Friday, December 9, 2011

Happiest Time of the Year…Or Is It?


We've all heard the Christmas song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams. Being that the holidays are in full swing, I'm sure it's one of many you'll hear over and over again, whether on the radio while you're driving or in the shopping mall looking for last-minute gifts. The song sticks with you, and you can't get it out of your head—even when you seem to be overstressed and in a bah humbug mood.

No judgment with regard to the mood, Christmas and the holiday season as a whole are stressful. It's also an emotionally challenging time for people. With the current economic situation it can be downright depressing, even for those who have a great deal for which to be grateful.

Depression hits us when we least expect it, and the holidays can trigger some deeply rooted emotions which we've yet to deal with, admit to or let go of. A few people have good external reasons to be depressed. Let me share an example: a true story that was shared with me this morning.

A family with four young children just used its savings to move from a two-bedroom apartment into a four-bedroom, two-bath apartment with the intention that they can provide a more comfortable living situation for the children. It's nothing extravagant and both parents are employed, so the leap of faith was taken.

The wife left to spend the last few days with her dying brother. She came home grateful for what she had, which wasn't much. But she had her children, husband and job. Within a week of returning and moving into their new apartment, both she and her husband lost their jobs. Now, just a few weeks before Christmas, they have no income and virtually no savings, and they're looking at not being able to make the rent at the first of the month.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Holiday Spirit and Your Stress


There is not a more stressful time than the holidays. And, well, I can't name one person who actually enjoys the stress associated with holidays. The stress of dealing with family, the politics that comes with buying the right gift—or worse, making the decision not to buy the gift at all! Let's not even mention the stress of dealing with other stressed out holiday shoppers all vying for the "last" of whatever is the hot ticket item.

Fortunately, in this age of technology the shopping is not so bad as it once was; with a few clicks of a mouse, you can purchase your much-needed item, have it shipped to you, and all that's left is the wrapping. I'll admit, I did a lot more online shopping this Christmas than for Christmases past, and I liked it.

The truth about stress is that a particular amount of stress or anxiety is healthy. As a Crisis Coach I deal with clients who are moving through not just this heightened holiday stress level that comes but once a year—which, by the way, we are more emotionally, physically and psychologically ready for than we might realize since we "know" about the upcoming stress and the triggers that get our blood boiling: triggers like line cutters, not getting the "good" parking spot, or missing the extra 20% discount by an hour.

Continue reading here.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Be Paid Your Worth in 3 Easy Steps!


Business is competitive. Period. You go into business to make money and be your own boss: to set your own schedule and work with only those clients who are in alignment with your philosophy.

Because of the high level of competitiveness, there is a chance in the beginning you are going to charge less than your closest competitors; and in the beginning, this is for most of you the best decision. You need to get the doors open and buyers in. But for how long do you continue to charge a fee that is a "steal"?

Yes, the economy isn't the greatest, and people still have their purse strings tightened. But those who are in need of your goods or services are ready to jump on board with you and invest the fees necessary. You know what sets you apart from your competitors, and the key to convincing a client or customer to choose you is what you offer that no one else does.

Ideally you want to charge a fee that can withstand whatever the current market will bear but still be considered a good deal. So what stops you from establishing a fair market value for your services and provide your knowledge for less than what it's worth? Simply stated: Your confidence is impacting your ability to be paid your worth!

Continue reading here.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Are You Financially Balanced?


Is your business growing? Or has it stagnated during these last few years due to the economic downturn? Like most of us who own their own business, going to the next level is always a big step: a step that takes more than just courage, optimism and a great concept.

It also takes money. Purse strings are tight, and to reach out and ask for financial help can be more than a little scary. The big question is what type of financial help you want—I mean, other than just asking for money. Are you open to giving up part ownership? What about paying interest on the money you receive?

The two means of financing available for your company are:


  1. Debt Financing, which is when you borrow a set amount of money for a predetermined period of time and pay a predetermined interest; and
  2. Equity Financing is receiving an injection of funding in exchange for an ownership stake. The percentage of ownership is based on the amount the investor is paying per share and how many shares he's purchasing.


But how do you determine which form of financing is right for you? Both of these financing options have advantages and disadvantages. Before we go any further, let me clearly state this: Your final decision, before doing anything, needs to be based on education and knowledge. Your specific business situation is unique to you and your financing options, no matter which path you choose. It is unique to you, and there are two professional resources you need to seek out and tap into before venturing into the wild world of financing. Those two resources are a CPA specializing in financial investment and associated tax laws, and a lawyer specializing in fundraising and associated state and federal business laws.

Continue reading here.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Scuffling with Physical Success

'Tis the holiday season, and it's a season of shopping, eating and celebrating. Most of us are taking advantage of the year-end discounts wherein stores are doing their best to lure us into their establishments with the hopes of dropping a few of our hard-earned dollars. We are celebrating the end of the year, which has hopefully been filled with great memories, wonderful successes and goal achievements.

The additional piece we are inundated with is eating. The holidays mean a time of splurging on the excess of sweets, cakes, home-cooked meals and beverages. If you're like me, then splurging means an extra visit to the gym or longer walks with dogs. I will admit that I do envy those fortunate individuals who are able to eat whatever they want, when they want, without adding on any or very little weight this season!

What keeps you motivated to stay healthy, eat and exercise during the holiday season? As you age your metabolism slows down, which means the level of calories we can consume is lower as you age—so you need to seriously increase you level of activity to offset the imbalance.

Have you formulated your list of motivators for what is going to keep you physically healthy this season? How about being able to achieve your business or career goals easier? Would becoming more financially abundant be a motivator?

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Steering Yourself to Victory


The end of another year is just about to arrive, and you are most likely caught up with the excitement of the holidays, shopping and spending time with those you love. It's around now that you begin to set intentions and goals for the upcoming year.

In business you are establishing budgets, identifying sales goals, and trying to locate potential expenditures on which to cut back. In your personal life you're looking at your level of happiness with your work, where you are in life, what you might like to change about where you live, or (if you're like the majority of us) identifying personal health goals.

When we establish goals for ourselves personally or professionally, it can be overwhelming at times since we think we know ourselves and like to believe we can do more than what's realistic. This results in your being overconfident or unrealistically confident. When you become overconfident, as bold and brazen as it sounds, you're actually lacking a certain amount of confidence of a particular kind. I'm sure you're wondering what I mean when I refer to "kind of confidence."

Continue reading here.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Holiday Mindset Melt-Down


We're just a week away from the busiest shopping day of the year – Black Friday – and it's also the beginning of the most stressful time of year: the days between Thanksgiving and the kick off of the next year.

