A Key to Productivity

Last week I was watching some Ted Talks when I saw a very interesting one. It was a man talking about a transformation that occurred in his life, and all it took was to wake up early. He made the goal to wake up at 4:30 am for 21 days straight. He chose 4:30 am because that is what most successful CEO's commented as their wake-up time. He chose 21 days because science shows that it takes 21 days to make a habit. By following through with his goal, he noticed that he was more productive and slept better at night. After watching this Ted Talk, I too had the desire to make a change. I have made the goal to wake up at 5 am for 21 days straight. I started on Monday February 22, and let me tell you, it is difficult. I was able to wake up at 5 am for 3 of the 5 days; however, the days I was successful, I noticed a great increase in my productivity. I was able to accomplish more school work, house work, and work at my job. I also noticed that I was able to fall asleep faster than normal. So, now, I have to keep up the goal. I need to continue to do this for 21 days straight to create the new habit. I am excited to see the results from this little experiment of mine.

This week I learned something new about what I love doing. So, I have a friend who is currently taking Accounting 200. She is having difficulty learning the class material and asked that I help her. I discovered that I love teaching, especially topics that I am passionate about, such as accounting. I never saw myself as the one to enjoy teaching. Teaching always seemed difficult and foreign, but when you love it and watch others grow in their understanding, it becomes so amazing. It just took me by surprise how much I enjoy helping and teaching.

I now want to get more involved with helping and teaching. I am not saying that I want to be a teacher by profession, but in the background, I do. There are talents and abilities that I have and can use to help benefit others, and I can benefit even more by teaching these skills and talents. So, I am going to look for ways in work, school, church and friends to teach and uplift.

The Need for Mentors

For my job at H&R Block, you are constantly learning. The world of taxes is very big and complex. It helps when you have a mentor or guide to help you to learn and grow. I have been blessed to have an experienced tax professional watching over me and showing me how to best prepare taxes. I didn't seek her as a mentor, but she has been so kind to help me.

What I have learned is that wherever we are, we need mentors. They have so much to teach us and to show us. We can learn from mistakes their mistakes, and hopefully not make them. My goal is to look for mentors in my other areas of life, as a student and disciple of Christ. I have learned so much and grown as a tax professional, and I know by finding a mentor I will  be able to grow as a student and follower of Christ.

A Running Injury

I love running. It is my favorite pastime, and you learn so much about life from participating in this de-stressing activity. Recently, however, I have been suffering from an injury. The iliotibial band (IT band) is a structure that starts at your hip and connects to the top of your shin right by your knee. The IT band helps you to stabilize yourself while running and performing other athletic activities. While on a long run nearly a month ago, I irritated it. What happens is that it moves right near your knee and when lacking strength in the IT band, it begins to rub on the knee and becomes irritated. Once irritated, it REALLY hurts. I was forced to stop running for a few weeks. After a few weeks, I figured that I would be good to go. I discovered that after two-days of running, the problem still existed. I began to do research on the internet and I discovered something that changed how I view not only injury recovery but life. Most specialists agreed that to treat IT band issues, it is not enough to just rest, ice, or stretch. You have to change your exercise routines to strengthen your IT band. The problem started because it was weak. To fix it, you have to make your IT band strong. After starting to do exercises for my IT band, I feel so much better.


Life is so much the same. We often think that by taking a break, or taking the easy route, that it will eventually work out. However, we are often in the pickle we are in because of a weakness, and we have to make that weakness strong. We need to exercise and strengthen ourselves to overcome life's many challenges. My new goal is to focus on strengthening and not just flying by.