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Discovering the Magic
By Bob Cox While I like to think of myself as a genuinely optimistic person, I do have my moments where dark clouds of despair sweep over me like a London fog. Fortunately, I’m usually able to get back on a positive track quickly, thanks to the help of my wise and wonderful wife Diana. She’s not a pity party planner for people who wallow in misery, so I’m grateful for her direct, no nonsense approach to proactive problem solving. Recently; however, I experienced a setback that really rocked my world and sent me down the rabbit hole of negative thinking. I caught a nasty flu that had been going around and it literally knocked me off my feet. For over three weeks, I experienced coughing so relentless and extreme, it threw my back out. Every time I coughed, which was around 10 times a minute, the pain in my back flared up and was so extreme, I thought I would pass out. If that wasn’t depressing enough, Diana, who’s been dealing with a variety of serious health issues, also got violently ill. Every day felt like we were being held hostage in our reclining chairs, coughing and sleeping. Because we both are
business owners, each day of work missed meant one more day of lost income. I was feeling more and more hopeless as each day drug on while the financial pressure rapidly intensified. During a brief moment of clarity, Diana suggested that I go and see the doctor. I felt like saying I’m too sick and depressed to go, but I realized she was right and after my visit, I received three prescriptions that I was confident would help me recover. I also decided to take another prescription, not from my doctor but from motivational speaker Brian Tracy and get back to reading something positive every morning, no matter how bad I felt. I had recently purchased a book that I thought Diana and I would both enjoy titled The Magic and after each daily session, I began to feel better, stronger and healthier. The book was written a few years ago by Rhonda Byrne and it’s much more than a book you simply read. After each short chapter, the author encourages her readers to perform a variety of tasks that focus on the miraculous power of gratitude. Of all the exercises she recommends, the one that really helped me regain my sanity and positive outlook was the daily task of journaling ten things I was grateful for and why. As I wrote down each thing I was grateful for and why, two amazing things happened simultaneously. I was getting a break from all the negative thoughts and then replacing them with genuinely positive memories. Each day I’ve taken the time to write down ten things I’m grateful for has become a little more challenging because I have to dig a little deeper in my memory bank to find those positive experiences. The challenge of coming up with ten more things each day to be grateful for has been very good medicine for me. The positive improvements I’ve had in my overall outlook on life have been powerful and profound. I feel much lighter and happier overall at home and at work. I’m also able to think more clearly and my listening skills are much sharper. Thanks to the magic of consistently journaling, feeling and expressing gratitude, I’m more enthusiastic about the future than ever and that is something to be truly grateful for!
Bob Cox is the founder and publisher of Go For It Magazine. He can be reached by phone at (916) 266-3115. His email address is coxrobert@comcast.net. Go For It Magazine is owned and operated in Rancho Cordova, CA. Copyright © 2018. 4 GO FOR IT
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The Blue Collar Attorney to offer the very best service at the By Bob Cox lowest possible prices and keeping Whenever I think of a typical atexpenses down is a crucial part of torney, I have a mixed bag of posihis strategy. tive and negative expectations. I spoke with Steven the other The positive images that come to day to learn more about his apmind are a person who’s extremely proach to practicing law. well dressed, intelligent and articulate. On the negative side of the Q: Please tell us a little about ledger is an individual that may be the Law Office of Steven H. Bera bit frosty, aloof and unapproachniker. able. Once inside their office, I For the past 28 years, Steven H. Berniker has A: We were established in 2009 would expect to see a plethora of assisted his clients in navigating difficult situations and are dedicated to providing framed plaques, certificates and through his professionalism and attention to detail. quality legal services at a fair price. awards filling the walls that surOur firm focuses on family law, soround an immaculately decorated cial security, disability and veteran’s benefits. and expansive office space, filled with high end furniture that costs more than the average family sedan. Q: What is your educational background? When I first met an attorney named Steven H. Berniker I graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1986 and graduated three years ago at a veteran’s PTSD fundraising event, I liked from Hastings School of Law in 1990 and have been an athim instantly. Not only did I find his sharp wit and self deptorney in good standing since 1990. recating sense of humor delightful, I was amazed by his friendliness, warmth and down-to-earth spirit. Q: What inspired you to open your own practice? Steven’s office is a reflection of his no frills approach to A: In 2007, the law firm I was working for was planning practicing law. While he could certainly afford to impress to open a satellite office in Sacramento and at that time, his prospective clients with a lavishly decorated office, Stethe economy tanked. They changed their mind and I was ven resists the urge to splurge because his primary goal is here. So, I decided the best thing to do would be to use my experience and go out on my own. Q: Was it scary for you to venture out on your own? A: Well, yes. I started out in a 250 square foot office, no clients and all I had in my room was a computer and a phone. Q: How did you manage to navigate through those humble beginnings? A: By offering very competitive prices for quality representation. I really undercut my competition and I still am. I’m significantly less if you look around. But I don’t know how to say that without sounding cheap (laughs). Q: Aside from offering low attorney fees, what else do you do to offer superior value? A: We also offer unbundled services. Usually, when you hire an attorney, let’s say for divorce, you would hire me and anything that happens in your divorce is my responsibility. Unbundling allows my clients with limited budgets to select a portion of the services I provide, such as handling the custody part of your case in the event of a divorce. Q: Is there anything else you do that makes your law firm stand out? A: I’m really good at handling custody cases. I’m also very knowledgeable in dependency cases. Dependency is part of the juvenile court; when kids are taken away from their parents. In those cases, custody is fought out and it is often bloody, especially when relatives come in. My experience really does roll over well into plain family law. 6 GO FOR IT
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Q: What elements of family law do you focus on? A: Family law is a broad topic. It includes division of property, spousal support, child support, domestic violence and establishing restraining orders or opposing them. So when we say I do family law, we do all of that.
