I have what my husband calls, “Shiny Butterfly Syndrome”. I get easily distracted. A typical day for me went something like this: I’d be sitting on the couch by Eric and think “I’m really thirsty, I could use a glass of water.” I’d go to the kitchen to get the water and realize that the dishes need to be done. So I’d start to do the dishes, but the dish rag is the one from yesterday and smells a little weird so I take it to the laundry room. Then I notice that the clothes in the washer need to be put in the dryer, but the dryer is full of towels.  So I start to fold the towels when I hear a voice from the bathroom say, “Mom, I’m done”. So I go help the child and now the bathroom needs to be cleaned.  By now, I am working up a sweat and start thinking, “I’m thirsty, I could really use a glass of water.” So I get my water, go sit back down and Eric asks, “Where have you been for the last hour and a half?”  To which I reply…”Getting a glass of water.”

I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t get anything done. There were many things I wanted to incorporate into my schedule, but felt I was so busy and couldn’t see how to fit it all in. I felt rushed, unbalanced and unable to give my best to all my priorities.  I have heard LIFE Co-Founder, Claude Hamilton, say, “You can’t expect what you don’t inspect.”  It hit me that maybe I need to inspect my daily actions. It was time to take an honest evaluation of what I was actually doing with my time and identify my true priorities.  It was also time to stop allowing my busyness to keep me from achieving the goals I wanted and expected.

When you are that scattered you need a system to keep you on track. There are some great books through LIFE on organizing your time, prioritizing your schedule and how to stop procrastinating. Those books are: “Eat That Frog!” by Brian Tracy and “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephan R. Covey. The “7 Habits” book is one of my favorites because it helps you identify your core values/priorities and walks you through how to set up your schedule based on those core values.  My initial plan was to keep track of everything I did throughout the day for a whole week. That only lasted about 2 days. I quickly realized how much time I wasted by being distracted and by not having a specific plan for each day.  I also realized there were things in my schedule that were interfering with my priorities.

Once I identified my shortcomings, I could now come up with a plan to change. I took my to-do list and assigned a time slot to each item. I treated those things as an appointment I had to keep. Over time I learned to focus on one task at a time and that I could make time for what matters most to me. I also learned it was okay to say, “No” to anything that would keep me from my priorities.  At the end of the day, I felt I had invested time in each area of importance, felt more balanced and at peace knowing that I was doing what would lead me to the results I wanted and expected.

Only when you identify where you are currently at can you make the necessary changes to move toward your ultimate goal.  Your future will be a result of what you do today. Don’t get distracted by “shiny butterflies”…make today count.

God Bless

Jennifer Blomdahl

What I discovered was, that God has created each of us with a desire for pursuing excellence and achieving greatness. In our society, it shows up more in sports than other areas of our life, but the fact remains, humans have an internal drive for purpose, meaning and greatness.

Now, just because we aren’t athletes doesn’t mean we don’t have that drive within us, it’s still there, but it tends to get lost in the daily struggles of earning a living for our families. I want to throw out what I concluded this past weekend…no matter what each of us do for a living, we each have the opportunity to play in our own respective “super bowl” in life. The questions to ask then are: 1) Are you performing at a level that will help you reach and win your “super bowl”? and 2) How bad do you want it?…..

Go win your “Super Bowl” and become a “Champion” in life!!!!!

Gob bless and have a great day,

Eric C. Blomdahl

So, who will step up and save America?

I am neither a Republican, nor a Democrat…I am a proud American who loves this country and who is committed to do my part to make America great again. Therefore, it is with great excitement that I share with you the following article: LeaderShift: Orrin Woodward and Oliver DeMille

If you too are concerned with the direction America is heading and you found the above article intriguing, mark your calendar and make sure you get a copy of “LeaderShift” by Orrin Woodward and Oliver DeMille when it is released on April 16, 2013.

