Greetings!

We are at the beginning of the new month; and with the holiday season upon us I wanted to take the time to say something hopefully inspirational and encouraging. I read these words this morning and it's really got me thinking.

"Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established." [Proverbs 4:26]

A Lot of us, by reflex, live by reaction. Things come up and we react to them instead of considering which direction we really need to go in 'before' a crisis hits; and when the crisis of life hits we're forced to 'make' a move.

What does any of this have to do with Vegetarianism though?

As we go through this month of October, readying ourselves for the upcoming seasons of thanksgiving, reflection, celebration, new commitments & resolutions, there are those major holiday hurdles and pitfalls that come up right along with them. Here's what we can do about it.

Everyday we can take a moment to ponder the path of our feet or, better yet, the way that is best for us to travel that will bring the highest good, the best long and short term outcomes, the most win-win situations and life's increases. Ultimately God designed us to be plugged into life and to live it connected to Him. From a vegetarian lifestyle perspective we can translate that out to understanding that we have to troubleshoot our lives before the troubles arise. For the holidays, that may translate out to what are you going to eat that's vegetarian, enjoyable, healthy, festive and maybe familiar enough for it not to look like some type of food experiment, that you've-gotta-keep-your-fingers-crossed-in-order-to-get-past-your-first-bite, thing.

If we consider the outcomes that need to take place in our health, in our life and the lives of those around us we'll look at always gearing ourselves towards the thoughts and preparations for success. To do this we've got to go back to the basics making sure our foundation is set properly.

Remember this...
Ultimate success equals: the right vision, planning, preparation and implementation with a strong beginning, middle and end where no energy or resources are wasted.

Look at your big vision or your big picture and ask yourself this question, "Is what I'm doing or about to do going to give me the best opportunity to reach my target?"
If your answer is no, go back to the drawing board and see how you can tweak your process to get that 'yes' answer.

Here's some quick thinking points to begin your troubleshooting process before there's trouble:

1. You're almost at the holidays and you want to come through them without undoing all the good work you've done to get your diet and or health on the right track. What can you do to weather this upcoming potential storm?

Answer: You can start by creating your menu plan from now with ingredients in them that you won't have to beg your thighs and mid-section for forgiveness for later. Think natural, think simple and think tasty.

2. You may live in the middle of nowhere and can't for the life of you figure out where or how you can get a hold of these tasty, vegetarian, simple food items that will make your life easier. What can you do? and Where are you going to get these ingredients from?

Answer: Chances are, if you have a connection to the Internet, a telephone or cellphone, then your resources are just a few keystrokes or phone calls away. Be proactive and begin your search directly following the creation of your holiday menu or menu wish list.
I always say if all else fails... 'google' it.

3. You may be very new to all of this and don't know where to begin. Where do you start?

Answer: You start right here at the vegetarian site to get your practical suggestions and techniques to make your venture into a new and or healthier lifestyle successful and in a tasty way right out of the gate.

Here's a quick inventory suggestion: Go through your cupboards and find all of the unhealthy items and systematically begin replacing them with healthy ones.

My desire for the vegetarian site is for it to be a living resource for you to get all that you need and succeed in life. We'll continue with our 'Shortcuts' series, laying the foundation for an easier more enjoyable time in your kitchen, ensuring that you will take from it key principles to use not only in your meals but more so in your life.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me by either dropping me a line in the forum or filling out a note in the contact form and I'll either plug it into a post response, an article or answer you personally through email, etc.

As always... it is my pleasure to serve you in this special way. My prayer is that it is and stays relevant, timely and interesting for you.

Until next time... I'm Jason... Bye for now.