A: My approach is very blue collar. If you come to my office, it’s not fancy, as you know. That allows me to keep the prices down and my approach is very goal oriented. What I’ve learned about law is that fairness is a concept that people have but what you consider fair, the law may not, so we need to be goal oriented and how we get to what you want.
Q: You also focus on social security and veterans benefits, is that Q: I’ve always enjoyed our meetcorrect? ings because you have a terrific sense A: Yes, I worked for a very large of humor. Does that help you in your worker’s compensation firm in Santa practice? Rosa and when they had injured workA: Yes, because I’m dealing with ers that were never going to return to Steven H. Berniker’s goal is to advocate for good people during difficult times. I work, they would have me deal with all his clients, civilians and veterans alike don’t know how to say it in a nice way, the social security part of the case. I and helps them receive the compensation that’s what you’re here for (laughs)! A have done hundreds of social security they deserve. good sense of humor helps deal with hearings and I’m very familiar with the stress and nastiness that is going to come up. It’s imhow to win your case. At that time, I also handled a number portant to realize that yes, this is a stressful time, but this is of V.A. cases as well. A lot of veterans apply who work can going to pass and life is going to go on. get social security and V.A. benefits. So, we assist veterans who have served our country and suffered injuries during Editor’s notes: For more information about the their service. If we can prove all that, then you can get a Law Office of Steven H. Berniker, visit their website at stipend every month on top of what you’re getting. www.familylawfirmsac.com, call (916) 480-9200 or stop by their office at 2424 Arden Way, Suite 360 in Q: Do you have a specific approach to dealing with Sacramento, CA. challenges and staying positive?
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The Sweet Taste of Coming Home to Menchie’s on their core values of treating people By Bob Cox right. “We actually found Menchie’s When Spring Mason, the co-owner through an internet search. I was worof Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt in Rancho ried that our meeting was going to be Cordova said that choosing to invest in about numbers, graphs, charts and this franchise was like coming home, profitability. Instead, it was all about I knew exactly what she was talking the culture of the franchise, the family, about. Early on in my sales career, I was the community, giving back and how searching to work with a company that to treat your team”, Spring said. valued principals over profits while proOnce they were excited about the viding a healthy environment of integMenchie’s business philosophy, the rity, respect and support. When I found next step was the sweet task of samthe company that offered that and pling the tasty treats. “During the much more, it felt like coming home to process, we visited a few of the local work for the first time in my young life. Terry and Spring Mason are the proud shops to try their products and we abJust one year ago, Spring and her franchise owners of Menchie’s in Rancho solutely fell in love with it! We would husband Terry embarked on an exten- Cordova. go out on date nights every Saturday sive search to find the best franchise for and sometimes two days a week to get our Menchie’s fix. their family, a franchise that was much more than just finanSo we definitely fell in love, first with the business and then cially successful and growing. Like me, they were also lookwith the product”, explained Spring. ing for a business that had a positive, friendly and family Here’s how the rest of my conversation went with Spring. oriented culture. Out of all the franchise around, Menchie’s stood head and shoulders above the rest. Q: What makes Menchie’s frozen yogurt different After accepting an invitation to the Menchie’s headfrom other yogurt shops? quarters in Encino, CA Terry and Spring were pleasantly A: Menchie’s has its own proprietary blend, while most surprised by the company’s representative’s intense focus of the other yogurt companies buy from just one company. Menchie’s actually has a dairy in southern California and a research and development team onsite at headquarters in Encino, CA. They’re Certified Kosher and organic, which means they don’t use any hormones or antibiotics on their cows. We also avoid using high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors. Q: Is there anything else that makes your frozen yogurt taste so amazingly great? A: Yes, they also pay for the licensing for several name brand ingredients. We serve an Oreo brand of cookies and cream, a York Peppermint Pattie flavor, Skippy for our chocolate peanut butter brownie, a Butterfinger flavor and Cinnabon flavor as well!
