Monday, March 26, 2012

Did You Celebrate Women's History Month?

BAM VP - Be A More Vibrant Person
A daily energizing routine of Breath work, Affirmations, Meditation, Visualization and Progressive Relaxation will help you meet each day more Bold, Awesome, Motivated, Vibrant and Powerful.
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Did You Celebrate Women's History Month?

"I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman" - song lyrics by Helen Reddy


The women's and feminist movement of the 1970's played a pivotal role in the fight for equal rights in the workplace for women: (1) equal work for equal pay, (2) equal opportunity for promotion, (3) breaking through the glass ceiling and (4) moving into senior management.  Having it all.  Now that you have it...how's that working for you?

You already have an important job.  You have a household to run.  Washing, ironing, cooking and cleaning.  Married?  With children?  You have a family to nurture and raise.  And that is a 24-7 job, thank you.  You take pride in this part of your life.  You love what you do and you do it well.

At work you have a career to pursue.  You take on duties beyond your job description.   Present reports, chair committees, attend conferences and seminars for continuing education.  Thanks to mentors in your field you learned the politics of promotion and advancement in your field.  Stay on the radar of the decision makers.  Don't be sidelined to a supervisor role.  Your sights are on a management path.  Director, vice president, senior management.   That's your goal.  You take pride in this area of your life.  You love what you do and you do it well.

Each role in your life brings you happiness.  But together they can be overwhelming.  No one's taking up the slack and no one figured how you were supposed to do it all.  The stress, irritability and mood swings are draining.  In your body, the stress hormone cortisol, if left unchecked will wreak havoc with your immune system.   If you do nothing you are heading toward burnout, illness and disease.

  • Make your well-being a priority now.  Learn relaxation methods like breath work, affirmations, meditation, visualization and progressive relaxation to help you manage overwhelm, and handle the problems that cause dis-stress.
  • Carve out some time away from responsibility to celebrate you.  If necessary ask for help with the household duties and put a "do not disturb" sign on your bedroom door.  Have breakfast in bed.  Read that novel you haven't been able to get to.  Or go out for a walk and enjoy nature.  Take in a movie.   Lunch with friends.  Get a mani-pedi and/or treat yourself to a massage.  Spend the time doing something that you enjoy.
  • Take as much pride in "me time" as you do for your household and career.  Take a time out from worry and responsibility once a week, twice a month, as often as you can.  Love what you do for yourself and do it well. You've come a long way baby and you deserve it.
Celebrate your awesome womanhood every month of the year.   For all that you give and all that you do and all that you are.  You are the reason we celebrate Women's History Month.

So, how did you celebrate Women's History Month?  I'd like to know.

Monday, March 19, 2012

3 Ways to Conquer Procrastination

"Procrastination is my sin.  It brings me naught but sorrow.  I know that I should stop it.  In fact, I will - tomorrow!" - Gloria Pitzer

Ah, spring time.  People feel motivated to get out and get things done.  But not you.  You are a procrastinator and to you spring means more chores to add to your to-do list.  You'd rather put things off until tomorrow.

You were the student who started your book report the night before it was due.   You spent an extra year in college because your term assignments were never in on time.  Today you are the adult who puts in long hours at work.  You hope your boss believes the late hours are part of your work ethic.  The truth is you hate to tackle those reports so you struggle to get through your workload.

Feel My Pain

Fears of failure, success or rejection are the leading reasons most people procrastinate.  You don't know if that describes your reluctance.  All you know is that procrastination is a bad habit that has not served you well up to this point.   You are always playing catch up because whatever you put off today just adds to your list tomorrow.

There is a voice in your head constantly nagging you to get started.  Roll up your sleeves and do the chore whether you like it or not.   You want to change.  But how do you get started when you don't want to do it in the first place?

1. Anchor in Motivation

 Negative self-talk like, "I don't want to do this" or "Do I have to do this" is counter-productive.  Certainly not motivating.  Changing your self-talk to "I want to do this" or "I choose to do this" is an easy way to start.

Use the *NLP technique of "anchoring" to install feelings of excitement, success, motivation, pride and other positive emotions to a sight, sound or part of your body. Your ear lobe for example.  Now any time you start a task that is distasteful to you, touch your earlobe.  This will trigger those positive feelings you installed.  You will automatically feel motivated to begin.

2.  Give Your Task a Timeline

Research suggests that the unconscious mind nags until you make a plan, timeline or deadline.  Once the task has some structure your unconscious is satisfied that it is done and you will relieve some of the stress.

Spring is also tax season so let's use that example.  It is a complex, overwhelming task you dread doing.  It usually means an all-nighter just going through your papers, notes and receipts.  Pledging to start your income tax preparation today will satisfy the first step in structuring a plan.  You have given a timeline.

3.  Start With Small Steps

Deconstruct any project into smaller tasks that you can complete in a reasonable time.  Let us apply this to your income taxes.  You have approximately four weeks before the filing deadline.  If you break it down to weekly tasks it will look something like this:

  • Week one - gather all receipts, papers etc.  Do a thorough search.  Place them all in one box, folder or stack.  Task completed.
  • Week two - Separate and put receipts in tax categories.  Example, income, business expenses, charitable donations, etc.  Task completed.
  • Week three - Total items in each category.  Look for any receipts etc., you may have missed to add to these totals.  Task completed.
  • Week four - Transfer your totals to your tax form.  Mail in your tax return.
Feel My Pleasure

Taxes done and filed on time.  You feel a sense of pride and relief as you check this off your to-do list.  Best of all you now have a plan to overcome procrastination in all your future projects.


