FREE Revolution Me!™ Introduction Seminar – Friday, May 4, 2007

I am so thrilled to announce our first FREE Introduction to Revolution Me! seminar in Bethesda Maryland!

You are invited to join us as we take a closer look at the lives we are living, start a conversation about lives we want and explore how to bridge the gap between the two!

The Revolution Me!™ Seminar is designed to help you actively create a life you love.

Join us as we start the Revolution!

Friday, May 4th, 2007 at 7pm

Be You Bi Yu Wellness Center
Wyngate Medical Park
5602 Sheilds Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817
*Drive around to the upper parking lot in the back.

Call 1-888-POINT-55 (764-6855) or register online to RSVP today!

Creating Day-to-Day Rituals

Our lives are based on a series of rituals – some we are aware of and others we hardly notice. Some of our rituals are productive, some are simply rote reactions, and others are things we do because we feel we ‘have to’ or we ‘should.’

In some recent posts we’ve touched on how easy it is to fall into routines and forget that we build our lives one day at a time. Today, I thought we would touch on a simple step you can take to make a significant shift.

A easy shift is to create Day-to-Day Rituals by consciously selecting activities that support lives we want to live, rather than letting circumstances write the script. Making this shift, we can begin developing rituals that build us up, give us energy and leave us feeling stronger.

At the core, creating day-to-day rituals is recognizing that taking care of yourself revives your energy and impacts those around you in ways both subtle and profound.

Now how to create your own rituals…
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Resolution Review: Creating Real Resolve

What were your resolutions this year – to spend more time with loved ones, hit a benchmark at work; maybe to stick with a diet or commit to a gym; perhaps to stop smoking?

Each year our intentions are good and our motivation strong. Sometimes it works and we see results, but often our resolution is actually more of an annual ritual than real resolve.

Resolve is not a simple a statement of something desired. Resolve also requires you to recognize the underlying strength you already possess and then to act in accordance with both the vision and the power.

The difference between longing for something and actually having it in your life is the framework you place around it. In the past I’ve used the Real Resolve Plan to help clients move beyond annual resolutions to creating real and lasting change.

STEP ONE: Create a Vision (more…)

Someday Syndrome

Each of us knows there is great potential to live the life we want to live, a life that truly reflects the person we are on the inside.

We have ideas about stepping outside of our comfort zone to try something that is out of character or beyond the roles we play each day. Our ideas run the gambit from, finding new career or starting a business to living a healthier, more balanced lifestyle or learning a new skill, exploring a talent or fulfilling a lifelong fantasy.

For many of us, the idea lingers in the back of our heads, in our dreams, sometimes even making it onto our annual list of resolutions. Often we tell ourselves we will have that kind of life when we hit the lottery, have more money, get married, lose weight, make VP, retire, have more time…

We each have a different idea of what we would like to explore and a different when, but what most of us have in common is that our when is not TODAY, it is randomly assigned somewhere out there to a future someday – but not today. This is what I call the Someday Syndrome. (more…)

What if?

For many of us striving for success means avoiding failure at all costs. Our fear of failure often keeps us on a tightrope – afraid to experiment or take risks. We tread close to the tried and true, what we know, the way it’s been done before. We hesitate to venture into the unknown.

We have each experienced some degree of failure in our lives; the memory of which lingers long after we have moved on, obstructing the thrill of experimentation, the adventure of uncharted waters and the joy of discovery. But deep within us lives the percolating question – What if…?

Our experience with both success and failure is what allows us to become experienced enough to know what works and doesn’t. But over time, fear kicks in and we stop seeing the opportunity in obstacles.

Taking risks allows us to reap great rewards. Think of the inventions that might never have been discovered if we did not explore past what we know: from the Pacemaker to digital music downloads; from space travel to Razor scooters – each discovery, from the simple to the significant, started with someone asking “What if we tried this?”

There is freedom in experimentation – coloring outside the lines – taking a step in a new direction and looking at things in a new light. Push away your fear of failure and embrace the adventure. Who knows where it will take you!

What Would I Have Done?

Last evening, as I watched news reports about the Virginia Tech tragedy, I started thinking about a question many of us grappled with a few years ago – “What would I have done?”

It is a question that often arises when we hear of heroic acts like that of Liviu Librescu, a 76 year old Holocaust survivor who blocked the door of a Virginia Tech classroom, giving students time to escape; and VT student, Zach Petkewicz whose bravery saved dozens of lives this week. It’s the same question many of us asked when we saw emergency workers and ordinary citizens take extraordinary action on 9/11. And with so many questions left unanswered, it seems like a far more fitting subject for our attention than that of the act of violence itself.

While the continuous replaying of the events in the media and an endless stream of new details can lead to a sense of hopelessness and despair, introspection can provide a much needed sense of relief. It can even be somewhat cathartic. As we struggle to comprehend these tragic events, answering the question -”What would I have done?” is a way of taking personal inventory, of investigating if we are being the person we want to be in our daily lives.

Tragic events like the situation at Virginia Tech remind us to think about how we live each day – and it helps us to decide how we want to be in crisis, before our action is needed.

As we learn more about what occurred, we may decide an additional question is in order – perhaps “Who do I want to be in my community?”

Memory Muscle: Part II

As the story in Memory Muscle Part I relates, there are traits we each have that are natural, innate strengths. Often, as we grow up we lose touch with some of these traits, acquiring others that help us to fit in or adhere to a role. Over time, our individual voices become buried deeper and deeper, until we almost forget they ever existed.

The Memory Muscle Exercise is designed to help you hear your individual voice, reconnect with your natural strength, and recognize your innate talents. (more…)

Memory Muscle: Part I

A year ago, I started working with a woman who had a commanding presence. You noticed when she walked in a room. Her posture was strong, her eyes focused and direct, her handshake powerful. When she spoke, her voice drew you in, demanding your attention.

She was embarking on new endeavor that was way beyond anything she had ever done before. I commented that with her presence, I could see her easily taking charge of such incredible projects. A confused, almost embarrassed look crossed her face. She said she didn’t feel commanding, in fact she felt invisible. She worried about getting people’s attention and convincing them to follow her lead. Like many, she felt like she was faking it and feared she would fail. (more…)

Springing Forward: Shrugging off the layers

The first few months of a new year are so amazing. It’s as if we were given a clean slate, a fresh start. We feel motivated, strong, energized. Often, it is the time we make resolutions hoping to enact changes. By spring however, many of those resolutions have been forgotten or cast aside.

This is the perfect time to start the groundwork for your personal Revolution! Rather than simply making resolutions, it is more powerful to pull away the layers and roles you have acquired over the years. As you do you will notice that only some still fit, while others have been outgrown or no longer reflect the person you have become.

The act of removing these layers, one-by-one can be disquieting, invigorating, challenging, joyful, confusing, clarifying…for you and for those around you.

The reward to doing so, however, is great. Once you understand the “you” that you have been presenting to the world, you will find a greater understanding of your roles in life, your recurring problems and even your natural talents.

As you shed layers, you will start discovering and accepting who you are, and finding the joy and energy within. And by doing so, you are inviting those around you to see YOU as you really are and, ultimately to discover their own freedom!

This spring it is time to shrug off the pale of winter and discard the extra layers – this is your time in the sun.

 

 

Becoming Yourself

In today’s success-driven world, many of us find ourselves on existing on autopilot rather than actually living our lives. Often days become cluttered with activities that fit socially accepted images of success; yet underneath is a feeling that something is missing.

Living life defined by the roles we play stifles the person we are growing into; and while it may look like it fits, it may feel a bit constricting. To hide from this reality, we surround ourselves with activities and our busyness serves as a distraction from meaningful reflection on the bigger questions.

If we choose to quiet all the noise and still the distractions, we might the voice in our head saying…

• My work no longer makes me feel alive; I am just going through the motions.

• I feel like something is missing, but don’t have the time to figure it all out.

• I feel pulled in many directions by people that “need” me to fill a certain role.

• Sometimes it feels like I am living someone else’s life.

• I am floating in limbo, waiting for my life to start

Taking a moment to quiet things down and investigate the life you are living can help you to see if it truly reflects who you are today. It can also clue you into the areas of your life that are out of alignment.

This truth can be liberating. It can allow you to start moving beyond the roles you are living to actively begin creating a life you love, a life with meaning, a life that reflects your values and your convictions.

While it may be frightening to face these realities, moving beyond the inertia of the status quo can give you a renew sense of energy and excitement. It can reinvigorate your passion for life and help you find focus, direction, balance and joy!