Live Well, Stress Less

There are exactly 109 days till the end of the year. And we all know that any meaningful activity toward working on your goals slows down as the end of year festivities start up. So if you want to get something done, now is the time.

Today begins the kick off of the 100 Day Challenge hosted on both the Live Well Stress Less and Where’s My Damn Answer blogs. Are you ready to kick your goals into high gear? I am. There simply isn’t any time left to play around. Don’t believe me? Check out these key dates:

• September 12, 2008: 100 Day Kick Off
• October 7, 2008: 25 Day Mark
• November 1, 2008: 50 Day Half Way Point
• November 26, 2008: 75 Day Mark and Day before Thanksgiving.
• December 22, 2008: End of 100 Day Challenge

It is only 75 Days till Thanksgiving folks! How did that happen? Yikes!

I have two key things I am working on: losing at least 15 more pounds by the end of the year and having a complete draft of the book I have been working on done. I’m excited about pushing myself to make these happen. I’m visualizing myself at the Christmas dinner table knowing that I did these things; toasting in the New Year with a new set of goals because I nailed my 2008 goals and feel sooooooo good about it!

How to join

To join this 100 day challenge, post your commitment to your goal as a comment to this post. If you are uncomfortable revealing everything about your goal on the ‘net, be as specific as you feel comfortable but make sure your goal is very specific for yourself. Write it on a piece of paper and post it where you can see it! Make sure you use the same name and identifying information each time you post! I want to be fair with the prizes!

Here’s how this challenge is going to work. We will have two weekly check-ins Fridays and Mondays. Each Friday, starting on the 19^th, there will be a prize drawing. If you want to be in the running for prizes each week, you must check in at both the Friday and Monday post. The prizes are small but designed to add some fun and incentive to checking in. All the names from both WMDA and LWSL blogs will be entered into one drawing. And the winner from the previous week will be announced on Friday.

This Week’s Prize is a $10 Amazon gift card. As I said to be eligible for this prize you will need to check in on both the September 12^th and September 15^th posts (All people who post will be put in a hat and a winner drawn at random on Thursday night!)

There is no grand prize unless some big donor wants to step forward and sponsor this challenge. Join for yourself, for support, for fun and for the ultimate satisfaction of what you want to achieve before the end of 2008.

Why are we starting on a Friday?

I thought about how weird it is to be starting this challenge on a Friday and then I realized that it is exactly what we need to start getting serious. Our weekends are often our biggest excuses for why we didn’t get what we wanted done. If you are working on losing a few pounds, it might be the party you are invited to this weekend. Your social calendar may already be really booked. The truth is, with only 100 days to go, each day counts. So why not start on a Friday?

So here’s your first assignment: Commit to being a part of the 100 Day Challenge. Post what you want to work on as a comment to this post. Take action today! Start now! Remember 100 days goes by very quickly.

Here’s to your success!

xoxox

Carol

PS. Feel free to post questions too! Karen and I will answer any questions about the Challenge. But you can also use the blog community if you are trying to figure out something about your goal. We’ve got lots of resources in the WMDA and LWSL communities.

| Tags: 100 Day Challenge, goals, year-end | Category: Inspiration, Philosophy, Reporting In | Comments (5)

I have been thinking about my inner workings for a few days (again!!).  Carol and I talked about the 100 day challenge on Friday, and there are things I want to get done.  But saying them in concrete terms was actually difficult.  It was almost like I could not think of them.  A little resistance going on there, I think.  

Then this weekend, we finished a phase in what I am calling our “clean out and renew” project at home.  We spent lots of time last weekend and this one as well, cleaning out our backyard, overgrown trees and vegetation, the side-yards that had not been cleaned (let alone looked at) for years, the old palm tree stump, and even some stuff from the garage and the house.  We rented a giant dumpster and almost filled it.  That is a lot of stuff cleared.  At the same time, we have been going through the house and sending in bags of stuff for the AVID club garage sale at my son’s school.  Then Firday, Carol and I had new pictures taken. 