God bless,

Eric C. Blomdahl

God bless,

The Blomdahl Family

It got me thinking about how many families are out there that really don’t know the true meaning, but celebrate Christmas anyway. It’s one thing to choose not to believe and, therefore, not celebrate. But are there really people out there that think it’s all about a guy in a red suit sliding down a chimney leaving presents? They really don’t know the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior?

Could it be some parents get so busy with preparing for Christmas, the baking, decorating, cleaning and the shopping, that they forget to take time to teach the reason for it and lose sight of what’s most important. It’s as if the Christmas traditions got passed on, but the meaning got lost along the way. I can’t say for sure and I’m not passing judgement, but I guess I just assumed that either you’re a believer that celebrates or you’re a non-believer and don’t.

In preparation for our Christmas celebration my daughter and I have been doing some baking and trying out some new recipes. Some turned out great and others, not so much, but we had a lot of fun and enjoyed talking about Christmases past and future things we want to do.

When I asked her to share some of her favorite memories not one of those memories had to do with a gift she received. Every memory she shared had to do with time together with family. Playing games, baking, making up plays and reminiscing with relatives.

So I started thinking about some of my favorites memories. I couldn’t remember even a handful of gifts I had received in my lifetime. Most of what I remembered was the quality time together. So if that is the case, why do so many people go into debt for Christmas? Spending so much money they end up taking the whole year to pay it off, or not even getting it paid off by the next Christmas.

Rather than getting the kids a bunch of stuff that they’re just going to forget about anyway, what we have done is give the gift of quality time and creating fun memories together. For example, ski trip with the boys and a concert with the girls (to see one of their favorite boy bands). Making homemade gifts for family and friends, and helping others in need. And of course, having birthday cake and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

There was an email I had received years ago titled, “Teach The Children”. It goes through all the symbols of Christmas and the meaning behind them. So we had decided that we would include the reading of that on Christmas and place an ornament on the tree to go along with each symbol to remind us and to teach our kids what it all means. I believe the best gift we could ever give our kids is to teach them about a Savior and our Savior can give them the greatest gift of all…their salvation.

I want to encourage you to take time to think about the memories being created and the messages it sends. The memories we create with our kids will stick with them for a very long time, maybe, forever. Are we teaching them to just be busy, or are we creating memories that teach them values and focus on what’s really important?

Here is the link to the poem,“Teach the Children”

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and created some great memories.

God bless,

Jennifer Blomdahl

God bless,

The Blomdahl Family

Dictionary.com says a realist is “a person who tends to view or represent things as they really are.”

A realist once said, “Man can not fly!” But then a man flew.
A realist once said, “Man can not walk on the moon!” But then a man walked on the moon.
A realist once said, “You have nothing to worry about with Sam Walton, he’ll never make it.” But then Sam made Wal-Mart the #1 retailer in the world.
A realist said, “Man will never break the four-minute mile.” But then a man ran a mile in 3 mins, 59.4 seconds.

So, what is really “real”?

It is clear in the above examples that what is defined as “real” by one person, isn’t necessarily what another person chooses to be “real” for them. So, what’s the difference?

In order to determine what’s “real”, it is necessary to understand what’s true. Therefore, it is very important that a person have a biblical-based understanding of the world. God made each of us with dreams, desires, passions, talents and abilities that together equip us to find and fulfill our purpose. If God has allowed us to think it, then God will help us to make it happen. In addition, it is vital (eternal life depends on it) to understand how special we are to God…He sacrificed His only Son so that we can one day be united with Him in heaven. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” With this understanding, we are unstoppable.

The next hurdle is to stop doing things based upon logic and start doing things based upon emotion. Logically, there are many things that can’t be done, but emotionally someone has done them. In last year’s NFL play-offs, logically the Green Bay Packers at 15-1 should have went to the Super Bowl, but the New York Giants at 9-7 beat the Packers and went on to win the Super Bowl.

Here are some recommendations to help expand what is “real” for you:

1) Live daily with God as your center and know that if He allowed you to think it, He will help you accomplish it.

2) Continually dream build and expand your imagination.

3) Associate regularly with uplifting and encouraging people.

