WE'VE GOT SPIRIT ~ YES WE DO!

A professional colleague and I shared a typical Wonder Woman reaction this week. A new business initiative has greatly increased her work load. Between family responsibilities, work, and pursuing the purpose that fulfills her, she expressed some mild resentment at spending some of her “best hours” at a football game. As I emailed her, telling her I'd done and felt exactly the same just the night before, a truth emerged. It came to me in the recollection of a picture taken when my now 23 year old daughter was in first grade.

It was at a school performance of some sort, just one in long playbill that spanned her K – 12 years. Every time I look at that picture, taken by my mother because I couldn't miss work that day, I feel a pang of remorse – regret that comes from having missed something essential to my spirit.

All busy women have to divide their time, allocating appropriate amounts for everybody and everything. When we get too caught up in the math and the mechanics of all this scheduling, we can lose sight of what is most important to us. In the years to come, the hours I spent at the high school football game will have shrunk to just moments in my life – memorable moments. When I recall ll my 15 year old daughter's dazzling smile throughout her first night as a varsity football cheerleader ( a picture forever in my memory rather than a photograph taken by my mother because I couldn't be there) it will warm my heart and lift my spirit.

Whether you have children or not, whether your passion is your work or a hobby, you risk losing sight of your spirit in the duty of everyday tasks. You can find yourself grousing over something that would normally give you joy – like spending time with someone you love – because there's just too much to do right now. Later, when things settle down would be a better time. Remember that old cliché, Life is what happens when your making other plans? Things never settle down. We have to stop running in that little hamster wheel, take a deep breath and be fully present.

Honoring your spirit is a two-fold process. First, learn to recognize the pursuits, activities and people that make you soar. Discover what gives you purpose and passion; it very likely won't be just one thing. My children, husband, family and friends give me joy and enrich my life. The work I have chosen gives me a sense of purpose and I am passionate about many causes. Taking time for any of these things keeps my spirit alive and well.

Second, once you know what nurtures your spirit, be open to every opportunity that presents itself. It isn't always easy when demands are pressing in. Every time you find yourself resenting something that takes your time, do an internal check – ask yourself if this is something you would normally enjoy. Seek out those small vignettes in the larger picture of your life and remember to live in the moment – a moment that keeps you connected to your spirit.

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Recraft Your Life and Reclaim Your Spirit.
visit Living Well

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MINDFUL MATTERS

Mind over matter – you've all heard that one before. How about You can achieve anything if you want it badly enough. And don't forget, We use less than 10% of our brain's capacity. Now that poses a question. What exactly is the difference between the brain and the mind?

Well, for starters, the brain is an organ in your body. It operates “control central” directing all of your body's functions. It can be seen and touched – it is tangible. The mind, however, is intangible and may best be described as the interpretive center. What exactly does it interpret? Your mind receives information that comes to you though your five senses. It then processes this information outputting language that you understand.

Making lasting changes in your life often means making changes in your perception (vision) and your language. “How exactly do I do that?” you may be wondering.

Let's look at a model we all understand – the forest for the trees. What exactly does that mean? If you are standing in the thick of the forest with brambles and bushes all around you, so heavy that you can't even see a foot ahead of you, you are seeing some trees and the dense undergrowth, but you are not seeing the forest. Somebody who has made their way through the overgrowth of brush and trees to stand on a mountainside above the tree line, sees the forest, the valley beyond, the river or shoreline, and the vast sky above.

How does that apply to personal development? In the thick of your particular challenge, obstacle or pursuit of a goal, expanding your vision so you can observe from a different perspective will open up a myriad of new possibilities for meeting your challenges, overcoming your obstacles and achieving your goals. Possibilities you were unable to see inside the forest.

How does language fit into all of this? Language is our means of communication, but not just with others. It is our tool for making sense of what we see or perceive – to ourselves. The right language can help you communicate your vision not only to others, though that is helpful, but to yourself. Once you come to understand the language of personal growth, what you are attempting will make sense to your own logical thought processes. If it doesn't make sense to you, how can you achieve it?

Let's look at why language developed in the first place. Early along our journey to civilization the undeniable urge to share what was previously only thought inside our minds, developed into the ability to speak. Thus evolved the creation of languages in order to communicate new concepts to one another. The very act of acquiring and sharing new information proves to be a powerful catalyst in the progression of mankind on earth, after all what one thing has fueled the onward march of civilization to the same extent as the pursuit of knowledge? It drove the Stone and Iron Ages, the Industrial Boom and the Technology Surge. It is the very stuff of the information age.

With acquired and shared knowledge we've traveled far beyond the mastery of fulfilling basic needs and meeting our desires for comfort and prosperity. In this new millennium man/womankind turns to a quest for understanding our own nature, seeking deeper philosophical truths, and endeavoring to unravel metaphysical mysteries. As we evolve in these higher levels of personal knowledge, we come closer to a life of fulfillment. And language is the key to expressing, sharing and understanding this knowledge of life purpose, just as it has been the key to all previous knowledge.

A baby can feel hunger and will learn what makes the feeling subside, but until the baby develops language she does not understand that she is hungry. It's true she can get her need met before she has the language to say “I'm hungry,” but you can see how much more efficient the process is when she has the right language. First of all, she herself understands that the feeling in her body means she is hungry (the language having traveled the lines of internal communication). Further, she can say that she is hungry so others understand her need. Now it becomes really beautiful. Because others understand her need for nourishment, they will also understand any actions she takes to meet that need.

Once you learn the language of personal development, having perceived your intent and processed it along the lines of internal communication, your mind will understand what you have to do to get what you want. With such clarity you will be able to take purposeful action to make desired changes in your life. Further, you will be able to share that knowledge with others and they will know why you are making changes to your behavior or lifestyle. So it isn't necessarily mind over matter as much as it is bringing your mind to an understanding of what matters to you for personal growth.

For more information on developing vision and language

to help you disover purpose, enrichment and fulfullment

visit Living Well ~ body, mind, spirit

YES, YOU CAN HAVE A SECOND SERVING

The long recognized food pyramid is in the news again. Researchers on the cutting edge of human nutrition are urging the FDA to rethink the recommended daily servings of proteins, carbohydrates and essential fats. According to one source the base of this overhauled pyramid should be, not a food group, but exercise. Imagine that – a recommended daily serving of physical activity. Second helpings are definitely allowed.

Most of us know that for health and fitness we should all work into every day, a minimum of 30 – 45 minutes of moderate physical activity that includes at least 20 minutes of cardiovascular conditioning. But as a daily serving on our nutritional plate? I never thought of it that way. The paradigm shift gives me a new perspective.

The last few months have been busy for me. Of late, I've become my own worst client, working long hours at my computer without breaks. Lunch is whatever I can hold in one hand while pecking away at the keyboard with the other. Even my healthier choices in finger food are missing one-half of the lunch break equation – the break.

“Coach, motivate thyself.” I am resolving to take at least 30 minutes for lunch every day, but I'm going to nourish myself in those minutes with my daily serving of physical activity. As long as the weather holds I will take a brisk walk – stepping away from my computer, away from my desk and out of my office. While I'm walking and breathing in fresh air, I'll drink a full 12 ounce bottle of water. Later, I can still eat my in-hand lunch while I work with renewed energy and less stress.

Still thinking you absolutely cannot get away from your desk for 30 minutes? Or maybe you can find the time, but you must choose either exercise or lunch because in your job you can't work and eat at the same time; you don't even have one free hand. Then keep thinking of exercise as part of the food pyramid, and like food groups, endeavor to accumulate your 30 minutes in 10 minute increments during the day. After all, you don't eat all of your food in one meal, do you?

As a health and wellness coach should I be advocating eating at your desk or breaking up your daily workout? Shouldn't I be encouraging readers and clients to take a liesurely lunch break for their own wellbeing (or even for proper digestion sake)? Shouldn't I remind them that 10 minute increments of exercise don't encompass that important 20 minutes of sustained cardiovascular conditioning? Let's face it, when it comes to crunch time on a big project or deadline, even the most conscientious of us are going to lapse into old habits that compromise our ideal nutritional and fitness goals. Finding ways to meet both objectives at some level is what balance is all about. Or as they say, "It's better than nothing."

So until I make it through the crunch time of current business demands, I will adjust my ideal fitness regime rather than abandoned it all together. If you find yourself in similar circumstances, why not join me? Email me at judith@livingwellcoach.com and Ill send you the "recipes" for a half-dozen healthy and nutritional, at-your-desk meals . . . but no cheating! You can only eat at your desk after you partake of your recommended daily exercise serving.