True Balance

“How To Be Rich And Happy” is a book that helps you create and live the life that you want to live.

Life on your terms …

I am fired up to review this great “Manual for Life”  for my friend and brilliant coaching colleague Tim Brownson,  and for his dynamic co-author John Strelecky.  John is a New York Times best selling author and a featured inspirational entrepreneur in my next book:  Life On Your Terms - Stories of Entrepreneurial Freedom.

This book is the real deal and Tim and John are seriously motivated to share time tested secrets to teach us how to live a life in the flow of abundance.

The way I see it, no matter how good I feel about my life, there are always new ways to improve myself, and this book helped get clear on my core values as an entrepreneur.

This book is inspirational for sure,  but it also outlines actionable steps about living your dreams as well.  You will learn how to get clear about your current situation and implement a simple formula to achieve happiness and wealth.

I see this book as a litmus test for budding entrepreneurs who are “almost there” but need additional clarity to claim their full potential.  I promise this material will get you fired up you and make you a better entrepreneur!

ACHTUNG BABY:  Do not read this book unless you are ready to commit to becoming rich and happy!

Download the first three chapters for free to decide if the time is right for you to be reading how to be RICH and HAPPY.

You can also view a cool video introduction by Tim and John to the book here.

Last night a rush of anxiety reminded me how important it is to relax and unwind before going to bed.  My heart began racing about midnight after 30 minutes of coaxing myself to fall asleep.  It was the night before a crazy-busy week filled with a shit-load of personal and professional obligations.

Like the revving of a race car’s engine, my mind was ready to go. One giant mental check list on a repetitive track of past, present and future thoughts. I was a driver in a cut-throat mental speedway without the option of slowing down. Green flag waved, the Shanny 500 was under way.

How the race began …

I finished watching an old episode of Lost, snuggled under the covers and began thanking the Universe for so many blessings; for a warm bed to sleep in with plenty of blankets, for my healthy body and loving family. Gratitude for a lovely Autumn day with activities like yard work, picking out pumpkins, drinking cider and gobbling up spicy cake donuts.

Time to rest  …  Ahhhh  …

Falling off to a deep sleep would have been lovely if it weren’t for the tenacious voices in my head.

After resting in bed for awhile, the reality of the upcoming week began to unfold along with remnants of what happened the prior week. I was traveling at a high rate of speed going for the apex of every turn around the track.

“Why did My daughter’s teacher take it upon herself to talk with my nine year old about the facts of life without my permission, how can I make the best of the situation?”  “What a big week,  I have a school function on Monday night and a teleconference on Tuesday and Yoga to teach on Wednesday.” ” It is too much.”  “It will be fine.” “You need to get some rest.”  “I am peaceful, I am peaceful, I am Peaceful.”   “Crap why is my heart racing? “I’m sure I’m alright,  just a bit anxious about the week.”  I was beginning to feel out of control.  The CAUTION flag was waved and I needed a pit stop.  “Breathe deeply.” Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale … Deep inhalation, deeper exhalation.

After several minutes of focused breathing the caution flag was removed.  My mind and heart had settled down, and I finally fell off into a much needed deep sleep.

We all experience anxiety from time to time.  Understanding some of the emotional and physical symptoms will help get through your next race.

In addition to the primary symptoms excessive fear and worry, other common emotional symptoms of anxiety include:

Emotional symptoms of anxiety

• Feelings of apprehension or dread
• Trouble concentrating
• Feeling tense and jumpy
• Anticipating the worst

Physical symptoms of anxiety

As a product of the body’s fight-or-flight response, anxiety involves a wide range of physical symptoms. Because of the numerous physical symptoms, anxiety sufferers often mistake their disorder for a medical illness.

Common physical symptoms of anxiety include:

• Pounding heart
• Sweating
• Stomach upset or dizziness
• Frequent urination or diarrhea
• Shortness of breath

Relieve Your Symptoms

• Learn how to control your breathing
• Change up your physical location
• Practice yoga, meditation and deep relaxation techniques
• Get in a hot bath
• Read or listen to soothing music

How do you relieve symptoms of stress and anxiety?

Do you have any resources to share?

You are welcome to download my new special report: Clobbering Overwhelm.  You can grab it now by signing up for our monthly newsletter at the True Balance Website.

For more information about anxiety attacks and disorders check out HelpGuide.org.

Lately the current of my mind has been terribly engaged. The feeling is like being pulled under and dragged out to sea in a riptide of psychological activity. I seem to be rolling with big ideas, spilling over with tiny tasks and overflowing with unfocused creativity.

All of this mental activity leads to feeling scattered. The gears in my brain spin and then lock up.  The more I check in with how I am feeling and what I need, the more I realize the lack of focus has everything to to do with the Autumnal transition and my new, not yet comfortable routine for Fall.

It’s time to get clear, get focused and re energize. It time to swim away from the tumultuous surface current that has a hold of me.

The plan is to revise my daily schedule. The trick to living a balanced life is understanding we are always in a state of change. Recalibrating daily habits and swimming away from the rip current will help me slow down, focus my energy and get back to shore.

Here is my plan for nourishing my hijacked spirit whilst participating in the new pace of my life.  I hope you can use this life ring of ideas to quiet your mind and rescue you from your own undercurrent of unfocused madness.  : -)

Getting Quiet

Making time to sit quietly each morning is lovely way to begin each day. Even 5 minutes will make a difference.  Enjoying a fresh cup of coffee in silence or creating time to sit and reflect. Writing your thoughts in a journal may be your choice for quiet time.  I like to mix things up.  How about you?  What do you do to get quiet?

Sharing time with positive people

Sharing time with positive uplifting people is key to increasing your energy and lifting your spirit. Anybody who brings you down is not part of the solution. Take inventory of the people and personalities in your life.  Your energy will mirror the people you surround yourself with.

Infuse your life with nature

As I write this I am looking out the window at a huge maple tree just beginning to share her new fall colors with me. I have a pickle jar filled with Petoskey stones on my desk and small red and yellow sunflower that is on the ready to retire.  I bring the natural world into my environment to keep me grounded.

As important as it is to bring nature inside, it’s also a good idea to get out in the natural world. Walk along a woodland path, skip some flat stones across the lake, tack a sack lunch to a nearby park and breathe in the beauty of nature.  How do you infuse your life with nature?

Daily yoga practice

As a student of yoga and yoga instructor I realize the importance of honoring my body with a regular yoga practice. When I became a teacher I stopped being a student. It’s time to balance my love for yoga by making room in my life to be a yoga student.  Do you have a daily yoga practice?  Do you want to learn more about what that might look like?

Cultivating mindfulness

Unconscious behavior is easy to step back into when you feel overwhelmed and out of sorts. Practicing mindfulness will improve your outlook on life and teach you a lot about the way you are, the way you roll.  What does it mean to be mindful?  To me it is thoughtful consideration as well as witnessing your own behavior.  Mindfulness is a  gift that can be internally mined at any time.  How do you cultivate mindfulness?

“Happiness is not a matter of events; it depends upon the tides of the mind”

- Alice Meynell