Oh My…things are rough..between the Debates and Covid, things coming out of Washington are getting even worse (just when you thought it really couldn’t). I decided to bring us back in time to the White House. Back to what life was like Upstairs At The White House, when J.B. West was the Chief Usher. His career spanned over 3 decades
In this New York Times bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families.
J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—and coordinated its daily life—at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings and funerals, gardens and playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and, with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For twenty-eight years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, as well as their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests—including friends, relatives, and heads of state.
J. B. West, whom Jackie Kennedy called “one of the most extraordinary men I have ever met,” provides an absorbing, one-of-a-kind history of life among the first ladies. Alive with anecdotes ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt’s fascinating political strategies to Jackie Kennedy’s tragic loss and the personal struggles of Pat Nixon, Upstairs at the White House is a rich account of a slice of American history that usually remains behind closed doors.
Such as great thing to read during an election year, especially when tensions are so high. For more information or to order this book,. click HERE.
We all have a variety of tasks to take care of around our homes, on a daily basis – and, often, these are not the kinds of things that are intrinsically motivating.
Chores need to get done, DIY jobs need to be taken care of, meals need to be prepared, and that massive stack of papers on the desk of your home office probably needs to be worked through sooner rather than later.
The feeling that things are “stagnating” is always deeply uncomfortable and unpleasant, to say the least. But when that feeling strikes in your own home, it can be especially demoralising.
Here are a handful of tips for gaining momentum in the home and regaining a sense of control over things.
Feel the “resistance” and do it anyway
The writer, Steven Pressfield, is well known not only for his novels (including “The Legend of Bagger Vance”), but also for his cult classic book on the artistic and creative process, titled “The War of Art.”
In this book, Pressfield argues that there is a force called “resistance” that always gets in the way and tries to steer us off course when we are in the process of trying to move from a “lower” to an “higher” state. Writers experience resistance, painters experience it, athletes experience it, and so on.
“Resistance,” however, is also something that we all experience in everyday life as the desire to procrastinate and avoid tasks like dealing with household chores, or getting started on a potentially tricky project.
The key thing – according to Pressfield and many others – is to realise and remember that “resistance” is eternal, and that it never goes away fully. You just have to move forward despite it.
To develop momentum in your home, you need to “feel the resistance, and do it anyway.”
Get yourself the right tools and incentives to support an optimum mindset
It’s always easier to build and maintain positive momentum in your home, if you have the right tools and incentives to support an optimum mindset – one that’s based on a sense of positivity and intrinsic motivation.
If you want to spend more time home cooking your own meals and making them special, getting some high quality cooking utensils such as Made In Cookware might help you to really enjoy the process more, and to feel more inclined to engage in it.
Clarify what it is you need to get done
It’s difficult enough to build and maintain momentum when you actually know what it is you need to do next, and have a clear view of the path ahead.
When everything is chaotic, however, and you just know that you “have a lot of work to do here,” it can be virtually impossible to actually get the ball rolling.
Begin the process by getting systematic, and by identifying and clarifying exactly what it is you need to get done, point by point.
Using a good task management tool such as Omnifocus or Todoist might help here.