For most it means a time of family, friends and great fun, but for others it could mean something quite entirely different. Stress does funny things, but this time of year we're emotionally triggered by numerous types of events and easily fall into the pit of allowing ourselves to become victims.

Victim mentality is a common and hot topic these days, and it bodes well to play the victim role when we need an excuse for certain types of behavior, or we feel we need to be right and validated. Take a minute and think back over the last several months to see if any of these statements have been true for you:

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Confidence + Goodwill = Success


Asking current clients for referrals can be difficult, but for moving forward it is an absolute necessity. What holds you back from asking? Your confidence: that's what! So how do you move through this confidence challenge? By looking back and identifying which of your clients had the greatest success. These individuals will be (and will continue to be) walking testimonials and advertisements for you and your business. Here are three tips to improve your business confidence and savvy while increasing your client base!

Take Stock & Boost Confidence
Your first priority is to gather all the positive feedback, comments and notes from current and previous clients you can find. Next, make a list and read through it a few times. Reading over your list of positive feedback will allow you to establish a mental and emotional connection based on positive thoughts and experiences. This allows you to reach out to each of these individuals more confidently. Asking for help is never easy, but when we make a positive emotional connection with those to whom we are reaching out, we can design a new thought pattern. With a new pattern in place, you create new beliefs—and your new beliefs increase your confidence level!

Using the positive comments from your clients in your communication, remind your clients of how much they appreciated what you have done for them. Then ask them for referrals to associates, family and friends who could use your services.

Continue reading here.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Women, Business and Confidence


Recently there has been quite a bit chatter in the news regarding women, business and women's inability to move ahead. A report recently on MSNBC cited the following two key elements for the reason:  "Glass Walls" and confidence (specifically, a lack of confidence).

When I was watching these news broadcasts, the lack of confidence resonated with me, as I believe we've all had our confidence shaken and challenged more than once as well. Similarly, I connected with the reference to the Glass Walls. I never personally believed in the Glass Ceiling excuse, but I do see the truth within these newly identified walls.

What confines us behind these walls are the following three parts, as set out in the news broadcast:

  • Doing everything
  • Lack of network support
  • Thinking small


But I would like to add a fourth part: emotional trust.

The first three are obvious in their definitions, but the fourth—emotional trust—may not be so obvious since it also contains a few elements of its own. Being part of the human race means we're emotional beings; we use our emotions to learn, experience and grow. As women we embrace our emotions on an even greater and deeper level, resulting in our having a larger emotional investment in all that we do. When our emotional investment causes us pain or we experience negative backlash, our emotional trust is challenged and we become more cautious regarding where we place this trust in the future.

All our decisions are based on where we stand emotionally with regard to...

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Postivity Tools for Your Business


Separating what is happening in your personal life from your business life and vise-versa is difficult during the best of times. Working through times of challenge or crisis can make keeping the two separate nearly impossible. We all agree that your outlook in life doesn't need to be positive 100% of the time, nor do any of your family, business associates and friends expect you to be "up" all the time. When you're confronted with challenges that look bigger than life itself, having a few tools in your emotional balancing kit will allow you to dance through the challenge with a feeling of balance and grace instead of stumbling.

Several reports show meditation supports a healthy standard of living, and it's considered one of the best habits to decrease stress. When our worry is reduced or handled effectively, our outlook on life improves. This, in turn, results in an upward spiral in all areas of your life. Individuals practicing meditation on a recurring basis understand how meditation directly supports their ability to improve their mind's tricks, resulting in a more peaceful, calm and focused point of view.

Basically, the human mind is the key to reducing pressure. With the aid of meditation we're able to feel calmer and more relaxed while experiencing increased clarity, better mental focus and a boost in a sense of harmony. As we meditate our amount of random feelings diminishes, as will our attachment to those feelings and identification with them. This is because we're generally not conscious of all the mental goings-on in which we're engaged. Like with any inspiring method in which we engage ourselves, our ability to allow ourselves to "just be" emerges when our inner artist flourishes. Our ability to create from nothing is a knack with which we're all born but only a few permit themselves to embrace. When we allow our authentic selves to step ahead and bask in the glow, our outlook effortlessly improves. With an optimistic outlook we're able to step into action through the most complicated of times and crisis situations.

Continue reading here.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Where Your Truth Goes, Your Confidence Follows

So you now know how confident you are, right? I mean, when ranking yourself regarding your confidence level, you were truthful, right? Oh, you mean you stretched the truth a little? Oh well, that’s okay because we all do it: stretch the truth, I mean. But if you can’t be honest with yourself, then with whom can you be honest? Knowing your truth is the second critical piece to being confident. The first was realizing that all your actions and reactions to life's events and decisions impacted your confidence level. Truth is what empowers you to step out of your comfort zone confidently and take the actions or steps necessary in life.

In the first part of this three-part series you were introduced to your two main life accounts into which all your actions, decisions and experiences are either made deposits into or taken from as withdrawals from your integrity and confidence accounts. Remember that both these accounts affect your level of success in your career, your relationships, and your overall personal wellness.

Your confidence level will dictate how you handle and manage your stress. Some stress is important in life, but extreme stress can be hazardous. Your goal is to be able to handle yourself regarding decision-making during times of crisis as well as you do during normal circumstances. With a lower confidence level it becomes more difficult for you to make effective decisions.

Examples of normal stress or daily triggers of your stress might be balancing your checkbook, creating employee schedules at work, or arranging a food drive for the local food bank. While moving through these situations, your physical, emotional and mental bodies are working according to plan. There may be emotions you experience such as frustration due to trying to coordinate others' schedules and availability, but these frustrations are easily worked through and released. There are no residual emotions floating around; in other words, you've let them go and moved on.

Continue reading here.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Emotional Crisis? Emotional Infidelity

When we hear the expression "infidelity" in reference to a relationship, we frequently don't even think about anything outside of a physical interaction. But emotional cheating can be as damaging to a relationship as unfaithfulness. The difficulty, though, is that unlike infidelity, emotional infidelity isn't simple to catch, confirm or even admit! Very often the majority of people aren't even conscious of the fact that they are cheating on their partner emotionally.

Emotional cheating typically starts when one develops an emotional bond with a person of the opposite sex and begins sharing more with that person then with his or her partner. These relationships may or may not lead to physical intimacy; in either of the two cases, the existing relationship of the cheater suffers.

In the majority of cases, emotional cheating begins as an innocent friendship but develops into a "more than friends" relationship without the physical intimacy. It therefore results in being simple for people to convince themselves and others that they only share a special friendship and nothing else. A person might even equate it to the sharing of information or time with that of two best friends.

