Note From Hanna Change. While the only constant in life is change, sometimes it’s more overt than others. Right now, I’m experiencing a lot of change. Change in my body and how I approach my wellness. Change in my professional life. Change in my priorities and passion. While change can be unsettling, it is also a time of forward momentum, growth, and becoming more of who you want to be. It is a time to: Examine and let go of thoughts, beliefs, and actions that no longer serve you. Notice where fear is tripping you up so that you can make different decisions and choose different responses. Surrender and let go of trying to control the outcome. Appreciate what you do have. More fully connect to your Higher Self and to the love and support you are receiving. While it can leave your raw, tender and vulnerable, change can also refresh, enliven, and revitalize. The good news is that it’s all part of our personal development journey. It’s all a part of life. Some of the change I am experiencing will impact you. For instance: My blog is going to once a week, starting this week, so that I can devote more time to the book I’m writing. I’m putting Beautiful Inside and Out on hiatus for the first months of the new year for the same reason. I’m cutting the number of programs I’m doing and will be focusing more on 1 to 1 coaching so that I can ensure that every woman I’m working with is getting the absolute best service from me. One of the programs I’m considering cutting is the Love Your Way Slim Beach Retreat. This is a tough one as I love the […]
Cha, Cha, Changes! How Shifting Your Perspective Changes Everything
I’m going to be completely open and transparent. A conversation I had yesterday that signaled a significant change in a 15-year relationship left me feeling sad. Since then my mood has been bouncing all around the room. The good news is I know this is normal—AND temporary. My mood is more up than it is down, I have the tools to allow myself to feel the emotions and let them flow through me like water, and it is perfect timing for my own coaching session today. But right this second, I’m feeling a little prickly. Hey, it happens! Change—and the resulting emotional shifts—are inevitable. Here’s the deal. While it can seem like we are basically living the same day over and over again, that’s actually a fallacy. You may be following the same routine, but all around you is change. There is a basic life principle that says, “The Only Constant is Change.” We live totally immersed in change because it’s the normal process of life. The clouds in the sky will never be exactly the same pattern again. The birds and animals will never be in the exact same place. The cars and people moving around in their day are in totally new perspectives and positions from one another. The people we see and talk too are different, and even the words that we say to the people who are most consistent in our lives will be different. This is truly a new day. The problem comes when we refuse to accept change as a natural process, and instead try to control it. You know you are trying to control change if it feels like you are being hit by a tidal wave. You […]
What You are Doing that’s Keeping You From Slim and Sexy
While I’m in Charleston, South Carolina, for a retreat, I’m sharing some of my favorite blogs from the past. “I’m doing everything right. Why isn’t my body responding?” “Being on a diet makes it really hard to enjoy life.” “I’ve tried everything and nothing works!” “Losing weight is a struggle every day.” “I’m so TIRED of being overweight.” “Why can’t I just have a normal body, and relax and enjoy myself like I see other people do?” “I’m already working so hard and I’m not seeing any results. I don’t know what else to do.” These are common statements that I hear women make. They feel frustrated, angry, and often think that their body is somehow faulty and that they are stuck with the body shape they have. And they desperately want something else. They yearn for a healthy, slim, and sexy body—sometimes more than anything else! What if it is these very thoughts that are holding you back? What if those feelings of desperation and yearning are like spraying yourself with healthy, slim, and sexy repellent? It’s possible that may actually make you feel worse. “How can I not feel desperate,” you might ask? “How can I not think dieting is hard when it bloody well is,” you might argue? This is not meant to make you self-critical, inspire you to explain to me why your situation is different (that just keeps you stuck), or to overwhelm you because you’re already working so hard to “fix it.” Honestly, I get it. I spent more than 35 years thinking some of those same thoughts and feeling that desperation. I couldn’t get a break. My body was somehow faulty, and actually felt like it was working against me. I tried everything and I couldn’t see any more solutions. […]
It’s Time for a Change!
