Hey, hey, my friend!
Can you believe it? We're already approaching the end of 2023. And as we enter this new year, I have a question for you...Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Me? Nope. It always felt like I was setting myself up for disappointment year after year.
But recently, I came across a thought-provoking Facebook post by Kevin Scott. In celebration of his 46th birthday, he shared 46 valuable life lessons he's learned so far. It really got me thinking...
What if instead of traditional resolutions, we chose one or two of these lessons to focus on throughout the year? We could even break it down by quarters, working on different lessons throughout the upcoming year. Just imagine where we could be this time next year...
What do you think?
1- Keep your word.
2- Don’t let anybody, (including yourself) talk you out of your passions.
3- Tomorrow is already too late.
4- Never take for granted those who love you.
5- Be incredibly grateful for everything you have NOW.
6- Never stop learning.
7- Find the beauty in everything.
8- There is a lesson and a gratitude in every situation.
9- Listen to peoples’ emotions more than their words.
10- Plans change- get over it quick.
11- Conviction is one of your greatest assets!
12- Driving is a full time job. (Learned that one from my dad.)
13- Getting upset over trivial things is a waste of life energy.
14- Don’t let money rule or ruin your life.
15- Find someone with the same values as you.
16- When you find your person, put a ring on it, fast!
17- You don’t need to be right.
18- Make sure to prioritize yourself too.
19- What you say cannot be taken back; be conscious of your words.
20- You’re far more capable than you think.
21- Never give up.
22- Be intentional with your caring.
23- The more you understand yourself the more you can understand others.
24- Being able to cook is a valuable life skill.
25- Surround yourself with people who challenge you mentally and emotionally.
26- It’s really easy to have low standards when you don’t set a high bar for yourself.
27- There’s always someone ahead of you. Learn from them.
28- The things that help you forget your pain in a moment, often turn that pain into suffering.
29- Be proud of your achievements, no matter how small.
30- Small gestures of kindness often have the largest impact.
31- Have good posture, dress up once in a while, and learn to tie your own tie.
32- Tell the people in your life you love them: your dad, your brother, your father-in-law, your son, your nephew…all of them.
33- Don’t watch the mainstream news, it never tells the full story.
34- Taking responsibility isn’t just saying you’re sorry.
35- Your gifts are valuable, and you can charge for them!
36- Live a “relationship first” life.
37- Chivalry isn’t FOR women, it’s FROM men.
38- Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Be grateful for it, and say thank you often.
39- Apologize for who you were being, not just for what you did.
40- Yoga gets more essential with age.
41 - You’re never too old to start again.
42- Freedom is escaping routines only to find out how important they are.
43- Get over your fear of feeling.
44- Fight FOR something instead of against others.
45- Always double check.
46- You can never tell your partner how beautiful and amazing they are too much.
Special thanks go to the most beautiful and amazing woman in my life, Melanie. I love you, thank you for being the best thing that ever happened to me!
What thoughts got your attention??
Step by step, thought by thought, you can create an incredible 2024. Are you ready??
See you on the other side of 2023!!
Two words...
Two little words that could change your life, that blur your ability to be honest with your self...
Any guesses??
"The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the economy, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny." Albert Ellis
What words did you come up with??
If you thought of "can't" and "won't", you're right.
How often do you throw these words around?
"I can't find the time to get up and workout every day."
"I can't forgive her for what she's done."
"I can't ask for help."
"I can't (fill in the blank) because...I can't afford it, or I'm afraid to..."
99% of the time when you say "can't", what you really mean is..."won't". You're not willing... You will not.
In other words...you don't really want to...
You don't want to do the work, or take the chance, or be uncomfortable or inconvenienced.
Let's try replacing that can't with won't...
"I won't get up and workout every day."
"I won't forgive her for what she's done."
"I won't ask for help."
"I won't (___) because I can't afford it...or I'm afraid to..."
Feels a little different, doesn't it??
When you use the word "can't", you feel like a victim, powerless with no control over your time, energy or choices. You take no responsibility for your life.
