The Secret To Understanding How Your Dreams Can Give You The Edge in 2012!

December is a month of long night and shortened daylight hours.  The Winter Solstice is an ideal time to slow down and reflect on the year before moving into the holidays filled with celebrations of gratitude and abundance.  Reflection allows us to make peace with the past, gain clarity for the moment and build confidence in the future.  Taking a cue from Mother Nature, the extended hours of darkness, expand your dreams beyond limitation. Where dreams expand so does the heart, the mind and the soul making space for the new things we desire as the New Year approaches.

Mediation begins with listening to the noise that surrounds us and releasing it as easily as it comes. Begin reflective meditation by noticing all that is going on in the mind, allowing thoughts to come and go.  There may be thoughts that linger longer than others asking for more attention. There may be feelings in varying degrees of intensity that ride along with the thoughts. Notice all of that is connected to each thought or strings of thoughts.  You may choose to write them down at this time or simply take notice, however, be aware of the serendipitous nature of the process, desire for the whole self to explore, gather and sort the information into useful material.  

Using the process of exploration, gathering and sorting create a reflections page in your strategies journal (SMASH book) of those things that you found to be significant is similar to “kicking the tires” of your car before setting out on the road.  Becoming familiar with the quirks of a vehicle before you take a long trip, (or a short one), allows you to enjoy the ride by reducing perceived risk making the journey more enjoyable and less stressful. In life, understanding how you process events and sort information will help you to create objectives, strategies and tactics to meet your goals with greater success, less stress, and enjoy the journey.

As the mind becomes increasingly still there is a temptation to fill it with new thoughts. Take a moment to let the system rest and reach beyond your perceived limits to retrieve inspiration.  Listen to the breath of the body and the rhythm of the heart as your mind and body settles in and adjusts to the stillness.  Consider the quiet to be the gift of peace to the whole soul offering it with gratitude for a job well done. As inspiration reveals it’s self the imagination will expand it into a dream. Follow the dream and expand it in all directions until you reach the boundaries of the dream, and then push it out even more.  Experience the dream in as much detail as possible, interacting with the dream with all of the senses.  Deepening the experience sends the mind and body to the fringe of reality where it will return with endless possibilities from which to realize the potential of the dream. Record this information in your strategies journal in vivid detail.

Sort the information you have brought back from the dream into categories, such as;

1. Center/ Spirituality/ Self
2. Partnerships/Love
3. Creations/ Children/Homemaking
4. Travel/ Service/ Declarations
5. Work/ Career/ Activity
6. Information/ Knowledge/ Self-Cultivation/ Culture
7. Health/ Money/ Traditions/ Habits
8. Wealth/ Abundance/ Distribution/ Growth
9. Personal Power/ Security/ Longevity/ Integrity. 

This is a springboard list to identify objectives, build strategies and implement tactics that will move you to realize the dream. 

 

The Secret To Understanding How Your Dreams Can Give You The Edge in 2012!

December is a month of long night and shortened daylight hours.  The Winter Solstice is an ideal time to slow down and reflect on the year before moving into the holidays filled with celebrations of gratitude and abundance.  Reflection allows us to make peace with the past, gain clarity for the moment and build confidence in the future.  Taking a cue from Mother Nature, the extended hours of darkness, expand your dreams beyond limitation. Where dreams expand so does the heart, the mind and the soul making space for the new things we desire as the New Year approaches.

Mediation begins with listening to the noise that surrounds us and releasing it as easily as it comes. Begin reflective meditation by noticing all that is going on in the mind, allowing thoughts to come and go.  There may be thoughts that linger longer than others asking for more attention. There may be feelings in varying degrees of intensity that ride along with the thoughts. Notice all of that is connected to each thought or strings of thoughts.  You may choose to write them down at this time or simply take notice, however, be aware of the serendipitous nature of the process, desire for the whole self to explore, gather and sort the information into useful material.  

Using the process of exploration, gathering and sorting create a reflections page in your strategies journal (SMASH book) of those things that you found to be significant is similar to “kicking the tires” of your car before setting out on the road.  Becoming familiar with the quirks of a vehicle before you take a long trip, (or a short one), allows you to enjoy the ride by reducing perceived risk making the journey more enjoyable and less stressful. In life, understanding how you process events and sort information will help you to create objectives, strategies and tactics to meet your goals with greater success, less stress, and enjoy the journey.

As the mind becomes increasingly still there is a temptation to fill it with new thoughts. Take a moment to let the system rest and reach beyond your perceived limits to retrieve inspiration.  Listen to the breath of the body and the rhythm of the heart as your mind and body settles in and adjusts to the stillness.  Consider the quiet to be the gift of peace to the whole soul offering it with gratitude for a job well done. As inspiration reveals it’s self the imagination will expand it into a dream. Follow the dream and expand it in all directions until you reach the boundaries of the dream, and then push it out even more.  Experience the dream in as much detail as possible, interacting with the dream with all of the senses.  Deepening the experience sends the mind and body to the fringe of reality where it will return with endless possibilities from which to realize the potential of the dream. Record this information in your strategies journal in vivid detail.

