Have You Discovered Your Strengths and Know How You’re Wired?
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in Thoughts on Life on June 8th, 2010
Since I left the corporate world, it’s been a very interesting journey. One of my take-aways from that life was that I discovered my strengths and found out how I was wired. If you’ve never explored your strengths, you really need to!
I’m standing here with my new friend, Deb Ingino. Her passion is helping people discover their strengths through her company My Wired Style.
In our society we are told to focus on our weaknesses to try to improve them. Remember when you were in school and it was report card time? You might have gotten four A’s and one C. But guess where the focus was? I would guess on the C. Instead of receiving praise for the four A’s I would venture to guess that the question would have been, “What’s with the C?” And the additional comment would be, “You have to work on that.”
I used to think that something was wrong with me because I was always so restless. I found out that one of my strengths was to achieve and always go onto the next thing. I could never understand why I felt that way. Thanks to the assessment report that I completed, I was able to find out my strengths and how I was wired. It was empowering.
If you have children, what a great gift it would be to help them to find out how they are wired so that they can embrace all of their strengths and talents while they are young. Deb has programs for adults AND children.
As the Greek philosopher, Socrates said around 400 B.C., “Know thyself.” Or as Benjamin Franklin wrote in his 1750 Poor Richard’s Almanac - “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.”
The advice is as good today and easier to come by than in Mr. Franklin’s day thanks to Deb’s Personality System Report.
The better we can understand ourselves, the better we will be at understanding others. We are all unique and bring our gifts and personalities to the world. Knowing our strengths helps us in the business world, with friends and with our families.
This Valentine’s Day Love the Most Important Person in the World – You!
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in Inspirational Thoughts on February 10th, 2010
I wish I knew who said this quote, but I absolutely love it!
“Comparison is the thief of joy”.
How often do we compare ourselves to others? All of the time!
Society puts a tremendous amount of attention on youth and beauty.
We have to be aware of how we talk to ourselves and how we treat ourselves. Some of the critical things we say internally we would never say to anyone else.
Women tend to be caretakers. The only problem is that we usually take care of everyone else but us. We’re not only last on our list, but our needs might not even make it to the list!
So, this Valentine’s Day, make sure you love the most important person in the world, YOU! If you catch yourself comparing yourself in an unhealthy way to others, stop.
Let me leave you with another quote I love from Carrie Wilkerson, “There is only one you. Everyone else is taken.”
How to Lose Weight – Dieting and Exercising Aren’t Enough – You Must Change the Way you Think
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in The Freedom to Eat on February 1st, 2010
Motivation, hard work and determination with dieting and exercising aren’t enough. You must change the way you think.
I don’t know what the statistic is for people wanting to lose weight to be healthier. I know that my motivation was never to be healthier; it was only to be thin. My thinking was, “If I could only be thin, I would be happy.”
Most of the time I dieted for the following reasons:
- It was my annual New Year’s resolution
- I was attending an upcoming reunion, wedding or party that I was invited to
- And always – the start of swim suit season or a vacation that would involve wearing a swimsuit
Notice none of these reasons were to feel better and be healthier. Also, none of these reasons involved a long-term goal. It was always a short-term fix.
I would reach a certain weight and my self-loathing would drive me to take some drastic action in the form of the latest diet, supplement, you name it – I tried it.
One motivation technique I used to lose weight was Read the rest of this entry »
Why do 95% of Dieters Gain Back their Weight? – Because they Still See a Fat Person Looking Back in the Mirror
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in The Freedom to Eat on January 29th, 2010
This is the first post in a series of posts for all of you out there that have fallen off the wagon of losing weight as a New Year’s resolution. No, you can’t forget about it and make it next year’s resolution. Nice try. Been there – done that.
If dieting were an Olympic sport, I would have won more gold medals than Michael Phelps.
I lost weight using every diet fad or weight loss program I signed up for. I also gained back every pound and more. When people ask me how much weight I’ve lost, I’ll tell them, “1,247 pounds – the same 20.”
I wasn’t alone and neither are you. Statistics show that 95% of people gain all of their weight back. The New England Journal of medicine states that most people gain one-third of their weight back in the first year and all of their weight back within three to five years.
These odds are pretty daunting, that only 5% of people lose their weight and keep it off. But losing weight and keeping it off is tricky. It’s not just about calories in and calories out. Diets do work in slimming down. I’m living proof of that. I was an extremely successful dieter.