"Won't", however, helps you feel and show up more powerfully. You remember you are the one in charge of your thoughts and actions. You get to determine how you live your life. You feel more alive and energized.
So, my friend...which word will you choose today?
(Have you read Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo?? You will learn about this and so much more!!)
“We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anais Nin
Belief is where it all begins, so when you change a belief, you change everything.
Many of your most deeply held beliefs are hand-me-downs. They’re old, unexamined and unquestioned ideas that you innocently accepted from others. You didn’t take the time to examine, question or choose them.
Little by little, your environment programmed your brain with beliefs about everything from love, health, work, your body, money, religion, beauty, relationships, other people – you name it - but most importantly, beliefs about who you are, your own capabilities and your reality.
Your brain tends to reinforce what you already believe. Confirmation bias simply means you look for and find evidence to support your beliefs. You pick and choose information that confirms what you already know, and ignore (consciously or unconsciously) information that challenges your existing beliefs…and it can run real deep…like in religion and politics…you know, those two subjects we don’t talk about at family gatherings?? LOL You can’t totally eliminate confirmation bias, but you can choose to keep an open mind, and learn to master your thoughts, instead of being mastered by them.
All beliefs are learned, consciously or unconsciously, are a choice and can be changed.
Changing your beliefs doesn’t have to be hard. It just takes awareness, desire and practice, sometimes lots of practice, but a belief is nothing more than a thought that you’ve decided is significant and true. There’s not a thing holding that belief in place. No steel bars, padlocks or chains. Like any other thought that appears in your mind, you can choose to let it go.
If you are unhappy with any of the beliefs you’ve chosen or unconsciously accepted from others, you can simply choose again…and again…and again…
Notice the beliefs you don’t like. Practice becoming aware of what you’re thinking (i.e. believing) and know that, at any moment, you can decide if you want to continue believing that thought...or not.
“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the economy, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.” Albert Ellis
You always have more power than you think. Your mind is the most extraordinary tool you have to shape your reality.
How you show up in your life, for the people in your world, depends so much on the way you think about yourself, the beliefs you have about who you are and what you represent and are capable of.
Self confidence is a beautiful gift you can give yourself, that allows you to show up for everyone else because you’ve already shown up for yourself.
You are loved, adored and worthy, just because you are here. Don’t let those thoughts/beliefs tell you otherwise. Be good to you even when things don’t go quite like you think they should, when you fail and even if you get rejected. Feel the feels. Let that energy bubble up, recognize it, acknowledge it, then let it go. Don’t wait until that beach ball comes exploding up out of the water to acknowledge they exist…
Hey, hey, my friend! With all the illness we are seeing all around us lately, how about some lifestyle tips to help keep you above that wellness line??
Sharing some simple strategies from one of my favorite coaches, Dr. Edie Wadsworth, a physician turned incredible coach and mentor. Click her name to find her podcast and let her help you create the life you want to live!
*1. Real food, food that nourishes you, nutrient dense food. Shop the perimeter of the store (who said math wasn't important? LOL) Real food doesn't come with an ingredient label...if you are reading labels, you are buying the wrong food. Take a great probiotic to keep your gut microbiome healthy. Have you tried microgreens?? Kefir or any other fermented foods?
Processed foods, sugar, food that's hard to digest, antibiotics, stress, medicines, lack of movement, all damage that gut microbiome, leading to leaky gut, setting you up for all kinds of other issues. The best way to heal your gut is to eat your way there.