Sort the information you have brought back from the dream into categories, such as;

1. Center/ Spirituality/ Self
2. Partnerships/Love
3. Creations/ Children/Homemaking
4. Travel/ Service/ Declarations
5. Work/ Career/ Activity
6. Information/ Knowledge/ Self-Cultivation/ Culture
7. Health/ Money/ Traditions/ Habits
8. Wealth/ Abundance/ Distribution/ Growth
9. Personal Power/ Security/ Longevity/ Integrity. 

This is a springboard list to identify objectives, build strategies and implement tactics that will move you to realize the dream. 

 

Emotion Flashcards for Grownups

Part 1: Identify

Emotional intelligence is an important aspect to the evolution of your inner rockstar. Emotional intelligence or EI is not about being happy or sad but what you do when you are happy or sad and how you transition from emotion to emotion. Webster’s New World Dictionary describes intelligence as, “a) ability to learn or understand from experience: ability to acquire and retain knowledge; mental ability, b) use of the faculty of reason in solving problems, directing conduct, c)measured success in using these abilities.”   According to PsychologyToday.com Dr. John D Mayer emotional intelligence is awareness of how we get from one emotion to another and how choose to get in and out of emotions.  Dan Goleman, in his article, “Are Women More Emotionally Intelligent than Men?” says, “Emotional Intelligence has four parts: self-awareness, managing our emotions, empathy, and social skill.”

Emotional Intelligence is about actions taken upon an emotional event.  Successful men and women are equally emotionally intelligence contrary to popular opinion. There are many undefined human emotions. Experts have created a short list of 23 emotions that is seemingly applicable, easy to identify with and to use.

·         Joy/ Knowledge/ Empowerment	·         Contentment	·         Doubt	·         Hatred/ Rage
·         Passion	·         Boredom	·         Worry	·         Jealousy
·         Enthusiasm/ Eagerness/ Happiness	·         Pessimism	·         Blame	·         Insecurity/ Guilt
·         Positive Expectations/ Belief	·         Frustration/ Irritation/ Impatience	·         Discouragement	·         Unworthiness
·         Optimism	·         Overwhelmed	·         Anger	·         Fear/ Grief/ Depression/ Despair / Powerlessness
·         Hopefulness	·         Disappointment	·         Revenge

Proficiency in emotional control comes from practice like learning to drive a car. Remember learning to read with flashcards? You learned to identify a car by its illustrated picture symbol on the flashcard with the letters c-a-r in bold type beneath it. Each time you rode in a car you were reminded of this symbol word connection. After what probably seemed like an eternity you were able to take driver’s education. With practice in simulators and on the road you learned how to drive. The challenges of learning the visual landmarks that identified our route home, to school, or your favorite hangout was overcome in time. It was only a matter of time before you became proficient in our driving skills and could successfully drive while thinking about other things besides the mechanics of driving. Emotional intelligence comes with practice and with practice comes proficiency. After a short while new emotional connections and desired responses to events will become automatic.

The key is to slow the process down enough to identify with each emotion. People move through several emotions at a time as they sort an event. Reading the table from top to bottom beginning with the left column we see joy at the top of the emotional range and fear as the last category on the list.

Emotional Intelligence can be improved in three easy steps.

1.     Notice how you are feeling right now.

2.     Identify a feel that you desire more than the one you are currently feeling.

3.     Remember a time when you felt the desired feeling or imagine what it would feel like and soak in as much detail as you can paying close attention to the details. Remain in the desired feeling as long as possible as often as possible until it has become your current feeling.

Emotions can be a guide to how to evaluate events and empower our choices about how we respond. Just like flashcards are effective in learning how to read and understand our world through language; emotional awareness is effective in learning how to use our emotions as a guide to understanding our responses to events.

 

Related PsychologyToday.com Links:

What Emotional Intelligence is and is not, http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201111/what-is-your-emotional-iq/what-emotional-intelligence-is-and-is-not

Are Women More Emotionally Intelligent Than Men? http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201111/emotional-intelligence/are-women-more-emotionally-intelligent-men

What is Your Emotional Intelligence? http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201111/what-is-your-emotional-iq/which-you-which-intelligence

 

 

Emotion Flashcards for Grownups

Part 1: Identify

Emotional intelligence is an important aspect to the evolution of your inner rockstar. Emotional intelligence or EI is not about being happy or sad but what you do when you are happy or sad and how you transition from emotion to emotion. Webster’s New World Dictionary describes intelligence as, “a) ability to learn or understand from experience: ability to acquire and retain knowledge; mental ability, b) use of the faculty of reason in solving problems, directing conduct, c)measured success in using these abilities.”   According to PsychologyToday.com Dr. John D Mayer emotional intelligence is awareness of how we get from one emotion to another and how choose to get in and out of emotions.  Dan Goleman, in his article, “Are Women More Emotionally Intelligent than Men?” says, “Emotional Intelligence has four parts: self-awareness, managing our emotions, empathy, and social skill.”

