Transformation Coaching Magazine April 2022

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COACHING AND BUSINESS TOOLS Rising Star Coach: Elizabeth Rose Strategy Session Showing Up to the Page

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INSPIRATION & GROWTH Cultivating Your Voice We Are One Knowing When It’s “Your Thing” Who Needs Need? The Eighth Pathway Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs Finding Our Roots in Chaotic Winds 5 Tips For Starting a Healthy Lifestyle Hacked by a Garbage Bag

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PUBLISHERS Natalie Rivera Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed.

EDITOR Lisa Cedrone

CONTRIBUTORS Nicole Shir, Linda Commito, Mary Boutillier, Gregg Sanderson, Emil Nazaryan, Kandace Hawley, Ella Hatfield, Jo Mooy, Jowanna Daley, Beka Buckley

© Copyright 2022 Transformation Services, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.TransformationMag.com

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We believe that self-employment is the ultimate form of empowerment. Our mission is to bring you guests whose powerful entrepreneurship stories and real-world advice will give you the inspiration and tools to create a business and life that you love.

Listen on our website or your favorite podcast app or watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

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Rising Star Coach: Elizabeth Rose

Here at Transformation Academy we are excited to announce our April's Transformation Academy Rising Star – Elizabeth Rose Lo! Our goal with this initiative is to recognize and celebrate group membership who demonstrate the heart and service of a coach. Each monthly recipient of this recognition will be selected for a unique reason. Some will be seasoned coaches who serve as valuable mentors within the group.

Others may be just starting their coach-training journey and exude a contagious attitude or passion. Others may be actively supporting other group members, whether by providing resources, answering common questions, or providing moral support. Regardless of each of our wonderful group members’ background or experience, we all benefit from the mutual support and varied perspectives offered within this diverse group!

The Rising Star initiative is a way to give a special THANK YOU to those who go above and beyond to share of themselves within this community.

ABOUT ELIZABETH:

Elizabeth Rose Lo, Bacolod, Philippines Executive Financial Advisor/Certified Health Specialist

“What you’re seeing by faith—it will happen. Trust God. Trust the process. Invest in self-development.

Continue to dream. It will happen.”

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Elizabeth Rose conducts consulting, training and coaching in business, wellness, low-carb food plans and intermittent fasting, social media strategies and quality management systems. She is past president of the Rotary Club of Bacolod South and past vice president of Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines Metro Bacolod. Elizabeth has faculty designation at the Wellness Council of America, and is an Executive Financial Advisor and a Certified Health Specialist. She Happily runs multiple sources of income while raising three amazing kids.

Connect with Elizabeth at http://www.iamtwc.com

WHAT IS YOUR NICHE (COACHING FOCUS) AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE IT?

“Living The WELLTHY Life” deals with the eight dimensions of wellness…I teach our community that we are more than just a fit body or a fat bank account. We are multi-dimensional beings. Kind of like an orange: outside we see one whole fruit but inside we see different dimensions. Not everyone is an apple. We are a segmented orange inside. Although I do spend a lot of time coaching low carb/ ketogenic nutrition, I make sure to incorporate the other dimensions of WELLNESS to attain OPTIMUM health.

WHO IS YOUR IDEAL CLIENT?

Most of my existing clients are women, especially moms.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A LIFE COACH?

In January 2020, my three kids and I went to China for a two-month vacation to visit my husband, and it turned out God had other plans…Due to the pandemic, we weren’t able to go back to our home country, the Philippines, and it was at that time I discovered Transformation Academy (TA).

I started with one course, then the next, and next and next…

The whole of 2020 was soul searching, and now I know I needed that pause to answer the call that I know deep within I have been called to do. TA gave me the skills and the confirmation I needed. In my search, I have taken over 20 courses with TA, and it finally dawned on me that all my life I have been called to do this—The WELLTHY Coach with a message to tell the world that we are not simply alive to have a fit body or a fat bank account. We have mental, emotional, spiritual and all the other dimensions to take care of. And that’s when I embraced my call and formed The WELLTHY Community and started Teaching on the WELLTHY life.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN COACHING?

In the past, I have been the “advisor” or “counselor” for my family, friends, church mates and coworkers, but it never really dawned on me that I have been doing “coaching” or mentoring for the longest time…since my college days when I became a Bible study leader over 20 years ago.

But if we refer to when did I get certified as a coach, then it was in 2020, so that’s 2 years.

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR FIRST CLIENT?

When I officially launched my coaching as a business, I always knew my role was to train coaches. And that’s exactly what I do. With Transformation Academy’s Master Coaching Certification (Master Mindset and Master Life

Coach), the Group Coaching Certification and my Faculty Designation at the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), plus my years of experience as a quality management consultant and a training supervisor, I realized that I have been preparing to train the trainers my whole career—to raise coaches and that’s exactly what I’m doing now.

HOW HAS YOUR COACHING JOURNEY CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

It has allowed me to touch more lives through the coaches that I have in the community. We are not just adding transformed lives but we are actually multiplying . We don’t just touch people by giving them better physical health, but by giving them back their confidence, their zest for life—we, as a community, are transforming lives.

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF BEING A LIFE COACH?

As a coach to the community coaches that we have, the challenge is helping them form their own coaching teams. It’s dealing with each of them beyond their physical health (most of them are ketogenic coaches). As their mother coach, I also help them deal with the other dimensions of wellness. It’s a joy to nurture coaches who mainly help people with their physical health and then eventually become life coaches too, helping in the other dimensions of their clients’ well-being.

WHAT IS THE MOST FULFILLING PART OF BEING A LIFE COACH?

It’s when my coaches tell me they are so grateful to be part of our community where they grow and where they make an impact in people’s lives while making an income as well. Such a joy.

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WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST INSPIRATIONAL COACHING MOMENT, WITH A CLIENT?

I do group coaching. I started with 24 coaches, and after 90 days my coaches have already brought In their own “baby” coaches onboard, so I am already a grandmother coach in our community. We treat each other like family. We don’t aim for perfection but, rather, we make sure we aim for progress—1 percent better every day. The most inspiring moment is seeing them grow by the day embracing the WELLTHY LIFE that they deserve… it’s not the highlights, it’s the little progress that happens daily where I see them grow.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COACHING ACTIVITY OR EXERCISE TO DO WITH CLIENTS?

My community coaches are my clients, and we have a daily group chat and we have two to three weekly zoom calls where we do trainings or Q&A.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR FINDING CLIENTS AND/OR GROWING YOUR BUSINESS?

Building community is the most amazing way to go if we want clients. Provide value in the company. Offer free webinars where people find valuable content and establish trust and authenticity. We want to follow leaders or do business with people we trust.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF BACK WHEN YOU FIRST DREAMED OF BECOMING A COACH?

I never dreamed of being a “coach”, but I always knew deep within my heart that I would be speaking to a large audience. I know I am not yet there, but I know it’s coming soon. So if I can talk to my young self, I would tell her, “What you’re seeing by faith—it will happen. Trust God. Trust the process. Invest in selfdevelopment. Continue to dream. It will happen.”

WHAT IS THE IMPACT YOU WANT TO MAKE IN THIS WORLD?

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I want to make the world see that we are ORANGES inside—multi-dimensional. If one area gets rotten or neglected, it affects the whole fruit. So many people are super wealthy, yet their kids are needy for love. We cannot neglect the emotional or mental aspect of our being in our quest to build buildings. We have social responsibilities because that is part of our social ­wellness.

