From this one conversation they:
- found a recipe
- gathered donated supplies
- found an extra refrigerator
- used my kitchen
- designed a logo
- hit the pavement in 115 degree heat
- knocked on doors
- sold out of their first production run
- made more pickles
- picked up repeat customers
- attended their first shareholder meeting
- decided on a business name
Instead of asking kids what they want to be when they grow up? Maybe we try this....
1) What problem do you want to solve?*
What is the problem they want to take on? Start them on the process of thinking about it. Search deep enough and they will discover patterns about what motivates them or gets them excited.
The OG Snack Company started with a problem of too many cucumbers.
"What are we going to do with all of these?" they asked.
2) How do you want to solve the problem?*
There are a million ways to undertake a problem, so how do they want to use their gifts and talents?
During this process, it was awesome to see these little ladies shine in their natural giftings.
- A few really got into production and creating cost efficient systems.
- A few loved the art of selling and talking to neighbors.
- A few really got into the design of packaging and marketing.
- All of them worked long shifts in the heat to see this biz succeed.
3) What do you need to know to solve that problem?*
What are the knowledge, skills and abilities they need to take on a problem? What do they need to learn? When they do this, they can see the type of classes they should be taking or research they should be doing.
For adults, even if you already have a degree, you can see the classes you need to keep taking because we live in a time where lifelong learning is essential!
None of these ladies knew how to pickle a thing before this experience.
They had to find a recipe and read it. They perfected the brine and slicing width. They found extra storage in a garage refrigerator. They learned they had to wait 48 hours for the pickling brine to work its complete magic. They even refined their recipe after receiving customer feedback.
Conclusion: What problems do you want to solve?
I find myself returning to these three questions as of late.
It seems we never truly grow up; we just see new problems to be solved.
If you loved this blog post, I would be delighted to have you subscribe to future posts by clicking
*3 Question Prompts excerpted from an article "What Problem Do You Want to Solve," by Jaime Casap. Winter 2020 edition of ASU Thrive.
Yesterday was a milestone for us. Mitch and I officially have a teenager in the house.
Morgen turned 13!
Let me tell you she snacks like a teenager too. I love her to pieces, but the pieces of her snacks all over might do me in. (See picture attached--live from Morgen's room.)
Yesterday I had time to reflect on what Morgen has taught me in 13 short years.
- She definitely taught me that the tone of my words carry more power than the words themselves.
- She taught me that to be a good friend sometimes you have to be silly!
- She taught me the healing power of laughter.
- She taught me that a smile will make a friend almost anywhere.
- She taught me I need to be a Mom first and a Boss second.
- One other very important lesson I learned from Morgen 13 years ago--before she could even talk, walk or eat solid food is this:
THE BODY KNOWS HOW TO ACCEPT NOURISHING FOODS AND IT KNOWS HOW TO REJECT FOODS THAT DO NOT SERVE IT!
I keep coming back to this memory of her at four weeks old. She just finished her evening feeding and was crying uncontrollably, scrunching her little chubby legs up to her chest in pain. The only thing that seemed to ease her pain was more feedings. So I kept feeding her and feeding her and feeding her. Her crying tended to escalate as the day went along, coming to a climax at night around the dinner hour when she wanted to nurse constantly. I would nurse her to sleep every night with tears in my eyes, after drying hers. What was wrong? I was committed to breastfeeding for so many reasons, but this wasn't how I pictured it going.
I reached out to the experts. I called the lactation consultant. Got nothing.
I took her into the pediatrician for her 4 week check up and asked for help. I will never forget what her pediatrician said at that appointment, "I would hate for you to have to give up dairy, because this happens so rarely." She didn't even suggest I make any changes.
The experts weren't helping. The inconsolable crying continued and my mental state was detoriating fast. I got a glimpse of what it was like to have a baby with colic. They say if you have had one with colic YOU KNOW. The crying never stops!
I had ONE FRIEND who had gone before me in this journey of motherhood and experienced what I was going through with Morgen. She too had an infant sensitive to dairy and cut it out to keep on breastfeeding. She's been a guiding light for me and many of my friends. She's the one that would bring her newborn to Property class in a sling and not even think twice about feeding her during class. (G you have always been a pioneer. Where would I be without you?)