Emotional Intelligence is about actions taken upon an emotional event.  Successful men and women are equally emotionally intelligence contrary to popular opinion. There are many undefined human emotions. Experts have created a short list of 23 emotions that is seemingly applicable, easy to identify with and to use.

·         Joy/ Knowledge/ Empowerment	·         Contentment	·         Doubt	·         Hatred/ Rage
·         Passion	·         Boredom	·         Worry	·         Jealousy
·         Enthusiasm/ Eagerness/ Happiness	·         Pessimism	·         Blame	·         Insecurity/ Guilt
·         Positive Expectations/ Belief	·         Frustration/ Irritation/ Impatience	·         Discouragement	·         Unworthiness
·         Optimism	·         Overwhelmed	·         Anger	·         Fear/ Grief/ Depression/ Despair / Powerlessness
·         Hopefulness	·         Disappointment	·         Revenge

Proficiency in emotional control comes from practice like learning to drive a car. Remember learning to read with flashcards? You learned to identify a car by its illustrated picture symbol on the flashcard with the letters c-a-r in bold type beneath it. Each time you rode in a car you were reminded of this symbol word connection. After what probably seemed like an eternity you were able to take driver’s education. With practice in simulators and on the road you learned how to drive. The challenges of learning the visual landmarks that identified our route home, to school, or your favorite hangout was overcome in time. It was only a matter of time before you became proficient in our driving skills and could successfully drive while thinking about other things besides the mechanics of driving. Emotional intelligence comes with practice and with practice comes proficiency. After a short while new emotional connections and desired responses to events will become automatic.

The key is to slow the process down enough to identify with each emotion. People move through several emotions at a time as they sort an event. Reading the table from top to bottom beginning with the left column we see joy at the top of the emotional range and fear as the last category on the list. Emotional Intelligence can be improved in three easy steps.

1.     Notice how you are feeling right now.

2.     Identify a feel that you desire more than the one you are currently feeling.

3.     Remember a time when you felt the desired feeling or imagine what it would feel like and soak in as much detail as you can paying close attention to the details. Remain in the desired feeling as long as possible as often as possible until it has become your current feeling.

Emotions can be a guide to how to evaluate events and empower our choices about how we respond. Just like flashcards are effective in learning how to read and understand our world through language; emotional awareness is effective in learning how to use our emotions as a guide to understanding our responses to events.

 

Related PsychologyToday.com Links:

What Emotional Intelligence is and is not, http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201111/what-is-your-emotional-iq/what-emotional-intelligence-is-and-is-not

Are Women More Emotionally Intelligent Than Men? http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201111/emotional-intelligence/are-women-more-emotionally-intelligent-men

What is Your Emotional Intelligence? http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201111/what-is-your-emotional-iq/which-you-which-intelligence

Live Life with Passion #passion #life

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy a quickening tht is translated through you into action; and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. you must keep that channel open. it is not for you to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions, it is for you to keep it yours, clearly and directly." --- Martha Graham

 

6 Steps Toward A Difference Only You Can Make #charity #volunteerism

iVolunteer Video from iVolunteer on Vimeo.

This post began to take shape after I read a couple of articles I found in my twitterfeed, SocialEdge"Right brain or left brain?" http://htl.li/6UqPG and 'The value of water in Mali'  http://bit.ly/qgaTdF  by CharityWater. I have a personal connection to Mali, West Africa and am always watchful of new information on assistance for the country. I am also interested in the way people quantify the predicted results and reasons for what they do. These two articles stirred up a particular passion I have about how we create change in our world on a local and global level.

At the beginning of LYFE Empowered 2.0, February 2011 my objective was to live big to give big.  I am an advocate of volunteerism and have been a volunteer for many years. When I was raising my children I had the opportunity to be on several committees in my community.I was involved on a city, school, and neighborhood level engaged in various ways that brought value to my community.

Having my fingers in so many pies I found that I was also engaged in conversations with the curious and the furious everywhere I went. I indulged the curious and to the furious I would often ask."When can I pick you up on Tuesday for the next City Council meeting?" or, "I have several places I could use you, can I put you down as a volunteer?" These questions often closed the conversation quickly and rarely did I ever see anyone at a City Council meeting or recruit a new volunteer. 

It is always easier to complain than it is to dig in and possibly make a change..... or is it?

How do you begin to make the change that only you can make? It is simple. The biggest changes begin close to home. Schools, local organization, charities, and communities are always looking for people interested in trading a little time to make a small difference. Every bit counts.

