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By Jackie White  Oh man, how can we love ourselves without abandon when beautifully photoshopped, pinteresty, insta-flawless bodies, faces, and lives are constantly shoved down our throats? It’s an overload of perfection and it sucks!
We all know rationally that no one looks like that in real life. We know that the shots are set up to create an image, we know that,, so why is it so hard to let it go? This is why: because we don’t love ourselves enough. Listen, there is no award for being so hard on yourself. You are perfect just the way you are. Oh, you don’t believe me? I’ll take you to task on this one. Let’s look at the top three rotten things women pick themselves apart about and let me help slay these dragons for you with some straight talk. Weight: Let’s begin with the biggest evil, weight. You might be thinking that you have to lose weight. Ya, so does almost 50% of the American population. So, take action and show your body some love by caring for it through healthy choices. Choose to eat properly, drink water, dump the soda, quit the sugar, and move your body. Change your focus on getting healthy and get off the damn scale! When you do the right things, you will return your precious body to the health it deserves. The Love Yourself SOULution: Don’t complicate this. We like to complicate because then we have a great excuse to claim “nothing works” and then go back to eating chocolate bonbons. Instead, eat healthfully, eat proper portion sizes, drink water, and walk 150 - 300 minutes per week (Psst: that’s 21 - 43 minutes per day), You can do that, and oh yea, your life does depend on it, so there’s that. Critical Inner Talk: You can’t stop thinking about that stupid thing you said at work the other day…guess what, everyone has said or done something stupid at work too. Get over it. You can’t change it, so move on. This situation is all about critical inner talk that fuels worry or anxiety about things you can’t control. That which you cannot control, you have to let go or you will pay a price of exhaustion and an unstable foundation because you have built your house on a pile of worry. You cannot do that. The Love Yourself SOULution: Love yourself first and work to calm your mind and focus your thoughts on peaceful intentions. Start a practice of meditation to calm your mind and settle your body. Replace negative talk with positive words, always without fail. Choose to longer accept negative inner talk. Low Confidence: There seems to be an epidemic of women who are not confident in themselves. Do you feel lost in making decisions for yourself? Do you feel you are not worthy of certain things in life? If so, you are suffering from this and you need to step up on your behalf. Hey, if you don’t, who will? Will it be difficult? Maybe, but you know what’s worse? Shortchanging your life because you are afraid to speak up for yourself. Living life in that manner will result in regret, don’t stand for it anymore! If you are battling the critical inner talk problem mentioned before, you are likely feeding the beast that is beating down your confidence. If you suffer from both, it calls for double the love for yourself. The Love Yourself SOULution: Begin a practice of gratitude by listing something you love about yourself daily and why you love that about yourself. Begin to change your physiology by walking and talking confidently even if you don’t feel like it. Put on some pump-you-up music to change your state. Feel how good it feels to walk with more confidence! When you practice being confident, you train yourself to choose confidence over shrinking back into silence. Sometimes to love yourself, you have to love yourself with tough love. No one said any of this was easy and in case you didn’t get the memo, life isn’t supposed to be a walk in the park. What I can tell you is that the effort is all worth it because you will stop worrying about how you rank in this crazy world of unattainable perfection. Instead, you will be catching your totally imperfect reflection in the mirror and you will start strutting and singing “I’m too sexy for Milan, New York, and Japan”. Imagine that scene! I love it! Make the time to love yourself today and every day. When you do, one day you will finally realize your worth and how much the world needs you just the way you are. Shine On!
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Feeling the Long Weekend Blues? 5 Tips to Get Back into the Swing of Life after a Holiday Weekend7/5/2022 By Erika Fehrenbach Prell  Phew! Anyone else feeling the long weekend blues? Long weekends, especially holiday ones like July 4th and Memorial weekend, seem to fall in the category of a blessing and a curse. Anyone else find themselves looking forward to the bonus time but then packing it with a bit too much? You know, too much fun, too much food, too much sun…too much, too much, too much. No shame in that game…it seems to be the way of things!