What I noticed through this roughly week and a half of cleansing and renewal, is all I wanted to do was eat in between whatever else I was doing.  And I wanted all the bad stuff.  Sugar, bread, bread with sugar on it (I actually rolled up butter and brown sugar into a tortilla yesterday afternoon!), pasta, cheese, pasta with cheese.  Coffee with caffeine in it and sweet creamer, blended coffee drinks (I counted at least 6 trips to various coffee places in the last 4 days or so), and more.  Veggies don’t look so good to me right now either.

WOW, I think I am pretty resistant to letting go of stuff and the way life has been, even though I truly don’t like the junk.  I think I am more afraid of moving forward than I’ve been for a while, and I’m not sure why.  Perhaps it’s because I’ve let go of some of the “things I should do” and have expressed a desire to do something more creative out loud.  Now that things are cleaned out, we have space to fix the yard, to fill it with what we want now, and I have space to do some new things.  But what will they be, and man it seems like a lot of work ahead to do them.

I also thing there is a bit of mom withdrawal going on.  My oldest has been home for the summer, and it has been nice having him around.  Our family was back together the way it used to be for a while.  We take him back to Cal Poly SLO next weekend, and it makes me really sad.  Strangely, I feel this even more than last year (his first), I think because I am not so occupied with all the tasks surrounding getting your kid off the college for the first time.  

Interestingly this weekend,while going through Kyle’s things to pack to bring, he and I came across a copy of “Who Moved My Cheese for Teens”.  This morning I started reading it aloud with my 9th grader, who is going through a bit of a “why do things always happen to me” phase.  If you’ve not ever read it, you should (really fast and easy).  The message is obvious and it’s stuff we know, and it’s clearly me who needs the reminder of it about now.  So, I will be looking at how to be more pragmatic like the mice, and get over my drama about change (again!), recognize that I am using food to cover up feelings about all of this, and get excited about looking for the next cheese I am supposed to find.

Planning to lose at least another 10 pounds in the 100 days starting now (among other things I’ll share later on),

Karen

| Tags: 100 Day Challenge, Cal Poly SLO, change, cleaning out, cleansing, Dumpster, eating to cover emotions, new pictures, renewal, resistance, Who Moved My Cheede for Teens, Who Moved My Cheese | Category: Food, Reporting In | Comments (2)

I’ve never particular thought of myself as a drama queen, but lately I realize that while I don’t necessarily act out the drama out in the world, there is a lot of drama going on in my head.  The sort of catastrophic thinking that happens when I contemplate making a big change or the personalization of someone else’s actions.  It is so easy to make it all about me when what they say or do had only to do with them.  I’m getting pretty good at recognizing when I do this and telling myself–tone down the drama. 

There is a part of us that remains like a teenager with our hormones spiking.  In that adolescent age, I was prone to throwing myself on the bed with a wail–saying “it’s not fair!”  Now I don’t throw myself on the bed in a fit of drama but I do find those thoughts sometimes flitting through my head.  Or when I need to tackle a big project I start creating a story of how difficult the project is going to be and how much I don’t want to do it.  Once again the best thing for me to tell myself is to tone down the drama.  Making a big dramatic scene over getting to work doesn’t make the work any easier. 

The drama can come in the form of “what ifs.”  What if I do that and fall flat on my face?  What if I take that risk and it doesn’t work out?   There is a value in looking at contingency plans but when the what if leads you down a very dramatic road–stop and tone down the drama! 

Here is one of those from my past.  Years ago, I was working a full time job as a manager of a paralegal department at a large law firm.  What I really wanted to do was to pursue acting.  But I didn’t want to have to wait tables to be an actor.  When I spoke with an acting teacher about it, she asked what is your biggest fear?  I told her that quitting my full-time job would mean that I would end up a bag lady and homeless!  She laughed and said, “wow, you went from a high power management job, to waiting tables to homeless in one sentence! Where’s the evidence that you wouldn’t be smart enough and capable enough to earn and income and pursue your passion?”  With those words she opened a whole door for me and several months later, the firm that I was working at had an opening managing the weekend operations and I took it and was freed up to pursue my acting with a full time job with benefits.  No drama required!