With the age of technology and the ease of "meeting" new people and connecting with "old friends," it's easy to figure how sometimes people develop meaningful emotional bonds with their online acquaintances. It's this kind of emotional infidelity that's even more difficult to identify and admit. The clandestine nature of these relationships, along with the benefit of mystery the World Wide Web provides, makes the dynamic of emotional infidelity even more complex.

So how do you know whether you're cheating on your companion emotionally? The following are a few of the biggest tell-tale signs:

Continue reading here.

Monday, October 31, 2011

What's Your Confidence Level?

If someone were to ask you to state how confident you are, what would be your response? Ten? So very confident that you easily articulate your point of view, present ideas as required, make decisions swiftly without a lot of second guessing? Or zero?  You have no confidence at all since you believe others have desire to hear thoughts and you are hesitant, can't make a decision without wanting to know at least three people's opinions. Or is it somewhere in between?

I was shocked to learn recently there is a crisis in self-belief running rampant among women these days: not just professionally, but in their personal lives as well. Women, it seems, are missing the self-confidence to articulate or offer up their two cents or receive acknowledgment for a job well done.

Sounding at all familiar? At first the thought seemed foreign to me, but then I started looking around at the ladies in my life and I realized that yes, the truth of the matter is that a good number of my conversations with friends and associates indicate they lack the confidence to move out and into doing more than just merely existing in their lives. Wow!

Continue reading here.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Money Talks; Everything Else Walks

Recently in a conversation with an associate, we were discussing venture capital opportunities of the past and how we both have invested more than just money but also our time, dedication and expertise; and for a few of those investments we've wound up with some beautiful-looking ownership certificates that have no cash value but make great wall paper. When it comes to having the desire to move your business up in the world, expertise is nice but money is what ultimately pays the bills for those direct and hard costs associated with running your business. For individuals to invest their cold cash into your business, they need to believe that what they're investing in will provide a return, and their belief is ultimately based on your own belief, the trust you have in yourself and your business idea.

You possess an impressive business plan, you've worked on your business design, and you've finished a feasibility assessment that indicates your business has the makings for making huge money. Great! The only thing stopping you from taking the leap is your need of raising money.

In this economy, finding individuals to invest in a small business isn't the easiest thing. But don't lose hope; they are out there, and yes, they are willing. These individuals are best known as "Venture Capitalists" or "Angel Investors." Basically, VCs impart fiscal backing to a company or firm that is in its early stages but nevertheless exhibits high potential in terms of forthcoming growth and profitability: exactly where you seem to be finding yourself. Their goal? To make larger-than-typical profits (i.e., stock market investments) on their investments. Don't fool yourself: VCs are fully aware that a number of these types of investment projects can and will end up losing money. However, VCs recognize that great earnings from some of their projects will more than compensate for their losses along the way. Venture Capitalists are receptive to taking high-level risks when other people may not be.

Continue reading here.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Your Health, Your Business

We've all heard the sayings "Money can't buy happiness" and "Money isn't everything." Today you will discover how, even though these perspectives regarding money may be true on one level, they certainly aren't true on all levels of our lives. Money or financial wellness will and does provide the means for having a foundation supportive of the other four key areas of your life being in balance, which ultimately impacts your health, relationships, spirituality and overall personal wellness.

In my line of work I see a lot of individuals who are self-employed and take active steps in ensuring they're doing right by both their businesses and themselves. They not only understand but embrace the philosophy that what affects one area of their lives will and does affect another. They also realize that when they are healthy, they actually end up positively affecting their bottom line financially.

Not quite sure how this all fits together? That's okay, because most people have a hard time grasping it as well when they allow themselves to see from a new perspective.

Continue reading here.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Love Your Children? Hate the Chaos?

Don't get me wrong. I love my children – immensely, unconditionally – and would not trade, give away or accept any other option that might be presented to me. But (and this is BIG "but") I hate the chaos that came with being a mother. Before having children, I adhered to a daily ritual of getting a coffee in the morning, sitting down to write my three pages of "stress dump," and then 20 minutes of meditation focusing on being centered and having a proactive day.

I truly thought I would be able to keep some (if not all) of this ritual in place once my son, who is now three, was born. But reality set in quite quickly, and it took me almost 10 months to find my groove again. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it, but I did. Then in May 2011 I gave birth to my daughter, and the groove I was able to find is once again changing.

Chaotic? Yes. Manageable? Yes. What did it take? Three simple steps (Remember Coach Karen's three simple steps to managing chaos and emergency life situations is I.C.E.) and a lot of self-patience!

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

So You Think You're Confident?

Self-confidence is what empowers you to take action in periods that are difficult and down right scary. Confidence is created over time as well as through experience. The big question is, "Do you still get butterflies when you are about to take action?" If your answer is no, then you need to ask yourself if you truthfully believe you hold the desire and feel deserving of what the outcome of your actions will be. One of your greatest inhibitors with regard to being confident that I've experienced with clientele is they try hard to create and work toward the life they desire, but their self-worth and the value they possess of themselves stands in their way toward reaching it.

So yes! Your self-confidence impacts your self-worth. And yes, your self-worth impacts your self-confidence. The opinion of life in general is that we have a tendency to magnetize what we believe we are worthy of receiving. Consequently, self-worth is one of the most important elements of how we go about escalating our self-confidence; that is, you need to possess belief in your own skills, abilities and most notably, you need to consider yourself truly deserving of the outcome you desire.

You can picture all you want, make yourself feel good, concentrate on encouraging emotions, etc. But unless you sincerely like yourself for who you are and think with every thread of your fiber you deserve to get the best out of life, you might not be able to improve your self-confidence, which in turn brings about good fortune, friends, love or success.

So here are a few questions to ask yourself in order to find out if your view of self stands in your own way to success:

Continue reading here.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Coaching and Your Business

As a small business coach, I work with different types of clients – both individuals and companies. Some individuals work for somebody else but hold the desire to begin their own company, while others have been in business for a few years yet seek to move their business to the next level. A growing pattern in both small and large corporations is the human resources division acknowledging the importance of coaching for personnel, which in turn supports a more powerful bottom line for the company. Before hiring a corporate coach for you, your business and your staff, it would be advantageous to have an understanding or an appreciation of a few simple corporate coaching concepts and techniques. The familiarity of how coaching works and what it can help you achieve will make it simpler and easier for you. These are:

a)  Select the appropriate coaching model
b)  Communicate effectively with your coach
c)  Get maximum returns on your investment (on hiring a coach)

Coaching Objectives
Coaching essentially works on three tiers and in a corporate setting can often meld with the roles of consultancy. The first level or tier is performance, the second is behavior, and the third or outer layer is solution. The following provides a brief description of each layer.

