Change "I Can" to "I Will"

"It's not enough to have a dream unless I am willing to pursue it."

Anonymous

What we say, think and write can make all the difference in the getting what we really, really want out of life. Two very small words come to mind that are have great influence on our success in work and life.

The Free Online Dictionary by Farlex states:

Can is "used to indicate possession of a specific power, right or privilege."

Will is "the mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action."

Two very small words with two very big differences. When we say "We can" do something, we are indicating that we have the ability or the potential to get the job done. When we say "We will" we are making an active choice to do the job.

When we think, write or say, "I can," we are thinking about making a decision. When we think, write or say, "I will," we have made the decision. A subtle yet powerful distinction changing "I Can" to "I Will."

Do you think this might affect your success? I know it does for me.

Strategies for Building Personal Power - Assess Your Expectations

"In life, you often don't get what you want. But,... here's what you do get - You get what you expect."

From the Go-Give A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
by Bob Burg & John David Mann

I've read the The Go-Give numerous times and taken away many, many pearls of wisdom from that little book, but, I don't think I really ever appreciated the lines from the above quote. We whine, complain, even cry because we don't get what we want, not realizing that the reality is we expected not to get what we wanted anyway.

I met with a very dear friend yesterday. We hadn't seen each other for more than a year and spent time catching up. After many years of self employment, she had to give up what she thought she wanted and went back to a "real" j0b, which is what she and everyone around her expected that she would do. She said something that really struck a cord, I've always believe it to be true myself. She said, "I'm not really going back. You can never go back. I'm actually going forward."

What a marvelous point of view and expectation. She shared with me how much she realized her experiences and talents actually helped her to be much more observant and insightful to her new work environment. She started part time and within a matter of months has already been invited to be a supervisor. She expects to move forward. Guess what - she's is getting exactly what she is expecting.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - The Silence Between the Notes

I once heard that music occurs because of the silence between the notes. Banging away at the keys of a piano, pulling on the strings of a violin or a constant stream of air in a flute does not make for great music. Thoughtful pressure, changes in tension, finger movements, breathe and silence make the music come alive and almost magical.

Can we compare life to music? Is it possible that success really happens when there is silence between the goals and actions?

Some tips to use the "silence" wisely:

• Be quiet - this can be as brief as a 30 minute escape from phones, computers and any other chatter that is showing up in life. In this silence, close your eyes and allow your mind to clear.

How does being quiet feel?

• Be an observer - Look around and observe all the wonderful colors, objects and people that surround you.

What do you observe?

• Be an evaluator - Finally, review and reflect on what you are doing and have in your life and work.
  

What are you doing and what do you have?

In this silence, we find that our our success surrounds us in so many wonderful ways. If we just stop all that banging and just be we will connect with our extraordinary music.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - The Power of Beliefs

As I continue to travel and learn, it is becoming more clear how much beliefs and opinions shape our world. Reflecting back over the past year, many events and experiences have happened and relationships have changed, fortunately for the better.

One particular conversation caused a wonderful satori (instant awakening.) I was seeking some insight on what was working for or against me personally and professionally and so I asked a very dear friend what she thought was one of my strengths might be.

Her response, "Your ability to work with people." She went on to explain that I worked with her, not at her or for her. Very empowering, not enabling. That day my belief in myself and how I related to others totally crytalized.

In the past, I had thought that I was fixing people and making their lives easier. I was not really clear on my beliefs. Now I realize that our belief in our self, in what we can control, in what we hope to accomplish is the most powerful tool we have in our tool kit. Working with people to discover the power of their beliefs is proving to be amazing. Thank you again dear friend.

All the best,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - Emotions and Meaning

When obstacles show up, life often feels like climbing up a ladder. Lots of space and very little place for a foothold. Viktor Frankle, Austrian born neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor wrote a book in 1946 entitled Man's Search for Meaning. Dr. Frankl offers much insight into how emotions affected the outcome of the prisoners' experiences in the concentration camps.

For me, one of the most significant insights with the emotion that Frankl engaged to help in his personal survival - Hope. In his direct observation of other prisioners, Frankl discovered that as soon as hope was gone, the person died - there was no reason to live. He, at the same time, had no direct knowledge of his young wife or the rest of his family's safety. He chose to hope that they were alive and thinking of him. He used this emotion to carry him through many, many dark times. After the war, all of Frankl's family had died. He survived - what a wonderful contribution.

Emotions can support or destroy us. In our climb, we have the opportunity to choose emotions that helps us or hold us back in life, in health and in success. I appreciate that not every emotion is positive, but I also know that positive emotions have helped me through many tough times.

Thoughts?

