree. It's a struggle. But I'm glad we're back at it. Doing this, getting back at it. So let's talk through our day today. So today's Monday, Monday sometimes can be a challenge. But I think we did really well today on our are maintaining, you know, the personal spiritual connections, I think we were able to get to a point to where we took some time out today, we got to sit on the deck, talk reflect,

definitely got a chance to really focus our time to, you know, focus on talking on something outside of work. So I think it was good. So some of the things that are good to talk about is you know, even if it's something that's household related, like things that we want to improve in, or things that we need to update each other on, and it helps build some of our relationship.

Absolutely. Personal and spiritual.

Okay, and what about the he

that he was really good So today, I did eat healthy, I got some miracle noodles, I can put a link in in our blog for you. But I did get some different noodles, low carb for me, that's not one of my goals, trying to eat more low carb meals. And so I got a fresh batch of noodles I'm super excited about

and I did exercise, but I had to really deduct the point today, because I did eat some some got some Cheetos today, I had to eat a little bit of flaming hot Cheetos. So I consider those uh, you know, I will say I got 50% of that one. Yeah,

you did work out? Well, I

didn't. I didn't do well, we burned off the cheetah. Yeah. All right, and let's go into something that we practice and enjoy. So these are hobbies and things that we focus on, especially or learned something new. So what did we How did you did it in yours?

I did really good today. So I'm am studying for my real estate license. And I'm just about ready. I'm so shy gun shy about taking this first test. For the first course there's three courses I have to take. So I'm going back and reviewing the whole course taking a bunch of practice quizzes and things like that. And so I got through all of my practice quizzes today. And tomorrow, hopefully, I will take my

take my quiz. And for me, I've been working on my personal journal, just making sure I'm actually listen, even if it's just three or four sentences a day, I'm just reflecting on my day. And just really making sure that I'm really focused on how my thought processes are throughout the day. So I'm really just practicing, reflecting on the day and things that are within my control things I can change do better. So thing is, that's basically what I'm doing from a practice standpoint. And the last area is sleep and rhythm. So how did you do on that one, honey?

You know, I feel like I should really have a green checkmark right here. The only reason I don't is because you you're saying I didn't get my seven hours. I felt like I went to sleep early. I fell asleep a little bit earlier yesterday. But I trust you, it must not have added up to my seven. So

and because we didn't go through the wind down. Of course when you fell asleep, we fell asleep on the couch. And it was what it was Sunday night we were kind of recapping the weekend. So the key though, is making sure we really get disciplined about our hours. So I have to admit that we didn't really fall asleep until like 12 and I woke up and we both went to bed around by and I know for sure. Leila stayed up since then, even though you got up early, technically, probably should have just stayed in just like the start on Wednesday. But in the future we'll we'll work on just maybe loosen in some of the rules on that. But the goal is if we're if our body isn't there, our mind and everything else that kind of it'll be a domino effect off the day. So I really want to be a stickler on the sleeping rhythm.

I agree and that's why I put the x because if we this is what we said Our goal is I want to stick to that.

Alright, so overall, let's go into the next slide here. We did still hit a home run As also, each one of these areas, we do have a full check. So let's give ourselves so I will be adding some special effects that this may be some handclaps or something so that we can really make this a little more eventful. But overall, we are getting our reps in. So is there any closing remarks that you have?

Now I just I really like it. I do feel the difference in my day. When we go through this exercise. It is a struggle mentally sometimes because it's easy to fill my time with other things. But I like I wrote a list for me of things that I can distract easily distract me. And so I've been consciously trying to work on removing the distractions and things that prevent me from completing my reps.

So good ideas actually just lists some of those things. So what does that list again that you crave it?

So a couple of things that remember just off the top of my head, one of the things is TV. So for me, I have to limit my TV time because it's a time waster right? So I could end up just, it could suck the time out of my day.

So this is a list of items, things that can prevent you from accomplishing your Yep. Oh, it's good.

Yep. And I can't remember anything else offhand.

But well, that's good. I think that's a healthy thing to do. If you're going toward any type of goal, which we're trying to just get consistent, and complete in our reps. Also, think about some of those things that could prevent you from achieving that goal. And some things could be within your control, and then some things outside of your control. But it's good to even categorize that list accordingly. What you say,

I do, girlie has helped me and I do I keep it in front of me. Obviously, I can't remember at this minute, but you know,

well, since I think there's like tomorrow, you'll see what I have to I think we'll dig into that a little bit more and start thinking about what would prevent you from hitting their goals. So I think that's very healthy. And again, to categorize that list according to things that are within your control, and things that are outside of your control and how do you adjust when it happens. So, again, keep following us on this blog if you like this, definitely like and subscribe and follow encouraged us to keep going and let us know some of the things that you are listing if you are taking the reps challenge that could prevent you from completing your reps and how you overcoming it. So we'll talk to you later.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

The Discipline of Desire

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 05:29:11 GMT

Doing things daily as a starting point

Over the past few weeks, my wife and I've been really working a systematic way to increase some of the things that we desire that are positive for us. We sat and discussed our relationships, the way that we eat and exercise, the things that we practice and enjoy, and the things that help us get enough sleep and keeps us in a household rhythm.

One area that I really want to work on is increasing the discipline for the right desires. They're things that all of us want, whether it is an object, or a goal, or a feeling, we notice that we go through a certain process if we really want it.