Cue the superhero music….da ta da daaaaa!! Never fear, SoulShine is here to save the day! As we come off of the July 4th holiday weekend, here are 5 Tips to Get Back into the Swing of Life after a Holiday Weekend. Enjoy! 1. Let It Go Chances are, you may have derailed several health goals over the weekend. Guess what? That’s okay! Leave the holiday in the past. What is done is done, start new today. Do yourself a favor and avoid the scale - there is a good chance it will be up but this is typically a false increase as a result of the extreme changes in your usual routine. 2. Restart Your Routine Speaking of routines, get back at it! This is the best way to serve your body and get over the long weekend hangover, so to speak. Hydrate with water, get moving with your favorite exercise, eat your favorite light meals, and get your rest! This will get you feeling back to yourself, and your best, in no time! 3. Take a Deep Breath Coming off the long weekend and shifting into work week mode can bring added stress. All of a sudden there are piles of laundry, empty refrigerators, perhaps a car that needs unpacking…and one less day to get it done! Stop, take a deep breath. Breathe in all the fun that was had and memories that were made. Breathe out the overwhelm you are creating. Take it one task at a time, start with the most important one. And, ask for help! There is nothing saying you have to take care of it all! 4. Mindset Reset There’s an interesting struggle that has been created between the work week and the weekend. You know what I mean…all those memes about Monday blues, Friday or weekend vibes, basically that the work week is the nemesis and the weekend is the hero. It’s understandable…weekends tend to be fun and carefree while the work week is structured and task-filled. But, it doesn’t have to be this way! You get to choose your mindset. Instead of seeing your return to work as a bummer, choose to see it as the vehicle that allows you to enjoy the next long weekend. Find ways to bring joy and creativity into your work week by finding projects that fuel your passion and energize you. 5. Plan Ahead Next Time As you get back into the post-holiday weekend swing of life, bring awareness to the situation. Chances are, there are some areas where you can help the transition into and out of a long weekend go more smoothly. Examples might be making a to-do list for your day back, putting an “out of the office” response to emails, or going to bed early so you can get started a little earlier your first day back. Take note so you can plan ahead next time, you know, like at the end of summer with Labor Day. We hope these tips help you bust out of the long weekend, holiday blues, and start fresh and new this week. Save these tips for the next holiday, too! Putting these ideas into place will help even out the rollercoaster that can come with long, holiday weekends, resulting in you enjoying this time and memories to the fullest. Shine On! Baseball - Life Exemplified How America's Pastime is Inspiration on How to Live Your Best Life6/28/2022 By Erika Fehrenbach Prell  Nothing says summer like baseball…or is that just my life? As I learn more about baseball, I have come to realize how it not only mirrors life but also is a remarkable place of inspiration on how to live your best life.
You see, baseball is a sport of failure. Think about it! Ted Williams is one of the best hitters of all time and has an untouchable lifetime batting average of 0.334. Know what this translates to? He struck out about 67% of the time…2 out of 3 times at bat, he failed! Here's another consideration, the Atlanta Braves record last season was 88 wins and 73 losses, and they won the World Series! One could say baseball is brutal but the reality is, failing that much makes you appreciate the big hits, home runs, and wins so much more. The difference maker in baseball is how you manage this failure…does it get you down or do you bounce back up, better and stronger? The best players and teams have short term memory on these failures and get back at it with their next at bat. You take it one inning and at bat at a time, realizing you won't hit a grand slam every time. Like so many areas in life, mindset and attitude play an integral role in baseball. From striking out to having no control over the team that drafts you, focusing on your area of control is crucial to your success in baseball just like in life. The successes you see in baseball show up just like in real life, too. The big sluggers, killer pitchers, and athletic outfield diving catches look effortless, totally making it look easy. What's the truth? The countless hours of practice, stacking hundreds or thousands of small victories, culminating in the big play you see on the field. Oh yeah! Don't forget all those failures as opportunities to learn, too! Hmm…all of that sounds a bit like living life full out, doesn't it? To bring the point home, here are 10 Life Lessons from Baseball:
So many life lessons in one fun pastime! This summer, when you find yourself at the baseball field or see game highlights on the news, remember all these important life lessons. Take a moment and check in…are you swinging for the fences, even if you might fail? Or, holding back and playing small? Be like the best baseball player. Have a short memory. Find blessings in the stressings. Play all out. And, swing for the fences. Shine On! By Jackie White  Welcome to Life’s Diner. Here life is served any way you like it. We are proud to offer an extensive menu to you. As well, our dining room creates just the right amount of ambiance and comfort you desire. Please come on in! No reservations are necessary!