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - Four Components of Attitude

BusinessDictionary.com defines attitude as a predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person or situation. Attitude influences an individual's choice of action, and responds to challenges, incentives, and rewards (together called stimuli).

This source expands the definition by adding there are four major components of attitude, which are

1. Affective - emotions or feelings.
2. Cognitive belief or opinion held consciously
3. Conative - inclination for action.
   
4. Evaluative - positive or negative response to stimuli

Interestingly enough, I never had really thought about attitude in regards to specific components. Breaking attitude into bite sized parts makes sense. First, deciding that I can and will be aware of my emotions and feelings as I approach a situation or a person can certainly will affect the experience.

What are some emotions and feelings that might affect our relationships and performance?

As I learn to consciously aware, I become more cognizant of how my beliefs and opinions might be limiting or helping me with that situation or relationship.

What beliefs and opinions do I presently hold?

The conative component, that understanding of our inclination to action, now becomes more important than ever. When we become more conscious of what affects our performance and relationships we can make better decisions in what actions we will take to make a change.

What actions have I taken or not taken lately?

The fourth component, evaluative, is now imperative. All the above questions were WHAT questions. Let's ask the HOW questions?

How are my emotions and feelings affecting my relationships, performance and results? How are my beliefs and opinions affecting my relationships, performance and results? How is my level of consciousness affecting my relationships, performance and results?

Evaluation is an element of attitude that is probably the area where we fall short, I for one know that it is mine. Finding approaches, tools and resources to help us really create an attitude that supports a health, wealth and a life that we want and need is the greatest gift we can give to our selves.

I have an entirely different appreciation and approach for changing my attitude. What about you?

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

Promoting Health & Wealth - Own Your Goals - own your life

I practiced with a group an exercise w using the Wheels of Life. It was amazing how quickly people discovered that they needed to look at ALL the key elements of the personal and professional (organizational) Wheels of Life as they checked in with their goals. Next they identified that s when connected with the essential Skills and Knowledge (S&A) element is a powerful process.

As we worked with these Wheels of Life, people realized that they now could also appreciate that their goal setting experience had helped or hindered them in their work and life. For example, many had completed their education, achieved certificates, attained degrees and/or landed jobs. This helped to validate to them that they had at least a basic understanding of goal setting. They also came to understand that they didn't realize how setting goals is not necessarily aligned with goal achievement. But it certainly is a great start.

How do the goals we set actually do more than just nudge us in the direction of accessing our skills and knowledge? Or, do our goals actually position us for achievement, success and powerful results?

What if we have a great deal of challenges with conflict, personally and professionally. We set a goal to increase our knowledge of conflict and we will read a book. This is a nice goal, even a good goal, but then what? Remember applied knowledge is even more powerful and setting a goal that will lead us to do something MORE than just read a book takes more work and planning but nets us even greater results. So we set a goal to read a book specific to conflict management such as Crucial Conversations;Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny,Ron McMillan & Al Switzer in the next 30 days. After we read the book, .will identify at least one tip or take away, put that tip into action and then evaluate the effectiveness of that tip.


We just created a WHY -Written, Habit-forming and YOURS, SMART goal - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistically High and Timed. Each individual pen the goal and decided to own the goal- no one gave us the goal - we each penned our own. Someone else may write. After reading the book, I will teach one technique to my team.

The more we own the goal and make it apply to what we need to enhance with our skills and knowledge the more likely we will be to succeed.

Using the Wheel of Life to help us to identify at least one area for growth or enhancement a month over the course of 12 months will help us to build new habits.

The biggest tip I can give for goal setting is make the goals your own and change your life!

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promote Health & Wealth - Appreciate How Much You APPLIED Your Skills & Knowledge (S&K) to Achieve Your Goals

I've come to appreciate how much skills and knowledge (S&K) people apply in their lives each and every day to survive and then ultimately thrive. This element of the organizational or work wheel of life is one area that I believe we don't fully understand how much it helps us to achieve our goals and ultimate success. Even in infancy, we learn to communicate and then apply our S&K to indicate our needs. The goal is to be fed or to be dry. That goal is met and we move up.

As we grow and mature, we expand our S&K by learning to read, write, math, science... This list is becoming quite extensive, almost overwhelming if we stop and evaluate what we skills and knowledge we have gained over the course of our lives. The mind is a truly wonderful place as it stores virtually limitless bytes of information that we retrieve consciously and subconsciously every second of every day.

Taking some time to identify our specific Skills and Knowledge is something only we can do for ourselves. Whether we earned this S&K formally or informally is not relevant. What is relevant is that we have learned to APPLY this S&K to some degree. Could we be more and do more, certainly, but I'd like to suggest that we start with taking stock of our current success and appreciate that the only place we can go is UP.