One thing that that I am discovering is the first steps that starts us on this path is us reflecting on how we this about events in our day to day life. And when we think about the events or people in our life, we tend to cast some form of judgment and then eventually, it will cause us to want a certain outcome or to not want a certain outcome. Avoidance is still a desire that has to be evaluated.

So what I want to do is, first clearly state the things that I do want, and that specific want will increase my desire to be more disciplined.

Over the years, I've noticed that there are things that we want to succeed in our life. From the business that we work for to the people that we love our community. We find that we even stretch ourselves to sacrifice to the point where it can even hurt ourselves personally.

Now, we know that everyone has a scope of control, whether it's things that's happening within themselves internally, things that's happening within their household, their internal community, their society as a whole or the world. But we know that as we begin to interact with each area, we have to definitely represent those attributes that we want to see in our community within ourselves. But the key is to understand that there's some things that we will never be able to control. The world has its own course, the world has its own set of judgments. The world has its own path. I am learning that it is important for me to understand that as I begin to get closer within that dichotomy of control, it starts with me as an individual.

My wife and I noticed that we really focus a lot on our community, and we love our community. Therefore, it would be a shame not to focus adopting the good attributes that we've pulled from our community. From the relationships that we've developed within the community, the things that we do together, such as eating healthy, or exercising as a community, the things that we love to practice in our community or that we enjoy, and lastly the rhythm that we've developed within that community. At some point, your community will impact you or you will impact your community. So once you know that you're in the right community the best choice is to glean some of the things that you can benefit from.

For example, over the past few weeks, I've been noticing that people within my church community have been doing excerise challenges at home since everyone is locked in due to COVID. Therefore, it has increased a desire to come up to that same standard. If you're around good people, you're eventually become like them, just like it says they that are wise must be among the wise. So it's important for me to take on some of those attributes.

My wife and I outlined some of those as we begin to think about the individuals that we love in our community. We thought about some of their attributes and we talked about how we want to start focusing more on our relationships. I'm not only referring to our relationship with each other as a family or as the husband and the wife, but also relationships within our community and our deeper spiritual relationships.

One thing I noticed in order for us to accomplish these items, which we call REPS, is to focus on the discipline of desire.

I think John Locke, who is a philosopher said that the discipline of desire is the background of character.

I totally agree with this. I totally agree that if you have the right desires, you can begin to shape your character. But one thing I like to do is take it a step further. There is a known scripture, that is one of my favorites, and Psalms 37:4 that says the light that's self in the Lord, and he'll give you the desires of the heart. That doesn't mean that if you delight yourself in them, that you'll get a car or a new house. But I really believe that the key is when it states "of thine heart". And we know that there can be good and bad things within a person's heart, but I believe in this scripture is really referring to good things.

I want more of those good things to be in my heart. But in order to get there, it takes discipline. And of course, discipline is taken those repetitive tasks that I need to do to work toward it. It's 90% action and only 10% theory. So my goal is to really work on creating a system where we can do this daily, we can set a time in each day, to really talk with each other, both as husband and wife, and discuss what w've accomplished in each one of these areas. But it will require discipline, of course. We're gonna sit and we're gonna talk about how do we make this a repetition within our household.

Since we work 18 hour days, sometime we have to be careful of when that rhythm is thrown off, or when that rhythm is taken off its course. So this is our desire. This is our wish and I believe that if we do something consistent, we'll be able to unlock the things that we've been longing and hoping for as individuals. We are not focus on objects not focus on wants as far as possessions, but the focus on those deep character building events that happen in our life daily, and to begin to reflect on them.

What are you doing to focus on certain events in your day? Do you do it in the beginning of the day, or in the afternoon or at night before you go to sleep?

Day 3: Our First Home Run!!!

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 05:28:31 GMT

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DAY 2: Another 3rd Base Hit!

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 17:49:23 GMT

Day 2 of documenting our REPS and we were able to get in 3 out of 4 again. Still working to make time for the Exercise portion, although our eating has been good.

DAY 1: 3 out of 4 ain't bad!

msmith@clearstonehomes.com (Web Admin) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 18:42:57 GMT

It was a long day, but it feels great to finally start documenting our REPS!

Garden Lunch Tour #1 July 2020

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 00:00:00 GMT

My wife and I are currently executives of both a software development and consulting company that decided to help ourselves as well as other entrepreneurial professionals create better life balance. Our passion is helping others quickly gain clarity on what really matters in life.

We are dedicated to focus our lives on Health, Mind Fitness, Money Management, Wealth Management and Time Management.

This Channel is dedicated to our garden experience. We work together in the garden as a means of disconnecting from the hussle and bussle of the office.

How to Grow String Beans

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 06:14:09 GMT

Spring Garden Tour & Planning

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Seed Starting My Vegetable Garden for 2020

My wife and I are a part of the Journey of M+E (Marcus & Elealeh) and we are two extremely busy professionals in the tech and consulting space.

This is our first of many episode of Our Garden Experience.

We have started a garden to do 2 things.

To achieve a level of life balance. With us working so much we found that a garden has helped us decompress from our busy work schedule.
Change our relationship with food. We have been on a journey to institute healthier options.

Getting ready for the journey...

Sun, 15 Dec 2019 08:53:06 GMT

It's been a crazy day but it's the day we decided to start blogging and stop dreaming.