I love to read. I’ve been known to read two books in one day. Of course, those were fiction and I was sitting at the beach, but it tells you how much I appreciate a good book.

Fiction books aren’t the only ones on my shelf, though. I’ve read many business books over the years for professional development, to find inspiration, or, quite honestly…because I was forced to. You’ll find books about Customer Service, Sales, Marketing and Leadership in my collection. From the likes of recognized gurus Seth Godin and Ken Blanchard, as well as up-and-comers like Dale Partridge, my tastes and interest ranges based on my current experience and needs.

In the beginning of summer I always have the best intentions of kick starting a new wellness plan... Then life gets busy and sometime around now-ish, all of my wellness hopes and dreams come crashing down. So, lately I have been trying to jump back on the bandwagon in a very simple way; by infusing my water with fruit!

When I completed the registration for our internal 12 week Fitness Challenge, I had no idea what I was agreeing to when I check the box marked “YES! I’m interested in being a Team Captain.” Foolishly, I thought there would be so many volunteers that my services wouldn’t be needed. Ha! I was quickly proved wrong. Very wrong. After reading the email congratulating me on my Captain status, I immediately thought to myself, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

Taking a few deep breaths and thinking this decision through, I focused on all the positives of taking on this role. Then I reminded myself of a statement that I heard Dr. Phil make at a conference many years ago: “We all have the same amount of time. We all have 24 hours in our day.” With that in mind, I set out to not only take on this task, but to OWN it! But, how?

Mantra. “A group of words that have psychological power.” Now, I wouldn’t call myself a spiritual-guru per se, but I do know the power of positive words and reminders. Summer is upon us, and more often than not I find myself looking for motivation and ways to keep my eyes on the prize, refocusing on what’s in front of me instead of the sunshine and blue skies outside while at my desk.

We are into the 5th week of our health & wellness challenge here at the 'ville. Everyone is gearing up for some big runs happening soon, lots of trips to the restroom are happening from all the water drinking , and some fitness selfies are being posted in the common area to keep us energized!