I’ve been reading a lot of blog posts about the importance of setting goals and resolutions for the New Year. All of them are right that focusing on new desires is important and gets the life-juices flowing. But one of the reasons that New Year’s resolutions are often dead by February 1 is that unknowingly, people are focused more on not having the thing they so desperately want. They don’t have enough money, aren’t thin enough, aren’t fit enough, aren’t healthy enough, aren’t organized enough—what they want is missing from their lives and they will finally be happy when they meet their goal. And even though they set the resolution to get out of debt, lose weight, get fit, healthy, or organized, the majority of their thoughts and energy are still focused on the fact that they lack whatever their resolution is focused on. When you think about the foundation principle that Energy Attracts Like Energy (also known at the Law of Attraction), you can begin to see that thoughts are our mental capital to invest wherever we want, with the dividends being our future life-experiences. For instance, when you invest the majority of your mental capital on the fact that you don’t have enough money, you are actually building the account that creates more life experiences without enough money. If you invest that mental capital in the belief that you have more than enough money to meet all of your needs, your account includes an increase in life experiences of having more than enough money. It’s often difficult to recognize where you are investing your thoughts. It seems like if you are focused on money—regardless if it is lack or abundance of money—you should […]
Accountability
Accountability for December 26, 2011 After falling into the cookies, on December 20, I committed to being accountable through the New Year to you Fabulous Readers about my diet and exercise as I recover from surgery. I am back on track! Ate clean—no extras or sweets—and got in all four-doctor-prescribed walks. My intention is to do it again today. Have a goal on which you would like to be held accountable? Feel free to use the comment space on each of my accountability blogs, and I will cheer you on. Just let me know what your goal is, what you will be doing to meet it, and how often you will be reporting in.
Just One Step
I caught myself several times over the holiday weekend mentally chastising myself for eating, and eating, and eating. But that line of thought truly is not helpful, and could very well end up making me feel so bad about myself that I would just give-up trying to eat healthy until the New Year. If I found myself driving in the wrong direction, I wouldn’t just keep going for seven more days and then try to find my way to my destination. Think of all the extra miles I would add-on to the trip, and the possible damage that could be done to my car? Instead, I would turn around right now. Often we put off taking care of ourselves until Monday, or the first of the year, or some deadline that is later. Then when we get there, we do well for a couple of days, only to feel overwhelmed and deprived and find ourselves back to our old eating and exercise habits. What if, instead, you committed to eating a little bit healthier today? Or getting in a 10 minute walk today? And you celebrated what you did, instead of what you didn’t do? Would making that same commitment be a little easier tomorrow? What would your wellness journey look like next week? Next month? In six months? “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC – 531 BC) What step are you willing to take on your wellness journey today? Together we can do it!
Happy Holidays!
Wishing all you Fabulous Readers the happiest of holidays! You are at the top of my appreciation list! Love, Hanna
A Time of Abundance
No matter where you are or what’s going on in your life today, look for and acknowledge your abundance. Even if it’s that you have an abundance of air to breathe, an abundance of love in your heart, or an abundance of being alive in this moment. These are things that do not cost money and that nobody else can give you. They are there waiting for you to receive—and acknowledge. The magic of acknowledging your abundance is that the longer you focus on it, the more abundance in your life that you are able to see. Perhaps you have an abundance of family and friends, or an abundance of time in which to reflect, or an abundance of beauty to admire. You may have an abundance of laughter and excitement, or an abundance of peace and quiet. You may have an abundance of parties and commitments, or an abundance of freedom to live and do as you wish. While money and gifts can be a part of abundance, there is so much more of life with which to fill our trays. It’s all there waiting for us to look for and allow ourselves to see and receive. What abundance can you find in your life right now? No matter what it is, acknowledge it and let your heart overflow with appreciation. Together we can do it! Photo by dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Who Do You Want to Be for the Holidays?
Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in doing, particularly this time of year. Shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking, holiday cards, etc., etc.—there’s so much to do to make the holidays special for everyone else. But what about you? Are you feeling the Happy, Merry, and Jolly? Chances are, not so much. It’s easy to be so focused on the to-do list that we forget to be. We buy in to the idea that our value is demonstrated by what we do, and we forget that who we are being is so much more important. Just ask yourself if your family would rather have that extra decoration, another batch of cookies, or even that extra gift, or if they would rather have you truly present, relaxed, smiling, engaged, and laughing? If you have been going in overdrive to get everything done and as a result have been eating poorly, cutting back on sleep, skipping exercise, and are feeling the stress, how likely are you going to show up over the holidays being who you are meant to be? It’s more likely that you’ll be short-tempered, anxious, and miss most of the fun. I think that’s been the most important reminder for me as I’ve struggled with having to let go of doing while recuperating from surgery. My ah-ha moment came yesterday when I remembered that my purpose in life is not to do something in particular, it’s to be the fullest and broadest embodiment of who I am. No one else in the world can be you. You are unique. No one else has had the exact same experiences, or perceives things in exactly the same way. The gift that you bring to the world is […]
What’s Your Holiday Focus?