What if life was like a diner? You would wake up daily and go to the diner choosing what you wanted to dine on for that day. You peruse the menu and see that they have appetizers that are simple pleasures such as wearing your favorite old sweatshirt or brewing a delicious cup of coffee in the morning. You see an appetizer sampler that includes those things plus, the ability to move your body and the opportunity to phone a friend so that you can enjoy their company. Doesn’t that sound appetizing?! The entrees in Life’s Diner are plentiful and offer literally the world on a silver platter. The only thing you have to do is choose. What will you choose? There are terrific offerings like the popular Joy-Filled Days. These days are deliciously simple, yet satisfying and fulfilling. Since you are aware enough to order this, you will also be aware enough to make further choices that go with a Joy-Filled Day, like a side of smiling, laughing, and sampling all the things that look appetizing! Also on the Menu of Life there are other choices like Mundane-Filled Days, Stress-Filled Days, and Scrambled Days of Indifference. Sadly, many people default to these options because they really aren’t deciding to have something different. The menu of life requires you to choose what you like and when you don’t, you get whatever the leftovers are from the day before when you didn’t choose something you desire. The leftovers tend to be bland, tasteless, and stale, yet people wake up each day, sit in front of the extensive menu of choices and never really choose the things that they desire. Tip of the Day: Just Choose Something and Make it Something You Like! Each day offers another chance for you to choose from the Menu of Life. You have a choice of ordering anything a la carte and making up your own special dish of the day too! You have the ever-popular Plate of Possibilities that includes a plate of bottomless possibilities and opportunities! These choices are great fun and provide tons of happiness. Here a few popular plates to consider: The Positive Perspective Plate: This dish allows you to see the day through a positive lens. The Purpose Plate: This plate provides the most fulfillment, yet many never order this. The Chef’s Surprise: this is otherwise known as a Side of Curiosity. This dish will light you up and provide lots of adventure! We have only one side at the diner and it is offered gratis to everyone. It works like medicine for your soul and quite literally fills you up, so we recommend that you sample it daily: The Dish of Gratitude: This most popular side is recommended to be served daily and will soothe a troubled tummy, and an envious ego. It will calm a broken heart and will reliably lift up your spirits. It is the tastiest of all morsels. Now, the desserts are really fantastic here at the diner and we encourage you to have dessert every day because here, the choices fill you up, but don’t contain calories! You cannot beat that! The Joy of the Day: This dish features joyful opportunities Smiles a la Mode: Served with or without ice cream, this dish is sure to please Celebration Cake: This sweet dish offers celebrations of things great and small Note: Now there is one thing we serve on this menu but we don’t encourage you to order it and that is Humble Pie. It only is served when you have earned it. We have noticed that when you order the side of gratitude it counteracts any possibility of you having to eat the Humble Pie, so may we suggest again to try The Dish of Gratitude? Again, we want to welcome you to the Diner of Life. Please belly up to the bar and order all the choices your heart desires. Make good choices and your bill will always be free. Make bad choices or no choices and you will pay, somehow, someway. May we suggest making good choices? Bon Appetit and Shine On! By Erika Fehrenbach Prell  Ah…summer. Warm weather, sunshine, longer days…there’s nothing quite like it! I love to soak up all the summer vibes, and rays of sunshine, too. There are some things to keep in mind as you shift into this season to keep yourself the healthiest possible so you can do all the things! Here are your 7 Top Tips for Your Healthiest Summer Ever…enjoy!
