Tag: decision

Making a Decision will Set You Free (Yes, Get Off The Fence!)

Being stuck on the fence gets us NOWHERE!
Being stuck on the fence gets us NOWHERE!

So, if you’ve been stuck up on the fence, unable to make a decision, paralyzed and afraid to take the jump toward your happiness, I am zooming in today to help you. Today is the day that we will work on making plans and making the decision to get off the fence!

So, how does a person do that?

Here are the 5 Steps To Get Off The Fence. It’s time to make a plan to get happy and making progress in life!

Step 1 — Determine Where You’re Stuck

The first step to get off the fence and live a fulfilling existence, is self-awareness. You have to figure out where you’re blocked, stuck or not making progress. This takes time alone, and the ability to be still and quiet to think about where you are not happy. Exercises such as making two lists: One list called “CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS I WANT TO MAKE”, and the other list is called the “OFF THE FENCE/HAPPINESS ACTION PLAN”. So, for example, if you want to start your own business, on the left hand side, you would write, “Start my own business,” and on the right hand side, it would read, “Moonlight my start-up on the side, working ninety minutes at night and four hours on the weekends until I am making some money and can quit my day-job to focus on my business full time.”

The trick is, the more detailed your two lists are, the better. Post your list in a visible spot. It holds you accountable, and keeps your eye on the prize.

Step 2 — Commit to Doing the Work

Know that nothing will work unless you do.   One of my mentors says, “Nobody ever drowned in their own sweat.” It was something that really sunk in and always stuck with me.  I believe and and taught my kids that “hard work is always rewarded”.  Happiness doesn’t come without a commitment to happiness. Without work. Your happiness is a choice. You getting what you want out of life is YOUR DECISION. And the same holds true for your unhappiness. So, commit to doing the work. Whatever your goals are, commit to hustling to make them happen.

Know that sitting perched on the fence is paralysis. To live stuck is like residing in purgatory. Most people stay stuck because it’s a comfortable place to not have to commit and see something through. But you can’t manifest your highest self without making a decision, no matter how small. It’s about that first baby step. You MUST take it.  If you are having a hard time moving forward, consider hiring a private coach to help you!  For heaven sakes, take action!

Step 3 — Expand Your Skills

Yes. Expand your skills and commit to learning something new. Often we stay stuck and on the fence because we don’t have the skills and knowledge needed to move forward. So work at getting that knowledge and expand your skills. This could mean taking up a new hobby, enrolling in a course, volunteering, or simply giving away your expertise for free. What I mean here is, if you want to become a PAID speaker for example, speaking for free is a great way to get your name our there, and gain experience and expertise. If you want to start a consulting company, offer coaching or consulting for FREE at the beginning, both to get your feet wet, AND to build a customer base.

Expanding your skills does not only mean just enrolling in courses and acquiring new knowledge, it also means putting the current knowledge you have to work…. (ACTION!)

Step 4 — Get Out There and Meet NEW People

Commit to taking up a new hobby, volunteering, getting more involved in your community, or joining a networking group — for the purpose of meeting NEW people. We often meet the people we need once we get out there and make an effort.  When you reach out to people in your network, ask for help, discuss options, then you will acquire the knowledge to help you get off the fence and move towards your goals.

If you allow yourself to just be open, and to join places like your local Community Groups, book club, sports or activity club, a writing group, traveling to live events or finding a mentor….it will naturally happen that you will meet the people who will help you move toward your goals.

Step 5 — Make More Time for the Things You Love To Do

When you do the things you love to do, it helps boost your serotonin levels (the happiness hormone), which aids in fighting depression, and other mood disorders. Doing the things you love can put you in a state of euphoria, lowering your cortisol levels (the bad hormone), which clears your mind and allows you to make good, quality decisions. For me, I love spending time with my sisters — we laugh, have fun, and it does my mind and body good. I also love spending time alone in a bookstore, working on personal development, or just perusing the aisles in an art section of a store. It calms me and regroups me. What is it for you?

When you do what you love, you are being good to yourself. You are spoiling yourself. And spoiling yourself is your right. Feeling good allows you to make clear decisions. Do it, guilt-free.

In the same token, it cannot be stressed enough the importance of the following four factors in sharpening your mind for effective and strategic decision making:

  1. Get a healthy amount of  sleep
  2. Maintain an active lifestyle and get daily exercise
  3. Healthy nutrition and superfood to feed the body and mind
  4. Meditation (Spend adequate time to relax without interruption when the mind is quiet)

So my wish for all of you, is to get off the fence as soon as possible!!!  it will free up your mind and allow you to move forward in life and achieve great and passionate things!!

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(Acknowledgement:  ‘The 5 Steps to get off the fence” Adapted from Erica Diamond, at www.womenonthefence.com)

Sleep? Who Needs Sleep?

