Wellbeing Is a Way of Life

by

Valerie Cheong Took

Wellbeing is when we feel good within ourselves: happy with who we are, with what we have and having an optimist view of life in general. To take worries off our minds, we sometimes go for activities that make us feel good - eating chocolates/ice cream/crisps, retail therapy, talking with friends and watching TV shows. There are times when all these stress busters do not work. We feel uncomfortable, not knowing what to do next. There are other times when our worries come back soon after.

Maintaining a positive outlook on life is critical as we move forward in life. The things we do to keep our motivation ongoing can impact our general wellbeing if we become dependent on them. Snacking, shopping, watching movies are all healthy activities when they are done occasionally. Everything is about balance.

Continuing shopping when our wardrobes are already full of clothes or snacking when we have weight problems indicates an unhealthy dependency. There are other forms of dependency. Clutter is another example - keeping things in case we need them in the near future. After 1-2 years, these things are lying around without having been used once. It is sometimes of no use to tell ourselves that we need to declutter, stop shopping or snacking. We all wish it were that simple!

Understand your motivation to keep on shopping though your purse is tight or there is no need to. It is the first step towards gaining back your personal independence. There can be many reasons. Eating habits are sometimes cultural. In some communities, everything revolves around food - family gatherings, celebrations. In the past, these communities had to face food shortages due to war, droughts and financial hardships. Now that food is readily available, a lot of effort and time is spent on meals. Changing our food habits may involve reviewing our cultural norms or beliefs in relation to food.

Retail therapy can be a great booster for our self confidence. Our physical brand is an essential part of who we are. However, it does not define our self worth nor will it help to address the challenges that life brings to us. We are defined by our actions, strengths, weaknesses and what we choose as our core values. Making up for the loss in our self confidence by shopping is a temporary solution. What can sustainably boost our self confidence is facing the challenges, looking at them from a different perspective and letting go of the feeling of "being stuck".

Wellbeing is about building inner resilience and resourcefulness to address our daily challenges. Every answer lies within us. Hiding behind our busy lifestyle or our good looks does not resolve our daily challenges. Life coping skills are learned by doing. There's no other way of acquiring them. Reading books on positive thinking or shifting the blame onto others or procrastinating about them only makes them worse. Addressing them by trying out different options, applying all the empowerment techniques that you have been reading about builds your inner strength and nurtures your creativity.

Changing your habits take time. So think about what you can do as from today to regain your personal power and independence. Take one step at a time and achieve quick wins, ensuring that they become an integral part of your life.

To know more about wellbeing, Valerie provides one to one coaching and workshops for groups. Please visit http://www.valeriecheongtook.com for more information.

What Do You Do With Shiny Objects?

by

Wendy Bottrell

My question and thought for today is what do you do with Shiny Objects? Now this many seem like a crazy question, so allow me to explain.

I have a couple of huge passions in my life; one is helping people to be healthier through coaching and a passion for business, especially learning about online marketing. Now when it comes to business I learn quite a bit that I take back to the health and fitness side of what I do.

Over the past year, I have spent a great deal of time learning about online marketing and blogging about health/wellness.

In the online marketing world, there has been much talk about Shiny Objects! You see there is so much free information online with big promises and really, these are simply Shiny Objects! These Shiny Objects really do not provide value. All they do is take the focus away from the business goals.

Now the same is very true for health and wellness! There are all kinds of distractions for your health and wellness. A night out on the town might be a huge distraction, you know what we say, "I was good all week so this won't hurt", or the article that tells you a certain food is OK to eat, yet you know in your heart is not good for your health however, you ignore that intuitive feeling.

The T.V. commercials for the latest and greatest processed food product that is in no way healthy and yet you are the first one in your neighborhood to get it because of the promises of good health. Alternatively, the commercial for the new drug that amazingly, when they read out all the symptoms you are off to the doctor to get your free trial sample.

These are just a couple of the examples of the Shiny Objects that take us away from our good health and wellbeing.

It is time to take a stand and realize those Shiny Objects must be removed from day to day living. It is time to realize what path you are on and where it is leading you. Are you on a path for health and wellbeing or the sickness path?

Have you created your health and wellness goals? Do you have a plan on where you are going to be 20 years from now when it comes to your health? Creating this kind of goal will allow you to remain on your path and those Shiny Objects will not be a concern for you!

Creating a plan for health and wellbeing can be very simple. Create a list of 10 goals you would like to achieve for your health and wellbeing over the next year. Now pick three of those goals that are the most important for you right now. Make a Specific Plan on how you will achieve each of the three. The three are now your complete commitment and everything you did not circle becomes "avoid no matter what"! You now get to focus completely on your three until you succeed! It is really that Simple!

Allow today to be your day. Talk soon,

Wendy Bottrell,

Personal Trainer/Gluten Free Living Coach

http://wendybottrell.com/what-about-a-health-ribbon/

Achieve Your Dream

by

Graham Dragon

Do you have a dream?

Is there something you always wanted to achieve, but never really tried because you knew you couldn’t?  Perhaps because you were born the wrong side of the tracks?  Aren’t gifted enough?  Don’t have what it takes?

What is holding you back is not your circumstances.  Not the people around you.  Not lack of money or other resources.

What is holding you back is YOU!

That voice inside, telling you that you can’t do it, or it is too risky, or you will never have the resources.

So let me help you take that first step to living your dream.  Close your eyes, reach out and take my hand, and I will guide you.  Not to the climax of living your dream – that is a journey you must make by yourself.  But to the place where you can make that first step.

Are you there with me now, with eyes closed, holding my hand, trusting me to deliver what I have promised?  Good!

The first thing we are going to do is use that remote you have in your other hand (You didn’t know it was there, did you?  But it is!  Feel it right now.).  Feel for the “off” button, and push it.  Did you feel that?  The negative voice inside you saying “I can’t do it” has just been silenced.  The remote has put you right where you should be – in control.  That voice shouldn’t come back now, because you have switched it off.  If it tries, level your remote at it again and switch it off again.  You won’t need to do that many times, as it will soon get the message.  It thrives on the attention its victims give it, and it doesn’t like being turned off.  Turn it off a few times and it will go away.

Now turn the remote in the other direction and push the “on” button.  You are switching on a parallel voice.  One that says “I CAN do it”.  Hear that voice?  It is there right now, because you have switched it on.

Do this exercise as often as you need, but I suggest at least daily for the next seven days.  And certainly any time you feel any doubts about achieving that dream.  Soon you will find you can “zap” those negative thoughts instantly, without really even thinking about it.

And once you really have turned off that negative voice, the sky is the limit.  That dream really can become your reality.

Finally, take a quick look at this 2 minute clip of Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happiness”, and take to heart what he has to say to his son:

Turning Goals into Results

by

Kai Rambow

Plenty of people set goals and then experience the frustration of not being able to turn them into accomplishments. In a recent goal setting and achievement program one participant, Barbara, asked, "How do I turn my goal of networking more in my organization into reality?" "Great question," I responded, "let's work with your goal."

It's Starts When You Define

Doing more networking isn't enough for a goal; it needs to be more clearly defined. Even noting that you want to focus specifically on networking within your own company isn't enough.

This process to clarify your goal can be challenging. Remember, the more specific you are in defining your goal, the better. Why? Because you'll have a very clear idea of what you're aiming for and how to reach your goal.

Same Goal - Different Outcome

As I asked Barbara some clarifying questions, Anne chimed in that she too wanted to network more. It sounded as if they both had the same goal, however, each had entirely different outcomes in mind.

Anne wanted to meet new people more senior in position to her to learn what she would need to do to advance her career in the organization. Barbara wanted to meet new people in different areas so she could more easily get help for her projects, which involved several departments.

Same Goal - Different Challenges

Anne, not surprisingly, was quite comfortable reaching out to people she didn't know and asking for their advice. Barbara, who has an engaging personality, was shy about approaching new people.

Even though Anne was comfortable meeting strangers, she still needed a solid plan. We set as part of her plan to try and network with people who were not only senior to her, but had great reputations within the organization. Talking with everyone without knowing why you were approaching them doesn't make sense. Anne needed to keep her outcome in mind.

Barbara, because of her reluctance, needed a different plan. We set a plan for her to network through others. Since Barbara was well liked, asking others to help make the connections was one approach to take. Asking for and looking for the most helpful people in a department is what made more sense for her objective.

The Challenge

Even clarifying to this point is not enough. Anne and Barbara needed to determine how many people they wanted to connect with. Would it be one new person per month or one new person every two months?

Did they want to meet over coffee or lunch? What questions did they want to ask? Best to prepare in advance to achieve their respective goals.