One of the things I frequently say is that self-care and self-love are a daily choice. What self-care and self-love look like change over time. You have to check-in with yourself. And you will come to a place where you have to let go of what is no longer working. For the past two weeks, my mind and body has been letting me know that it’s time for a change . . . and to let go. Time to change my exercise. . . and to let go of any beliefs I have about moving my body that aren’t serving me. Time to create more ease . . . and to let go of any self-criticism about needing to “do” more. Time to focus more on my connection to Source and speak my truth . . . and to let go of any fear about how others react. After taking 3 days off to meditate and relax, it’s clear to me that the upcoming few months will be a time to poke and prod around my thoughts and actions to determine what is working . . . mind, body, and spirit . . . and what isn’t. Whenever you throw all your dice on the table, it’s a little unsettling. You may not always get a winning hand. For instance, I may try new exercise or eating plans and NOT get the results I want. But I have been here before. I know that is just information that will lead me to roll the dice again. It’s a process of growth and expansion. The less I fear the process and try to hold on to how I have done things in the past, the more I will get out of it. The good news is I […]
Your Guarantee to Get the Body You Want
What if you knew that: Your goal of getting slim was supported by the power of the entire Universe? The Creator of Everything is aware of the body you are going for and wants you to have it? Your Higher Coach is providing you with everything you need to make your fit, strong, and slim body a reality? If you not only believed that, but you KNEW it in your heart: Would you let go of doubt? Would you let go of fear? Would you give releasing the weight your all knowing that what you put energy into is guaranteed to succeed? Would you see the opportunities in obstacles instead of giving up? What if that doubt and fear is all that’s keeping you from creating the body—and life—of your dreams? The gap between where you are now and your releasing the weight—for good—is one of allowing yourself to believe not only that it’s possible, but that it’s guaranteed. That’s how close you are to the healthy, slim, and sexy body of your dreams. You are one belief away. Can you see how your beliefs impact your actions? It is because you don’t believe your are worthy of getting the body you want that a part of you holds back. That you get discouraged. That you believe getting the body you want is impossible. A belief is just a thought you keep thinking. And you can change it! Beging to practice feeling confident, assured, and supported. Do that by remembering how feeling confident and supported feels. Think of times you have felt that way. Imagine how feeling that way feels. Train your mind to begin to look for and expect your success. Notice how that impacts your actions–and your results. Together […]
Your Weight Loss Success Is Reflected In How You Dress
Next week I’m heading to Sedona, Arizona, where I will be experiencing my first professional photo shoot with the amazing Lindsay Miller. I’m super excited—and a little nervous. And I’ve been thinking a lot about appearance. One of the quickest ways to achieve our goals is to imagine how the person with that success would think, feel, and act—and then to think, feel, and act that way right now. This makes sense when you think about the Foundation Principle that “Energy Attracts Like Energy,” also known as the Law of Attraction. This means you get what you project. If you are thinking negative thoughts about yourself, you will get more opportunities to think negative thoughts. If you are feeling bad about yourself, you will get more opportunities to feel bad. Even what you are wearing impacts what you project. Many of the women that I work with unknowingly perpetuate the cycle of losing and regaining the same 30 pounds by wearing sloppy clothes, or clothes that are too small and don’t fit well because they don’t want to “give in” to their weight gain. But this actually perpetuates the weight rebound cycle because it impacts how they think and feel about themselves. This is true no matter what your goal. In my case, if I want to be a successful author and entrepreneur, I need to cultivate the thoughts, feelings, and actions that go with that. This includes looking like a successful author and entrepreneur. So I’m about to head out the door to go find an outfit for the photo shoot that not only makes me feel fabulous while wearing it, but projects the success and goals I want to achieve. How you dress […]
You Can Change the Past
What came first, the chicken or the egg? While I don’t have the answer to that one, I can tell you the thought or belief comes before the experience. If you can accept that as true at least the majority of the time, it can change your life. Even if you are just willing to believe it’s possible and will look at some of your life experiences differently as a result, it can have a profound impact on your happiness—and how well you achieve your goals. Most people are unwilling to see their past experiences with any other interpretation than the one they gave it in the moment and have been recounting for years. They think, “That experience was hurtful to me. End of story.” But what if it’s not? What if it’s your very interpretation that is keeping that painful experience alive for you? That is limiting you? That is holding you back from the body and life of your dreams? Don’t believe me? I’ll give you an example of how I shifted an interpretation of a painful experience to one that now inspires me and fills me with appreciation. When I was in the 7th grade, my brother called me “Buffalo Butt.” Now this is typical older brother stuff, right? But to me, that nickname was incredibly hurtful. I felt diminished. For many, many years I carried the belief in my heart that my bum was unattractive, unworthy, less than, and that was the painful story I told myself and believed to my core. But what if you take the emotional pain and judgment out of the picture for a moment and look at the experience as a gauge of where my thoughts […]
