Promote Health & Wealth - Day 10 - Getting into Flow

In this adventure promotion of health and wealth, this next question becomes really exciting for me - How do I get into the Zone?

As I pursue this quest, one of the experts in the field of Positive Pyschology, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, come to mind. He actually uses the term flow rather than Zone. Moving once again out of my comfort zone and changing gears slightly, I'd like to change my question to How do I move into Flow? Dr. Csikszentmihalyi defined Flow as the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.

In Csíkszentmihályi research, he identified the following ten factors to be present when someone is in Flow

1. Clear goals
2. Concentrating
3. A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness
4. Distorted sense of time
5. Direct and immediate feedback
6. Balance between ability level and challenge
7. A sense of personal control
8. The activity is intrinsically rewarding
9. A lack of awareness of bodily needs
10. An absorption in the activity and focus

As I reflect, I sense that if I move towards personal and professional mastery of Flow and the ten underlying factors, I have the potential to experience more joy, ease, peace of mind, success and ultimate health and wealth. Now if moving out of my comfort zone can actually give me all of the above and positive energy. These refreshed feelings can enhance - no pun on the word - more comfort with myself.Some simple ways to move into the flow, and yet, I know I have a lot to learn to fully appreciate Csikszentmihalyi's factors to actually live in FLOW.

Is this journey starting to feel like an adventure to you, too? Please join in and help me uncover and discover more about these factors and theory. New theories, concepts and ideas are welcomed.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - Day 5 - Motivation - Moving Out of the Comfort Zone

Every ask yourself this question, "What in my life motivates me to jump out of bed and get started everyday?" Well, I didn't consciously ask myself that until I opened my own business nine years ago.

Normally, one of my all time favorite comfort zones, especially at 5:30 in the morning, is my bed. However, I will tell you this, once I decide that my day is going to be on purpose and with passion, I rarely hit the snooze alarm. In fact, I'm one of those painfully annoying people that I am up like an on switch.

My purpose and tag line is to create attitudes and strategies tapping limitless energy (C.A.S.T.L.E.) CASTLE is the acronym that I wrote more than 5 years before I started my own company. I shared with a colleague that the image of the CASTLE was motivating to me and came up with the tag line on the spot.) She thought I had totally lost my mind, but today I still often use that tag line to describe my business. And, I have a marvelous collection of castles - visual props are great sources of motivators to move one out of their comfort zone. Do you have any special props to help you leap into action?

Other ways that I move out of my comfort zone, a.k.a.my bed, to actually jump us are to say verbal affirmations such as, "I will liberate potential, I will help people and organizations find extraordinary health and wealth. I close my emails with all the best in health and wealth.

We, as human beings were wired to overcome challenges and explore new terrains. I believe along the way, somehow we have forgotten that. Let's revisit Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs motivation theory. The next to the lowest level of motivation is the "need for safety and security." Now if one wants to move towards the highest level - self actualization - one really needs to move out of their comfort zone.

Any thoughts on this theory?

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - Day 4 - "How do I deal with challenges?"

Yesterday, after raising the question "How do I spend most of my time?", I made a conscious effort to pay attention to whether I was investing or wasting my time. It's amazing how much my awareness increased about my time use just because I was intentionally focused on time uses.

This leads me directly to the second questions - "How do I deal with challenges?"

The comfort zone supports our habits - the good, the bad and the ugly. We need to increase our consciousness about why, what and how we are doing what we do in order to move out of our comfort zone. This takes effort, much more effort than one realizes. There are numerous studies regarding the subconscious versus conscious mind. As much as we would like to think we are in control (conscious), studies show that the percentage of time our mind operates at the conscious level varies from 15% (mostly relaxed and aware) to 5% (stressed and unaware). Which leaves our minds in whopping 85% to 95% subconscious state!

Recently, a colleague shared with me that we don't have a time management challenge, we have a goal management challenge, and I do believe that is partially true. However, I am becoming intrigued with the theory that we might really have a purpose, passion and then intention management challenge. This quote from one of my favorite self development speakers and writers, Dr. Wayne Dyer supports that theory, "You must match your intention's attributes with your own in order to capitalize on those powers in your life." So how does one "match" intention with power?

I could virtually go on for pages with the challenges that we believe we encounter. But, I do believe, no I know, that for me personally, as soon as I clear up my purpose, passion and intention challenge - my goals and my time magically align. Many responses to my challenges are blow out of proportion, almost to degree that I can justify analysis which leads to paralysis. Or my personal favorite, lack of awareness leading to total oblivion.

What would happen if we took the time to align our conscious thoughts and actions to our purpose, passion and intentions? What would help us to attain Abraham Maslow's highest level on his Hierarchy of Needs motivation theory - full Self Actualization?

This leads me to the third question -

"What in my life motivates me to jump out of bed and get started everyday?"

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - Day 3 -Exploring the Comfort Zone Continued

I left you with some questions yesterday. Now I would certainly be remiss if I suggested that you answer the questions and I failed to do so. You've heard the old saying "Walk the talk." Well, my belief is that I must be walking with you in this process this year, and so, I will use me as an example for progress and challenges that might crop us in this exploration process of the comfort zone.

I have given you a week's worth of questions and so as not to overwhelm you, or me for that matter, I will take one question at a time.

Question #1 - "How do I spend most of my time?"