1. Exercise Outdoors With the weather nicer, try a new view by taking your exercise outside…or try something new! Here's some movement inspiration: yoga in the park, a scenic walk, hit the bike trails, try a sport like tennis or pickleball, or go swimming. To avoid the heat, get your move on in the morning before it warms up! 2. Freshen Up the Food Summer is a great time to ditch processed food and boost your nutrition with fresh options. Scope out the Farmer's Markets or pop-up food stands for the latest in-season options. Or, try a CSA (community supported agriculture) share. Check your insurance benefits - CSA farms often give discounts as part of work wellness programs! 3. Up the Hydration Hydration takes on even more importance with warmer temperatures! Try to limit coffee and soda to decrease dehydration. Jazz up that water with fruits or fruit juice…whatever it takes to drink up! A good water goal is half your bodyweight in ounces. Depending on your activity level and the temperature, you might need more to stay hydrated in summer! 4. Protect from Summer Elements What’s one way to ruin your summer day? Forgetting the sunscreen or bug spray to start! Ouch! Make sure to lather up with an SPF of 30, even on overcast days. Grab some sunglasses to shield your eyes. Spray up with bug spray to protect from mosquitoes and gnats (and grab the DEET if you are hiking where ticks are!). This is definitely an area where a little prevention pays off in spades instead of dealing with sunburn and peeling skin! 5. Stay Cool This is an important one! When the temperatures rise, be careful not to overdo it…heat stroke is no joke! Heat stroke is actually life threatening with heat exhaustion, or mild overheating of the body, being the first step. Here are the common signs of heat exhaustion:
If you or someone you are with are experiencing these symptoms, here are some measures to take:
If symptoms persist or worsen, emergency medical attention is necessary. Advanced heat stroke or heat exhaustion progresses to confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, hot/dry skin, seizures, and very high body temperature (possibly over 104 degrees). This is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical intervention. 6. Don't Forget Your ZZZ's Long summer days can lead to losing track of time and abandoning the bedtime routine. While it might be tempting to pack in extra fun, making sure you get enough sleep and sticking to a bedtime is important for peak energy. Well, at least on most days😉 7. Rest, Relax, & Recharge Summer is a great time to take time to unplug from life and recharge your spirit! Unplug from social media, string up a hammock, and read all day. Have a lazy day at the beach. Plan a staycation and explore all the secret finds in your area…or plan a summer vacation. Take time to rest, relax, and recharge this summer! Hope these tips help to make this the best summer yet, full of adventures and memories to last a lifetime! Shine On! Summer Camp Isn’t Just For Kids Anymore! Hello Muddah Hello Faddah...This Ain't No Camp Grenada6/7/2022 By Jackie White  Hello Muddah Hello Faddah, here I am at Camp Granada…Does anyone remember that song? As a kid who never went to summer camp, I was glad my mom and dad spared me from the experience. I certainly didn’t want to go hiking with Joe Spivey, remember he developed poison ivy? And then there was Leonard Skinner, he got ptomaine poisoning after dinner! Geez! No thanks!
