I Hope You All Had A Merry Christmas!

Here are some pictures of me having fun with some of my 'tree'-mendous team at our 'tree'-ditional Company Christmas Party!!

I love Christmas and have 20 Christmas trees in my house!

Don't Make Another Resolution!

Will you achieve more in the next 12 months than you have in the last 12 years?

Are you motivated right now because it’s the end of the year and you’re getting ready to make those oh-so-common “resolutions”?

You don’t have to “resolve” to get where you want to go in 2008. We’ve got the resolution solution!

Let's talk about 'resolutions'; we all make them and we all break them. We don't keep our resolutions because something comes against us--the Motivation Assassinators. You can ignite, achieve and maintain never-ending motivation by overcoming the 7 Motivation Assassinators, FBHEEST:

So take a few minutes, read the descriptions below, see which assassinators come against you and then click on the link that will change your life forever by helping you to never need to make another resolution again.

F = Focus, or lack of focus.
We set a goal, build a dream, even create a plan. Then 3 days later, we're no longer thinking about it. YIKES!! The lack of focus has attacked and we don't even realize it! Here's the fantastic news.

* When we make up our minds to think on what we want each day, several times a day
* When we review our goal sheet at least weekly
* When we focus on what we need to be doing and when we need to be doing it

...we can actually keep all the other Assassinators from attacking at all!

B = Belief, or a negative belief system.

Do you think things like:
'I can't do this,'
'This is too hard,'
'I just wasn't created for this,'
'My family isn't this way,'
'I'm not smart enough, strong enough, or good enough'?

These all come from a belief system. Past experiences tell us these things, but they're LIES! This Assassinator is the biggest liar of them all! When this guy shows up, simply identifying him starts the process of defeating him. When these thoughts show up, identify them as the Motivation Stealers that they aren't and don't let them do their dirty little deed of taking your motivation away!! You deserve to achieve your goal and your negative beliefs can be turned positive. You can KNOW your goals are as good as achieved!

H = Habits. This one is the sneakiest.
We don't even realize we're:
* Spending, because we do it all the time,
* Eating the chips, because it's what we do all the time
* Arguing, because it's what we do all the time.

Maybe it's laziness or doubt that's your nasty, motivation-killing habit. In any case, it can be changed. Detrimental habits don't need to be removed; they need to be replaced with healthy habits.

E = Emotional Reaction. This one is the most common of all. Do you find yourself becoming seriously angry or tearful when something happens to wreck your plan? Are there times it may not be the best reaction, but you do it anyway? Do you ever run for comfort foods or a comfort position like in front of the TV or computer? Ah hah!! The Emotional Reaction guy has struck!! Take him out by deciding to respond instead!

E = Energy. Which Energy Drainers Are Most Common for You? The number one culprit, if you’re feeling zapped of energy, is most likely stress. The other common energy drainers include:
*Excess weight--Everything in your body has to work harder because of the extra weight and that’s an energy drain.
*Indecision, which could be worry or anxiety, or just indecisiveness about something can drain our energy as well. It takes extra energy to think constantly about an unresolved issue.
*Lack of sleep depletes our internal battery so you never feel fully charged. The next one is excessive sugar or high-sugar carbohydrates in your diet.
*Over use of Caffeine
*Low protein in your diet
*Improper organ function
*Intestinal problems

S = Surroundings / Social Influence. This affects the others most easily. Your Fist Factor determines so much! Do you behave in certain ways because people around you expect you to? Nonsense! This Motivation assassinator is the easiest one to transform!! It takes 6 positive relationships in order to maintain you being a healthy, balanced person. Do you have them?

T = Time Management...This is the biggest culprit of the 21st century! You may:
* Over-promise
* Try to fit too much into one day
* Always feel behind
* Be too busy
* Procrastinate
All of these are Time-Management issues.

Now don't despair! Right now you can click here to learn more about the RESOLUTION SOLUTION! Don’t wait another second! 2007 is coming to a close and 2008 can be amazing if you can tap into your own Never Ending Motivation.

One Solitary Life

One of the most important areas of health is spiritual health. It is through spirituality that humans find our purpose and meaning. Spirituality is expressed through faith. Mine is Christianity. The following article reflects my faith and is my favorite Christmas composition. After that, there’s a word on Christmas from our buddy Zig Ziglar and myself.

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village where He worked in a carpenter's shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He traveled and preached. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He did not go to college. He never visited a big city. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He did none of the things man usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.

He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a stake between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only property He had on earth, his coat.

When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Two Thousand years have come and gone and today He remains the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind's progress.

All the armies that ever marched, all the fleets that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of men on this planet so much as that One Solitary Life. ~Dr. James Allen Francis, originally published 1928

Greetings from Zig’s Newsletter. Most of you will be reading this a few days before December 25, the day celebrated by Christians as Christ's birthday.

Thanks to an elderly black lady who spent the July 4, 1972, weekend in our home, I committed my life to Christ and every facet of my life was radically changed for the better. I became a "new creature" and quickly learned that God's possibles are infinitely greater than man's permissibles. As I studied Biblical principles and started teaching them, my career exploded. When I accepted Christ as my Lord, I received my "BA"-- that's "Born Again." As a born again Christian I became a joint heir with Christ to the Kingdom of God and truly fell in love with my wife of over 28 years. Loving her through Christ really taught me what love was all about.

As a born again Christian I wanted to share my faith with others and make decisions that reflected that faith. In that process I received my second degree, the "DD"-that's "Disturbing the Devil." Yes, Satan is the devil, and he is the author of lies. When people see the joy in my life (and it's more evident all the time), Satan doesn't like that, and when I call him a liar and tell people about the Bible, that, too, disturbs the devil. When I am privileged to bring someone to a saving knowledge of Christ, that disturbs him even more.

As I continued in my Christian walk I received my "Ph.D.," which means that I am "Past Having Doubt." Our pastor teaches that when we believe God can do it, that's little faith. When we believe that God will do it, that's big faith. When we believe it's a done deal, that is perfect faith.

In this Christmas season we hear people using the term "happy holidays." Needless to say, when Muslims are celebrating Ramadan, nobody says to them, "Happy Holiday," and when my Jewish friends are celebrating Yom Kippur, nobody says to them, "Happy Holiday." However, at Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ (without which there would be NO Christmas), more and more people are sending "Happy Holiday" cards. When I'm greeted with "Happy Holidays!” I smile (and I encourage you to do the same thing), thank them, and then say, "I'll go you one better. I'll wish you a Merry Christmas, since this is the celebration of the birth that had the most impact of any birth since the history of mankind." When the Babe in Bethlehem was born it was announced that He was the Savior of the world. When He made the supreme sacrifice on the cross, He simply said, "It is finished," because when He arose three days later He had triumphed over the grave.

Christianity is not a "religion." It is a relationship with Christ as Lord. All "religions" require that you work your way to Heaven with your good deeds. In Christianity, we believe our way into Heaven. The Bible clearly says that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from death, we will be saved.

Christmas is extraordinarily special to me and all born again believers.

Merry Christmas to all! ~Zig Ziglar

My prayer is that you’ll invite the Prince of Peace to live in your heart this season. Merry Christmas Thin&Healthy’s Total Solution friends and family. You are one of the most amazing gifts in my life.

~Donna Krech