It wasn’t until I changed my thinking that I was able to graduate from a loser to a winner. It wasn’t until I understood why I used food and why I ate too much, that I was able to change my behavior to get the ultimate results I always wanted and end my struggle with weight forever. To be continued…..
Sign up for my free report: Secrets the Diet Marketers Won’t Tell You – How to Lose Weight Forever by clicking here.
The Pains of Puppy Dogs and Childbirth – Thank God He Gave us Brains to Forget Them Both
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in Dog Tales on December 17th, 2009
It’s been a while since I’ve written about our adopted yellow Lab, Wilson. There’s the little lad to the left. The picture may be a little blurry because he is always moving! Okay, I exaggerated… sort of.
I have come to discover that having a puppy is like going through childbirth. It’s very painful.
Christmas Sticker Shock – A True Story of how one Public School Celebrates the Holiday Season – Ho, Ho, Ho Merry Winter!
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in A Friendly Rant on December 16th, 2009
So far I have been blogging about food, ideas and other inspirational thoughts, but I haven’t done a friendly rant. I changed the subject of my blog to a friendly rant about life, love and food. This is my first rant about life. I find some stories a little hard to believe as far as where our society has gone and this is one of them.
My friend Denise and I have been getting together for decades for our annual Christmas dinner together. We met last night and she told me this true story. I thought it was funny, yet sad and shocking, so I had to share it..
25 Christmas Ideas from Recipes, Decorations and Activities to Help Inspire You and Not Feel Overwhelmed this Christmas Season
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in Inspirational Thoughts, Recipes and How to Tips on December 7th, 2009
I have to confess that every December I would let myself get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. Instead of being joyful, I was burning the Christmas candle at both ends. No more! This year I have drawn a line in the sand with my peppermint stick and am going to celebrate Christmas each and every day. I hope that these ideas will inspire some of your own and that you will join me in savoring this most special of all holidays.
1. Don’t let the added demands of the holiday season steal your joy
2. Ask someone you admire for a recipe
3. Volunteer to help others
4. Purchase a real Christmas tree, chop down your own tree (this is an event in itself) or purchase a real tree to plant later.
5. Do something you have thought about and talked about but have never done. (Attend a concert, look at Christmas windows, go see a Christmas lighted display, etc.)
6. Go to church. There are a wide variety of times and services during this time of the year
How to Not Gain Weight During the Holidays – 7 Tips
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in Inspirational Thoughts, The Freedom to Eat on December 3rd, 2009
I created this website because many of my friends came to me asking me for recipes and advice on cooking. For me, cooking helps me express myself creatively and it comes naturally to me. I didn’t realize how intimidated people were with cooking. So, I wanted to help people overcome their fear.
I also LOVE to eat! My love for food, however, wasn’t always a healthy one. While physically, I would never qualify for The Biggest Loser television program, in my mind, my image of myself was right up there with the size of some of contestants. Now that I have had the courage to express these feelings, the people who know me are shocked to learn about the thoughts and struggle that I had. Their looks express their thoughts, “Were you out of your mind?” Well, yes. When we are obsessed with food and how we look, we are out of our minds!
Recipes Aren’t Just About Casseroles, Cookies or Cakes – Recipes are Legacies
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in Inspirational Thoughts, Recipes and How to Tips on December 1st, 2009
We are in the process of losing an entire generation. Every time we get together with my husband’s family, usually over a meal, there is mention of, “Mother’s chocolate chip cookies,” or “Mother’s onion rings.” Their mother died over twenty-five years ago.
As we were eating our Thanksgiving dinner I asked who had their mother’s recipes. I received a lot of blank stares as the conversation came to a screeching halt. My sister-in-law said she had the cookie recipe. No one else knew what happened to the others.
That made me think about how recipes are legacies. Recipes can keep the memory of someone around long after they are gone.
Turkey Recipe – Casserole – Quick, Easy, Delicious
Posted by Jackie Trottmann in Recipes and How to Tips on November 28th, 2009
This casserole is my version of the classic Turkey Tetrazzini. I just made this last night and it turned out to be delicious. My husband and son can vouch for me because they cleaned their plates! After cooking a 22 pound turkey, I had a lot of leftovers. Most of these ingredients I had on hand, so I dashed to a corner market to pick up what fresh ingredients I needed.
I know that looking at all of these words looks like a time-consuming read – but this was truly quick to make. After looking through other casserole recipes, each one included cooking the casserole for another 30 minutes after assembling all of the ingredients. This only takes 3 minutes under the broiler after it’s assembled.