That song made camp sound so terrible, I never wanted to go! However, when I got to high school, an opportunity arose where I could go to camp in Colorado for a whole week with my friends! That sounded a heck of a lot more appealing than Camp Granada! At the camp I went to, we white-water rafted, climbed a mountain, rappelled down a mountain, rode horses (truth be told, I could have lived without that), and made friends and memories of a lifetime. I have to say, that after my real experience at camp I was totally sold on what a great opportunity camp is for anyone! That got me thinking about how summer is the time when the kids go off to camp. They are learning new things, having adventures, and getting creative. They leave camp having acquired new skills and have learned about themselves. Well, what about the adults? Why can’t we go to camp and have some of the same fun? Now, we can! SoulShine has figured out a way to bring all the fun and discovery to you in your own home! Let me introduce you to SoulShine Self-Care Summer Camp! A camp made just for you with opportunities to learn new things about yourself, have adventures, and get creative, just like the kids! Since SoulShine is all about joy and living your best life, we will also infuse FUN into all of the courses, workshops, and activities and because we know everyone can use some self-care, that too is integral to camp. Finally, this is about finding some time just for you to re-discover yourself. That is so important to living your best life! Now, we know you are busy, so that is why we offer everything in fun-size pieces and that means it’s a lot of good stuff wrapped in fun and packed in a timeframe that doesn’t take you hours to complete! This camp features: →health and wellness topics and challenges to help you get fit and healthy this summer →creativity sessions that will inspire you →meditations to ground you → masterclasses led by Jackie and Erika intended to educate but also to put a smile on your face. We will work on: → your goals →self-care →self-discovery →your mindset → your spirituality →overall wellness Take moment to really think about how Summer Camp could enhance your summer and your life. You will leave camp feeling like you did something special for yourself. You will be set to take on the challenges of the fall and beyond with newfound momentum in your life! We would love to have you join us! We promise no poison ivy or ptomaine poisoning and we won’t scare ya’ with a bunkmate who has malaria! What we will promise you is a one-of-a-kind self-care and self-discovery experience that only SoulShine can deliver! Camp runs June 8 - August 8, 2022. It rolls out weekly and you work at your own pace! For more information and to get signed up click here: https://soulshinelifeconnections.podia.com/soulshine-self-care-summer-camp Shine On! By Jackie White  What most people don’t get about life is that it is all about taking chances. It’s a pathway riddled with choices, options, and possibilities. The pathway may be clear and at other times, not so much. One thing is that the summary of life is that it is all a result of the choices you make or don’t make and the chances you take or don’t take.
Some things will be easy choices and that road will be easy to follow. Sometimes you will have to face some tough choices and the biggest enemy you will ever face will be looking to block you from your next right choice. That enemy is called fear. Remember this cliff note on life: fear will always try to block you from happiness. Fear can paralyze you and rob you of your dreams. Don’t let that happen. That leads us to a very important thing you should know. You were born with a set of gifts that you uniquely possess. These gifts are to be lived out and shared with others. Don’t let distractions and wrong choices keep you from your gifts, your passions and ultimately your purpose. Your dreams reside within your gifts. Pursuing them will bring happiness and contentment in your life. Whereas if you choose to ignore that which lights up your Soul, life will feel dim and flat. This excerpt is about the best description I have found of how to know what your purpose in life is: That Thing That thing you do, after your day job, in your free time, too early in the morning, too late at night. That thing you read about, write about, fantasize about, That thing you do when you’re all alone and there’s no one to impress, nothing to prove, no money to be made, simply a passion to pursue. That’s it. That’s your thing. That’s your heart, your guide. That’s the thing you must, must do. To follow a dream requires a few important traits: Persistence, courage, truth, character, love, determination, and creativity. You must persist even when times get tough. Stepping out of your comfort zone will be required, that’s called courage. You must trust in yourself to be able to handle the challenges. You will do that by knowing your truth, that is what you stand for. That’s your character, the foundation of who you are. This foundation should be steeped in love. Determination will carry you through when you might feel like quitting. Don’t quit. Life is too important to abandon your dreams and passions in your Soul. Creativity will always be necessary to break through tough problems or just to make life interesting. Your Legacy Life is a book you are writing. Consider the ending and what your legacy will be. Imagine what that looks like and spend your days building your legacy. There are a couple more important things you need to know about life: Love: Life is about love. Loving all that you see and do. Loving yourself with strength and truth. It’s about loving others and letting them know. Love is the glue in the world. Gratitude: Know that life is not guaranteed to be happy, fun, sparkles, and rainbows all the time, but when you choose to be grateful, you will find contentment in all the good in your life. Don’t forget to be grateful. Fun: Fun, it’s underrated, especially by adults. Don’t let the fun and silliness fall from your life. Fun brings people together and makes your heart smile. Connections: You likely already know this, but friends and connections with others are important. They help to spark positive energy in your life and with you, they make the memories you will want to collect. Spirituality: Importantly, I want to encourage you to find a place of spirituality in your life. When you connect with God or the Universe or whatever you want to call it, you will find strength that you never knew you had. You will never be alone and you will be guided where you need to go. Spirituality encompasses knowing what’s deep in your heart and soul. There lies your truth and authentic self. Take the time to get to know what’s in your soul and you will know yourself. Life is a gift and adventure. It’s your book and you will write every chapter. You don’t always know what’s around the next corner, but that’s the fun, the challenge and the way the ride rolls. I wish you a fantastic adventure and journey. B joyful and choose to be kind. Choose to live your gifts and don’t forget to take chances. Oh, and Shine On! By Erika Fehrenbach Prell  If you asked me where I have gotten stuck, I will tell you many, many times. That’s the interesting thing about living your Best Life and getting out of your comfort zone, you will find yourself hitting plateaus, feeling overwhelmed, losing your mojo or motivation…all signs that you are stuck! Let me take you back, way back, to a pivotal time I was stuck…a time I didn’t even realize I was stuck.
