Jan

Surely this is a joke . . . I’m especially fascinated by the Omaha Steak advertisement on top!

Jan

Even though I read last fall that RSS adoption is only around 11%, I am frequently surprised to meet people who don’t use RSS feed readers, and don’t even know what that are. I don’t know why these people haven’t adopted RSS, because RSS is definitely better than a cute puppy.

This makes me sad, because RSS feed readers are wonderful tools.

I’m not a techie. Really, I’m not. But I love my Google reader. I love it because it sends me cool information and pretty pictures and interesting articles. Best of all, I don’t have to remember the names of the sites I like or visit them to see when they are updated. It’s wonderful.

If you are part of the 89% that has not adopted RSS, never fear. You can have a part in the RSS feed happiness.

You can get started by reading this nifty page from Google about RSS, feed readers, etc. After you read it, and get your Google Reader all set up, then you can subscribe to my feed!

Jan

I often pray that God would give me a good day. By that, I usually mean a productive day, with nothing particularly unpleasant in it.

Perhaps there is nothing wrong with that prayer. However, after reading the beginning of Job today, I am motivated to pray differently.

In the first chapter of the book, God challenges Satan to consider His servant, Job. Satan suggests that Job’s faith is a result of God’s blessings. Take away the blessings, and the faith will evaporate.

The rest of the drama of Job, of course, shows Satan’s attacks, Job’s faith, and God’s goodness throughout.

As I read that first chapter, I was impressed with the need for faith at the crisis points in life. It is good to have faith in the times of blessing, but absolutely crucial during hard times.

What is our faith worth if it cannot sustain us in times of crisis? Christ died to save us from the ultimate crisis, separation from God. In doing so, He gave us victory over the crisis of death, as well. But what about daily crises?

I think we all recognize that we need to trust God during crises. When we find out that someone has cancer, or a house has burned down, or a baby was miscarried, we know that we should pray and trust God.

But what about the smaller, daily crises? When I become angry because I am stuck in a traffic jam, is Satan standing before God, accusing my faith?

God is good, and I can trust Him. If I can trust Him to provide my eternal redemption, shouldn’t I trust Him during the petty grievances of life?

I believe that our faith is tested every day, but we often do not notice it. We view car accidents, deaths, divorces, and natural disasters as faith-testers. But we don’t notice the daily quizzes caused by irritations like headaches, arguments, computer crashes, and mistakes on our bank statements.

Perhaps, rather than praying for a productive, smooth day, I should pray for the Holy Spirit to help me trust God through the crises of today.

Perhaps I should pray for wisdom to realize that annoyances aren’t just annoying. They’re faith testers. Perhaps I should pray for grace, so that I may live by faith.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

-Hebrews 12: 1-2 (ESV)

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, ‘Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

-Hebrews 10: 36-39 (ESV)

Jan

Several fascinating pieces from the Wall Street Journal

“Alternative” Medicine is Mainstream by Deepak Chopra , Dean Ornish , Rustum Roy and Andrew Weil

The Opacity of Hope

Judge Obama on Performance Alone by Juan Williams

Conservatives have Answered Obama’s Call by Arthur C. Brooks

Government Spending is No Free Lunch by Robert J. Barro

Jan

I have always been fascinated with people who are experts in their fields. What makes them so successful?

One thing that seems clear (to me, at least), is that people who succeed are disciplined. They may not be disciplined in every area of their lives, but they at least apply discipline to their field.

Ron at the Wisdom Journal wrote recently in The Myth of Self Discipline about discipline. He asserts that discipline is a tool rather than a character trait. I’m still thinking about the implications of thinking this way, but the idea appeals to me. Thinking about discipline this way makes it more achievable. Of course, it puts the burden back on me, but that’s ok. I would rather be responsible for something, because at least then I can control it.

Since I am working from home, self discipline is becoming increasingly important to me. I have trained myself to perform to deadlines. When an obligation looms, I can get things accomplished. But when faced with a vague “ought-to” and no time schedule, I procrastinate. After reading Ron’s article, I decided that some research on the benefits of self-discipline might be good for me.

Here’s what I found:

Washington Post Article: Self-Discipline may Beat Smarts as Key to Success

This article references a University of Pennsylvania study which suggests that self-discipline is a very important factor in students’ academic success. I have long thought this; the problem is figuring out how to motivate students and help them practice self-discipline. Self-discipline may be a skill, but it’s a difficult skill to teach.

Steve Pavlina’s Series on Self-Discipline

Steve shares what he believes to be the five pillars of discipline: Acceptance, Willpower, Hard Work, Industry, and Persistence. After an introductory post, he has a post for each of the five pillars. The posts are inspiring, but after reading the series, I felt like I had read about 6 different topics (self-discipline and the five pillars). He also argues that self-discipline can be developed through hard work.

Study Hacks post on research re: self discipline

I like this post because it links to research about self discipline (I love research!). Much of the post is devoted to exploring the idea that motivation has a lot to do with willpower and self discipline.