4) Get involved in a self-directed education program and work specifically on developing a “can do” attitude.

5) Mentor regularly.

6) Be willing to fail and understand that failure is just a part of success.

So in conclusion, when a realist really evaluates what’s really “real”, they will find that the “real” they once thought was real isn’t really real after all and that the real “real” can be so much more than what they originally thought was real…really.

The following video is old, but worth watching. Actual footage of Roger Bannister doing what the realists said couldn’t be done…way to go Roger!!!!!

God bless,

Eric C. Blomdahl

It is well-known that fleas can jump very high compared to their size. An experiment was performed where fleas were caught and placed inside a jar that was half the height of what a flea can normally jump; then the lid was placed securely on the jar. The fleas would attempt to jump to their normal height, but would repetitively hit the lid…unable to get out of the jar.

Eventually, the fleas learned that they couldn’t jump normally any longer so they began to jump just high enough to miss hitting the lid. Once conditioned to think they can only jump high enough to miss the lid, the researchers removed the lid and not one flea jumped out of the jar…when in fact, every one of them could have jumped out with ease.

We humans are a lot like the fleas in this experiment. We too become reconditioned and establish limiting beliefs based upon our experiences and environment. It is important to realize that you can accomplish more than you think…we all have a little extra to reach new heights.

The following video is a great example of how each of us have the ability to overcome our limiting beliefs…enjoy!

God bless and have a great week!

Eric C. Blomdahl

Please take time to be thankful, travel safely, and enjoy family and friends.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

God bless,

Eric C. Blomdahl

My son is a sports fanatic. He will be in a sport he doesn’t really care for just because he knows it will keep him in shape or strengthen his muscles so that he can play his favorite sports more effectively. He does have some natural athletic ability but he also has a hunger to learn and improve his skills and the discipline to practice the basics.

He was so excited this past summer because he earned a spot as a pitcher on his baseball team. He had a big responsibility and he took it seriously. At his first game, he couldn’t wait to get out there and show what he could do. However, it didn’t go as he had expected. With each bad pitch his attitude and belief in himself was dropping very quickly. When they came off the field I could see he was disheartened. I had to do something about it. Fortunately, because of being associated with LIFE/TEAM, I had learned some principles about visualizing that could help him. So I pulled him out of the dug out to talk with him.

First, I had to build his belief back up. We talked about a strike he pitched during warm up. I had him close his eyes and picture in his mind that perfect pitch. Picture the target. How’s your stance? Now, you’re winding up to throw the ball, what does it feel like, when do you let go? What are your eyes focused on? He visualized that pitch in his mind several times. He got a renewed belief that he could throw that perfect pitch again.

Then we had to talk about attitude. You may not be able to throw a perfect pitch every time and that’s okay. Each pitch is a chance to start over. It doesn’t matter what happened in the last pitch. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and visualize that perfect pitch again. Then pitch.

The second inning began and I watched him confidently walk up to the pitcher’s mound. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, visualized and pitched. STRIKE 1, STRIKE 2, STRIKE 3. After each strike he looked at me with a big smile. He ended up getting 3 strikeouts in a row that inning. Next inning he started having trouble again. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, visualized, and pitched. With each bad pitch he was able to re-focus and not get discouraged. I was so proud of him. It was so empowering for him to learn that he has the ability to control his attitude and beliefs by visualizing the desired outcome ahead of time. He has learned to use that principle now in other areas of his life as well.

Athletes have been using the visualizing technique for decades. We have a dear family member that followed the team roping circuit for close to 30 years. He was a heeler and before every event he would sit quietly, close his eyes and visualize successfully roping the steer’s hind leg in record time. When asked, he will be the first to tell you it is because of visualizing that he had so much success.

Visualizing doesn’t just work for athletes, it will work for anyone in any area of life where you want different results. Bill Lewis did an incredible blog article titled “Visualize the Change You Want”. I highly recommend that you read it if you want more ways on how you can use the power of visualization to improve your life.

God bless,

Jennifer Blomdahl