When I was in kindergarten and was asked “what do you want to be when you grow up”, I said I was going to be a doctor. This came out of absolutely nowhere other than the fact I really liked my doctor, his white coat, and his stethoscope. (These are really awesome bases for your life’s work…lol.) The interesting thing is that this really got ingrained into my brain…it became my automatic answer for many years and actually became a part of the future identity I had created for myself. Fast forward to college, I was on the pre-medicine track with a major in microbiology and immunology. I was working as the tutoring program coordinator for the undergraduate physiology course. The professor of the course had become a friend and valued mentor to me. An important side note is that he taught physiology to undergraduates as well as the medical school. During the time I was working with him, several major medical events happened in my family in a few short months. These events gave me close, first hand experience with different roles of the medical profession. After these life-changing events happened, I started having this nagging feeling that I wasn’t on the right path…that, perhaps, this dream of becoming a doctor wasn’t exactly the path to the greatest fulfillment. But, I kept pushing that away…I was caught in this dilemma of it not feeling right but afraid I would disappoint everyone. I mean…I had been saying forever that I was going to be a doctor! Over the semester, this came out in conversation with my professor mentor. I will forever be grateful for what he said to me. He asked permission to weigh in on my internal struggle. He started by joking about how being a doctor isn’t as grand as I was making it out to be…they are just people. He said he had no doubt I could and would be a great doctor if I wanted to be one. Then, and here’s the clincher that gave me the jolt I needed to snap me out of the stuckness, he said I was destined to do great things. He said not to chase after a title and look for something that would give me purpose and fulfillment…that it didn’t matter what anyone else thought about what I decided to do with my life. The only person who gets to weigh in on this and whose opinion matters is my own. He also reminded me that pre-medicine was an intention and I could pick any major I wanted; therefore, I should pick something I would enjoy doing if I changed my mind about medical school. Finally, above all, I should trust my instincts. If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t. Whoa. I still vividly remember the freedom those words gave me! It was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Guess what? Although medical microbiology and immunology was super fascinating and fun (remember, I’m a weird science person), I could not see myself working in a lab studying bacteria and viruses the rest of my life. Instead, I applied to nursing school and finished my pre-medicine requirements to keep my options open. It was in nursing school that I realized the philosophy of nursing was what fit me best. That, DreamChasers, is how I accidentally became a nurse! Know what else? No one that I loved and truly loved me batted an eye when I decided not to become a doctor. Well, except one of my grandpas…lol…but, he just always wanted a doctor in the family. Why do I bring this blast from the past up? Have I been stuck since then? Yes, many times, in many ways. I bring this up because this lesson served me each time I found myself stuck in my career, feeling unfulfilled, antsy, ready for something else, feeling that tug. Instead of keeping in the comfort zone, I had learned to listen to that feeling, get curious, and explore. Some decisions, like going back to graduate school, were pretty easy while others, like deciding the traditional nurse practitioner role was not my true purpose, were much scarier. Each time, though, I recognized I was stuck by the unsettled feeling, followed my instincts to be curious, and remembered I am the only opinion that matters about what I do with this one, beautiful life. Spoiler alert, DreamChaser. You will find yourself getting stuck on your Best Life journey. Instead of resisting, welcome the stuckness! Getting stuck is often a clue you are onto something great or, perhaps, need to reset the sails for a different course. Take a deep breath and get curious, dive into the real reason behind the stuckness. And, when you feel the pull towards a certain path or answer, trust yourself enough to follow. You've got this! Shine On! By Jackie White  I am a possibilities kind of person. I wake up most days so excited about life because there is so much to do, and I mean that in a good way! I have goals and things I want to