Radiating Peace  

December 18, 2019  

I believe inner peace is there for all of us --- even if it is, at first, only for a moment. 

Do you agree? Do you have an image of peace in the mind-body and soul? Do you feel the energy of peace? These are a few of the questions we will explore in our last newsletter of this year, this decade. 

I grew up on Long Island, New York and was always drawn to the ocean. I went to Jones Beach and loved it -- even more in the solitude of winter than in the heat and crowds of the summer. I love the Great Lakes and am blessed to now live and overlook Lake Erie. The background picture for many of the quotes I post on Facebook and for this Blog is a summer sunset looking out from my Lake House. I am looking forward to taking a new picture this winter when the lake is frozen, and the horizon disappears. 

Sometimes the lake is rockin’ n’ rollin’, sometimes the waves are gentle and sometimes the lake...

My Daily Gratitude Ritual 

December 1, 2019 

Today’s newsletter on gratitude takes shape as a personal note and reflection on my daily Gratitude Ritual and how it has evolved and deepened over the past 10 years.  

I trust that you have crafted your own gratitude practice that serves you. There is a wide range of gratitude practices to choose from, such as: starting and ending your day in gratitude and prayer; creating a Gratitude Journal or a Gratitude Jar; writing a Gratitude Letter; making a special Gratitude Call; or incorporating gratitude into your art, be that poetry, music or painting.  

I offer my gratitude journey as it may give you new inspiration and/or renewed commitment. In my opinion, a daily Gratitude Ritual is foundational and transformational.  

One day in May 2010, I started an intentional daily gratitude practice. In Be Happy NOW!: From Wall Street Ambition and the Illusion of Success, My Path to Happiness, I write:...

Now Is The Time

November 17, 2019

Now is the time of year that many of us ask:  

1. Have I accomplished what I set out to do this year?
2. How can I salvage the year with the time remaining?
3. What am I grateful for in my life?
4. What are my plans and goals for the coming year?
5. What are my dreams for the next 5 years?
6. How can I stress less and get through the upcoming Holiday season? 

“Not so fast my friend,” as Lee Corso would say. Whether you are a sports aficionado or not – I believe you get the point. While these are totally appropriate questions -- when we start here, we might miss the most important first steps.  

In my opinion, the first and most important questions to ask are: Am I fully Present? Do I… will I … can I …. fully accept myself…. just as I AM… in this present moment? Have I let go of some of my negative, limiting beliefs and emotions and started to accept that “I am good...

Stress Less  -- You CAN Do It!

November 2, 2019 
 

When we Stress Less – when we become more aware of our everyday stress, when we learn how to Respond rather than React, when we learn the Relaxation Response activated by taking deep diaphragmatic breaths – we change the way we see our world.  

“If you change the way you see things, the things you see will change.”

-- Wayne Dyer 

Stress Less – I did, and it changed my outlook on Life. I know you can do it too!   

The physiology of Stress – the well-known Fight or Flight Response as well as the equally famous, Relaxation Response – is exactly the same for all of us. However, what stresses you out may be, and very likely is, quite different from what stresses me, your partner, your associate, your child, etc. Typological Stress varies according to our Personality Type, which is why we say stress comes from within – our innate hard-wired...

What If ...? 

October 6, 2019 

For the next several newsletters, I will be posing the question: What if? 

What if…  we gave up worrying about the future and the unknowable? What if… we gave up losing our perspective of the big picture and getting stuck in the details? What if… we gave up being outwardly critical and inflexible? What if … we gave up emotional outbursts and being hypersensitive to criticism? 

What if…we could learn to be more aware of when we are stressed... and remind ourselves to take 7 deep diaphragmatic breaths and trigger our autonomic Relaxation Response? What if we knew the true source of stress was inside of us, rather than “out there” in the situation or the other person? What if … we could learn how to respond rather than react? 

Of course, we know the answer… we CAN learn. We can learn to take control. It takes practice. We could use some tools. And, some...

Surfing the Waves ... of Emotions

September 17, 2019 

Last week it was my honor and privilege to speak to a Leadership Group and assist them in discovering their unique 4-Letter Personality Type and learn the stress reduction practices we use in the From Stressed to Best™ Program. Thank you, Class of 2020 Leadership Ottawa County – you were engaged, open-minded – and very fun.  You are already leaders. 

You inspired me to go deeper. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s metaphor, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf,” applies to both our behaviors when we are stressed and the waves of emotions that can engulf us in times of stress. 

Our focus in this newsletter is to add a new exercise -- awareness of negative emotions --  and how we can use our “Emotional Intelligence” to move to a better place.   

For readers who may have joined recently, I am including links to the 9 Blogs posted over...

Personal Freedom: Part II 

August 30, 2019

I had an unexpected opportunity 2 weeks ago to participate in an online Masterclass by Marie Diamond, “How to Instantly Apply Feng Shui in Your Life”, offered by MindValley. For the last 25 years Marie has been a Feng Shui Master and coached hundreds of thousands of students worldwide, top public speakers, international best-selling authors, celebrities in the music and movie industry, and top athletes. I can only say, WOW! This class took all the energy work I have been doing to a higher level. I spent 10 days learning from the 8 Videos and applying the lessons of de-cluttering, energy flows and rearranging furniture, pictures, etc., in my entryway, living room, dining room, bedroom, and my office Loft. I was caught up in an energy vortex and totally immersed in flow and change. That is the short version of my story for the unexpected hiatus in my regular Blog schedule. 

More on what I learned to come in future...

Personal Freedom

August 3, 2019  
 

What does the phrase “Personal Freedom” mean to you? 

Let’s ease into this conversation. Here are a few of my favorite insights by world renown authors, spiritual advisers and personal development coaches: 

1. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist, survivor of the Nazi concentration camps and author of “Man’s Search for Meaning":
   
   “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” 

2. Deepak Chopra, M.D., co-founder of the Chopra Center for Well Being, the founder of the Chopra Foundation, world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and transformation, and author of over 85 books. This quote is from the “Oprah & Deepak Miraculous Relationships 21-Day Meditation, Day 18: I Cherish the Freedom to be Myself” 
   
   “The...

Total Immersion Retreat

July 17, 2019

One month ago, our newsletter “Pause & Reset,” discussed what it means to Reset your Productivity Mindset. Personally, I took a Pause and focused my early July Blog on how laughter is healing energy for the body, mind and spirit. Then I took off for a long weekend. 

With best wishes that you also have taken some time to pause and re-energize, what are the key obstacles and challenges you must overcome to finish the 2^nd half of 2019 strong?   

• Do you feel you are being as productive, influential and successful as you want to be?
• Are you struggling to stay focused? To get ahead? To positively influence your team, customers or family members?
• Have you reached a plateau in your progress and struggle to break through to the next level of joy and achievement?
• Do you miss the pulse and vibrance of growing and contributing at your highest levels?
• Have you discovered your life purpose?

These are a few of the...

Good Vibrations 

July 1, 2019

As Victor Hugo, the famous French poet, novelist, and dramatist said:

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” 

Indeed, laughter is healing energy for the Body, Mind and Spirit. It really is all about Energy – Good Vibrations. 

Since the Beach Boys released “Good Vibrations” in 1966, there have been new scientific research and breakthroughs on exactly why and how laughter is good for:

• your physical health, by relaxing the whole body, triggering the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemical, and strengthening your cardiovascular system.
• your mental health, by helping stop distressing emotions and the hard-wired “fight or fight” reaction and stress behaviors.
• your spiritual health, by increasing your bond/connection with family and friends, releasing egoism and defensiveness, and healing resentments. There is an old Yiddish proverb, “What...