Getting Serious About New Year’s Resolutions
New Year's| No Comments »Getting Serious About New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions are a way of telling yourself that there’s something you want to achieve. Determine why you’re making the resolutions in the first place, and create personal resolve to change the root cause.
1. Why are you making this resolution?
2. What are you willing to do differently that will make this resolution a reality?
Make the statements in the form of SPECIFIC personal actions and SPECIFIC personal achievements. The more specific you can make them, the more likely you are to make them happen.
Tell yourself EXACTLY what you intend to do.
Tell yourself EXACTLY what you will do, or are willing to do.
What are you willing to do?
What are you willing to change?
What are you willing to better?
What are you willing to sacrifice?
Are you willing to work harder?
Are you willing to get up earlier in order to give yourself more achievement time?
And what is it worth to you once it’s done?
-Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Little Red Book of Selling and eight other business books on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. www.gitomer.com
New Year’s Tips: 5 Positive Ways to End Your Year
New Year's, Tips & Trivia| No Comments »New Year’s Tips:
5 Positive Ways to End Your Year
These suggestions work the same in late December, mid-March, early summer or while watching leaves fall. Read this advice, and you’ll see the timing is universal.
1. Watch a movie . . . that tugs at your heartstrings. This may be a favorite movie you’ve seen many times, or a new one that excites you, moves you or maybe even makes you cry. Just pick one that makes you feel good as opposed to sad. When the movie is over bask in the feelings that you feel.
2. Think about things . . . that make you feel proud. Spend some time looking back at accomplishments large or small, private or public, that make you feel good about yourself. It will be time well-spent.
3. Listen to music . . . that makes you smile. You know what music this is. This is the music that makes you dance, smile and maybe brings back fantastic memories. Pop it in your CD player or fire up your iPod. Better yet, if you have an MP3 player, make a play list of all your favorites so you can listen to them back to back, anytime you want.
4. Talk to a friend . . . who believes in you. Spend some quality time – on a walk, over dinner or with a cup of coffee – talking with a person who is supportive of you and loves you for who you are. Enjoy the time together, listen to what they say, and thank them for being in your life.
5. Read a book . . . that inspires you. Whether a self-help book, inspirational poetry or a story you identify with, find a book that you will not only enjoy reading, but will also learn from.
All of these actions will create positive feelings and memories. Each helps you look back and inspires you into the future. You can use these feelings and memories to not only feel better about yourself now, but to propel you with greater energy and enthusiasm for what is coming.
Potential Pointer: Choosing actions that help you understand yourself and your world better, makes you feel better about yourself. When you feel better about yourself, you take an important step towards creating a better future – for yourself and all with whom you work, live and play.
Submitted by: Thom A. Lisk, www.TerrificSpeakers.com
“Heart of the Holidays” Book Review by Angela England
Christmas, Hanukkah, Heart of the Holidays, New Year's, Thanksgiving, Winter Solstice| No Comments »
“Heart of the Holidays”
Book Review
by Angela England
Type-A Mom Gift Guide – Gifts for Moms
Monday, 10 November 2008
Click here to see original post.
The perfect size for giving, a woman who enjoys reading could not get a better gift book for the Yuletide Holidays than this charming book, Heart of the Holidays: Holiday Inspirations Yuletide Treasures and Traditions by Sheryl Roush.
This delightful book came at the perfect time for me as I begin to look forward to the holidays and felt the stress of Thanksgiving preparation creeping up on me. Heart of the Holidays: Holiday Inspirations Yuletide Treasures & Traditions is written by Sheryl Roush and was published by Sparkle Press. As I curl up on the couch to feed my newborn, this holiday collection is easy to thumb through for a few minutes.
Not too heavy or bulky, the easy-to-read format of Heart of the Holidays, makes this book the perfect present to tuck into a stocking, present as a hostess gift for Thanksgiving and Christmas parties, or give on one of the days of Hanukkah. It makes the perfect book for bedroom end table, bathroom magazine rack, or to read just in bits and pieces if you are as busy as I am.
What Readers Will See in Heart of the Holidays
Heart of the Holidays presents readers with over 225 pages of delightful poems, quotes, stories, excerpts, songs, and inspiring sayings in six categories: Thanksgiving; Christmas; Yuletide Around the Globe; Hanukkah; Winter Solstice; and Ringing in the New Year.
I appreciated the range of quotes that were included by Sheryl Roush, covering the range from proverbial sayings, to traditional historic figures, to humorous quips by modern celebrities. For example, in the Thanksgiving section she quotes Oprah Winfrey saying, "The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."
Not just quotes and songs, Roush has brought together the best of the holiday stories and essays available and gathered them altogether in one place. One of my favorites of these was in the Yuletide Around the Globe chapter, an excerpt from Helena Steiner-Hornsteyn, who says in a portion of Christmas in Sweden, "Even if you happen to live in a huge country mansion with a large dining room, on Christmas Eve you always eat in the kitchen together with those who mean something to you. Even if you are very sick you should appear for this meal to show the spirit of Christmas. Because at Christmas there are no barrier and no separations."
These thoughtful and uplifting samples are only a taste of what Heart of the Holidays by Sheryl Roush has to offer as a charming gift for a book lover, or harried housewife alike.
Where to buy Heart of the Holidays: Holiday Inspirations Yuletide Treasures & Traditions
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Breathing in the New Year
Heart of a Mother, Heart of a Woman, Heart of the Holidays, New Year's, Tips & Trivia| 2 Comments »
Breathing in the New Year
According to Joseph Sweeney of Erie Massage Therapy in Erie, Colorado, one of the easiest things you can do for the New Year in taking care of your body, is to stretch your muscles frequently, stand up from the computer keyboard, go for short walks outside and get fresh air, and practice breathing exercises.
One of the exercises is to inhale deeply through the nose to the count of six and exhale in out the mouth to the count of four (since it’s faster and more complete). Another tip is to TIGHTEN UP all your muscles on the INHALE, and RELEASE all your muscles on the EXHALE… isometric muscle contraction methods. Immediate benefits to you is instant relief and deeper relaxation, as well as increased muscle regeneration. "These exercises help you to get your muscles into a full and relaxed state" Sweeney comments.
Starting New: A Moment of Choice
Heart of a Mother, Heart of a Woman, Heart of the Holidays, New Year's, Tips & Trivia| No Comments »Starting New: A Moment Of Choice
There are times in our lives that lend themselves to starting something new. The beginning of a new year, finishing school, leaving a job, or changing homes—these all are times that turn our minds to fresh starts. Their advantage is that they bring with them the energy of that event, creating a tide of change around them that we can ride to our next shoreline. But we can choose to start anew anytime. In any moment we can decide that a bad day or a relationship that’s gotten off on the wrong foot can be started again. It is a mental shift that allows us to clean the slate and approach anything with fresh eyes, and we can make that choice at any time.
Starting new is most powerful when we focus our attention to what we are choosing to create. Giving all of our attention to the unwanted aspects of our lives allows what we resist to persist. We need to remember to leave enough room in the process of new beginnings to be kind to ourselves, because it takes time to become accustomed to anything new, no matter how much we like it. There is no need to get down on ourselves if we don’t reach our new goals instantly. Instead, we acknowledge the forward motion and choose to reset and start again, knowing that with each choice we learn, grow, and move forward.
Making the choice to start anew has its own energy—it’s a promise made to you. The forward momentum creates a sort of vacuum behind it, pulling toward you all you need to help you continue moving in your chosen direction. Once the journey has begun, it may take unexpected turns, but it never really ends. Like cycles in nature, there are periods of obvious growth and periods of dormancy that signal a time of waiting for the right moment to burst forth. Each time we choose to start anew we dedicate ourselves to becoming the best we are able to be.
New Year’s Introspection
Heart of the Holidays, New Year's, Tips & Trivia| No Comments »January 1, 2008
Insightful Introspection
You may feel introspective today, with a desire for deeper insights about yourself. You may be trying to understand the origins of your desires, overcome limiting behaviors, or seek a better understanding of your motivations.
One of the best ways to feel more connected with your inner wisdom is to spend some quiet time alone in meditation. Simply find a quiet, private place where you won’t be disturbed and focus on releasing any worries or tension from your mind and body. When you feel completely relaxed, turn your attention inward and connect with your inner guidance. In this peaceful silence, you can ask specific questions, or allow insights and hunches to come naturally.
Connecting with our inner wisdom provides the insights and answers we seek in order to live more productive lives. Though we often feel that we know ourselves completely, we can still find ourselves stuck in destructive behaviors or limiting patterns. By taking time to connect more deeply with our inner selves, we tap into a consistent flow of knowledge, insight, and enlightenment that is available to us at any time.
As we connect with this spiritual wisdom, we gain a clearer understanding of our actions, and we can work on dissolving inner blockages and obstacles that may keep us feeling stuck. Our journey through life then becomes focused and productive, as we create lives that fulfill us on a spiritual level. The answers and insights you seek today can be found by tuning into the deepest and wisest part of your inner self.
New Year’s Heart Message
Heart of the Holidays, Kwanzaa, New Year's| No Comments »
New Year’s is a time of endings and beginnings. One stress we sometimes experience at New Year’s is looking back on our resolutions and goals from a year ago and seeing how we have fallen short. Nothing robs us of Fyera! or ties our growth and fulfillment to a boomerang bungee cord faster than self judgment. The heart rarely judges and measures our progress. Usually, it celebrates our potential, appreciates our strides, and gives us direct and honest feedback about our gaps- all with love for exactly who we are right here right now. A fully blossomed rose is no more beautiful than a tight bud about to bloom- for each step of our progress and experience, the heart is always able to make room.
We do our end of fiscal year financial accounting, but what about our end of year energy accounting? It is our energy that is the most important resource we have. If we have energy, after all, we will be able to generate all the other resources we need including problem solving skills, hope, innovation, money, and above all, the stamina to ride through the tough times and remain committed to our visions and dreams long enough to see them realized. It is the power of the heart, as accessed through the tools of the beginner HeartMath webinar and the energy accounting tool in the intermediate webinar that replenished those things in me and gave me the power to be writing this for all of you! My heart’s message? “Don’t give up! Keep going! It’s getting easier! It’s getting there! Don’t quit! You’re almost there!”
The nice thing about having the heart on board is that as long as you keep coming back to listen to its signal, it will broadcast its messages to you in everyone you meet and every situation you greet.
-Sheva Carr, www.fyera.com
Top 11 Self-Reflection Questions for Years End
Heart of the Holidays, New Year's, Tips & Trivia| No Comments »Top 11 Self-Reflection Questions for Years End
by Michelle L. Casto, Ph.D.
1. What worked in my life this past year?
What did not work?
2. What brought me happiness/disappointment?
3. Where was I successful?
4. What were my greatest challenges/lessons?
5. What am I most proud of? What do I most regret?
6. What attitudes and actions will I take with me into the new year?
Which ones do I want to keep in this year?
7. What limiting beliefs did I shift?
What negative emotions did I shift?
8. When did I follow my intuition?
9. How did I grow, improve, and expand myself?
10. How much love did I share?
11. What do I want my intention to be for 2008?
Michelle L. Casto, Ph.D.
© 2007
Dr. Michelle helps you come up with bright ideas for your life, shine your bright light to the world, and graduate from a "default" life to your divine life, the one you were born to live. You can visit her web site at http://www.smartlifechanges.com/academy.htm