accomplish. Big things and little. Some of the things are significant and others are not so much, but to me, the invitation to live life full out is one I cannot pass up. So, if everything is so happy-happy joy-joy how did I find myself stuck? I was perplexed by it when this stuckness hit me. How? Why? In fact, I have stuff I have to get done, I can’t be stalled out wallowing in stuckness! I tried to shake it off. I tried to ignore it oh, and hey, news flash, that doesn’t work! I was getting frustrated and wondered if there was something wrong with me. Being stuck sucks. You can feel paralyzed to make a move in your life. Sometimes feeling stuck feels really heavy and in my case, I didn’t even feel like myself. I found myself chatting with a friend about this expressing my desperation to just get going on just one of the ideas I had. My friend was quiet for a moment and then said to me, it seems to me that someone like Oprah has more irons in the fire than you. She has her own network, books, magazines, television shows etc and she gets it all done. If she can do it, you can too. I thought, is this a challenge or some sort of psychological play my friend has dealt me? In that case, I am competitive, I’ll take the challenge! I am not going to let Oprah win! My friend, interjected and calmed me and my competitive side down enough to explain that she wasn’t proposing a competition against Oprah. She was merely pointing out that it is possible for a person to take on a lot and succeed. Once I cooled my competitive jets, I began to see the light. Oprah is one of my heroes and to see the adversity she has overcome and the success she has achieved, that in itself should be enough to inspire me to do more. However, as I got to thinking just how many things she has achieved in her life, it became clear that I could also put all my dreams into motion, one dream at a time! I was creating my stuckness by trying to figure out a way to do everything right now and that became overwhelming. Now, we all know doing everything righ now is a ridiculous thought, but limiting beliefs show up to throw you off the path of what you want in life very easily, even when the belief is kind of crazy! Just Start: So, after looking at my “problem” I saw that my only problem was myself and my limiting beliefs that I didn’t have enough time to get it all done. I finally realized that without actually making a move I wasn’t going to get anything done. Lesson learned here was that you just have to start. Jon Acuff from his book Start says “Regardless of your age or station in life, it all comes down to one simple truth: you just have to start.” Here is another thing many of us forget when we get in the repetitive cycle of being stuck, we just have to make a move! Get started! Start by making a move rather than the thinking about it. Tony Robbins categorizes execution as more powerful than even knowledge. Knowledge isn't power; it's potential power. Execution trumps knowledge any day of the week. - Tony Robbins Bite Size or Massive Action Gets It Done: So when you find yourself stuck find one thing you can just do to get you started. After you complete that one task, then do another. Don’t try to do everything at once. These bite-sized pieces of progress will add up and soon you will be so far away from the Land of Stuck, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to get started! And, hey, if you are ready, no one is saying you can’t make a big move! Massive action will get massive progress moving, so know you have an option, if you are ready to jump in with both feet! Be Aware: The thing with being stuck is that it can rear its ugly head time and time again, so it’s important to check in with yourself to make sure you aren’t succumbing to those old patterns of limited thinking. When you see those thoughts sneaking back in, then you need to make a move to release yourself from the resistance! Stuckness can be paralyzing, but when you realize all it takes is for you to just do something, then you will begin to oil the machine and soon you will be getting it done and checking those tasks and goals off your to do list! Shine On! By Erika Fehrenbach Prell  Gretchen Rubin coined this quote in her book The Happiness Project when reflecting on parenting her kids. Rubin was describing how tiring and, at times, endless a single day can feel when you are in the thick of parenting. Then, you look up, and BAM! A whole year has passed. You are putting away the baby toys. The snuggles and cuddles get less and less. Your son starts calling you “Bruh” instead of Mom, and “Mommy” has long been erased from the vocabulary. It’s no wonder that this quote has become so popular…it describes the parenting experience to a tee.