For the past several days, I have been more focused on what I don’t want then what I do want. I’ve been focused on not eating sugar instead of eating for health and wellness. I’ve been focused on my worry over gaining weight instead of being confident in my ability to maintain my weight. I’ve been focused on all the things I can’t do because I am recovering from surgery instead of what I can do. I’ve been focused on being bored instead of milking every ounce of rest and relaxation out of this recovery time. Just remembering that what I focus on is a choice feels so much better! With that reminder to myself, I will practice shifting my focus every time I notice that I am feeling out of sorts. Like magic, not only do I feel better, but I have more fun, my stress level drops, and life unfolds in a more beautiful way. For many people, the holidays are a time where they focus on stress, too much to do, family squabbles, and maybe even judgment, disappointment, sadness, and loss. This is all focusing on what you don’t want. What can you do to shift your focus to all the opportunities presented by the holidays? Here’s what those new thoughts might look like: I’m choosing to do these extra things because I love my family and want them to have the best holiday ever. I will do what I can, and am willing to let go of those things that really aren’t a priority. I am going to focus on how I show up at family gatherings, and will let go of past problems and expectations. The past is over. I […]
Where’s the Fun?
Day three of solitary confinement, and the dogs and I are plotting a prison break. . . Who knew that the hardest part of surgery would be . . . the recovery? Seriously? This is the part I was looking forward to enjoying! Seems I seriously underestimated my ability to relax, have fun, and just be. After taking away the cookies from my inner-toddler yesterday, I had to listen to why she was still having a total temper-tantrum. Turns out I was ignoring her need for attention and fun. My adult, responsible side had viewed this time off as an opportunity to study for my upcoming exam for coach certification. And if I felt up to it, maybe I would get some work done, too! So I told my husband, David, to go back to work on the Monday after, and I told my parents not to come. I didn’t stock up on books or movies. “I can read the books I have,” I said. “I can watch the DVD’s in our library,” I said. “I don’t want to distract myself from what I need to be doing,” I said. My inner two-year-old has had every right to kick-up her heels and throw an absolute fit. And now it makes total sense why she was falling into the cookies. It was the only outlet for fun I was giving her. Lesson learned. David will be hitting the bookstore for me this morning and I have the TV all set up for pay-per-view so I can watch a movie—or even two! And I have every reason to believe that the responsible side of me will still get in some studying and all my doctor-prescribed walks. […]
Tame the Inner Cookie Monster
My inner toddler seems to have taken control of my eating since my surgery last Wednesday and has turned into a bit of a Cookie Monster. This came about because my tummy wasn’t very accommodating for the first few days, so it seemed OK to enjoy saltines, ginger ale, and a few cookies. But as my body has gotten better in balance, my indulgence in cookies has only increased. Granted these are “healthier” cookies than normal. Before the surgery, my wonderful husband, David, made my recipe for peanut-butter oatmeal cookies, which have no additional fat from the peanut butter and just a little dark brown sugar and honey. When he mentioned making some chocolate chip cookies, out of self-preservation I went on-line and found a lightened up recipe that substitutes oatmeal for much of the flour and cuts the fat significantly. (And wow are they good!) While these are better choices that are fine for an occasional indulgence, they are still more calories than nutrition. After I set my intention yesterday to eat clean, but wound up having cookies for two of my meals (what works for me is to eat five to six smaller meals a day) and was sneaking in one or two more, I realized it was time to tame this beast and get back on track with my healthy eating. I really do want to be able to wear my jeans at the end of the week! What I would ask a client is, “What are the feelings that are leading to eating the cookies?” For me there is some boredom (which makes total sense because my activities are curtailed for the time being and David has had to go back […]
Get Back on Track After Thanksgiving Treats
I ate more than usual over this four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and I can tell. My jeans are a little tighter and I am feeling bloated. The good news is I know that this is temporary and that with a little focus and consciousness today, I can easily get back on track. The other good news is that I could have been so much worse! Because my parents, who were visiting, are health-conscious, too, we were able to pare down the holiday menu and make some smarter choices. My Mom made the stuffing with toasted Ezekiel bread and I mashed the sweet potatoes with only a little fresh orange juice and grated rind. Both were delicious and much better for us than the traditional recipes. I also got in all my planned workouts, which made a huge difference in my motivation this morning when the alarm went off way before the sun came up. Where I need to refocus is on portion size, and on using what Dr. Judith Beck calls my resistance muscle where snacks and sweets are concerned. While the olives, cheese, and cashews I was indulging in are healthy, they are also high in fat and salt. And I have found in the past, that sugar can trigger cravings that have sent my eating spiraling out of control. I am so glad we threw away the rest of the pumpkin pie last night! To help get back on track, I have planned out what I am going to eat today, and I will be checking in with my accountability group, Fabulous Friends, on http://www.transformation.com/. Here are some things you can do stay on track—and get back on track, if necessary—with holiday eating: […]
Stay Connected!