Performance  Your coach will observe as well as study your sales and profit levels, employee productivity, business financials, and your senior management team or leadership team. Depending on your business situation, your coach may end up making suggestions and offering new perspectives to enrich your profitability from its current levels. To make certain the coach stays in a coaching role and does not fall into a consultant's function, it is imperative that your senior management team is on board with the styles of brainstorming for solutions communication that will take place. Performance transitions into reviewing your guidelines of effectiveness to make certain the staff is empowered to be as efficient as possible. Keep in mind, employees can be only as successful as the tools they're given, and your business's guidelines and processes are vital to their success.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Mentoring: Encouraging Success

Once you establish your own company, we have a tendency to look at our previous experience and how it has encouraged your employee's success – to notice what worked and what didn't. One of the essentials of a flourishing business is the openness to share your wisdom and enthusiasm of doing what you love with others. One of the easiest ways is to create a mentoring program. Mentoring doesn't always mean you are "grooming' new employees for their rise in the corporation; it also means mentoring students toward gaining much-desired skills in the work place.

I would like to share with you a few of the advantages of how establishing a mentoring program can encourage your small business to be even more successful while also touching on how setting up a mentoring program in a small- to medium-sized organization can help you develop your human resources and use these resources in the most efficient manner possible.

To begin, let's identify the key advantages of mentoring programs.

Reduced Learning Curve

When an organization establishes a mentoring program, it can prove to be individually one of the most important resources for employees in their initial learning phase or the new hire period. When a member of staff is transferred or promoted to a new department, having an adviser supports a less-demanding or stressful work environment.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

What Is Your Crown Jewel for Success?

In the world of business there are limitations or restrictions of which you need to be aware when you want to achieve goals and ultimately succeed. There are some things that just, well, fall into place without compromise. Curious what restrictions need to be in place for you to succeed? Great! What about not compromising? Wondering what's not up for compromise?

For one, your attitude! Your attitude needs to be in what your crown jewels are encased, much like Queen Elizabeth’s crown is made of gold; your success crown is made of attitude, allowing you to show off the jewels within you. With a positive attitude, a little self-discipline and a certain level of knowledge, you're empowered to make sound decisions along your journey to success even when a challenge might raise its pretty little head. Your attitude can not be compromised by anyone but you. You are in complete control of your attitude, and being in control of your attitude means your limitations are set by you and only you.

In a previous article I talked about why your foundation for success needs to be built not just on stone but must also include sand to allow for flexibility and growth. Knowing where your foundation is enables you to then focus on identifying your crown jewel and gaining clarity on the steps it takes to achieve your goals. Your crown will, of course, have more than one jewel held within it but jewels (or, here, skills) that need to be on display for others to notice.

Continue reading here.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Achieving Goals: 5 Steps You Can Take to Improve Your Odds of Success

A goal is a target on which you aim your focus and put your time and effort into the process of achieving. There are five steps essential in guiding you toward achieving and realizing your goals. Achieving a goal can take longer and require more commitment than you realize or might imagine. Self-empowerment and motivation are great tools for you to use, and they are two tools you can use as ingredients to steer yourself toward creating your vision, which will lead you to your target.

Some people believe that when they fail in achieving a goal, it ends the existence of their goal. But this is not true at all. Failing to achieve a goal provides you the opportunity to go back to the drawing board to redefine it and refuel the spirit of your motivation.

The first step you can take to improve your odds of succeeding and achieving your goal is not to allow failure to enter into your description or definition of success. Instead, replace the term "failure" with the idea and feelings associated with the term "reset": meaning, you did not fail at achieving your goal, but instead you need to simply reset the goal you had. Where you are today is not where you were when you initially established the goal. The growth you've achieved means that resetting your goal today makes it that much more achievable.

Continue reading here.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Organize Your Business

The task of filing paperwork is often the most hated and avoided in any office. The same is true about our email inbox! The good news is that it's not so hard as many people think to establish and maintain your filing when you have a system.

If you start your day by sitting at your cluttered desk or an inbox filled with unanswered emails, you set yourself up for an increased level of stress and lack of productivity from the beginning of your day. For most people (ourselves included), our personal lives are already filled with enough stress; adding to it doesn't motivate us to get busy on our list of to-dos. You deserve to start your day refreshed and confident so you can be productive and make progress on completing your tasks.

An organized workspace—both physical and virtual—will give you confidence and a sense of empowerment, whereas a cluttered desk or inbox can make you feel lethargic and confused and will zap your creative energy!

So now you may wonder how a pile of disorganized paper can cause stress. The simple answer is not just procrastination; these pieces of paper and unanswered emails are actually deferred decisions. Each piece of paper or email in the stack is a reminder of something you need to support, which will inevitably stress you each time you see. If you do nothing, then that small molehill of paper you’ve create will grow into mountains of stress, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and uncertain where to start.

Continue reading here.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Choice Is Motivation

We hear the term "empowerment" a lot these days. For those who need a reminder, empowerment refers to liberty and our ability to achieve what we desire. Motivation, on the other hand, is that what keeps your spirit and enthusiasm high. Your need for self-empowerment or self-motivation in life comes from within. Motivation gives you something to which to look forward, and it makes everything seem attainable – even those goals that may seem impossible.

Mainly what motivates you is the dream of having a better life, career, family or love. Acquiring self-motivation can be a difficult process to start, but it ultimately all comes down to making a choice. Your decision to choose an appropriate motivational tool can be more difficult than you might think.

Personal motivation is a very important skill in this day and age, especially when we have so many distractions to pull us away from tasks at hand. When you can maintain your focus on the tasks at hand, you will begin to see you journey take great, positive strides toward the success you seek. I've talked about and given ideas in previous blog posts regarding your focus, but how do you stay motivated when some days are filled with challenges? Feeling empowered is important, but being a self-starter – a person who can pick herself up and jump right back in – is the foundation of staying motivated.

Continue reading here.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Leadership and Marketing

As a leader, main man, top dog or any other pet name you can think of for yourself when referring to your role as decision maker, there will be times you will be faced with when to refocus, redefine or repurpose the financial resources of your organization depending on the challenges you may be facing. Change is all around you, and keeping a steady course during those times is a challenge all in itself. One of the common areas that most entrepreneurs will immediately look at cutting is the area of marketing. As an entrepreneur your budgets (if you follow one) are not normally as flush as those of Fortune 500 companies. As a result, your ability to refocus or repurpose resources becomes a lot more stressful and difficult to do.

