We often go about our day in our own little world, just trying to get through our "to-do lists" and unaware of how powerfully we impact others' lives. Today, stop and acknowledge someone for a job well done, whether it be your significant other, child, colleague, friend or even stranger. You never know what something as simple as acknowlegment means to the person who is receiving it.
Ask your boss for a raise. If you are a business owner, evaluate your income streams and consider taking your business to the next level in whatever way that may look.
In order to live a healthier lifestyle, no matter what life changes you are wanting to make, it begins with your mind. If you want to be successful you must first release any negative thoughts and de-clutter, giving yourself a mental detox. If you start with a clear mind your body will follow.
Here are a few steps to assist while making your lifestyle change.
• Set realistic goals: Whatever change you are making, be sure to keep them within reach or else you will lose motivation and soon give up. Simple change over time can make a big difference.
• Get a journal: A journal will help you keep track of your daily habits, even if you fall off track a little, still make note of it, as it will assist you in the long run when you need to tweak something to get back on track.
• Positive/Negative Effect: Thinking Positive; if you say, I will get up an hour earlier to get on the elliptical; you are drawing positive energy towards you. Thinking Negative: If you say, maybe I should get on the elliptical after work, because I'm not a really a morning person, you are starting off drawing negative energy into your life, that negative energy will sometimes linger. So think positive - Positive - Positive Out - Negative in - Negative Out.
• Commitment: When making lifestyle changes you have to be committed to the goal(s) you set for yourself in order to see them through. Commitment takes dedication and motivation toward something you feel strongly about doing. Do not make a commitment to something that you don't feel strongly about - evaluate your circumstances and make sure the goals that you are setting are the best goals for you.
• Motivation: Motivation is key in a lifestyle change. Find out what motivates you and stick with it. Write little motivational notes to yourself and post them around - on the bathroom mirror, in your car, at the office. Partner up with someone who has similar goals that way it will be easier for you both to stick with it.
• Reward: Reward yourself for small accomplishments; acknowledge your success, which will lead to greater self-confidence and self-motivation.
Remember ---> it takes 21 days to form a habit ---> Stick with it you can DO IT!
Kisha L. Townsend - Founder and Facilitator of the Curve City Divas is an inspiration to hundreds of women around the country. She is committed to encouraging, educating and empowering others to take hold of their health and life so that they can live the best life possible. Kisha Townsend is a loving mother and wife; certified herbalist, health educator mentor and philanthropist, who has a great passion for and committed to helping others live a life of purpose. She is a board member of a youth council in, Wylie, Texas. Kisha, is also the Creator of GirlFriendz' TotallyYou website, which sparked two great entities, like CurveCityDivas’ and SpitzVille Kafe’ dedicated to motivating educating empowering inspiring and uplifting women and their families everywhere! Her hobbies include, reading, writing, laughing, dancing, listening to music and simply having fun. Spending quality time with family and friends is priceless. I am grateful to have her as our guest blogger for the week!
If you are not satisfied with your current job situation or career choice, create something different. Don't let fear stop you from achieving total fulfillment in your life.
Are you doing what you love? If you are spending more than a third of your day in a job or career that you only "tolerate" it's time you take a look at your purpose. Create a list of things that bring you joy. Is there something on that list that could become an income stream?
In our lives it’s easy to become a victim of our circumstance. It’s easy to say, “I’m just a product of my environment”, “I just have to deal with my job/ boss/ husband / wife/ significant other. What we fail to realize in these statements of resignation is that many others have similar circumstances as we do, and have a different view…a view of hope and empowerment. Although at some point we may have been a victim of our life circumstances, after time we become volunteers. We choose to continue to be cynical and resigned. We choose to hold on to old belief systems that are clearly not working for us, and the worse thing is that when someone tries to challenge these old, destructive belief systems we fight to the death to hold on to them…to be right, to be justified in our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
But if you are willing to really look at yourself, ask the following questions:
If you truly feel that you have nothing to transform in this area, then you can stop reading this article right now. However, if you see that there may be room for growth in this area then you have already taken a monstrous step…a willingness to let go of resignation and cynicism to see a new possibility.
In every aspect of our lives we have choices, and the choices that we make have consequences. There is really no wrong or right choice there is only the choice that leads you on the path you intended or takes you away from that path. Detours from our path are not bad or wrong, they just ARE. Just like if you were driving on a highway and took a wrong exit, all you have to do is find the right exit and get back on path.
How do we begin the process of letting go of resignation and cynicism to see this new possibility?
It starts with the willingness to try on a view other than the one that currently exists…a willingness to step outside of your “perceived self” and your “Perceived world”.
Try filling in the blank of the statement “If I had it all my way, _______” . Be authentic about the way you answer this question. What do you truly want for your life, for your family, for your career, and even for the world? Now as you continue to do this exercise of “If I had it all my way…” begin to believe…no REALIZE that this is all very POSSIBILE (don’t let your hater brain sneak in with the “yeah it’s possible but not probably” remark). When you begin to see the new possibilities, then you can begin to act inside of that new possibility. When you begin to act inside of that possibility you begin to feel more empowered to take actions consistent with the possibility therefore creating new pathways for fulfillment.
The other thing that must occur as you begin to create and then become your possibility is to know where inside of your life you have a loss of power in creating this new “thing” that has now become possible giving you all of this new vigor and excitement. Generally, these are the limiting beliefs I like to call the little “hater messages” that pop up inside your head stopping you at every turn. These messages range anywhere from “this is impossible” to “what will people say or think” to “I’m going to look crazy or stupid” to “you’re not smart enough….good enough…educated enough….financially stable enough….popular enough….experienced enough…” and the list goes on and on. If you are experiencing these “little hater voices”, don’t worry it’s normal…just tell those “little haters” inside of your head “thank you for sharing, but I don’t need your input”.
This practice requires you to be awake and aware at all times. These messages are subtle and ingrained in our minds, and it requires a disciplined daily practice to even begin to master the “little hater thoughts” and creating new possibilities. I certainly don’t want to oversimplify it or make it seem easy, but if you begin with just these first couple of exercises above (“If I had it all my way, _____) and (telling the “little haters” that you don’t need their input), you will begin to see the new things that can be created in your life.
Recognize that you have choices in life…that first you may be a victim of circumstance, but after time you become a volunteer. Finally, take responsibility for the choices you have made in your life without judging yourself, making yourself wrong, or punishing yourself so that you can begin to let those old belief systems that got you where you are, and create new possibilities that will give you fulfillment in life.
THEME OF THE MONTH: BEING 100% RESPONSIBLE IN YOUR LIFE:
WEEK 2 WELLNESS DARE: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IN YOUR CAREER! So often we put off our dreams and passion b/c life is getting in the way. It's time to stop letting Life get in the way, and take responsibility for your Living!
Join the challenge! Visit www.drmaiysha.com daily and connect with us through Facebook and Twitter for daily inspirations and dialogue about your and others successes and challenges each week.
Copyright 1/14/2012
Not trying to put you on the spot personally, but if you really think about it, it’s SO much easier to blame all of our short comings or issues on someone or something else. Think about it, there’re many of us that have almost perfected the art of pointing a finger or passing the buck. All for the temporary satisfaction of not having to be wrong or out of sync. Can’t you hear you saying, “Well I would’ve lost more weight last year if so and so would have gone with me to the gym.” Or “The reason my relationship isn’t working is because he/she doesn’t put enough effort into it.” Or “I would’ve saved more money by now but I had to lend so and so some and it threw me off.” STOP IT!!! (sorry for yelling. J) Enough already! In no way am I suggesting that things haven’t happened to possibly contribute to slowing you down. However, the truth of the matter is YOU are the common denominator in every situation that hasn’t worked out thus far. The bottom line is if we’re going step things up then we’ve got to take strides to get rid of some of OUR stuff. Understand that the key phrase here is “OUR STUFF”. It’s yours (mine) and no one is more responsible for your joy, peace and progress than YOU! Nobody can or should want more for you than you. Even if your goals and aspirations for this year or life going forward include others, you are responsible for your well being first and then adding that to the mix of other strong and progressive people. Again, understanding that self reflection or taking self responsibility is not easy, here are a few suggestions to help in the process:
Article presented by Gary Walsh Jr., “The Engagement Strategist”, is a Best Selling Author, Radio Show Host, Professional Speaker and Coach/Consultant whose passion is to help individuals, organizations, companies, groups and teams solve productivity problems by bringing the zeal back into the workforce and their lives. Mr. Walsh is a contributing Best Selling Author in the recently released book “Fight For Your Dreams!” a collaborative effort with Motivational Speaker Les Brown. As well as in the process of completing two solo literary projects “Dream Out Loud!” (A motivational series) and “Leading For Life!” (An empowering guide on engaged leadership) Gary can be heard each Monday night at 6pm EST as the host of Zeal Talk Radio on www.rocktheflow.com. Contact Gary via www.zealgroup.com or connect with him via Face Book Fan page – Success In Motion, Inc. & Twitter @garysuccess
Are you stuck in the blame game. Remember that when you point your one finger at someone else, there are 4 fingers pointing right back at you. Have the courage to look at your own behaviors the next time you have the urge to take someone else's inventory.
