The 25 Things That Have Made the BIGGEST Difference to My Health, Wealth, Comfort, and Happiness

I try to follow diabetes expert Dr. Richard Bernstein’s prescriptions about to eat ,and what not to eat, to keep my blood sugar under control.  Which of the vegetables in the picture above, are on Dr. Bernstein's EAT list? Which are on Dr. Bernstein's DON’T EAT list? Can you guess?

Here is the full list of The 25 Things That Have Made the BIGGEST Difference to My Health, Wealth, Comfort, and Happiness...

Switching from an employed Commissions Analyst to a Contract Commissions Consultant

The benefits:

Freedom

Respect for my time

A continuously expanding professional network

I get to work with different BI Tools, erp systems, and commission software tools

I avoid performance reviews - a workplace practice I detest

It gives me exposure to different sales structures and comp plans

Each assignment has unique problems to solve

I don't get stuck doing repetitive work

Changing from Helicopter Mom/Tiger Mom to Hippie Mom

The benefits:

I went from being the bane of my daughter’s existence to her best friend

My daughter shares more things with me, and feels comfortable doing so

My daughter decided to live with me for her undergrad studies – yay!

I have become an available parent in the best sense of the word (as described in the book The Available Parent). Word of advice – read The Available Parent if you haven’t

Going Low Carb

The benefits:

I lost 37 lbs within months

I got my A1C down from 6.4 to 5.9, and then to 5.6

I believe it has helped me dodge the diabetes bullet

I can go without food without experiencing the jitters of sugar drops

I experience less aches and pains

Learning to Meditate

The benefits:

I have found it to be the best tool to deal with stress and frustration

It has made me feel more connected with other people

I have had some miraculous experiences

It has made me a better person
My life is getting more and more spiritual. I am not sure where it is headed but I have definitely been moving in the direction of heightened spirituality

Being a Commissions Consultant at Solution Partners, Epicor, Spectrum Biz Tech, White Hat Security, Varian Medical, Paypal, Infoblox, Aruba, and Fortinet

The benefits:

I have met bosses who have become friends for life

I have met coworkers who have become friends for life
I have enjoyed a variety of opportunities and challenges

My knowledge and skills have been enhanced at each company

Checking my blood sugar with a home glucose meter, 1 and 2 hours after eating something

The benefits:

I know exactly what happens to my blood sugar after I eat or drink anything

This has made me check the carb content of everything I eat, because I have found that carbs, and particularly some kinds of carbs, cause the most spikes

The awareness has made me eliminate some carbs

The awareness has also made me reduce the quantity of carbs or proteins I eat at one sitting

By checking, and modifying what I eat and drink, and how much I eat and drink, I have been able to maintain tighter blood sugar control 

Starting this blog in 2010, and keeping up with it

The benefits:

I have found it to be the best way to articulate my thoughts

I have found it is the best way to keep at my goals

I have found it to be therapeutic

Because I am in the habit of writing, I have found it easy to transfer the skill to the professional arena, and I routinely write documentation for my commission consulting clients 

Using Scoop – the carpool app – to carpool to work

The benefits:

I have eliminated rush-hour driving stress from my life

It is good for the environment

I save on car wear and tear

I have met and continue to meet many fascinating people 

Walking the Santa Teresa hills

The benefits:

It is always good to get out into nature

I have found it to be the best form of exercise

The beautiful views never fail to catch my breath 

Getting my assignments through Robert Half, Nelson Staffing, Kula Consulting, and Controllers Group

The benefits:

Staffing agencies have been a great resource for a Commissions Consultant such as myself

I have been on some truly great assignments thanks to these agencies

I enjoy working with staffing agencies, and see it as a partnership

Working with the SPM implementation companies Solution Partners and Spectrum Biz Tech

The benefits:

I have worked on premium implementations – Splunk, FusionIo, Linda.com, Cyberonics, Paypal

Thanks to SPI and Spectrum Biz Tech, I have experienced all the different aspects of SPM implementations – gathering requirements, writing functional requirements documents, creating the rules, prototyping, UAT testing, and user testing

Thanks to SPI and Spectrum Biz Tech, I know the business side and the design side of Xactly Incent and Varicent

I have a portfolio of different FRDs and User Manuals to show for it

My family, their company, their support, and advice

The benefits:

Loneliness is not an issue

I have someone to turn to

Lots of fun meet-ups and events

Their advice and support has got me out of some tough spots

The San Jose Public Library

The benefits:

Thanks to SJPL, I have read more books than I can count, all for free

Thanks to all these books I read, I never run out of things to wonder about, talk about, and to blog about

I have to make special note that I have read over 100 finance and investment books all from SJPL

Discovering Turbotax

The benefits:

Turbotax is so user-friendly, I have been using it to do my taxes since 2004

It has made me more tax-savvy

Turbotax gave me one more area in which I could become self-sufficient

The free Excel Visual Basic code available on the internet

The benefits:

I have been able to automate so many different excel operations.

I have found VBA code to List all sheets in a file, create links to all sheets in a file, copy a filtered table, rename all files in a folder, and so on and so on.

One of the easiest ways for me to add value when I am on an assignment, is to look at what I can automate using VBA code found on the internet.