Here are some areas in which I was creating drama in my life recently.  My exercise program:  “It’s hard.  I don’t want to!  I don’t have time!  Why do some people find this so much easier than I do?”  Writing the book:  “I don’t know why I think I can do this.  Do you know how many people write books and never get them published?  What makes you think you are special enough to write this?”  When I realized that all these thoughts were only designed to create drama in my my life, I resolved myself to notice and tone down the drama. 

So Live Well, Stress Less Readers, my question to you is there an area of your life you are making an unnecessary drama?  Can you tone down the drama a bit?

| Tags: acting, drama, passion, what ifs | Category: Inspiration, Philosophy | Comments (3)

I am always looking at what others in the self-help and self development fields are doing.  Today someone sent me a link to Mind Movies which is a site that gives you access to 6 short affirmation/visualization type movies with music and pictures all for simply giving them your email address.  They are created by Ryan Higgins, who is originally from Australia.  The quality of these little movies is excellent! 

I recently created a vision board for what I am trying to create but this takes the visioning process to a new level. Here on his blog, he’s got a great video describing how he created these mind movies.

If you are looking at making some changes in your life, check these out.   They would definitely help if you are working with us on the 100 day challenge.

Hugs

Carol

| Tags: affirmations, Mind Movies, Ryan Higgins, self-help, visualization | Category: Inspiration, Philosophy | Comments (2)

Surprise!  Live Well, Stress Less has undergone a make-over!  There may be some continuing changes over the next few days as I tweak the look.  I’m excited about having the site reflect Karen and I more in its design.  I even figured out how to tweak the template we are using to add some things it didn’t include!  I’m feeling very techno-smart right now. 

Yesterday, Karen & I got the new pictures taken by good friend and amazing photographer, Janell Mithani.  Gone is that stiff but friendly suit picture and instead is a picture that represents who Karen and I are much better! (At least we think so!)

Let us know what you think of our new look!

Hugs

C

| Tags: Makeover, site update, techno confidence | Category: Reporting In | Comments (1)

I just received an email from Mark Victor Hansen that said that September 22 is a very important day.  It is the 100 day mark.  There are 100 days left to the end of 2008.  Wow that sure means it is time to get serious.  Think about about your goals for 2008.  How are you doing? 

For myself, I have done many of the things on my health and fitness list this year.  Pleased that I can check those off my list but I have many other things that I would like to wrap up and complete before the year end.  This means taking a hard look at my schedule and time commitments and moving those items into “A list” priorities.  It means saying no to other things that I’d like to continue doing but that need to take a back seat right now. 

My two priorities are writing my book and losing another 20 pounds by year end.  Okay so how am I going to do that?  I decided this means exercise, food planning and writing time must be put in my calendar first.  Everything else has to fit around that! And like you, I have lots of things to fit in. 

Do you want to join me on this 100 day challenge?  Feel free to post your goals here.  Together we can do it!

| Tags: 100 days till end of year, Goal Setting, Mark Victor Hansen | Category: Inspiration, Philosophy, Reporting In, Weight | Leave a comment

Every where you turn today there is someone trying to sell you a system to guarantee success–success in business, success in weight loss, etc.  I’m going to keep this post extremely short today.  I believe the only way you can find success is to make sure that you find your own system.  What works for others, probably won’t be exactly the right fit for you. You can learn by trying out someone else’s system and keeping what works and getting rid of the rest.  If you spend a lot time trying to make someone else’s system work, you miss the opportunity to be powerful by creating your own.  So here’s to listening to our own internal guidance and creating our lives with intention in a way that truly works for us!

| Tags: internal guidance, plans, success, systems | Category: Inspiration, Philosophy | Leave a comment

I got a wonderful reminder email from Daily Om about enduring discomfort when we try to change our habits.  (Click on Daily Om link above to read.)  This is something I know as hypnotherapist that our subconscious mind does things only because it sees those things as helping us.  For example, the ice cream that I eat even though I’ve said that I am on a healthy eating no sugar program, is tied to the treats my parents gave me after a bad day.  Ice cream is tied to comfort and love and on a day when I feel short on that comfort and love, I am more at risk for eating those foods.

