Cut the noise to claim more peace in your life
Does your head ever feel like exploding because of all the noise? I bet you are nodding yes.
There is so much noise in the world, there is good noise like the noise of people laughing, birds chirping and even your own voice howling away to your favorite song. But there is also a huge amount of unnecessary noise, noise like piles of news clips running in the background, Facebook statues so long and never ending that they begin to fill your dreams.
To achieve the success you desire in your life you need to we willing, once and for all to cease some of the mind numbing distractions and claim a greater state of calm.
It's important to stay up to date with what's going on in the world but if you seek to do great things (whatever that is for you) you need to go on a distraction diet to claim your calm. Studies have shown that an over-consumption of too much of anything is not a good thing. Negative news stories and gossip can actually add to your anxiety and affect your stress and coping skills, and not in a good way.
You only have so many hours in your day and space in your mind. Getting honest about what you are putting in your head and what you are doing to while away your time is important. If you think you have it all reigned in (and maybe some of you have) I challenge you for one week to keep a log of all the time you spend online and sitting in front of the television, time with the TV blaring news in the background counts too. This includes all time online EVEN if you are on your phone while waiting for an appointment.
I think you will be shocked to learn how much time you truly spent feeding the noise monster and with that information you are taking the first steps toward more success and health in your life.
Be brutally honest as there is no sense in lying to yourself. When you know the what then you can tackle the why and begin to focus on habits that will help you rock life in a big way.
Here is a 6 step Rx for fending off the calm sucking monsters in your life.
1. Do not check your computer, phone or email first thing in the morning unless you are waiting on critical information that you can't possibly move forward without; this rarely is the case. Even after years of running an online business, I can tell you that most things can wait until a couple hrs after you start your day.
2. Logout of your social media accounts on your phone before bed. Go into your settings and force stop them on your phone. Do not log in until the time you decide you are ready to use them. This will keep pesky alerts and blinking lights from impacting your sleep AND it will keep you from jumping to look at notifications during the day. This clearly with not be an easy task for most people so, be ready for a bit of discomfort. I can tell you from experience that after a few days you will begin to enjoy the freedom that comes with not reading every comment or crazy news story you see.
3. Spend more time with people that laugh more and gossip less. Spend time with people that lift you up and are interested in talking about ideas more than people.
4. Consider adding a meditation practice to your day. It can be a simple five minutes of quiet to get your mind more centered. Focus on what you have to be grateful for. Don't worry about all the thoughts running sprints through your head simply let yourself just be. This isn't a contest for perfection it's a challenge to just do. After some practice you may start to find that you look forward to this quiet time.
5. If you have a long commute have some audio books ready for your drive, pepper your selections with something uplifting and inspiring. You can get many audio books free of charge from your local library. The same goes for carrying a book with you at all times, it will help fend of the peace robbing villains that live in your phone.
6. Give yourself a break. Your inner critics needs a time out. Let your mind dance to the thoughts of all you are doing right that is helping you move toward your successful life. Thank yourself, yes, let your mind say a great big thank you. You deserve it.
With a bit of practice you will see that the lack of negative noise in your life makes your feel more creative and connected to what matters. Before you know it you will be an old pro.
If you had good lucky with these tips or have some of your own I would love to hear from you, so comment below. If you know someone this can help please share it with them.
Simple tips to bring more joy into your life today
Are you experiencing feelings of joy less that you would like? Do you feel like joy only arrives during big moments of success or celebration? Joy isn't a mysterious ether that just appears once in a while, in fact joy can be more present if you learn how to see it.
The trouble for many of us is we associate joy with an event, something good happens to us and we feel excitement and joy and then blah, back to the day to day. That leaves a vast open space of life that we often just coast through instead of truly being part of the experience.
With intention and a bit of practice we can see joy show up in our life more often. You deserve to delight in this adventure called life and have joy be more than an occasional guest star. Here are some tips to help you get joy to show up for you more often.
"There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go.”
―Frederick W. Faber
1. Be in the moment with one of your daily rituals
Most of us have a morning cup of coffee or tea, instead of sticking it in a mug and running out the door why not get up a few minutes earlier and sit and enjoy the fragrance and flavor. Start by feeling the warmth of the mug in your hands, bring the mug under your nose and close your eyes as you take in the aromas. Then slowly take a sip and really let the flavor dance on your taste buds. Simple exercises of appreciation like this can connect you with your senses and with practice, things like eating and drinking can be appreciated in a way you never thought of before.