Guaranteed to Change Your Life
What if you knew your success was guaranteed? What if the entire Universe was on your side? What if your value to the world was assured? What if all that entailed was spending more time focused on what you want, who you want to be, what you want to do, and how you want to feel? That when you looked at a problem, you quickly shifted your thoughts to what you would like the outcome to be? That when you saw someone behaving badly, you focused on how you wanted people to behave? That you appreciated more things than you complained about? It seems like such a simple shift to make. Love more. Appreciate more. Laugh more. Relax more. But simple—and even preferable—doesn’t necessarily mean easy. People often fear that if they take their eyes off the problem for a moment, it will grow and get worse. So they stay ever vigilant and keep their attention fixed on the worst-case scenario. Or they may be weak in guiding their attention, and therefore believe they have no option but to look directly at what is right in front of them. Or they may be so bought into reacting to “reality” that they don’t even know there is anything else to look at. What if it was your attention and focus that was actually making the problem worse? What if by not choosing what you want to think about you are guaranteed to see more of all the things you don’t want? That all “reality” means is that you are seeing a reflection of what you are focused on? We are each responsible for the “reality” of our lives. If you expect—and choose—to see good things, you […]
You Are So Beautiful!
What is beautiful to you? Does it involve a certain body weight or shape? A certain wellness level? When you look in the mirror do you see your definition of beauty smiling back? I often hear clients focused on wanting to change how others see women and judge beauty. There is much frustration that women on television and in ads are significantly thinner than average. People point to pundits’ criticisms of specific bodies. There are many photos of past sex symbols who were less than lean tied to complaints about the changing definition of beauty. But how likely is it that you are going to change society, or the modeling, television, or advertising industries? Wouldn’t it be easier to focus on your own judgments and definition of beauty? Until you are so pure in your appreciation of every woman’s body and beauty that a critical thought is never entertained, until your actions align 100 percent with your personal definition of wellness, and you can look in the mirror with not only appreciation but adoration, you have no power to change anyone else. You may want others to deem you—or more women—as beautiful, but before that can happen, you must judge yourself as beautiful first. And you must allow everyone else to have their own definition of beauty. This is the sticking point for most women. You have to stop looking outside of you for self-esteem, appreciation, and acceptance. Those are things you have to give to yourself. It is only when you began making these internal changes that you will begin to see lasting external changes. To do this, you have to begin: Letting go of the fear of other people’s judgments. Aligning your actions […]
I Surrender
The Universe does a good job of keeping me humble. It’s not lost on me that I’m scheduled to present information to colleagues next week on being empowered to choose our responses and twice in the past few days I have not shown up as the best possible version of me. Yesterday, in fact, was pretty much a textbook example of first victim and then anger responses. Good show Universe! Good show! Seriously, I really do appreciate the mirror and the opportunity to clean up my own act. If we are not aware of how we are showing up, how can we change? This is one of the purposes of stretching, growing, and evolving. Each step gives us the opportunity to become even more. But it’s up to us to take that step. I suspect I could fill you all in on the details and get at least most of you to agree that I am “right.” That my point of view is clear and logical, and that the path I point to is the “best.” But the inner world is not the appropriate arena for consensus. Agreement will just keep me stuck in the destructive, negative catabolic emotions, and that truly benefits no one. It negatively impacts my body, mind, and spirit. And that destructive power reaches out and brings others down with it. Righteous indignation is not the same as right. Rather, it is a sign of being out of alignment with Who you really are and that more introspection is needed. You can think of it as a coin. On one side of the coin is the problem and on the other is the solution. If you are stuck on the problem […]
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