You Regenerated: Happy New You!

By Ellen Dolgen a Health & Wellness Advocate, Menopause Awareness Expert, Author, Speaker, and health blogger.

Wish you could look at your reflection in the mirror and see a new, younger you? You do it every day! What the human body is capable of reproducing, repairing, and regenerating each year is nothing short of miraculous. You are literally a revised version of what you were last year, and a completely different you than seven years ago. Sound strange? I think it’s inspiring! A new year brings a new you. A better you. If you are considering the idea of making a positive shift towards better health and happiness, then knowing what your body is automatically accomplishing should motivate you to push yourself even further. Here are some interesting facts about why you’re even more amazing this January than you were last:

Your skin has regenerated itself up to 52 times. Every 7-28 days, it has completely different skin cells than it had one to four weeks earlier.

Cuts and scrapes take about 1-2 weeks to completely heal. That’s amazing. Infants and small children heal faster than adults, but adults still have the ability to regenerate new cells at practically lightning speed.

Your body has replaced an insane amount of other types of cells, too. While most of us are aware (or were at some point in our child-bearing years) that sperm cells live for about 3 days, did you know that colon cells are replaced every 4 days, and blood cells are replaced every month to a year, depending on if they’re red or white? 
Think about how fast your hair and nails grow. Hair grows at an average of 1/2 an inch every month, and fingernails grow about 1/3 an inch every 90 days.  This means that your nails take about 3 months to become completely different than they were at the time of your last manicure.

When you observe how fast it takes for a broken bone to heal, a virus to pass through your body, your body to recover after delivering a baby, or the quick time it took for your body to turn one cell and one egg into a baby (a blast from the past for many of us), that’s enough to make you wonder if we are indeed divine.

Some organs of the body, such as the liver, are especially known for their fast regeneration. (This is why liver transplants work well – one small piece of another’s liver will grow into a full-sized adult liver in just 4-8 weeks. Amazing.)
In traditional Chinese medicine, this organ is often thought to be the epicenter of human emotion, so it’s interesting to think about the connection between liver health and a good psyche. If your liver is not in great shape, whether it be because of excess drinking, an illness, or some other reason, your state of mind is usually not up to its awesome potential, either. Hmmm…
Ladies! The message is this: view this brand new year as an opportunity for purposeful change, and I’m not just talking about the "brilliant" ideas that are the result of a champagne-induced coma! Improve yourself. Inspire, motivate, and love yourself. If you’re suffering from any kind of health roadblock that could be improved by simply making conscientious lifestyle choices, then please do it! There’s only one you, and your inevitable evolution will be even more fabulous when you take control, and steer yourself into the land of not just positive thinking, but doing. Be even more amazing than you already are. If you believe you’re fabulous, you will be. Happy New You!

Remember my motto: Reaching out is IN! Suffering in silence is OUT!

How will YOU be even more amazing in 2013?

Ellen is the author of Shmirshky: The Pursuit of Hormone Happiness -- a cut-to-the-chase book on perimenopause and menopause that's filled with crucial information, helpful guides, and hilarious and heartfelt stories. Known for her humor, compassion, and sassy personality, Ellen has appeared on numerous television and radio broadcasts, including: the Rachael Ray Show, The Doctors, Oprah Radio, Playboy Radio, “Tell Me More" on NPR, Doctor Radio, and dozens of other regional and national media outlets. Ellen is a frequent guest on the popular radio show, "Broadminded," on Sirius XM Radio (Stars XM 107) and is a regular contributor on Huff/Post 50 along with blogging for many leading women’s health sites. Ellen has dedicated herself to women’s wellness through a wide breadth of activities ranging from being a founding board member of the UCSD Student Wellness Center, working with pharmaceutical companies in helping them to effectively address women’s health needs, serving on hospital advisory boards, and advocating for cardiovascular health.

Ellen’s motto is: Reaching out is IN! Suffering in silence is OUT!

For more from Ellen Dolgen:

Visit her at EllenDolgen.com and subscribe to her Menopause Mondays newsletter. 

Follow Ellen Dolgen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@EllenDolgen.
Like Ellen Dolgen on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/Shmirshky

Avoiding and Relieving Depression

Becoming depressed is a process that does not occur suddenly. Deep sadness and feelings of despair develop over time when they are allowed to continue unrecognized and unchecked. To avoid the pitfalls of depression, recognize the signs of negative thinking before they progress into depression. Becoming aware of the signs of despair is the first step in heading it off and getting your life back on a hopeful course. It is easier to intervene at the start of the cycle of depression than to wait until you have become debilitated and are experiencing serious dysfunction at home, at work, or in your social life.

