Bring On Lemons

Today's guest blog post encompasses the idea and importance of inspiration and self-motivation. Every illness has its limitations, goals and positivity go hand in hand on an individual’s path to healing and quality of life. This article is tailored  to encompass those ideas. For more information - see the:  Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance  blog [ http://mesothelioma.com/blog ]  To Health and Making a Difference! Journaling to a Happier Life As children, many people kept a journal; mostly girls. Girls are notorious for keeping a journal so they can write down their crush’s name, doodle their name with their crush’s last name and imagine their future together. It’s a great way for young girls to let out their emotions when the cool girl is mean to her at school or when her crush looks her way and makes eye contact during a math lesson. Over time, many young girls use their journals and diaries less frequently, until they eventually become adults and forg...

I just had the most amazing experience with Cheri from Howard Dental Center! She had given me some samples a while back of candy that was actually good for my kids (I didn't tell them that, of course), and today she took the time to explain even more to me. I couldn't possibly do it justice, so I'll share with you a link to the Howard Dental site:  http://howarddentalcenter.com/  and to the site that invented and markets the healthy candy:   http://www.drjohns.com/?i=candiesxylitol So...dark chocolate is good for me, coffee is good for me, and NOW candy too! pinch me, I'm dreaming!!! May your paths be abundantly filled with lemons, healthy candy, sugar, and sunshine!!! ~Crystal

Today's Quote on the Relax Consulting website ( http://www.relaxconsulting.com/ )_ is:  "I'd rather be wistful and poetic than sleek or gorgeous any day!" ~Crystal  Here's where this quote came from, and for those of you are wistful, poetic, sleek, AND gorgeous...WOW! (I hope you're nice too) You've really got it going on! For the rest of us, it would seem that society prefer us to be sleek and gorgeous instead of wistful and poetic. If you disagree, let me know the last time Oprah or Maya Angelou appeared on the cover of Payboy, Cosmopolitan, or Vogue. Here's why I chose wistful - it means to be thoughtful and wishful with a touch of sorrow. The touch of sorrow is important - how you can you be joyful if you don't know sorrow? We couldn't have Easter morning without Good Friday, could we? (and for those of you who follow the universe - you couldn't have Earth and the lovely planets/stars without the explosion that cause it...if I underst...

Don't forget to comment on the blog post titled: Are You Can't-Ing Yourself to Failure for a chance to win the fabulous book by Amy Chua: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (contest ends at midnight Saturday - central time) http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/2012/03/are-you-cant-ing-yourself-to-failure.html

the proof is in the pudding as they say...but in this case it's in the picture. See all the great finds - Fun Spring shoes from Schroeder's, a delightfully yummy candle and art work from the Honey Pot, and a purse from Molly's Closet. And all this for less than $100 - I love shopping when it doesn't break the bank!

I've been asked several times during the last few days about where I shop - this girl is flattered and humbled, and happy to share the wealth. I like to shop and love a good deal, and I hardly ever go out of town and yet my closets and drawers are filled with great finds. I'll tell you some of my favorite shops and a story about each. The Honey Pot (Candles, Gifts, Books, Decorations & More) -   https://www.shopthehoneypot.com/  This is a happy store with great customer service and fabulously happy merchandise. I just stopped for an hour and they serve coffee which is heavenly, but I also bought artwork for my office and a Yankee candle. A bag full of happiness for around $50 - AND the staff is fabulous! You'll find the lovely owner, Cindy, right there brewing coffee, stocking shelves, and helping customers. They even have a selection of chocolate and a room filled with high quality children's toys and baby shower gifts. Schroeder's Department Store - Coffee...

Today's blog post is inspired by the Susan Howatch quote: "One wonders what would happen in a society in which there were no rules to break. Doubtless everyone would quickly die of boredom." Your children likely think you have too many rules, sometimes you think that the government has too many rules, and from time to time the thought crosses your mind about the rules in the workplace too. Society itself didn't start with rules. In fact, there were people roaming the Earth before the Ten Commandments even came into play. And if you're the religious sort, you know the only rule for Adam and Eve was not to eat the apple off that tree...and that single rule was apparently one to many as the story goes. Needless to say, we aren't the first people to think there are too many rules. If we threw away all the rules, Howatch thinks we would be bored...but my concern is we would lose our creativity. Bending the rules helps us think outside the box. Challenging autho...