2. Dive into the natural world around you with wonder
We have all heard the term stop and smell the Roses yet how many of us walk by a flower or something beautiful everyday with little notice. Take one moment each day to revel in the magnificence of a tree or the grandness of the clouds in the sky. Consider pausing at a beautiful flower and really look at it, then bury your nose in the flower and inhale. Walk barefoot and really let your feet feel the ground, sand or whatever is beneath you. Any one of these is a captivating exercise that is free and connects us with the awesomeness that surrounds us daily. I bet you can't do anyone of them without experiencing joy. Studies have shown that communing with nature can lower stress levels. Here is a helpful article that can tell you more http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/research-says-nature-provides-...
3. Get physical
Give more hugs, get more hugs; most of us love a good hug and sometimes we are too shy to do it. I have found that when I have made a practice of giving hugs, people relax and give more hugs in return, It's a win win and it also let's other know they can do it too. Hug your spouse, your kids, your family, your friends even your pooches. Every hug counts and every hug adds more joy to your life. It's a simple prescription for joyful living and it doesn't cost a dime.
Run around with children, if you have children in your life but are typically a bench sitter when they play challenge yourself to get out there and chase them around. Not only will they be delighted but it will reawaken a joyful part of you.
4. Get Creative
You don't need to be a Picasso or Martha Stewart to be creative all you need is an open mind and a willingness to explore. You can draw, paint or cook a new recipe, it really doesn't matter so long as you chose something that interests you. You can color in a coloring book or bake premade cookies, the goal is to get you to do something with your hands and creative mind. Getting lost in a creative process can act as a sort of calming meditation and calm and creativity enhance joy.
5. Write an old fashioned letter
Pick up a pen and write an a card or letter to someone you love. There is nothing like the surprise of getting a personal card in the mail. Take some time, make it count and write something personal.
6. Write a list of things you are thankful for
It doesn't need to be a long list in fact for maximum impact start out with a couple items each day. Then each morning add something to it. After a month you will be amazed at all the things you have to be grateful for. If you keep this ip for a year imagine the size of the list you will have. When you are having a no so great day or need some inspiration, pick up the list and read some of your items. It's a sure fire way for a mood pick me up and it's cheaper than a cup of coffee.
These are just a few tips to get you going in the right direction. The most important thing to remember is that it is rarely the huge things that leave us with feelings of long lasting joy but rather a piling up of simple things that create a life that fills us up.
If you have some great ideas of your own I would love to hear about them.
Use this networking hack to connect to a notable person
Have you ever wanted to connect with a notable person in your field but felt like they were out of reach? Perhaps the thought of meeting someone you admire in your field could be a fantastic injection of inspiration as you journey along your chosen path.
When I say notable I am not meaning famous (though the person you have in mind may be) I am speaking of someone that is worthy of attention in your area of interest, attention that comes from demonstrating excellence in their chosen field.
Some of you already know who you may like to meet and you may be saying "YES!" right away, others of you may have not even thought about it yet and that's okay too because we are here to get you digging into new ways of doing things. If you do not have someone in mind take a moment to think about it.
For the sake of making it easy to remember this is something I like to call "The Network Hack." The network hack works like this, you put yourself in a place where the person you would like to meet will be and find the least awkward way to meet the person. If this sounds foreign think about someone you may have liked in high school , college or beyond and how you magically found a way to be at the same place at the same time.
We will start out big, let's say you would like to meet a famous speaker, author or titan of industry. Yes you can attend an event they are speaking at and hope that you can stand in a line and meet them with the hundreds of other people wishing to do the same. Instead, using the "The Network Hack" you find an event they will be speaking at few months in advance , then you contact the event organizer to ask how you may volunteer.
Send a thoughtful courteous email, stating how much you like the event and how you would really love to volunteer to help make it great. This not only gets you into an event that can often cost thousands of dollars for free but it also gets you on the inside. You are now part of the event not merely one of hundreds. Magic can happen behind the scenes and the closer you are the closer your chances of making the connection you so deeply desire.
Like anything in life nothing is a guarantee and it's up to you to make the most of your time inside. When inside you have increased your odds in a gigantic way, someone else inside just may be a great contact or perhaps they can make the introduction. Just remember the six degrees of separation idea, we are connected to someone that knows someone and so on.