The three primary types of negative thinking are catastrophizing, filtering, and personalizing. Each can cause you to feel helpless and hopeless, the hallmarks of despair.

·       When you catastrophize you believe that situations are bigger than they really are and that they affect far more than they actually do. You see a problem in one area of your life as affecting all areas which makes them feel overwhelming and impossible to solve.

·       Filtering causes you to view situations with pessimism, and you see only the worst and avoid seeing the positive elements. Over time this creates negative mental pathways and habitually pessimistic ways of looking at the world.

·       Personalizing originates from an egocentric point of view through which you feel that everything is all about you and that all events somehow relate to you. Personalizing takes two basic forms: In the first form you perceive that events are happening to you alone and not to others. In the second form, you view situations as being about you when they may not be.

When you notice negative thinking, consider the following ideas for managing it and adopting a more hopeful, positive outlook:

·       Separate areas of your life as much as possible during times of stress and trauma. Leave your work problems at work and your home issues at home. This allows you to feel more in control, at least for part of your day, which makes it easier for you to feel in charge of your life.

·       Examine issues and determine if you are viewing them as “right-sized” or if you have attributed more significance to an event than it actually deserves.

·       Find balance by recognizing both positive and negative aspects of all situations. When you catch yourself over focusing on the negative, remind yourself to assess the whole situation and identify some positive, or neutral, elements.

·       Recognize that setbacks are impersonal. Problems happen to everyone and no one is immune.

·       Stay present through crises and avoid ruminating over past failures or anticipating events which have yet to occur. This allows you to generate a plan for the future because hope, not despair, is guiding your actions. The present is the only place where anything can happen in your life ¾the past has already occurred and the future is yet to come.

·       When you feel singled out, check out your assumptions to determine if they were accurate.

·       Recognize that setbacks are temporary and impersonal. What is happening now will pass because change is the most constant part of life. The most painful of events will either pass or will lose intensity over time.

·       Take action to feel effective in making change. Do something¾exercise or an activity. Action generates energy, which keeps you in the present.

·       Connect with your support system. Avoid isolating during stressful times.

Consider the quality of your thinking patterns to determine how often you focus on the negative. Noticing your negative thinking patterns helps to ultimately destroy them. Being aware of the frequency and intensity of negativity is the first step in moving away from despair.

 

Ellen Diana is a psychologist, author of the Lucky Dreamer Tip Series, and co-author of the Charge up Your Life series of self-help books. She has 30 years’ experience working with children, adults, couples, and families in schools and in private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona. Helping women to evolve into their best selves through personal growth and self-awareness is a passion of hers. Ellen raised three successful children as a single parent and so has special interests in mentoring other women in transition and helping parents to raise resilient children. Contact Ellen at drdiana@ellendiana.com or through her website www.ellendiana.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resilience: Build Skills To Endure Hardship

Resilience means being able to adapt to life's misfortunes and setbacks. Test your resilience level and get tips to build your own resilience.

By Mayo Clinic staff

When something goes wrong, do you tend to bounce back or fall apart?

When you have resilience, you harness inner strength that helps you rebound from a setback or challenge, such as a job loss, an illness, a disaster or the death of a loved one. If you lack resilience, you might dwell on problems, feel victimized, become overwhelmed or turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as substance abuse.

Resilience won't make your problems go away — but resilience can give you the ability to see past them, find enjoyment in life and better handle stress. If you aren't as resilient as you'd like to be, you can develop skills to become more resilient.

 

Resilience means adapting to adversity

Resilience is the ability to roll with the punches. When stress, adversity or trauma strikes, you still experience anger, grief and pain, but you're able to keep functioning — both physically and psychologically. Resilience isn't about toughing it out, being stoic or going it alone. In fact, being able to reach out to others for support is a key component of being resilient.

Resilience and mental health

Resilience offers protection from various mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Resilience can also help offset factors that increase the risk of mental health conditions, such as lack of social support, being bullied or previous trauma. If you have an existing mental health condition, being resilient can improve your ability to cope.

Tips to improve your resilience

If you'd like to become more resilient, consider these tips:

·        Get connected. Building strong, positive relationships with loved ones and friends can provide you with needed support and acceptance in both good times and bad. Establish other important connections by doing volunteer work, getting involved in your community, or joining a faith or spiritual community.