Have you had a disagreement with you significant other? In order to take 100% responsibility you must look at your part in the situation. Are you courageous enough to take 100% responsibility? Tell me how it's going! I want to hear your testimonials
Now a days, people are laying down the idea of resolutions (because often times they never keep them anyway), in support of just trying to develop healthier and more fulfilling lives all around.
While a great shift from simply making a resolution that you know you won’t keep, a problem still exists. Actually implementing new behaviors and setting up successful systems to support that behavior seem to be the missing link between starting and maintaining that new healthy habit you’ve committed to. Changing behaviors really is a process that involves a sort of planning in advanced. You have nine mental process that you must go through when changing a behavior, and six actual stages in the implementation of the change. The stages of change begin with Pre-contemplation which is the time in which there is come type of wake up call that alerts you to the fact that a change is needed. This usually comes in the form of a health scare or a major conflict in a relationship or job. In the second stage of Contemplation, you begin to assess the old way of being/thinking. All of the emotions and thoughts move you towards considering implementing a new action, behavior, or way of being. The next stage is the stage that is often missed (which is why so many new actions and behaviors failed to be maintained). This stage is Preparation. When we are preparing to implement a new change, we must look at all of the possible pitfalls, temptations, and scenarios in order to have a back up or contingency plan. For example, if you are trying to eat healthier, you will want to consider getting rid of junk already in the house, looking at new restaurants that support your healthy eating, looking up tasty and easy recipes that both you and the family will like, and engaging others to support you in your new challenge (be it family, friends, weight watchers, meetup group, etc) so that you will not feel like the lone ranger in your new challenge. You may also think about what will happen if you travel, if you attend a potluck, during holidays, if you have a serious craving for something super unhealthy (who will you call or what will you do)? This type of preparation will help you to feel secure that you won’t be caught off guard during your challenge and increases the risk of success. Once you have properly planned and prepared your new strategy it’s time to implement the Action. Preparation makes this part easy as you have all of the tools in front of you. However, now that you have begun the action, you move into the stage of Maintenance. During this time there is continued evaluation of the plan, occasional “relapse” into old behavior (and “getting back on the boat”), and the ongoing utilization of support systems to keep you motivated, encouraged, and on track. The key in this stage is to recognize that “falling off the wagon” doesn’t mean you are a weak or bad person…it simply means you need to consider whatever situation that had you fall of the boat and plan for it next time (in other words, more preparation and more support). The great thing about relapse (also called recycling ) is that it’s really NOT a failure, only a message that your planning was inadequate for your action. The final stage (which does not apply in all cases) is Termination. This stage only applies if you are Ceasing a negative behavior, thinking, or way of being (i.e. quitting smoking). Keep in mind that Recycling or Relapse can occur in this stage too. But again, it doesn’t mean weakness or failure…just means more planning and support are needed to achieve long term success in this area.
So now that you are aware of these stages it is important to know that it takes 21 days of practice to form a solid habit. In these next 12 months, I will be facilitating the implementation of new healthy behaviors in nine areas of life. Each week we will implement a new challenge in that area so as to help you develop practices within the theme for that month. By the end of the month you will have developed new tools to support you in the new behavior for that area of life. By the end of the year, your life will be transformed!
THEME OF THE MONTH: BEING 100% RESPONSIBLE IN YOUR LIFE:
WEEK 1 DARE: TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS!
Join the rest of the world in creating new healthy habits, behaviors and ways of being! Visit www.drmaiysha.com/blog daily and connect with us through Facebook and Twitter for daily inspirations and dialogue about your and others successes and challenges each week.
Copyright 1/14/2012
Jot a note in your lover's dayplanner or private appointment book that says "Sex @ 7pm" or whatever time is convenient. You can bet they will be home in time.
Imagination makes room 4 ALL of the possibilities! But imagination without action does not move u closer to anything! So imagine,Create,&Act!
Everyday we create the kind of day we will have! And similarly every year we create the kind of year we will ultimately experience. What are you creating for 2012. Make it a happy, fun, productive, prosperous, serene, and G-O-D filled year for yourself!!!