We’ve heard of the different types of marketing, and it can be very confusing. I'd like to support you in reducing your stress regarding marketing; there are amazing marketing coaches out there who can support you in creating a full marketing plan, outlining what is specific to you and your organization. But today let's bring your focus back to the basics so when you decide to hire that coach or consultant, you have an idea of what marketing means to you and your business.

So what is marketing, or a marketing budget, and why do you need one? Simply put, marketing is defined as the process used to determine which products or services are of interest to your clients and outlines the strategies best used in the sales, communication and development of new business. Okay, that wasn't so simple; but basically, it means matching your product or service with your client. The budget piece is the estimated cost of running these programs and projects. The "why" is basically all about transparency and empowering you to stay focused and moving forward in the right direction with each decision you make regarding spreading the word about your wonderful products.

Continue reading here.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Hocus Pocus, Let There Be Focus

Life is full of roles, responsibilities and consequences; therefore, being able to stay focused is important when seeking balance in any overwhelming experiences life decides to throw at you. Success in life is nothing without being able to share it with others, and having the ability to focus will allow you to stay present when working and playing with others. In life there are believed to be three states of focus in which you can be engaged: 1) being in focus; 2) lacking focus; and 3) being focus obsessed.

The benefits of being focused in life could almost be considered unlimited. One benefit is the confidence you feel, and with increased confidence you're given the ability to step out of your comfort zone and make improved decisions. With improved decision-making capacity, you are able to find purpose in your life, have the passion to take on life’s stresses as they come your way, and ultimately improve your overall well-being. So simply putting focus first helps you live life to the fullest and allows you to experience the best in everything you do.

Life is short, as they say, and there's no time to be wasted being unfocused. But how do you stay focused or engaged? For some staying focused on tasks and current situations can prove difficult, and doing so thus takes practice to improve. A great tip for learning to increase your ability to stay focused involves giving yourself a reward for meeting "being present" goals. For one week keep track of how well you stay focused on tasks. For example, say you need to write a blog that is 500 words in length. Look at the clock when you sit down to begin writing. Note the moment your focus wavers from this task, and look at the clock to note the time. When you're able to refocus on the task at hand, note the time again.

Continue reading here.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Surviving Reality: Compassionate Competition

To a lot of people, the word competition is ugly and holds a negative connotation. When we think of the word competition, we often think of professional sports, athletes, Survivor the reality show, "others" on the dating scene, or the younger generation entering the workforce who may just beat us out for the next big promotion. But in reality competition can be what empowers us to be more than just a survivor and the reason we flourish and succeed. We can amp up the level we achieve by embracing compassion within our actions during times of competition.

Compassion isn't just for the strong, educated or well read; it's for everyone, and our success can be easier when it's not built on the shoulders of those we pass over but rather on our supportive interactions with our competitors. By encouraging them to do more, be better and go for the gold, we in turn become stronger. When you look toward wanting a more successful professional life, you normally envision yourself climbing the Corporate Ladder—which means you need to put up with certain elements in the work environment to get to the next rung. And as I've mentioned in past articles such as "What's Your Edge?" that there are many things you can do to ensure you have an edge. But we encounter competition in many different areas of our lives, and it's important to understand that how you embrace your competitor in one sector will reinforce how you interact in another.

Continue reading here.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

A Stone Foundation Supports Your Success

As we look around at others in our lives, we often wonder what it took for certain individuals to succeed: how they made it so far, so quickly or what motivated them to keep going even when times were difficult. There are many qualities that make a great leader or support you in becoming one; there are unlimited opportunities for you to experience and gain the skills you need to become successful in life, but one of the elements people often overlook is their foundation. Examining the foundation on which your life is built is not about going back and pointing the finger at our childhood. It's about looking forward to your ultimate goal and asking yourself what it takes to get there to achieve and manifest your goal.

We all know the building parable "Is your house built on sand or stone?" When it comes to achieving success, understanding that your experience and academic portfolios are the building materials you use to build your life house means it's important to ask which pieces of your experience are stone and which pieces are sand. While moving through life, our foundation needs to actually be comprised of both elements, for science reminds us that sand is actually very small stones.

In life flexibility is critical to our learning and adopting new information, allowing us to mold and bend when necessary and stand firm in our beliefs and values. Using me as an example, people often wonder why I would choose to make certain decision in life; and for the most part, my decisions were based on following my heart and my desire while staying true to my dreams and values. When first embarking on the new role of coach, I did the exercise most of us have done when deciding to take a turn in our careers and wrote down how my life experiences (both professional and academic) supported this turn. When looking back to even my teenage years working at a boat marina, my work experience has always ultimately supported either directly or indirectly my recent life decisions.

Continue reading here.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Entrepreneurs: Motivated Procrastinators?

It may sound like an oxymoron, but entrepreneurs can be the best at two things: procrastination and motivation! Entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs for the simple reasons they are passionate about what they are doing, get a thrill or high from stepping out into the unknown, have a higher level of tolerance for risk, and love to start projects. As an entrepreneur, you started your business because you were passionate about the product or service you were providing, and you were motivated by the energy of potential change and sharing your passion.

In business you always have to be moving and in action not only to become successful but to gain your initial foothold in the market place. It takes an even larger commitment to become an "influencer" in your business or industry and ultimately become an expert. So why are there only a few entrepreneurial businesses that truly "make" it? Procrastination!

As an entrepreneur, you are in charge of your own business and hold the desire to make it the market. You know there are few qualities you need not just to possess but have processes put into place to help keep you moving as you build your business. You will find thousands of articles, books, blogs, tweets and posts to help you, but a key quality I see missing in all of this is awareness. It's your awareness that will keep you moving and in action when procrastination hits – and it will!

Continue reading here.

Friday, August 12, 2011

What’s Your Edge?

For all those who strive to be successful in their professional lives, whether they work for a corporation or they are an entrepreneur, there are a few things they (or should I say you) definitely need to have in order to achieve and keep their edge.

Having a vision is critical to being able to climb the corporate ladder. Your vision is what will allow you to stay motivated while working toward achieving the goals you've set for yourself. Goal-setting isn't always easy, as there is an art behind it that involves knowing how to set realistic and achievable goals while also managing your time and energy as you spend time completing the necessary actions to meet your milestones along the way that ultimately lead you right into the hands of success.