Spend time building your faith because you need to nourish your spiritual well-being. You have to be full filled with your occupation and not just earn a living. We are multi-dimensional so start taking care of the dimensions you have neglected for a long time because only then can we can live THE WELLTHY LIFE.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH TRANSFORMATION COACHING MAGAZINE READERS? I BELIEVE that we are like ORANGES and LEMONS. We may be one fruit on the outside but we are MULTI-DIMENSIONAL inside. We can’t just have a fit body and a fat bank account.

We can’t neglect the other dimensions of our well-being like emotional, mental, social and all the other aspects because, like the orange or lemon fruit, when one part is rotten, it destroys the whole fruit. A holistic and deep approach to health—­ dealing with the eight dimensions—is a must if we all want to live a WELLTHY LIFE.

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Cultivating Your Voice

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Joel Muniz

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If our personality is out of balance, we are living a silenced life and silencing those around us.

By Nicole Shir Jammie grew up with two very outspoken parents. She was on that borderline of extrovert and introvert. Many times, she didn’t know she had a voice or if she should speak. When she was tired of the things going on around her, she spoke up but didn’t do it skillfully because she never learned how. This led to confusion because of people’s mixed reactions.

Does this story sound familiar?

Maybe you decided it was better not to speak because there might be negative consequences. I was amazed when I discovered how important it is to find balance and realize what giving oneself a voice really means. The ability to find balance should be a part of our life-skills toolbox; everyone needs balance, and I incorporate that philosophy into my practice.

Balance means becoming centered in your personality, at the very core of your being.

During the past year, I have been studying personalities and how people’s personalities communicate with each other, and I have learned that everyone has amazing qualities—but they need to find balance to express them in a meaningful way. Moreover, society groups have been busy silencing each other’s differences, and this has left people feeling off kilter, too. It causes us to easily label each other, which can be helpful, but in most cases it is destructive. The bottom line is, if our personality is out of balance, we are living a silenced life and silencing those around us.

Silencing is not a choice; it is telling someone that they are not worthy

to have a voice. At the same time, there are moments when it is wise to be silent, which is a choice—and these are two very different scenarios.

Overall, building communications skills around our personalities provides us with the ability to find balance and a voice. But what do skills look like?

How can someone develop or get skills?

There are many resources to help us learn skills. One of my favorite methods is meditation, which has many positive effects. It can actively help people to learn to listen to their inner voice and to others.

When we become aware of what we need, we can voice it in a respectful manner to those we are in relationship with. An example of this is stating: “I understand you would like to discuss this; I am tired, and I am not in a good place to talk about this” or “I want to give you that opportunity at another time when I am more awake. Can we coordinate a date to discuss this?”

If I am not in a relationship with that individual, I can respectfully state something and leave the situation. One example is: “I don’t think we are perceiving the same way. Respectfully, we can end the conversation, or we can talk about something else. Is there something else you would like to talk about?”

This work around communications based on personality types led to the development of “The Needs Languages”, a system I co-created with a collaborator to identify and categorize personality types. It is a fast and intuitive process that can help us feel connected and provide a sense of belonging in all relationships.

­ sing real-life instances, you can learn key U concepts about how different people’s personalities can be drawn to or repelled by each other.

For example, through the Needs Language I might learn that my own personality type will automatically draw attention to those I am with. If I recognize this, I can communicate this to someone close to me who does not want attention and come to an understanding. When you have open conversations with those who are precious to you it will improve your long-term relationships. Here is an example of how it might go: You: “Remember when we were out eating last night and, right as the music stopped, I said something loudly. I think by your reaction you felt uncomfortable, like the whole bar was looking at us.”

Friend: “Yeah, I did.”

You: “I tend to draw attention to myself a lot, which brings attention to you.

I hear you are struggling with this because this isn’t your Needs Language. I am working on toning it down so you are not as uncomfortable. What do you think you can do to feel more comfortable. I want to make sure that both of our needs are met.”

In this scenario, you have communicated your own Needs Language, while acknowledging the other person’s Needs Language. Overall, Needs Languages help you know yourself, share what you need, understand the other person needs, and find balance for both parties so every voice is heard.

We can all learn new skills and become aware! Give yourself a voice, be heard and listen.

Nicole Shir did her undergraduate degree minoring in business and conflict resolution and completed her master’s in industrial organizational psychology. She has several certifications including Life Coaching. On a road trip with her co-collaborator, “The Needs Languages” was discovered.

Nicole discovered that many of the personalities models currently available do not address how personalities communicate and connect with each other and in community. Since then, she has written three booklets. Find out more at http://www.Amazon.com. She currently offers The Needs Languages: Bringing Balance & Belonging in Dating on Kindle Unlimited for free on Amazon. Find out more at https://www.thesevencandles.com/

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We Are One

There are so many ways that we can make a positive difference.

By Linda Commito It is difficult to watch the news these days. Whose heart doesn’t ache as we witness what is happening to our fellow world citizens? In Ukraine, people just like us—who want to live healthy lives while raising their

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f­ amilies, enjoying friends, being good citizens, working, and living in peace— find their very existence in jeopardy.

From the safety of our homes, we watch with anxiety as millions of people are forced to evacuate the country they love, mothers leaving with their children while their husbands, fathers,

and sons are left to fight a war that they never wanted. It’s heart-breaking to see a beautiful people and country be overrun with tanks and bombs.

And yet, there is such inspiration in the spirit of the Ukrainian people who refuse to back down, who are resilient, determined, and committed

to protect their freedom and to save all that is precious to them, even as their loved ones, homes and lives are on the line. And always, in the midst of atrocities, there are those courageous people who restore our faith in humanity, who will risk their own health and well-being to help total strangers.

We may wonder what we can do to alleviate the suffering of others—especially when that suffering is caused by other humans. We are one.

We are all connected. What if we could find simple, meaningful ways to help now from where we are: everything from sending prayers and loving thoughts out for the safety and wellbeing of those in Ukraine—to contacting our political leaders, asking them to represent our country by offering financial help and medical necessities.

There are many wonderful organizations and charities working to help the Ukrainian people, as well as in other areas of the world.

Donations help. Every little bit counts. (For example, last week, my partner Francesco and I got a small refund and considered it a perfect opportunity to donate that money to http://www.CARE.ORG Ukraine.

We plan to send more). Mary B., who offers free outdoor yoga classes, will give ALL DONATIONS for the month of March to Care.org for their Ukraine Crisis Fund. Their website

states: "Your emergency gift supports CARE’s Ukraine Crisis Fund to reach 4 million with immediate aid and recovery, food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support, and cash assistance—prioritizing women and girls, families, and the elderly." And another friend, Paula, found WorldCentralkitchen (http://www.wck.org) a good option to help—and there are

so many more. What is your favorite charity to support?

Thoughts can become actions and there are so many ways that we can make a positive difference. Don’t second guess yourself. Just do it! You will be touching the lives of those who need it most and you will feel better too.

Blessings to you, your loved ones, and the people of Ukraine.

Love is the New Currency with Linda Commito Linda Commito, author, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant and teacher, is passionate about her vision to leave this world a kinder, more loving, and interconnected place. Linda’s award-winning book of inspirational stories, Love Is the New Currency, demonstrates how we can each make an extraordinary difference in the lives of others through simple acts of love and kindness. Her latest project, the card game Just Ask 1 2 3, was inspired by a desire to ­connect people of all different ages, beliefs and lifestyles to share our individuality and find commonality. Linda also created “Kindness Starts with Me,” a program, book and website for children. For more information visit http://www.LoveistheNewCurrency.com or visit the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Justask123game.