Connecting with one new person every two months is realistic and achievable. Meeting for 20 to 45 minutes with specific questions in mind makes it productive. Now Barbara and Anne have a practical approach to turn their goals into results.

The Smartest Goal Technique

Of course, the smartest thing that Barbara did was ask. For most of us, our goals require getting help from others. Remember, if we don't ask for help, we won't get any help.

About the Author

Kai Rambow, Accredited Speaker, is a leading authority on communication, management and leadership. He has delivered over 2,400 programs for clients across North and South America, Europe and Australia. You can learn more by contacting him through his web site at http://www.kairambow.com

Steps To Achieving Your Goals

by

Pat Mussieux

"I don't know what I want. So, how can I set any goals?"  I have been hearing that over and over and over as I speak at different events for women in business.

In my signature keynote, I speak about "7 Steps to Growing Your Business By Getting Out of Your Own Way!"  That content is only useful to those who DO know what they want and are stuck, in some ways.

I have always been very good at setting goals.  In this article, I will give you some guidelines that will help you get the process started.

FIGURING OUT WHAT YOU WANT.

That seems to be the big problem, right there, for many of you.  Human nature makes it easy for us to know what we DO NOT want, though.  So, I recommend you start with that. Make a list of all the things you know for absolute certain that you do NOT WANT in life and in business.

Once you are clear on that - and I mean make a really BIG list - get into the nitty gritty - then flip some of those things to the positive.

For example: I know that I do NOT WANT a brick and mortar environment for my coaching and speaking business.  When I think that through and consider other options, I ask myself what else is there? I have a home-based office that is in a segregated area of my house. Perfect!

What about you?  Make a list of all the things you keep telling yourself that you do not want.  You are certain to be able to pull out 3-5 things that can be flipped to the positive that you DO want, both in life and in business.

(Another exercise that I recommend to my clients is to become very conscious of your world.  By that, I mean - take a look around you, at your life.  What books do you like to read?  What movies do you enjoy?  What music do you listen to?  When you go to a bookstore, what section draws you in?  What hobbies do you like?  All of these are clues as to what you really like because you will note a common thread.)

Now get going to the next step.

PUT ALL THOSE POSITIVE ITEMS ON A SEPARATE LIST.

Once you have that list complete, it's time to identify which items are a priority for you.  I start to pull those out, and grab a calendar and start writing it down.  Once I have my priority items on a calendar, this whole goal-setting process gets easier.

For example, another thing I DO NOT want this year is to work non-stop.  As entrepreneurs, we tend to throw ourselves right into our business - particularly in the early years.  What I DO want is a vacation - so that becomes a priority item and it gets marked on the calendar.  You may only start with a long weekend, or two, throughout the summer.  But commit to it - get away - and recharge.

Keep listing the priority items on a calendar - space them out - some of the items you've identified may be seasonal (for me, my goal is to do more cycling this summer).  That gives you a visual sense of some of the things you want to accomplish - you can use the same process for business.

For example - I know that, each year, I want to attend at least 2 professional conferences so that I can learn the latest marketing and sales techniques in my industry, and beyond.  I may have on my 'Don't Want" list that I travel far and wide for these sessions - but on the DO WANT list, it would be to find these types of professional development events in a major city near home.

See how that works?

THE NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS:

1) Be sure to write down your goals and be specific

2) Only share/show your goals to people who will support you and help you

3) Attach measurable outcomes to each goal so you know you are making progress

4) Ensure you celebrate each achievement along the way! This is important!

5) And always 'goal set through' each item - and not TO the goal. (Think about the stress, worry and preparation that goes into Christmas Day!  The day after can hit women pretty hard... so this process works in this instance also.  Goal set through Christmas Day and plan some fun activity for the few days following.)

6) Keep adding to your list.  This is a 'living, breathing' document and you deserve the best.

As human beings, we are goal-oriented.  For those who want to live their best life, to grow the best business and to be their best self, goals are essential.  And goals are fun, too.

"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going." Earl Nightingale

Make a decision to begin today.

Pat Mussieux is fast becoming regarded as a highly valued Canadian mentor for women entrepreneurs taking her own business from zero to a multiple 6-figure home-based business in less than 4 years.  Much of her success can be attributed to her expertise in marketing, mindset and money!

Pat Mussieux is a business coach, author, speaker and radio host.  You can reach her at http://www.wealthywomenleaders.com