Secret OWL Society: February 2013

Michelle's Homemade Granola Bars

Ingrediants:

Honey, 1 cup

Coconut Oil, 4 tablespoons

Brown Sugar, 1/2 cup

Vanilla Extract, 4 teaspoons

Oatmeal, 4 cups

Wheat Germ, 1 cup

Shredded Cocounut, 1/2 cup

Cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon

Salt, 1 teaspoon

Dried Fruit, get jiggy with it

In a medium pot, mix honey, cocunut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract over medium heat till the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

In a bowl mix together oatmeal, wheat germ, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and dried fruit.

Here I use dried pomegranates and chopped up dried figs that I "eye-balled" in measurement.

Pour the wet mixture from the pot into the dry ingrediants. Stir till completely combined. It may seem a bit dry but don't worry.

Here I packed down the mixture onto half of a regular cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Make sure you grease the wax paper before putting the granola on it so that it doesn't stick to it later.

I pressed down and formed with my hands. A little bit of hard work.

Bake in the oven at 300 degreses for 25 minutes.

Et Voila! Let it cool down and then cut it up into bars!

Here's my homemade granola bar I ate on the go to stay healthy and away from donuts!

YAY! So much healthier than the store ones. Next time, I want to try it without the brown sugar and with more fruit.

Influence...or Be Influenced Yourself

Talking with my amazing friend Sirena tonight reminded me of an epiphany I had years ago and that is - when I have to be around someone who is negative or lacks morals and can dampen my mood...I can turn the tables just by realizing that that person is in more "danger" of being influenced by ME...not the other way around because I stand in the strength of what is strong, bright, and true. Why should I let them in their selfishness and pettiness have any power over how I think or feel about anything at all? Someone here is going to walk away touched by the influence of the other person and it doesn't have to be me. If someone is negative, let them keep it if they can't let go of it, but leave a little positive...just by being who you are.

Protect Your Progress by Staying Grateful

I think that the reason why we can have a hard time maintaining progress is because we don't take the time to appreciate how far we've come.

Looking at where you are now in terms of how far you've come instead of how far you have yet to go not only promotes a healthier mindset, it promotes more consistent progress.

A lack of gratitude feeds the danger of self-sabotage - the "stop, go, stop" dilemna. It makes you undervalue what is working and going good in your life and focus on what you think is going wrong. The result of that is you stop doing what's working and you never feel satisfied.

Developing an attitude of gratitude is hard, intentional work. But it's the key that unlocks the fullness of life no matter how far you think you have yet to go.

What Makes Life Work Binder TIP

Here is a new tip for your "What Makes Life Work" binder:

You know all those magazines piling up that you want to find time to read? Magazines can only really be read piece by piece. They're not like books where you can sit down and enjoyably read it from cover to cover. So instead of letting a magazine lie around with articles you intend to read later, pick one up, look for an article that feels pertinent to where you are in life right now and CUT IT OUT. Yup. You didn't buy that magazine for it to sit there looking pretty, did you? You bought it to serve you in your intention to better your thinking and your life.

Now take what you cut out and put it in your binder to read that week. So far I've done this with SUCCESS Magazine and my Catholic magazines. Then after you've read the material, if the article was important enough for you to want to keep handy, place in a filing system under the proper heading: "For mailing to a friend," "Project X," "Goal X," etc.

As Robin Sharma said, "To double your income, you must triple your investment in learning.". Buying those magazines isn't the same as learning them. Put this tip to use and make life work!