*Learn more about Anchoring (NLP) at Wikipedia.org.  View Anchoring (NLP) video demonstrations on YouTube.  NLP is the abbreviation for Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Daylight Saving Time: Wake Me When It's Over

BAM VP - Be A More Vibrant Person in 2012

A daily routine of energizing Breath, Affirmations, Meditation, Visualization and Progressive Relaxation will help you meet the day Bold, Awesome, Motivated, Vibrant and Powerful.
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Daylight Saving Time:  Wake Me When It's Over

"If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it." - Anthony J. D'Angelo


You awaken at 9:00 am Sunday morning, same as always.  Turn on the TV to watch your favorite show.  But it is not on.  Wait a minute. Something's off.  You glance at the clock and see it is actually 10:00 am. Oh no...you forgot to set the clock forward for Daylight Saving Time!

You know it could have been worse.  It could have been a weekday.  You'd be in a frenzy trying to get breakfast, get the kids to the bus stop and start your commute to work.  Still, you lost an hour today.  Sixty minutes that you won't get back any time soon.  And it's unsettling.  You feel off balance, disoriented, like someone suffering jet lag.

But It's Only 60 Minutes

But those sixty minutes make a difference in your Circadian Rhythm.  This is the system that regulates your sleeping and waking pattern.  It is already set for your daily routine and Daylight Saving Time throws it off.  Your body clock needs to readjust.   It will take time for you to get reoriented.

This Is Why We Do It

The overriding reason that we take one hour from morning and add it to the end of the day is to save energy.  Research shows that the average home consumes less energy for lighting and appliances during Daylight Saving Time.  Longer sunlight in the evening encourages people to spend more time doing outdoor activities.

An interesting fact is that the observance of Daylight Saving Time is not mandatory in the United States.  Some states have opted out.  Arizona and Hawaii are two that never moved from standard time, so their residents do not change their clocks.

Make It Easy On Yourself

Over the next few days while your body adjusts, practice this simple breathing exercise to restore your energy levels:
  1.  Sit where you will be comfortable.
  2. Place your hands on your abdomen.  Breathe out air until you feel your stomach pull in.
  3. Continue to inhale and exhale rhythmically for one or two minutes.
That's all there is to it.  This breathing routine floods your body with oxygen - the energy you will need to help you cope while your body clock realigns.  The good news is that most people  adjust in a day or two.  The better news is that you will get back those 60 minutes when you turn back the clock on Sunday, November 4th.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Empowering Self-Talk: How to Make Affirmations That Inspire Change

BA MVP - Be A More Vibrant Person in 2012
A daily energizing routine of Breath work, Affirmations, Meditation, Visualization and Progressive Relaxation will help you meet each day Bold, Awesome, Motivated, Vibrant and Powerful.
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Empowering Self-Talk:  How to Make Affirmations That Inspire Change

"Change Your Thoughts and Change Your World" - Norman Vincent Peale




"Every day in every way I am getting better and better".  You probably heard this famous  affirmation popularized in the 1920's by Emil Coue, a French pharmacist and psychologist.  After observing his patients heal faster when they focused their mind on positive healing images, Coue developed this therapeutic method he called optimistic autosuggestion.  His belief that, "you are what you think" proved to have great success in rehabilitating the thousands of patients he treated each year.

You might ask what makes this deceptively simple affirmation so powerful.  And how can I duplicate it?

  • Start with the area you want to work on.  Emil Coue addressed the health concerns of people who were ill and wanted to get well.  Your challenge may be with finances, career, family, relationships, physical or emotional health, etc.  Define your source of stress.
  • Make your affirmation simple and specific.  Coue's autosuggestion is a simply stated imagery for healing.  Yours may contain specific relaxation instructions, or suggestions for improved self esteem or a mantra for success.  Make sure it describes exactly what you want to achieve.   For example you want to ask for a raise, "I am clear and direct asking my boss for a raise".
  • Powerful affirmations are positive and carefully expressed.  Phrase them as if they are occurring now.  Notice Coue says, "I am getting better and better."   Avoid negative statements.  For example instead of "I will not be nervous asking for a raise".   Use a positive version such as "I am letting go of tension when I talk to my boss" or I am calm and assertive asking for a raise".
  • An affirmation works best when combined with an image or mental picture.  So write it down, close your eyes and visualize the touch, taste and feel of the change you want to create.
  • Repeat your affirmation throughout the day, every day.  The more you say it the more connected it becomes to your desired outcome.  Routine repetition was an important part of Coue's method.  He recommended his patients repeat "Every day in every way I am getting better and better" upon awakening, throughout the day and before going to sleep at night.  When he put the power of healing into the hands of his patients Coue had great success curing them of illness and disease.
Affirmations are good for your mental health.  Evidence proves that serotonin and endorphins, those feel good hormones, are released when we focus on positive thoughts.  This scientifically based evidence works even if you are a skeptic.

So take a cue from Emil Coue.  Practice positive thinking.  Make  affirmations that work to improve your life.  You have nothing to lose but time and everything to gain.  Like a happier outlook on life, less anxiety, and better health.  The power to change is in you.