*2. Movement is so important! The amount of lean muscle you have on your body is one thing that determines your longevity more than anything else. As you age, if you are not actively building muscle, you are losing it. Muscle is the tissue of longevity, it is how you boost your metabolism, how you keep from having insulin resistance, balances your hormones, helps you age gracefully and more. Put your body under enough physical stress to make itself strong. There is nothing you can do like it that gives you the same benefit. You can't take a pill for it. You can't slather it on or breathe it in. You simply have to "put in the reps". ;)
*3. Good sleep and true rest. Are you getting in good productive hard work and movement, and then truly resting at the end of each day? Or are you getting some weird kind of in between thing? Are you getting enough sleep? Oils, supplements, a good night time routine, blackout curtains, a cool room, white noise...what works for you? Above all, get outside in the sunshine. Getting sun during the day helps you reset those wake/sleep cycles. Even losing an hour or two of sleep a night consistently over years can take years off your life...hmmm...Not sure I want to even think about how much I've lost over the years! LOL
*4. Reduce your stress...Easier said than done, I know. That's part of the reason you want to listen to Dr. Edie's podcast and teachings...a whole new way of looking at things...There is nothing worse for your body than chronic stress. We even create it for ourselves! Tell me you have never created a problem in your mind, then stressed about finding a solution to it, yet it doesn't even exist, hasn't even happened and probably won't happen at all!? LOL
*5. Reduce the amount of toxins you are exposed to. Dr. Edie shares that she has earned a "Ph.D. in natural health" over the last 10 years on this YL journey. She didn't learn this stuff in medical school, my friends. She learned it doing her own research, learning about her own body, making changes in her lifestyle and what she was or was not using or doing. You can, too.
Look around you for a moment. What is surrounding you? We are swimming in a sea of toxins. The average woman uses 300+ chemicals a day...80-100 of those before she has even had breakfast. Newborn babies have over 200 toxins in their umbilical cord blood that were passed from momma.
Research those candles, room sprays, cleaners, warmers, dryer sheets. Research the toxins they fill your body with. You don't know what you don't know. Get curious and see where the adventure leads you! Reducing toxins is way easier than you think. You already know my easy button. YL for the win! ;) Check out the new online catalog here.
I challenge you to try one or more of these simple changes this week. What's the best that could happen?
To hear more strategies, join us in Intentional Wellness, my free online community.
See you there!
Hey, hey, my friend!
Question for you...When you are at the end of your life, you will come face to face with your regrets. All the things you wish you had done differently. What will yours be?
According to Google, the top five regrets people have are wishing they had lived a life that was true to themselves, not one that others expected them to live; they hadn’t worked so hard at their job; that they had expressed their feelings; they had stayed in touch with their friends; and that they had let themselves be happier.
What if I shared with you one thing Dr. Edie from Life Mentoring School says will change your life? Would you be interested? Would you be up for the challenge, so you don’t face the same regrets?
Any guesses what that one skill is that will change your life?
It’s Love. Did you think unconditional love was a skill??
Every beautiful thing you have created in your life has been from love. Friendships. Your home. Your environment. Your family. And, loving others even creates more love in you.
Love just doesn’t happen, but you can create it just by making the decision to love and to get better at it.
C.S. Lewis said, “Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more.”
What would you do if you felt unconditionally loving? Practice those things. All the time. No matter what. It takes courage to love unconditionally.
How would love show up? What would it say? What would it do? How would it act? How would it think? Remember…you get what you think about…so what if all you focused on was love?
Do you know anyone who is a master of unconditional love? That loves no matter what? How do you feel when you are around them? What about after you have been with them? That feeling of love lingers, doesn’t it?
Is loving unconditionally hard? Absolutely. You will still struggle because we all see things differently. You think you are right and they are wrong. They aren’t doing their part, or they aren’t doing it right…It’s all in your perspective
What about those people who are a bit harder to love? They are your teacher…your assignment…your curriculum. God gives you those difficult or hard people because He knew committing to loving this person would bring up sooo many unlovable things in you that need to be worked on…I’m sure you can think of a few people in your life that are here to teach you lessons, to teach you how to be a better person, where you need to grow, where you need to let go.
Learn to receive love. Open your heart and be receptive. Stop listening to the negative stories your brain wants to tell you.
Love is what makes things beautiful, and magical. Choose love. It’s a skill to practice. Are you up for it?
If you are up for a little more emotional work, mark your calendar and join us for our next “Second Sunday” event, March 12 at 2pm. We will be talking about and exploring emotions and learning about some great tools to help you on your journey. Again this month, space is limited, so simply hit “reply” and let me know you would like a spot. If you are like me and feel better with an adventure buddy by your side, feel free to invite a friend who could also use this information.