1. What are you passionate about? 
2. Where are you already spending the most time? Work, School, Church, Government Offices, Parks or recreation outlets?
3. Where do you see opportunity for the most improvement?
4. What are three things you can do in the next seven days that will move you closer to having an impact on this environment? Consider your resources; who, what, and where. Who do you people you know? What do you have to give? What resources do you have in the area where you would like to see the change? 
5. On a scale of one to ten, rank these three things based upon how important they are for you to complete. If any of them fall below a five, re-evaluate your tactics. 
6. Take action on your plan. Make the time, the calls, and put the resources together that will move you closer to accomplishing your objective.

And so, with the season of giving in full swing and the time for a new year's resolution right around the corner, I encourage and challenge you to consider these things and how you will make a the difference only you can make.

Live Big to Give Big,

Elle

 

Resources to get you started: (google is a beautiful thing)

www.handsonnetwork.org/

www.volunteerguide.org

www.volunteermatch.org/

www.crossculturalsolutions.org

www.serve.gov/

www.getinvolved.gov/

www.womenow.org

Eat Fresh #elleeyre #diet #nutrition #health

One of the reasons for consuming vegetables is for their natural enzymes, phyto-proteins, and fibres that feed and cleanse our internal systems assisting them in optimum performance. Eat fresh. Pound for pound you will receive more benefits from living produce than frozen.

Produce is picked before it's peak so that it arrives in the market semi-ripe and last longer on the shelf. if the product has not ripened by the time you purchase it you should treat it as the market does and leave it at room temperature until ripe. Direct from the farm markets or markets on the farm are the absolute best places to get your fresh produce. At the supermarket produce that is in season is the produce that is on sale or priced to move quickly.

Choosing foods high in nutrition density and foods that are in season will support the functions of the body during the current season and prepare the body for the oncoming season for maximum survival. Because we live in a global society and reap the benefits of fresh produce year round it is important to recognize what role produce plays in the human diet. Along with sufficient hydration, learning to shop and cook from the produce section is one of the best wellness practices you can develop. Not only will you save money on your grocery bill you will begin to notice a difference in how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Making diet decisions based on good information is key in choosing eating strategies that maximize performance and benefit from our foods.

#Friday #FavesandRaves #TotalBodyDetox

Today Dr. Oz is talking about the 48 Hour Cleanse. Detox and cleanse are used synonymously to describe the best ways to begin a new diet, weight loss program, or boost the metabolism. Detox is a natural function of the body using the skin, lungs, liver, kidneys, and colon.

Today's fave and rave is all about a product that is gentle enough to use every day and powerful enough to do the job efficiently and effectively. Nutranomics Total Body Detox supports these elimination organs with nutrients they need for optimal function while assisting them in doing their job to cleanse toxins from the body.

A superior whole food product that doesn't include anything the body cannot use the Total Body Detox is part of my nutrition strategy. The foods Dr. Oz recommends are the bones of a successful eating strategy for optimum health. These two tactics are easy additions to your personal wellness strategy.

Keep your body rockin'

Elle

#Friday #FavesandRaves #TotalBodyDetox

Today Dr. Oz is talking about the 48 Hour Cleanse. Detox and cleanse are used synonymously to describe the best ways to begin a new diet, weight loss program, or boost the metabolism. Detox is a natural function of the body using the skin, lungs, liver, kidneys, and colon.

Today's fave and rave is all about a product that is gentle enough to use every day and powerful enough to do the job efficiently and effectively. Nutranomics Total Body Detox supports these elimination organs with nutrients they need for optimal function while assisting them in doing their job to cleanse toxins from the body.

A superior whole food product that doesn't include anything the body cannot use the Total Body Detox is part of my nutrition strategy. The foods Dr. Oz recommends are the bones of a successful eating strategy for optimum health. These two tactics are easy additions to your personal wellness strategy.

Keep your body rockin'

Elle

Caution: Incomplete Information Can Effect Your Health Decisions?

Prevention: Doubts on Women’s Use of Supplements

As shared in an New York Times article, older women who used common dietary supplements died at slightly higher rates than women who did not.

Incomplete information can cause us to draw conclusions that may not impact our lives as they are presented. Articles are not meant to give you all of the facts, just to peak your interest. In making decisions about your health consider reading the information from the source in order to assess the real risk. http://archinte.ama-assn.org/

Caution: Incomplete Information Can Effect Your Health Decisions?

Prevention: Doubts on Women’s Use of Supplements

As shared in an New York Times article, older women who used common dietary supplements died at slightly higher rates than women who did not.

Incomplete information can cause us to draw conclusions that may not impact our lives as they are presented. Articles are not meant to give you all of the facts, just to peak your interest. In making decisions about your health consider reading the information from the source in order to assess the real risk. http://archinte.ama-assn.org/

Better Thinking, Better Results in Six Simple Steps

I wanted to share this video with you because I was intrigued, inspired, and humbled by the ideas that were presented and how Mr. Mistry used information, his know-how, and resources together to put his ideas into action. Many of us will go through our lives accomplishing things that are less dramatic than what you see here, however, we can use the same methods to create success.  This reinforces in my mind that any successful strategy for accomplishing a goal begins with knowing what we have to work with and then implementing a plan using what we have learned.
Since my daughter turned eighteen we get together every Tuesday for breakfast to discuss her goals, strategies and tasks as part of her resolve to, "do my own thing," as she puts it.  Recently, at a breakfast following her first real world job interview, I felt that it was important to reinforce some key points that had come up in our conversation the day of the interview.  That day I called her to find out how everything went. She had concluded that it was, "bad."  Wanting to be positive and productive in my approach, I began to scan my mental database for something appropriate to say. I had done my "homework" and the conversation was successful in that it accomplished my objective with positive results.

"I needed to call in reinforcements."

In the days leading up to our meeting I happened to have been reading articles on success and failure, discussing it with friends and writing about the topic. Recognizing that I needed to be somewhat diplomatic, allow her to feel as if she was handling the situation well on her own, and yet drive home a lesson that would prepare her for future let downs, I needed to call in reinforcements and gather more information. So I began resourcing people I respected and knew I could trust. My conversations about how to guide her through this jungle resulted in some very usable information to keep her focused on what she was learning and how to apply it to future interview experiences. The key was to get her to ask questions that would lead her to connect ideas and draw on the information she had gathered to improve her confidence in future interviews.

"Fear is the twin brother of failure and can become an enemy to success unless used constructively."

As my daughter and I talked through the situation I began to ask her questions like, "Why do you think that is?" and "How can you use this information to improve your next experience." The point that caught her attention and seemed to make the most difference for her was how empowering information could be when collected and used properly. We discussed how successful people are resourceful and that information was one of their most powerful tools. After a calm and productive conversation I felt that she had what she  needed to take the world on by storm, okay, maybe not that far, however, it certainly seemed to change her confidence level going forward.  Which leads me to the reason I wanted to share this with you. My daughter was able to see that fear was extinguished with information, and information could be gathered by asking questions about an experience, which, would lead her to use the information to her advantage the next time a similar situation arose. Many fears have reared their ugly heads throughout the course of my business experience that have shaken my confidence and tested my resolve. I recognize that fear is the twin brother of failure and can become an enemy to success unless used constructively.

"How we use information can be the difference between success and failure"

While growing a business, information about the many facets of business as well as our competition and customers can fuel our desires to take our products to market. How we use information can be the difference between success and failure. Information is something we have in spades. With access to information from all over the world at our fingertips we need only to identify how to collect the information we need and then put that information to work for us. Consider the questions and answers that fueled Mr. Mistry's ideas and how he used information and resources to develop his ideas into real applications. Practice methods that help you to build good critical thinking skills and will lead you to the information you need to accomplish your goals. According to the work of Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul of the Foundation for Critical Thinking you can develop the quality of your thinking and in turn the quality of the information you collect by practicing some simple principles.

1. Clarify your thoughts. Be specific. Create a statement that begins with, "I think..."
2. Create a chain of questions and answers that develop a single idea. Ask: "How is this connected? How is that connected?"
3. Ask questions for clarification about things you do not understand.  Ask, "What information do I need to answer this question?"
4. Ask questions about a subject in more than one way. "Is there another to look at this question?"
5. Be flexible in your views and willing to change your mind as you build your understanding of the information.
6. Recognize when destructive  modes of function; thinking, feeling, acting, or sensing are holding you back from discovering something.

Friday Faves and Raves #elleeyre #droz #health

See the full gallery on Posterous

Health Information You Can Trust

After a brief hiatus Friday Faves and Raves is back with a fave I know all of you will love as much as I do. The Dr. Oz Show. Dr. Oz and I were first introduced through Oprah, on TV of course. I found that as a heart surgeon Dr. Oz provided some valuable information about the organ systems and often showed up with actual organs when he was one of Oprah's guests. Now that he has his own show the information is not only informative but fun as well. You know me, I am all about information and filtering it correctly so I love it when I get information I know I can trust, and this is it. Combining holistic methodologies, practical applications with western medicine and science, The Dr. Oz Show offers the most well rounded information found on TV. His model for educating his viewers bridges the gap between alopathic health care and alternative health care which I appreciate and know you will to.

Touchdown! Fall Fitness in 6 Easy Steps #elleeyre #diet #fitness #fall

Fall is upon us and Americans are preparing for another October obsession. As much as I like football season I am not talking about an obsession with who will take the Lombardi trophy home after the final battle on the gridiron. I am talking about the obsession American's have with fat, too much of it around America's mid-sections, an obsession that stems from our cultural adolescence. With its growing pains, competitiveness, and clear desire for freedom to do what we want when we want, our culture tends to breed ideologies that are fresh and new that separate us from old ways of thinking. Hind sight is 20/20 and Americans are gradually catching on to the wisdom of ancient worlds.

It is natural behavior to take inventory of life in the Fall; early humans took inventory of food and supplies to prepare for winter months when these item would not be easily accessible.   The rhythmic pulse of the earth informed our rhythm or cycle. It was obvious to move with these cycles when we grew and hunted for our food. The earth gave us what we needed when we needed it and our behaviors followed.  In many cultures around the world they continue health practices that are in sync with the change in season. In a country where the year round availability of food and 24 hour gym access can mask the signals our bodies give us to transition our diet and exercise lifestyles with the seasons, it is vital to be aware of the body's natural rhythms and choose strategies that support the body.

The leaves are changing, its time to change our routines. As we calibrate our thermostats for warm days and cool nights, bring the sweaters, coats and jackets out of storage, winterize our cars, and usher in the season of football, hot drinks and warm socks, let's winterize our bodies as well.  To begin your lifestyle assessment define the difference you see between what you see in nature in the Spring and Fall to discover the clues nature provides about your body's needs for Fall.

Success in attaining any goal takes a simple formula that consists of:

• An objective.
• Strategies, and
• Tactics to support the objective.

Transform an obsession into a plan for success:

1. Define your health objective for fall.
2. Imagine life in fulfillment of the objective. Enlist all of the senses to build a three dimensional experience.
3. Identify strategies that support your objective, such as changes in diet and exercise routines, and an accountability partner.
4. List three specific actions that move you toward accomplishing your goal each week.
5. Assess your progress weekly, and
6. Reset your action list, rinse and repeat.

The quickest route between two points is a straight line. The cause of so many failed or slow to manifest desires is the winding path between the beginning and the end. Straighten the path to your desired results with a clear picture of the end result and decisive use of knowledge, skills, and talents. By using your imagination to create a three dimensional version of your outcome you are able to evaluate your plan, make adjustments and add resources where necessary before you begin. Enlisting all of the senses to create your mental model defines the desired outcome clearly and decisively to the mind and body. These two key elements increase the success rate of any goal. Football quarterbacks have greater success once they get into their rhythm on the field. Synchronizing your life rhythm with nature's rhythm quickly turns obsessions into healthy lifestyle habits that flow free and easy with a touchdown every time.

 

Effective Parenting is as Easy as 1-2-3 #elleeyre #children #parenting

A “good” athlete observes and models other athletes who are getting the effect they which to achieve. “Successful” professionals also study and model others they find to be successful and then model their strategies to attain the results they desire. All of the parents I know have the desire to be ‘good’ ones. Each parent is challenged with factors that affect how they approach parenting. The closest and most apparent model two people have as parents is their parents. Evolution encourages us to continually improve and progress which is very evident when interviewing parents about their style of parenting in comparison to their parents. With each couple on the path of parental evolution a large amount of information has surfaced about ways to be a ‘good’ parent.

Children are an expression of two individuals and they way they desire to impact the world through this expression. Objectives reflect the overall effect a parent desires to have on the world through bringing their children to adulthood. Effective parents consider what their objectives are for raising children and base their actions upon what they plan to achieve as a parent. Effective parents measure the success of their methods by observing how their children respond to their world. Effective parents teach their children how to function constructively, encourage their children to express themselves and adjust methods that are not working.

Three easy steps to becoming a more effective parent are:

1. Define your objective as a parent. Brainstorm what qualities you desire to see in your children as adults. Create a statement that reflects your objective.
2. Consider the overall impact you will have on the world by accomplishing your objective through raising your children.
3.  Define the tools your children will need to have to develop the qualities you desire to see.  Manage situations using these tools and in a way that supports your objective.

There is one more gift effective parents give their children:

Freedom. Freedom to express themselves, freedom to experiment with the tools they are learning, and freedom to trust their own inner knowing.

The results speak for themselves. You can measure the results by observing how your child handles decisions and position themselves in social situations at home or around friends. When someone needs to have their voice heard they express it in many ways behaviorally, verbally or through self-defeating behaviors. Children who receive tools that are helpful to them and cause them to be successful in their lives as they live it tend to seek and take parental guidance more often. Preparing a child to handle their thoughts, emotions, and physical expressions constructively is what parents are for.

Effective Parenting is as Easy as 1-2-3

A “good” athlete observes and models other athletes who are getting the effect they which to achieve. “Successful” professionals also study and model others they find to be successful and then model their strategies to attain the results they desire. All of the parents I know have the desire to be ‘good’ ones. Each parent is challenged with factors that affect how they approach parenting. The closest and most apparent model two people have as parents is their parents. Evolution encourages us to continually improve and progress which is very evident when interviewing parents about their style of parenting in comparison to their parents. With each couple on the path of parental evolution a large amount of information has surfaced about ways to be a ‘good’ parent.

