Category Archives for "Assorted Wisdom"

Assorted Wisdom

Getting Healthy The Fun Way:

12 Tips for Healing and Getting Fit Joyfully

 

For most of us, getting healthy is a chore. We have to drag ourselves to the gym, swallow a gazillion vitamins, go to the physician’s office and sit around for hours until you get in, then follow through on doctor’s protocols.

 

The annoyance and resistance just makes us more energetically weak and slower to heal or grow fit.

 

Thus, in order to really tune up your body, you need to look at the healing and fitness process as FUN! You need to shift your attitude into a state of welcome, enjoyment, confidence in what you are achieving, and plain old happiness!  The more you are in a state of joy and love for the process, the faster your body will vibrate the energy to meet your mental images and gleeful emotional state. Set the tone and your body will follow!

 

So here are some ideas that you can implement that will speed up your path to health.

 

1)    Each day envision yourself as completely healed and in an ideal physically fit shape. Create your vision, feel it, enjoy it, believe it. Know that your body is absolutely PERFECT!  Do this without fail for 30 days, but try to make it part of your daily routine for the rest of your life.

 

2)    When you take your vitamins, supplements and any other medications, see them as bubbles filled with love going down your throat and then spreading out all over your body, much like the bubbles children blow into the air. You’re sending bubbles to your organs, muscles, tendons and tissues to coat them with love! Personally, I just smile when I envision this image!

 

3)    Dance a little every day with abandon. You may have seen Meredith and Christina “dance it out” on Grey’s Anatomy. They are letting out the stress in a very positive way. This is a very healthy act to get the energy flowing positively through the body. Do this to the radio when you are getting dressed, do it in the shower to tunes in your head, do it when your favorite song comes on your iPod, dance in exercise class at the gym or when you are on the treadmill. My personal favorite is to dance in the pool to music.

 

4)    Never go the doctor’s or therapy without a great book, an iPod with your favorite music, or some other creative endeavor such as a sketch pad. Make waiting time enjoyable.

 

5)    Look forward to the doctor visit or therapy session. See such visits as your opportunity for a “tune-up.” You’re a Maserati that just needs a little tinkering to get you revving down the road again at 120 miles an hour.  Or you’re a Dolce and Gabbana gown that needs a bit of redesign to get ready for the next awards show appearance. 

 

6)    If you are confident in the doctor’s recommendations, than follow up on his or her instructions. No point in going if you don’t what the doctor says. But don’t make this a chore. Make it a gift to yourself…a gift of your health.

 

7)    Find alternative therapies. If you’re into alternative therapies, I always look at these as wonderful way to expand my world and my knowledge of energy. Personally, I have a wonderful mix of traditional, but holistic practitioners and alternative specialists whose work is generally based in energy flow. I go eager to know more about how my body works and how I can manage my energy better. It’s like going to college classes without paying tuition!

 

8)    Don’t drag yourself to the gym or workout! Go with zeal! Remember how you feel when it’s over and how you love the way you look in your clothes. Put a reminder on your email calendar with an incentive—the favorite pair of pants you plan to buy when you get down to your ideal weight. Or play something catchy like YMCA on your ring tone to remind you to go!  See the visit as a chance to make new friends or workout buddies. Going with friends is definitely a way to make working out more fun.

 

9)    Got to Yoga. Who doesn’t like yoga once you start going? It’s peaceful and if you start slow, it doesn’t strain you, but you just find yourself getting more fit. It’s so good for both the mind and the body. Find a yoga studio close to home with classes that fit your schedule so there’s no good excuse NOT to go.

 

10)   Walk! Find a pretty place where you can walk for exercise and inhale the beauty. And with daylight savings times, you can walk well into early evening after work, or even in the morning before you go to work. Pick your favorite iTunes. I have a special iPod file just with great walking music that makes me pick up the pace and puts me in a fantastic mood. 

 

11)    Get outdoors…Hiking, bicycling, snowboarding, skiing, etc. You already know that these are beneficial to you, a fun, too. Get up from the computer and go do more of them. 

 

12)   Lifestyle eating changes are often challenging, but look at them as a chance to expand your choices or learn new recipes. Go to the health food store and look around for cool new prepared foods, new ingredients and healthy new packaged goods. (I love some of the dairy-free ice creams, for example, and my regular grocery store makes a mean cashew-encrusted chicken ready to heat and eat!) 

