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JANUARY 2025
How to Set Yourself Up for Sustainable Success RESOLUTIONS REIMAGINED
Over the next few weeks, you’ll hear plenty of discussion regarding New Year’s resolutions. This is the time of year when everyone starts thinking about how they could better themselves and determine what they want to accomplish in 2025. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of New Year’s resolutions. I think they’re overplayed, and too many of us set unrealistic resolutions. For example, you’ll hear others say that they hope to lose 20 or more pounds throughout the year, but after making little progress during the first few weeks of the year, they crash and give up. It’s a common trap that many of us fall into, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid resolutions altogether. Instead, you should set a plan for the year to help make progress toward a specific goal. Every year, I set aside time to create a business plan that sets out the goals and targets my team and I need to hit and the changes we are going to implement to make that happen. While this might sound like a resolution, my plan is ever-evolving and ever-changing. As new events and situations develop in my life and business, I account for them in my business plan. At this time last year, I wasn’t considering learning a new language at all, but as the year progressed, I decided that learning Spanish
would be in my best interest. I didn’t start the year with that goal, but I was able to incorporate it into my plans. As you navigate the year, be open to change and opportunities for improvement. Last January, I decided to make an effort to live a healthier lifestyle. This might sound similar to the common New Year’s resolutions involving losing a specific amount of weight or going to the gym daily, but I didn’t set a specific end goal. I had to take a moment to figure out how I could actually accomplish my plan to get healthier. I realized that I’ve struggled with removing things from my life, and trying to eliminate meat or sweets would be entirely too difficult to maintain. Instead, I decided to add something to my life to help crowd out the bad.
didn’t have the room. I originally planned to stick to the diet for the duration of the program but noticed such tremendous improvements to my sleep, energy, and mood that I decided to keep with it. While I always set personal goals and create a plan to achieve them, I also have goals in my business and work closely with my team to ensure we’re doing everything we can to meet them. Motivation plays a crucial role in reaching these goals, so I asked my team directly what they would want when we are successful in reaching our 2024 goals. They said they wanted a movie theater popcorn machine. I bought one and placed it in the office so everyone knew what they were working toward. By the time you read this newsletter, we’ll have reached our goal, and everyone will be enjoying fresh popcorn. While many people are making New Year’s resolutions, take some time to establish realistic goals and create a plan to ensure you accomplish them. Your goals may change with time, but as long as you’re working toward a better you, you’ll be on the right track.
I did a special gut health program that kept discussing the idea of eating the rainbow.
Throughout each week, I tried to include at least 30 different plant foods in my diet. That seemed much more feasible to me than eliminating something I enjoyed. By eating the rainbow, I found that I was too full for desserts, sweets, and other unhealthy options. I didn’t tell myself I couldn’t eat those things, but I wouldn’t force myself to eat them if I
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Workers usually go on strike to improve wages and working conditions. Leave it to the French to mount a historic strike for the right to grow a mustache.
A full mustache was a prestigious mark of men’s social class in Europe in the early 20th century. Policemen were required to grow them to project authority and masculinity. Waiters rebelled when restaurant owners forced servers to shave their faces clean as a sign of their lower-class social status. During the dinner hour on April 17, 1907, an estimated 500 servers stopped dishing food, took off their aprons, and walked out, clustering on the street as diners looked on. The waiters also demanded a share of diners’ tips and the right to take one day off a week. They had support in Parliament, where one socialist deputy proposed a bill to outlaw mustache bans (which also applied to domestic servants and priests). The deputy called the restaurants’ mustache rule “grotesque and humiliating.”
After 16 days, restaurant owners caved to servers’ mustache demands and implemented a fairer pay structure. The waiters, however, lost their bid for one day off each week.
The French have long been famously quick to stage work stoppages. At 112 days on average, the country leads the industrialized West in days lost to strikes each year. The nation’s strike culture is linked to its history of revolt, including the 1789 French Revolution. Withholding one’s labor is a constitutional right in France, whether you are a union member or not. And the mustache had long been a mark of status in Europe. Centuries earlier, Germany only permitted soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle to grow mustaches. In France, the military requirement to wear mustaches became so strict that soldiers who couldn’t grow one had to wear a fake mustache. No wonder the French waiters took their facial hair so seriously. Being required to shave relegated them to the domestic servant class. As one French newspaper of the time declared, the waiters’ victory secured the right “to finally show that they are men, free men … who can wear at their ease this symbol of the all-powerful male, the mustache. Oh! The beautiful independence!”
Essential Tips for Parents of New Teen Drivers Freedom With Responsibility
Prevent unnecessary distractions. New drivers are already more likely to find themselves in an accident, so it’s best practice to
As parents, one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking moments we’ll ever experience arrives when our children get their driver’s licenses. They’re thrilled to have an opportunity to drive around town and experience a new level of freedom while we’re at home, hoping they’re being as safe as possible behind the wheel. We can’t be with them whenever they need to drive to school or practice, but we can guide them toward safer driving practices. Here are three strategies you can implement to help your teenager build their driving confidence while also giving you peace of mind that they’re safe on the road. Limit their driving range. Your child wants to explore their freedom and drive around town, but that could open them up to more opportunities for trouble. Driving in unfamiliar territory can increase the risk of accidents, so you should set boundaries that limit where they can drive. Allow them to drive to work, school, and anywhere between those destinations. If they want to drive further from home, try to ensure you or their other parent is in the car with them.
avoid adding any distractions to the mix. If it can be avoided, don’t let them drive with other passengers until they have more driving confidence. Additionally, set the standard that they don’t use their cellphone
while driving. Their phone likely has a driving or do not disturb mode that will automatically send a text message to whoever is texting or calling them. Enabling that feature will help them stay safe. Stay in contact. Don’t just let your kids drive around town wherever and whenever they please. Whenever they leave one destination to drive to another, establish a rule that they call or text to let you know they’re getting on the road. Then, have them message you when they arrive. That way, you can keep up with their travels and quickly realize if their journey is taking longer than it should.
