The Power of Vulnerability

Vulnerable. 

What a word.  It brings thoughts and feelings of fear, anxiety, and even terror in some cases.  I know it has for me in the past. 

Good old Webster’s New World Dictionary says it’s an adjective that means, “that can be wounded, open to or easily hurt by criticism or attack, or affected by a specific influence/temptation”.   Microsoft office says some synonyms include susceptible, weak, defenseless, helpless or exposed.  

Yikes!  If some of those words don’t strike terror in the heart of anyone, I don’t know what does.  Some people say they aren’t worried about it, but I imagine if they look deep into their hearts and minds, they do.  We all do.  It’s natural. Humans need community and society to function and even loners want at least a small group of friends to like them.  Being vulnerable can open them up to pain and discomfort. 

For me, being vulnerable means showing it all emotionally, physically, mentally, or in some combination.  However, I try to be as vulnerable as possible now.  Say what?!?   Hear me out.

I’m not saying I go spewing too much information to any poor stranger down the road, but with those I trust and consider friends I’m not holding back.   I tell them what makes me hurt.  I tell them what shames me.  I tell them what I have failed at and why.  I have learned the healing power of saying words out loud.  I’ve learned that once those things have been brought to light it can trigger healing.  I’ve learned saying things out loud helps others heal from wounds they carry by letting them know they are not alone.  In healing others, we heal ourselves. 

I’ve come far enough in my own journey, that I will tell acquaintances some of my problems, fears, and faults.   Why?  Why would I open myself up to hurt that way to someone I don’t know well? 

Because we all suffer too much in silence.   We often feel we are alone.  Mental health is a huge problem in our world and opening ourselves to others can help ease our own and other’s pains.   I suffer from anxiety that can easily lead to depression when not kept in check and one of the best things to help is to TALK.

If someone doesn’t listen, find another person, and then another.  Talk about your feelings, be vulnerable.  You’ll be surprised how many feel the same.  There is very little that can happen to you that has never happened to anyone else or a similar issue that they can empathize with you, or just be a sounding board. 

Want more information on vulnerability and healing yourself mentally?  Subscribe to my email!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!

The Power of Breakfast

Good morning!  Ready for your healthy breakfast? Are these some of your choices?

If so.....you are making a common mistake.

These breakfast and many of our common breakfast foods cause a spike in our blood sugar which can start us on a roller coaster all day long that leaves us feeling sluggish, craving sugar and hungry 2 hours after we eat. 

When you start your day making these choices you send yourself in a hormone and sugar spiral that is difficult to stop!   We need protein and good fat choices to not jump our sugars up and back down again!  If you want a good read that explains the science of this cycle and the other hormones in your body, check out Kelly Leveque's book Body Love.

So, how do we fix breakfast?  I have been loving following Kelly Leveque's Fab4 Lifestyle (check out the book!  It's great and will explain the science behind all of it!).   Simplified it's fat, protein, fiber and greens in every meal: especially breakfast!

Fat and protein keep us full, make our blood sugar curve longer because they take longer to breakdown, and give us vital nutrients and fuel for our bodies!  Fiber helps your digestive tract move effectively and can also keep us fuller longer by stretching out our stomachs and triggering our hormones that we are "full".   Greens (which sometimes double as fiber) are vital nutrient boosters and also can keep us feeling full.   All together you can get almost everything your body needs to be healthy AND it will keep you fuller longer- goodbye unhealthy snacking and crazy cravings. 

So let's pretend you usually eat yogurt- how do you change it into Fab4?  Greek Yogurt is a decent source of fat and protein, but bump it up with chia seeds for fiber, some mint for greens and have a boiled egg with it.   Better yet- toss it in the blender with some protein powder, spinach, flax seed, coconut oil and coconut milk for a great smoothie!

Better yet- ditch those carbs all together!  Get you an omelet with spinach and avocado in it- the eggs are protein, avocado is the good fats, and spinach is fiber and greens all together!  Fill yourself up with a Fab 4 or similar breakfast to get the best start possible for the day!

Subscribe to my email for a little extra info on how I incorporate this to my life!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!

Affirmation Station

After years of working on my own personal growth and development I feel like I've learned a thing or two about mindset and the importance of positive thinking.

One of the things I hear often from friends on Facebook is they love my positive attitude and encouragement!  My most recent read on personal development has clued me into my success in life and how trying to always look on the happy side of things has helped me get where I am in life.

I was reading Brendon Burchard's book High Performance Habits and one of what he calls the 6 high performance habits called Clarity really spoke to me.  When I completed Brendon's assessment, I scored the highest in this category.  Some of the keys to this category including being intentional, knowing and projecting feelings we want to have, finding meaning in life, and being focused and determined in our goals and bettering ourselves. There are several ways I've done this in the past.

I often visualize important things in my life before they happen including phone calls, speeches, interviews.  I'll think about how I want meetings to go before they happen.  I even will picture myself writing these blog posts so the thoughts come more clear and focused!  This practice can give you peace and confidence in your daily actions.   Brendon discusses in his book how some of the most successful people in their fields and in life do this action and it really drives success.

When I set a goal that I truly believe in, there is no stopping me.  Ever.  I may sometimes slow down, I may get tired, I may hit the pause button from time to time- but most often it's always a go.  This is how I got through nursing school, grad school, moved to another state, ran a marathon, and lost over 25 pounds.  In some ways this is stubbornness, but really it's being focused and going through the steps it takes to be successful in your dream.   Eye on the prize.

Another thing I am successful at is hitting the reset button.  What I mean, is when life gets me down (and it does and will again) I take my wallowing time and get back going again!  I use quotes, music, and exercise to help reset.

So where does affirmations fit in this conversation?  Affirmations help with building intentions, purpose, clarity and goals.  Personal affirmations are statements we make in the present tense and repeat to ourselves daily.   For many people this seems silly, but after time it can make a big difference.  For those that affirmations don't work for, there's another style called afformations by author Noah St. John.  This changes these statements into questions.

So anyone who reads the sentence "I am beautiful" and immediately throws negative thoughts about themselves should change the way they say it to "Why am I beautiful?"   This will force you instead of doubting yourself immediately thinking of positive ways to answer the question.

I highly recommend working some of these tips into your routine, especially if you feel like you never succeed or you don't have clear goals.

Some books/resources to look into include:
Brendon Burchard- High Performance Habits
Noah St. John- The Secret Code of Success
Shad Helmstettler- What to Say When You Talk to Yourself
Rachel Hollis- Girl Wash Your Face

That would just be a starting place, but that's what personal growth is: a journey!  Make it enjoyable!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!

Planning for success

How do we plan for success? 

We all make plans to do things in life, little and big.  I don't know about you, but at the end of the day it's the things I didn't get done that sometimes keep me awake.

I didn't finish my to do list.  I didn't start my diet.  I didn't exercise.  I didn't grow my company by a million people ;) ..... you get my drift. 

So how do we close that gap?  I've read many personal growth and development books and listened to many podcasts, and a reoccurring theme is having a plan.  How different authors and personal development gurus organize their systems may all be different, but the resounding theme is "failing to plan is planning to fail."

In my opinion, plans can range to very detailed to more broad.  Organized or not, they are all able to be successful depending on YOU!  That's right.  There's no one sized fits all way to succeed.  Following a plan that doesn't work for your personality and life won't work for you!

Think about things you've done in the past and been successful?  How did you do it?  Did you have lists? Charts? Diagrams?   Did you have a thinking session before hand and worked it out in your head?  Did you close your eyes and envision it completed?  Did you just decide to do it and nose to the grindstone until it was done?

Recognizing these qualities can help you decide what planning method you would be most successful with.   For example- I'm very type A.  I like spreadsheets, lists and things I can check off! 

While going through graduate school, I made a list of all of the assignments for the semester in order of the due dates- and worked through them and checked them off as completed.  I didn't go crazy and do them all in one setting- hence writing the due date next to the assignment- but I did like checking everything off and seeing my to-do list get shorter.

When it comes to exercise and knowing I may have a busy day coming up- I put it on my to do list.  I want to cross off that whole list so I get my exercise done!

Some people meal prep and decide what foods they want to eat each day to help with success on healthy eating.  My twist is I make a list of meals and decide which one I want each day!

When it comes to my Plexus business- I make a list of who I want to message before the day starts and get those names checked off by the end of the day!  I make another list of people to follow up with on how they are doing.

See how I know lists help me (they kind of drive me to complete them!) and so I find a way to incorporate it to activities I want to be successful.  The days I don't make a list I'm always much less successful!

Think about tools and things you've done to be successful in one area- and see if you can incorporate it into other areas you want to strive to be successful in!

Subscribe to my email for a little extra food for thought on this subject!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!