one.two.three. easy.peasy.

Marlo and her trusty side-kick, Tuna Catinator, are working towards becoming the most powerful attorney-cat team in America. Her insight has provided many valuable things. These three things today are some of my favorite.

Blog Prelude: Sometimes the Universe reaches out and drills a little sumptin sumptin home with repetition. I was on the receiving end of four submissions in one week and every single one of them had at least one recurring theme. My friend Marlo caught most of them here. This is what it looks like when I'm shoutin' out to Marlo Hamrick. I love the way she handles thesethreethings.

one Tell people what you want. Do not make them guess. Some people think it's impolite to speak your wishes. They are wrong. It is impolite and inefficient to not voice your desires. If you remain silent when you really want something, you will be sad, and sadness is contagious. Don't get me wrong ~ you won't always get what you want, but you're a lot more likely to get it if you ask. If you're meeting a friend for dinner and they suggest Asian or Italian, but you really don't want Asian today, don't say “You choose.” There's a high likelihood you'll end up grumbling in to your General Tso's Chicken. If you'd rather Italian, speak up! There's a reason your friend gave you a choice. While the choices aren't usually about dinner, the chance to speak up is often there. Even if it doesn't seem like it some days.

two Those good habits you're starting now? Keep them up. I am especially referring to eating well, drinking enough water, and keeping your body moving. Continue all the good habits, but especially the ones about your health. These things will build a wall of protection around your body. When illness and old age try to sneak in, you'll have your strong walls to keep you going. Really. Exercise, nutrition, and hydration can prevent all kinds of things, like: strokes, diabetes, heart attack, dementia, crabbiness, bone breaks and cancer. Plus, you'll enjoy being here now more, too.

three Always do a pre-flight reality check before you take off. Dream big! Really! Do. But, when you're sitting down to make your plans, don't forget to make room for some reality in there. I dream of saving the world! (How's that for big?) My plans include small steps so I can add my piece to the pile of effort going towards saving the world. There are some things I won't be able to do ever (like pee standing up without making a mess) and somethings I can't change (like the not playing sports as a kid). By a series of reality testing, I have figured out how my effort can best fit my Big Dreams. This doesn't have to be a massive downer, just take a second to check in with what the world is saying to you. Sometimes this means allowing enough time for the dreams. Sometimes it means acknowledging weaknesses. Sometimes it means embracing more opportunities for greatness than you knew of.

copyright 2011 marlohamrick moemasters thesethreethings

3 teeny-weeny digital things

one If something online seems too good to be true, or if it appeals to the most base of all your instincts: Do NOT click on it ... Free airline tickets, "Click here to see who's stalking you," "Look what this father did to make his daughter jump out of a moving car," and generally anything that has exclamation marks (!!!!) should be avoided at all costs ~ all of these, sadly and unfortunately, fall under the umbrella of Shady. Shady, shady shady. Don't even click on them because they will automatically launch little bots that harvest all your info and part of your friends' stuff. So not cool.

two If you have your Instant Message (IM) application open (in facebook and/or Google or whatnot) and you get a note from somebody saying something (anything) about you dancing funny in this video, or the hidden video shot of you in the bathroom or whatever else makes you twitchy: Do NOT click on the link. For real. Just don't do it. Immediately shut down your IM window and send a PM (Private message) to the sender and remember that you are smarter than that. Should it come to pass that someone on your island (among your "friends") is inclined to grab to this low-hanging fruit every single time ~ you may be well-advised to let them off your island.

three  Be sure to take "Digital Breaks" from time to time. Lay down in the sun, on a patch of grass or some white sandy beach, without your shoes and socks on. Don't have anything electronic or satellite-driven near your hands. It may seem unreasonable to be all disconnected like this, but give it up for a minute or two and don't get online. You can do this.


copyright 2011 moemasters thesethreethings

three more things

one If you think you've got it bad (bad day, bad hair, no friends, bad back or no money) - Do something for somebody else. Get outside yourself and go get reminded that no matter how bad you've got it, there are always going to be people who have it much worse. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of that, and sometimes the only way to do that is to take an adventure to Worse-Off-Than-Me-ville.

two Some people are energy grabbers (life-stealers, moment-robbers, fun-killers ... whatev ...) and you have been given the gift of knowing this. Don't spend your time there with them because it's a catchy disease and can taint your well-being. When you find yourself keeping company with someone who is clearly incapable of saying anything good about anything or anyone: Run away. You'll know them when you meet them, just don't humor yourself into believing that you can help them embrace their inner positive side; they may not have one and it will wear you down to nothing.

three Don't use your laptop on an upholstered surface (like a couch or a bed) because it won't get good air circulation and could easily over-heat and live a short life. If you have some Blue Ice or a bag of frozen vegetables (corn and peas work great) - wrap them in a bandanna or something and put them under your processor. Remember to flip them over from time to time so you don't smell them cooking.

copyright 2011 moemasters thesethreethings