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Knowing When It’s “Your Thing”

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Derek Sutton

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When we follow our passion, share our gifts and listen to our hearts, we are rowing the boat that is meant for us.

By Mary Boutieller Have you ever wondered why some things resonate with you and some just don’t capture your interest? Do you ever find yourself unenthusiastic about a friend’s passion project and wonder why you can’t rally to the occasion? I’ve wondered this myself, especially when a friend or group I know are working hard on something and want my involvement.

I know a couple who are passionate about fly fishing and could talk about it for hours. Their eyes light up as they explain about rods and reels, fish and techniques. And when I listen to them, I’m excited for them... but have no interest in it myself. It’s just not “my thing.”

I’m curious about a lot of things, and truly interested in some things; however, there is a difference between curiosity and passion.

And it is in this distinction where I find that it either feels like work, or my energy flows effortlessly toward it. For example, have you ever been lost in a project, forgotten the time and worked well beyond when you thought you would? I see it in my husband when he is building something or playing music...time seems to stand still and the world stops spinning for a while. We’ve all had

these experiences. Maybe it’s when we are with our families, or at work, or getting lost in an enthralling book...maybe it’s fly fishing.

Recently, I read an article by journalist Carrie Seidman, in which she talked about an elderly man named Joe who credited his mother for his “daily—and lifelong—commitment to making the world a better place for the less fortunate.” Joe said that his mother would always ask him what he’d been up to. He would answer her, and then she would say, “Well, OK, but what are you going to do tomorrow?

Are you rowing or are you just sitting in the boat?”

Sometimes, in life, we move forward, and sometimes we sit back and wait for the thing, the project, the idea, that gets us going again. We search along the circuitous path for the one that has our name on it. And each time we follow our passion and share our gifts and listen to our hearts, we find it. We are rowing the boat— the boat that is meant for us.

Imagine, if you will, a harbor filled with boats—some moored at the dock, and some out at sea. And imagine if each boat carried a different cause in which you were interested. One boat might be about cleaning up our neighborhoods, one about climate change, another about

equality, and yet more about hiking or biking or singing. If I were to spend time in each and every one of those boats, I would get exposed to a number of things, but my energy and ability to make a difference would be diluted because some of those boats are really intriguing, and some are just not for me. So maybe I step into one boat, check it out and see if it resonates; then, I step into another.

Eventually, if I trust myself and stop worrying about what others might think, I will figure out where my passions lie. I will figure out what I am meant to do in the world.

And it’s not an “all or nothing” proposition! Maybe there are causes that you can be a part of in your own way. If you love to volunteer, pick a group that makes you smile. If you want to maintain a hiking trail, do what you can do, not what you think others expect of you. Honor your abilities, trust yourself, and be willing to do your part with love and enthusiasm and truth—the truth of who you are and what strengths you bring to the table. And let others do the same.

I used to think that if I was giving 100 percent, then everyone else around me should be giving 100 percent. And I thought that I should be giving 100 percent—100 percent of the time! I was hard on myself and

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sometimes hard on others. When I was working at the fire department, I had a lieutenant who would say, “Remember Mary, never squash initiative.” It’s taken me years to realize that anything we can do to help is a step in the right direction. We can only give what we have within ourselves, and we can only

do that if we feel we’ve stepped into the right boat and have the support of those around us.

There is a middle ground, a happy place, between doing nothing (sitting in the boat) and doing someone else’s 100 percent—rowing a boat that isn’t yours to row. Find your boat,

and then go for it. Bring your passion, your love, and your own unique self.

The world will be a better place because of you. And remember this too, you will change and so will the things that you are passionate about. Be willing to move on and explore. You never know where it will take you.

The Yoga of Life with Mary Boutieller Mary Boutieller is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. She has been teaching yoga since 2005. Her work experience includes 22 years as a firefighter/paramedic and 10 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Mary’s knowledge and experience give her a well-rounded understanding of anatomy, alignment, health and movement in the body. She is passionate about the benefits of yoga and the ability to heal at all levels through awareness, compassion, and a willingness to explore. She can be reached at: SimplyogaOm@gmail.com.

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Who Needs Need? The Eighth Pathway

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By Gregg Sanderson

Ridicule is their armor, criticism their weapon. (Remember, “... loving compassion...”)

This pathway*, although universal, specifically apSome seek an illusion of self-esteem through atplies to a couple of common situations. tempts at manipulation. They can be either blatant or ­subtle, demanding or sacrificing—fear or guilt. (Remember, “...with1) “I feel your pain.” out getting caught up in their predicaments...”)

Envious friends advise against any activity or relaWhat that means is, “I can help you feel better by tionship that might make your life better. They’re afraid of suffering along with you.” I once had a friend who sought change, so they call it support. (Remember,“...messages they out people caught up in the same misery because they need for their growth.”) would understand what he’s going through.

Misery may love company, but it’s still misery. You can’t feel love when you’re miserable, and another person 3) “I don’t want to feel any pain.” sharing his/her suffering won’t do a lot to bring you out of it.

Either of the above situations may tempt you to fall Loving compassion offers a hand to help you out of into the trap of “That’s your problem, Buddy” or “I got my own the mire. It doesn’t climb in with you. problems.” That doesn’t fit any model of “loving compassion.” “… without getting caught up in their predicaWe all have our challenges, and it’s different for ments…” is the key if you just want to help somebody. each of us. Compassion says, “We’re all in this together. I “…that are offering them messages they need for understand you’re dealing with your stuff, and I’m rootin’ for their growth.” That’s why there are such things as predica- you to get through it.” ments. Life would be dull without them, and many believe The Eighth Pathway works best if you keep it to yourthat our whole reason for life is to overcome them. I’m not self, and only use it to keep your own consciousness straight. sure I agree with that one.

In any of the above three situations, to recite it to the others involved would not be evidence of good judgment.

2) “You want me to feel YOUR pain.”

And it may be hazardous to your health.

On the other side of that coin are those who don’t ask for help, but just want to lay their trip on you. They’re the domineering, insecure, and envious people who want to *The Twelve Pathways are from the Handbook to suppress or control you.

A multitude of the insecure brandish their fears with Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes, Jr. Whenever you feel constant put down of anybody different from them in any way. any unpleasant emotions, the Pathways will lead you back.

Happiness is BS with Gregg Sanderson

Gregg Sanderson, one of our long-time contributors, passed to spirit in September 2021, and we are continuing the 12 Pathways Series in his honor. He also authored Spirit with a Smile and The World According to BOB. During his life, he was a licensed practitioner in the Centers for Spiritual Living and a Certified Trainer for Infinite Possibilities. His earlier books include What Ever Happened to Happily Ever After? and Split Happens—Easing the Pain of Divorce.

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NOT JUST A GAME! Each custom-designed deck of Just Ask 1 2 3 cards offers 53 thought-inspiring questions and a Directions card. A lovely organza gift bag is included to hold the cards for selecting.

Just Ask 1 2 3

is a fun pathway to conversation, kindness and connection!

Only $15.95 Pathways to Connecting: Deck 1 Easing In – playful questions to break the ice & have fun!

Deck 2 Getting Closer – thought-provoking questions to get to know each other better . . . including ourselves.

Deck 3 Deepening Conversation – Insightful questions that invite sharing experiences and reflections on life and relationships.

Deck 4 Daring to Divulge – Provocative questions that spark deeper conversations and encourage meaningful connections.

JustAsk123.com & LoveIstheNewCurrency.com

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Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs

Your origin is divine and therefore so are you; all else is the cobweb.

By Emil Nazaryan

Are you happy, energetic and vibrant 100 percent of the time? If not, there is a reason for it. There’s something within blocking access to the ever-present field of happiness. What is it? To find out, merely ask yourself what causes you worry, what are you afraid of, what are you lacking? Are you worried about money?

Health? A relationship issue? Lack of confidence to go for what you want? Do you think you’re not as smart or capable as others? Answers will flow to your mind.

Those answers, or rather those thoughts, are in truth the blocks to your happiness.

They are your self-limiting beliefs.

Let’s take a moment and see how and when they came into existence.

When you were born, you had no such beliefs. You had no such thoughts. In fact, the first year you had no thoughts at all.

You just were, and that was more than enough. That’s why your every smile and every laugh was a source of inexplicable joy for your parents and others around you. Your happiness was pure, genuine and therefore contagious.

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So, what happened? Over the years that pure being that you are got programmed by the environment. Depending on how and where you were raised, your entire belief system was shaped, one belief at a time. Like a cobweb, thoughts of lack, inadequacy and fear were woven over that pure little being. Of course, this wasn’t done intentionally to hurt you, but because the environment didn’t know any better.

As you grew through the teenage years into adulthood, the cobweb had gotten so thick that your self-identity shifted from the pure being to an unconscious person with merely programmed thoughts—and you lost touch with your true self.

Now you are going to ask me, “What does this have to do with being happy? Life happens regardless of what I think of myself.” True or false? Not only do your thoughts about yourself define your reality, but they create your reality.

Every thought and feeling you have ever encountered has led you to where you are in your life today.

Now comes the question that will change your life. Are you those thoughts?

Who are you? Pause for a second. Stop all

thoughts, sit silent and just be. Feel a soft, sweet breeze passing through your entire body, leaving the unmistakable stamp of its origin—a warm smile on your face.

You smile, then smile wider, and you feel a flow of radiant, vibrant, bright energy throughout your body and mind. It feels like someone is tickling the top of your brain which creates a sensation of pure happiness. All of a sudden you get a sense of dropping a heavy baggage off your shoulders, the baggage that you’ve been carrying for years. This leads to feelings of relief, lightness and peace. You feel like a happy, weightless feather dancing with the wind, unconcerned where it takes you because you are fully enjoying the dance.

Light. Relaxation. Serenity. Freedom.

Congratulations! You just got a glimpse of your true self. That free, eternal, ever-present, all-powerful spirit is who you are. Your origin is divine and therefore so are you. All else is the cobweb, which you are not.

So, now that you have started to unravel the cobweb and found that the real you is still there, how can you go about reprogramming yourself? It has

taken a long time to weave that web and it can’t be undone overnight. But it most certainly can be undone. Let’s see how.

First, you have to determine which thoughts affect your happiness the most, at least in your mind. Write down the top 10 thoughts that you think hinder your happiness and expansion. On a different piece of paper add their total opposites. For example: • “I don’t have enough money”— “I have an abundance of money” • “I have health issues”—“I am whole and perfect” • “I’m not smart enough”—“I have infinite potential” • “I’m not pretty”—“I am beautiful the way I am”

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“I’m not strong”—“I’m powerful because of my source” Next, burn, tear up or toss the first piece of paper as a symbolic gesture of letting go of your old “self.” On the flip side, you may want to frame your new affirmations, keep them front and center where you can’t avoid seeing them throughout the day. Read them, listen to them, feel them, live them, act them every day. They may feel like nonsense to the mind in the beginning. But don’t worry. The mind is the cobweb. You are not the mind, you are not the cobweb. As time goes on these affirmations are going to feel true and become true. Don’t stop affirming them. Also, be sure to dedicate at least a few minutes daily to silent

c­ ontemplation. This is crucial as it brings you back closer and closer to your true self. ­Whether it takes months or years will depend on your earnestness, intensity and faith. If you persevere, it’s absolutely impossible not to arrive at your new self, your true self, and remain there.

But it’s not going to end there.

Know that if you are able to accomplish this, what you have really done is you have allowed divine hands to start carrying you, guiding you, showing you the way.

And you have done so merely by removing the resistance, the cobweb that had been weaving up since ­childhood. Then you, yourself will become a tall, powerful beacon, and you will shine your loving light brightly on this b­ eautiful world.

Emil Nazaryan is a motivational writer and a contributor to the monthly Motivational Corner column of HR Realtor Magazine. He has undergone a spiritual transformation which has led the way to sharing the insights he has experienced with the others. He is well acquainted with all major spiritual traditions of the world, but it is the direct experience of the essence of these teachings that is responsible for the altered life outlook and the motivational articles that stem this. In his daily life Emil is a successful REALTOR and he resides in Norfolk, VA, with his wife and two children. Contact him by email at emil.rw@gmail.com.

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Finding Our Roots in Chaotic Winds

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How to stay grounded and centered when times are tough.

By Kandace Hawley

I write this in a time when uncertainty, anxiety, and fear plague our minds and hearts collectively. There seems to be no end to the global calamities. The COVID pandemic, Russia’s invasion of European Ukraine, and the looming existential threats of climate change and/or nuclear war can leave many of us feeling helpless in despair. And while it is admirable to be able to feel something so strongly on behalf of the human collective and the world, sometimes the collective forces can become too burdensome and debilitating to bear.

When this happens, it’s important to discover your roots and the depths within you.

Carl Jung, father of analytical psychology, once wrote, “He who is rooted in the soil ensures. Alienation from the unconscious and from its historical conditions spells rootlessness. That is the danger that lies in wait for the conqueror of foreign lands, and for every individual who, through one-sided allegiance to any kind of -ism, loses touch with the dark, maternal, earthy ground of his being” (CG Jung CW. 8, pg. 103).

Like a tree with shallow roots, we can all fall victim to the chaotic winds

of the collective. To deepen our roots, we must face ourselves and look within shadows of the unconscious to discover and connect with our inner most-true essence. Our unconscious contains not only lost treasure and personal inner demons, but at its most fundamental layer, it also contains a vast ocean of primordial imagery and energy that binds humanity.

To ground ourselves in this layer of the psyche is to ground ourselves in something untouchable and timeless.

This process is not without pain, however. Connecting with the collective soils of the unconscious also involves confronting our own personal shadows, confronting wounds, healing past traumas, and discovering lost parts of ourselves.

Yet it’s this work precisely that gives us the solid integrity we need to face the collective storm. When we know ourselves wholistically and truly, there’s not much that can waver us.

I would also like to claim that this is the great work of our time. In our post-enlightenment, Western culture is materially rich, but spiritually poor. One of the best things we can do to help our collective circumstances is to engage in spiritual introspection, discover our

depths, and realize our potential. In this process, we realize what value we can offer society and how we can contribute to lessen the storms. And keep in mind, when it comes to how individuals can help the greater society, it’s not always about what we do externally. Our state of being can also be felt collectively. Therefore, by simply looking within and deepening our roots, we can help ease the tension and anxiety of our times.

So, I invite you to discover your roots and your soils—however that might look for you. It might start with literally walking barefoot in a garden as spring emerges, or expressing your inner contents through art. It could be plunging into the depths of your psychic shadows and healing past traumas head on.

Or you might just feel that you need to disconnect from everything that is happening around you and simply breathe.

Regardless, I advise that you look within and ask yourself habitually, “What do I need to do today to deepen my roots?”

Only you will know what’s right for you right now. And on those days when you’re feeling particularly swept up, just remember, there’s endless, abundant, and nutritious soil within you.

Kandace Sheri Hawley is an educator and writer who believes that every individual holds the key to their own truth. Her overall aim is to enable people on their own path to self-realization and discovery. She runs a podcast called “En Soma,” where she combines her academic background in education with her studies in Jungian Theory from GAP, along with her years of experience in analysis to share perspectives on spirituality, philosophy, society, and existence in general. You can find her at http://www.ensomapodcast.com.

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5 Tips For Starting a Healthy Lifestyle

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Eiliv Sonas Aceron

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Taking small steps to adjust your daily habits will be much more influential in your long-term health than fast, dramatic changes in your diet or lifestyle.

By Ella Hatfield What if I told you that you can be health conscious without sacrificing the foods and activities you love? Here are some tips on how to start growing your health awareness without converting yourself into a granola guru!

Do you want to take control of your life—your career, your success, your happiness? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can! Your health greatly influences these things— and your discipline, your motivation, your sense of fulfillment, and your relationship with yourself and others. The great news is that we can live a healthy lifestyle that leads to success in other parts of our lives!

Many people believe investing time and effort into health is an overwhelming and daunting task, but becoming healthier doesn’t have to mean completely revolutionizing your life in a day, a week, or even a month. The one thing that you need to develop on your health journey is health awareness—just being conscious of what you put into and do with your body.

Health awareness starts with just that: awareness! Here are some simple tricks that will help propel you on your path:

5 HACKS TO GROW HEALTH AWARENESS

1. Find a health and nutrition blog or YouTube channel you enjoy. The thing about science, particularly health science, is that new information is being discovered every day, meaning what we think is the “healthiest” is always changing. Don’t waste your time pulling your hair out trying to read the top medical journal papers on a regular basis. Reading scientific literature is a skill that you have to develop over time. That’s why people spend so many years in academia to become qualified to write it, and that’s why you should have other trusted messengers that you will find online. Of course, you should always consult a health professional if you have any serious questions or are considering trying out a new diet, and, if it all checks out, just keep following those channels and websites you like!

You will learn so much more by watching/reading content you enjoy than dissecting a 40-page medical journal research article that’s basically written in another language.

However, you might want to dip your toes in the water and try out reading medical journals so that you can build those academic reading muscles. ✔ YES, you should do your own research and investigate claims made my others. ❌ NO, you do not need to become a nutritional science expert in your precious free time to live a healthy lifestyle.

Use your free time for YOU—for yourself, your family, for growing a business. You do not have to sacrifice these things to become a healthier person.

Here are some YouTube channels I recommend checking out: FlavCity with Bobby Parrish: https://www.youtube. com/c/flavcity Dr. Eric Berg, D.C.: https://www.youtube.com/c/ DrEricBergDC (Note: I do not advocate for the Keto diet, and you should consult your doctor before making a major dietary change. Nonetheless, Dr. Berg provides a lot of useful general health and nutrition information.)

Dr. Mona Vand, Pharm. D https://www.youtube. com/c/DrMonaVand/videos Physicians Committee https://www.youtube. com/user/PCRM Here are some other resources I find reliable for light health and nutrition: https://www.healthline.com/ https://www.webmd.com/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/ Here are some scholarly, peer-reviewed medical/ health science journals if you are ready to dive deep: https://nutrition.org/publications/ https://academic.oup.com/jn https://www.nutritionsociety.org/publications/ journal-nutritional-science https://journals.sagepub.com/home/nah 2. Make your bed every morning. I know, I know. You’re probably thinking, “Making my bed is not gonna make me healthy or fit.” Well, you need to care about making your bed. Making the decision to make your bed every morning is a HUGE step towards being health conscious. It’s one small action you can do that puts you in control of your life and your day. Instead of rolling out of bed, brushing your teeth and throwing on your clothes, you say, “Whats up bed? I’m going to take control of my day right now.”

Fluff your little pillows, you tuck in all the little corners of the blanket and you put your cuteass stuffed animals right up top for everyone to see.

BOOM! You just did something productive that took less than 2 minutes. You’re starting off the day already having an accomplishment under your belt, and you’re starting off your day being AWARE and consciously choosing to take actions that will bring good into your life.

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Photo Credit: Unsplash/Brooke Lark

3. Don’t eliminate the snacks you love; find alternative versions of them. Eating a more health conscious diet does not mean throwing out your favorite food. There are many “junk” foods and unhealthy meals that you can make a healthy version of, and they’re often just as (if not more) delicious!

I love sweet treats and desserts, especially chocolate and ice cream. Of course, we all know that sugar is bad for you. But it’s one of those tradeoffs where you’d rather take the hit from eating sugar than never eat a triple chocolate Pizookie again. Well, I have news for you: You can avoid sugar and have delicious sweets! That’s right, there are sugar-free sweets that are actually delicious and free of cancerous artificial sweeteners!

Let me introduce you to my dear friends monk fruit and the botanical sweeteners gang. Botanical sweeteners are awesome!

Here’s why: They have a glycemic index of 0. They don’t raise your blood sugar/glucose levels, meaning they don’t cause the health problems that sugar does! They are completely natural and derived from plants with no cancerous chemicals like you find in artificial sweeteners. They taste great. I’m not going to pretend they taste exactly like sugar, but a combination of monk fruit and erythritol tastes really darn close. It doesn’t have any artificial flavors or weird aftertaste! Stevia is pretty good too, but it tastes the most artificial to me out of the three.

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Living healthy does not mean you eat terrible-tasting food all the time, or that you’ll never enjoy a chocolate milkshake or a big, juicy double bacon cheese burger again.

Living healthy does not mean being a perfectionist monk who only eats things that provide a positive health benefit.

It’s about living and eating healthy most of the time, so when you want to have a burger and fries every once in a while, it’s okay, and you’ll actually enjoy them instead of feeling guilty about it! And you should eat them because burgers and fries are delicious and you should enjoy the things you like. Plus, you can have chocolate milkshakes all the time now that you know about monk fruit and erythritol!

One way to start this transition into healthy eating is using a 50/50 ratio—50 percent of your diet is healthy, and 50 percent is the less healthy food you’re used to eating. Just being aware of what you’re putting into your body is the key to becoming healthy and fit.

After a while of growing this awareness (maybe a month or two), then you can try a 60/40 ratio, where 60 percent of the food you eat is healthy and 40 percent is the old stuff. Try that for a month or two, then try a 70/30 ratio. The truth is, you really only need a 70/30 ratio to be pretty darn healthy!

Of course, the 80/20 rule is even better, and a 90/10 is top dog, and you’ll see and feel more results the higher your ratio is. But, for the time being, 70/30 is an AWESOME

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Mariana Medvedeva

and realistic goal that will create a lot of health benefits for you. I know you can do it!

4. Drink more water. I’m serious! The healtiest people in the world forget to drink enough water. It is one of those tiny things that is so obvious and apparent that it seems unnecessary to prioritize. Trust me, if you are not constantly reminding yourself to drink water all day, you are dehydrated! And most people are, myself included sometimes.

It seems like a no brainer, but staying hydrated is something you have to consciously be aware of throughout your day.

As a matter of fact, I’m going to chug a glass or water right now—and you should too.

Aim to drink at least a gallon of water a day, and even more if you exercise. Have you ever drank a gallon of water in a day? Intentionally drinking more water every day will help you feel energized, will prevent you from getting sick, will help your digestion and immune system, will prevent you from getting sore from exercise, and will help your skin and the rest of your organs.

5. Briefly plan out your eating schedule for the day. Something as simple as taking the time in the morning to plan out meal times and food can be so helpful in being health conscious. I know when I’m super slammed with work and I don’t have my meals planned out, I tend to: • Snack on random not-so-healthy things all day that are quick, easy and accessible.

• Either eat my lunch at my desk while I continue working, or I put off eating a full meal until I get home from work.

• Eat a HUGE, not-so-healthy meal trying to put dinner together as quick as I can.

• Oh yeah, and then I continue to snack all evening.

It gets my whole eating system out of whack, and I’ve learned that this is easily avoidable if I just make a plan for when I’m going to eat at the start of my day. Setting reminders on your phone can really help you to stay on track, especially when you’re first starting to be health conscious.

In the morning, just make a quick decision about what you are going to eat that day, even down to the snacks.

Something as simple as this is a huge step in growing your health awareness: 7:30 a.m. have a light breakfast.

10:00 a.m. have a couple snacks.

12:00 p.m. have a nice big lunch.

Photo Credit: Unsplash Yilmaz Akin

3:00 p.m. have a snack.

6:00 p.m. have a big, yummy dinner.

It’s pretty difficult to make health-conscious decisions when you’re incredibly hungry and fatigued after work. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you for snack and meal times.

With this method, you’ll have plenty of chances to eat, so by the time you get off work you won’t be so hungry that you’re rushing home and then mindlessly throwing together dinner. You’ll have time to stop and think, “What do I want for dinner? What sounds delicious and fits into my 60/40 ratio?” BOOM, health awareness!

Remember, it’s a marathon, not a race. Taking small steps to adjust your daily habits will be much more influential in your long-term health than fast, dramatic changes in your diet or lifestyle. Plus, I bet that once you start seeing and feeling results from your health awareness, you will want to up the ante, and you will be excited about taking greater actions to improve your health!

Ella Hatfield has been an athlete for over 17 years and was lucky enough to be raised by a mother with incredible health awareness. These experiences, as well as her own determination and research, have led Ella to developing the knowledge, discipline, and methodology required to continue living a fit and healthy lifestyle for life, and the determination to share that methodology with the world so others can take control of their health, their happiness, and their long-term success. Contact Ella by email at TheArticulateAthlete@gmail.com.

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HACKED BY A GARBAGE BAG

Hacked by a Garbage Bag

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By Jo Mooy A great spiritual teacher died a few months ago. His legacy to the Western world was how to remain peaceful during times of crisis or distress. Thich Nhat Hanh taught how to gently touch the earth with your feet in mindful walking meditations. “Walk with me,” he often told his disciples. Pointing to clouds he would say, without the clouds, no rain, without the rain, no trees.

Early every morning I walk conscious of this teaching. I’m mindful of the natural setting. I usually take the same path. It’s a familiar one, even in darkness. The stately Jacaranda bordering the lake emits a faint sweet scent that even if I was blindfolded I’d know its location and fragrance. The cluster of tall yellow bamboo stalks rattle in the breeze. When I hear their hollow tones I expect to see Crouching Tigers or Hidden Dragons. Some days Owen, a neighbor, walks by and we wish each other a good morning. It’s a pleasant and peaceful walk, watching birds feeding in the lake, or soaring overhead on the wind currents.

One day I took a detour down another path. It was darker and much narrower with homes lining the trail.

There’s no lake and no feeding birds.

The clouds aren’t visible. And, the trees here are smaller and have less vitality.

The wizened live oaks hang over the sidewalk stretching towards the slim rays of sunlight on this less-traveled footpath in the neighborhood.

As I walked along that morning, a small plastic grey bag filled with garbage loomed on the side of the path. It was tucked against the base of an oak.

It stuck out like a beacon, especially because the walking trails in the neighborhood are manicured and well kept. I kept walking. But my once peaceful thoughts about nature slipped away, and I began focusing on a bag of garbage in the serene setting. Who left the garbage bag there? Don’t the homeowners along the path notice it? Why don’t they pick it up?

Where did it come from?

The next morning I walked the less-traveled path again. When I reached the oak tree the garbage was still there.

On day two, the peaceful walk is turning into an angry one. More questions surface: Why is it still there? Whose responsibility is it to clean up the path?

Does anyone care? Each question causes a disturbance in my tranquility. I breathe and keep walking past it, though with each step I think about the garbage bag.

So much for mindful walking.

When I get home I find myself thinking about the bag of garbage. Random thoughts comes in. What if I hadn’t gone down that path? I wouldn’t have seen the bag! Even more intriguing, was the bag there only because I went down that path? Was it a test of some sort?

I mull these questions on the day three walk. The bag is still there taunting me. I hear the words of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching in my head.

Calm the negative energy. Smile at it.

Don’t suppress it. Don’t fight it. Let the

g­ arbage bag be a garbage bag—you can’t expect it to be other than a garbage bag. The thought that it’s just a garbage bag makes me laugh. I realize my holier-than-thou sanctimonious ego has been hacked by a garbage bag.

On day four I walk the pathless-traveled again. It’s still early and dark. This time it’s different though. I’m coming with my own plastic bag from home. I’ve taken responsibility for the other one. I plan to pick it up, throw it into my plastic bag and put it out with the regular trash pickup. I’m pleased not to fight it and I’m ready to smile at it.

When I get to the oak tree the bag is gone! I look behind the oak tree—it’s not there. I look on both sides of the path—it’s not there either. I look behind me thinking it may have blown to another place and I missed it. Not there either! The path is pristine, even in the semi-darkness.

Then I remember these lines from the master’s poem. Walk happily.

Enjoy the walk. Touch peace in every moment. Each step is a fresh breeze.

Print the earth with happiness. Don’t be caught in ideas of it is and is not. The wind still blows.

On day five I remember what he said. I enjoy my walk with each step a fresh breeze. I’m no longer caught up on whether the garbage bag is or was not. Or where it went. On all my walks, the wind still blows and the clouds bring rain. And in my pocket I carry an empty plastic bag to pick up and smile at whatever garbage lies along the path.

Conscious Living with Jo Mooy

Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this ­training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia ­Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to http://www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.

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Strategy Session

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Can a PESTLE analysis help your coaching business?

By Jowanna Daley New entrepreneurs sometimes mistake the business world as a setup of steps you follow, and then BOOM, you’re in business. In reality, running a successful business depends on a series of strategic activities that requires periodic adjustments.

Enter the PESTLE Analysis, a framework used by marketing professionals, business owners, and startups to see how the outside world might impact the company.

The acronym stands for: • Political • Economical • Social • Technological • Legal • Environment There are other variations of the PESTLE tool; however, they are very similar in approach. Some also think of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, ­Opportunities, Threats) analysis as an alternative to the PESTLE, but I see these two as complementary strategic tools that help you manage your business’ opportunities and risks.

Overall, The PESTLE analysis helps you identify factors that could impact your business model. Let’s look at the different components.

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Government subsidies Government sanctions Trade policy

ECONOMIC FACTORS The economic analysis enables you to look at various aspects of the economy and the outlook in each area. It includes: • Economic growth rate • Interest rate • Inflation rate • Exchange rate • Credit availability • Disposable income • Consumer spending • Federal government budget deficits • Gross domestic product trend • Unemployment rate • Stock market trends • Price fluctuations

SOCIAL FACTORS

The social factors enable you to know your consumers better and analyze what influences consumer behavior. Some areas include: • Population size and growth rate • Marriages and divorces • Immigration and emigration rates The political component allows you to assess • Life expectancy rates how and to what degree the government impacts your • Social classes business. It includes areas such as: • Family size and structure • Tax policy • Lifestyles • Government stability • Health consciousness • Political unrest • Average disposable income • Import and export regulations and restriction • Attitudes towards government and work • Corruption level • Environmental concerns • Freedom of press • Consumer buying habits • Government regulation or deregulation • Ethical concerns • Competition regulation • Cultural norms and values • Voter participation • Religion and beliefs • Defense budgets • Racial equality

POLITICAL FACTORS

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• • • • • • •

Education level Crime rates Attitudes towards savings, investing and retiring Attitudes towards product quality Attitudes towards customer service Attitudes towards foreign people Attitudes towards a diverse population

micropreneurs do not have the same resources as a big corporations. They, therefore, need a scope that matches the budget and resources they have.