Knowing your vision and taking action to make it a reality takes more than just yourself. You need a support network that will act not just as cheerleaders to help keep you motivated but also to be the "naysayers" and play devil’s advocate. These elements, when combined, create a recipe for success. In order for you to earn the promotion to the next rung, you need something we call respect. Respect is a two-way street. Not only do you need to hold respect for those to whom you report, but those who report to you and those on the same level must do the same.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Employee Motivation: A Secret Society?

Motivation is a key ingredient to success. This is not a news flash by any means, and all managers and good leaders embrace some degree of motivational program for their employees; whether they do this consciously or subconsciously, they all do it. Motivation is not some secret society either, but the secret to motivation is the "what" behind it. So what is the "what" anyway?

It's a great question and one that every great leader seeks to answer—although the answer is never the same twice! So that is what makes motivation part of a secret society, remembering and understanding the same employee will have different motivators at different times of her life? And yes, different times can be as often as yearly, monthly or even daily. This is the "what" behind keeping your employees motivated and feeling empowered.

Now that you're a part of this secret motivational society and you’ve been let into the inner sanctum, you're reading this and still thinking, "What? That isn't a news flash, either!" And yes, you would be right—but the news flash is the remembering that translates into engaging in some form of communication with your employees regularly to ensure you're in the know of what their current motivator is or might be. Regular communication is the real secret ingredient to realizing your success as a great motivational leader.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Business Leadership: Leading with Social Responsibility

Over the last several years that I've been working with business owners, entrepreneurs and those seeking to begin their own businesses, there seems to have been an underlying theme revolving around leadership. I recently wrote an article ("The Meaning and Essence of Business Leadership") and thought it would be beneficial to continue this topic with the focus on Social Responsibility. We know leaders are not made; nor are they "born," even though there are individuals who seem to exude all the necessary qualities that make a great leader and are therefore are referred to "born leaders." But what is this sought-after set of skills and abilities that makes you a great leader, and do you possess the desire to become a great leader? If you are asking yourself these questions (as well as can you do if you want to acquire these leadership skills not just from a business perspective but possibly from a personal one), read on.

The first quality is respect; individuals can easily look up to and respect you as a leader if you respect them. Their respect will be based on your ability to communicate easily and compassionately your expectations of them. This is the second quality of a great leader: being a compassionate communicator. Within your mutual respect, your communication style will be inspiring. Those whom you lead will feel empowered by you to step out and up into their reaching for their goals—one of which will be to "please" you and to live up to your expectations. So the third quality is being able to inspire those who follow you. Now that we’ve covered three qualities that support being a great leader, let’s look at what might be another quality on which we often focus and talk about less but is nevertheless equally (if not more) important; that is, business leadership is based on social responsiveness.

Continue reading here.

Friday, July 29, 2011

The Secret Weapons of a Good Business Leader

"The very core of leadership is that you need to have vision. You can’t blow a hesitant trumpet." This is what well-known scholar Theodore M. Hesburgh said about leadership. Leadership is a very desirable attribute among successful people no matter what type of business they are in. And if you talk about business, then leadership is a must for carrying out your tasks effectively. Thus, every successful entrepreneur embraces some leadership quality within herself.

But the reality is that being a leader is not that easy. Everyone is not a leader; in fact, we cannot be leaders if there are no followers. Many people believe leadership as such is a human trait that is possibly related to genetics—that people inherit their leadership skills by birth. Leaders possess some unique qualities that allow them to easily motivate others. Let’s take a few minutes to review the different qualities or skills good leaders possess.

First, as a leader you need to have a unique ideology. If you look at the great business leaders such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Sam Walton, you will find each of them has their own ideology that allows them to step out and up, easily reaching such a top position. Thus, the very first component of leadership is having a unique ideology. Begin thinking about what makes you unique as an individual and how this translates into your being or becoming the great leader you want to be.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Meaning and Essence of Leadership in Business

Change is the only unchanging features in this changing world. Everything surrounding us changes with the passage of time to be in line with modernization. The ongoing business environment is no exception when it comes to this trend. Modern business is on a triumphant march through tracking changes via hard work from the most efficient business leaders.

Effective leaders adopt strategies and techniques to try to win or take the lead in the competitive market, which is ultimately a game of "survival of the fittest." In both good and bad times, there is always a need for quality leadership. The success of a business or an industry is mostly dependent on the leaders it gets or inherits. The successful implementation of desired leadership techniques is crucial for meeting the changing demands in business. The mystique of leadership in and of itself makes it one of the most widely debated, studied and sought-after commodities in business.

The Meaning of Leadership
Leadership is the social process of influencing the behaviors of others without posing any threats of violence. It is a process of influencing the thoughts, attitudes and behaviors of others by setting a direction that helps visualize what they can hope to achieve or what lies ahead for them. It's the capability of getting other people to do something significant through harnessing their efforts jointly.

Continue reading here.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Plan, Action and Achieve

When the objectives we set are large or complex, we often need a plan of some sort to ensure we reach them. However, planning is just half of the story: you also need to take action. Before implementation of any plan, it's useful to check where you are both physically and mentally. Achieving our success is based on our "whole" being fully present and accountable, and that means making sure both bodies are not only on board but have the capability to do the work necessary.

Take a few moments to take another look at your plan. Look at the activities that make up the plan, the feasibility of them, and the overall timeline. Then ask yourself the question: "Am I ready for this challenge mentally? Physically?"

If the answers are yes to both, then try asking yourself these questions:

  • "Am I ready to let go of or put on hold certain areas of my life so I can continue this challenge?"
  • "If I am not ready now, when will be I ready?"
  • "What do I need to in order to have the right mental perspective and physical support?"
  • "Do I need outside help?"

Continue reading here.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Healthy, Glowing Skin and Your Confidence

Something for which we all strive yet so few achieve and even fewer keep: a good skin care regimen. Oh yes, there are times we look in the mirror and think "Wow! Not a blemish!" or "Eek, not now!" The second, of course, always happens before a big event or special intimate dinner, whereas the first may come on any given day, giving us a reason to smile and a more confident bounce in our step.

As teenagers we all faced a time dealing with acne, and as adults there are those who continue to deal with this challenge. The longer or more often we face this challenge, the more often our confidence is shaken. We can manage this confidence shaker by using over-the-counter acne or blemish creams; when more serious situations are present, we can solicit the aid of medical doctors for prescription-strength solutions.

When it comes to stepping into action or making decisions with regard to moving forward toward our goals and dreams, our confidence is the fuel to our follow-through. Our self-worth is the spark plug that allows our passion to be ignited by the fuel of our confidence. If one of these is not topped up and running smoothly, our decision quality is affected—as is our ability to succeed.

