Tell us...how do you find the latest and greatest?

SoOoO much information and soOoO little time to scour the web for the latest and greatest.

In an attempt uncover a few new finds in website world, we’ve dedicated this blog to hearing from you! So our question is… If you could only visit ONE website for your must have info, what would it be? Think of it as the ONE website you could not live without! Your interest can be focused on news, sports, mommy-hood, humor, fashion, fitness, gossip, or all of the above…anything that get’s you to the goods.

PS Feel free to start your Friday with a little sass!

Slump BUST OUT!

Haven’t felt like yourself lately? Whether you’ve been under the weather, not been turning in your typical quality work, or even had a string of bad luck, there are certain things you can do to change the recent tides back in a positive direction. These "recent tides," could be characterized as a slump and every athlete knows they’re prone to experience one at some point in time. So yes, unfortunately, we are prone slumps in our  personal life as well.

In athletics a slump buster is crucial and something that requires a change---ultimately triggering a positive outcome. In life we need slump buster's too!!! Have you ever heard the saying, “Keep doing what you’ve always done and you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten?” Essentially, if you keep doing what you’ve been doing the odds of breaking out of a slump are less likely.
Begin by trying a new approach, having a new outlook and WILLING yourself to positivity.


Life wise: Definitely consider switching things up when you’re in a life slump. It’s not only good for you, but it helps extinguish the boredom and monotony of everyday life. We also think its fun to keep our most favorite people on their toes! HelloOoO, you are secretly saving them from a boring life and doing a good deed all at the same time! By the way, no one wants to be around a Debbie Downer-Double Frowner as spring quickly approaches. To bust outta that slump, here are a few suggestions for starters:

· Take a look at the BIG picture and concentrate on the positive(s) within your life—what brings you joy?
· Commit to staying active! Sharing an honest moment, we have started P90X twice without actually finishing it. But as our witness, we promise to finish it, we HAVE to do it! And of course, endorphins make you happy, right?
· Take a mini-vacay
· Go on an overdue date night with your special someone
· Look at pictures that remind you of fond memories.


Sports wise: With softball and baseball season underway let’s consider the following scenario: You’ve had 0 hits in your last 20 at bats…YIKES! So let’s switch things up by executing a bunt -PS- this is your slump buster. By catching the other team off guard, you are now standing safely on first base (way to go). Now the seed has been planted and your previous choices will influence the defense for future at bats. So next time, the defense may come in half a step expecting another possible bunt. That small step could result in a hit that’s barely out of the 3rd baseman’s reach…this is a game of inches (and so is life). When analyzing your next move always consider “taking what the defense gives you!”

Friday Fab Five

Happy Friday!!! Have you heard the saying "The best things in life come free?" The following fab five are our favorite "freebies" of the moment. So let's say it (or do it) out loud. Take a gander and let us know what your favorite freebies are!

1. Manners, Please?: Please and Thank You's go a really long way in today's world...just like they did 20 years ago! :) Have you noticed how rare it is to hear a Puh-lease or Thank You...sadly, us too! In fact, it seems like a foreign language in public. Recognizing acts of kindness requires you to speak up and show your appreciation! Check Please...Thank you!


2. Say "I LOVE YOU": Always be sure that those that mean the most to you know exactly how you feel. Saying and showing exactly how you feel is a must. No one is guaranteed tomorrow right? Not to get mushy but.."Have we told you lately....that we love you?" -xoxo


3. Patience: In the world of crazy minivan moms, jet setters, and speedy mall walkers, rushing to the next destination is crucial. It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but taking a moment to stop and smell the roses also means letting other do the same. Remember this next time you're driving behind Grandpa Joe who's admiring the landscape.


4. Give Credit Where Credit is Due: Has someone ever snatched YOUR idea and pawned it off as their own? Yeah, it's happened to the best of us... at the worst possible time! Show that sneaky rip who's boss by displaying your leadership and always give credit to those who deserve it.



5. Open Doors: Literally and figuratively. Remember when your significant other woo'd you on the first 5 dates with chivalrous acts such as opening car and restaurant doors? Cute huh!? Well what happened during the last 100?! Try to open the door for your sweetheart, the elderly, or anyone close behind! In a more figurative sense, this can mean going out of your way to help someone else get their foot in the door. Someone just may show their appreciation with a Thank You!

Message in a Bowl...Super Bowl!