Here's 2 key questions...

What skills do I currently possess and how have those skills helped me achieve my goals?

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What knowledge do I currently possess and how has that knowledge helped me achieve my goals?

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Taking time to appreciate that we already possess a great deal of Skills and Knowledge moves us to an entirely different level of confidence and self esteem in our work and life performance. This is one exercise that I believe is essential to add to our weekly, if not daily habits.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - Focus Your Time and achieve a 10!

On June 4, 2010, John Robert Wooden died just a few short months of his 100th birthday. He was a basketball coach, one was the first of three men to be admitted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in two categories - first as a player and then as a coach. When asked how he achieved 10 national championships he shared this formula.

10 = C + F + U (Conditioning + Fundamentals + Unity)

Steve Jamison, co-author with John Wooden for several books, wrote in the Preface of Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization, Coach Wooden's secret to success was a simple focus - follow this good habits curriculum. He worked with his team players from the inside how. He helped them focus their natural and developed talent to achieve their individual and collective purpose to be the best in their chosen field and team - basketball.

John Wooden was a sports coach, today, organizations are applying his practical methods of focusing on character and inner strength to direct time and enhance results. I would like to suggest that this concept can be applied to families, communities, causes...

What is your 10?

Is it having a loving and contributing family?
For me a 10 is a family that works, plays, laughs and cries together.

Is it having a successful work and career?
For me a 10 is meaningful work and team.

Is it...
Now it's your turn - what would you like your 10 - your focus to be?
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Let's break down Coach Wooden's formula, clarify our focus and identify how we will invest our time.

Conditioning:

What process do I have in place to help me become mentally, physically, financially, socially and emotionally fit?
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Fundamentals:

What basic tenants and principles do I live by that help me to take the moral and ethical high road?
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Unity:

Whom do I have in my team of life and work that helps me to maintain my focus and promote joy, health, prosperity and contribution for all?
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I was saddened by the passing of Coach Wooden - a truly remarkable man. He lived almost a century - strong men wept openly with his passing. And yet, with his passing another legacy has been passed on. I've had this book on my book shelf for several years - it's time to not just read but study and apply.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - Focus and Time in Just 12 minutes

Time is something that, all too often, I have take for granted. I also know that I have wasted more time in a day, a week and even life to date, than I care to admit too. As I ask myself, "How do I focus my time?", I realize that I often am NOT focusing this valuable resource at all. That doesn't mean I'm not busy but that busyness translates into activities not planned, purposeful action.

A valued colleague, Leanne Hoagland Smith, author of a great sales book called - The Keys to Unlocking the Sales Success be the Red Jacket in a sea of gray suits - introduced me to a concept of 12 minutes a day. She asked the question of a group she was facilitating how many in the audience wasted 12 minutes a day. One hundred percent of the group raised their hands.

Her next question - So, if you wasted 12 minutes a day, in 5 days how many minutes have you wasted?

The group's response - One hour!

Leanne then asked, What if you identified one area that you wanted to improve, wrote a one year goal and entered this goal into your calendar (electronic or manual) for 12 minutes every day. How much time would you have committed to this goal in one year?

The group's response - Fifty two (52) hour!

Can you read a book or two for 12 minutes per day for 52 hours? she asked.

YES!

Can you exercise for 12 minutes per day for 52 hours?

YES!

Can you write an article, a blog, a book for 12 minutes per day for 52 hours?

YES!

The energy in the room was palpable. That day Leanne changed my appreciation for 12 minutes a day. From that day forward, I do a minimum of 12 minutes a day on writing, reading, exercise, following up - whatever, I want to change into a new habit. I can tell you I NEVER do less and almost always do more.

I share this exercise with all my clients, friends and family. I generally have at least one person who decides to take on this habit. Later, they tell me how it changed their lives.

Before you start a project, the first project to tackle is you. Is it worth your time, to invest 12 minutes a day for at least a month or two to identify your FOCUS, what is really important to you? Find your focus and you will find lots more time.

Leanne, thank you for the great tip once again you helped improve my world and my success! For more information about Leanne Hoagland Smith, you can visit her website http://www.processspecialist.com/ or her blog http://processspecialist.com/increasesales/.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - To Love in the Flow

To Love, is the component of the Wheels of Life that I perhaps sadly have taken for granted. Assessing how one shows family that they are appreciated and loved for me becomes perhaps the most challenging all. Treating those closest to me with total love, appreciation and respect needs to be on their terms as well as mine.

"Seek first to understand and then be understood." is a quote that helps me in my work. But, I am not so sure that I keep these words close to my heart as I flow in life with those the most important to me. Therefore I need to review this element of the wheels of life with the greatest discernment.

