Posts Tagged ‘healthy living’

11 Tips to Stay Renewed

Monday, August 15th, 2011

I wish I had gone to bed earlier last night instead of filing emails until midnight. I should know better since I need to get a really good sleep to stay on top of the daily demands of the farm. Vacuuming 4 shop vacs of water out  of our water-logged basement this morning only reminded me to be thankful for the dry years.

I have no idea what kind of summer you are having. It might be scorching hot and dry on your farm, or you might be having a forced sabbatical year like us. Very few acres to harvest, only 10% of our land got seeded.

Regardless of your external circumstances, as your coach via this column I have the Hudson Institute’s 11 tips for staying power: ways to be self-renewing: Continue reading 11 Tips to Stay Renewed »

The Father Factor in Farming

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Your father’s particular parenting style is the template that forms the father factor in your career.” “ If your father has died, that doesn’t mean that the feelings from the relationship are dead”. (Dr. Stephan B. Poulter, author of The Father Factor: how your Father’s Legacy Impacts Your Career. www.onefatherfactor.com )

Sometimes as a farm family coach I feel like a detective, patiently gathering clues via conversations from the fathers , mothers, sons and daughters who are struggling with their farm careers. Last month I found a treasured resource;  the book “The Father Factor” was recommended by a farm business advisor as the best book he has read, next to the Bible !

I’ve been writing about Father’s day in this paper for 16 years, and I think that I am most excited about finding this new tool for all farm families to access. If you want to glance through the first chapter go to http://mensightmagazine.com/Articles/Poulter,%20Steven/fatherfactor.htm Continue reading The Father Factor in Farming »

Pacing through the Overwhelm

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Some of you who took the last column to heart may have attacked your farm offices to tidy them up, get organized, and now have a beautiful space to work in. January is typically the month when we are encouraged to pick new goals, write them down, and be transformed with new habits.

For 2011 my theme word is “pacing”.  I had help with this one this time as my farm coach friend Mandi McLeod from New Zealand was visiting our farm in November. She knows my work, my passion to serve farm families, and my tendencies to work too much.

Pacing to me means being really clear on what is important, and being able to leave the rest.  It is understanding that each new day is a gift, and sometimes you have to allow for divine interruption. There’s a soothing quote from a professor’s door that Tim Wiebe presents in his treasury, “Let us be firmly resolved to serve God with our whole heart and life, beyond that, let us have no care about tomorrow. Let us only think of living today as well as we can. Then, when tomorrow comes, it will also be today. And we can apply the same philosophy for another 24 hours.”

I’ve printed that encouragement out, and it sits in the front of my day timer as a constant reminder to pace myself, one day at a time. Continue reading Pacing through the Overwhelm »

Keeping Above the Waterline…Buoyancy and Resilience Required

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

The snowy “weather bomb” of October 27th shut down school in our town.  I was miles away in Victoria, celebrating my birthday, walking the beach with a friend and my hubby. We learned about the severe weather index , a measure of how tough a place is to live : Victoria’s score is 13 compared to Winnipeg’s 51. No surprises there.

This morning I discovered 2 inches of water in my basement storage room, and started the water vacuum procedure again. A friend called to report she had 6 inches in her basement, and insurance proceedings dictated a major renovation of drywall gutting and flooring removal. Her perspective of the stress of rural families for 2010 was “some folks are just trying to stay above the waterline.” She also mentioned a fellow who had 80,000 gallons of water in his basement…due to a recent house fire !

“It’s only stuff, and really highlights what is important” was his response. Continue reading Keeping Above the Waterline…Buoyancy and Resilience Required »

Lessons From My Quiet Chair

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

I hear the geese flying overhead on their way back to the wildlife sanctuary, just four miles west of our yard. I see birds perched on a stray self-planted sunflower near the birdfeeder. I ponder the words on my lap in my journal as I sit in silence in my morning ritual of the “quiet chair” tucked in the north-west corner of my kitchen.

It was a quiet morning before eight, after two poached eggs, and the quick news update on the radio that I noticed the ad for a new book “Just One More Day” by Beverlee Buller Keck in  the Rejoice devotional.  This wonderful book is a 40 day journey of meditations for those who struggle with anxiety and depression.

Know anyone in your circle who battles with negative thoughts, worry, and a deep sense of hopelessness? I bet you do.

In late October and early November I will be speaking at the Eden Health Centre fundraisers in Steinbach and Winkler to raise funds for a centre that was crucial in my healing from a very serious post-partum depression. I lost most of l984 to psych wards in Winnipeg and later at Eden in Winkler, where I experienced a very gracious patient staff, and concern for my complete healing journey.

This magazine is called “Hearts of the Country” and is geared to rural women. Women typically are the Chief Emotional Officers  (CEO’S) of their families, wanting to nurture, encourage, and balance the family’s emotional bank account harmoniously. Continue reading Lessons From My Quiet Chair »