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Q: What are your most popular flavors? A: We always have 12 flavors and our standards are chocolate, vanilla, tart and Dole Pineapple. We also offer non-dairy options, which are our sorbet’s and also have no sugar added options and low-carb, no sugar added yogurt as well. We also make fresh waffle cones every day, which smell and taste amazing.
ally, when we hired our team we told them we want them to feel like family, so if they ever have issues to come to us and we’ll do whatever we can to help.
Q: Do you have any advice on how to deal with challenges and stay positive? A: Terry and I have actually been through a lot. We’ve been together over 20 years now and we both worked in Q: You also offer frozen the housing market when it yogurt cakes, which I had crashed. We both lost our never seen before. Can you jobs at the same time with The team at Menchie’s work and have fun together like one big tell us more about them? small children at home and happy family and are eager to make you smile. A: Yes, we’re one of the had to basically rebuild from few frozen yogurt companies nothing. So, we could’ve eithat make cakes. We can special order cakes, so you can ther taken it as the worst thing in the world and just regress pick whatever flavors you want in your cake and add your or we could be a team and work together and build off of favorite toppings We can create custom designs and even it, so that’s what we did. print designs like your photograph and place it on top of the cake as well, which is completely edible. Editor’s notes: For more information about Menchie’s in Rancho Cordova, visit their store at 10933 Olson Dr. Q: Did Menchie’s come up with the idea of making in the Target Shopping Center or call (916) 858-2606. frozen yogurt cakes? A: Yes, they were the first to actually launch that product. Along with the amazing flavor, the other great thing about our frozen yogurt cakes is they are healthier than the ice cream cakes and have fewer calories per slice. They’re also working on frozen yogurt sandwiches made with cookies outside. We are currently serving Dole Whip Floats, like the ones found in Disneyland, and we will be launching Frozen Yogurt shakes in the near future Q: Can you tell us a little more about the culture here at Menchie’s? A: We’ve both worked in the corporate world and know what it feels like to be a number in a business. I’ve always been drawn to jobs where I feel like I actually belong there and feel valued. They encourage all their franchisees to donate to the community while making everyone feel like a welcomed guest in our home. Q: Do you have a large variety of toppings to choose from? A: Yes, we have 32 dry toppings, 12 chill bar toppings including fresh fruit for people that want a healthier option. We also have five sauce toppings and will be bringing out another topping which is a no sugar added, fat free chocolate. We use natural sweeteners like stevia, which tastes great. Q: Is there anything else you would like to add? A: Even though people see us as a franchise, we’re truly a family run business, which includes me, my husband Terry and our son, so it’s definitely a family environment. ActuFebruary 2018
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7 Ways to Persist When Everything In You Wants to Give Up Sonia Thompson Have you ever felt like your lungs were going to explode? That’s what it felt like during my hike up Machu Picchu. The ancient city sits more than 2,400 meters above sea level and my group eagerly started climbing just after 5 a.m. I ended up alone, behind the group, with more than 1,100 meters left to go. I never imagined the journey would be so difficult (evidenced by the shoes I chose to wear). I worked out regularly, but that didn’t prepare me for the altitude. I couldn’t seem to get enough air. I wanted to give up. My body was begging me to stop. My weary mind wanted to follow suit. But I persisted. And I made it to the top—lungs and heart intact. Here are the seven things that helped me keep going that day, when everything in me wanted to quit. If you find yourself in a situation where you want to give up, these lessons can help you, too.
When tackling a difficult task, you need every ounce of energy you can muster. Make sure to channel it to a place that will propel you forward.
1. Ignore everyone else.
I began the hike before the sun was up. As I continued to climb, it started to peek around the mountain, giving glimpses of the beauty all around me. It was magical. During the catch-my-breath breaks, I marveled at the privilege of seeing nature in all her beauty. In those moments, I gave no thought to my struggle. I was too busy being grateful for being right there. It can be easy to focus all your energy on reaching your ultimate goal. But if the only thing you can see is your end destination, you’ll miss the beauty of the journey along the way. The new experiences and welcome surprises provide much-needed fuel to keep going.
In the beginning of the climb, I only saw the people passing me. Every time I saw someone hiking with ease, I felt bad about myself. But when I stopped worrying and stopped comparing everyone else’s journey to my own, I began to focus on my own mission and how I was going to achieve it. As you work toward your dream, it can be easy to get distracted when you see others achieving their goals easier, faster and better than you. It can make you feel inadequate and unsatisfied with your own progress. But when it comes to conquering a goal, what’s happening with others is irrelevant when it detracts from your ability to move forward. 10 GO FOR IT
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2. Become your own biggest supporter.
When I started the hike, I wasn’t alone. But within 10 minutes, I was behind and alone. At first I was frustrated my companions abandoned me in my time of need. But then I realized my burden wasn’t theirs to bear. Although it can be energizing to have others around to motivate and support you, having them there is a luxury, not a requirement. That lesson allowed me to turn inward and find in myself the strength and determination to keep going. I began to encourage and high-five myself with every step. Sometimes on the road to success, you have to walk alone. If you find yourself in that position, find a way to give yourself what you need to continue.
3. Stop and appreciate the little things.
4. Focus on the next step.
It discouraged me to think how far away I was from the top. So I reframed my goal into mini-milestones that made the next steps more manageable. Just take one more step, I thought. OK, now just get over to those stones. Alright, once you get to that bench you can stop and rest for a few minutes. When your goal seems too big, it can feel impossible, which opens the door for resistance to creep in. By breaking your target into bite-sized pieces, you can keep yourself in motion and build momentum.
5. Throw your watch out the window.
Before the trek, I read that most people make it to the top of Machu Picchu in about 45 to 60 minutes. It took me longer. When I focused on the time it was supposed to take, I was frustrated at myself for not being good enough or fast enough. But nobody cared how long it took me to get to the top and I shouldn’t have, either. All that mattered was completing my journey. As you work on reaching your goals, stop looking at the clock. Stop measuring yourself against someone or something else. It will only serve to distract you from focusing on what you need to do right now to advance.
6. Stop looking for a way out.
Not everyone who goes to Machu Picchu hikes. You can take a bus straight to the top and save yourself the emotional and physical strain. Early on in my climb, I thought about retreating or waving down one of the buses on their way up. When your pain is at the forefront, it is natural to want to make it go away. But when you invest time looking for a way to abort your journey, you waste precious energy that could be used to help you overcome momentary pain and discomfort for long-term growth.
7. Acknowledge your limitations.
I had to be honest with myself. I was having trouble getting air and I couldn’t keep the pace of the group. Pushing my body to the limit by trying to keep a faster pace wasn’t going to go well for me. My path needed to be different, and that’s OK. After implementing my new strategy, the journey was less grueling. Your road to success might not look like everyone else’s. That’s OK. Everyone’s situation is different. Instead acknowledge where you are, so you can give yourself what you need to be successful. As you work to achieve your goals, there will be obstacles, bumps and bruises along the way. When the journey becomes more uncomfortable than what you are used to, it can be easy to throw in the towel and retreat. But if you follow these lessons, you can find the strength to keep going in the midst of difficulty. And when you persist, you’ll discover the reward was worth the effort. Don’t give up.
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Why You Should Follow Your Curiosity By Lewis Howes When considering a career and a lifestyle, people often offer the advice to follow your passion. It seems like solid advice, but what happens if you don’t know what your passion is? People ask me all the time how to find their passion, which is always a hard question for me to answer. Until my conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert. You might know her as the author of the New York Times best-selling book turned movie, Eat, Pray, Love. What you might not know is that her perspective on following your passion is much different than you may have ever heard. Since she was 6 years old, Liz knew that she wanted to be a writer. She focused on who she wanted to be and never expected her book to take off the way it did. Her focus was never on how the audience would respond, but always being the best version of herself as a writer. With her success with Eat, Pray, Love, so many doors opened up for her and eventually led to her being invited by Oprah to be a speaker on her SuperSoul Sessions tour. It was during one of her talks that an audience member changed her perspective on passion. As many creative individuals do, Liz also offered the advice of following your passion. She always said that you know what you’re passionate about when you would do anything to do that one thing. However, this audience member asked whether not knowing what one’s passion was made that person a failure. It dawned on Liz at that moment that not everyone could say that they have always known what they wanted to do. So how do they find what their passion is? They follow their curiosity.
To Liz, there are two categories of people when it comes to this subject: jackhammers and hummingbirds. The jackhammers, which she identifies herself as, are the ones that have always known what they wanted to do; they’re loud and impulsive and determined. Then there are the hummingbirds. The hummingbirds exist to cross-pollinate, taking ideas from multiple places, and are responsible for keeping the culture open to new ideas. A lot of times, society doesn’t give enough credit to the hummingbirds. These individuals often explore many different areas, whether it’s through careers or hobbies, in order to find what their passion is. Finding your passion isn’t about looking for a big sign to point you to it but being open to the invitation of creativity. As Liz points out, if you are truly following your curiosity, your eyes have to be on the ground looking for the next clue on your scavenger hunt. I consider myself a humming-hammer. In my business, I am constantly testing new things, but when I do, I go all in. It aligns with how I always describe living my life like a sports season. There are many things that I have been able to bring to my business as an athlete, and the mentality of living in seasons is a powerful one. There is the pre-season, the regular season, playoff season and post-season. The pre-season is when I research new ideas and see what is working in other businesses, which then of course flows into the regular season, when I am testing to see how everything is working. If everything is working according to plan, we make it to the playoffs, where the focus is on the championship (or in this case, creating the best product possible). During my post-season, I evaluate the season and from there determine whether I want to continue on the path I’m on or change the path. It’s not always easy to cross into the unknown and try something new, but that’s what I love about Liz describing this as curiosity. Oftentimes, whether in business or in life, fear holds us back from discovering what our purpose is. It can be disguised in anxiety, apathy or acidity, but if we give ourselves permission to explore our curiosity, it can lead us to finding Elizabeth Gilbert, the best selling author of Eat, Pray, Love was once asked a profound question our passions. that changed her perspective about following one’s passion. 12 GO FOR IT
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All We Need is a (Hometown) Hero! We are surrounded by heroes: first responders, good samaritans, people who take the time to donate their time, money, and other support to worthy causes or even someone they just met. I am heartened to remember this because the news always seems to focus on the “bad” in the world... Once a year, Rancho Cordova takes the time to thank their hometown heroes. On Friday, March 9, come join us for a unique and fun celebration of this year’s honorees. It is an inspiring event and you don’t have to be from Rancho Cordova to appreciate and enjoy the hurrahs! And perhaps it will inspire you to donate some (more) time, energy or funds to a cause that you wish to support. OR to THANK someone that you know of who does... I’m sure it would make their day! “Changing the entire world is a daunting task, but changing one person’s world is realistic and possible every day.” ~ Author unknown To learn more about these and other events, visit BobsPocket.com * Visit BobsPocket.com for links to these references, Bob’s bio, past blogs, and more! 14 GO FOR IT
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Allergies:
They’re Nothing to Sneeze At growing number of food allergies By Bob Cox that were completely disrupting Allergies are affecting more his life and the answer was a reand more Americans each year, sounding yes! according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. ApAt that time, Kevin was receivproximately 30% of adults and ing allergy shots from his doctor 40% of children are plagued by for an extensive number of foods, various allergies and around 50 including all meats, rice, lettuce, million people suffer from nasal tomatoes, corn, peaches, bananallergies in the United States. The as, milk and even coffee. The alresults from allergic reactions lergy shots he had received from range from symptoms as benign his doctor didn’t make much of a as sneezing to as severe as death. difference, so he eagerly agreed to give Dr. Roc’s treatment a try and The definition of an allergy the results have been amazing! is when your immune system reacts to an external source The symptoms Kevin suffered called an allergen. Allergens can from his food allergies included be ingested while eating, drinkacid reflux, abdominal bloating and cramps, skin breakouts, ing, inhaling and even absorbed Professional dog trainer Kevin Salem once labored breathing, low energy, into your skin. Professional dog suffered from environmental and food allergies. sneezing, coughing, wheezing trainer Kevin Salem knows a With treatments from Dr. Roc, his debilitating symptoms are a thing of the past! and an increase in asthma atthing or two about allergies as tacks. All those annoying discomhe has suffered from a growing forts are completely gone. Kevin can now enjoy the foods number of them over the past several years. he loves without all the pain and displeasure. When he learned that Dr. Roc Gantt, the founder of With a unique and comprehensive treatment plan, the Natural Health Clinic had a proven track record for which includes acupuncture and a variety of other methhelping people with environmental allergies, he schedods, Dr. Roc was able to give Kevin immediate relief from uled time to give his treatments a try. After the first seshis allergies. If you or someone you know is suffering from sion, Kevin found immediate and lasting relief from his either environmental or food allergies, call Dr. Roc Gantt pollen allergy. He was so overjoyed and excited, he asked of the Natural Health Clinic today at (916) 349-9223. Dr. Roc if he had any treatments to help him with the
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