 

So give yourself a positive energy boost even before the endorphins kick in and you’ll fine yourself on the fast track toward greater health.

The 10 Myths That Keep People from Acting on Their Hidden Entrepreneur

The 10 Myths That Keep People from Acting on Their Hidden Entrepreneur

(Part two of The Hidden Entrepreneur)

 

If you are looking for an excuse NOT to act on your inner desire to be an entrepreneur, you can find many of them. But I’d like to kick all those crutches out from under you, so you can stand up to the truth. There are few real valid reasons why should not follow your heart or act on that vision that keeps reoccurring in your quiet moments. Being an entrepreneur is not nearly as scary as you think it is!

 

So let’s look at the 10 Myths That Keep People from Acting on Their Hidden Entrepreneur!

 

  1. You have to have lots of money to start a business.

Actually, most people don’t start out with lots of money. Look at how many of the Internet start ups in

Silicon Valley

began in someone’s garage. You need a good idea, a good product or a good service and a way to get it to market. This doesn’t mean you have to start out at the top of the food chain. Sure, if you’re a diamond dealer, you need lots of capital, but if you’re not, you may be able to find alternative ways to fund your venture.

 

Clearly the banks are lending less today—but it doesn’t mean they aren’t lending at all for a great idea with collateral. And your 401K may no longer be flush, but there are other creative ways to get started…perhaps trade-out with your vendors, long terms of payment the them, home equity lines (with limitations on how much you borrow so you don’t jeopardize your home), seek investors or financial partners.

 

Direct selling programs are often an inexpensive way to break into business, and many of these train their members in marketing, skills useful at a later date.  Work from home and keep your costs down. Sell information (become an InfoPreneur)—this doesn’t cost you a lot to create and market, especially on the Internet.  Teach someone what you already know. This doesn’t require a big investment and people are willing to pay to learn. 

 

Become creative in your marketing. In today’s world there’s a great deal you can do in terms of internet marketing that doesn’t require capital. Advertise sparingly and only in the publications with an ideal target market—see if you can get to that market online instead.

 

  1. You have to have experience in your chosen business to be successful.

Not true! People can be hugely successful in switching careers if they do their homework and have a passion for the new area of their chosen entrepreneurial venture. I know a successful PR woman who really loves dogs. She took the leap and is now a very happy and successful dog trainer. And she’s doing her own publicity at the same time!

 

Take the time to research everything you can about the area you intend to switch into. Knowing that market segment will increase your self-confidence and success rate when you step into your new entrepreneurial career. Don’t hesitate to ask others in the business already for their advice. Most people are very willing to share. One short cut is to work for someone else in the business for a short time with the intention of learning the business, building capital and then jumping out on your own.

 

            Set your goal to learn and grow as you embark on your new venture and you will

            soon be the expert in your new field, with willing buyers who want what you offer.

 

  1. You have to know how to run a business to be successful.

More than half of all entrepreneurs are learning on the job. They have been working for others for years with a limited skill set, and must acquire the full spectrum of management skills it takes to run a business. But don’t let that intimate you. You needn’t feel you must have an MBA. Management skills are simply making wise decisions…These can be about managing yourself, your marketing, your money and your market. And if you have an office, your staff.

 

Some of the ways you can acquire the knowledge of running a business include: finding a mentor or professional coach, ask questions of your friends already in business, get into a mastermind group, take classes, read books, ask your accountant or book keeper, hire specialists and learn from them, observe others, go to conferences, take teleclasses, do home study courses, and here’s an important one—ask the Universe. Get quiet, meditate and ask for guidance. You’ll learn from the answers you receive.      

 

  1. You have to jump in with both feet, and quit your day job.

For some people, quitting a previous job to start an entrepreneurial venture is exactly the right thing to do. For others, it may not fit their current situation. (But don’t use fear as the reason for not jumping. If you have the resources and the desire, take the plunge.)

 

However, if you want to test the market first to see if being an entrepreneur feels right, or you have a waiting customer, do this more slowly. Work weekends and nights at your new venture. Cut back your hours or days at your regular work, so you are only working 3-4 days a week and the rest of the time is committed to your new venture. See if you can start building a customer base that has the resources to step up once you are in full swing, and determine if your product/service has enough appeal. Tweak packaging, selling strategies, etc, while you still have the financial security of a regular job. Once you feel you have the right formula and your budding business is on firm ground, then you can move forward with boldness.  