Go Fly a Yellow Kite! Of course a yellow kite, the color of lemons, the color of change and opportunity! Go fly your yellow kite while wearing your yellow jacket and yellow cap. In the words of Lauren Bacall: "Imagination is the highest kite one can fly." So yes - go fly that kite and let your imagination soar, let your dreams be your guide and don't let anything stand in your way! If you never fly that kite, you'll never know what might have been and you'll find yourself wondering who you might be if you had only taken a chance. Sounds like a great idea in theory, right? If you aren't quite sure where to begin, start by letting your imagination run wild. Some of these sentence starters may help if your imagination hasn't been tapped for a while: -If I had all the money in the world, I would:______________________________ (ie: travel to Africa to help the poor) -If I could have any job, I would want to work for:_______________ doing:___________...

Are You Can’t-ing Yourself to Failure? Are you can’t-ing yourself into failure? We all have those moments. I was looking at area job listings this morning and saw a position that would be fun and challenging. I moved the mouse to apply, and a little voice inside my head said – “you can’t apply, you don’t meet all the qualification”. The little voice was right; I listened, and moved on down the list… I let the little voice win, and now it’s a self-fulfilling prophesy…I can’t get that job…because I wouldn’t put myself out there and even try. Why didn’t I try? Why didn’t I let the employer make the decision that I was under qualified? Why did I force myself to fail? Don’t I know better than that? After all, I’m the one who wrote the blog about rehabilitation for killer phrases ( http://ezinearticles.com/?Rehab-for-Killer-Phrases&id=6937782 ) and here I am Can’t-ing myself into failure. What’s worse, here it is hours later and I’m still upset with myself. It’s not al...

We have lists for grocery shopping, bucket lists, to do lists, and probably lists of things that we never intend on doing...maybe not on paper, but you probably have an idea in your mind of about 5-10 things you would never attempt doing. The "I would rather have a tonsilectomy than do that" list...Consider making a different sort of list. Name it something inspirational, and write down at least five things you love to do that don't cost much money and you can do within a 10-20 mile radius of your home or office. I have a list and I call it 'Ignition'. This list contains the things that ignite a fire within me. They are things I can do on those days that I'm just not feeling it. I keep Ignition in the drawer next to the bed, so on days that I  would be happy just rolling over or cuddling up with a good book - I can look at my list and light a first under my hinder. For me, the list includes: -Thrift Shopping/Consignment Shopping -Trip to LaDe Da Books ...

Redemption for the Wretched Section A Seat B-10 … score! I was up close and personal with the high school stars of my favorite theatre musicals: Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. For those who are not familiar, Les Miserables is French and loosely translates to The Wretched Poor or The Victims. The main character is anything but a victim as the story unfolds, our hero goes from being a convict on the run to a successful business man, nurturing step-father, war hero, and ultimately the story takes us to his final breaths shortly after the marriage of his beloved Cosette to Marius, her beloved. The production was done expertly and the music was right on. As a pianist myself, I’m a tough sell when it comes to the arrangements, and they were excellent! I highly recommend reading the book or experiencing the musical theatre adaptation for yourself – you will not be disappointed. As I experienced Les Miserables again this weekend I could not help but think about the lessons or parables b...

Today's Quote at Relax Consulting comes from the lovely Sophia Loren. If you haven't visited our site ( http://www.relaxconsulting.com/  ) to catch the quote of the day, here it is: "There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will have truly defeated age." Tomorrow marks the 18 year anniversary of when my father passed away. March 24, 1994 was one of the most painful days of my life and at the age of 16, it was the most painful event I had to endure to date in my lifetime. This quote reminds me of my father's life, which makes it easier to acknowledge the day of his death. Andre Casavant was an amazing man in my eyes, and many who knew him would agree. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he was perfect, although at 16, I sure thought so. He really did find the illusive fountain of youth, because of the things that he left behind. H...