I asked for help from G. She gave me solid advice--as always. I started journaling what I was eating and eliminating dairy from my diet.
- Day 1 without cheese,
- Day 2 without cream in my coffee,
- Day 3 without milk in my cereal,
- Day 4 without butter on my toast,
- Day 5 without my 3 pm chocolate bar,
- By Day 6 Morgen's crying started to subside!!
Evenings were more peaceful and she wasn't scrunching her legs up to her chest anymore. She would feed and be full and go to bed.
Hallelujah! No tears!
Yes giving up dairy was HARD! Guess what I had to do it twice more when Mayve and Madec were born. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
But you know what the test was? The test was when I accidentally ate that cookie made with milk chocolate chips and butter or got the latte from Starbucks that wasn't made with almond milk after all. Darn! That's why it tasted so good!
Guess who suffered because of it?
WE BOTH DID!
Morgen went back to inconsolable crying and writhing in pain. I noticed inflammation in my gut as well. It was unmistakable. I ate that cookie and 4-6 hours later she was screaming at the top of her itty bitty lungs and my gut was in knots.
OUR BODY KNOWS HOW TO ACCEPT NOURISHING FOODS AND IT KNOWS HOW TO REJECT FOODS THAT DO NOT SERVE IT!
Sometimes the rejection isn't as severe or apparent as Morgen's was with dairy.
Sometimes it is just constant inflammation when we eat or drink certain foods. Nagging, but constant so that you just deal with it daily. But you still feel it.
Or maybe the inflammation has turned into something even uglier like autoimmune disease, chronic eczema or even worse the C WORD!!!
For me the inflammation comes back after I eat gluten again, after going without it for a month. I eat the cupcake from the birthday party yesterday and I wake up with brain fog and creaky joints that used to be my normal.
I'm beyond thankful that I learned 13 years ago that I have power over what goes into my body, thus I have power over how I feel! I can choose to say no to inflammatory foods. I can choose to flood my body with antioxidants and feel amazing. I think clearer, my digestion is smooth, my skin glows, my joints don't ache, my outlook is positive and my energy is more than enough to keep up with 3 kids!
Are you ready for a new normal? Do you need one?
Are you ready for the inflammation in your skin, brain, gut, and hormones to be gone?
If you are get my TIME TO FEEL GOOD AGAIN Guide found Here: https://getoiling.com/JaceyMesser/page/energy-reset
Morgen Frances thanks for teaching me how to use foods to nourish my body and yours, among so many other things. I love you Baby Cakes! Happy 13!
For Freedom,
Jacey
We have two big birthdays coming up at our house in the next two weeks!
One of those belongs to Mayve. Mayve will turn ten on June 3rd.
The other belongs to Morgen. Morgen will turn 13 on May 26th.
When I look back at old pictures of birthdays I am often reminded of just how far we have come. And how thankful I am to be living out my own unique purpose as a human being.
Ten years ago I had no idea what my purpose was. We had recently moved to Rapid City from Bozeman, Montana. Mitch was in the middle of baseball season. I was really, really pregnant with Mayve and trying to find an office to work out of in Rapid City before baby #2 came.
For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to throw a 3rd birthday party for Morgen at a city park.
The party turned out great! She absolutely loved it! Morgen loves parties!
However, the behind the scenes work was a feat and included:
- Renting a commercial bounce house that had to be picked up and taken back the next day.
- A power source for the bounce house at the city park.
- Cooking and serving a hot meal for 20 people with no kitchen on-site.
- Making Morgen's birthday cake from scratch.
- Helium balloons and decorations that had to be picked up and affixed so they wouldn't blow away. (Thank God for Grandmothers).
- Family Picture appropriate wardrobe for Mitch, Morgen and I.
Mitch gave me so much grace with my crazy party ideas back then. Needless to say I was exhausted after all that and being 36 weeks pregnant! But honestly friends I did it to myself. Morgen would have been happy with a simpler party, a few friends and just cake.
Expectations I put on myself and what I thought others had for me were VERY HEAVY in my life ten years ago. Those expectations left me:
- exhausted and fatigued trying to live up to them
- with zero time for exercise
- a poor diet of sugar, carbohydrates and caffeine to get through the day
- a scarcity dominated mindset of lack and anxiety over finances
- lonely and living in a blur not really fully present anywhere
- surrounded by toxic products that I was completely ignorant of
During the next six years, the stress and toxins finally took their toll on my physical health.