Continue reading here.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Activity and Our Well-Being

What do these people have in common?

  • A three-year-old girl running awkwardly to her mother across the lawn while smiling.
  • A housewife, age 43, trotting in the park with her colorful running shoes.
  • A skinny boy of 15 trying to keep up with the pack in a cross-country race, hoping to be part of the team.
  • A 29-year-old teacher who walks to the starting line with his wife, two children and a picnic basket and welcomes his opponents with great pleasure.
  • Far behind the front riders, soundly defeated, a solitary rider gives the maximum, excited because he is beating his personal best.
  • A nuclear physicist, 39 years old, passing the finish line and trotting to 36th place, quite pleased with himself.
In the first description the young girl is running for the pure joy of moving. She can be compared to a young dog chasing a ball or a foal galloping in a pasture. This pleasure from the kinesthetic sensation of speed, power and natural freedom is wild and intrinsic. Her motivation is being present in the moment and embracing the joy of freedom and movement.

Continue reading here.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Going the Distance

I saw a video on YouTube and realized it was a perfect way to illustrate a resource I’ve been wanting to share with my readers. The video features two self-made multimillionaires asking self-help guru and motivational speaker Tony Robbins why some people follow through while others don’t.

Robbins points out to the two men (John Reese and Frank Kern) that asking yourself two questions can help you identify where you are and where you’re going, which will crystallize your understanding of where you currently stand. The guru says that asking "What excites me?" and "What pisses you off" can be tremendously effective in helping you determine what you do and do not want out of your current situation.

Further, Robbins explains that while some people get where they intend to be, those who don’t usually fail for reasons other than a lack of resources or ability. Rather, they fail to follow through because they’re not "afraid enough" of not reaching their full potential, don’t have a driving hunger to success, or haven't given themselves permission to get out of their comfort zones. He points out that when your back is against the wall, you're more likely to do whatever it takes to prove yourself and succeed.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Adopting Healthy Eating Habits

Eating healthy is critical whether your goal is weight loss, fitness or a healthier lifestyle in general. However, you don’t have to meticulously count calories or starve yourself to be healthy; rather, you need to provide your body with ample nourishment. While junk food and sugary treats might present challenges and temptations, adopting correct eating ideas and strategies will help make healthy eating a natural habit.

Below is an overview of basic tips and suggestions to help you stay fit and eat healthy.

Learn to Love Your Veggies Include as many vegetables in your diet as you possibly can. In addition to vegetables being packed with more nutrients and fewer fats and calories than meat-based dishes, vegetarian foods also offer a lot of variety and can be a real treat for the taste buds.

Get Creative with Fruits Fruits have natural sugar and can quell a sweet tooth. But if the sucrose from the fruit alone is not enough, add a little honey to sweeten it further. The sweetness from these choices is healthier than refined sugars, and the natural sugars in fruit and honey have far fewer calories.

Eat the Rainbow If you’re concerned about whether or not you’re eating enough from each of the food groups, try seeing each meal as a rainbow. What colors are missing? What colors are present? Are you eating many colors, or do you tend to focus on just one? If your plate usually looks like a multi-colored painting, then you’re likely consuming the minerals, vitamins and nutrients your body needs.

Drink Water or Fresh Juice with Crushed Ice Instead of Fizzy Beverages Although this may sound too easy to be worthwhile, it does have legitimate merit. Crushed ice gives water a slightly fizzy texture that can meet your need for carbonation. If you drink a lot of sodas because of their sweetness, add fresh juices to your water and crushed ice.

Employ Positive Affirmations If you have a problem with willpower and find it difficult to stick with your plan to eat healthy, consider reciting positive affirmations every day to help make eating healthy a natural instinct. Although this may sound too simple to be realistically effective, the truth is that the simplicity of the act is where the power lies. Perhaps the example that follows will illuminate this concept for you.

If someone tells you day in and day out that you are unattractive, over time you will begin to believe that assessment. Similarly, if you tell yourself that you’re ugly over and over again, you will begin to feel ugly regardless of how physically appealing you may actually be. Positive affirmations function the same way, in that telling yourself over and over that you enjoy being a healthy eater will cause you to embrace and believe this statement over time.

Continue reading here.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Sussing Out Your Sixth Sense

What we commonly refer to as our "sixth sense" goes by many different names: gut feeling, inner voice, instinct, intuition, subconscious. Regardless of which term you prefer to use, this sixth sense is not some magical or mystical power that only a few people are blessed enough to possess; rather, it is as common and natural as the other five senses we automatically accept as being valid and real because of our experience.

Theories about Intuition
One of the most common ways in which people "explain" intuition is to relate it to the scientific understanding of energy. For instance, we know from the Law of Conservation of Energy that energy can be neither created nor destroyed; as such, everything that exists in the universe is energy in some form. Moving to a more metaphysical understanding of this concept, we can see that all human interaction – whether physical or mental – is essentially interaction between and among different energies. In this way we can sense the energy that surrounds us with our bodies as well as the energy of every situation we visualize with our minds – and THAT is how our sixth sense manifests. An awareness of the reactions of either/and our bodies or minds – no matter how subtle – to those we meet and the situations in which we find ourselves can lead to an accurate understanding and interpretation of the meaning of these reactions.

Others describe this sixth sense as our ability to tap into "universal knowledge." Similarly to those who subscribe to the aforementioned energy concept, those who embrace the concept of universal knowledge in relation to the sixth sense believe it allows us to access the past, present and future knowledge of the all-knowing Universe that is not bound by constraints like linear time. In this sense we are all able to make more appropriate or advantageous life decisions because we're all blessed with some degree of this sixth sense; as such, our primary goal should be to master the interpretation of the simultaneously subtle-yet-obvious cues of intuition.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Law of Attraction and Building New Relationships

While it's undeniable that being in a loving relationship can be incredibly fulfilling and full of positives, it's also undeniable that finding relationships like that can be difficult. We've all experienced the defeated and heartbreaking feeling of rejection or an otherwise failed relationship, and most would agree the risks of these unpleasant experiences are worth it if it means finding real love and joyous fulfillment. That said, it's this end point that it can take an entire lifetime for some of us to reach.

While some might claim that finding love boils down to fate and being in the right place at the right time, others would argue that we exercise some control over what – and whom – we attract into our lives. If you're in the second camp like I am, you understand that your thoughts and actions determine your fate. Whether you call it the Law of Attraction or fate or something else, these are the factors at work in finding fulfilling relationships.