Family

How am I currently behaving to ensure that my family sees Love is front and foremost as I move towards my dreams and aspirations in my life and work?
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What am I doing that limits my closest relationships and fails to help them see, feel and hear my love?
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What habits will I need to change, modify, eliminate or enhance in order to enhance this family element of my wheel of life?
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Investing this time to assess our personal relationships is invaluable. This element is a great source for strength and success, even if it doesn't always seem that way.

What do you think?

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - The Power of Dreaming

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined!"
Henry David Thoreau




When I first started writing this blog, I wanted to treat this year as an adventure. With each adventure, it is much better to start with a map, something that I didn't always do in the past. Surprise, I'm learning,growing and love using tools that help me to get into the flow to promote health and wealth for myself and others. Below, I will be using the Life Wheels graphic as a MAP to help in this journey.

The Life Wheels - Start with Dreams














Dreaming sounds easy. I am finding from personal experience and in conversations with others that it's becoming a lost art. In my travels, I came across a great source in 2007 by Matthew Kelly called The Dream Manager. This book has become a fundamental resource in to my library. To quote Matthew Kelly, here's why - "Dreams are invisible, but powerful. You cannot see them, but they keep everything going."

I opened blog with a quote from Thoreau. The questions now becomes - "How confident are you or I in going confidently in the direction of our dreams?"

My experience is helping me to discover that our conscious mind seems to think we are moving confidently towards our dreams. However, our subconscious is busy holding us back. How can we move forward in confidence and flow? Move our exploration inward first and the outer journey will exponentially grow too.

Let's start on this journey with Dreaming! Let's take time today to review our dreams.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - Assessing How to Start in the Flow

With so many challenges and options, where does one begin to identify the best places to start. Once we identify where we start, what we do next becomes so much easier. In this Assessment step in my process, I have found a valuable method to assist me...

The Life Wheels





Many of you may have seen variations on this concept and perhaps have even used it to help you prioritize. What I appreciate that I learn when I use this approach is that it is visual. One can "plot" where we think we are on these wheel and then target the area(s) that may need the greatest attention - take a few minutes and study this graphic

Investing time to honestly evaluate where we are am on these wheels saves me time, energy, frustration and certainly helps me focus and prioritize.

Tomorrow, I'll share more information about the different components of life wheels process and we can get started.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth: Clear, Quality Goals Help

Now, that I have defined my purpose, the next big step in getting the Flow is setting clear goals. I used to believe that I was a great goal setter. I would come up with a long list of goals and work hard, sometimes like a crazed person even, to achieve all the goals that I would set.

Now, I am coming to realize that the quantity of goals has absolutely nothing to do with how successful or happy I am. In fact, for me often times those goals were busy work and activities that actually would keep me out of my Flow. In reality, the quality of the goals is one of the keys to successfully getting into my Flow.

Let's do a little goal setting 101. For a goal to be successful it must be W.H.Y. S.M.A.R.T. - Written, Habit-forming, Yours (written by the person who selects and designs the goal), Specific, Measurable, Aligned with Purpose, Realistically High, and Timed. For example, my purpose is to work with individuals and organizations to release their extraordinary potential. A goal I set for myself is to enhance my knowledge and experience with human potential by researching and studying at least one leader in field such as Abraham Maslow and learn more about one of his models - Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Motivational Model by June 30, 2010. What do you think, does this goal meet the WHY SMART Criteria?

Would love your thoughts, ideas and suggestions about clear, quality goals.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

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 7 - Moving out of The Comfort Zone

Today's the day we are going to move our exploring to another level. By asking myself and others the next question, "What interests me?, I often find myself and others giving me a quick, top of mind awareness answer, such as: I like hiking and biking, I like fishing and hunting, I like reading and writing, I like nature, I like the environment. I love helping people.

Once again let's consider how important our subconscious mind is in helping us to discover how to move out of our comfort zone. To help us focus in this exploration - I'd like to revisit the the seven elements of life that I mentioned on Day 3 - physical, mental, family, financial, social, career, and ethics.

My comfort zone might say let's focus on one element at a time, but life isn't that simple is it. In fact, because I sometimes sometimes get so intent on one element - I over look how my interest(s) have many connections that I have failed to overlook because I want to go to the first, easiest answer.

Remember, I mentioned that I am treating this blog as an opportunity for exploration. Well, in exploration, there is danger, discomfort, and even fear. But, according to a book written by Susan Jeffers called Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. I am willing to spend time expanding how one interest really is affecting my success in my family, my finances, my career, my physical health, my mental growth, my social interactions, and my ethics.

Sound like fun, I'm committed to keeping this question in mind today and I will let you know how much I discover about the power of knowing one's interests!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what interests you.

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?