On Sorrow and Joy

December 21, 2022

My heartfelt THANK YOU --- to everyone who started my Blogging journey with me almost 5 years ago, to all who have joined me, and to everyone who has given me feedback over the years. Thank you for allowing me to send my musings to you and the Universe!  

Most months I write about key lessons from my Certified High Performance Coaching^TM practice  on High Performance Habits, including Clarity, Courage, Productivity, Persuasion, or the course on Leadership, or the course on Declarations for Personal Freedom, or stress management techniques for different Personality Types from my MBTI ®  practice, and from my personal journey from Be Happy NOW!; From Wall Street Ambition and the Illusion of Success, My Path to Happiness.  

In November and December, I particularly look forward to reflecting on spiritual practices of Grace and Gratitude, Hope, Peace, Sorrow, and Joy....

The Heartset of Gratitude

December 5, 2022

I've been away for a little while. Let's just say, Life took over. I have been focused and on my purpose to serve and use all of my talents and my resources to help others so that I leave a legacy of Love. Somehow, time to Blog was not available. And, it's good to be back! 

I so look forward to writing a Blog on Gratitude as we close out the year. My intention with the choice of this title, The Heartset of Gratitude, is to change our perception of gratitude. Gratitude is an emotion which comes from the heart. Just as we have 5 senses, to see, hear, smell, taste and touch, our heart is another one of our senses -- it can feel gratitude. Heartset brings to the fore our awe for how we experience life and the world. 

In my experience, gratitude practices typically evolve over time. Often, gratitude practices start with thinking about 3 things or people we are grateful for... and progresses from there to...

Before You Speak: The Three Gates 

August 31, 2022 

 
There is an ancient wisdom saying: 

"Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates:
     at the first gate, ask your self, 'Is it true?' 
     at the second gate ask, 'Is it necessary?'
     at the third gate ask, 'Is it kind?'"

These 3 questions, or gates if you will, -- can be asked before our words leave our mouth. We all know that the energy and impact of words, once spoken, can never really be called back.

It can take 2 - 30 seconds and, with practice, your heart and gut will tell you if you should talk … or hit the pause button.

Indeed, the Three Gates does take awareness and practice. And years of practice has taught me the value of The Three Gates. When the words we speak -- pass through these Three Gates -- we have made a wonderful and loving contribution to connecting and contributing to a relationship, with a partner, family...

Healing Laughter 

July 10, 2022  

I have been taking a few vacation days here and there for the last couple of weeks. I sincerely hope you have made an opportunity to fit in a vacation or are looking forward to some time off soon, before the summer is over.

If we embrace the wisdom of the famous comedian, Milton Berle, "Laughter is an instant vacation," we can change our mindset and believe that we can take a vacation any time, any day, any where!  

So let's have some fun -- and laugh together, right now. Let's laugh at this crazy world. Let's laugh at ourselves.  

Laughter is healing on many levels -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Here are a few examples of the healing power of laughter -- and a few more inspirational quotes.   

Laughter wakes up our mind-body. "Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors," say Norman Cousins. Laughter wakes up our eyes,...

HOPE

December 20, 2021
 

Hope is my watchword for December 2021.   

As I did my research and meditations on Hope, a common theme stood out: our source of Hope lies within us and in our connectedness with others and in our connectedness with something bigger than ourselves. 

This is a simple yet complex, and profound message, nicely summed up by one of my favorite meditation teachers on Insight Timer, Sarah Blondin. In her beautiful, mellifluous voice guiding us in the meditation, "Message of Hope," she says: 

 "I see you, I feel you, I love you, and I am here for you." 

Say this out loud  -- addressing yourself. Say this with the intention and Knowing that accessing Hope takes some work on your inner empire -- your thoughts and your emotions. This requires both awareness and acceptance of who we are and where we are, right now.  Hope is always there inside of each one of us -- just like the sun is always shining, whether we...

A Heartset of Gratitude

November 30, 2021

I so look forward to writing on Gratitude in my Blog every November! Last year the reader response to The Heartset of Gratitude was so terrific, I thought it made sense to revisit and further explore its deep meaning.   

I choose the word “heartset” with intention – because gratitude is an emotion and comes from the heart. “Heartset” changes the focus from the mind and the ego to our heart. More importantly, “heartset” also brings to the fore our passion for how we are living our life – how we are seeing our world – as we move forward on our own unique journey.

In my experience, gratitude practices typically evolve over time. That has certainly been my experience. Often, gratitude practices start with thinking about 3 things or people we are grateful for... and progresses from there to Gratitude Journals, Gratitude Letters, Gratitude Meditations, 10-day and 21-day...

I Am Breathing 

August 16, 2021

I Am Breathing ---

• 7 deep diaphragmatic breaths;
• 7 specific times each day;
• 7 days a week.

This is my Keep It Super Simple, 7x 7x 7  Formula for engaging the Relaxation Response and escaping the Fight or Flight Response. As we know, the Fight or Flight Response is hard-wired and automatic in all of us -- it it triggered in our autonomic nervous system. More importantly, we have a choice -- we can use deep diaphragmatic breathing to take back control. We can train our mind-body to relax. The value in the 7x 7x 7 Formula is that we are training, in a very disciplined way, to know what it feels like to relax our muscles and clear our mind. 

As crazy a ride as 2020 was, this summer of 2021 is an even wilder ride -- at least for me!  I put some major lifestyle changes into motion and then other events with family, friends and pets added to my personal and professional challenges. WOW! I am practicing what I coach in my stress...

My Morning Ritual

August 30, 2020 

Good morning! How do you welcome each new day? I am going to share my Morning Ritual because I passionately believe how you start your day is vitally important to managing stress and improving your energy at the get-go, every day. 

Recently, I was honored to give a presentation at Lakeside Chautauqua: “How to Manage Stress During a Pandemic.”  The emotional contagion of stress is as important as the viral contagion of COVID-19, in my opinion. I reviewed the array of research and advice from experts of the top 5 or 10 or 17 things people could do to better manage stress during the pandemic and constantly changing landscape of advice. 

I chose a different approach. In my opinion and experience, focus and consistency are paramount. The ONE most important thing to do is carve out the first 32 minutes of the day for a Morning Ritual.   

I am sharing my Morning Ritual as an example to get started and...

Our Challenge to Change Ourselves 

April 4, 2020  

First and most important, I am sending healing energy and deep gratitude for your service to everyone on the front-lines of this global COVID-19 pandemic – doctors, nurses, hospital staff, EMS, FEMA, people working, stocking and delivering to the grocery stores, and retailers, restaurants open for take-out meals, schools serving meals and teachers calling students, our nonprofits such as United Way, Salvation Army, volunteers at Food Pantries and Pay-It-Forward Cafe's, like our local Bistro 163, the public policy leaders of our cities and states, – and the list goes on and on. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

My heart goes out to everyone who has lost loved ones to COVID-19 and to families that have suffered losses at this time of physical distancing and cannot feel the warmth of hugs and solace from friends, near and far. There are huge economic challenges  -- unprecedented in my...

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...