Summary

Self-discipline is definitely helpful for getting things done. And getting things done is usually necessary for success.

However, self-discipline is no fun without motivation behind it. I’m working on being more self disciplined, but I don’t want to become a productivity robot. So now I’m interested in studying motivation, particularly as it interacts with discipline.

Jan

Nicholas Kristof’s opinion piece in the New York Times (Where Sweatshops are a Dream) brings up a fascinating point about sweatshops. Kristof talks about people whose lives are so miserable that working in a sweatshop seems like a dream. He suggests that sweatshops offer people a way out of poverty.

I think Kristof may have made a mistake by using the term “sweatshop.” A factory sounds infinitely better than a sweatshop.

Beyond that semantic point, the whole topic leaves me with very mixed feelings.

I feel sad for the people all around the world who are living miserable lives. I truly wish that all of them could have nice jobs, homes, and plenty of food. I don’t want them to work in a dump or a factory.

But I also realize that we can’t wave a wand and get rid of their poverty. Furthermore, it’s easy for us to look at their situation from our ivory American towers and declare that children should not have to work long hours in a factory for less money than we spent on our morning lattes. But what if that is the only way that child has a chance at a better life?

I read the editors’ picks of the reader comments on Kristof’s article, too. Those comments were just as interesting as the article itself. I came away with the sense that we’re all sad about these awful situations, but it’s difficult to know what to do about them.

Is it possible that a job in a factory could be someone’s dream come true? Yes. And maybe we Americans need to accept that.

Can we accept that while still abhorring slavery, and encouraging factory owners to provide clean, safe working environments and fair wages? I think we can, though we will need to remember that fair wages there aren’t the same as fair wages here.

And I will keep my opinions about minimum wage for another time.

Jan

Leo Babauta’s New Year’s Challenge may be just what you need to achieve your goals. Be sure to check out the other resources on his website, too! I hope to read his new book Power of Less soon, and I enjoy reading his blog.

His New Year’s challenge involves picking one new habit, and committing to practice that habit 10 minutes each day, for thirty days. Visit here to get the details.

Jan

I’ve told several people about my amazing measuring cup, so I thought I should share the joy with everyone (everyone who reads my blog, anyway!).

I really, really like my Oxo measuring cup. What makes it so special? Instead of having measuring markings on the side, this cup has measurements on an angled piece of plastic inside of the cup. This means that you can see the measurements while you’re pouring liquid, without breaking your neck to look at the side of the cup.

As measuring cups go, I think this one is a little expensive, but the convenience factor is definitely worth it.

This measuring cup makes a great gift. I know, because I was delighted when my sister-in-law gave it to me. I wanted to give one to my mom, but someone else beat me to it.  So, if you’re thinking about giving one to your mom for Christmas, you’d better change your mind and give it to her for Valentine’s Day, before everyone else beats you to it. If you fill it with chocolate, I’m sure she’ll love it.

And no, OXO did not pay me for this post. I just really like this measuring cup.

Jan

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but everybody else is talking about them right now. After reading half a dozen blog posts about New Year’s goals or resolutions, I can’t help thinking about my goals and all of the things I’ve been meaning to do.

I’m not very old, but I already know that resolving to do something is practically useless. Maybe it works for you–if so, congratulations!–but I will promptly forget my resolutions and not think about them again until a particularly depressing day in March. Goals are a little better, though I’m not likely to remember my healthy eating goal until I’m 7/8 of the way done with my bowl of ice cream.

But this post wasn’t supposed to be failure confession time. Instead of talking about lofty goals for the future, I would like to mention three things that help me achieve goals.

Small Goals

I like bite-size goals because they are easy to achieve. I find that it’s easier to motivate myself to complete a small goal and harder to come up with excuses for not meeting it. Granted, my daily progress is small, but over time, it adds up.

Daily Goals

I operate best when I plan in advance to accomplish things today. This helps guard against distractions and helps insure that I am making progress toward my larger goals. This corresponds to the first area, in that the goals have to be small enough that they are definitely achievable today. It also gives me less time to forget my goal.

Using Peak Energy Times

I’m currently working on making better use of my peak energy times. Like most people, my motivation fluctuates. Of course, my work is much better when I’m enthusiastic, and it is so nice to get things done without forcing myself!

For example, take the matter of washing dishes. I have nothing against washing dishes, but when I have fixed the supper and then stuffed myself with the supper, I have no desire to wash dishes. However, if I will fill my sink with hot soapy water when I start cooking, I can wash dishes as I go along. I save time by cleaning up while the food cooks and I have more time to relax after supper! I definitely have more energy before supper than afterward, so this is wise use of my energy.

It’s a mind game

I firmly believe that accomplishing goals/keeping resolutions/whatever occurs mainly in our minds. We use our minds to set the goal, to plan for the goal, and to motivate ourselves to achieve the goal. So rather than setting huge, unattainable goals, why not craft a strategy to help ourselves make daily progress on the things that are really important to us?