On Super Bowl Sunday as we watched the action on the field, judged commercials and inhaled snacks a resounding voice came on the television that caught our attention... “It’s not whether you win or lose that matters, it’s whether you are prepared to win.”  Pretty simple in its' essence but it definitely had a deeper meaning to us! Below are the key components we believe are imbedded in the message, whether it's the sports world or REAL world you're livin' in:   

1.       PREP WORK:  Being prepared is crucial for winning anything in life.  Good things ABSOLUTELY do happen to good people. Good fortune is more likely to occur to those who did the preparation required to make it happen!

2.       SELF BELIEF:  If you’re prepared to “win” it typically means you have a positive mindset.  You must not only believe that it’s possible to reach your goal but totally convinced it will happen as well! Don’t forget to visualize your achievement.   Visualizing the outcome helps to increase your confidence and your belief in yourself.  Review every possible option in your head and how you will tackle the challenge. Heck yeah it’s possible to win a championship game or earn that promotion at work!  See it and believe it!

3.       CHARACTER AND ETHICS:  Unfortunately, cheating, scandals and lies happen on a daily basis (in fact, they seem to be the norm). The great thing is… there is no substitute for hard work and determination.   If you truly put the time in you will be rewarded…maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but TRUST that great things are coming your way.  The satisfaction received from working hard to win is unlike any other and when you do WIN it only makes the victory that much sweeter.

If you like what we have to say we just started a twitter account that you can follow too :) http://twitter.com/#!/TiffandNik  Thank you and much L-O-V-E!

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Improving performance and achieving excellence is a favorite theme of ours.  That topic came to mind after we stayed up late Friday night into Saturday to watch the women’s 2011 Australian Open Championship.  We really enjoy tennis singles matches because of the 1 on 1 nature of the game.

We were immediately caught up in the intensity of the final women’s match.  Rising Chinese tennis star Li Na (pronounced Lee Nah) faced off against Belgium ace, Kim Clijsters.  As the two opponents battled back and forth into the third set, the pressure and intensity increased.  We could feel it too!

After two hours of play, Clijsters was in position to serve for the Championship Title.  She had previously lost her serve six different times during the match.  But in this most critical game with everything on the line, Kim Clijsters turned it up a notch.  No…. let’s correct that.  She actually turned it up three or four notches.  Clijsters won every single point in that final game! 

The interview after the match was both interesting and revealing.  Clijsters was asked how she turned things around when Li Na seemed in control of the match. 

Clijsters made several points in her interview:

She was expecting “the best Li Na” to show up for the match.  Clijsters knew her opponent would be ready for the match and would be tough to beat.

Clijsters said that even though she felt like she was playing well early in the match, Clijsters knew she was being overpowered by Li Na. As a result, Clijsters adapted and changed things up.

Clijsters also talked about how important it was for her to hang in there (not give up) and to force her opponent to always have to hit one more shot.

So there are several lessons that apply to competition in sports as well as in business and life:

Don’t expect your competition to choke, or give up.  Expect the best out of your opponents, and be prepared to give your best effort to WIN.  Be adaptable and have the confidence and the determination to succeed.

In the Kevin Costner movie”For the Love of the Game” the major league baseball pitcher Costner portrays concentrates on a single thought in important game situations.   "CLEAR THE MECHANISM" is the message Costner constantly replays in his mind.   Costner uses this thought to block out crowd noise, focus on his pitching and get the opposing player out !

Clearly, in the final game of the final match of the 2011 women’s Australian Open, Kim Clijsters was able to "Clear the mechanism" and focus on her objective.   She may not have seen the movie but she certainly understood the message.  Hopefully, Clijsters opponent Li Na can learn from that and move forward.  All of us can do the same.

Guilty Pleasure Picnic

So we did a little research and determined that it's time to throw a guilty pleasure picnic in honor of all the crazy things we love! FYI in case your not quite sure, a guilty pleasure is classified as "something" that you really enjoy and feel guilty or slightly embarrassed about. The great thing is most of us have at least one and they’re usually pretty ridiculous when you get down to it—so why not embrace it?! Our plan is to let the world in on our top vices. Tiff’s “something” is peanut butter. Yummy! Nik’s “something” is actually a “someone”---AHEM Kim K.. Yay!  Here's our reasoning as to why we have chosen these:

Okay not only can peanut butter can be added to any other ingredient resulting in a sweet delicious concoction but in a tight pinch a spoon full can really pack a protein punch (dare you to say that 5 times fast). For the simple people of the world it makes delicious sandwiches (jelly anyone?!) or cookies. For the TRUE PB lovers the possibilities are endless…bananas, oatmeal, bacon (HA! haven’t tried that one yet but thought I’d throw it out there!). The butter of peanuts also has several other purposes, from leather cleaner to gum in hair removal. Who knew huh? :)

Now its Kim Kardashian’s turn. Kim’s business savvy mindset and ultra glam lifestyle is more than admirable--- it’s every girl’s dream! She owns multiple businesses, is monetarily rewarded for appearances and has the number 1 family reality show. In addition to being worth an estimated $10 million she most recently appeared on a billboard in Times Square right below the NFL’s Samoan boy--- Troy Polamalu. On top of it Ms. Popular has approximately 6 million twitter fans who adore and hang on to every last tweet character 1-140! Who doesn't like to be adored?

So yes we did just provide a detailed explanation in hopes of helping everyone feel better about their guilty pleasure! Now it's your turn....we're dying to know your guilty pleasure --may it be PB, Kim K or a blow dryer (hopefully yours is not this dangerous**DO NOT ATTEMPT)--but don't be ashamed, just share!

Pity Party? Not a Chance!!!

So let’s just say you had a horrible game. The first thing we must address is what exactly constitutes a poor performance? If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a million times and we are here to tell you that a good game on paper is not always a good game in reality. Maybe the box score says you were 2-4 but the truth is that you struggled with every single at bat and lucked out with a duck snort and a swinging bunt. Or, we’ve all seen the player that threw up prayer shots all game and happened to wind up with 15 pts. Let us be clear that these games are not a success. They create patterns of bad habits. So now what? Throw yourself a pity party? Not a chance!!!

Next you must identify the contributing factors to your poor performance. Maybe it was lack of preparation, concentration, commitment, not practicing like you want to play, or all of the above. Sometimes you may not know what you’ve done wrong and in those instances, ask around. It’s okay to ask your coaches, teammates or family for help!

Helllllooooo-ho! The fact is that we can’t be perfect all the time. The best part about those not so glamorous moments is that they leave us with a choice. Having a choice means that you can:
A) Learn from your mistake(s) and move on.
OR
B) Continue on the downward spiral of denial.

Denial and self doubt are seriously detrimental to your future performance. In order to use your potential to its fullest, you must continue to challenge yourself to be the best that you can be. Part of being the best you can be, is learning from your mistakes…and never repeating the same mistake twice. Once you get back in the groove of things your confidence will improve and confidence is key to success! In closing we’ll leave you with this little line:

“Potential doesn’t mean s#%@ unless you use it.”
-quote provided by GA on behalf of anonymous

F-I-E-R-C-E

Do you ever hear or see something specific that you feel speaks right to you?  It could be a song, TV program or speech if you’re using your ears.  If you’re using your eyes it could be a quote, psalm, passage, paragraph-heck a whole book!  For us, we’ve been reading quotes our whole life and they just have this miraculous way of really making our day that much better!  We love the positive power that words can possess.  Often times we will trade quotes throughout the day to give us extra motivation or just make us smile!

The other day we decided to incorporate quotes into our softball hitting lessons that we provide.  Here’s how it works…each time we give a lesson we decide upon a word that we feel is associated with great athletes and maybe something that we believe is essential for success.  After the word we’ve decided upon, we also share a few quotes with the individual who is receiving the instruction.

For example, this is what we put together for last night’s lesson (the talented player’s number is 5):

#5=FIERCE

FIERCE: furiously active or determined <make a fierce effort>

Muhammad Ali:

“Champions are made from something they have deep inside them- a desire, a dream, a vision.”

“If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize!”

Nicki Minaj - Moment 4 Life :
I fly with the stars in the skies,
I am no longer trying to survive,
I believe that life is a prize,
But to live doesn't mean you're alive,
Don't worry bout me and who I fire
I get what I desire it's my empire
And yes I call the shots I am the umpire

Serena Williams:

“Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come.”

Vince Vaughn - Wedding Crashers :

“Rule # 76, no excuses, play like a champion ...”

We are not quite sure of the effect that quotes can have on results (we’ve decided its immeasurable) or how much she enjoyed the quotes, but what we’ve decided is if you really like something, it’s best to share it with others!  What about you?!  Do you have a favorite quote, song or passage that you often turn to?  PLEASE SHARE!