Being honest with myself, I realize that I really don't mind being in my comfort zone. In fact, I can really get to enjoy it. But, as I explore how I send most of my time, I realize that my comfort zone certainly can be holding me back. I like to be systematic on occasion and so will use 7 major elements of life (physical, mental, family, financial, social, career, and ethics)to help us focus our exploration.

Physical - Some days my greatest exercise is lifting a fork and sitting in front of a computer. I do love food and believe me it shows. I also love writing and believe my joints are starting to notice. If this is how I am spending most of my physical time - the comfort zone soon will not be so comfortable.

Mental - I love learning and reading. I could spend hours with books, my Kindle and in the car with audio books. It's really comfortable getting in more and more information but how am I exercising my brain and applying what I am learning and reading? Yep! I need to move out of my comfort zone.

Family - Do we come home from work and switch on the TV for news, sports or movies? This may seem like a great way to bond and certainly puts us (me at least) right into a comfort zone. But let's be honest, does that really stimulate healthy relationships?

Financial - Now I really like money. How about you? I realize that my comfort zone helps me really spend money. Shopping is a great pastime. But really, how much "stuff" does one really need.

Social - How effective are our community and networking efforts? I often choose to socialize with people that I know and have a lot in common with. I'm not say that socializing with friends and colleagues with similar interests is not important, but could we consider that it might be slightly limiting?

Career - Whether we own a business (which I happen to do ), are employed by others or..., is a matter of choice. This element of my life is the most dynamic and changing - for most of my life I have morphed into a different role every 2 years. In this element, my comfort zone, until 9 years ago when I open my own company, was change. I love beginnings and endings. I could work 24/7, but is that particularly healthy?

Ethics - This element is perhaps the most important. It leads to a Tony Robbins's question - "What won't I stand for?" It also leads to a great book by Stephen Covey called Principle Centered Leadership. Checking in on my values and principles certainly affects my comfort zone. I know what I won't stand for and even more importantly - I know what I will and do stand for - now that's a great use of my time.

How about you - any thoughts about how you are spending most of your time? I would love to hear from you.

Tomorrow, we shall work with question 2 "How do I deal with challenges?"

All the best in health and wealth

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - Day 2 - Exploring the Comfort Zone

How do we move out of our comfort zone? We explore. Whenever I ask a group of people "how many of you like to explore?," invariably, most, if not all hands go up. So, I'd like to get you a little excited too. Raise your hand if you like to explore. If not, you might as well stop reading.

What tools do we need to go on this exploration? Our minds, our hearts, our imagination and a pen and paper (You can even use colored pens, journals, composition books or your handy dandy computer). Very little monetary cost, but certainly this can cost a lot of mental and some physical energy.

In order to explore the comfort zone, we will need to orient ourselves to our present environment. To orient, we will need to ask ourselves several questions.


"How do I spend most of my time?"
"How do I deal with challenges?"
"What in my life motivates me to jump out of bed and get started everyday?"
"What songs play in my head, even when there is no music playing?"
"What interests me?
"What bores me?"
"What puts me to sleep?"


James Allen has a marvelous quote, that actually helps me move past my comfort zone. "Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him." Every time I think of this quote, I know that I can and will explore my comfort zone so that I discover a health-filled, wealth-filled day. Invariably, my day gets more exciting. New experiences show up. I meet new people and make new friends. I found amazing ways to use my talents and learn something new.

That certainly doesn't leave a lot of time to sit in my comfort zone. What about you? Interested yet?

Promoting Health and Wealth - Let's Get Out of Our Comfort Zones

Getting into a comfort zone, it seems to me, has almost become a way of life for many organizations and individuals. Organizations want more customers, more profits, more stability and then become uncomfortable when there is too much business or more demand attention or new or different services. Next, let's take that to the individual level.The individual wants more time off, more money, more feelings of comfort and much, much less stress. Then they wonder why the relationship isn't working, why they aren't able to launch a new idea or project, why they don't get more sales, why they can't gain a promotion or why they aren't less stressed and healthier.

While, I do believe there needs to be a certain level of comfort and mastery with relationships, projects, business, or even health, I am firmly convinced that we are wired for more stress than for which we give ourselves credit. Yes, with more tension, stress and effort there is increasing discomfort and actual pain, but discomfort and pain are symptoms to be aware of, not to be totally avoided. What can we do to help us move out of our comfort zone, allow us to live with discomfort and dis-ease and not go into full blown disease?

For the next 30 days, I'm going to research and investigate how people do and don't get in or out of their comfort zones. What are some tips and techniques that they have that are useful to pass on.

But let me start by sharing some basic understanding, descriptions, definitions and thoughts regarding the infamous comfort zone.

Thomas Edison once wrote, “We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.”

Wikipedia describes the comfort zone in this way: "One's comfort zone refers to the set of environments and behaviours with which one is comfortable, without creating a sense of risk."

J. Roth wrote in an article entitled "Break out of your Own Comfort Zone to Achieve Success in January 2010," "Humans are wired to seek comfort, and as a result much of daily life is focused around familiar patterns and habits. When something threatens to break those habits, we feel uncomfortable and nervous. These negative feelings are easily avoided by continuing to live life the same way, rejecting change. If given the chance to enter uncharted territory, a situation where life’s future is unpredictable, people often prefer not to change, clinging to a comfortable situation."

Learning more about the comfort zone is already intriguing me. Now I want to learn more about what it will take to move out and beyond what is limiting me.

What about you - any thoughts about the infamous Comfort Zone?

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura