Loving the Chaos

When we think of St. Patrick’s Day, one of the first things that comes to mind is luck:

the luck of the Irish

the good fortune in catching a leprechaun

the blessings of St. Patrick

or finding a four leaf clover

Luck – how big a role does it play in your success?

People sometimes look at others who are living extraordinary lives and they say, “They must be lucky.” I think it has more to do with making your own luck.

If you are clear about your goals and priorities, you are more likely to be tuned into opportunities that cross your path. To the outside observer it might seem like luck but really it’s simply taking advantage of situations that move you forward. When you are unclear about what you want, you just might miss something that is right in front of you. When you are focused, you become more aware of people, situations and strategies that can support you in achieving your goal.

The problem with luck is that you have to wait around until the stars align correctly or a leprechaun turns up. In that case, you might find yourself waiting a long time.

Try instead thinking about how to create your own luck by asking yourself these questions:

What’s my main goal or focus?

What are the ingredients for my success?

What’s the first step?

Then watch for an opening that will make it happen. Luck is just a combination of focus, preparation and opportunity.

In the spirit of the day, here’s my wish for you:

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and the road downhill all the way to your door.

Please leave a comment and share your best luck making tip.

This month’s 10 in the 2010 challenge to change your life is to Eat Well.

Your challenge for the month is to make at least one healthy substitution in your current diet.

So far we’ve considered food substitutions – replacing a less healthy choice with a more healthy one.

There are other types of substitutions that can also help you Eat Well.  In addition to swapping foods, you can also switch some simple habits. Here are a couple to try:

Substitute the size of plate that you are using.

Part of the reason why portion sizes have increased is because we are now eating off of much bigger plates. Thirty years ago the standard dinner plate was 10 inches. Now it is 12 inches or bigger. That extra room leads to extra food you are likely consuming.

Try substituting a smaller side plate that is 9 – 10 inches for your regular plate.

Substitute a brown bag lunch for eating out.

Unless you do a lot of preplanning, you have fewer healthy choices eating out than you do when you prepare your own meals. If you are someone who tends to grab lunch on the go, try packing your own one or more days a week. You are more likely to Eat Well and will also save yourself some money.

Post a comment & let us know what simple habits substitutions you suggest.

February draw winner

Congrats to Bonnie of Edmonton AB who is the February 10 in 2010 draw winner. We’ve sent Bonnie a relaxation CD as a positive was to plug in.

Subscribe to the free 10 in 2010 challenge and your name will be entered into our monthly draw.

Until next time,

Laurel

PS – Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips posted. They are located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Ram Daas

When you first read that quotation, you might think, “Well duh.” Of course if you are quieter, you will hear more.

Just because we know something is true, doesn’t mean we always act on it.

Is your day filled with noise? Finding a little quiet time is a terrific daily ritual that let’s you stop, breathe and hear the voice of your own wisdom instead of the hustle bustle of the world and your inner chatterbox.

Set aside some quiet time – even 5 minutes – and listen to what you have been

missing.

Post a comment & share your ideas:

How do you create quiet time?

Most people in North America own a car. They also know that these 2 things are true:

Perform regularly scheduled maintenance and your car will run smoothly.

Wait for the engine light to go on, and you likely will find yourself with a bigger mess than you needed to have.

Everything from checking your oil to taking it in for a tune up helps you to assess how things are going with your car. Sure sometimes you need major work but more often than not, a little adjustment is all that’s required.

When was the last time you did a maintenance check on your life?

If you are like most people, it’s been a while, Perhaps never. Making the time for a life inventory is one of those jobs that can be easy to put off. There are probably 101 more pressing things on your to-do list. But just like your car, if you ignore the simple tune ups, you’ll find yourself with a life that’s not working nearly as well as it could.

Saving time, focus & energy

Many things in your life can be easily fine tuned if you pay attention to them soon enough. When life has become overwhelming, it’s more challenging to find balance. When relationships have broken down, it takes more energy to rebuild them. When finances are out of control, it’s harder to rein them back in. When you are overweight and out of shape, it takes more motivation to get off the couch. Of course you can always make the changes you want. It’s just that the earlier you catch things, the more time, focus and energy you will probably save. That’s time, focus and energy you can then put into something else.

Making the time to complete a life inventory helps you to identify what’s working and what’s not working in your life. Done regularly it can point out where simple changes can help get you back on track before you need a major overhaul. Even if it turns out that there are some serious adjustments to be made, the sooner you take stock and begin making changes, the more likely you will avoid your life stopping working all together.

Ask yourself:

Right now what area of my life is working the best?

Knowing what’s working can provide you with good information you can apply to other areas.

Then ask:

Right now what area of my life is not working the way I would like it to?

Become your own mechanic. Decide what needs to be done to get this area running more smoothly. Now take one step that will get going in the right direction.

Treat your car well and you can put a lot of miles on it. Same is true of life.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Eat Well.

Your challenge for the month is to make at least one healthy substitution in your current diet.

I know simple substitutions may not seem like they can make much of a difference.

Remember your mantra for this year:

Simple steps taken consistently create change.

Here’s the thing – most people give up when they try to overhaul their entire way of eating. They feel deprived or overwhelmed at taking on so much change all at once. Eating well is about making changes that you can stick with – forever.

How much difference can simple substitutions make?

A lot. Making a substitution that saves 100 calories can result in a 10 pound weight loss in one year – even if you change nothing else. If weight loss is not your goal, substitutions can also be healthier choices for your body, particularly your heart.

Here are some other substitutions to try:

• substitute egg whites for whole eggs
• substitute olive or canola oil for butter or partially hydrogenated fats
• substitute nonfat or low fat dairy for full fat dairy

Post a comment  & let us know what substitution you are trying.

PS – Remember you can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips located in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.

Who are the real fabulous women in your life?

In honor of International Women’s Day, we’re inviting you to celebrate the real fabulous women you know and share with us what makes them special.

Here’s how:

Post a comment telling us about a real fabulous woman you know – first names only are just fine. Let us know what makes this woman special. It might be her attitude to life, her unique personality, her accomplishments, her contributions or something else.

Please keep your comment to 100 words or less.

You can post as many times as you like – but only one real fabulous woman per comment please.

On March 31^st , we’ll draw from all of the posted comments. If you are the lucky winner, both you and the woman you celebrated will win a one year subscription to the new online community RealFabulousWomen.com

Let the celebration begin!

I was recently at the Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention and had the opportunity to conduct an informal survey with hundreds of people.

Here are the 2 questions we asked:

Which area of your life is working the best?

Which area of your life is not working as well as you would like it to?

Using a Wheel of Life divided into the following categories, we asked people to think about their current level of life satisfaction:

Career

Relationship (partner/spouse)

Physical Environment (house, work space)

Personal Growth (including spirituality)

Finances

Health & Self Care (including fitness)

Family & Friends

Fun & Recreation

Most of the participants were teachers. I’m not sure whether these results would differ greatly or not with any other group of people if we asked the same questions.

Overwhelmingly, friends & family was the category in which people were the most satisfied. Hands down, health & self care and finances were the areas that were working the least well for people.

So here are some thoughts about these results:

Worrying about finances creates a lot of stress.

People can not make their best contribution to work or home if they ignore their health & self care.

Family & friends can provide a lot of support, encouragement, connection.

Too much energy taking care of friends & family can impact negatively on your own self care.

Of course there were a few people who said everything was wonderful and couldn’t be better. Hmmmm. I love seeing people who are getting great satisfaction out of their lives. And it’s too bad when people believe that nothing can get better. Settling for a good life when it can be great or a great life when it can be exceptional is still settling. It’s not about never being satisfied. It’s about stretching yourself into the most amazing life possible, even an unimaginably, outrageously fulfilling one.

How would you answer the survey questions?

What’s working & not working for you?

With all of the predictions that the world is coming to an end in 2012, you’d think my laptop could have given me a little heads up that its time had come.

Not until the ominous blue screen with the heading WARNING.

“Oh that’s the blue screen of death” my daughter’s computer science friend said.

That didn’t sound good.

After a quick call to my computer tech, he announced, “I think your hard drive

has crashed.” Which meant a 14 car pile up on the interstate, not a little fender bender in the parking lot.

So he took away the laptop to try to retrieve some files – it seems there are magical tricks for doing this apparently perfected by the CIA – and I am surprisingly calm.

I’m taking this as an opportunity to practice the Buddhist principle of nonattachment and accepting that nothing is permanent.

I suppose there may be some cosmic message in this unexpected turn of events today. I’ve decided to find the wisdom in a fine glass of merlot instead.

How’s your day?

Ask Laurel: Somebody told me they think I need a life coach. So what’s a life coach and why would I want one?

Life coaching is one of the fastest growing segments of the personal development industry but people are still confused about what a life coach does. A life coach is NOT your therapist, your mother or your BFF. You probably already have one or more of those already. A life coach works with you to clarify what you want to change in your life and then helps you create an action plan to make it happen. Many people want to make changes but feel stuck or uncertain about how to get started. They can’t quite see the forest for the trees. Sometimes they need new strategies, a boost of confidence or some motivation. And sometimes they need an objective partner to help keep them accountable. Individuals who want to be at the top of their game, whether they are athletes, executives or ordinary every day people, know that partnering with a coach is one of the smartest choices they can make.

Stone Circle coaching offers a variety of  individual, group and home study programs to help you live your best life.

This month’s 10 in 2010 challenge is to Eat Well.

Here’s the simple change to make:

make at least one healthy substitution in your current diet

Why would you want to eat well?

A healthy diet helps to prevent infections and reduces the risk of some diseases such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

It also helps you maintain a healthy weight and allows you to participate in an active lifestyle.

Here are the sobering statistics:

Statistics Canada’s latest Community Health Survey reports that 51% of Canadians report excess weight with more than 17% of adults — or about 4.2 million people — falling in the obese category. Things are not any better south of the border in the United States.

We all know that diets don’t work. You need to be able to make changes that you can stick with long term, not just until bikini season arrives.

Here are some simple substitutions to try:

• substitute water for soda pop and/or juice
• substitute whole grain bread for white bread
• substitute mustard for mayo or butter on your sandwiches
• substitute a high fiber cereal for a high sugar one

Pick one substitution that you can stick with – and if you want – choose more than one. The key is all about consistency.

I’d love to hear what other substitutions you think would help you to eat well. Post a comment  & let us know if you are up for this month’s challenge.

Remember to keep the momentum with last month’s challenge to Unplug More.

PS  You can always find all of the previous 10 in 2010 tips in the 10 in 2010 category on the right hand side.