 

  1. You will have to work long hours, and you will have no time for yourself.

Lots of entrepreneurs find that being on their own provides much more time flexibility. Maybe you do have to work longer hours in the beginning, but you can take your kids to soccer practice, or have a four-day weekend to go river rafting. Having your own company doesn’t always mean longer hours, but it can be working smarter. Find inexpensive ways to outsource. We actually outsource some small tasks to

India

! It’s a great way to get things off your desk you don’t want to do. And delegate, delegate, delegate! Get used to not doing everything yourself!

 

You can pick your own hours. Start at 7:30 and be done by 4:30 when you can go out and excise or go to the gym. Just make sure that you don’t let that “should” voice in your head tell you to work when you can turn out the lights, and go create balance in your life. As an entrepreneur, you can set your own time limits—and well as time schedule.       

 

  1. You’re on your own, and no one will come to your rescue.

Au contraire! You have a great support system if you open yourself to it. There are lots of professional organizations you can join. Your banker and business associates have a vested interest in seeing you succeed. You’d be surprised, if you’ve treated them well and picked them well, how your employees will rise to the occasion to support you. You can find aid at the Small Business Administration. You can hire a coach to get you through rough times. Don’t underestimate those friends you have in your church or spiritual group. Join or create a mastermind group with other professionals who will share their experience and provide a safe haven for you to seek support. Family members will often step up to the plate to be your supporters. And most importantly, the Universe is there to support you—if you will ask for wisdom and listen for guidance.

 

  1. You have to have a product or service that no one else offers.

While this certainly helps, this isn’t absolutely necessary. You just need to have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and/or you must fill a void or a need in the marketplace. Your USP may not be an entirely new product or service, it might simply be how you position it, the way you service people or a slight twist on an old product or service. In filling a need, you may have identified an underserved sector of the market, a new emerging demographic, a region that has not been penetrated or simply you may be good enough to sell ice to Alaskans—and convince them of their need. 

 

  1. You’re not the entrepreneurial kind of person.

Of course you are! You just have to change your thinking. If you believe you are better taking orders from someone else or letting them take the risk, that’s simply your own insecurities talking. It’s your belief that you’re not good enough, don’t know enough, don’t have the right “temperament,” can’t earn enough money on your own—it’s all about your fear and judgment. What this means is that you don’t believe in yourself, don’t trust yourself and you don’t trust the Universe. If you work on changing these three factors, you’ll be the perfect entrepreneur!

 

  1. You don’t have enough time to start a business.

Where there is a will there is a way. That wonderful old adage applies to this myth and excuse. We all live very busy lives today, but much of what we do, we choose to do. For example, you could probably spend one hour less a day on email and other non-productive internet tasks and put it toward starting a business, writing a business plan, developing your product line, looking at competitive products, building your market, learning about marketing, researching your marketplace, creating inventory, going to networking events, etc. Or how about turning off the TV to focus on some of these tasks. If you’re taking Cindy to soccer practice, use the time sitting in the stands for something productive. You can get your ducks in a row so that when you are ready to take the plunge, you’ve prepared a nice warm pool.   

 

  1. You will jeopardize the stability of your home or family.

This is the most prevalent reason that most people don’t take the entrepreneurial step. But if you are thriving as an entrepreneur, your family will be happier and your bank account will be more abundant.

 

This is certainly more easily done in a two-income family, but if you have put away a cushion, give yourself the chance to see if you can succeed in your new self-employed arena. Go in with a belief in your success, but set a time limit or a financial limit that you can expend, before calling it quits. You’re not doing this with the intention of quitting, only with giving yourself a sense of security. The more confident and secure you feel, the more likely you are to succeed. Knowing you have a backup plan takes the desperation and pressure off. Energetically, you want to put yourself in the most positive mental state, so you want to focus on your new venture with zeal and joy, with enthusiasm and passion. That’s where you want your energy directed, where you are Consciously Creating a great life as an entrepreneur.

 

But there also comes a time, even with a family and the bills that come with it, when some people must simply say, “it’s time.” You simply have to step out in faith that this is what you are destined to do. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are nearly 20 million small one-person firms in

America

alone. That doesn’t even include the small two-and-three person companies. If that many people can find satisfaction in self-employment, what’s holding you back?

Let Go of the Past Before You Bring It Into the Future

Let Go of the Past Before You Bring It Into the Future

7 Steps to Create an Unhindered Future

 

 

While the past holds great memories for us as human beings, it is also a minefield for many. That mental landscape has hidden booby traps and ambushes that we don’t realize are there or surprise us at unexpected moments. Our long-buried memories can often establish beliefs and behavior patterns that rule our lives, our relationships and the way we navigate the world, even though we are unaware of them.  Easily recalled memories are vivid because they remind us of painful experiences of rejection and hurt that forced us to unconsciously build elaborate walls to protect against future pain. 

 

The past is a place where we often get stuck. When we allow it to dominate our thinking, out motivation and our actions—or even subliminally do these things—we are limited and constrained in our lives, mired right where we are. No matter how hard you try to step out of the muck, it always sucks you back in. The past is a dangerous place to live.

 

And here’s where it even gets more scary. If you hold onto the past, you will bring it into the future!

 

If you are visualizing and vibrating the energy of the past, if you are focusing on the negative past experiences in your life, you will manifest more of them in the future. People often wonder why they pick the same type of boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse, then this is a great place to start looking for explanations. If you are focusing on what went wrong in the past, your energy will draw in more things that can go wrong in the future. If you are remembering all the slights and the rejections of old, you are destined to experience more slights and rejections in the future. That’s what you are vibrating.

 

Remember, what you think you create!   

 

So leave your negative past at the door! If you want to create a vibrant, happy, unlimited future for yourself, you must start with today as the first day of creation. You must focus on happy, loving, fulfilling memories that enhance your life and you can re-create anew in the future. Happy memories raise your personal frequency so that you can create more of the same going forward.

 

Or you can simply live with optimism and faith in a grand future, allowing it to unfold on your waves of positive energy. Don’t burden the future with the negative energy and thoughts from before. Let it be clean, open and expansive. Release the future from anything that will bog it down, and keep you stuck.

 

So here are a few steps you can take to sweep out those old memories, before they can infect your future:

 

  1. Catch yourself in the act. Every time you find yourself wallowing in the past, zap the memory with your magic laser, disintegrating it. Now there is no negative memory to go back and retrieve.

 

  1. Scan your body for hidden negative memories. Get into your quiet meditational stage. Call up the memory, say thanks for all the protection it gave you and release it, saying that it no longer serves you. You have to make room for your unlimited future. Then burn some incense to symbolically burn away all the last remnants of it.

 

  1. Find out why you are hindered. If you are feeling stuck and unable to move forward, go looking for the memory that may be keeping you where you are. Bring it out, look at it, re-experience the emotion that it creates, and then let go of it. Breathe deeply the whole time, expelling the memory from your DNA.      

 

  1. Do a little scream therapy. Go scream out the memory where no one can hear you. Get rid of it. Good riddance. No need to have it clutter the future.

 

  1. Give forgiveness and ask for forgiveness. An act of forgiveness will bring conclusion and closure to an open festering wound. Finish your business here, so you can be heal.   

 

  1. Set an intention to release unhealthy memories. Setting an intention is like making a pact with the Divine. If you keep up your part of the bargain to live a life without wallowing in the past, the Universe will help you achieve it. 

 

So move forward with joy and optimism, unhindered by the past. Go boldly into the future! 

Give People the Gift of Their Dreams

Just a couple of nights ago, I had an opportunity to see a troupe of Rat Pack Imitators. It brought back some important memories for me of the time that I took my mother to see Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. in a live concert. My parents had been great fans of those wonderful entertainers nicknamed The Rat Pack, and had seen them multiple times in

Las Vegas

. But once my dad had passed on, I chose to do some special things just for my mom with the intention of helping her realize her dreams. One of those was to see Sinatra and Davis once again. Another was to see all of the places in the U.K that she had read about in her favorite novels—so we went to

London

,

Bath

, Brighton, and

Edinburgh

. She wanted to fly first class once in her life, so I took her to

New York

and upgraded so we could sit in first class. We went to the

Museum

of

Radio

and TV to watch favorite family TV shows, long off the air. And there were many other special moments. My point is this…. I helped my mom live her modest dreams and in the doing, allowed us to create great memories that will forever stay with me. When she passed on, I had absolutely no questions as to whether I had done enough, whether she knew I loved her, whether I had given her the quality time she craved. So while your loved ones are still here, make sure that you help make their dreams come true and share those experiences with them. It will give YOU peace of mind.