Spring is here.. You can see it in the gardens blooming with flowers, or the rain falling the urge to clean out the old and bring in the new... But where do you start?  Here are 5 steps that you can use to create goals, and have a better chance of them being completed.  
1. Specific - By making your goal specific you have a better chance of accomplishing it.  How do you make it specific?  Ask yourself  the following questions.  Who is involved? What do you want to do? Where are you doing it?  When would you like to have the goal finished?  Why this goal? 
You may want to loose weight.  A more specific goal may be "I will work on eating healthier by creating a healthy meal plan."
2. Measurable - How will you measure the progress of this goal?  It can be very discouraging if you cannot see the little steps that you make along the way to achieve your goals.  Things you may want to consider are What needs to be measured and how you will measure it?  What is your end goal?  How will you know when you have reached it?   Lets add to the goal from above.  "I will work on eating healthier by creating a healthy meal plan to follow for the next 4 weeks.  I will aim to loose 1lb a week." 
3. Achievable - You do not want to reach for a goal that is so far out there you end up getting discouraged and stopping.  If you where to set the goal of losing 10lb a week, that would not be achievable.  Things you may want to consider while setting this goal are what resources and capabilities do I have to achieve the goal?  What would I need to get for this goal?  Have others been successful at this type of goal? Using these questions does your goal of loosing 1lb a week for 4 week look achievable if you are eating healthier?
4. Realistic - Do you believe that you can accomplish this goal?  If not then what needs to be changed so that you can?  Do you need more time or another resource?  Is this a goal you can stick with?  I know for me when loosing weight I have to make sure there is some way for me to have treats.   So consider what has stopped you from being successful before and how can you adjust that this time?  So I may change the goal to say "I will work on eating healthier by creating a healthy meal plan, that includes healthy treats, to follow for the next 4 weeks.  I will aim to loose 1lb a week." 
5. Timely - You want to have a start and end date.  If you do not have the timeline then you may not feel motivated at moving toward your goal.  Consider is there a start and end date?  What is it?  So lets take the goal from above and check... "I will work on eating healthier by creating a healthy meal plan by April 15th, that includes healthy treats, to follow for the next 4 weeks.  I loose 1lb a week to equal 4 lb by May 12th ." 

So remember you want to use your SMART Goals when trying to accomplish your goals in life.  

I am working with a team through BYU Pathways that is helping me to get the word out about grief.  I would like to thank them for all that they are doing, to include making my new logo.  
This is an amazing opportunity to help us get the word out about our resources, groups, and classes.  
Welcome to Lets Talk Grief. We are here to explore grief outside the box... To get the conversations going March is our month of Freebies... Stay tuned for more information.
Birth & More became Let’s Talk Grief in 2019 when the need for better grief support became evident as Bev was looking for resources because of her own grief. Bev Young Reed, a certified peer counselor and birth, postpartum, and bereavement doula who has been supporting families for over 25 years.
Please share and like my Facebook page, Follow me on Twitter, and Engage with me on Instagram.
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/bevdoula
Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/bevyounreed/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lets-Talk-Grief

Do you ever wonder what a conversation with your body may be like?  What if you suffer wit a Chronic Illness, or have Chronic Pain?  Here is how it may go...

Me to my body: "Yay I'm feeling pretty good! How about we do some nice things for people?"
Body: "All clear here, nothing to noteworthy"
Me: "SWEET, let's do it!"
....
Hours later...
Me: "WOW that felt good! How are we doing??"
Body: "Surprisingly well...ya we're still a go here."
Me: "NICE! Moving on to the next person then!"
......
Hours later...
Me: "That was awesome, but I gotta tell you I'm a little weirded out by how good we're doing. No surprises headed out way??" 😅
Body: "I mean honestly, we're good. Just a little tired. Maybe give it a rest for awhile just in case."
Me: "Fair enough, we've done well"
......
Hours later...
Me: "I have a project for us, not absolutely necessary but we would love it. It's self care"
Body: "We're just a little tired. Self care is good. We're a go, let's do it!"
......
Hours later...
Me: "I'm calling this one, it's too late. I'm so impressed with how much we've done today!"
Body: "Good idea. No specific issues though, just overall fatigue. We didn't overdo it."
**Overnight my hands swelled and my fingers are so stiff I can barely bend them. **
This morning:
Me: "Wth?! I checked in with you ALL Day!!"
😡😡😡😡
Body: *YOU IDIOT!!! YOU OVERDID IT AND THIS IS YOUR PUNISHMENT!!!!"
Me: ..... ..... .....
"We HAVE TO work on our communication"
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
I'm going to go soak my hands now, in alternating hot & cold water and see if I can get back on schedule. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

There are a lot of people out there that deal with chronic pain and illness... If you are one of them, know that you are not alone.  If you know someone who struggles with chronic pain and or illness then think about this conversation.
I would like to thank my friend who gave me permission to use the conversation that she had posted on Facebook.  

Did you know that January is Blood Donner Awareness month? Why should you donate blood?  Does it really help? Well, here are the reasons why it is good to donate blood.
 
     1.     JL had just given birth to her third baby at home when complications set in.  She started hemorrhaging, and the midwives did everything they could think of, but it would not stop. JL was then transported to the hospital to undergo a D&C.  During this procedure she needed 2 units of blood to keep her alive.  She commented “I felt so good after a traumatic birth experience (including a D&C) was because someone else's blood was pumping through my veins.”
     2.     KF was thirty when she broke her leg in three places in a freak trampoline accident.  She was sent to a level one trauma center in the area. After being informed that her bone was rubbing her artery. I was sent to emergency surgery to stabilize her leg.  During the surgery the bone moved and nicked her artery. KF woke up feeling groggy and tired.  She was informed that they had to give her a transfusion to help me save her life.
     3.     DW has a rare thyroid cancer that required him to have blood transfusions every other day as he fought for his life.  When I asked his wife how many transfusions, he had she said he had too many to count. 
      4.     JE was born at 27 weeks gestation.  Since his birth he has had to have multiple transfusions.  This young man is fighting to get to a point when he can go home to his family. 
      5.     BD had given birth to her first child a week prior to being admitted to the hospital for extreme abdominal pain. The Dr thought she had a uterine infection, and she signed the consent for surgery she thought she would never be able to have another child after this.  During the surgery they found out she had pancreatitis and her appendix had ruptured. She was able to keep her uterus.  Because her birth and major surgery were so close together BD was given 2 units of blood.  She commented “I don’t remember the first couple of days after surgery, but I do remember that someone had donated blood so I could live.”

​These are all stories of people I know personally.  Why should you donate blood?  Because one day someone you know may, maybe even you, might need one.