True Balance

Greetings! Please forgive my spotty posting this month. I am fully engaged in final edits, design and planning for Life on Your Terms (LOYT). I am also in the throes of creating a new LOYT blog and facebook community.

This week my prayers were answered when John P. Strelecky agreed to write the foreword for LOYT.

John is the epitome of an entrepreneur who lives his life as he wishes. He is a #1 Best Selling Author, international speaker, and is in the midst of raising money to create wells in Ethiopia! More than all of this,  he is a kind person and loving, mindful father.

You can learn more about John in his entrepreneur spotlight next month. I promise you John’s story will inspire you to continue on your path of personal development and balanced living.

You can find out more about John at  BigFiveForLife.com

More about the book…

Life on Your Terms: The Support Your Need to Follow Your Passion From Inspirational Entrepreneurs will be published this Summer!

Here is the back cover copy:

Energize your life with insights from this exceptional group of entrepreneurs. The more than 40 coaches, authors, executives, doctors, artists, and visionaries represented in this book have generously shared their personal secrets of liberation.

From chucking it all and backpacking around the world, to not being afraid to die, from never tasting the same meal in the same way, to conquering cycles of mental illness, climbing the corporate ladder and base jumping off the top rung into the realm of personal freedom.  You will read tales of individuals desiring to be their best, giving back to their communities, allowing for divine love, and even traveling to remote areas of the world to uncover stories of elephant whisperers.

Each interview turns over the stones of accepted wisdom we walk through every day to reveal the tremendous power of the entrepreneurial perspective. Now is the time to trade in struggle and obligation for liberation and passion.

Does this message sound intriguing enough to make you want to read the book? I would love your feedback!

You are welcome to come and visit the brand new Life on Your Terms blog, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook.

I went to a Salsa Dancing lesson this weekend. I was already primed from my Mojito night on Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo Wednesday, followed by Paella night on Thursday….it was a very Latin week for me, so Salsa just made sense, si?

Here’s what I noticed. All of the students were trying really hard. Extreme concentration was apparent on our faces as we counted steps to get the rhythm down. As beginners, nothing came easy. We weren’t into the flow of it, and felt a bit like fish out of water. No big deal, we told ourselves, we were beginners. No one expected us to know what we were doing, and we were having fun anyway. 

And that’s when it hit me….Salsa dancing is just like life. Your level of comfort and ability depends on who you choose to ‘dance’ with. If you associate with people who are unsure or confused, you will probably feel that way too, and while misery loves company, it’s not the best way to grow.  Choose your partners well…make sure their playing level brings you higher, and stretches you. If you find you are a bit stagnant…go find some new partners to play with and see how you feel about life; see how you feel about yourself; see just how much more into the rhythm of life you are.

Many of the clients I coach reach out to me because they are overwhelmed with runaway train schedules, insane mental chatter and too many commitments. We share our time uncovering what a new more peaceful reality can look like. You can tame your pregnant mind and reduce anxiety by using the following check list.

• Prioritize.  Line up realistic actionable tasks for your dream project within a specific time frame.  Monitor you performance by creating a critical path time-line. Incremental progress toward your dream IS PROGRESS. Celebrate each victory, no matter how insignificant they feel at the time.

• Get real. Perfectionism is an unhealthy expectation. Trying to be perfect all the time will paralyze you and halt your performance. Instead of setting your site on perfection, focus on excellence and get moving.

• Be gentle with yourself. You must not berate yourself with negative self-talk and mental rubbish. Your best weapon to clobber the schoolyard bully in your head is positive self-talk.  What happens when you catch your evil twin being mean and nasty? What if you stopped those thoughts immediately upon their arrival?

• Ask for help.  Seeking an ear or advice from others will help you move along your chosen path with much less stress and anxiety. Chances are there are droves of people who have been where you are and would be willing to help you.  How can I support you?

• Play.  Make time for family and friends and do the activities you enjoy. You deserve to enjoy yourself. Create some regular play time and have a blast!  What kind of activities do you enjoy? When was the last time you enjoyed goofing around?

• Check in with how you feel mentally and physically. Pay attention to when you feel your well is dry and find a way to fill up again.  A change of scenery or a few deep cleansing breaths may be all you need to keep your energy flowing.  I like to take mini breaks by stepping outside and soaking up the beauty of a natural setting.

• Clobber your fear.  Most people on the planet are dealing with fear in all shapes and sizes. From the annoying little monsters under your bed, to the giant panther ready to pounce on you in the middle of the jungle, fear is something we create in our minds.  I have learned that when I take action on something daunting the fear falls away.  How do you address your fears?

I trust you will find some of these simple stress reducing ideas useful.  I would love to hear about how you tame your pregnant mind.  If you have an interest in getting some additional support for stress and anxiety, you are welcome to visit Anxiety Slayer .