I find this quote popping into my head more frequently lately. My oldest son just turned 14 and is just a few weeks away from finishing the 8th grade. High School is on the close horizon, and I know those four years are going to go by in the blink of an eye. My other son is finishing up 4th grade, and I can see the beginnings of the “preteen” stage coming…I’m not “Bruh” yet but it’s close. And, Lucy is 3 already…and I just want to freeze her right where she is! Who am I kidding? I kinda want to freeze them all or slow it down just a little. Sigh. Since this is the end of school year and graduation season, I know I am not alone in this feeling. Time is a funny thing. The younger you are, the s-l-o-w-e-r time seems to go. It takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r for your birthday, Christmas, summer break. And, the reverse happens the older you get. Then, you become a parent and you literally see time passing before you as your child learns new things and literally grows and changes before your eyes. Time marches at the same pace, yet, somehow it feels so different. What if I could give you the gift of time? Before you start thinking I have magical powers, I don't…sorry to disappoint! Here's what I do have…3 simple tricks to change your perception of time. These tricks will boost your feelings of fulfillment in relation to where your time deposits are going. #1 - Transform the Mundane: Wouldn’t it be great to spend all our time doing the fun adventures? But, alas, as parents, there's much more time spent chauffeuring kids from place to place, waiting for practice to get done, and evenings spent traveling to sporting events than a special family vacation. It's easy to get caught up in the busyness and mundane routine. Before you know it, the season is over. Here's a simple way to transform the mundane…infuse these tasks with gratitude. Finish this sentence, "I am grateful to…because…". For example, I am grateful to drive my son to practice because we get to spend 10 minutes together in the car to chat about his day. Gratitude helps you to be present in the moment and boost the moment from mundane to special. #2 - Create Memories with Intention: Life is for living and enjoying everyday, not just on holidays, birthdays or vacation. Block time to spend with your kids as a family or one-on-one. It doesn't have to be a huge event…the point is time together. You could go for a walk or hike, play games, or go for a bike ride. Truthbomb…you need to be intentional in reserving this time, planning something to do, and protecting it fiercely or these opportunities, and precious time, will slip away. (And, make sure to silence those phones😉) #3 - Practice Your Best Yes: Repeat after me, it's okay to say no. Sometimes, your best yes starts with saying no. Huh? Whenever you say yes to something, it means you are saying no to something else. To use your time to the fullest, you want to save your 'yes' for your Best Yes…depositing your time in the areas that are your priorities, bring joy to your life, and leave you feeling the most fulfilled. The years we have with our children may continue to be faster than we like. Changing our perception of time with the benefits of gratitude, intention and our Best Yes results in being more present in the moment and feeling more fulfilled in how your time is being spent. In turn, as time goes by, even the most ordinary time deposit can transform to the most cherished moments. Shine On! ✔️4 Yahoo!! Know what today is?!? 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 That's right…SoulShine Personal Inventory Day! Join your Inspiration Catalysts at NOON on Facebook for this week's SoulShine State of Mind. P.S. Oh! If you don't have your copy of this Best Life tool, check the files tab located on the SoulShine DreamChaser's Academy on Facebook. |
AuthorsJackie White has been writing about life and its ups and downs for many years. With a degree in Industrial Psychology and a life-long student of personal development she is intrigued by how each individual chooses to live their life. Jackie feels strongly that truly living your best life is imperative to attaining peace and fulfillment. SoulShine was borne of her desire to inspire and teach others to live their best life. This is her mission and her dream. Archives
August 2022
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