[O.W.W.L. Journey] Guest blog post substantiates my “preaching”
I have written many times about the importance of self-care as one of the two pillars of success. My client and colleague, Gale O’Brien, knows this first-hand, as she is a cancer survivor and health advocate. To your health! Janis
Why the Care of Yourself Matters Most
by Gale O’Brien
My cancer journey taught me the importance of self care. I realized more than ever that I needed to take care of myself so that I could have the energy to get through my cancer treatments. Taking a new attitude toward my diet increased my awareness of how good health affected me, and that choice built upon itself daily. I researched what else I could do to develop better health, and began to properly care for myself. In turn, I felt happier and hopeful about my future. As an added bonus, I lost 25 pounds and became physically fit for the first time in my life.
Self care begins with you! Here are seven practical steps to make self care your #1 priority:
- Focus on health and feeling well.
Stop obsessing over external appearances and obtaining an ideal body, and instead focus on the way being healthy makes you feel and what it gives you. You’ll find a deeper sense of gratification and more motivation to stay on track. You’ll also begin to lose tolerance for the way unhealthy choices make you feel.
- Feed your body exceptional food.
Food is a major vehicle for toxic substances to find their way into our bodies. Feed your body nourishing food so that you always feel your best, and remove the worries of disease and poor health. This includes taking daily nutritional supplements that raise and sustain your energy level, manage inflammation and provide a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals. I recommend the Lifelong Vitality Pack from doTERRA. You’ll want to nourish your body because you are grateful for it, so healthy choices will come with ease.
Exercise daily. Yes, DAILY!
Reframe the way you look at diet and exercise as something wonderful you do for yourself, rather than a way to punish your unhealthy choices. Prioritize your daily schedule to allow for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity EVERY day. Start by taking classes at your local gym or community center three times a week. Then add thirty minutes of fast walking, twice a week, to your schedule. Finally, use the two remaining days of the week for exercising socially (hiking with your partner, dancing with friends, bicycling through your neighborhood, running in local races or participating in charitable walkathons).
- Make time to meditate.
Meditate to get in touch with your emotions, to connect with the bigger picture, and to feel at peace. Meditation purifies and strenthens your heart. It steadies your nerves and helps us embrace our fear and our anger, and that is very healing.
Deepak Chopra says…
“Meditation makes the entire nervous system go into a field of coherence.” - Treat yourself the way you’d treat someone you love.
Our subconscious mind hears our self-talk and responds to it in a similar way, so make sure your self-talk is loving, supportive, nurturing, and forgiving. Look in the mirror everyday and repeat the phrase “I am deserving and worthy of all good things, and I accept myself unconditionally.”
- Stay positive and show gratitude.
Learn to catch and release negative thoughts about your body and to focus on the good that it brings you every single day. Show gratitude by focusing on what you have accomplished. Listing your achievements instead puts your focus on what is going right, which in turn motivates you to do more.
- Love yourself first and the rest will follow.
Learn to love yourself by reciting daily affirmations. Once you begin to treat yourself with the respect and care that you deserve, the habits needed for physical transformation develop naturally.
Ask yourself, “What will the quality of my life be if I put my self care last?” I implore you to take action now by making your self care your #1 priority instead of waiting until you are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
Gale O’Brien is a cancer survivor, motivational speaker and the award-winning author of Transformation: Creating an Exceptional Life in the Face of Cancer now available in both English and Spanish. Transform your life each month with timely tips on food, health, fitness, relationships, and work. Subscribe to the Transformation monthly newsletter or order her book by visiting: www.GaleOBrien.com.
OWL Success Tips: Visibility: How it Affects Your Success & Janis in Top 1% of Coaches
Your success in any area of life depends on many factors, many which I teach in “The ABC’s of Success in Business: Mediocrity to Magnificence in 90 Days,” a coaching program for entrepreneurs. Today’s success tip speaks to one of those factors – visibility.
Visibility has risks. That’s why some people hide behind too much weight, don’t make too much money, or don’t play full out in their lives. I received notification of a statistic on February 11, 2013, that I am in the top 1% of people endorsed for coaching on Linked In, the social media business forum, which has over 200 million members! That was a surprise and yet not a surprise, since I have been consciously expanding my coaching visibility despite my fear of doing so.
[OWL Success Tips] Visibility = Possibility = Profitability
What are some of those risks inherent in becoming more visible? Judgment from others and self, fear of rejection, negative comparison, and fear of failure are some of the downsides to visibility. Some great people have even been killed! So it makes sense that hiding out would be safe, comfortable, and easy.
However, with the risks come some positive consequences inherent in playing big, such as wealth, health, fulfillment, love, and being on purpose in your life. And after all, the people killed for their big life game represent a very small percentage of those who do so.
For many of my clients, visibility includes giving up hiding, both physically and emotionally. For me it includes getting my message to larger groups of people. For many of my clients, the risks are to step out of their comfort zones. For me risk includes giving up wanting to be liked and instead being respected. What most of my clients have to gain is health, wealth, fulfillment, love, and purpose, as stated above. Ditto for me!
What does getting visible mean to you? What are the risks to you? What do you have to gain if you become visible? I would love to hear your answers posted here.
My Current Weight Loss Journey:
Week 20 – I Need Support
Wow! I really need your support. My little monkey mind is telling me to stop this nonsense. My muscles hurt a lot, and I can’t remember why I decided to do this silly marathon thing. I don’t even want to write about this either, in case I fail miserably.
Here is what I need from you:
Please comment on what you are learning about yourself through reading my blog posts. What insights are you receiving, what new action steps you are taking, and what breakthroughs have you had as a result of my sharing?
This will keep me motivated to continue revealing myself to you and will reflect back to me what I need to remember.
Also, please share/comment some encouraging words that I can read at O-Dark Thirty when I don’t want to get out of bed and walk.
These will support me immensely. In the O.W.L Programs, we know that support from others is vital for success. I ask for yours today! Thank you in advance for your help. In turn, I would like to support you…
Would you like my help in raising your income to the next level, getting rid of debt once and for all, and keeping more of what you make? Then you must register for the “Weight of Money” program which begins November 7. In this step-by-step proven program, you will empower yourself and your relationship with money beyond what you have ever done before. The calls will be recorded, so you can listen at your convenience if you can’t make the live calls.
For more information or to register, please visit www.OWLWeightloss.com/programs/weightofmoney/.
Warmly,
OWL Success Tip: The Faster You Go, the Fatter You Are
How many times have you suddenly realized that you have said something you really did not mean to say, done something you really did not intend to do, spent money on something you regretted, or eaten something you really did not want to eat? Our automatic reactions work great if we are in danger or are dodging snowballs or are saving a drowning child. However, do you sometimes wish you had waited a few moments before reacting? Do you wish you hadn’t eaten the whole thing right after you eat it? Do you experience regret in your hasty decisions or, worse, your automatic, unconscious choices?
OWL Success Tip: The Power is in the Pause
What do a doctor, a laser inventor, and Janis have in common regarding this subject?
I attended a seminar with Dr. Deepak Chopra several years ago called “Journey to the Boundless.” During his explanation of meditation, he spoke of the power of the “gap,” that space between our thoughts. This week, I attended a seminar by Quantum Wave, a cold laser therapy company. The speaker/founder, Paul Weisbart, taught the concept “Stillpoint,” the space between the breaths, as a way to become present and grounded and to know how to heal the body.
I, too, have distinguished a similar concept in support of people who want to shift their automatic behaviors. Regardless of their project areas, whether it is weight loss, finances, or business, I often ask my coaching clients to print and post this sentence: “The Power is in The Pause.” I also ask them to practice “The Pause” and to notice their presence and empowerment in doing so. Results show that the more they practice this, the more their actions line up with their commitments, rather than regrets.
Here’s a personal example of the power of The Pause with regard to weight loss. On Valentine’s Day my husband and I went to our favorite coffee shop. He had the urge for a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. I had the urge for the whole display case of sweets! Now, we all know that eating huge quantities of sugar is not in alignment with my intention to be a great role model for the O.W.L. program nor is it consistent with my commitment for a healthy life. We also know it was Valentine’s Day, a day where loving chocolate is not only approved of but encouraged. Oh, what to do?
Well, what I did was to take a few moments before ordering. And you guessed it: I ordered a cup of decaf in a large mug and was very proud of myself. The power was in The Pause.
Practice “The Pause” for yourself this week. Pause between breaths. Pause between thoughts. Pause before eating hastily and thoughtlessly. You will be healthier, wealthier, and wiser!
Speaking of wealth, please check out the “Weight of Money” Breakthrough Program, which begins November 7. You will learn how to earn more, keep more, reduce debt faster, and develop a sacred relationship with money instead of a war with it. All calls are recorded in case you cannot make the live calls.
Visit www.OWLWeightloss.com/programs/weightofmoney/ for details and registration information.
Slow down and slim down!
OWL Success Tip: How Hating Yourself for Your Weight Makes You Fatter
OWL Success Tip: Increase self-esteem to decrease weight.
Self-esteem is a crucial factor in weight management. Hating your body for how it looks or disrespecting yourself for not being able to lose weight decreases self-esteem. When self-esteem is low, several things happen to sabotage your weight.
First, you don’t care about yourself and don’t prioritize the time for well-being activities, such as nutritional food preparation, exercise, relaxation time, and sleep.
Second, the pattern becomes a vicious cycle. The worse you feel about yourself, the less time and energy you spend in nurturing and caring for yourself. The less time and energy you spend on yourself, the worse you feel about yourself. Then you eat to feel better, which makes you gain weight. Then you feel bad because you’ve gained weight and have to eat more to feel better. Bottom line: If you are not proud and loving of you, who will be?
Your clothing, how you dress, influences and is influenced by self-esteem. Take a quick self-assessment: Do you dress as though you don’t care about yourself, or do you wear clothes that make you feel fabulous? If the former, you probably don’t take much time to practice other self-care activities. If the latter, you are closer to being your own best friend, nurturing and loving yourself with healthy eating and moving practices.
This week, dress yourself, including jewelry, in a manner that makes you smile. Choose colors and styles you love. Be proud of what you look like. Let a higher self-esteem dress you or let your dressing raise your self-esteem. Either way, your improved self-image will support your weight goals because you are sending a message to yourself that says, “I matter!”
Speaking of self-esteem, many people are frustrated and self-deprecating because they cannot get a handle on their finances, debt, and savings. I help people make more money, keep more of it, and eliminate debt in my 6-week “Weight of Money” program, which begins November 7. Visit www.OWLWeightloss.com/programs/weightofmoney/ for details and registration information.
I teach people to empower and respect themselves. I look forward to working with you soon,
Just Released!
Lose Weight for Life:
9 Unconscious reasons you can’t keep the weight off and what to do about it
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9 Unconscious reasons you can’t keep the weight off and what to do about it
ORDER NOW