Strategies for Building Personal Power - Find Joy - A Great Responsibility!

We are in the midst of tremendous economic, political, environmental, health and day-today life changes. Companies change direction which cause jobs and lives to change drastically. Every day there are new regulations, laws and standards being introduced. Yes it is hot, we are in the midst of the lazy, hazy days of summer. Finding time to eat properly and exercise seems almost a monumental task. And last, but not least, our everyday responsibilities include home caring, work caring, relationship caring and even community caring.

All of these responsibilities leave very little time for finding and sharing our own joy and peace of mind. How does one become more responsible for finding Joy when life is so overwhelming?

Some tips I am learning from a very wise and wonderful person.

Find what makes you want to create.

Find what makes you smile and laugh out loud.

Find what makes you want to sing.

Find what makes you want to share.

Find down time to enjoy nature or a great book.

Find moments of time when you can capture the pure joy of YOU!

That's how I intend to spend today - Finding Joy!

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - Understanding, Connection and Appreciation

One of the greatest impacts in our success and ultimate joy in life is People. Today, I had a wonderful, meaningful conversation with a true friend and mentor. His approach I am sure I will not totally be able to capture but I would like to synthesize into 3 simple concepts.

• Understanding
• Connection
• Appreciation
  

First, he sought to help me clarify and understand what was causing me so much confusion. He listened with a level of intensity, interest and empathy. He asked questions,

Why are your doing what your doing?
What is it your trying to accomplish or change?
How can you become more effective in this situation?

This stretched me, guided me and allowed me to hear myself. Yes, some of it was too much drama. And yet, these challenges that as I am confronting them so close to home and heart, I realize that I need to allow myself to be aware of how I am feeling and responding to significant changes in my life and my world. It was wonderful to have someone understand and listen to where I was coming from.

Second, he shared that he was dealing with life and changes very similarly. Allowing our selves to be aware that we are impacted by events and situations that affect those close to us is important to notice. But, it is also important for us to know that we need to allow others to deal with their lives in their own manner. The realization for me was that connection is not defined as control. Rather, building a connection in any relationship needs to be empowering, not enabling and that is growth.

Finally, he said something really profound. I appreciate that I am in the perfect place at the perfect time. Be grateful that these perfect events, issues, and situations show up, understand the role we really play, rise to the occasion, take care of self, support and be with others in a healthier manner.

Wonderful words of wisdom - thank you dear friend.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - Take Charge and Get the Results You Dream About!

Results are the outcomes and things that we want and need in life and work. The problem with results is we pretty much attain what we think about.

What does that mean? you ask.

We want to go on a vacation to the Bahamas. Our thoughts next take us to the planning and Suddenly, we find ourselves doing research for hotels. planes. sites to visit, beaches, clothes, the money it will cost and this is just for starters. The big picture (the focus) is this wonderful time in the Bahamas and yet suddenly, all the details start to become a new focus and guess what our results start to change. Passports, transportation, weather - more and more information comes in and some how this trip doesn't seem so important. How do we keep our BIG dreams - our BIG Results alive.

Amazing how much work goes into planning a vacation - nice to do - but is that really the most important objective in our life? When we do some assessing of our motivation with identifying the costs and benefits of the objective our entire chemistry changes literally and figuratively. A mentor of mine once said, the greatest distance a person will travel is from their head to their heart and back again. When we have a enough internal interest and passion, we will think and find a way to make anything happen! The bigger the feelings and emotions - the more our thoughts change and look out - here comes that life style, that job, that relationship, that health!

A problem we encounter when identifying our results is that we don't paint a clear enough emotional, mental, visual and written picture of what we want. An even bigger problem is we start losing control and perspective. If we start acting as if we the Result - is truly important- and we place our focus and goals in the direction of achieving those results - guess what happens? We start acting as if we are actually going to go on that trip, find the job or career that fills us with passion, joy, hope and interest.

Identify what results you are looking for and refer to the Internal and External Wheels of Life.

Evaluate each element on the internal side and identify some key results that you want to ensure happen and go for it.

Want better health?

More money?

Better job?

A promotion?

A vacation?

More joy and happiness?

What comes to mind are my favorite lines from my favorite poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley...

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

I believe Henley was telling us to master our minds and be the captain of our passions and feelings, then we get the results we think and dream about.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura