Going Dry - Follow Up

Time for the follow-up! It’s been more than a month since we decided to "go dry" and here is what happened. For each level that I thought alcohol consumption affected us, we have noticed great improvement J

1. Money - we spend money on wine, beer and tequila on a pretty regular basis: We saved about $150 per month between not buying alcohol and less eating out
2. Poor Eating - when we drink we make extra trips to the store to buy the alcohol, while there we usually decide we want junk food to go with our alcohol, so we spend more money to eat junk food and don't use the good food we have in the house: The poor eating has been reduced to about 10% of our diet as opposed to 30% before going dry. I think this is a good ratio as eating healthy 90% of time is a healthy balance.
3. Unwanted Habits - drinking on a regular basis the way we do encourages us to sit in front of the t.v. for a couple of hours every night instead of doing all the other things we are always saying we want to do; i.e. exercise, read interesting books, work on our respective businesses we're starting, etc.: This one was the biggest for us. It became very apparent to us just how much the alcohol consumption was affecting us physically and mentally. When we decided the dry spell was over and started having some drinks again, we both noticed how horrible the alcohol made us feel. We noticed these negative affects in the same night we drank and then the next day as well even though we only had two drinks each. We are now positive that drinking alcohol saps us of energy and motivation needed to pursue anything other than sitting in front of the t.v.

My motivation, energy and clarity increased ten-fold:

• I made a proposal to my boss to change my working situation
• I started a newsletter
• Created my Logo
• Found my Target Market
• Finished setting up my website.
• Created a Facebook page for my business

My husband also noticed the following changes for himself:

• He is finishing multiple projects and starting new ones
• He is less “groggy” in the morning
• He drinks more tea and water throughout the day
• His thoughts are focused on more things besides the next drink in the evenings
• His stomach has stopped aching at night
• He believes that he never would have known any of this if he hadn’t stopped drinking and then started again while carefully monitoring how he felt and acted.

This has been an eye opening experience for us both. I personally have decided that drinking alcohol will be reserved for special occasions and will not be consumed regularly like I was doing. My husband is much more aware of how it affects him and is choosing the times he consumes more carefully.

Here are my top five benefits for stopping or reducing alcohol consumption:

1. More Energy
2. Increased Mental clarity and Motivation
3. Improved physical comfort
4. Monetary savings
5. Improved out-look on life

If you are consuming alcohol more than once a week I encourage you to think about how it is affecting your life. How do you think your life could be different if you stopped? What goals and dreams could you achieve if you had the mental clarity and motivation needed to start taking action?

Wishing you balance and clarity in living your dreams!

Write a Book!

In the past three months I have encountered the idea of writing a book twice. Once through a webinar by Andrea Beaman about her Master Coaching in Action Program and again when I visited the website of one of the IIN lecturers Karen Witzig Rozell. Karen and her husband Drew wrote a book called Write Now.

According to both websites the reasons to write your own book as a Health Coach are; to get clear about the message you want people to know, narrow down your target market, attract the kind of people you want to work with and to increase your sales. You can use your book as a glorified business card!

I am intrigued by this idea and after thinking about writing a book for my Health Coaching practice I decided that just starting with the first steps; writing my thesis/mission statement and creating an outline, would really help me get focused on what I have to offer my clients. I will be able to answer questions such as: What am I an expert in and what will my clients gain from working with me? Once I have completed these steps I can then tailor my program around that message and have a solid direction to move in.

I believe this concept can be applied to other areas of life as well. Are you feeling like you are floundering or wandering aimlessly through life with no real direction? Or maybe you know where you want to go but the process of getting there is overwhelming and cloudy?

Try creating a thesis/mission statement and an outline for your life. What is the single most important goal in your life right now? Use that as your mission statement, now start creating an outline for accomplishing that goal. When you start filling in the pieces of your outline you will begin to understand the action steps needed to achieve your goal.

Here's a very simple example:

Mission Statement: Cooking with Greens is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

Outline:

Chapter 1: Cooking Utensils

Chapter 2: Purchasing and Storing Greens

Chapter 3: Methods for preparing and cooking greens

Chapter 4: Recipes

When you fill in all the chapters of this outline you will have the knowledge and experience necessary to increase the greens in your diet and become more healthy. You can apply this strategy to going on vacation, getting the job you want, and any other goal that you have.

I will definitely be doing this for my Health Coaching practice and I encourage you to try it out for your own goals, see if it helps you get a clear picture of what you really want. Who knows, when you are done maybe you will even have a book to publish ;-)

Wishing you success in reaching your goals!

Primary Foods - Career - Part 2

Reference: Primary Foods - Career - Part 1

Just two weeks to get a response in writing! My boss took my proposal seriously and we were able to come to an agreement. My last day as a full-time employee will be on the 22^nd. After that day I will continue working on a temporary part-time basis at an hourly rate. I am very happy to say that is the outcome I had hoped for!

This experience has been empowering to say the least. Sending the email to my boss was very hard for me because I knew once I did, there was no turning back. I was scared to step outside of my comfort-zone and take a risk. I have never been a risk taker and living that way landed me in a career that I didn't enjoy and was sapping away the love and joy from all it was providing. Fear can be debilitating and it can rob you of your dreams. One of the most valuable things I have learned from IIN and something they say a lot throughout the curriculum is “Feel the fear and do it anyway”. It is okay to feel afraid but don't let it stop you from going after what you really want.

It is scary to follow your dreams, to step outside the box and move in a direction that is full of unknowns. However it is also exciting, energizing, amazing and life-saving to take a chance and go for what you truly believe in and live your life as you know you were meant to.  Since I made a decision to stop being “comfortable” and start living authentically for me I have had unbelievable energy and motivation. I am actively working towards getting my Health Coaching business started, I sleep better at night, I am completely motivated to take care of myself and I am finally losing weight! I know it’s going to be challenging from here on in and I am absolutely ready for it.

Are you ready to step outside your comfort zone, move forward inspite of your fear and take a chance at what you really love?

Wishing you strength and ambition as you follow your dreams!

Target Market??

As part of the IIN program there are scheduled “Coaching Calls” once or twice a month where seven
students are paired up with a practicing Health Coach so we can get real-world guidance from an actual practicing Health Coach. It's not a requirement to attend every call and this week I was the only student to call in. It was a great one-on-one session with my Coach.

The topic for this call was Target Markets. My response so far to this idea has been, "Ugh! What?! Do I really need one?! It seems to me that almost everyone needs a Health Coach so why do I need to Target a specific group or market?" The answers to these questions are:

1. Yes, I do indeed need to know what my target market is. 
2. Without one I will be floundering around and not attracting any clients at all. 
3. Not every person who needs a Health Coach will be a good fit for my coaching style.

So, for the past five months I've been struggling to figure out what my target market is. The few ideas even worth writing down didn't resonate with me or get me excited, and when I started thinking about how to market to these groups I completely drew a blank. I was feeling frustrated!

During my call with my Coach she was able to give me seven questions that I can ask myself to help me figure out what my target market is:

1. What types of people are in need of Health Coaching?
2. What types of people do I relate to the most?
3. What am I most passionate about?
4. What do I already know? – What motivates me?
5. Who do I already know?
6. Where do I find these people?
7. How do I create a message directed to these people?

I was surprised to find that after answering these questions, the three target markets I had been struggling with were either not specific enough or were targeting types of people that I don’t actually relate to or agree with. Your target market should be people you relate to and enjoy spending time with, otherwise your clients will drain you of energy and joy and you will not be excited to practice. 

I think this exercise applies to our personal relationships as well. Are the people in your life people you relate to? Are they passionate about the same things you are? Do you enjoy spending time with them?

When I was thinking about my answer to question #3, I realized that the things I am most passionate about are not things that I have been actively engaging in lately. Why is that? Could that be the reason for the nagging feelings of un-fulfillment? Ask yourself this question and think about whether or not you are spending time doing things you love. This is Primary Food and incredibly important!

I haven’t finished working through the seven questions yet and I still don't have a target market, but I now have a way to move forward with choosing one and a new perspective on my life as a whole. Whether or not you are working on your target market, I encourage you to consider and contemplate questions #2 and #3 and think about how it applies to your life as it is right now.

Wishing you fulfillment in your passionate pursuits!

Primary Foods: Career

Wow, this is a huge one for so many people and definitely a big one for me! I have been struggling with dissatisfaction at my job for about 4 years now. The past two years being the hardest. While I am on the path to changing my career with my schooling at IIN, the level of stress and negative energy that comes from working at my job has gotten to a perilous level.

Two days ago I came home from work in a state of such anger, sadness and resentment that it oozed out of me and right into my husband. It was so palpable I could almost see the actual bad energy being absorbed by him. This sent him into a state of extreme stress and he closed himself off. For anyone who knows my husband you know that closing off is a stark contrast from his usual demeanor and a cause for high concern. While he had been dealing with his own stressors at the time, I do believe that what I brought into the house with me that day was the last straw and completely overwhelmed him.

So there we were both feeling terrible and there was happy-go-lucky Asa not having a clue as to what just happened. The rest of the night was shrouded in negative energy. We all went to bed. In the morning I felt better and Asa was happily oblivious still, but when Aaron got up it was clear that he did not feel better. By the middle of the day, after a few cajoling texts from me, he finally texted me to say that he was sorry he was feeling extremely stressed and didn’t know where it was coming from… I knew where it had come from and I felt awful! I told him I thought it was mostly because of my bad mojo and I was sorry for bringing it into the house.

It was at this point that I made a decision. This crappy job has got to go! The money and security is absolutely not worth the hardship it causes me and my family. I started writing a proposal to my boss to figure out the best scenario for me and my family that will also benefit the company. I have worked out three different scenarios, two in which I will work part-time and either get paid as an employee or as a contractor, in both the company saves money and I get more time to pursue my passions. The third scenario is I give a one –month notice and resign. While I am hoping for one of the first two scenarios I am fully prepared to accept that they may just let me resign without offering me anything to stay. If I do have to resign I will look for another job, but rest assured I will be enjoying the hell out of the time off!

I have needed to practice self-care for the last 10 years. When my best friend died ten years ago I needed a break. I was working full time during the day and going to school full-time at night. I stuck it out and paid the price five years later when I was diagnosed with cancer. I needed a break then as well. The diagnosis surgery and subsequent radiation treatments were overwhelming to say the least, but I pushed through and did not take a break. Through all of this I continued to work in a job that created high levels of stress and dissatisfaction. Today, I am 100 lbs over-weight, stressed to the max, my body is in constant pain everyday and I have a hard time doing any of the physical activities I enjoy. I am at a point now where I feel if I don't make drastic changes soon I will be setting myself up for another health disaster.

Witnessing how my stress level affected those I cherish and how my suffering every day affects my husband was the last straw for me. Money does not buy happiness, doing it for the money or the stability is a piss poor excuse for not taking care of myself. It is not an excuse I will be using anymore!

Now is the time to take care of myself! Life is now, it does not happen yesterday or tomorrow, it is now in every single moment we are alive and breathing, life is now and now is the time to live life authentically and to our fullest potential.  

Wishing you a fulfilling and authentic life!

Tis the season for soup!

Left: Spicy Black Bean / Right: Root Vegetable

Fall is my favorite time of year, I love the cooler weather, the pretty colors on the trees, the clean smell in the air and hot soups to warm me up.

I love soups! Pretty much every kind of soup is a friend to me, so I was very happy yesterday when I spent time turning those wonderful veggies in the photo into soothing soups for the week.

Here are my tops six favorite things about soups:

1. They are easy to prepare.
2. You can throw in almost any ingredient, which is great when you have leftovers or a lot of veggies you don't know what to do with.
3. They are great as a lunch or dinner. 
4. You can make them light or hearty depending on whether or not you want them to be the main attraction or a side dish.
5. They only require simple tools and techniques so that anyone can prepare them.
6. Soups are a great way to add more veggies into your diet.

Yesterday I used the veggies and beans in the picture above to make two different soups. One soup I made in a crock pot and the other I cooked in a pot on the stove. Crock pots are great if you really don't want to do anything. You just add your ingredients and turn it on, 4 - 6 hours later you have hot and yummy soup! Cooking soup on the stove is great if you want is to be done sooner. You can make it in about 30 minutes on the stove depending on what you want in your soup.

Here are some basic tools and ingredients to make your own yummy soups:

Kitchen Tools and Appliances:

• Large pot with a lid.
• Bowls with lids(can be glass or plastic)
• Measuring cup for liquids(2 cup measure).
• Soup Ladle
• Mixing spoon or spatula
• Good kitchen knife for chopping, slicing etc.
• Measuring spoons for Tablespoon and Teaspoon.
• Vegetable Peeler
• Cutting board

Basic Ingredients:

• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Canned or boxed Vegetable Broth
• Water
• Brown Rice or other whole grain
• Beans - any kind
• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Spices you enjoy. 

I found this basic and easy vegetable soup recipe on www.chow.com.This recipe allows you to easily substitute any vegetables, grains or beans you want to use:

Basic Vegetable Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS

·         4 teaspoons olive oil

·         1 medium onion, medium dice

·         Kosher salt

·         Freshly ground black pepper

·         2 medium carrots, medium dice

·         2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

·         1 celery stalk, medium dice

·         2 cups additional vegetables of your choice (such as red pepper, cabbage, asparagus, mushrooms, fennel, or peas), medium dice

·         1 bay leaf (optional)

·         1 pinch dried thyme (optional)

·         1 quart low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

·         1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, medium dice

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large cooking pot over medium-high heat until simmering. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the celery and, if using, any hearty vegetables (such as cabbage and fennel) and the bay leaf and thyme. Season again with salt and pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes.
4.    Add the broth, potatoes, and any quicker-cooking vegetables (such as asparagus and peas). Let the soup come to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork, about 15 to 25 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

 Happy Soup Making!

All you need is Love

Today is my 33^rd Birthday. When I came downstairs this morning to get ready for work there was a large vase of beautiful yellow roses and lilies, a giant over-sized card that my step-son Asa made for me himself and a prettily wrapped box from my husband Aaron and Asa.  My Mom called me this morning to wish me a Happy Birthday. There was a card in the mail box from my Mother-in-Law and her Husband and I received many well wishes from friends and family on Facebook and through text messages.  All  acts of love and kindness.

I believe the purest love a person can experience is the love of a child. There is something that pulls at the deepest level of your heart when you know you're loved by a child.  The love of my step-son Asa is even more meaningful to me. We do not have the same kind of parent-child bond that he has with his Mom and Dad, but we have built our relationship over the past five years and have grown to love and respect each other very much.

Asa called me from his Mom’s house this morning to wish me a Happy Birthday, to tell me he loves me and he hopes I have a good Birthday. This expression of his love moved me to tears of joy. I am a very fortunate person to have earned his love and I am grateful for it.

I realized after my phone call with Asa just how much of an impact a small act of love can have. It was three minutes out of his day but it meant the world to me.

In reflecting on my life today I asked myself “So what have I learned in 33 years of living?”. I came to the conclusion that the one most important thing I have learned is that The Beatles were right… All you need is love and love is all you need. Giving and receiving love is paramount to any other activity of life; without love babies fail to thrive and grow, without love elderly and sick people die sooner, without love no human is happy and fulfilled. Love is all we need and love is all around.

Please spend five minutes every day, starting today, thinking about what you are grateful for, the people you love and those who love you. Commit one small act of kindness and love everyday and see what fulfillment comes into your life.

Wishing you much love, health and wellness!