Don’t waste a moment. Make each action accomplish more than one thing. Play a game with yourself. See how many projects you can complete in the shortest time possible. Challenge yourself to figure out more and more ways of becoming efficient.

See how long it takes you to do things with this thought in mind. You can easily determine if you are wasting time in your life by becoming more aware of how long it takes you to do everyday things. While you are brushing your teeth, think about what you are going to get done today. As you drive to work, picture yourself completing your first task. Don’t wait around for the coffee to drip at the coffee machine. Wait until it’s already made and go back. On your way to and from the machine, drop off memos or communicate a message to a co-worker.

Don’t hurry. There’s no need to rush through things. Work smarter, not harder. Just be aware of what you’re doing. See if you feel like you accomplished more today in a shorter amount of time. Think about incorporating some of the techniques you employed today into your everyday routine.

If the day turns out sunny, wait for the next rainy day. Invite a friend to go along or take your spouse and children with you. Whether the precipitation is light mist or a torrential downpour, feel the sensation of being exposed to the elements and the comfort of being prepared for them at the same time.

Get all bundled up and make sure you have the right kind of rain gear. Wear boots and raincoats and hats and take umbrellas if you like, and merrily walk along as if the sun were shining and the temperature were seventy-four degrees. You don’t have to be out all day. An hour will do. Even fifteen minutes will work if you’re not so sure about doing this at all.

Smell the moist, humid air, and the fragrance of spring bursting forth. Think about the fact that the water coming down on you is part of a continuing cycle of precipitation, evaporation, condensation, and more precipitation. The falling rain is as old as the universe itself. The same amount of water exists today as has always existed, more or less.

There may be reasons for not using a Medicare-participating doctor:
►    You may not be able to find one in your area.
►    You may have been getting genuinely good service from your family doctor, who for whatever reason does not participate.
►    A specialist your family doctor refers you to may be the only one in town, or a good one, and may not participate.
While all are valid reasons, they do not have to apply to your situation. Remember, a doctor does not have to be “participating” to accept assignment. You can negotiate it with the doctor. And now is the time to negotiate. Medicine is a business. Doctors need customers these days, and that need will grow. And it is just good business—for both of you—to bargain, whether you are eligible for Medicare or not.
If you persuade your doctor to accept assignment in your case (the best outcome), the doctor is giving up the right to charge you more than 20 percent of the Medicare-approved price. Further, as mandated by law, he is required to handle the paperwork for Part
B    claims—whether or not he is a participating physician. An obvious advantage is that beneficiaries are relieved from cumbersome paperwork associated with Medicare filings and claims.

Your desk at work is a perfect place to demonstrate your intention to honor beauty. You don’t have to have a full bouquet. A single rose will do.

Having fresh flowers on hand allows your senses to be stimulated in almost every way. The scent will remind you constantly that you are in the presence of something extraordinary. You can look up at any time to gaze at one of the most perfect forms nature has to offer, replete with vibrant color and unique shape. You can even press your finger against a thorn, ever so lightly, just to be reminded of the protection that the rose needs to keep away unwanted advances.

Do the flowers alter your mood? Do they instill in you a sense of wonder?