One of the things I keep reminding myself about all the “bad” habits I am working on breaking is that they are there for a reason.  They give me something that I haven’t yet figured out how to give myself in other ways.  So while I am trying to change the habit, I will feel uncomfortable.  I need to learn to be okay being uncomfortable.  I need to talk to the discomfort within me and learn its lessons without being so quick to try to “medicate” it away.   This is a habit not reinforced in our society.  In general, we view pain as the enemy rather than the teacher.  My goal this week is to be aware of my feelings and discomforts and see if I can figure out what messages they are sending me and what I can learn from them rather than running to get away from those feelings.  It is is a practice in awareness and truly listening to my spirit.

| Tags: awareness, Changing Habits, Daily Om, Discomfort, ice cream, lessons | Category: Food, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Philosophy | Leave a comment

I am not talking about my computer. I’m talking about my mind.

Have you ever had one of those brain cloud moments where you know you should know something and you just can not call it up to your conscious mind? You are searching and searching for it but it as though your brain needs a reboot and you just can not make the brain work right to access the information you need. I had a really embarrassing version of this on Thursday night.  I invited several of my friends to check out my friend Stephanie Bettman’s band at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena. Steph is an amazing artist–click on her link and check her out–and if you want to be on my invite list for future Stephanie Bettman events, let me know.

But back to the story. My two of my four friends hadn’t met the others before so it was fun to have a girls night out and introduce these great ladies to each other. We were sitting in the coffee gallery and chatting when I notice another friend of mine, who I met through a potluck group I’ve been in for 3 years called the goddess group, coming in the door. And I totally blanked on her name. As she approached and I gave her a big hug, my brain was scurrying around saying, “why can’t I remember her name? It is something biblical. How can you not know her name?” As she approached and we hugged, I still couldn’t remember her name. As she introduced me to her boyfriend, I couldn’t remember her name.

Now panic was setting in–I was going to have to introduce her to my friends. Panic, ego and fear of making her feel bad set in and totally paralyzed me. I did this really weird introduction–giving my friends names to her but not giving her name. Poor Connie! She looked at me and asked, “what’s her name?” A good question! Hell if I knew and I was too wrapped up in my panic to admit that I was having a brain fart! It was like that part of the hard drive was bad–no access! Ugh! I shot Connie a panicked look and as my friend moved away–I admitted that my brain had completely shut down. Connie started laughing because she thought she had done something wrong.For the next 40 minutes or so I beat myself up for handling the whole thing in such a ridiculous manner.

While it is embarrassing to admit that you are having a memory failure, it was more embarrassing to not own up to it on the spot. Boy was my ego working overtime as though no one else had every had this issue except me. Even all my friends admitting that this has happened to them didn’t seem to stop my self-critical voice from beating me up. Finally as I relaxed into listening to Stephanie and Luke sing and play, the name bubbled up–Miriam–that’s right it’s Miriam! Sigh of relief.

I looked for Miriam to go explain and apologize and they were gone. So the next day I sent an email and owned up and apologized. She responded back quickly and said not to worry. Now I could truly let it go. But as I was sitting down to write today, it came back to mind.

There’s a lesson here about the stress that not being willing to admit our failings and humanity can cause. How much less energy would it have taken simply to look at Miriam from the get go and say, “Darling I am having an entirely senior moment and I can not for the life of me get your name to my tongue–my hard drive is failing–help me out here!”?  We could have laughed right there. But I let my ego create a drama that was totally unnecessary. This is something I hope not to do again.

Do you have areas where your ego won’t let you admit your humanness? My recommendation is that we all get over this and laugh at how fickle the human mind and body can be. Feels better that way.

| Tags: admitting mistakes, Altadena, Coffee Gallery Backstage, forgetting name, humanness, memory loss, Stephanie Bettman Band | Category: Inspiration, Philosophy, Reporting In, Stress | Leave a comment