Attracting Fulfilling Relationships
It's likely you were drawn to this article either because you're dissatisfied with the state of your current relationship or because you experienced a significant heartbreak in the past. Regardless of from which perspective you’re coming, the first thing you'll have to do is wipe your slate clean in order to attract into your life the love you deserve. It doesn't take a relationship expert to realize that dwelling on past betrayal and hurt isn't helpful but instead makes it more difficult for you to move on to something positive. Comparing potential romantic interests with a past lover simply brings the past into the present and prevents you from exploring the potential of new relationships.

Continue reading here.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Finding Guidance

Regardless of their personal belief systems (spiritual focus, formalized religion, or a combination thereof), people tend to like the comfort of feeling connected to those beings that support us from the other side, whether we believe "the other side" to be an alternate universe, a heavenly realm, etc. One reason people find this so comforting is that they like knowing that something greater than themselves is available for them from which they can seek or receive guidance and clarity. I maintain that our angels (or guides, if you prefer) constantly surround us, always at the ready to gently guide us toward happier and better lives if we are willing to ask for their help. We can communicate with these guides in any of several ways, including those listed below.

Oracle Cards
Most divination and many bookstores carry angel and divine guidance cards with the rest of their merchandise. Oracle cards typically have about 50 cards in a deck that are full of words of compassion and wisdom. To properly read and benefit from oracle cards, first calm yourself with an effective mind training exercise, then silently offer a prayer of gratitude to your angels before requesting their help. Shuffle the deck a few times because spreading the cards on a clean table and selecting one card.

Although on the surface drawing oracle cards can seem like an entirely random way to seek guidance from your angels, the reality of the situation is that the "magic" of this process lies in its randomness. Selecting a particular card over all the others in the deck enables your angels to direct you to choose the right one rather than leaving it up to a matter of coincidence or chance.

Seek Help and Wait
For people who find it difficult to keep faith, simply choosing to seek help and wait can be the best way to getting guidance. When you find you could use a little nudge of guidance...

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

How Your Past Can Lead to Obesity


Obesity is blamed on many things related to our physical health: food cravings, metabolism rate, thyroid issues, lack of exercise, binge eating, etc. Yet examining obesity from a psychological perspective reveals that there’s far more to obesity than just the physical causes and effects.

A healthy diet and exercise would be sufficient means for an obese person to get down to a healthy weight if obesity were a physical problem only, yet this those two tactics alone rarely are enough for obese people to lose down to and maintain a healthy weight. In addition to diet and exercise, obese people must also remove from their psyche the reasons behind their unmanageable food cravings.

While we may not be able to recall the specific experiences or details of our childhood that played significant roles in influencing the adults we have become, there’s no denying that childhood is an incredibly impressionable time in our lives. Although people who experience psychological or physical trauma in their childhood’s often try to block them out of their consciousness as they mature, the truth is that the subconscious never forgets. In fact, traumatic childhood experiences often stay buried within our subconscious and influence our behavior long into adulthood. Further, our childhood fears and traumas can manifest as the desire to binge or make unhealthy dietary choices once we’re adults.

Because children interpret what happens to them differently due to their lack of comprehension, maturity, and life experience, their perspective of what happens to them figures significantly into how their perceptions manifest. For instance, those who suffered sexual abuse at a young age often develop deep-rooted fears and insecurities in their subconscious, which in turn manifest as a desire to become and/or stay obese in a subconscious attempt to be less attractive or desirable and thereby fend off any future abuse. In this sense, obesity can make a person feel safer and more secure since they shield them from unwanted attention.

Continue reading here.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Embracing Change

My husband and I took our son for his first official haircut when he was 15 months old. The trauma of the event was not significant, but the energy exchange during the event was decidedly intense. My son went from sitting on my lap and enjoying the process while my husband entertained him to the opposite end of the spectrum, screaming and struggling to be let down. As you can imagine, it was an emotional roller coaster for all three of us.

For several months I’d been hearing from various "experts" on the issue things like, "He needs a big boy haircut!" or "I love his hair; the curls are adorable," or "She’s precious! Oh, sorry! He’s so beautiful I just assumed he was a girl." Geez! So despite the fact that I loved my son’s hair longer with curls peeking out from under the cap, I knew it really was time for a haircut. Still, something inside me desperately desired to keep my son as a baby for as long as I possibly could. The haircut was representative of the first apron string to be cut.

Continue reading here.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Negative Body Image Issues

Both emotional specialists and psychologists generally agree that eating disorders are generally rooted in negative body image. When this happens, sufferers usually see distorted body images when they gaze in a mirror – and as such, feel "fat" or otherwise imperfect regardless of whether these terms accurately describe the structure of their physical bodies.

Negative body images can manifest from one or more of the following factors:

Negative Conditioning Our parents' and family members' attitudes toward food and concepts of beauty can significantly factor in our body image. For example, parents who emphasize the importance of outer appearance or who obsessively count calories may have children who retain or develop similar attitudes that can potentially result in negative body image.

Negative Thinking If you have low self-esteem and therefore constantly hound yourself about your appearance or give undue importance to other’s opinions, you can develop a negative body image over time.

Unrealistic Ideals Movies, articles, advertisements and other media propaganda often promote perfection as being attainable – which, of course, it is not. Aggressive marketing techniques seek to create unrealistic aspirations regarding beauty ideals for profit. Children and teens are particularly susceptible to these techniques and can therefore develop negative body image issues due to their desire to conform to media "norms."

Overcoming Negative Body Image

You will have to affect a dramatic change in your self-perception to successfully build a healthier body image. I'll readily admit that negative attitudes firmly entrench themselves in the subconscious over time...

Continue reading here.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Your Aura's Energy

Energy is a word from which most people draw the definition of electricity, gas or some other form of power to produce movement or change. In the context in which we use it here, these definitions really aren't that far off from how practitioners like me would describe or explain energy. But what is an aura, you ask? Simply put, your aura is the space surrounding your physical being; it extends outward and upward and is approximately the length of your arms. You might refer to your aura as your own personal airspace, and you are the flight commander with regard to what gets in and what doesn’t.

We all understand as humans that we are walking energy sources. The heat we produce keeps us warm when the air is cool, and the sweat we produce when the air is too warm functions similarly. Our metabolism is a form of energy that uses the food we consume as its fuel, and we carry a certain amount of electricity in our bodies. The electricity can affect our heart rates, breathing rates and CranioSacral rhythms. Add electricity from an outside source – you know, when you shuffle your socked feet on the carpet and "zap" your friend or sibling — and a few things can occur: your heart can actually stop or go out of normal rhythm. More likely, however, nothing at all will happen except your friend becomes focused on getting you back.

Continue reading here.