I see this quite frequently in others. It doesn't happen over night. The breakdown comes after years and years of ignorance, neglect and lack of intention.
My body had enough and I became a revolving door of sickness:
- mononucleuosis
- laryngitis
- repeated upper respiratory infections
- eczema
- undiagnosed thyroid condition
- mental illness?--probably!
Enough was enough! Over the last four years I have completely changed my mindset, my eating habits, my home products, my habits and thus my life. I'm still a work in progress. I learn something new everyday that contributes to my spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health. And then I take what I learn and do my very best to put it into practice.
Now everything I do on a weekly basis revolves around living out my purpose:
The thoughts I let into my mind
The food and drinks I consume
The schedule I plan
The products I purchase and use
The books I read and listen to
The conversations I have
The prayers I pray
The words I write
I feel a sense of freedom that is so worth all the changes I have made. All that refining fire I walked through left me leaner, smarter, more resourceful, healthier in mind, body and spirit and a better friend.
After walking through some of these very same topics with a group this month I decided to give you a peek into my daily routine and then hold you accountable to making your own changes for freedom.
Starting June 8 and running through June 28 I am opening up a group called "Feeling Good." I named the group this because when we feel good, we take care of ourselves, we take care of others, we serve more willingly to those in need and we have something left to be creators and innovators. That's what we are called to do!
Plus, My kids love that song "Sunday Best" by Surfaces so we are rolling with it.
Feeling Good will be me nudging you into:
a weekly time schedule that works for you
daily meal plans with health promoting foods
time restricted feeding for better digestion and weight loss
daily required water intake
antioxidant support for inflammation control and craving support
required daily contact with other humans
suggested gentle exercise prompts
sleep promoting habits
productivity hacks for work
weekly mindset homework and required thinking time
suggested movies, podcasts and books
suggested toxic product swaps
I will be your guide through all of this. I write the meal plans, shopping lists and daily prompts. Everyday you will get a text from me with your daily prompts. We will touch base once per week on your progress.
You will get a shopping list before the challenge starts for meals and supplies. Some supplies will have to be ordered by May 27th arrive in time. The cost of the supplies will be a minimum of $100. Some you may have on hand already.
Do you want to be FEELING GOOD by June 28? Do you need a friend to help you get there?
Yes!??! Great you are in!
Click this link to let me know you are in. https://getoiling.com/JaceyMesser/landing/feeling-good
Can't wait to do this alongside of you!
For Freedom,
Jacey
New Month
May is the my favorite month. My birthday was yesterday, my first baby was born in May and I married my best friend in May.
In all honestly I like the fresh start of every month to reset my mind and focus in on growth. That's why I love my Passion Planner because it has a Monthly Reflection section. Right now Passion Planners are 30% off for Mother's Day. Check it out here:
This month is especially important to me because I’m leading some friends through a 28 Day Challenge called….
The Energy Reset.
It starts today! You can do it with us.
We are going to be challenging Toxic Thoughts the next 11 days such as:
- “I’m not good enough”
- “Nobody will follow me”
- “I’m too fat, I will never lose weight.”
- “I’ve made too many mistakes.”
- “I’m going to be broke the rest of my life.”
- “I don’t have what it takes to do this job.”
- “My colleagues are way more talented than me.”
- “I am not worthy of finding a soul mate.”
- “I am too old.”
- “I don’t know why I am trying so hard—this isn’t going to work for me.”
- “If I lose ____, I can’t make it on my own.”
How many of these toxic thoughts have you heard rolling around in your head?
I had my fair share of them too, until 2 years when ago when I found a new way forward….
New Mindset
At that time, I found a friend and mindset coach who helped me realize how my toxic thoughts were poisoning everything in my life.
- My Faith
- My Marriage
- My Parenting
- My Friendships
- My Work
- My Energy
After 11 Days of watching Gwen’s Videos and doing her Mindset Work, I was able to sit down with a blank piece of paper and for the first time in decades draw a map of:
My Purpose
My Future Visions
My Goals to Get to the Future Visions
Instead of trying and failing to live out someone else’s purpose, visions and goals for my life…
And then being perpetually disappointed in myself when I didn’t reach them….