·        Make every day meaningful. Do something that gives you a sense of accomplishment and purpose every day. Set goals to help you look toward the future with meaning.

·        Learn from experience. Think back on how you've coped with hardships in the past. Consider the skills and strategies that helped you through rough times. You might even write about past experiences in a journal to help you identify both positive and negative behavior patterns — and guide your behavior in the future.

·        Remain hopeful. You can't change what's happened in the past, but you can always look toward the future. Accepting and even anticipating change makes it easier to adapt and view new challenges with less anxiety.

·        Take care of yourself. Tend to your own needs and feelings, both physically and emotionally. Participate in activities and hobbies you enjoy. Include physical activity in your daily routine. Get plenty of sleep. Eat a healthy diet. To restore an inner sense of peace or calm, practice stress management and relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation, guided imagery, deep breathing or prayer.

·         Be proactive. Don't ignore your problems or try to wish them away. Instead, figure out what needs to be done, make a plan and take action. Although it can take time to recover from a major setback, traumatic event or loss, know that your situation can improve if you actively work at it.

When to seek professional advice

Becoming more resilient takes time and practice. If you don't feel you're making progress — or you don't know where to start — consider talking to a mental health provider. With guidance, you can improve your resiliency and mental well-being.

 

3 Ways to Create Happy Healthy Holiday Relationships

For most women, happy and healthy relationships are an essential component to feeling fulfilled in life. They bring a sense of joy, purpose and connectedness and are central to our wellbeing. And then comes the holidays. That’s right, it’s the time of year when we feel equally enamored with and utterly annoyed at the people in our lives. With the extra activities, obligatory functions and financial pressures, the holidays put stress and strain on relationships and surviving them with your relationships in tact, can be no small feat!

 

 

When surveyed, women unanimously said the most stressful part of the holidays was managing family. With all the extra events, obligations and negotiations, it can sometimes feel like a challenge to get through the holidays with your self and your sanity. But there are actually three simple ways you can create happy and healthy holiday relationships - and you don’t even need the cooperation of your in-laws!

1. Communicate openly and often.

Part of the stress of the holidays is that there are many people and preferences to take into consideration. It’s that time of year when we are all trying to connect with loved ones both far and near and all in a few weeks. They even made a satire movie a few years ago about a couple needing to visit with four different families in four different cities all on Christmas Day!

With so much planning and preparing, what can so often happen, is that women

are all too ready to compromise, clam up and not really express our thoughts and opinions. Our Cousin Phil needs us to come by earlier or our husband needs to change our plans and we find ourselves being the “go along” girl and acquiescing to other’s automatically. Rather than speaking up for what is best for us, it can appear simpler to just not say anything. However, repeatedly not expressing ourselves or communicating our thoughts and opinions leads to disappointments, and unfulfilled expectations.

The best way to avoid the negative consequences of miscommunication is to find ways of expressing yourself that are clear, unemotional and focused on you.  Instead of just saying “yes” when everything inside of you is screaming “no”, try saying that you would like to find a compromise and make things work. Offer suggestions and be proactive in finding solutions rather than just assuming things have to be a certain way.

 

2. Shift your focus.

Another common experience women have is we lose our sense of self or identify

during the holiday hustle and bustle. With so much going on and in the spirit of
the season, it’s common to fall into the alluring trap of being completely “other
focused” during this time of year. We make everything about other’s needs,
wants and desires. The challenge with that is that it lacks balance. Often it’s
also accompanied by the mistaken belief that if we put our own needs, wants and desires second that somehow that will make the holidays better for everyone else.  While this may be the case occasionally, the more we discount ourselves, including our intuition, needs, wants and desires, the more we open the door to feelings such as bitterness and resentment and thoughts that we are being taken advantage of or that we don’t matter. And at the end of the season, many women find that they have neglected themselves creating feelings of emptiness and exhaustion.

See if this year, you can let others take full ownership of their experience and instead focus on making the season enjoyable for you. Identify what are the experiences you most want to have during the holidays, such as meaningful connections with others or the joy in helping others with less resources and then plan your activities accordingly.

 

 

3. Be open to receive.

Whether it’s taking care of others, accommodating requests or compromising, the holidays are all about giving, giving, giving. While it is normal and natural to give during the season, many women give automatically without much thought to their deeper motives. Are you giving out of obligation or desire? Do you give to avoid the consequences or because you genuinely want to help? Giving is great as long as you allow yourself to say now when it is too much.