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We all want our kids to be the very best versions of themselves. We want them to get good grades so they can attend the college of their choice, excel in their extracurricular activities, and be respectable members of society. Parents take many actions to try to bring the best out of their kids, but too often, we push a little too hard or have such high expectations that we end up overwhelming our kids instead of helping them. That’s why it’s so important to take time to establish realistic goals with our kids while creating a plan to ensure they can accomplish whatever they set their minds to. Small Steps, Big Dreams A PARENT’S GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE GOAL-SETTING
Have a Laugh!
VEGAN TACO BOWL WITH TOFU CRUMBLES
INGREDIENTS
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2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp dried oregano or epazote
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2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped 2 tbsp adobo sauce 16 oz extra firm tofu
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When we’re trying to help our kids set achievable goals, one of the biggest mistakes we can make is creating goals that are too lofty. You may have to taper back your expectations to ensure they can accomplish their goals. If they want to become straight-A students but usually earn C’s on their papers and tests, start with something more obtainable. Have them aim for B’s before going for A’s, or just focus on getting an A in a single class or on a specific project. We can create goals and set standards for our kids, but our efforts could prove fruitless if we aren’t motivating them properly. Ask your kid what it will take for them to dedicate more time to their grades or put more effort into their extracurricular activities. If they want a specific item like a video game or bike, buy it and put it somewhere visible to create extra motivation. If they don’t like studying on the weekends, let them take Saturday off if their grades improve. Motivation is the key to accomplishing goals.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion 2 cups cooked quinoa 1/2 cup salsa of choice
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1/2 tsp salt
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine garlic, cumin, black pepper, oregano, salt, chipotle chilies, and adobo sauce. 2. Drain the block of tofu and gently squeeze out the extra liquid using paper towels. Then, crumble tofu using your hands, add to mixing bowl, and toss to coat with spices. 3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes. 4. Add tofu crumbles and cook for 6 minutes. Add salsa and cook for 1–2 minutes. 5. Fill serving bowls with quinoa. Layer tofu taco meat over the quinoa, then top with extra salsa and other garnishes like lime juice, jalapeños, cilantro, avocado, and sliced radishes.
Goal-setting for your kids is not easy, but when done properly, it can help them succeed in nearly every aspect of their lives for years to come.
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INSIDE
HOW TO MAKE YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION SUCCEED 1 REMEMBERING THE GREAT FRENCH MUSTACHE STRIKE HELP YOUR TEEN BECOME A SAFE DRIVER 2 HOW TO BUILD REALISTIC GOALS WITH YOUR KIDS VEGAN TACO BOWL WITH TOFU CRUMBLES 3 A DEAF DOG’S REMARKABLE JOURNEY 4
Meet the Boxer Who Changes Lives THE SILENT HEALER
At first glance, Sullivan is already a special dog. An adorable white boxer with a dark patch of fur around his right eye, he’s the kind of canine humans of all ages instantly fall in love with. If his cuteness wasn’t enough, he’s best known in his community for bringing people together in extraordinary ways. Originally found in a shelter in Coachella, California, Sullivan — who is deaf — lives in Oregon with his guardian, Allyson Ridling. A social worker and family therapist, Ridling has made Sullivan’s sweet temperament and calming presence a significant part of her practice. After bringing Sullivan to reading sessions with children (much to the delight of the little ones in attendance), she began including him in walking sessions with her clients. Fluent in sign language, Ridling has also introduced Sullivan to hard-of-hearing people worldwide via online video chats. Early last year, Sullivan and Ridling received a 2024 Oregon Humane Society (OHS) Diamond Collar Award for their compassionate work. Thrilled by the honor, Ridling credits her animal companion with helping her clients find greater joy and comfort.
special OHS-produced YouTube video on the award. “That’s what they needed to help open up and take their next step moving forward in their life.”
The OHS was proud to honor Sullivan for his fantastic work with humans.
“As a therapy dog, Sullivan is a friendly presence for kids to practice their reading,” the organization says on its website. “His comfort helps those who are struggling to open up. [He] may not be able to hear, but his impact on the mental health of those around him speaks volumes.”
Proud of her furry friend’s loving nature and many achievements, Ridling believes that animals like Sullivan can work wonders for people’s therapeutic treatment.
“I think the human/animal bond works really well because animals don’t judge. They have unconditional love to give people. As [a] society, we could all work better to strive to be as loving and caring [and] as open-minded as a dog can be.”
“Some of these people just needed to reconnect with love and feeling this undoubtable connection between the human and animal bond,” she says in a
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