Self-awareness

I was talking with my mother on Saturday, sharing my enthusiasm for my work. As I was explaining what I love about holding space for individuals to increase their self-awareness I was again reminded of one of the greatest gifts of working on yourself.

If we are looking inward to figure out the meaning of any situation that comes up in our life we are much less likely to judge, blame or resent others. If we’re curious about what is up for us we can give ourselves empathy, ask for what we need, or smile and let go of the outcome more often.

We not only give a gift to ourselves and the person right in front of us, we give a gift to the world because we have chosen a different feeling to explore, own and acknowledge. That feeling has an energy all its own. Once you acknowledge what is authentic you get to choose, in that moment, to be excited, joyful, surprised... at what you have just learned about you. Those feelings are what I want to spread around!!

Here are some questions for you to ask when you notice yourself moving into judgment or blame. "What is this about for me?", “ What am I feeling and needing?”, or stretch into, “What might they be feeling or needing?"

Daily thought

I receive a daily thought from www.tut.com it’s an inspiring message to start my day. I wanted to share the gist of todays because it comes up often when I am coaching.

Many people feel they are learning or as I heard it today “blooming late”. From my perspective nobody is “blooming late”, age or time has no relevance on growth, learning and blossoming.

More important is to notice and choose to embrace the new thoughts.

You can choose to live with the happiness and passion of moving forward or live in a place of regretting that you haven't done it sooner.

What will you choose?

Reminder

" I've never heard a resume read at a funeral" I read this somewhere recently and apologize for not knowing who to give credit to.

I find this statement a very powerful reminder. It supports me to love, laugh, play and simply be present more often.

It's changed the questions I want to ask. How would it feel to ask people you meet " What do you love about your life?" rather than "What do you do?"

I want to be remembered for living in integrity with my values and my passions and loving with a wide open heart.

What do you love... and what do you want to be remembered for? Live that...

Being with "uncomfortable"

I was in a spinning class yesterday and the instructor was asking us to really push ourselves and stay in the "uncomfortable" zone. I was reminded once again that feelings are fleeting. I could choose to be uncomfortable with the awareness that it wasn't going to last forever, and it didn't! It actually felt great to push myself and feel stronger as a result.

How often do you push "uncomfortable" away?

Food Politics

I'm reading Food Politics by Marion Nestle. If you are interested in gaining more truth around how powerful and influential the food industry is this is the book to read.

Reading Food Politics has supported me to continue to trust in the basics of whole foods and listen to the wisdom of my own body.

It also supports me to continue to speak out when and where I can so that others begin to understand how corporations are affecting the health of our nation.

"And the day came when the risk [it took] to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom"
-Anais Nin

"After all, it is those who have a deep and real inner life who are best able to deal with the irritating details of outer life."
-Evelyn Underhill

Sometimes I feel like I beat this idea to death. However,it becomes clearer to me all the time that this is what healthy, well-balance individuals have. A rich, deep inner life that supports them to see the outer world with a touch of compassion and even with a bit of humor.

Take time to ask yourself those questions that lead you to enjoying yourself from the inside out.

Peer Pressure

We don't call it peer pressure as adults, but how often are you influenced by others to do, buy, or think a certain way?

Its really amazing to reflect on the subtle and not so subtle ways I am impacted. We are inundated with information, advertising, and on top of that the voices of our friends, family and neighbors.

I know I want a simpler life, one that is more connected to what I value. I also know that part of living a balanced life is acknowledging and learning from the ebbs and flows.

When I can allow the peer pressures to flow over me rather than through me is when I feel best!

A new day

What would your day be like today if you choose to look at everything you see and do as brand new.

You've just now landed into your life.

What would you appreciate about your world? What would you be feeling? What brings you joy?... You get the picture. Play with it!

Letting go

Be willing to let it all go! I love this thought.

When you’ve set a goal or a direction for your life and something unexpected appears giving you ideas for a different direction to take what do you do?

Being willing to drop a goal or belief in favor of something that feels important and more in line with your authentic self shows signs of courage and honesty.

I’ve noticed in my life there have been many times I’ve held onto ideas, goals or beliefs that have not supporting moving forward.

Shifting directions can be scary. Take time to simply notice if you are going or staying out of fear or out of love and passion. What are your options?

Smile!
Carol

Kale and Potato Soup

Kale and Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale or other greens- spinach, chard
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 stalks celery
6 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
4 medium red potatoes, washed, scrubbed and diced into ½ in. cubes
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
7 cups water or stock
1-2 cans or 3-4 cups cooked white or pinto beans


Clean and trim the stems off of the kale, cut into thin strips, set them aside
Heat oil in soup pot; add the onion, garlic, chili, bay leaf, and salt cooking over high heat for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the potatoes celery and yeast plus a cup of water or stock. Stir together, cover, and cook slowly for 5 minutes.
Add the kale, cover and steam until wilted, stirring as needed. Pour in the rest of the water or stock, bring to a boil, and then simmer slowly, covered, until the potatoes are quite soft, 30-40 minutes.
When potatoes are ready you add the beans. I puree them with some of the soup because I have a child who won’t eat whole beans, however, it’s up to your personal preference whether to puree some of the soup or not.
I finish this soup with plain yogurt or a good hard cheese if I have them available.
This soup is very warming and is one of our family favorites.
The origins of this soup are from a recipe in The Greens Cookbook, I have modified it to add more fiber and protein.
Enjoy!!

Affirmations

“It’s the repetition of…affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” –Claude M. Bristol

I read somewhere that its helpful to repeat a new belief fifteen times each day until it feels like a part of you. Its worth a try anyway…what belief is holding you back from getting or giving yourself the support you need to live your best life?

Planning your day

I first was introduced to this particular way of planning my day when I saw the movie “What The Bleep Do You Know”. One of the scientists shared his way of creating his day before he actually got up. I have found it to be very helpful. It’s similar to setting intentions yet more in the moment.

Prior to getting out of bed in the morning I review my day in my head, paying particular attention to how I want to feel and what positive and fun emotions I want to have. I will focus on the specific events as well as the overall feeling. I find when I take the time to envision a day that feels great I am more likely to get it.

I have found this tool to be particularly supportive if I am venturing into new territory or have something more challenging coming up.

Give it a try! Set up a ritual that will work for you and commit to doing it every day for one week. Notice if the days feel different.

Skiing

I just got back from a day of skiing with a wonderful friend. Wonderful friend, awesome snow, awful weather...we had a great day!
When I am skiing I am learning and growing and I am working on balance. I also get to work on acceptance of what is right in front of me. Snow conditions, wind, temperature, trees...I get to play with challenging myself and enjoying something easier. Its a metaphor for life that I am grateful I get to do!

Thoughts are things!

How often are your thoughts actually supporting you to grow and see the world in a new and different light?

Take time today to simply notice how often your thoughts serve you to be the very best you can be and how often they don't. What are your options?

We can change our thoughts, and thus we can change the world one thought at a time!

Learning

“The illiterate of the year 2000 will not be the individual who cannot read and write, but the one who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” –Alvin Toffler

I love this quote because it inspires me once again to realize that life is a journey and not a destination. It reminds me that all of learning is important. Unlearning and relearning are often the key to moving forward.

Looking at learning from the perspective of health we get to choose to unlearn poor eating habits and learn healthy ones, to unlearn that health isn't a value and learn how it will support you. To relearn to play, reflect, rest...The list goes on.

Learning is lifelong. How can we support ourselves to be lifelong learners?

How to complete the items on your list!

Now that you have a list and have begun to notice your pattern, here are some simple ideas to support you to do what you need to complete your list.

Go down your list and ask yourself, Can I take care of this myself? If you can and want to take care of it, schedule it into your life to be done within the next week.

If you can’t do it yourself, who can do it? Do you need to delegate or hire someone…is it worth your energy to keep holding onto this if you’re not going to do it. Who is it that you can give these to?

Lastly, is it something you can get rid of? This is a big one for a lot of people. We live in a culture that honors having more so letting go of anything can be challenging. However if it is just taking up space, in your home, office or your body, it’s probably time to let it go.

Coaching tip: Letting go... can be one of the healthiest gifts you can give to yourself. What can you let go of that will truly meet a need in you to feel great?

What's Draining You?

What’s draining you?
Its challenging sometimes to become aware of how much of our energy is being pulled by what’s on our to do list or what we’ve been thinking about doing but haven’t done.
Here are some examples for you to get a better idea:
Unreturned phone calls, emails or letters.
Unresolved conflict
Broken appliances
Clutter
Health concern you’re not attending to.
No longer enjoying your job.
Spending more money than you earn...
Take a couple of minutes right now to make a list of the top five to ten things that are draining your energy.
How many of those things can you take action on in the next seven days?
How will you feel after you've done that?

Inner Wisdom

“To do what you ought to do, when you ought to do it and be guided
by your wisdom is the only real freedom.”- Paramahansa Yogananda

How do we stay tuned to our inner wisdom? It’s tough in our culture to place value on reflection and contemplation and it's also challenging to trust our inner knowing with all of societies voices chiming in.

Simply begin to notice when something feels really right for you. How does your body signal you? Do the same when something feels a bit off. Spend a couple minutes reflecting on it, writing about it or simply listening.

Empathy

The key to empathy with others is empathy with ourselves.
Why is that such a hard concept for most of us to grasp? Yet, when we offer ourselves empathy, we then see the magic in it.
Self empathy is a tool to have at the ready when you need it. It takes practice so start with the small stuff. Being in traffic is a great opportunity. The next time someone cuts you off instead of yelling, either aloud or silently at them, empathize with you. Ex: Wow, I am amazed at how frustrated and angry I feel right now about that person cutting me off. I have such a need for safety that it really scares me…

Remember everything begins and ends with you.

Soup

This is one of my favorite recipes from "If the Buddha came to Dinner",I have changed it slightly to add more fuel.

Cauliflower Soup
Serves 6
Prep time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
11/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon of salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 large head cauliflower, chopped
1 can white beans
4-6 carrots, chopped
5 cups water or vegetable stock ( I use an organic vegetable paste made by Better than Bouillon)
I garnish it with parsley or other chopped herbs to taste.

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Add the spices, salt and pepper and stir constantly for one minute. Add the cauliflower and carrots, stirring to combine with the onion and spices.
2. Add the water or stock, making sure there is enough liquid to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until cauliflower is soft but not falling apart, usually 30-40 minutes.
3. Add the beans, stir and then puree the soup in batches in a blender. Garnish individual bowls with parsley just before serving.

In winter this is often a meal for us when accompanied by a big salad.
Enjoy!

The sun is shining

The sun is shining today which always puts a smile on my face.
First Monday of the New Year! I like to imagine a new year brings with it a clean slate, an opportunity for change, growth and to look at the world through new eyes.
I am most excited about continuing my journey with coaching, consulting and advocating for healthier more balanced lives.
I am an activist at heart and want to raise awareness around the ability of healthy food to fuel each of us in a way that supports us to be and do our best in every moment. It also has the potential to aid the environment and create more sustainability.
Tomorrow I will be sending out my first recipe and will do so twice a month.

“Tell me what you think, and I’ll know your mind. Tell me what you feel, and I’ll know your heart.”- English proverb