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Gina Prosch

finding joy one day at a time

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gina@lohmanhills.com

Promises to Keep

This morning we awoke to a skiff of snow, followed by freezing rain.

As the ice built up, I wondered if we’d have tree damage or maybe lose power from falling branches.

A couple of times, I went outside and stood on our deck listening for a crash, but when I didn’t hear anything, it got me to thinking about the old question of “if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it—does it make any noise?”

Writing a blog can be something of the same thing — if I write a post and no one comments, sometimes I wonder if it “made any noise.” That’s why I’m always so glad when readers comment on the blog, drop a line at Facebook, or send an email.

Last weekend a friend wrote to let me know she’d enjoyed my “Rest Your Mind” post from last Friday. Then she went on to share how each year she picks something to do ”just for herself” on a regular basis.

She said she picks little things like painting her nails with clear polish each week or putting on  hand lotion every time she washes her hands. I love this idea, but that absolute best part is the fact that she never tells anyone what she’s doing.

She’s making a promise to herself to do something nice for herself, something that doesn’t matter to anyone else other than herself.

How cool is that?  

It’s easy for people (particularly women) to get so caught up taking care of every one and everything around us, we lose our sense of self. 

That’s one of the reasons I’m so committed to making and following through on my focal point. It’s is a way of proving to myself that I matter to me.

When I say “find your focus,” I really mean “YOUR FOCUS” — not a focus for your extended family, not one for your kids, and not one for your partner.

A focus that is: Just. For. You.

  • If you want to focus on health, let it be because YOU want to focus on your health, not because someone is nagging you to be more healthy.  
  • If you want to focus on writing a book, let it be because YOU want to write a book, not because some has said “you ought to write a book.”
  • If you want to focus on learning Italian, let it be because YOU have always wanted to learn Italian and this is your year.

As I’m writing this, the sky is turning dark, the cedars drooping under the weight of the ice. Snowy evening always have me thinking about Robert Frost’s traveler, the one who stopped to look at the woods on a night like tonight. 

Frost’s traveler had promises to keep and miles to go before sleep. 

I don’t know what the promise was that he was keeping…but I certainly hope it was a promise he made to himself.

Filed Under: Gina Prosch Blog

Rest Your Mind

As I’m writing this, the first full week of January is history.

We’re already more than seven days into this new year of 2020. What was 52 weeks is now down to 51 weeks, and by this time next week, the first month of this brand new decade is more than half over.

And here I sit…with my list.

Years ago I would start each year with a list: goals and projects that I want to accomplish before next year at this time. Paint the downstairs bathroom, redesign a section of the flower garden this spring, eat healthy, set a regular schedule, keep the house more tidy and clean. 

The possibilities are endless, but it’s too much to focus on all at once. If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. If everything needs to be done, then nothing gets done. And all these to-dos are too much.  

So along with my list, I now have a focus word. It really helps, and it can help you too.

First off, decide on one single focus point for the year. Choosing one thing as a focal point means it’s easier to keep an eye on the prize. If all I do all year long is remember This. One. Thing. then all the little things will fall into place.

But when so many things are vying for my attention, what’s the best way to stay focused on the focal point? To keep the main thing the main thing?

That’s where simple, daily (and the daily part is important!) rituals can be your friend.

Don’t read. Don’t watch. Don’t consciously “think” about anything. Instead, focus your entire energy on the task at hand.

  • Do simple household chores — fold and put away the laundry or do the dishes and wipe down the countertops. Make order where there was chaos or clutter. 
  • Pick up some handwork — quilt, knit, or crochet for a while. Create something beautiful where you can see that little tiny stitches really do add up.
  • Tend to something living — water a plant or feed a cat. Shower a little love and attention on something you care for.

And as you do these simple things let your mind rest.  Don’t worry about anything other than whatever small task is before you. 

I often find when I focus my conscious thoughts on something mundane, I’m hitting a mental reset button that makes it easier to get back at it when the time comes.

In fact, it’s the exact process I used to come up with a topic for this blog post.

Filed Under: Gina Prosch Blog

On New Years and Mowing Grass

My lawn…before mowing it for the first time last spring.

It’s the first day of January — the middle of winter — and though (knock on wood) it hasn’t been overly cold so far this season, I find my thoughts turning toward summer. 

Of course, when it was summer, I did the same thing. As I rode my mower up and down the lawn, my thoughts turned toward this time of year…a time when I didn’t have to worry about cutting the grass.

Now, from my vantage point here at the beginning of a new year, I look ahead at the extended weather forecast, and think that for every day it’s temperate and not snowing and being generally disagreeable, I’m one day closer to crop pants and sandals.

What will life look like during those long, warm days? What things will have changed? What things will remain the same? More importantly, how can I make sure my year stays on track?

And that takes me back to mowing my grass. 

My yard has a few strangely shaped areas — a wide half-circle along the driveway, a fall-away embankment in the back yard, and then a long section on the northwest side of the house. 

That big chunk of lawn extends all the way to the hay field several hundred feet away. Sometimes I mow it in straight rows up and down and up and down, but other times I mow it at a 45 degree angle. 

Whichever pattern I’m mowing, the process is the same. From my starting location, I pick a fence post at the far end of the yard and focus on that spot, then I take my foot off the brake and mow the first strip, all the way from one end to the other.  

As soon as I get to the fence post at the far end, I turn around. And it’s funny, I can always tell my state of mind from looking at that first swathe of mowed grass.  

If I’m focused on what I’m doing, keeping my eye firmly on that fence post at the far end of the lawn, the line of mowed grass will be nice and straight, but when I’m distracted and turn my eye away from my marker, the line of mowed grass is always more curvy and irregular. 

And of course, that means the next several passes on the mower will take a bunch of extra effort to get things straightened out again. Sometimes I never get it straightened out the way I’d like, so I simply vow to do a better job next time.

I think the start of the year is exactly like making that first trip across long, raggedy grass. When I’m focused, my path through January, February, and March will be straight and well-directed. 

When I’m not focused? When my head isn’t clear? Then I arrive at the end of March (or worse…December!), only to look back at my path through this new year and think “What the heck happened here?!”

If I don’t take the time to find a focus for myself, my year will end up looking exactly like my messy lawn. Unfortunately, time isn’t as forgiving as grass.  

There aren’t any do-overs for the year 2019.  Now, all I can do is vow to do better in 2020.

For quite a while now I’ve become more fully committed to finding my focus as I move from the end of one year into the beginning of the next.  Having a single guiding thought for the year is like that fence post at the far end of the lawn, and keeping my eye on that one single idea helps me stay on track during the days, weeks, and months ahead.

This year having that sense of focus and direction seems even more urgent than usual because this isn’t simply the first day of a new month, it’s the first day of a new year in the first year of a new decade. 

I found my focal point, and now I’m looking at the figurative fence post that I’ve chosen to guide my thoughts this year, to help me start off on — and stay on! — the right foot for the coming month, year, and decade.

If you’d like help to Find Your Focus for 2020, please email me (gina@ginaprosch.com).  I still have a few open slots in my Find Your Focus class, but act now — enrollment in this class closes on January 5th.

Find Your Focus
Sign Up Now

Meanwhile, I wish you a happy and prosperous new year!

Filed Under: Gina Prosch Blog

Find Your Focus

It happens every year like clockwork — probably because in the back of my mind, I know the clock is ticking down on the current year.

This morning (December 26th) before my eyes were even open, my brain kicked on and I was wide awake thinking “Christmas Day is over…and now what…” 

I’ve entered the phantom zone between Christmas and New Year when every day seems like Monday…or Friday…or…? What day is it again?

And it’s weird because during this fuzzy time-outside-of-time, somehow the pace of life seems slower…and faster…all at the same time.