If you work for a city or organization you can do this by getting on a committee, or volunteering for an event, the principles are the same, you get the idea. Get creative and have fun masterminding your way to connections. If you desire to stand out and rise to the top of your game you have to be willing to do what others will not and I can tell you that most people will NOT be willing to do this.
There truly is something to be said about the saying "it's who you know." Our network can be the greatest resource we can draw upon in our entire life and if we remember that and care for it like a beautiful garden we will see the flowers bloom for a lifetime. However, if we fail to plant seeds by making connections and watering the seeds we will end up with a barren field when we need it most.
Life is a challenge but it can also be a great deal of fun, so have fun with this. I would love to hear your stories about how you executed your own awesome "Network Hack."
Saying what needs to be said now can remove regrets before they happen
Last week was a heavy one, I lost three people I knew unexpectedly all in a matter of 72 hrs.
So it got me thinking again about the importance of saying what needs to be said in the now. It also highlighted the immense power in tying things up the correct way when we can.
We wait on saying what needs to be said. We think we have forever, another day, another moment. That is until we don't. Sometimes we have people in our life that we left things unsettled with, we walked away without ever saying thank you for what you have been in my life despite whether or not they are good for us anymore. We leave things unsaid, people unappreciated and some people all together missed.
We forget that life can be fleeting and tomorrow is not a guarantee, yet still we wait. In this moment you have the power to do whatever it is you need to do to be at peace with people in your life now. This can truly save you from feelings of heartbreak and regret down the line.
I am in no way saying that if someone is not healthy to have in your life that you should reopen a relationship or dialogue. You are fully entitled to remove things from your life that do not serve you and when possible doing so with grace feels empowering.
What it means is just make sure, you are really comfortable with how things were left, words left unsaid etc. Make sure that if they were gone tomorrow that you would not be left with a feeling of regret in your heart. If you feel like you wish you had said something differently and you are not comfortable talking you can write a letter and mail it, if someone has passed on you can write the letter to cleanse the feeling from your heart. You can keep the letter, burn it or whatever ritual adds peace to your heart; It can truly be a simple yet therapeutic practice.
In the everyday now, say I love you more, give more hugs. Tell someone you appreciate them. These are the simplest things in life that add so much magic and sparkle. Do it today, don't wait on tomorrow.
How do you keep your sanity when everything around you is changing?
They say change is a good thing and yes, we all know it is. It is the place that allows us to grow, the place where new opportunities and journeys are born, yet it still can be one heck of an adjustment. The adjustment can be magnified when not only are we having big personal changes (and yes they can be good) but when our immediate circle of loved ones are also experiencing a shift.
We all rely on our circles as our support system, the stable ground that we can stand on when our own leaves us feeling like we have been trying to hold on to life before another aftershock rolls through. It also isn't easy seeing those we love struggle even when we know they will be better for it in the long run.
I am speaking from a very personal space, some of the most amazing loving people in my life are going through profound transition. Their humor and stamina make me admire them even more and they make me look at life with an even greater level of appreciation for the times we get bored and think things are just the same. For the days we forget to stop and relish what an amazing gift what is in our presence truly is. It is also in these humble moments when I am reminded we can't fix it for each other, we can't take away the pain. The best we can do is hug each other like crazy, throw love around and wait with joyful anticipation for the sun to shine again, knowing it always does.
So how do you keep your sanity when everything around you is changing? By embracing the fact that we don't have the power to correct the Universe. For understanding in these moments time may stand a bit too still for our liking but there is reason for this. It is to allow the planting of new seeds for a Spring that is right around the corner.
We keep our sanity by doing what we can, without the expectation of perfection. Where we clean our plate off of a few items that may be bogging us down in this sensitive time. We keep our sanity by honoring the need to go within, to be still, to be quiet, to read and to practice self love.
We keep our sanity by offering a kind word, letting someone know that we are there, letting ourselves know that we are there. We keep our sanity by writing down our feelings so one day we can read through this moment and relish in how strong we really are. We keep our sanity by allowing ourselves to lose it just a little and let that be okay. We keep our sanity by allowing ourselves the space to not be okay at this moment trusting we don't need anyone's permission to do so. We keep our sanity by knowing we are beautifully imperfect in all that we are and that is a marvelous things.
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