Need a boost? Check out this 2 minute video for a little dose of relaxation and happiness.

So, have you ever watched someone do something really well (raise a family, speak in front of a group, make friends, achieve great business results, sing, you name it) and thought, “Wow, if only it was that easy for me!” This thought is especially pervasive on those days when you’re experiencing a touch of the woe is me blues. You know, the grass is always greener, their jeans are always smaller kind of days when you walk into your closet and even getting dressed seems difficult. (Have you ever had one of those days where you just want to throw out every piece of clothing and start from scratch? . . . Me too!)

Well, I hate to break up the pity party, but much to my dismay, whenever someone makes something look easy, I’ve discovered 99.9% of the time a large amount of hard work and determination is lurking somewhere in the background.

The bad news that comes with this discovery is you have to toss the “I could never be like that because she’s special” excuse. The good news is if you go for something with gusto and give it enough time, attention, and determination, you have the power to make whatever it is you want to achieve look easy too. And when you do, you’ll be kicking that woe is me attitude to the curb with all of your newfound energy.

EXTRA-Ordinary Ideas:

Read It: Always an inspiration, Joan Anderson’s A Year By the Sea is a great read

A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman

Do It: Make a list of all of the things you’ve been wanting to try or retry. Pick one and do some research online about how to re-engage.

Think It: “One is free like a hermit crab to change one’s shell.” Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Let’s take a trip backward. Remember those college clubbing days? The music was blaring, the lights were low, and good friends and good fun were plentiful. Inevitably, during the night, you would witness a less than nice person getting bounced from the club. (Hopefully, it was the creepy guy who was hitting on you). I say God Bless the Bouncers for keeping the disturbances and annoyances to a minimum so that the rest of us could have a great time.

It’s been more that a handful of years since I’ve been to a place that requires bouncers (to date, I’ve never seen one at Kroger). However, I’ve recently decided that a bouncer for my own life might not be a bad idea. Not that I need to bounce any people (at the moment anyway!). Instead, I need help bouncing the distractions, mindless activities, and physical trappings that keep me from moving forward. Currently, the top of my filing cabinet looks like a random explosion and the floor space in my office is covered with the falling debris – boxes, bags, folders, etc. My mind isn’t much better . . . with thoughts of work, back to school and household to dos looming. In other words, I need to clean up my act.

So for the next few weeks, I’m taking a no holds barred approach to cutting through the physical and mental “creeps” and bouncing them to the door. I’m going to start, as always, in my closet. Anything that doesn’t fit in with my current vision of myself, gets the heave ho. My office will be the next project.

I think I have the muscles to do it . . . do you? What can you bounce from your life this week?

Extra-Ordinary Ideas:

Read It: This is an excellent book for learning how to be your own “life bouncer.”

Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life by Gail Blanke

Do It: Need to throw out some old exercise habits and start anew? Check out this site. I’m on week 9, and I’ve made it to 25 total minutes of running. I could barely run 1 full minute on week 1! From Couch to 5K.

Think It: "Three rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein

So if I’m lucky, you’re wondering where I’ve been for the last few weeks. And the answer isn’t that I’ve become a summer slacker (ok, maybe that’s a little bit the right answer). The more correct answer is that I’ve been busy recharging my batteries and delving into some future projects that I’m really excited about (more on that in the coming weeks).

But back to the topic of the day . . . recharging.

In our plugged in world, have you ever found yourself searching in vain for the right cord that you need to juice up your gadget of choice. You check the junk drawer, then your office. Maybe, possibly, it’s in the bottom of your purse (the dreaded abyss), but no luck. Finally, you find it – it was in the pantry behind the bread – how did that happen? Regardless, you promise yourself that this time you will put it somewhere special so that next time it’s right at your fingertips. And if you’re lucky it sticks, and you can recharge right when you need to.

It’s a goal worth shooting for.

And so it goes in life, you know that you need to recharge, but you just can’t seem to find the time or once you do you’re not quite sure what will be re-energizing. And just like finding that lost cord, you have to search for the things that will wake you up and refresh you. Not always the easiest task, but well worth it.

And when I find something that recharges me, it’s my job to remember what it is AND take the time to do it.

These days for me, it’s spending time with people – especially extended family. There’s nothing like a good laugh with the people you love. And this summer, we’ve created a lot of classic moments even in the midst of some sadness.

Maybe for you it’s reading a great book, watching some favorite movies, listening to an entire CD start to finish. Whatever it is, take the time to recharge yourself this summer.

EXTRA-Ordinary Ideas:

Read It: Maybe you recharge by spending time creating new dishes – check out www.summerrecipes.net for some great, easy finds.

Think It: “I learned what is obvious to a child. That life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time.” Nicholas Sparks

Do It: Take time to recharge – if only for 10 minutes – this week.

Ever wonder why you can push through jet lag, a time difference, and little sleep in Vegas, but in day to day life you can’t seem to make it to 3:00 in the afternoon without wanting to curl up for a quick bit of shut eye? Or why when you go out to dinner with friends, the thought of being tired doesn’t even cross your mind, but when it’s time to clean out the garage you can’t stifle the countless yawns?

We all have to do things throughout the day that are less than thrilling whether at home or at work. The key is to be able to sprinkle the day with quick pick me ups and little bits of things you love, so that you get an instant energy boost just when you need it.

Without energy and vitality, we can spiral downward into an endless succession of days that seem like something out of the movie Groundhog Day. Sure it would be great to do something we loved every single minute of the day, but that’s not reality. However, you do have a choice. You can squeeze in a few minutes of happiness here and there that will help to keep your energy level and mood high. Think of a salt shaker of happiness that you pick up several times a day, sprinkle a little, and add more energy to your life.

The more you make simple changes to find the EXTRA the more energy you will have to sustain you through the mundane moments we all encounter.

EXTRA-Ordinary Ideas:

Read It: A good laugh always gives me a burst of energy. This is one of my favorite books by THE queen of everyday humor, Forever Erma.

Forever, Erma: Best-Loved Writing From America's Favorite Humorist

Do It: Ask yourself what Energy Boosters you can count on for a quick pick me up.

Think It: “The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” – Aristotle