I call these the days of “I can’t even…”

  • I can’t even believe it’s the end of the year! It was Halloween just a few weeks ago. Right?
  • I can’t even think about the fact it’s soon time to take the Christmas tree down, it seems like we just got it all put up.
  • I can’t even figure out what to cook at night because it seems like we’ve eaten everything in the past couple of weeks.

It can be overwhelming.

And as soon as we’re finished with Christmas–people are asking about New Year’s Resolutions and what happens next after that and next after that.

For the past several years, to combat this sense of overwhelm which seems to come hand in hand with the holidays, I concentrate on my new year’s focus — a get clear on the new year.

The good news is, it doesn’t take long.

For instance, this morning I dedicated about an hour and a half finding my focus for the coming year.

And as a result I feel much better about where I want to go as the new year arrives. I now have a sense of clarity about where I want to go this year.

Now, for the first time I’m offering a class where I’ll walk you through my process — step-by-step — to help you Find Your Focus, too.  

So if you’re feeling like “I’ve got nothin’…” or “I just can’t even…”, then this is the class for you!

During the class you’ll get clear on where you’ve been and what changes you want to make in the year ahead.

When you’re finished the goal is to feel more calm and directed, ready to take on all the exciting new challenges that lie ahead.

You’ll have a single point to keep you centered and moving forward throughout the coming year.

My 2020 Find Your Focus workshop consists of a short homework assignment to get started, followed by a one-on-one phone call  to hone in on your focal point, and then a 30-minute follow-up a couple of weeks later.

Best of all it’s only $99 to get your year started in the best way possible!

Sign Up Now!

Filed Under: Gina Prosch Blog

Christmas Present

  • Download your #ThisDaysJoy cheat sheet!

This time next week Christmas 2019 will be over, so during the past few days I’ve been thinking about Christmas presents. More specifically, I’ve pondered the word “present.”

I’m fascinated by words which may be used in more than one way — say as a noun or an adjective, or perhaps as both noun and verb.

“Present” is a great word because it can be an adjective, a noun, or a verb (even though the pronunciation changes). 

Present — as an adjective, it’s the being present, living in the moment, fully focused on what’s happening right now, and soaking it all in.

Christmas Being Present is putting down the phone, turning on the Do Not Disturb, and paying attention to the people in the room with you. It’s turning off the television and turning on a conversation. It’s taking a walk outside and listening to the crunch of snow or the call of birds in the woods.

It’s using the moment of Christmas Being Present to build a memory when this year‘s holiday has become Christmas Past. It’s focusing on all five senses and paying attention to the things you see, smell, taste, touch, and hear.

Christmas Present — as a noun it’s the actual instant we’re always living in; it may also be the gift we give or the one we receive.

Just like the only day we ever has is today, the only Christmas we have is the one we’re experiencing right now. 

Christmas past is past, and all we have is the opportunity to make the most of this one precious Christmas Day, because no one is guaranteed another. And if there’s no guarantee of another Christmas Day, there’s no guarantee of another Christmas gift. 

Present — as a verb it’s the act of giving itself, the handing over or delivery of something special.

By the same token, Christmas presents are the gifts we are given and the ones we receive. It’s important to remember, each time someone hands you a gift, what they’re really doing is handing you a slice of their life. Gifts are the tangible symbol of the time it took to earn the money to buy the gift, and if the gift is handmade it’s representative of the time it took to make — it’s a slice of someone’s life that person will never get back. So, be thankful. Show gratitude.  

As a thank you to readers who have followed along with my blog this past year, who have commented and emailed, I created a present with you in mind.  So download your #ThisDaysJoy cheat sheet here.

It’s ideal for hanging on the refrigerator, sticking on the bulletin board or where ever is most handy. And please feel free to share with anyone you think might like to play along. Enjoy!

Until next time, I wish you the very happiest of holiday seasons.

Filed Under: Gina Prosch Blog

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