1) Determine the scope and budget for your research. Keep your scope to areas that affect your industry and your company. This information is important whether you do the analysis yourself or hire a consultant.

2) Outline an approach to collecting data and evaluating the data. Data gathering is key to this The tech component looks at industry innovaexercise. Determine your team size and evaluation tion, trends, and perks. It includes: method to determine which risks or opportunities • Innovation level are impactful enough to address.

• Research and development activity 3) Identify the sources of information. There is a • Automation wealth of resources out there to help you gather • Access to new technology data. You can use a research company or ­collect • Internet infrastructure information from government and industry-­ • Communication infrastructure specific association sites.

• The life cycle of technology 4) Gather information. Use a template of some • Technological change sort to gather the data—it can be a spread• Technology awareness sheet, word document, or a custom template you make yourself.

Legal factors are critical to every business, as this 5) Group and assess. Depending on how you gather the information, you may need to group like inforenvironment sets the tone for what you can and can’t do. mation together. Rate the impact level and concenLook at all aspects of the law including: trate on the most important risk and impact fac• Discrimination laws tors. If you focus on all aspects, you run a chance of • Antitrust laws burnout and analysis paralysis.

• Employment laws 6) Conduct analysis. Analyzing the data is one of the • Consumer protection laws most significant steps. This evaluation will define • Copyright and patent laws areas of opportunity and threats. It determines • Health and safety laws your strategic direction and affects whom you • Education laws serve and your business model.

• Privacy laws 7) Create a strategic plan. Build your approach to addressing these issues (in priority order).

8) Take action. Decide what action you will take acThese factors include how the physical environcording to your plan. ment may affect business, such as: Once you conduct a baseline analysis, plan on • Weather periodic research and analysis because things change all • Climate change the time. Keeping up with outside factors can minimize • Environmental policies the effort needed in future assessments.

• Natural disasters • Air and water pollution • Recycling standards • Attitudes towards green products While a PESTLE analysis is helpful, it’s easy to get • Support for renewable energy lost in the data or underestimate its power. I encourage you to carefully conduct one or have a professional conduct one for you.

There is no doubt that this world needs life coaches; however, you can have a hard time navigating in Like any other business activity, a PESTLE analysis the business world without a strategic approach to your requires a well-thought-out approach. Solopreneurs and market and its customers.

TECHNOLOGY FACTORS

LEGAL FACTORS

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

THE BOTTOM LINE

HOW TO CONDUCT A PESTLE ANALYSIS

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APRIL CONTENT IDEAS The unofficial holiday calendar is filled with days that life coaches can share valuable information and increase sales. Look through this list and select a few to build campaigns that connect with people.

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APRIL 1 International Fun at Work Day: Work is not ­always fun, but you can find a way to make it fun on this fun holiday.

National Walk to Work Day. Coaches can use this holiday to promote wellness, mindfulness, and fitness.

APRIL 2 Reconciliation Day. Relationship coaches, pay attention—this is a good day to promote blogs, workshops, courses, or other coaching services that help repair broken relationships.

APRIL 3 Don’t Go to Work Unless It’s Fun Day. Life purpose, career, or business coaches, this fun holiday is a perfect day to hold a free event to encourage people to do what makes them happy.

Find a Rainbow Day. This colorful holiday makes me think of challenges. It’s a great day to challenge your audience to think of something good that came from an awful period in their life.

APRIL 4 Walk Around Things Day. Business and relationship coaches—use this holiday to help your clients have a proactive approach to managing risks or ­avoidable conflicts.

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APRIL 5 National Go for Broke Day. Living life according to what makes you feel fulfilled, take risks. Life coaches all over the globe can challenge people to “go for broke” by making a small commitment that signifies major changes in their lives.

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APRIL 6 National Walking Day. This day is another holiday that promotes wellness. Though it is an obvious observation for health coaches, other niches can also promote National Walking Day.

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APRIL 7 World Health Day. Stress, bad eating habits, lack of exercise, and chronic conditions are examples of factors that affect our health. All p­ rofessional life coaches can unite to educate their a­ udiences about health-related issues and deal with them proactively.

APRIL 10 National Siblings Day. There’s nothing more special than siblings. Highlight your siblings or invite your followers to share theirs.

APRIL 11 National Pet Day. Use observance to share the benefits of having a pet. It’s also a great day to discuss the plight of animals (and those who are better in the wild and not as pets).

APRIL 12 Walk on Your Wild Side Day. Encourage your audience to do something daring, like take the first step to make a dream a goal.

APRIL 14 International Moment of Laughter Day. Laughter is good for the soul; share a joke and the benefits of laughter with your audience.

Look up at the Sky Day. Pick a time in the day when you appreciate the beautiful sky and get lost in its beauty.

Reach as High as You Can Day. This day is another day to encourage people to go for their dreams. You can use these days to string together a challenge.

APRIL 15 World Art Day. Therapeutic art coaches, I included this holiday, especially for you. Use this day to spread the therapeutic benefits of art.

APRIL 16 Husband Appreciation Day. This holiday ­celebrates husbands (with no children). Though the holiday highlights “wives,” in two-husband ­marriages, it presents a perfect opportunity to celebrate each other.

APRIL 17 Blah, Blah, Blah Day. This holiday is a perfect day to offer tools that help people work on goal-­oriented tasks when they lack motivation.

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APRIL 18 National Stress Awareness Day. Stress may be unavoidable, but it is manageable. Help people recognize ways to de-stress. April is also Stress Awareness Month, so have stress-education activities all through the month.

APRIL 19 National Hang Out Day. Life coaches seek to make the world a better place, which means taking care of the Earth. National Hang Out Day is about having fun and hanging your clothes out to dry.

APRIL 20 Volunteer Recognition Day. Highlight volunteers in your digital or local community on April 20th. Make this holiday about others instead of shamelessly plugging your accomplishment.

APRIL 21 National High Five Day. Use this day to celebrate your clients’ achievements. Remember—small accomplishments lead to big results.

APRIL 22 Earth Day. You can share organizational and personal practices you follow to make the world a better place on Earth Day.

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APRIL 23 Take a Chance Day. Life coaches exist to promote growth and change. Use your gifts to help your clients get out of their comfort zone.

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APRIL 27 Tell a Story Day. This holiday makes for a fantastic day to share your story or to have your clients share theirs (testimonials).

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APRIL 28 National Teach Children to Save Day. Financial coaches, it’s never too early to teach healthy financial habits. Help parents by giving them tips to pass on to their children.

APRIL 29 International Dance Day. Use this holiday to encourage people to physically or symbolically dance like no one’s watching.

APRIL 30 National Honesty Day. You can use this holiday to have your audience face the “big lie.” Encourage them to look back at their childhood and see how it has shaped who they are. Help them change or eliminate beliefs that don’t serve them.

