Breathe…. Breathe….. Breathe….  3 deep breathes and you feel so great, right?  How many times do you allow yourself this mini (and seriously necessary) break every day?

Deep breathing is a way to reduce stress, clear your head, re-connect your body and mind.  You don’t need to wait for you Yoga class to practice deep breathing.  I challenge you to simply pause every time you do something routine during the day (flush the toilet, wash your hands, fill your water bottle, take your shoes off or put them on, etc) and take a few good deep breathes.

Your day, your body, your mind, your sanity will all thank you!

 

Do you “help”  out even when it’s not really your problem?  I think we have all done this in our lives.  Whether you are dealing with children, a spouse, clients, or co-workers, isn’t it easier sometimes to just do the task at hand for them because you are better or faster at it?  Or maybe you feel like something is simply expected of you, because you have always done it, and apparently that means you’ll always do it.

By taking on the little “extra’s” through out the day adds up to a whole lot of extra time and work for you!  And does it really groom the other person to be responsible for their own actions? Of course not.

Whether you are letting your child learn a lesson by completing something (the “wrong way”),  or putting a task back on the person who asked you to do, you are taking control of your own actions, not letting overwhelm come into play and allowing the other person to learn along the way.  So next time you are asked to do something (or think you need to jump in and “save the day”), stop and think, “am I really doing the other person justice by taking over?”

Knowing when to say no, and letting someone else do their own task, is an important “Save Your Sanity” skill. Give it shot, you’ll be surprised how good you feel, and how much more productive your day is when you’re not “saving the day”!

I want you to have a Morning Dump, every day.  Yep, that’s right, a morning dump.

Now, maybe I should clarify a bit, before we start an epidemic.  This is the empty your mind to open it up kind of dump.  You’ve heard the phrase “The way you start your day shapes your day”, right?  Well, I want you to start your day relaxed, feeling good, and clear-headed.  Imagine your entire day, and the actions and choices you make, in a positive relaxed mode!

So, to complete a proper morning dump, all you need is a pen and notebook or journal by your bedside (have it there before you go to bed, and dedicate to the Morning Dump)

Now, this next step is the MAGIC part.  BEFORE you get out of bed, you need to grab your notebook and simply start writing. If you get up and start your day and think you can come back to this, it just simply won’t work.

Your goal is to keep the pen moving and write 2-3 pages (or more) of whatever is in your head.  The first few days, it may be more of a struggle (i.e. I need to vacuum, I need to make this appointment, I should volunteer more, yadda yadda yadda).  The point of this is not a “gratitude journal” (this is covered in another blog post, and is just as important but for different reasons), the point of your Morning Dump is to clear your head of all the clutter so that you are open to inspiration, freedom, clarity, and stress.  No one will see this, don’t worry about handwriting, you can even draw a picture if that helps you.

When the notebook is full, keep it, throw it away, do whatever you want with it. It’s simply a very powerful tool to start your day with a clear, stress-free head!

Go ahead give it try, enjoy your Morning Dump tomorrow!

(Written by Guest Blogger, Ann Webb)

In my business as a LifeVision expert and trainer I’m often asked the difference between Ideal LifeVision and Affirmations. So I thought in this post I’d do a little comparison.

Let’s start with the characteristics of Affirmations:
Affirmations are general and typically quite “generic”. Most often they are single statements like the following:

I am at peace with the Universe
I consciously bring money into my life
I am worthy of love and fulfilling relationships

The typical implementation for affirmations is that they are written on cards or post-it notes and then scattered through out the house on mirrors, dashboards, refrigerators etc. The idea is that you read them (alou d) every time you see them.

One of the biggest draw backs of affirmations is that they aren’t specific enough to create a powerful vision that will compel you to action. With single sentence affirmations, your mind (or imagination) isn’t given enough information to create an inner picture that conjures up the important aspects of goal accomplishment: emotion, motivation, visualization, & action plan.

If you’ve read the book, Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, then you’ve learned that our minds are goal-seeking mechanisms. Just like an animal, we also have instincts…..but they are instincts for success. Simply put, if we accurately create a strong enough visualization in our brain, we can’t help but accomplish it as our subconscious does all in it’s power to achieve the image/visualization it was given. (I typically don’t reduce a landmark book like that to a single sentence, so forgive me and either read the entire book or at least The Cliff Notes ;)

And that’s exactly why Ideal LifeVision is so much more powerful than simple affirmations. Ideal LifeVision isn’t a one-size fits all but is as unique as you are. By creating an Ideal LifeVision, you will create your own custom “Ideal You” designed to take full advantage of your unique gifts, talents and personality. Not only that, but each vision statement will also includes the How, Why, and By When (the action plan). It is concrete enough that you can visualize it in detail.

And if that isn’t compelling enough, your Ideal LifeVision is then recorded and listened to daily as an additional method of imprinting it upon your subconscious literally changing the neural pathways. (Because of the combination of using “conscious” language and super-learning music)

Let’s take this one step furthe r with an example:

Affirmation:
I am a conscious creator and giver.

Ideal LifeVision:
As a conscious creator and giver, I find joy in serving others. Daily, I share something of myself. I find little things I can do to lighten others burdens. I find ways to be in spirit. Once a week on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 am, I spend 2 hours rendering service. I have 2 refugee women that I work with. I spend time with these women. I mentor them and offer practical service to assist them in integrating into this country. I have a special financial account designated for blessing the lives of others. I deposit $250 into it each month. I use this money wisely for those less fortunate than myself. It feels incredible giving back as it not only enlarges my soul but creates value for others.

As you can see, the affirmation is a clever and beautiful statement and yet it doesn’t give my brain the specifics it needs to actually do something to become the person I want to be. The LifeVision statement on the other hand gives my brain something to go after. As I feed that visualization into my mind daily, it can’t necessarily distinguish between what’s reality and what isn’t, but regardless it’s goal seeking mechanism pursues the path for accomplishment. My mind actually has something concrete to “land on” now and will find a means and method for accomplishing it.

Eager to know more? Join us for a FREE Tele-class: Introduction to Creating Your Ideal LifeVision. Please grab your “virtual” seat by REGISTERING HERE.

Ann Webb
Ideal LifeVision
http://www.ideallifevision.com