Children are an expression of two individuals and they way they desire to impact the world through this expression. Objectives reflect the overall effect a parent desires to have on the world through bringing their children to adulthood. Effective parents consider what their objectives are for raising children and base their actions upon what they plan to achieve as a parent. Effective parents measure the success of their methods by observing how their children respond to their world. Effective parents teach their children how to function constructively, encourage their children to express themselves and adjust methods that are not working.

Three easy steps to becoming a more effective parent are:

1. Define your objective as a parent. Brainstorm what qualities you desire to see in your children as adults. Create a statement that reflects your objective.
2. Consider the overall impact you will have on the world by accomplishing your objective through raising your children.
3.  Define the tools your children will need to have to develop the qualities you desire to see.  Manage situations using these tools and in a way that supports your objective.

There is one more gift effective parents give their children:

Freedom. Freedom to express themselves, freedom to experiment with the tools they are learning, and freedom to trust their own inner knowing.

The results speak for themselves. You can measure the results by observing how your child handles decisions and position themselves in social situations at home or around friends. When someone needs to have their voice heard they express it in many ways behaviorally, verbally or through self-defeating behaviors. Children who receive tools that are helpful to them and cause them to be successful in their lives as they live it tend to seek and take parental guidance more often. Preparing a child to handle their thoughts, emotions, and physical expressions constructively is what parents are for.

Friday Faves and Raves #elleeyre #livinglifeempowered #quora #scriptopus #writing #writersblock

This week you get an extra special bonus rave for writers or aspiring writers. Whether you write becuase you have to, like it or love it there are probably times when you would do anything for the writing gods to shine down their rays of inspiration without any luck. We call it writer's block, I call it being just plain stuck.

I shared one of my latest addictions with you last week when I wrote my rave about Quora.com, a place I have found fountains of inspiration and information for my own writing projects. This week while in the throws of being stuck waist deep creatively I found myself perusing Quora for a ray of inspiration. I followed many questions until I ran across one addressing the very state I was in, good ole writer's block. The suggestion in one of the answers to the question "What are the best ways to overcome writer's block?"  became my angel of mercy, www.scriptopus.com. Contributor Stephanie Saulter had mentioned that writing a mere 15 minutes everyday was an excellent practice to keep those creative juices flowing and suggested that readers try http://scriptopus.com.

The rest is history, I popped on over to the site and started writing with a technique that differed from my normal projects. Usually I suggest that when someone gets stuck they should engage in something that seems completely unrelated. The remedies for mental stuckness do not include more thinking, and being stuck in action can be released with a change in though or perspective. This time all it took was to write under different circumstances, creative writing had become the key to open my mind and get the words flowing again.

The things that I love about Scriptopus is that it is timed, it gives you as many as a thousand words to use, and you can choose to start a story or develop a story. I am in love and it has turned out to be part of my morning writing routine. Check it out and see how it works for you.  http://scriptopus.com/stories/66

 

Untill next time....happy writing,

Elle

5 Quick Tips to Determine if You Are Truly ‘Stuck’ #elleeyre #livinglifeempowered #personaldevelopment #creativeblocks

Energy moves with you, through you, and around you. Being stuck indicates that there is no movement.  Consider that at these times the movement may not look the way you planned it, the way you expected your results to appear in your world and so you feel 'stuck'. When it seems that you are reaching countless dead ends take a step back and feel where the energy is moving you.

I have found evidence over and over again of something that arose during a conversation with my mother once, “Be careful about what you ask for because you just might get it. If you ask for more patience, you may find yourself in the center of situations where you have the opportunity to practice patience until you have mastered it or gone as far as you can go.” I have found consistent results that are congruent with this subject across many different types of situations in my life and in the lives of others as I have looked at them closely.

When you choose to have more money the energy may move you to reconcile lingering money matters. When you choose to have the perfect partner come into your life you may find yourself in situations to clean up your relationships. Whatever you dream or desire the energy is moving you into alignment with it and providing you opportunity to reveal the results you are looking for.

Are you really stuck or are you experiencing the results of energy moving you into alignment with a desire or dream? I am offering some questions that will guide you to find the answer to your ‘stuckness.’

1. ·         What seems to be the dominating situation, (this can be a thought, feeling, action, circumstance or situation), that you have found yourself in lately?
2. ·         What occupies your dreams or conversations which you would consider wants or desires, (good, bad, or ugly).
3. ·         Taking into account what you have been asking for recently (and often, not too recently), can you find evidence that shows you are given opportunity to clean up, reconcile, or adjust your thoughts, feelings, and/or actions toward the object of your desire?  
4. ·         Destructive thoughts are remedied by seemingly unrelated action; destructive actions can be countered with seemingly unrelated thoughts and feelings. What thought, action, or feeling would disrupt the destructive expression of the energy?
5. ·         What would happen if you let go of the label on these feelings of “stuck” and allowed yourself to simply hang out In the energy of change?

Identifying what you are feeling and accounting for what you have asked for lately offers perspective to your situation and allows you to make choices about what to think, feel, and do about it in a constructive way. This is a form of self-responsible conflict resolution. Imagine how different life would be as you reduce the energy surrounding seemingly adverse situations or circumstances. Imagine how effective you would be in your life and work without the fear of unexpected circumstances lurking around the corner waiting for just the right moment to rock your boat.  As you master techniques of interpreting the energy you feel around different situations of life you make room for an increase of happiness and joy.

 

Here's to re-framing our 'stuck-ness'

Cheers,

Elle

 

Faves and Raves...Friday? #elleeyre #livinglifeeempowered #favesandraves #quora #ashtonkutcher #jjabrams

This last week was a little off for me. So off, in fact, that Friday came and went without notice. Wow. So here on a Monday morning I am celebrating TGIF with Faves and Raves.

I would like to rave about Quora.com an online question and answer forum. Why is this forum worthy of an Elle Rave? Whether you are curious, a trivia master, or an aspiring human wikipedia, this forum is filled with people that can answer any question from Ashton to Zombies. Questions are answered from average people, celebrities, experts, and companies.

If you are anything like me the answers and questions themselves are inspiration for thought, writing, and the way we live. I was recently inspired about an article topic by an answer director wiriter J.J. Abrams gave to a question about what it is like to direct a monster movie. You can follow people or topics and topics your people are following.

Put your finger on the pulse of what people want to know at Quora.com.

Elle

Tips for Effective Competitive Reconnaissance #outoftheboxclub #elleeyre #swot #businessresources #smallbusiness

Creating solid services and products through competitive reconnaissance.

Being aware of who your customers are resourcing to fulfill their needs is valuable to how you build solutions. Collecting valuable information from public sources, customers and third parties can help a business build comprehensive SWOT analysis. Discovering a companies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats allows you to create an edge that separates you from your competitors and  appeal to your prospective consumer.

Collect information legally and ethically.

 Legitimate ways to obtain information on your competitors include:

• Public sources.   You may gather information about your competitors from public sources such as:
  • Newspapers, magazines, other published articles and television programs
  • Advertisements and brochures intended for public distribution
  • Information freely available on the Internet and online research services
  • Public filings made with governmental or regulatory authorities, such as SEC reports, patent filings and litigation records
  • Analyst reports
  • Industry surveys or reports
  • Public presentations given by competitors at trade shows and conferences
  • Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and similar requests from governmental or regulatory agencies
• Conversations with customers. Interviewing customers is essential.  The more you know about your customer the better equipped you are to solve their problems and ease their pain.  Contact customers about products, pricing, and service as long as the information you are requesting is not confidential.
• Hiring third parties to obtain information. You may also choose to use a third party to gather information about your competition. Third parties are subject to legal and ethical methods of gathering information about products and services. Third party research professionals conduct focus groups and interviews with suppliers and customers generally and may reveal the purpose of their research without disclosing your identity.

However you choose to gather information about your competition do so in an legal and ethical manner which represents your intentions for healthy business to business relationships.

Creating a journal of your competition with your evaluations is a valuable tool in creating products and services.  Recognizing not only what your competitors are providing in services, products and prices along with how they are marketing to your customer will give you an inside look into what strategies work and don't work in your market.

According to businessballs.com a simple 2x2 matrix is a useful way of interpreting the SWOT

Strengths andWeaknesses	the internal environment - the situationinside the company or organization	for example, factors relating to products, pricing, costs, profitability, performance, quality, people, skills, adaptability, brands, services, reputation, processes, infrastructure, etc.	factors tend to be in the present
Opportunities andThreats	the external environment - the situationoutside the company or organization	for example, factors relating to markets, sectors, audience, fashion, seasonality, trends, competition, economics, politics, society, culture, technology, environmental, media, law, etc.	factors tend to be in the future

Alan Chapman of businessballs.com also suggests that a SWOT anaylysis can be applied outside of sales and marketing in ways such as:

• a company (its position in the market, commercial viability, etc)
• a method of sales distribution
• a product or brand
• a business idea
• a strategic option, such as entering a new market or launching a new product
• a opportunity to make an acquisition
• a potential partnership
• changing a supplier
• outsourcing a service, activity or resource
• project planning and project management
• an investment opportunity
• personal financial planning
• personal career development - direction, choice, change, etc.
• education and qualifications planning and decision-making
• life-change - downshifting, relocation,
• relationships, perhaps even family planning?..

As you begin to evaluate your opponent, consider that you will attract clients that are similar in thought and practice as you in the beginning so they will tend to agree with what you will like. A simple compare and contrast list is a good place to start as you peruse website and blog material. What do you or don't  you like about what you see and how would you improve on the content, look and feel. Letting go of your original ideas as you receive new information will open you up to additional possibilities which will enhance your buisiness building experience and allow you to deliver content that is important to the customer.

Internet Sources:

http://www.marketingscoop.com/collecting-information.htm

http://www.businessballs.com/swotanalysisfreetemplate.htm#swot-analysis-matrix