BouncebackCafe.com » goals http://www.bouncebackcafe.com Dedicated to finding useful, resilient solutions to life's adversities. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:01:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Is It Time for a Sprint Or Maybe a Fartlek? http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/is-it-time-for-a-sprint-or-maybe-a-fartlek-3015 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/is-it-time-for-a-sprint-or-maybe-a-fartlek-3015#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 08:01:04 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=3015 We’re coming up on year-end… is it time for a sprint to the finish line? ‘Nobody Beats Us!’ According to our plan, when I said these words toward the end of the race, we would immediately shift into our final sprint, rowing as high and hard as possible, straight through, until we crossed the finish line. — Brad Alan Lewis from Assault on Lake Casitas It’s that time of year when many of us take a bead on how we’ve done on the goals we set for ourselves. And, with the holidays now in full swing, it’s also time to figure out how to take care of ...Continue reading » Is It Time for a Sprint Or Maybe a Fartlek?]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/is-it-time-for-a-sprint-or-maybe-a-fartlek-3015/feed 0 Tomorrow is Another Day http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/tomorrow-is-another-day-2914 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/tomorrow-is-another-day-2914#comments Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:01:25 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=2914 Last week, I wrote about the idea of making tiny changes. It seemed like a good idea at the time and still does, but before I got very far into the whole experiment I discovered one of MY big problems… I never leave well enough alone. I have two tendencies that get me into trouble – ramping up too quickly and visualizing ahead. Today, as I was walking the dog, we came back past the local church. As we headed for it, I wondered how well I would do as we climbed the hill. Usually, I set a good pace and then stop and catch my breath at the top of the hill. Well, we got to the top of the hill and I wasn’t out of breath. There was only one conclusion to draw ...Continue reading » Tomorrow is Another Day]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/tomorrow-is-another-day-2914/feed 0 How to Unfuddle Your In-Betweens http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/how-to-unfuddle-your-in-betweens-2784 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/how-to-unfuddle-your-in-betweens-2784#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:01:48 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=2784 Today is a “moodling day” in which I get to do some enjoyable tinkering and, hopefully, arrive at some creative insights about the “in-betweens,” AKA the “not quite there yets,” also called the second stage of a transition: The Neutral Zone. I’m starting my moodling session by playing with a silly little prefix named “Peri” – and just in case you wondered, I’m not referring to the mythical and possibly vengeful sprite named ...Continue reading » How to Unfuddle Your In-Betweens]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/how-to-unfuddle-your-in-betweens-2784/feed 0 If You Had the Chance… http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/if-you-had-the-chance-2566 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/if-you-had-the-chance-2566#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:01:25 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=2566 Chasing too many objectives? Feeling flummoxed? Emanating from the TV I heard this question: “If you had the chance to walk the Oscar’s red carpet, how would you get ready?” That’s when this thought-thread wormed its way into my consciousness: What do people do to get ready to walk the red carpet? ...Continue reading » If You Had the Chance…]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2011/gen/if-you-had-the-chance-2566/feed 0 Struggle Less http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/struggle-less-2081 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/struggle-less-2081#comments Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:01:05 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=2081 Do you ever feel as if your life is just one big struggle? I know I do. In her book, End the Struggle and Dance with Life, Susan Jeffers focuses on what it means to have a successful life. She takes issue with how goal oriented we are – often at the expense of the rest of our lives. In great big bold type she declares: GOALS ARE NOT OUR LIFE. NOW IS OUR LIFE. In even bigger type she shouts: ...Continue reading » Struggle Less]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/struggle-less-2081/feed 3 2-Hell-With-It? http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/2-hell-with-it-2068 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/2-hell-with-it-2068#comments Wed, 06 Oct 2010 07:01:47 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=2068 Do you have to love the process or 2-Hell-With the goal? In answer to the question “how do you get back up on the horse?”, one of our readers, Shoalisme, wrote an interesting response: Hm-m-m! I never really thought much about that before, but I suppose I don’t ever get ON a horse that I don’t want to ride. It has 2 look pretty fun and pretty gentle…or I just take a pass. I have 2 REALLY believe I want to ride it – and if I get on and discover it’s a buckin’ bronc or a boring old nag, I just move on to something else. I don’t usually look back and regret that I moved on. For me, life is way 2 short 2 b uncomfortable or 2 push myself towards ...Continue reading » 2-Hell-With-It?]