Supplements and MedicationJun 13, 2016I'm continually amazed at how many people fight the idea of medication so heartily. I'm also amazed at how many of these same folks will think nothing of spending a fortune on supplements, self medicate with copious amounts of caffeine, alcohol, or weed. Check this program on supplements out. Might make you rethink what's the "healthy" option..
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What I learned from two great chefs and great bossesJun 10, 2016Everything I do for organization myself and what I teach my clients is based on one very simple principle: Make it easier! Any structure that is complicated and cumbersome is not going work. It has to be simple, easy to follow, and yield tangible results. As I've worked to simplify things in my life I've always had two voices in my head from my days as a chef. I started my fine dining career at Il Capriccio in Waltham. (Still a great restaurant. Get there if you are local and haven't been.) Rich Baron is the chef and co-owner. He's a great guy and a talented chef. I started there on garde manger (salads and apps) when I was on externship from culinary school. He wanted me to stay. I wanted to go back and finish school. We struck a wonderful compromise that I would stay for a year. I owe him a lot for that opportunity, for his seeing something in me, and for many other things. Anyway, when I moved from garde manger to the "hot line" when I decide to stay for the year, Richie pulled me aside before my first night on the grill and and said, "Kid, we get good ingredients. Don't fuck them up." As glib as that advice/guidance may seem, it gets to the heart of why I devoted my culinary career to authentic Italian food. All the technique in the world can't compensate for inadequate raw materials. And, when your starting point is great raw materials, you don't have to work so hard to make them shine. The other voice in my head is that of Adam Halberg, the Chef d' Cuisine at Via Matter when I was a cook then Sous Chef there. Again, I owe him a lot. He, Richie, and Carmel Quagliata were my three most important influences as a young chef. (I'll write about Carmen on another day.) I'm very lucky to have been a sous chef under Adam. He wasn't just concerned in helping me move forward in terms of my ability with the food. He really focused on teaching me how to manage people. What I learned from him has helped me be a better chef, parent, coach, etc. But the thing that is cogent to this post is what he said to me once when he was reflecting on the difference between Italian food and French food. "If a dish ins't right, an French chef will ask, 'what can I add to make this better?' In the same situation and Italian chef will ask, 'what can I take out to make this dish better?'" (Of course this is a bit of an overgeneralization, but there is a lot of truth in it.) Perhaps that's why I've always been drawn to Italian food. But that certainly is a sentiment that I hold to be true in the rest of my life. If something isn't right or a system isn't working for me, I always ask, "How can I make this easier?" It totally works! Standard disclaimer: I don't edit much if at all. This is a deal I have made with myself. It keeps me from being frozen in the metaphorical carbonite of perfectionism or falling into the "Sarlacc" of avoidance behavior. A new post done is always better than a perfect post undone.
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Last weeks of school feelingJun 8, 2016So, the last few years I've worked like a madman to build my business particularly over the school year. And, about this time of year the last three or so years I have hit a wall. The first year I was actually freaking out and thought there might be something wrong with my medication. Not so. It was/is just my yearly cycle apparently. So, this year, when I hit a wall about a week ago when I stopped wanting to do anything at all, I was more prepared and less freaked out. Maybe it's the anti-depressant, maybe it's the work I've done with my coach and on my own, maybe it's that I've achieved a higher level of consciousness? The bottom line is that I'm accepting it this year. I'm more relaxed and willing to take the break my body needs. Somehow I always gear up again when I need to and seem to make it through. So why stress about it. I've enjoyed today spending more time on the porch and in the garden. And, I look forward to more of that in the coming weeks. All the really important stuff is getting done. Everything else can wait until I'm "feeling it" again. Happy Summer! Standard disclaimer: I don't edit much if at all. This is a deal I have made with myself. It keeps me from being frozen in the metaphorical carbonite of perfectionism or falling into the "Sarlacc" of avoidance behavior. A new post done is always better than a perfect post undone.
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A pile is not a system!Apr 28, 2016I was Skyping with a client today and something came out of my mouth that I’ve never said before that stopped us both mid conversation. “A pile is not a system.” I think I’m going to trade mark that. It seems to be a concise distillation of something I’ve teaching for years. At least in terms of paperwork, a system has to involve sorting, categorizing, labeling, an aspect of space efficiency, and a common sense (for the ADHD brain) approach for access the information contained therein. The additional step we need as ADHDers is that they system needs to be super easy, have very few steps, be convenient… or we won’t use it. In that sense. I file cabinet can be even more of a disaster than the piles on your desk. More on this in the future posts. Standard disclaimer: I don't edit much if at all. This is a deal I have made with myself. It keeps me from being frozen in the metaphorical carbonite of perfectionism or falling into the "Sarlacc" of avoidance behavior. A new post done is always better than a perfect post undone.
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$5.61 to save my sanityApr 29, 2016I won’t go into the thing that happened today that shook me a bit. But I was left a bit off kilter in the middle of my day. I knew that I wasn’t going to get anything done if I stayed in my office with that unsettled feeling. So, I went to get an Italian sub at Tino’s. While I was there I stopped in at Esprit de Vin and had a lovely chat with the proprietor and picked up a bottle of a cool orange liqueur that he gets from a special producer in Sicily. (And, no, I didn’t sample the bottle at noon.) But simply going out and being with people and having a friendly interaction and getting a cheap lunch reset me. Sounds worth it to me. When I got home, I was relatively productive then had the discipline to get in a quick workout before I had to take my son to his Dr.s appointment. And, I’m relaxed and productive right now in the waiting room. I’d say my Reset Button worked. Makes me wonder why I don’t grab a $5 sandwich more often… Looks like I should start taking my own advice. Standard disclaimer: I don't edit much if at all. This is a deal I have made with myself. It keeps me from being frozen in the metaphorical carbonite of perfectionism or falling into the "Sarlacc" of avoidance behavior. A new post done is always better than a perfect post undone.
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Making a 12 year old girl cryApr 27, 2016I had a good day on today. One meeting 8 client hours, a quick break for a workout. A long day, but a good day. My last client that day is my youngest current client by a few years. She is a great kid. But, in my opinion, she’s somewhat in denial about her ADHD and how much of an issue. This has historically led to less than stellar medication adherence. We’ve been slowly but surely making progress in that area. But, there was still a wall there. It took me really challenging her about her less than successful behavior patterns for her to break down and really admit how hard it was for her to pay attention, even on the meds. y hope is that that emotion was a watershed. Now we’re talking about the real issue. Because there has been real pain under there all along that she’s been avoiding. Now that it’s out in the open, we can address it. And, I’m so proud of this girl for letting me challenge her, for opening up, for allowing difficult emotions to come out, and for her honesty. I pushed. But she responded. I’m glad I pushed the right way at the right time. And, again, I’m so proud of how she responded. I so optimistic for her going forward with the courage she’s demonstrating.
Standard disclaimer: I don't edit much if at all. This is a deal I have made with myself. It keeps me from being frozen in the metaphorical carbonite of perfectionism or falling into the "Sarlacc" of avoidance behavior. A new post done is always better than a perfect post undone.
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