Bless This Stress


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The one thing that virtually all baby boomers have in common is the stress of living in this modern age.  So much has changed for baby boomers since they first enjoyed those days of youth culture when hairstyle and rock music seemed like the most important things in the world.  But, like all generations before them and to come, baby boomers had to grow up and take on the responsibilities of raising a family, making a living and figuring out their place in this big complicated world.

Stress comes from a lot of sources.  Obviously, we get it from work.  We think of the work place as a source of stress because it is a place where making a living is paramount and there are daily demands, deadlines and schedules to be met.  In addition, most of us have to deal with at least some difficult people during our workdays, which only compounds the stress.

But stresses don’t end when we walk out of our workplace.  Traffic itself can be a stress.  Then the joys of raising children and marriage can also bring some trials with them as well.  It is common to return home from a difficult day only to face serious problems at home.  In this situation, it seems that the stress and anxiety just keep mounting up. 

This is not the adult life most baby boomers envisioned in their youth days when they were idealistic and the world was their oyster.  But nobody told us that the reason the oyster is so beautiful is because it creates stress on the clam who copes with it by covering it with the smooth oyster material.  So stress can build us up and make something beautiful.  But it can also tear us down and lead to serious medical and mental problems if we don’t develop some coping techniques to deal with it. 

Some good coping mechanisms that many baby boomers have found helpful to defray the stress in their lives include…

1. Get away from it.  To put the cares of the world in perspective, we have to get away from them for a while.  If nothing else, just soaking in a hot bathtub with a good magazine, esdiential oils and some soothing music can wash away the cares of the world and let them swirl down the drain with the bubbles.  But look for chances to relax and put those worries aside for a little bit.  It will help you calm your mind, rest your system and be ready to deal with those issues without so much anxiety, which doesn’t do anybody any good.

2. Partner with your family.  Your spouse and children don’t want to see you stressed out.  But sometimes they don’t know how much they add to the problems when they throw the problems of the day at you as soon as you walk through the door.  It’s good for them to see the world through your eyes.  But remember that they are stressed with school or issues of work and relationships too.  So partner together to have a little time to just be family and love away that anxiety.  Everybody will be better for it.

3. Take time for health.  Its strange but our diet and restare the things we need the most to cope with stress and yet those are the areas of life that are most damaged if we let stress wear us down.  So go back to basics and make sure you get good meals, good rest and take care of yourself.  It will make you a better worker and stronger for your family as well.

Seeing stress as a serious enemy to your lifestyle above and beyond the causes of stress is a big step forward to not letting this enemy continue to damage your ability to be a good worker and family member.  But if you take action to keep stress from dominating your life, you are doing something very good for yourself and making yourself more able to attack problems and solve them with the creativity and intelligence people know you for.

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Creating Retirement Wealth


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As baby boomers are rapidly approach what used to be defined as “retirement age”, a big concern often comes up about whether there will be enough retirement savings in place to be able to live a comfortable life later in life.  There have been plenty of rumbles from Washington that the Social Security system will not be able to bear up under the huge demand the boomer generation will put on it.  So few baby boomers are looking to depend on that money being there, even though we are all paying into it every month.

On top of that worry, the method our parents used of working for the same company for 50 years and retiring with a hefty financial package and a gold watch has gone the way of the dinosaurs.  Long ago corporate America began to eliminate retirement packages as a straight forward benefit.  So many baby boomers find themselves approaching retirement age with insufficient retirement monies to support them.  What is needed is a solid plan to attack this problem while boomers still have a good 10 to 15 years of working potential in them.  Some principles of that plan might be…

Simplify Your Life.

When the kids finish college and get out on their own, you may find your life could be simplified considerably.  You might not need as big a house and many of the extras that were important when you raising a family in that house.  Do a thorough review of your assets and your expenses.  You will find you can cut costs significantly and even begin to cash in on some of the extras you have had all these years and put all of those savings into the bank as a hedge for the day when you are ready to retire.

Pack the Bank Account Now.

The empty nest syndrome isn’t all bad.  There are some real benefits to returning to a lifestyle of just you and your spouse discovering life together.  You have conquered many challenges raising a family in this tough world and you deserve to be proud of your life of accomplishment.  But now you and your spouse can take on a big challenge that is just for you which is to get out there and generate income for retirement.

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Mom can go back to work and both members of the union can take on as much work as can be found.  Often in the mid to late fifties, the primary bread winner may be able to retire from that job they have held down for several decades.  But instead of beginning to live off of retirement funds, get another career going that can generate another ten to fifteen years of income.  With good budget management, it’s very likely you will be able to bank at least one entire income if not more and put all of that money back into retirement. 

Working with your investment counselors you can find ways to shelter that extra income so it stays out of the tax system until you are ready to use it.  The good news is that this push for productivity and revenue generation late in life can lead to a healthy retirement budget that can benefit you well as you finally sit back to enjoy your leisure years in the rocking chair taking care of the grandkids.

Identify a Money Generator that Can Stay With You

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There are second careers that you can find that will become a good source of supplemental revenue even after you retire.  Start now looking for a potential “retirement career” which will be a line of work you can do even after you retire to generate additional income for you.  Writing or internet work is a good way to set up a home based business that you can continue to work at as long as you can type, see reasonably well and your thinking capacity is sound.

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Other examples of retirement careers are part time jobs as apartment managers or care givers, sales jobs in using the expertise from your primary career or jobs that are somewhat non-taxing such as greeting customers at a Wal-Mart or working in a book store.  And these retirement jobs have the double benefit of adding to your revenue resources and keeping you active and enjoying life in your retirement years.  And that is what all of us want.

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Monday Motivation


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Have you ever noticed to your self
the more you worry the more stressed you become? Please be aware:
To worry is hazardous to your health and your spirit. 

Focus on your faith.

There is no storm GOD carry won’t you through…
No bridge GOD won’t help you cross…
No battle that GOD won’t help you win…
NO Heartache that GOD won’t help you let go of…
He is so much bigger than anything you will face today…
Leave everything in his hands and embrace this day…
Confidently knowing he will take care of you.

#MotivationMonday #caregiverlife #caregiver

Building Your Business Through The Holidays


The last six weeks of the year is prime time to build your business. Actually  srating in October wouldd be ideal, because that gives you 90 days or so to end the year strong. This will require you to leave your comfort zone. I know how hard that is. I would rather bask in the food hangover after my turkey dinner, watch all of the football games and tailgate too. But if you just change your mind set slightly you will find that you can have it all. In fact Network Marketing to me was designed to allow women especially to have it all. Women are natural networker, caregivers hostesses, you name it we can do it. Building your business on conjunction with the holidays require you to add to whatever activity you plan or are participating, in just a little verbiage to find out what people around you need and fill that need. You will have to be inquisitive and ask questions.
Tomorrow I will go over a list of things to do to successfully build a thriving business during the holidays.

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A Historic Day


As I scroll through the pictures I took yesterday , I captured the moments that encompass how I conduct business everyday. You see I just go about my day and share this Crazy Wrap Thing. My smart phone is my coworker ready to help me record special monents. Today ItWorks! Global debuted our new Magazine “The Wrap”!
If I could turn handstands I would instead I will just let the photos speak for themselves.  I am excited. I shared the magazine with a lady that was literally 3 feet away from me. Then I asked her to please take my picture. She complied. I gave her a big hug and took a selfie with her.  Her name was Judy.

I started the day going to the bank, to the gym, to Kohls to purchase a birthday present for my hysband, (yay the magazine debuted on his birthday) I spent the evening celebrating my husband’s birth and the birth of our new business baby, “The W rap”

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I Have Carried This Weight Too Long


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This morning while strolling in my garden, I thanked God for how far I have come.

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A few days before this photo was taken,  I had an epiphany!  Actually the epiphany came on my birthday but it still took me weeks to act. One thing I am very clear about is how much I love my family and I want to spend the rest of my life letting them know how much they are loved. 

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Yep here I am on May 3, 2014, tired of carrying the excess weight and doing something about it. I joined a gym. I hired a personal trainer.  I continued to take my products that I promote.
I still have a few days left on my 12 week journey to fitness, so stay tuned and/or join me. Just let me know in the contact me box that you are ready. Here is a sneak peak of my progress

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Your sister in success,

Ruth