Reading The Diabetes Solution by Dr Richard Bernstein

The benefits:

I learned the list of foods to eat, and the list of foods not to eat, to bring my insulin resistance under control

I have learned about every aspect of managing diabetes

I learned about the different diabetes medications, and their pluses and minuses.

P.S. Were you able to guess which vegetables in the picture above are on Dr. Bernstein's EAT list and which are on his DON'T EAT list? I will tell you.  The carrots and tomatoes are on the DON'T EAT list. The other vegetables are on the EAT list.

Meeting my walking pals Becky and Lyla

The benefits:

In them, I found people who were willing to walk 5 miles and more with me, on a regular basis

I like walking with them, because time flies when you are talking while walking. It is half the fun

I wish everyone had a regular walking pal

Watching videos (and reading articles) by Dr Jason Fung on Intermittent Fasting

The benefits:

Dr Jason Fung explained the benefits of fasting to me in a convincing, easy to understand way

He quelled any fears I may have had about fasting

He supported what he said with data and evidence

I got into fasting because of him

My friends - and their friendship, support, wisdom, and advice

The benefits:

Need I explain?

Joining Adlibmasters Toastmasters Club and completing my CTM

The benefits:

It enabled me to get over my extreme shyness and fear of speaking

It gave me the courage to give a money workshop to 30 kids at an elementary school

It gave me the confidence that I could write a speech and hold an audience with a speech

  

Finding a sane way to invest in the stock market and stay invested

The benefits:

I was able to stay the course in the scary 2008 crash

I am able to resist hot tips

I was able to eliminate the desire to get rich quick

The internet and Google

The benefits:

I can find answers for anything

I can find information about anything

I can find solutions to almost any problem

It is great for a curious person like me

It is the easiest way to pass time

GPS and smartphones

The benefits:

Whatever you can do on a computer, you can do on a phone

Netflix and Amazon Prime Streaming

The benefits:

I have seen scores of wonderful movies.

It is the second easiest way to pass time

Finally, you my blog readers

The benefits:

I spend 8 hours a week on writing my posts.  Having readers like you makes it all worthwhile. Thank you for taking the time to read my posts!

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acknowledgments:

Two brave souls from the other side commented on my last post about the progress of women's rights. Thank you Ananda and thank you Ajay

next, Thanks also to all readers, current and future, for sharing my Journey to Wisdom, Meaning and a Better Life.  Like you I am trying to find my way through this complex maze we call life, and I am honored to have you share my journey, as I continue to seek the wisdom hidden in plain sight.

FINALLY, A Happy Birthday shout-out:  to those with October birthdays.  Hope you use your birthday month to birth something new and wonderful in your life. What are the 25 things that have made the biggest difference to your health, wealth, comfort and happiness? Your birthday month is a good time to list them and be grateful for them.

P.S. Not sure if you have time, but if you do, you may enjoy these other posts:

Friendships

The United States of Friendship – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Family

Our Cake Boss Family, Family Songs, The Nightdress Brigade, Family Advice I Am Grateful For, The Porki And Bonkers Tradition, No Need for 23 and Me, Letters to Lucas, Flying Lessons

Pets

A Fresh Perspective on Pets, Secrets of The Super Models In Our Family, BowWow, Meoww, Why You Should Not Abandon Your Pet

Nature

Post on Trees, Reprising Joy Kilmer

Hobbies

Cricket, Glorious Cricket, Splendid Post, What!

Managing Your Money

Yoga for Investors, How to Turn Your Girl Scout or Cub Scout Into a Stock Scout, Financial Piece of Mind, Financial Piece of Mind – Part Deux, A Retirement Planning Formula You Won’t Find on Oprah

Simplifying Your Life

You know what Wesabi is, How About Wabi Sabi?  The Simple Life, The Element of Simplicity and Its Hope for Living a More Satisfying Life

Getting Over Your Self-Consciousness

The Element of Release From Inhibition, The Element of Being Less Self-Centered and Its Hope for Seeing Things in The Correct Light, The Element of Getting Out of Our Comfort Zone and Its Hope For Experiencing More of What Life Has to Offer

Learning to Laugh

How To Deal With The Sheldon Coopers in Your Life – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, The Nightdress Brigade, You Aced the SAT, How About the LAT?, How To Cause Atmost Confuzen at the Scripps Spelling Bee, How To Go From Madonna to Lilly to Myrtle in The Course of A Single Evening - And Even Have a Sex Change, A Facebook Face-Off, A Short Stint in Advertising

Learning to Relax

How To Become a Low Maintenance Person, Connected Minds, How To Become The Kind of Person People Want to Work with, How Many Times a Day Do You Visit Ireland? The Art of Carrying Things Lightly

Health
Raising the Bar, 4 Healthy Eating Ideas I Learned from My Friend Julia, The Element of Becoming More Focused and Precise In Our Goals and Its Hope for Achieving Powerful Results

Pursuing A Dream

What’s Next For You? The Element of The First Step and Its Hope for Getting Big Things Started In Our Lives, She Victories

Resources:

Health:

David Mendosa

Dr Jason Fung

Jimmy Moore

Dr Richard Bernstein

Wealth:

San Jose Public Library

Ray Dalio

Howard Marks

Charlie Munger

Dr Steve Siggerud

Turbotax

White Coat Investor

 Comfort and Happiness:

Adlibmasters

Toastmasters

Blogging

Meditation