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/2-hell-with-it-2068/feed 0 Success Through Vision http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/success-through-vision-2025 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/success-through-vision-2025#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 07:01:30 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=2025 Instant gratification, it’s what we’re all about. Most of us want to be rich or skinny or talented or married or divorced… NOW! Human nature being what it is we don’t like to wait for anything. We know that to lose weight healthily, we need to do it over time, gradually increasing our level of fitness and increasing the healthiness of the foods we eat. But, HECK, now that we’ve made the decision, we want the effect to be as close to instantaneous as possible. When it isn’t, we quickly get discouraged. Some Things Take Time As Albert Einstein said, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” The key to making time work for you is to have a vision that is so strong that it pulls you towards it every day. Think about it, we don’t have a problem planning for our ...Continue reading » Success Through Vision]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/success-through-vision-2025/feed 0 Start Somewhere http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/start-somewhere-1898 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/start-somewhere-1898#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:01:56 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1898 Recently I wrote about my frustration at not having a vision for going forward: And, as often happens, a teacher (several in fact) appeared… First I came upon a simple e-mail poem that struck a chord: It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God’s design; But I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands of mine. The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to such as I. GOD opens this flower so easily, but in my hands they die. If I cannot unfold a rosebud, this flower of God’s design, Then how can I have the wisdom to unfold this life of mine? So I’ll trust in God for leading each moment of my day. I will look to God for guidance in each step of the way. The path that lies before me, only my Lord knows. I’ll trust God to unfold the moments, just as He unfolds the rose. — Unknown Interesting, simple analogies about roses and butterflies are teaching me that I don’t need to figure it all out right now, I can figure it out as it unfolds… The Power of Intention ...Continue reading » Start Somewhere]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/start-somewhere-1898/feed 0 Little Changes Into Big Ones http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/little-changes-into-big-ones-1876 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/little-changes-into-big-ones-1876#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:01:19 +0000 PattiAnn http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1876 This past weekend was the 75th anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous, the group that helps others like themselves by “having one drunk talk to another” and by taking one day at a time. The secret to their success is that they know that little changes come from doing something that we didn’t used to do, every day. Over time the little changes become big changes and we’ve accomplished something that we never knew we could. In this week’s LA Times, a recovering alcoholic told his story. In the article, Chas relates how he really, really didn’t want to go to his first AA meeting. He had seen AA help his father, his uncle, and his three brothers, but he had lots of reasons it wouldn’t work for him. A friend got him to go to a meeting anyway. He writes: ...Continue reading » Little Changes Into Big Ones]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/little-changes-into-big-ones-1876/feed 2 Delight over a Missed Goal http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/delight-over-a-missed-goal-1318 http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/delight-over-a-missed-goal-1318#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:01:47 +0000 Ellie http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/?p=1318 Carr Bridge - the old bridge - ScotlandHave you ever been disappointed at not reaching your goal but somehow found that you were delighted with the outcome anyway? We recently experienced an extraordinary week of rain here in sunny California.  And when the weather forecasters declared an end to the onslaught, I decided to indulge in the luxury of taking my car to the carwash.  I had an hour to wait so I went for a walk on the river trail.  My goal: To the bridge and back.

Disappointment

I didn’t get as far as I expected. At the half hour mark, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bridge, I pushed on… and then on some more… but the bridge continued to hide “just around the bend.”  With time ticking, I realized I wasn’t going to get to the bridge – and, disappointed that I’d missed my goal, I reluctantly turned and double-timed it back to the carwash where my clean car awaited me. I guess it’s human nature to be disappointed when we don’t get as far as we expected. I remember when, back in my corporate days as a sales manager, one of my rookie sales people aimed to be “Top Sales Leader of the Year”. He really put his heart and soul into it.  He came in second. That’s when it pays to remember: ...Continue reading » Delight over a Missed Goal]]> http://www.bouncebackcafe.com/2010/gen/delight-over-a-missed-goal-1318/feed 0