I’ll Be Anais Nin My first introduction to Anais Nin came with the debut of Jewel’s album ‘Pieces of You’ in 1995. I was graduating that year and the songs played on popular radio stations seemed more important than anything else and still bring me back to a different place and time. On Jewel’s debut album was a song titled ‘Morning Song’ which included the lyrics: You can be Henry Miller and I’ll be Anais Nin. I didn’t know who they were, but the song was catchy and it was obvious that they were lovers. I was still only seventeen the year I graduated and lonely, so the thought of having a lover or boyfriend truly appealed to me. I researched who Henry Miller and Anais Nin were and was shocked to find out that they were writers who carried on a literary love affair for nearly twenty years. I kept reading, and learned that their passionate love letters led way to a physical love affair in the 30’s and a love triangle that included Henry’s second wife, June Miller. This love triangle wa...

This blog is about a lemons to lemonade success story about losing focus and finding a dream. Today's post came purely by accident and for those of you truly interested in learning more about preserving actual lemons, this article may help you:  http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120308/LIFESTYLE05/203080316 For me, preserving lemons is a way of respecting and learning from those moments where you thought you had failed or times you had to change course. You've heard the age old saying "forgive and forget" or "don't sweat the small stuff" right? Well...your lemony moment is the moment that brings about change and like it or not, it happened. I don't think you should forget about it and I do think you should sweat even the small stuff. This is not about carrying a grudge or having a pity party. It's about going through life with your eyes wide open. Having a great positive attitude and turning a lemon into lemonade is fabulous...but trying to ...

At Relax Consulting ( http://www.relaxconsulting.com/ ), we choose a motivation quote each morning and it's the mantra for the day. We post it to our website and share it with friends and associates via our social networks and keep I keep it on a post it note on the side of my monitor so it is the focus for the day. Today's quote comes from Anne Frank - "Whoever is happy will make others happy too." Pretty optimistic for someone who was fighting for her life and hiding from the Nazi's during the Second World War. Cooped up in the Annex and hiding but yet thinking about the happiness of others. Putting things into perspective that way makes it a little easier to smile at the person who cut you off in traffic, stole your parking spot, etc... If it makes them happy, it makes me happy, and happiness is...PRICELESS! May your path be abundantly filled with lemons, sugar, and sunshine! ~Crystal

Stan Slap is one of my favorite authors (not to mention a really great guy!) He was looking for stories about different work scenarios, situations, environments, etc...and if you submitted a 200+ word story, you could win an autographed copy of his book, etc... There were several different categories you could choose to write about and the category I chose was about a time you were either respected or disrespected at work. Here is the story I shared: Feeling respected by your co-workers is important, feeling respected by your boss is critical to your success and longevity with a company. I was fortunate enough to spend a decade of my professional career working for a company that really "got" the importance of respect. Their Mission statement included a statement about helping employees learn and grow so they would be successful and respected. The owner of the company introduced his staff (at all levels) as teammates. A stranger would never have known that he was the...

You know who you are and this blog is for you! I was chatting with a friend over lunch today (sushi if you must know…I had a craving). This particular friend is also a small business owner and she is helping one of her clients with a PowerPoint presentation. I mentioned that a Prezi might be a better option in some situations…not all…my dear friend had never heard of a Prezi and I thought some of my readers may be in the same boat. So for her and for all of you, here’s what I have to say about the difference between a PowerPoint and a Prezi. ·          * Prezi is web-based, so even if you don’t have the latest and greatest version of Microsoft products, you can still access Prezi ·          * A Prezi can be helpful if you are presenting at a location where you have WIFI but do not have your own computer (no compatibility problems between how you wrote the powerpoint and the type of software on the presentation machine) ·   ...

First, I suppose we should talk about a Lemonade attitude and exactly what that is...I have to make you read back to the beginning and I assume only a small portion of you can read my mind. So, here's the scoop. I was raised by old fashioned parents who had a great work ethic, and who among other things wanted me to have a positive attitude. When I would complain, they would remind me that God gives me lemons so I can turn them into lemonade.  I referred to myself as a lemon because when I started this blog I felt like I had failed...like I needed to find some sugar and sunshine and try to make myself into lemonade. Now I understand there was something even larger at work inside of me - the lemon isn't a symbol for failure, it really is a catalyst for change ( cat·a·lyst /ˈkatl-ist/ Noun:  A person or thing that precipitates an event.).   See now, why I say: bring on lemons?   Today’s title is: Why a Lemonade Attitude is a Must Have, and I define a lemonade attitud...

Do you have a personal "to do" list and a professional "to do" list? A desktop calendar, a wall calendar, and a school calendar? Small slips of paper and reminder floating around your vehicle, briefcase, or purse? Giving your to do list a makeover might be just what you need to help make sure you don't miss any appointments ever again! Sometimes it's hard to let go of paper, but streamlining your to do list, and your obligations/appointments takes some time initially, but can save you time and stress in the long run. This article was written assuming that you have some sort of online platform for scheduling (Outlook, Google Calendar, Zimbra, etc...). As soon as you receive your work schedule, take a few moments to input it into your online calendar, then you can add babysitter schedules, appointments, school schedules, your spouses schedule, etc... Use a color pattern to differentiate between schedules. For example, your son's schedule may appear in bl...

A few years ago (2007 if you must know). Forbes published  http://www.forbes.com/2007/03/06/divorce-tips-money-pf-estates-in_mb_0306money_inl.html  an article filled with tips for those going through a divorce. I included the link if you would like to read the article yourself. The article is titled :Tips for a Smarter Divorce. I just had a great conversation with a dear friend about divorces, and I just want to go on record saying that I did not do anything that was smart in my divorce. I went into my marriage twitterpated and blinded with love, and that's the same way I went out. No two people love the same or live the same, so don't expect your divorce to go just like the next door neighbors did. The main key to surviving divorce is not to beat yourself up. If you aren't experiencing an emotional roller coaster, good for you. If you are, that's ok too. It's perfectly acceptable to be cursing about your soon to be ex one minute and then along comes a thought tha...

I've never been to Dixie, but I have learned a thing or two from the Dixie Chicks. This afternoon I was listening to Pandora and "I'm not Ready to Make Nice" came on (by the Dixie Chicks). This is in no way a plug for them or for Pandora...just setting the mood. I'm in my office, working on the Relax Consulting business plan, feeling a little dejected by some recent feedback, not particularly cheery and on comes the song. The part that caught my attention includes the following lyrics:  I made my bed and I sleep like a baby  With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’... I'm a firm believe in take what works for you and leave the rest. So for today, let's just focus on making our own beds, sleeping like babies, and not having any regrets. Sounds like a great plan, right? But how do you do it? In my mind, making our beds is deciding what we want and developing a path to get it (a path laden with goals). Then, in order to sleep like a baby, we have to work har...

You're standing in line at the grocery store and the person behind you says something rude to their spouse. Someone cuts you off in traffic and nearly causes an accident with your new vehicle. You're pulling into a great parking spot on a rainy day and someone sneaks right in front of you and steals your spot. Your spouse asks 'are you really wearing that?'. We are faced with lemony situations every day (sometimes a dozen of them before breakfast). The key to turning each and every one of those lemons into lemonade is to stop the stick. Here's what you might do if you want to get sticky in a lemony situation: (remember the events above, here is a sticky reaction to each one) -glare at the rude person behind you and let them know that you don't approve of their conversation. Beep your horn and cuss something foul as loud as you can. Flip them the bird and make sure they know you're unhappy. Say to your spouse 'why do you always treat me so crappy? you...

Good morning! It's Monday morning and I'm still in shock. I cannot believe how many people are following the lemons to lemonade adventure of Crystal Casavant and Relax Consulting. I didn't think anyone would read what I was writing, but I gave it a shot because so many leaders encourage blogging, writing, websites, etc... as a way to share your stories, struggles, and victories. Here's why I'm so amazed (and keep in mind this is less than 2 weeks of blogging/writing/website): 437 view of the 'Bring on Lemons' blog:  http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/ ,  we've reached 375 on Facebook - 18 people are talking about us - we have 43 followers on our page:  http://www.facebook.com/successwithrelax , 150 article views on Ezine:  http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Crystal_J_Casavant , 18 followers on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/Relax_Consult , and 208 visitors on our Relax Consulting page:  http://www.relaxconsulting.com/ . I just want to say thank you to a...

Why does THIS Lemon think she's onto something with her own business? My perspective on things is different than most people. You'll find I ask a lot of questions and I like to think in the context of "now what?" "how can we solve that?" instead of: "something is wrong here". My philosophy on the world is that everyone is good and should be trusted until they give you a reason not to trust them. My Lemonade philosophy boils down to believing that anything is within reach and forcing that voice inside your head to tell you positive things. I've fallen down, risen up, fallen down again...my personal path has not been at all perfect. After all, you need a BIG LEMON to make a big refreshing glass of oh so sweet lemonade. If life had never been bitter, how would I know to appreciate the sweet moments? I am the founder of Lemonade Lessons and win or fail, this path in life is mine. I surround myself with others whose life goal is to help others and p...

Here's a sneak peak into what I'm thinking. Relax Consulting is going to offer coaching and training - that's not new news...but what do you think about the following titles: "Lemonade Philosophy" and "Lemonade Lessons" The Lemonade Philosophy would be a philosophy about how a positive attitude can drive goals and ultimately lead to success. Lemonade Lessons would be a breakdown of the philosophy with exercises to help students become more positive. An audio program? A CD? An in-person training session? Thoughts? This is what I'm pondering as I garden this weekend - your thoughts and ideas are welcomed!

I am super excited! About a week ago I was talking to a friend about my passion for writing. She told me about Ezine Articles where authors can submit work, receive feedback, and become published. I'm not sure how to explain it exactly, but there are levels of accomplishment and a new author on Ezine should prepare themselves for some rejection (that's what she told me). I was ecstatic when my first article was published as written - no rejection, no improvements, it was simply published and they promoted me as an expert writer on the high traffic page. I was floored (because as you may know from previous posts, my confidence was a bit shaken lately). I now have to tell you - multiply ecstatic by 1000% and that's where I am at today. I submitted 10 articles and had ALL 10 of them published as written! I am now being considered for Diamond Status (their highest level of achievement). And I am doing something I love! The only way this could get any better is if I could be g...

Are you looking for a role model? A rags to riches story about overcoming troubling times and becoming a success story? Look no further, sit back and be impressed by a young man whose troubles started at birth and whose success began at the tender age of seven. Picture a drunkard of a musician who had seven children with a woman who thought herself a friend to her children. Only three of their seven children survived, and the eldest was the over-achiever. At age seven ½ he was performing in public. That wasn’t good enough for his father, who told people the child was only six…as if seven ½ wasn’t good enough to be considered above average or talented. Before he was twelve, he was writing his own music and teachers compared him to the likes of Mozart. What many did not know was that this young man was also taking care of his siblings, his mother, and filling in for his father who was often rendered useless due to his battle with alcohol. He was merely a child himself, but yet the man ...

I had another Ezine article published this afternoon titled "I Miss What You Are Missing" - a tribute to grief and the death of my Father. If you'd like to read the entire published article, you can find it here:  http://ezinearticles.com/?I-Miss-What-You-Are-Missing&id=6931096

I was recently asked about the lowest point of my life. The question went something like this: "when did you feel you had really failed and weren't sure you'd be able to recover?" Now - I'm no Drew Barrymore, Scott Walker, or someone who has really overcome anything huge. My name has never been splashed negatively across every newspaper and magazine in the nation. Honestly, I don't have what it takes to put myself in that position. I love politics and I love acting...but I also have a deep passion to be liked. I as a person am not ready to be in a position for so many people to hate me or say negative things. My story isn't amazing and I haven't overcome a disability either...but since the question was asked, I'll respond. My most lemony moment - I really had to think long and hard about this one. Was it at age 16 when my father, mentor, and best friend died? Was is at age 20 when I placed my daughter for adoption? Was it at age 24 when my husban...

I talk about defining ones own success. Let's start there. What do you consider success? This is a personal question and no one can answer it for you. Is it having enough money to take a family vacation, pay off the mortgage, buy a home, purchase an SUV, pay for a wedding, retire in Hawaii, children who graduate from high school, a happy spouse after 30 years of marriage, a certain position in a company, the ability to give back to the community, a museum named in your honor, a particular income threshold?? If you don't know, you'll need to start there. It's like goal setting on a grand scale. Where do you want to be in ten years? What is going to be your legacy? Do you define success by a feeling, a mark on the map, the size of your bank account? This is for you to decide. Once you have defined success for yourself, I highly recommend making something visual for yourself. At our house, we call it a goal board (and we sort of use Pinterest for some of it). If you de...

This post is brought to you buy the Relax Consulting Newsletter (full version can be found on our site:  http://www.relaxconsulting.com/News-or-Reviews.html ) Not quite sure what software you need for your home or business? Wondering where to find the best deals and finest support? We suggest visiting the Microsoft Office website: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ where you can try a free trial of their products, chat with a representative, or purchase the software. Their representatives are honest and patient (they’ll even tell you to buy the product elsewhere if they know there are coupons available through other vendors that may not be available on their own site). For hardware, you may find that shopping local is a good fit for you, but sometimes Amazon.com has the best price, or if you can wait a few days, try price shopping on the Tech Bargains website: http://www.techbargains.com/

When everything you know is taken from you - that is when you really have the opportunity to come alive! (feel free to quote me on that) I remember my mother saying "if it's not broke, then don't fix it" and in business, I've heard "keep doing what you're doing and you'll continue to get results". Both of those are a bunch of hooey in my book. If it's not broke, then break it so you can make it better, and if you keep doing what you're doing, someone is going to come in and do it better and you are going to fail. Life moves fast these days and business is moving even faster. If you want to get ahead, you need to embrace change with a vengeance. If something is working well, make it work better. If your marketing strategy is helping you gain clients, improve it to gain even more clients. If your turn-over ratio is low, find ways to make it even lower. Do you think Facebook and social networking is the best thing since sliced bread? Look ou...

I was privileged to attend a Women in Management meeting today and listen to a speaker present "Dealing With Difficult People". I learned a lot. First and foremost, I am going to admit...I am a difficult person. I am not intentionally difficult, I am simply difficult by design. Born to a 50 year old man and his 32 year old wife, I was the long awaited only child of people nearly old enough to be my grandparents. I tease that I was spoiled, but in reality I was just appreciated, adored, and spent the majority of my youth with adults. This combination resulted in a mature teenager who was completely idealistic. I fully believed my father when he told me I could do anything I put my mind to as long as I was willing to work hard. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth; I was born with a work ethic quite unique to my generation. My drive, ambition, and self confidence has been misinterpreted from time to time and during my quest to find my authentic self, I admit...I can...

Not that there's anything wrong with men - I love men...but...I've owned a coffee table book for over a decade now. The title? "Quotable Women - A Celebration" the pictures are just as amazing as the quotes. One of the quotes took my breath away today and it is a quote by Beverly Sills that I want to share with you: "I've always tried to go a step past wherever people expected me to end up." Wow does that speak to me, how about you? The quote was so profound and personal that I was embarrassed to say that I had no idea who Beverly Sills was. Thank heavens for Google Chrome, because in a matter of minutes I had the information at my finger tips. To make your life easier, I'll just tell you (nothing against Google - go ahead and research it on your own if you wish): Beverly Sills was an American Opera singer who sang Soprano. She was very popular in the 50's and 60's. She was the General Manager of the New York City Opera after she retir...