Work is an opportunity to bring something forth - to create something, complete something, invent something original and authentic. Alexandra Stoddard, Daring to Be Yourself.

Update (Tuesday): 40 minutes cardio (walk through town); 8 minutes stretching.

We fight against work. Our American culture celebrates days off, relaxation, vacation, rest, television, games, sports, contests of any kind, races, entertainment: not work, not any more.

Work is a punishment to us, a drudgery we must get through to get to the "good stuff" of life. Books like The 4-Hour Workweek and the popularity of passive income rise from this mindset. Of course, it's great if you can work more reasonable hours and spend more time with your family. And I am all for the idea of generating income through any ethical means you can. (You might notice the ads on this website...) If you are producing anyway, why not attempt to make money? It's good sense.

But the obsession that I notice, the one that worries me, is not that people want to simplify a bit or be smarter about how they earn money for bills; simplifying and smart earning are potential steps to improving your life. What is not a step toward life improvement is the "I-hate-work" attitude.

What's to hate about work? We've all had jobs, at one time or another, that didn't suit us, perhaps, that were far more drudge than delight. Maybe we hated those jobs. In high school, I hated babysitting. I liked the kids, because I was very picky about who I chose to babysit for. But I hated the times - nights and weekends - when I had to be away from my family, cozy at home or doing fun things without me. Even though I hated babysitting, though, I got the work concept and I liked it: I give you my time, service, or product, and you pay me. An equitable exchange. I put up with the timing I didn't like because work was worth it.

In college, I waitressed (among other things). I hated those hours too, nights and weekends again, but I loved the work when it was busy and I was running, jumping, talking, smiling, being efficient, making people happy, working. I hated being there on slow lunches during the week, or on dead holiday nights when everybody in my college town was out of town. Four or five tables, four or five hours of looking for something to fix, or clean, or make, or do, and twenty bucks in my pocket when I walked out? The immediate problem seemed to be not enough pay; the real problem was not enough work. Lack of work created lack of pay.

And that's the problem with many passive income ideas, and with almost all get-rich-quick schemes. The nature of work is that you produce something of value to generate a fair income. An equitable exchange. Value for value. Passive income can work if you create value that will last and can be used over and over again, as in getting royalties from a book or rent from an apartment complex. But expecting to generate income from no value almost always leads you toward unethical "work": spamming, cheating, plagiarizing, defrauding, etc.

"It is not that men are ill fed, but that they have no pleasure in the work by which they make their bread, and therefore look to wealth as the only means of pleasure." John Ruskin, Stones of Venice.

We buy into ideas that don't make sense and can't, ethically, make us money, because we have not learned to value work for its own sake. We think of work as nothing more than a frustrating job we wish we could afford to lose. Money seems like the answer.

The real answer is finding the work you love by learning to love work.

Resources: The best place to start is in the Bible, book of Genesis, first two chapters. Here we see man and woman, in a perfect world, freshly created. Here we watch God give them their instructions: work. Work is not a result of sin, didn't come as a punishment after man's fall (though it did change, and that's part of our problem); work was something for which we were created.

Tip: Determine your own attitude toward work, whether it's a weekend job, a full-time career, or an endless stream of laundry, cooking, cleaning, organizing, and teaching. Do you strive to get through stuff so you can get to the good stuff? Are you cheating yourself out of the delight and fulfillment that come from doing your work with zeal and a standard of excellence?

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1

When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world. George Washington Carver

Update (Saturday/Sunday): Normally my day of rest occurs on what we officially recognize as the day of rest: Sunday. This week, however, Saturday was my off day for exercise. So Sunday I did 30 minutes cardio (we walked around town) and 10 minutes stretching (while watching funny YouTube videos with Joe; maybe this is why I like stretching).Humor is healthy. It's like stretching for the brain.
Resources: Exercise your brain with these silly quizzes or with these puzzles or with the suggestions from this article.Then stretch: Read some jokes, or better yet watch the Vintage Jesus videos (read the explanation behind the videos here). Oh, you'll laugh.

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. Proverbs 13:11

Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. George Washington Carver

Update (Friday): 20 minutes cardio (aerobics); 10 minutes stretching.

I am really starting to enjoy the stretching. It's getting to me. I feel... well... stretched. (Profound.)

Resources: I recently read Organizing for Success by Kenneth Zeigler. I'm addicted to organizing books. I should get help, but I don't know of any group called "Organizing Books Addicts Anonymous." Maybe I should start the first OBAA. We can have a sheep (with glasses, and a book, and paper for taking notes, and a selection of pens, pencils, and highlighters, and file folder just in case) as our mascot.

My personal problems aside, I recommend this book if you are a fellow potential member of OBAA or if you actually just need help organizing. It deals with time management, work, productivity, and some good habits to incorporate whether you are the CEO of a corporation or a household, or both.

A couple of my favorite concepts from the book:

• The Veggie Principle: A veggie is a task, activity, or project that is good for you (work or personal) but that you have a hard time "eating," as Zeigler puts it. The Veggie Principle is simple: eat your veggies first. "The fastest way to improve productivity," Zeigler says, "is to start each day with a veggie and actually try to get two accomplished before lunch."
• Friday Planning: Zeigler recommends taking half an hour or so every Friday afternoon to review your week, note what you accomplished and what you didn't get to, figure out why (if you're unsure), put together a "Master List" for the upcoming week, jot in your appointments and scheduled events, and wrap up any loose ends. I've taken to doing this, usually on Sunday rather than Friday, and I enjoy having a larger view of what the last week was like and what the coming week needs to be like.

Tip: Eat a veggie. Then have dessert.

April is National Poetry Month. Read some poetry. It's a lost art, it's good for your soul, it's better than chicken noodle soup!

One of my favorites, just to get you started:

E. E. Cummings - Read about him here. (Highlights: he was born in Massachusetts, studied at Harvard, was a volunteer ambulance driver in France during WWI, was imprisoned for suspected espionage, was anti-war, and in his writing he experimented with radical changes in grammar, punctuation, and form.)

When you read his poetry (especially the first time, especially if you're not particularly inclined toward poetry-lovin'), read it aloud. The sound and rhythm of his lines are important. Don't think in terms of dictionary definitions of the words he uses; think in terms of connotation, the feeling and memories evoked by a word. Poets often use a word's connotation, but Cummings mastered the connotative qualities of words to the point that they overpowered the definition. He created a new definition for words by using them according to associations rather than formal meaning.

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of allnothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

Read more of his poetry here.

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” Arnold Bennett

Update (Thursday): 25 minutes cardio (walking in town); 12 minutes stretching.

I found a piece of paper from some old files of my Mom's. It is called "Everday Stretching" and has a series of 20 stretches. Probably one of her physicians gave it to her to help with the lower back pain. I'm not dealing with any lower back pain, but I hear stretching is a good idea. I'll give it a try.

In any of my exercise endeavors, I've never really given much thought to stretching, warming up, cooling down, or any of those commonly recommended procedures. I figure, hey, I have the energy now to do something that burns lots of calories, why waste it on something that doesn't burn lots of calories? Something like a calf stretch? So I would just take off jogging until I felt like I was about to die, then stop and breathe heavily, then go again as long as I could. (All of you real runners who are reading this are groaning right now, aren't you?)

Change is difficult even when it is good. Change requires a different mindset, a different response than what we're used to. Change is stretching all the tight places of our mind and emotions and even though they need to be stretched, they resist. We resist. I resist.

My husband's day off is usually a "lazy day." We sleep in, eat breakfast around noon, hang out in our pajamas, play with the kids, eventually get dressed and go do something fun together. Occasionally something productive, too.

For the last couple of weeks, Joe has been organized with a list of things to accomplish and intent on getting stuff done. This is great, I think; it's his only day off, besides Sunday, which is for church and rest and family. He has a lot of projects, and a lot of ideas, and as much as I want to help there are many things that only Joe can take care of. So his decision to be organized and productive on his day off is good. I applaud it.

I resist it. It took me a while to figure out why. (The coffee hadn't kicked in yet.) I mentally agree that the change is good and needed; emotionally I am not ready for the way it cuts into our lazy fun time and requires a change in my attitude, my expectations, my response, my plans.

I am slow to adjust. Once I began to see the reason for conflict (my own resistance to changing my expectations), it became easier to let go. When I finally accepted change, we ended up having a productive day as well as a fun time together. Often it isn't what we have to let go of that creates the resistance; it is simply the fact that we have to let go at all.

Resources: Stew Smith from Military.com offers a Stretching Plan with brief descriptions of 11 stretches which Mr. Smith recommends doing before each workout.

The stretches I did (which were simple, low intensity, but felt good) came from Stretching.com, where you can order wall charts, laminated charts, or any of several different books on stretching.

Better Homes and Gardens has an article with more detailed descriptions of Seven Great Stretches.

LifeTips has a great line of tips on stretching: descriptions of particular stretches as well as "in general" stretching advice.

Tip: If you're a previous non-stretcher (like me), start with 5 - 10 minutes of stretching and work your way up to 15 - 20. The more I stretch, the more convinced I am that it's helpful and healthy, plus I am getting better at targeting the muscles and really feeling the release and relaxation from the stretch. So go for a few minutes of really focusing, and as you get better and feel each stretch more, you can add more stretches in without getting bored.

People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. Proverbs 10:9

“Use now and then a little Exercise a quarter of an Hour before Meals, as to swing a Weight, or swing your Arms about with a small Weight in each Hand; to leap, or the like, for that stirs the Muscles of the Breast.” Benjamin Franklin

Update (Wednesday): 20 minutes cardio (walking in park); 5 minutes stretch/abs.

Using the opportunities you have helps you to do something that otherwise you would find excuses not to do. That is most possibly the wordiest sentence possible and says the least but I am using a really loud keyboard right now and just typing more words than necessary because I like the sound it makes. Clack clack clatter.

Okay. Let's try it again. I think what I want to say is this: You can either find a way to make do with what you have and reach your goal regardless of your circumstances, or you can make excuses and stay where you are, which is not where you want to be.

As Steven Pressfield says in his book The War of Art , "Casting yourself as a victim is the antithesis of doing your work. Don't do it. If you're doing it, stop." (By the by, there are 118 customer reviews at Amazon on this book. Is that normal? 118? Wow.)

Resources: Go to your local library or bookstore and check out a copy of Pressfield's book. It's a great, creative kick-in-the-pants, and though it addresses the "creative life" most directly, the principles apply to any endeavor.

If you are a graphic designer or photographer, check out TheCreativeForum.com, which is "a Web-based community for the creative professional that will allow graphic designers, art directors, commercial photographers and other commercial artists to exchange creative ideas via posting of images and work samples for discussion and critique." There you have it.

If you're a writer, read this excellent article from Write to Done - which I don't know much about, but I'm impressed with what I've seen; I think it's a good find - on establishing the daily habit of writing. (It comes from the Zen Habits blogger, Leo Babauta, so it's got to be good.)

Tip: It's more important to be diligent in the small things, everyday, than to kill yourself trying to accomplish that one big thing. The small things add up to big things. Pick something you've been slacking on (time with your spouse, exercise, calling a friend, reading, cooking a good meal) and be diligent and excellent at that small thing. There will be big results. It's just a matter of time + diligence.

Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more. Proverbs 9:9

Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't as all. You can be discouraged by failure - or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember, that's where you will find success. Thomas J. Watson

Update (Tuesday): 0. Nothing. Nada. Zip. None. Zero.

An out-of-town friend came to visit for the morning; it rained in the afternoon. Excuses. I just didn't get to it. I didn't want to get to it.

Hence, a small bump of failure to climb over. Since we're on the subject, let's define it. According to our friend Mr. Daniel Webster, to fail is to be insufficient, to perish or cease or die, to not produce the effect, to omit or neglect, to disappoint, not to perform. A very negative term, but it can help us.

I fail often in writing; that is because I set big goals and expect great performance from myself. I have an exacting standard of what good writing is; most of the time, when I read over what I have written, I don't meet my own standards. In that sense, I fail more often than I succeed.

But I also have a goal in writing which is simpler: write. Anything. Just get it on the page. And I have decided that this simpler goal must be greater than the more particular goals of writing. As much as I may fail in the detail by simply making myself achieve the broader goal, I would fail far more, in a more serious way, by letting perfectionism dictate my success.

This principle is true in almost everything we try, and is key to letting failures be helpful in our overall progress. Movement of any kind toward a desired goal is progress, even if it is not the exact movement we have envisioned. We need to set particular goals, detailed goals, and have standards; we also need to have broader points of progress in place, and accept any movement toward them as successes.

Resources: See what other people (famous people) have said about failure. Pick out a line or two that helps you keep your perspective, and write it on a card and stick it where you'll see it often.

Read an article about Overcoming Failure from Motivation-Tools.com.

WikiHow's very own instructional page on Overcoming Failure.

An article from BusinessWeek on How Failure Breeds Success. Business principles are just personal principles applied to companies. Go read it and learn something for yourself and your business.

Tip: If you keep a journal, try logging both your failures and your successes for a week or so. Compare. Many times we fail in details but we let that seem so huge that we fail to see how we have succeeded in important things. Perspective matters. Failure teaches. Success follows.

Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself. Elie Wiesel

Update (Monday): 30 minutes cardio (walking); 5 minutes toning (abs).

I went through Kim Lyons' book yesterday and picked out some toning, strength, and stretching moves to try. I am needing a routine for that half of this extreme exercise regime... My "sexy abs sit-ups" just aren't quite enough.

Speaking of the Kim Lyon's book ( optimum everything in 12 weeks!), it's a useful tool for at-home exercise, plus a good overall fitness primer. She begins with an introduction to your body, then moves on to your mindset. Her discussion of habits is valuable for anyone wanting to make exercise and good nutrition a real part of life.

Because it's really all about the habits. We can force ourselves to stick to a diet for a certain amount of time, to really push through on working out for a while, but it is only in forming habits that we get long-lasting benefits. That's what these monthly challenges are all about: 30 days to form a habit.(Some people say 21, I know, but I'm going for 30 just to be safe.)

These life-improvement binges we go on don't help us; in fact, they turn us off to making real, positive changes. I went on a diet once, when I was 17. My whole family did; Mom read about it in a magazine. It was called " The Cabbage Soup Diet." To this day, I don't understand what dark, mysterious force compelled all 4 of us to agree to a week of eating cabbage soup. (That's wrong right there, I don't care who you are...)

I ate cabbage soup for a week and gained two pounds. I have never dieted since. One bad experience can turn you off from something that could be good. (Though I don't think cabbage soup is ever that good.)

It's better, far, far better to establish habits that you can maintain for a long time. You make small changes that produce small effects, but over months and years those small things become big. Diligence and consistency can accomplish lots more, and in a much more painless way, than fads and binges.

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Resources: From Fox News Health Blog, a 7-day log of the Cabbage Soup Diet experience. Read it and weep. (At least I did.)

From BPhoenix website, an article and list of fad diets. Yep, Cabbage Soup is on there.

From KidsHealth, an article on establishing habits that will help your kids be healthy eaters from 'kidhood' on. I don't at all agree with their "avoid battles" concept of training toddlers how to eat... But then, I seldom agree with popular culture's child-rearing philosophies. More on that some other time.

Tip: Think of one unhealthy habit you have now that you could change. It could be small, but small changes add up! Drink a glass of water every morning; eat a salad every night; snack on fruit instead of a Swiss Cake Roll. Pick one, and start making it a habit.

Say unto Wisdom, You are my sister; and call Understanding your intimate friend. Proverbs 7:4

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. Sir Winston Churchill

Update: 25 minutes cardio (walking); 5 minutes toning.

Joe and I took the kids to Vlasis Park after work today. (We all "work" on Saturday. Or at least we are all at work.) Vlasis has a great playground: the normal stuff, swings and slides and the like, and also a section for the toddlers with smaller swings and slides and things to climb on that they won't actually fall through.

Mara learned how to go down the slide sitting on her bottom facing forward, instead of sliding on her stomach feet-first. We consider this a monumental step in her development. Everyone knows a child's experience with slides (and swings and the like) contribute to the overall intelligence and fun quotient of the child as an adult.

Going places with one baby is easy. Going places with two babies gets a little more complicated. I'm sure going places with two babies is nothing compared to going places with three or four or five. I hope to find out for myself before it's all said and done.

When we first had Mara, I was stunned by the amount of gear we accumulated and the number of trips between house and car to get loaded for a quick jaunt to the park. Comparatively, we were pretty simple in our baby stuff accumulation. It was still very much too complicated.

I work on simplifying all the time. Two babies means more diapers in the diaper bag, but you still only need one bag. Breastfeeding means no bottles or formula. We have a double stroller, but I keep it at home and use a simple umbrella stroller and our Baby Bjorn carrier when we go out. Those stay in the car.

The car. There's another subject of dread complication. Car seats. Bulky, but necessary. Toys. Not bulky, probably not necessary, but there are lots of them, mostly corralled in a little Mara-sized backpack. Books. Not bulky, completely necessary (in my opinion), and contained in large, sturdy shoebox under the seat where Mara sits. Snacks. I've gone back and forth on this one. I usually keep one sippie cup which can be filled with water anytime. I've had, at various times, a bag of pretzels, a bag of animal crackers, a box of Pop Tarts, a box of Granola bars, and a bag of dried fruit. I find that they are quite useful and that Joe and I really enjoy eating them. Which is why I don't keep them in the car anymore.

I grab a baggie of snacks or a couple of granola bars to stash in the diaper bag, now. It's enough for the day but not enough that I'll feel free to munch on it. So I just keep a bar of dark chocolate in my own bag...

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Resources: I don't have much baby-gear envy. We don't even own a high chair, and I don't want one. But I do wish I had this stroller. Yeah. It's cooler than mine.

Again with the baby gear. Onesies have come a long way. Like this one for the Google addict's baby, or this one that I'm going to have to buy for my friend J's little girl, or this one for the skateboarder's kid (I guess those would be my kids...). I'm going to stop there, but if you want more go to this blog and get your fill.

Tip: Paring down your gear, and having it ready to go, makes those spontaneous park trips, road trips, picnics, and all-night-balloon-animal-making-contests a lot more feasible. Be ready for anything. Clean out your car and stock it with only the stuff you really need.