Goal Setting For A Better Life

There is no faster way to a better life - whatever that may be for each of us, than to formally review where we are at and look for areas we can improve.  A formal process of setting goals can help, but before that there is other stuff to know - like beliefs, how to set goals you can achieve, all of that stuff.

Here are some articles on some of these goals topics.

Goal Checker - Make The Right Goals
Goals Setting - Cheat Sheet

Beliefs and Goals

How To Set Goals You Can Reach

Focus Before Goals 

Steps To Creating An Achievable Outcome

Resolutions Vs Wishful Thinking

  

Keep Your Visitors Safe With These Tips For Better Food Handling

Can't stress enough the importance of understanding how to handle food safely. This article from the ABC gives some good background.

In summary:

Break up big batches

Feeding hungry hordes over the holidays often means making large batches of food in advance.If you are preparing large batches of food in advance, store them in smaller amounts in a number of separate shallow containers with lids.

Two, four, out...

When it comes to leftovers, it's important to remember that the temperature danger zone in which food poisoning micro-organisms thrive is 5°C to 60°C. A good rule of thumb is "two-four-out".

Don't wash the bird

Washing your chicken before you cook it is one family Christmas tradition you need to break.

Raw-egg roulette

If mayonnaise, tiramisu, mousse, eggnog and other dishes are holiday favourites for you and yours, then you should know foods made with raw or minimally cooked eggs are now the most common cause of food-borne salmonella outbreaks in Australia.

Watch out for the rice salad

Rice can be contaminated with the Bacillus cereus bacteria, which are found in the soil and plants grown close to the ground – including legumes, grains and spices, says Cathy Moir, CSIRO food microbiologist. When these plant foods are dried and stored, the Bacillus bacteria remain present as spores, which stay dormant until you add water – then presto, they germinate and grow. Unfortunately the cooking process doesn't kill the heat-resistant spores and once the cooked rice starts to cool, the bacteria thrive, and produce toxins that can make you very sick in a very short period of time.

  Wash your salad vegetables

Soaking your fruit or vegetables for hours before you eat them is probably overkill, but a thorough rinse in fresh water is a good idea.

Moir says rinsing does two things: it reduces your exposure to microorganisms that can make you sick, and may wash away chemical and pesticide residues.

Which mouldy cheese should you ditch?

If it's a hard cheese, then it will have a low moisture content and its dense structure means mould will usually survive only on the surface, rather than spreading invisibly into the cheese. So it should be safe to cut around the affected area and eat the rest of block.

Spread love, not germs

You already know this, but most of us don't do it frequently enough or properly – wash your hands.As well as your hands, you should also keep your kitchen surfaces and equipment clean – especially after using them for raw foods. Be sure to use a clean cloth and hot soapy water to wipe down surfaces.

See the full article for the rest of the information that you want to commit to memory for your #betterlife and good food handling skills. 

The Story Of The Fisherman And Working For More

I first heard this story about a Mexican fisherman. There is even another version about a hot dog vendor and his son that he sends to college. Whatever the country of origin, the story is a good one and points to the real issue that we can easily overlook. What purpose does this activity serve? 

A friend, in their early 50s, recently mentioned they would have to - not want to, but have to - keep working till they were 70. Now this person has a very nice lifestyle, lovely home, one child who is now grown and out working and a partner who works hard in their own business.  And I wondered ... How can we remember to notice and know when we have accumulated "Enough"?

There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village.

As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few big fish.
The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, “How long does it take you to catch so many fish?”
The fisherman replied, “Oh, just a short while.”
“Then why don’t you stay longer at sea and catch even more?” The businessman was astonished.
“This is enough to feed my whole family,” the fisherman said.
The businessman then asked, “So, what do you do for the rest of the day?”
The fisherman replied, “Well, I usually wake up early in the morning, go out to sea and catch a few fish, then go back and play with my kids. In the afternoon, I take a nap with my wife, and evening comes, I join my buddies in the village for a drink — we play guitar, sing and dance throughout the night.”

The businessman offered a suggestion to the fisherman.
“I am a PhD in business management. I could help you to become a more successful person. From now on, you should spend more time at sea and try to catch as many fish as possible. When you have saved enough money, you could buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish. Soon you will be able to afford to buy more boats, set up your own company, your own production plant for canned food and distribution network. By then, you will have moved out of this village and to Sao Paulo, where you can set up HQ to manage your other branches.”

The fisherman continues, “And after that?”
The businessman laughs heartily, “After that, you can live like a king in your own house, and when the time is right, you can go public and float your shares in the Stock Exchange, and you will be rich.”
The fisherman asks, “And after that?”
The businessman says, “After that, you can finally retire, you can move to a house by the fishing village, wake up early in the morning, catch a few fish, then return home to play with kids, have a nice afternoon nap with your wife, and when evening comes, you can join your buddies for a drink, play the guitar, sing and dance throughout the night!”
The fisherman was puzzled, “Isn’t that what I am doing now?”

Cycads In The Garden. Slow Growing But Bountiful

Cycads are plants that were around in the time of dinosaurs. They are slow growing but once they are established, they can be propagated from "pups". These are some that I have potted up for the season. With perhaps as many left to dig up and pot I am wondering what I will do with all these beauties once they get some more size on.

A garden is a great addition to making a better life. An embarrassment of riches - and all it cost is time.

Contemplating A Better Life

A better life. What does that mean? Different things for each of us. 

"To always be intending to make a new and better life 

but never to find the time to set about it is as to 

put off eating and drinking and sleeping from one day to the next 

until you're dead."

 ~ Og Mandino

It's easy to think 'better life' must be more money more expensive cars and luxury stuff. 

More growth in the economy. Indeed it could be something quite different. 


A better life could be:

• more time for ourselves, 
• more healthy lifestyle, 
• more opportunity to follow our special interests, 
• less stress, 
• less arguing,
• more sustainable way of living.
• more affection from our partner
• less confrontation at work
• more successful results in our business
• making progress in our career
• being able to travel
• clearing the clutter out of the spare room
• happy children with a nice place to live
• a vegetable garden
• redecorating your house
• learning to be good with money
• eliminating toxic debt
• being more generous
• mending fences with estranged family
• more positive outlook on life
• smile more
• relax more
• exercise enough for your body's needs
• eat well for your body and enjoy it
• learn more 
• understand more
• worry less
• be better organised
• be less controlling
• be more confident
• let go of the past
• have more fun 
• dream a great future
• learning to love yourself and others in a healthy way

What are three things you would like to be better in your life?