I REDISCOVERED MY OWN INTUITION--that inner voice that speaks to me from the depths of my being!!!
What a gift of clarity that is.
I want that very same CLARITY for you.
Click this link to register for the challenge via email and get started with us TODAY.
Bye Bye Toxic Thoughts!
Jacey
So yes, I am one week away from another birthday......
I like gifts on my birthdays, not necessarily cake. (Not a big fan of frosting.) But next Sunday I AM going to have a piece of cake. And the very next day I am really doing this--->
I am starting a 28 Day Energy Reset.
Which means no cake for awhile....
(Before you exit the screen--this is not a diet.)
This is a cold hard look at four pivotal areas of life that are sucking the life right out of us:
I call them Energy Vampires:
- Toxic Thoughts: Pretend you just woke up. What is the first thought you hear? Is it a positive thought?
- Toxic Food: What is the food you can't get enough of? Does it leave you feeling "fed" in a good way or empty, bloated, inflamed and probably still hungry? There are also hidden vampires in our everyday food like milk, bread and meat.
- Toxic Products: This category is hard to illustrate because most of the vampires in plastics, furniture, cleaners, makeup, detergents, lotions, soaps and personal care products are invisible and they wreak havoc over time. However, if you have cleaned with bleach or used aerosol deodorant or hairspray you know how it can irritate your lungs and eyes. You might be surprised what it is doing to your other body systems.
- Toxic Habits: These vampires can be people in your life or chronic crutches you turn to. How do you break free from them for good?
I am currently working on healing an underactive thyroid and my personality leads me to get to the bottom of it. I am the investigate, research-hungry type. So naturally I turned to a book that provided me a way forward.
So Here's My Why for The Energy Reset:
- I am tired of being chilled, having cold hands and feet and wearing my jacket when others are in tank tops.
- I am tired of being irritable and short with my family to the point of wanting to hide in my closet.
- I am tired of the fatigue after working a full day or doing the weekly grocery shopping.
- I am tired of waking up with inflammation in my joints after eating junk right before bed.
- I am tired of the low libido. (yes I said it.)
Don't get me wrong. I have made major gains with attitude, inflammation, fatigue and libido in the last 4 years.
Which only came after I did the mind work, made some healthy food swaps and committed to a complete product overhaul at our house. Loads of sanctification and grace, but I still have a ways to go.....
And I thought if I have a ways to go, why not invite others to go with me? Maybe you have a ways to go too?
Maybe the issue isn't your thyroid. Maybe it's another autoimmune disorder like arthritis, lupus, celiac, spondylitis, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, restless leg syndrome? There's too many to list.
Maybe the issue is in your gut--the indigestion, the bloating, the heartburn, the extra weight.
Maybe the issue is your mental health--depression, anxiety, panic.
Maybe it's the lack of sleep.
Maybe it's the loneliness.
Maybe it's the stress.
Maybe it's the fear.
Whatever it is it is zapping you of energy!
This is what I found to be true in my own energy war:
Without energy I cannot take care of me...
I cannot take care of others....
I cannot serve others, because I will not feel like serving.
I cannot create.
We are called to do all 4 of these things.
In this group we will reset our energy! We will learn alongside each other, hold each other accountable, and celebrate our successes together!
There will be no cost to join the Energy Reset. You can spend literally nothing and complete the challenge.
However, I will post a suggested materials and supplies list inside the Energy Reset Facebook group if you want to take it to the next level. These are books, products* and materials I will be relying on during the challenge. Almost all of them I have used before with great success.
I will post a focus point for everyday of the Energy Reset.
I'm also excited about some of the experts and testimonials I am bringing into the group surrounding our four focus areas: thoughts, food, products and habits. They have all lifted me up in these four areas and I know they will do the same for you!
Look for fun giveaways too!
Who's In?
Let's Seek Energy & Pursue it Together,
Jacey
Click Here to Get my Energy Reset Guide and Register for the Challenge that starts May 4: https://getoiling.com/JaceyMesser/page/energy-reset.
*Some of the products I suggest, I will earn a commission on orders that are placed.