 

Sometimes we get so involved with giving, that we forget it’s a two way street!
After all, if there was no one to receive, we would have nothing to give. This holds true for others as well and sometimes the best thing we can do, is allow others the joy in giving to us.

This holiday season, identify your limits and play with allowing others to give to you. This could be anything from letting someone hold the door open for you to letting a loved one help you in some significant way. Practice responding with a smile and a thank you.

 

Now of course, these three steps will create happy and healthy relationships
year round, but with the holidays, they are essential. I invite you to implement some of the above suggestions and see if your holiday season can be rich and meaningful as well as fun and festive.

Named after the great archangel, Gabrielle Marie Loomis is a Messenger for our modern day world.  Through her work, she has helped hundreds of women connect with their own power to heal, love and shine brightly in the world.  With over fifteen years of training in energy psychology, manifestation techniques, metaphysics and holistic healing modalities, she has been described as a master coach, healer, medical intuitive, shaman, psychic, counselor and spiritual adviser.  But more than her training, it is her own personal experience of radical transformation that informs her work and allows her to awaken women to their feminine power and unique brilliance.  In addition to her private practice, which includes a variety of transformational programs, products and services, Gabrielle works on staff at an integrative wellness clinic and is a faculty member at the award winning college, The Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.  Her credentials include Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Certified Lifeline Practitioner and Certified Life Coach.  She has been a featured guest on various radio shows including Hay House and Seaview radio.  She lives in Phoenix, AZ where she enjoys the mountains, sunshine and all that the Southwest has to offer.  To learn more visit www.gabriellemarieloomis.com.

Home for the Holidays: Beat the Blues

By Ellen Dolgen a Health & Wellness Advocate, Menopause Awareness Expert, Author, Speaker, and health blogger.

The holidays are often a bittersweet time of year. Amid all of the parties, family gatherings, and general joyousness, there can be some strong feelings of loneliness, financial stress, and annoyance. (Triple the annoyance when you’re the only one sweating while standing in freezing cold weather, filling up on price-inflated gas!) It’s suggested that the amount of people who would rather skip the last month of the year is close to 25%, says New York psychologist Jay Seitz. Ouch!

Here are seven suggestions on ways to beat the blues and keep your sanity this December, and enjoy yourself more than you think you will:

1. Hang out with like-minded people. It’s difficult to be the only one in the room who isn’t belting out Christmas carols like their lives depend on it. If you can joke about your bah-humbugging to others who understand, chances are you will see the lighter side of things a little bit easier.

2. Don’t bog yourself down with giant to-do lists. If keeping an insane schedule literally makes you insane, then don’t do it. Make time for yourself, and allow yourself to be lazy. I dare you!

3. Chill out. Attend a couple of yoga classes a week, or set aside 10 minutes a day to meditate by yourself. Breathe deeply, and if you start to get worked up, then close your eyes, and tune everything out for one full minute. Keep calm, and carry on. If this slogan was meant to keep innocent bystanders of World War II focused and comforted, then I’m sure it can help the Sisterhood who may be in the throes of perimenopause and menopause…

4. Don’t let your Type-A personality take over. Keep that chick under control! Nobody is as bothered by your imperfections as you are. Remember that.

5. Life sometimes gives lemons. Or stupid people. Or really bad drivers. Know that jerks exist, and they will find you from time to time. WHEN this happens (not IF), let the experience go immediately. Water off a duck’s back and all that. Breathe, and let it go. Don’t let yourself become one of them...it’ll only make things worse.

6. Laugh. Laughter relieves tension. It’s like getting an emotional massage. Do it, and do it often, even if you have to watch funny movies or think of something naughty and awful to get those lips curled up into a smile. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

7. If you are feeling lonely, that’s okay. Acknowledge it, and reflect on it. Know that there are others who feel lonely, too. Like tough times before now, this too shall pass. Exercise really helps with improving overall mood, as well as increased circulation, better sleep, and regulating appetite.

If you think you may be dealing with depression, and not just a case of holiday blues, then here are a few additional resources to provide extra assistance:

 Depressiontoolkit.org provides a summary level overview of depression and menopause including symptoms and treatment strategies.

 Hormones! From PMS to menopause

 How Different Antidepressants Work

 Hormonal Health Profile offers a “natural approach to hormonal balance.”

 The Doctor is IN Menopause Mondays:Menopause and Depression with Dr. Julia Frank

What are YOU going to do to ensure you have a safe, HAPPY, and smooth holiday season?

Remember: Reaching out in IN! Suffering in silence is OUT!