The Daley Word with Jowanna Daley Jowanna is a business and personal coach, consultant, freelance blogger, and personal brand photographer. ­Jowanna uses her 20-plus years of business, information technology, business analysis, and project management experience to serve solopreneurs, microbusinesses, and professionals through consulting, coaching, training, and workshops. She is also a freelance blogger who serves corporate and non-corporate clients. Visit her website at https://www.jowannadaley.com/about/.

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Showing Up to the Page

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Jessica Delp

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The practice of morning pages is about being prolific rather than profound in our activity as creators.

By Beka Buckley Whenever I speak about my practice of morning pages, people are always curious to know more. In their simplest sense, they are free-form writing used to detox the mind of negative detritus that keeps us stuck or looping in unproductive thought patterns. I was first introduced morning pages through Julia Cameron’s classic book and self-directed course, The Artist’s Way, which officially defines them as: “three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness.”

There is no right or wrong way to do morning pages; they are not journaling or even “writing” in the common sense of the word, but simply the practice of showing up to the page and writing whatever comes to mind. No topic or meandering is off-limits. No correct punctuation or grammar required. And absolutely NO editing or revision (aka censorship) allowed.

Designed as a tool for what is termed “creative recovery”, morning pages are the space for our inner critic to let loose unfettered until it has nothing left to say and starts repeating itself. All you have to do as facilitator is to show up and keep your hand moving across the page.

“Remembering that it is my job to DO the work, not JUDGE the work…I will take care of the QUANTITY. Great Creator take care of the QUALITY.” –Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way Committing to the process of daily morning pages (first thing, upon waking, before even coffee), come what may, reveals that our mood does not matter. Creativity does not need special circumstances to operate. That mood is actually a form of censorship, of FEAR, over quality not QUANTITY. It is the mind taking control, rather than us allowing the flow of ideas.

The practice of morning pages is then about being prolific rather than profound in our activity as creators.

Like another mentor of mine, Lisa Sonora, once said, as a “cartography of higher purpose, morning pages map our own interior…the pages lead us out.”

HOW I USE MORNING PAGES TODAY

After more than a decade of keeping my daily practice, I still approach morning pages as a place to free rein brain dump.

However, how I actually use morning pages and what I get out of them has evolved much in that time.

Most significantly, while for a long time I did indeed write in the morning, as the name and original guidance suggests, in more recent years I have switched up to an evening, or even middle-of-the-night, writing session. But the same format rules apply: free-write, brain dump, stream of consciousness.

Morning pages have been and continue to be my place to rant and wax lyrical on whatever it is that is bugging me in that moment. Far better to rant to the forgiveness of the blank page than other, less forgiving mediums. An anxious mind is one that likes to travel into the past to replay and rerun things over and over.

In writing these things down, I can begin to spot the patterns, what my triggers are and the values that underlie them. Like a detective, this is all valuable research, and, every time the stories repeat I can draw in new tools and awareness to navigate and resolve them.

Over the years, I find morning pages have become a form of writing meditation. Julia Cameron actually speaks of this in her book when first introducing the tool, but for me it was more something I discovered in the practice of doing them, rather than any conscious intent to make them such. As I write, I notice this moving meditation (so far as one is moving the pen across the page and one’s mind is active rather than trying to quiet) is a point of focus for my busy mind to return to again and again when the awareness of having gone down the rabbit hole and becoming lost in “the drift” dawns. It is the practice of noticing and bringing myself back to the page.

I have discovered unintentionally—but quite fascinatingly—a tool for managing my anxiety at those moments when I realize I am on the descent into a spiral of anxiety overwhelm.

Caught at just the right moment, I can refocus my experience of this wave onto the page when vocalizing it becomes frozen and mute. That adrenaline gets an outlet, and I can engage the frenzied monkey mind, riding the wave to refocus back to a logical mind and the present of RIGHT NOW. THIS moment.

Beyond all this mental noise, the most rewarding aspect of the morning pages is the space to practice the art of writing— to find, express and evolve my unique writing voice.

HOW TO GET STARTED

So, with all this in mind and the idea of morning pages now eagerly sparking your curiosity, how should you begin? After all, there can be many roadblocks that pop up the moment the idea of your creative recovery is even mentioned. So let’s make this super accessible to even the most stubborn of inner gremlins: 1) Keep things simple—think cheap and cheerful when it comes to the actual materials you will need. You will go through a lot of these, so keep it as cost-effective and

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non-threatening as you can. Morning pages really are just for you, so my strong recommendation is to pick up trusty dollar store school supply composition books and a pack of basic ballpoint pens or pencils. It is best to stay away from the gorgeous, yet scary, (to your inner critic) expensive journals and writing implements. (I tried a moleskine notebook once, and we did not get on. Lesson learned!)

2) Start small—I literally started with the smallest pocket notebook I could find (again, inexpensive) and over the duration of the initial 12-week course slowly grew onto larger surfaces. The idea of writing THREE. WHOLE. PAGES. felt impossibly ludicrous at first. This is normal. So to ease myself into the process, I went small. Once convinced that it was possible for a mom of two boys under 8 at the time to have space to do this, I became hungry for more space, and my page size naturally grew.

3) Allow flexibility—so, confession time: due to family commitments, I will admit to writing only two pages most weekday mornings during school in those early years, but weekends, holidays and those wakeful nights I wrote the desired three. Over the years, there were times when things did slip, but it’s funny how once you get into the groove of something, however difficult it is in the beginning, you kind of miss it when you aren’t doing it. These days I really notice the difference on the days when I have done my pages with those that I haven’t. Certainly the nights are a lot better. I simply operate better on the days when I write. But honestly, just as with any daily habit, if you miss a day, or two or three, or five, get back on it and carry on. Life will always happen.

4) Just WRITE—put pen to paper and begin transcribing the stream of thought from mind to paper. Even if that is abstract noises, exclamations, or as crazy as it sounds, the statement: “I do not know what to write…” Put it on the page. This is the mental debris that needs to be cleared before more cohesive thought can flow. Rather like t­ uning an instrument, the instrument in question is your ­cognitive mind.

A CARTOGRAPHY OF US

It’s funny, but so many people make a big deal out of journaling, like it’s some giant performance that needs structure and prompts and rules and needs to be “taught.” But it really can

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Peter Jones

be as simple as getting any blank book, a tool for writing and just putting the thoughts that you carry onto the page.

All those structures and prompts and rules? They are all about that inner critic—about making it PERFECT. Like it’s some form of weird competitive, performance art to be judged. And that is not what morning pages, or journaling even in its purest sense, are about at all. Quite the opposite.

Yes, it is a PRACTICE, but not one that needs to be taught, only committed to in the quest to reveal “the how.” The pages of a blank book are for your process only. They are as unique as the individual writing them. Your pages will not look like mine, or mine like another’s. This is not school or work, but a place of true safety and FREEDOM where we can be ourselves—imperfect, human— and let it all hang out, warts and all.

In a world that has so few spaces that are truly private, the pages can be a haven for connecting without judgment to our inner self. A place for the gremlins to run until they are utterly exhausted and have nothing else to say. A place for us to pull back the veil and come home.

Pages are our map back to ourselves.

Beka Buckley is a creative visionary, philosopher, shamanic witch and consultant to kings. She supports brilliant highperformers in design and tech as they regain their equilibrium, stand in true sovereignty and become the leaders of a new paradigm. A bird of English origin, BEKA lives in the quiet mountain forests of British Columbia, Canada’s southern interior with her superhero husband, two teenage sons and three tuxedo cats. When not supporting others to navigate uncertainty and create awesome things, BEKA can be found wandering the local forest trails, taking photos, or expressing her spirit journey through fiber or Earth art. For more information, visit http://www.justbeka.com.

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