 

Sleep is essential for so many things!
Sleep is essential for so many things

After 3 nights in a row without proper sleep, I am beginning to wonder how I am going to function if this continues.

Not sure why my brain doesn’t seem to want to go to sleep, perhaps it is part of my abuse recovery… I am on what I am calling my “emotional fitness journey” especially intensive over the last month.  It has been a challenging path to take and honestly, some days, I feel like quitting the journey and just going back to my “tough” self that never had any problems.

Sleep is one of those things that is important for brain function and we don’t realize just how much.   Yesterday, at clinic, by half way through the shift, my thinking felt slowed, cloudy, eyes were burning, ears were ringing and felt some serious fatigue.  Ate a few mint chocolate squares to liven me up, which seemed to work for a few minutes, then subsequently I felt worse instead of better.  Challenging to get through the last part of the shift this way!

I did some research on sleep recently and founds some interesting facts about what the brain does while we are sleeping!  There were 5 that I found most interesting!

Firstly, while we are sleeping, our brain helps to process complex data, to aid with decision making when we are awake!  Its amazing how much our brain processes while unconscious!

Secondly, While we are sleeping, the brain creates and consolidates memories.  For this reason, sleep is VERY important for learning and retaining information.  Also, having good sleep PRIOR to learning, prepares the brain better for initial formation of memory.  Hmm, maybe pulling those all-nighters to study for exams and write papers were not such a good idea!

Thirdly, sleep helps to boost our ability to have creative connections.  In an unconcious state, the mind can make surprising creative connections that it won’t make while awake!  Have you ever waken up in the morning after a good sleep with new “aha” moments?

Fourthly, a very important function of sleep is for the brain to do a little housekeeping.  This process allows the brain to flush out toxic materials that build up while we are awake!  Apparently, without enough sleep, these toxins can build up and lead to cognitive diseases.

Fifth, while sleeping, our brain learns and remembers the process of how to perform physical tasks.  These things could include dance moves, new golf swing techniques, running form, etc.  During REM sleep, our body transfers these to a longer term memory area, so that they become more permanent in our minds.

Given the significant processes that occur during sleep, its no wonder my brain didn’t want to work properly after no sleep.  I have learned that no amount of caffeine, chocolate or sugar in the day will fix that!  In fact, having these substances, can affect the quality of your sleep the upcoming night again!

With all of the research, and looking at just how important sleep is, I have come up with 5 ways to improve my sleep:

  1.  Minimize caffeine intake (chocolate, coffee, iced tea, other drinks and more).  Caffeine can take up to 18 hours to completely clear from the body, so even the morning coffee can interfere with sleep quality!  (this issue can get worse at we get older too!)
  2. Avoid bright screens/computer for at least an hour prior to sleep.  Bright light can interfere with our natural melatonin and sleep cycles!  Also, what we are reading on those screens may be too stimulating instead of relaxing!
  3. Meditate or think deeply about things that are stressing me or bothering me prior to going to bed and write them down on a piece of paper beside the bed and give myself permission “not to worry about them until tomorrow”.
  4. Exercise and eat healthy (at least 85% clean) every day.
  5. Have no screens or TV in bedroom.  Bedroom to be used ONLY for sleep.

What other suggestions do you have for me about how to improve sleep?  Have you had issues sleeping and found a solution that works for you?  Please share your suggestions in the comment box below!

 

 

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To be Convicted is a good thing?

Today was a challenge to get my butt moving out of bed and down to the basement for a power lifting session…? …but I got it done! ?

What really helps to keep me going is the fact that I made a true decision to get fit, healthy, feel good, and to sculpt a body that I can feel good about in anything I wear. I was tired of muffin top, and fat bulging out over my bra strap, and feeling self conscious which made it hard for me to feel good in jeans and many other clothes!! Yuck!

The kind of decision I am talking about here is not just a “I wish”, or “I hope” kind of decision…this is a decision that is made with the kind of conviction that makes the other choices NOT an option…the kind of decision where you are in 100%, and NOT 99%.

The kind of decisions that are made with conviction and deep determination are those decisions that lead us to our goals. The 100% way means that there is no being on the fence, no waffling, no deciding whether or not to have that donut out of that box that someone brought into the office…it just makes it easier to be 100% into the decision and to stick to the plan. Learning to make these kind of decisions can change your life! This certainly has changed mine! ?

True decision-making gives you incredible personal power and it feels great! ?

Fitness and health is only one area, but we can use this kind of decision making in other areas of our life too…I am going to make more decisions today…I have decided! LOL ?

Comment below with a decision that you have made with conviction and are 100% in on…I would love to hear about it ?

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