Ellen is the author of Shmirshky: The Pursuit of Hormone Happiness -- a cut-to-the-chase book on perimenopause and menopause that's filled with crucial information, helpful guides, and hilarious and heartfelt stories. Known for her humor, compassion, and sassy personality, Ellen has appeared on numerous television and radio broadcasts, including: the Rachael Ray Show, The Doctors, Oprah Radio, Playboy Radio, “Tell Me More" on NPR, Doctor Radio, and dozens of other regional and national media outlets. Ellen is a frequent guest on the popular radio show, "Broadminded," on Sirius XM Radio (Stars XM 107) and is a regular contributor on Huff/Post 50 along with blogging for many leading women’s health sites. Ellen has dedicated herself to women’s wellness through a wide breadth of activities ranging from being a founding board member of the UCSD Student Wellness Center, working with pharmaceutical companies in helping them to effectively address women’s health needs, serving on hospital advisory boards, and advocating for cardiovascular health.

Ellen’s motto is: Reaching out is IN! Suffering in silence is OUT!

For more from Ellen Dolgen:

Visit her at EllenDolgen.com and subscribe to her Menopause Mondays newsletter. 

Follow Ellen Dolgen on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@EllenDolgen.

Like Ellen Dolgen on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/Shmirshky.

 

Hope and How to Remain Hopeful During the Holidays

Written by Dr. Bria Jones, PMP   Author/Speaker/Educator

To many the holidays are a time of jubilation and celebration. Many families gather to exchange gifts and accolades over a festive meal. For them the New Year, which quickly follows, creates a sense of hope and inspiration for good things to come. Not so for others, who may be experiencing personal challenges such as financial hardships or struggling with the loss of love ones. For those who may be feeling disenfranchised, the onslaught of “happily ever after” movies trigger a sense of hopelessness, despair and depression.  When combined with the constant “shop until you drop” media blitz, some people may find themselves asking, “How do I stay joyful or even hopeful given my current circumstances?”

It is a fact that everyone goes through difficult times and has obstacles to deal with. Though it’s what we do and how we respond during these crucial moments that matter. So, I would like to offer a few strategies for dealing with stressful situations and staying hopeful. Whenever you are bombarded with negative thoughts remind yourself, “It is not a crisis, if I don’t panic.” If you are already in a state of panic, tell yourself to calm down. Remind yourself that adversity develops character and the capacity for compassion, empathy, and courage. Then, think of all the difficult spots you have found yourself in before and how you were able to work through them. Consider one of the following strategies for another source of resilience:

·         Find something to be grateful for and appreciate what you have by focusing on what’s good in your life.

·         Focus on your faith to bring a sense of meaning and purpose. It will also help you to look forward to the future with anticipation.

·         Take control of the situation. Even small accomplishments, like controlling your emotions, are helpful to regain a sense of personal power.

·         Get social, don’t isolate yourself, and connect with your support system for help with difficult decisions. You don’t have to go through difficult times alone.

·         Count your blessing and stay focused on the many things that you are thankful for. Set aside time each day to jot down the things that you are grateful for, or the positive things that happened in your day.

·         Focus on past success instead of failures. Remind yourself often of the many victorious moments when you overcame obstacles of the past.

Lastly, start planning how to turn your situation around. My mother always said, “Everything can be fixed/replaced except life itself.”  That affirmation always helped me to put things into perspective. I recall when I got the call that my daughter had been rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Despite the violent crime and her extensive injuries, I was able to remain hopeful because she was still alive and fighting to hold on to life. While the traumatic event was painful and her recovery was slow, we were blessed. We still have the opportunity to make good memories every day to replace the painful ones. So, despite the obstacles you are facing, know that in time you can “turn the coal of the past into the diamonds of the present and future.”

 

About Dr. Bria Jones:  As an author, she blends personal wisdom with her professional insight to motivate positive changes and produce dramatic results. Dr. Jones is also a passionate, compelling speaker and workshop presenter. She is sought after by corporations, professional associations and non-profit groups both nationally and internationally. Dr. Bria is the author of several books and games: The Official Parent’s Handbook: Spare the rules, spoil the child; and Like Shopping For Shoes. Dr. Jones is a blogger for Like Shopping for Shoes, and WeHelpWomen.com. Learn more about Dr. Jones at www.drbria.com or email her at drbria93@gmail.com.

How to Successfully Stick To Resolutions!

There’s obviously something very symbolic about the start of a New Year that compels people to rethink their life.  When else do you find such a mass of people resolving to do things differently?  And yet for some reason, this compulsion is not so dire as to keep people committed for the long term.

According to a survey conducted by time management experts FranklinCovey, 35 percent of New Year's resolutions are broken less than a month after they are made.  The survey enlisted the answers of 15,000 respondents and found that only 23 percent of New Year's Eve resolutions were kept.   That is slightly more than one person out of five, which means that nearly four out of five people couldn't stay committed to their desired change.

For many of us change doesn’t come easy.  One theory about change is that it takes about 21 – 28 days to make a new behaviour into a habit.  If you apply this concept to the survey, we would assume that 65% of participants were successful in keeping to their resolution.  However this was not the case.  After more than 30 days of practicing the new behavior, an additional 42% of the participants failed to change.  Looking into this theory a bit deeper I found it came from a piece of research by a surgeon who in 1960 was investigating how long it took a patient to adjust to the loss of a limb. So is this theory relevant to the changing of habits?

In 2009 a study out of the University College London recruited 96 volunteers who wanted to make a variety of different changes from drinking a glass of water each morning to doing 50 sit ups before breakfast.  The researchers found that on average it took 66 days (of daily repetitions) to form a new habit so that it became an automatic part of the participants’ lives. However although the average time to make a new behavior was 66 days there was a wide range of timings between 18 days and over 200 days.  What this leads me to believe is for some people change comes easier than for others; the rate of success may depend on what type of change is being made; and more so the meaningful connection to the change will be directly related to the pace of success.

A prime function of life coaching is to help people successfully make change to their life.  A key component is the person’s desire to change.  When people set a New Year’s resolution there is most definitely a desire to change.  However in many cases, the desire can be superficial or driven by the opinions and norms of others.  Sure we all know why we should lose weight or exercise more but is just knowing it’s good for you enough to keep you on track?  When helping my clients strive for long term change, I help them connect to core values or deep beliefs that support the need for change.  These types of intrinsic motivators help to keep a person focused not on what they are giving up, but how the change is meaningful to them.  When we are conscious of the connection to what we truly believe in – that is, how the change impacts a bigger purpose than our egos – our chances of success increase immensely.

So if there is something in your life you want to change don’t wait for the New Year.  Start now and follow these steps to help you stay committed.

1.       Clearly articulate the change you want to make.  Don’t just say “I want to lose weight”.  Define how much weight you want to lose and identify key ways you’re going to make it happen.  For example “I want to lose 15 pounds in two months and I will stop binging on junk food and start preparing my meal plan for each week.  I will bring lunch and snacks to work, drink six glasses of water a day ….”  This changes the conceptual goal into a clear, realistic and attainable action plan.  The key is to make it attainable in relation to the realities of your life.  Don’t create an unrealistic action plan to go to the gym five times a week (for example) when your days are already hectic because you’re working full time and going to school at night.  An unattainable action plan sets you up for a guaranteed failure.

2.       Think about why this change is important to you.  Go deep into your heart and find true meaning to this change.  Connect to authentic values within you that are important to honor (that maybe you haven’t been honoring).  Keep going deeper and deeper until you feel the emotional connection to the outcome of the change. 

3.       Put your action plan into your calendar and set reminders.  This will help you remember to keep practicing what you’ve set out to accomplish.

4.       Set up a support group.  This could entail someone you know who has the same goal or someone who will check in with you to hold you accountable.  Choose someone who you know will be willing to invest their time in you.

5.       Create small achievement goals and reward yourself for your accomplishments.  For example, maybe after two months of consistently walking for 30 minutes three times a week treat yourself to something special like a relaxing massage; a great top you had your eye on or maybe even a celebration with your support buddy.  Make it something focused for you – you’ve earned it.

6.       Be fair to yourself.  Remember that change isn’t always easy and if you fall off track, assess why, dust yourself off and get back on your way!

 

Best wishes for the New Year from Cindy Gordon of Culture Shock Coaching, LLC

 

Cindy's goal is to live in a world where every person is engaged in a career that brings them personal and financial success. When this happens, it creates successful companies, successful relationships and successful communities.  Cindy knows first hand how being in the right career can change your life for the better.  For 20 years she was in a profession where she was not able to be fully authentic.   In 2006 when she found life coaching, she gained a new sense of self confidence, pride in her work and happiness in her life.  Cindy's passion had led her to work with both business leaders and individuals to help them gain insight into their personal and corporate values and to understand how to honor these values in their work.