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The problem with migraine prevention is that because there are many factors that can contribute in getting a migraine, isn’t hard to find one easy fix to this problem.

You see, there are very many triggers for migraines, and there is no way any migraine sufferer can avoid them or else it would turn into a real exercise in becoming a hermit.

Seriously, who wants to spend the rest of their life living in a cave just to avoid headaches?  That being said, there are a few things you can do to avoid migraines that aren’t that complicated.

10 Best Ways to Avoid Migraines:

1) Cut the caffeine: Migraines and high levels of caffeine are linked hand in hand.  Here’s the other big issues with caffeine and migraine sufferers … they’ll suffer from a migraine when they drink too much caffeinated products, but they’ll also suffer from caffeine withdrawal if they cut out caffeine cold turkey. It might be wiser to cut back coffee slowly.

2) You might have to cut out artificial sweeteners: Aspartame found in products like NutraSweet or an artificial sweetener like Splenda has been the culprit for many people who have complained of migraines.   Go in search of why aspartame causes migraines and you will run into what seems like the biggest cover-up since Roswell.  Most of what you’ll read hasn’t been proven, but then again neither have the makers of NutraSweet proven that their product doesn’t contribute to migraines.  Avoid it and you may well avoid a horrendous headache.

3) Smoking and migraines go hand in hand: There are many reasons to give up smoking and now it seems that if you had not heard yet, smoking may be contributing to your migraines.   Now, if you are a smoker and you suffer from migraines, you might not be able to quit tomorrow, but this might be a great opportunity to open the dialogue with your doctor to find ways to help you quit.

4) You need to establish a regular sleeping routine: A regular pattern of going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time, on weekends as well as weekdays, can be of great benefit to a migraine suffer.

5) Your contraceptive pill might be causing you to suffer from migraines: Birth control pills and their effects on your hormones can be a major hazard when it comes to migraine pain.  That said, you don’t necessarily have to go off the pill entirely.  Some people have found that merely changing brands puts an end to their migraine misery.  If that doesn’t help, however, you might want to talk to your doctor to find other effective female contraception methods.

6) Change your lighting: Very bright lights can often trigger very severe migraines.  You might consider using the softer, filmy kind of light bulbs.  Whenever possible, use lamps instead of overhead lights.  If you spend a lot of time at the computer monitor, take frequent breaks and get as far away from the pulsating waves of the monitor as possible. Now, it might be impossible to get away from fluorescent lighting in an office space, so if you are particularly sensitive to lighting, you might need to speak to your doctor for ways of dealing with your migraines at work. I’ve known people to wear sunglasses at the office to tame the brightness of the fluorescent lighting.

7) Some of your favourite foods might be causing you migraine pain: Cheese, chocolate and wine may sound like the ideal ingredients for a romantic picnic or a laid back Saturday night at home with your remote and your favourite TV shows, but if you are prone to migraines the last thing you may be feeling is relaxed.   Aged cheeses especially are of concern because they contain the amino acid tyramine.  Chocolate contains phenylethamine.  Both of these chemicals contribute to migraines. Alcohol can be a migraine trigger for some migraine suffers.  You might need to test each food on its own to see if you react to any of them and then it’s time for you to open the conversation with your doctor to find ways of dealing with your migraines.  Your doctor might advise that you start working with a nutritionist to help tailor a diet that is migraine-friendly.

#8) Smells might contribute to your migraines: I’m allergic to most artificial smells and NOTHING will give me a headache than cheap perfume. Heck, many perfumes with certain strong scents will send me running the other way. While the perfume area in most major department stores is wear a lot of women love to spend their time, I usually avoid it like the pledge or if I have to walk through a perfume area, I’ll usually hold my breath and walk quickly. If your migraines are triggered by smells, you might want to see what your doctor suggests in terms of prevention. You might want to tell your friends, as there is no point in them giving you gifts that contain perfumes that might trigger severe headaches.

9) Exercise is the answer to all problems in life: Okay, that might be a bit of a dramatic statement, but exercising regularly helps to increase your cardiovascular capacity. Since improper blood flow is linked to recurrent migraines, 30 minutes of exercise a day will not only help you trim your waist line, it will also help you alleviate your migraines.

10) Flying might contribute to your migraines: Did you know that the lowering of cabin pressure on airplanes is a sure-fire migraine trigger? Now, you might not want to take a boat ride to Greece and of course you won’t be able to take a train or bus, but if you are travelling locally, it might be something to consider instead of flying.

Photo by lindyireland

If you’re looking for ways to de-stress, you can also read about meditation here: 31 stress-reduction tips and tricks to slow down life

meditation_to_reduce_stress

Mediation is an activity that I started three-and-a-half years ago and I would never give it up for anything in the world because it’s helped me cope with so many stressful challenges in my life.

It took me a while to grasp how to properly meditate, but now I’m able to meditate for one hour every single morning when I’m at home. I won’t lie, when I’m on vacation or when I’m travelling, I don’t meditate because it does require a sense of comfort which I find is difficult to get when you are staying at a hotel or at friends’ homes. Mediation should be a quiet time and I can only find that type of solace in the comfort of my own home.

In my experience, meditation is one of the best ways to ensure that your mind and body are better able to manage daily stress. I’ve said it time and time again, unless you are living on top of a mountain in the Himalayas, it’s impossible to get away from stress. A certain amount of adrenaline is important to keep up going, but when it turns into stress, that’s when it becomes counterproductive to good health.

Since stress is one of the most important contributors to premature aging and a long list of serious illnesses, you’ll definitely want to take a second look at meditation.

I’m not going to pretend that meditation is for everyone or that it’s easy to master … because it’s not, but if you are interested in dabbling your toes in the calm seas of meditation, the following tips might come in handy as an introduction.

Basic and Simple Steps to Meditation

You can get started with as little as 15 minutes, but if you have 20 and 30 minutes, go to a quiet place and sit with your back straight and against a supportive surface to start getting familiar with meditation.

You might not get the full benefits of deeper meditation, but at least, it’s a good starting point in giving your mind a rest.

I’ve listed a few easy steps to help you:

1) Close your eyes.

2) Relax your arms and place your hands on your knees with palms facing upward.

3) Take in a deep breath, hold for a count of three and exhale slowly.

4) While exhaling, let the tension in your body slip away and feel each muscle relax.

5) While breathing like this, you can picture each part of your body relaxing completely, starting with your toes, moving all the way up to your head.

6) Once you’re completely relaxed, you can meditate on anything really. You can try to blank out everything in your mind (which might be challenging for most) or you can focus on an image … like your last amazing vacation.

7) The key to successful meditation is keeping your mind focused on one thing and one thing only. Try not to let your to-do list enter your mind while you are meditating.

#8) You shouldn’t be aware of your body. Make sure there isn’t too much tension in your shoulder area.

9) If your mind begins to wander, as it most likely will because it’s human nature, just gently focus your attention back on the desired subject and strive to maintain this as long as possible. For the first few sessions this might feel like a push and pull job!

10) When you’re done, slowly make yourself aware of your body once again, and open your eyes. Slowly stretch your arms above your head and your legs out in front of you.

Try meditating a few times a week and you’ll definitely notice a difference very quickly. If you try these simple meditation steps and really find them not to be to your liking, I do encourage you to find an activity that will help you quiet your mind for at least 30 minutes per day … for some it’s knitting and for others it’s yoga. These types of activities will never be as powerful as meditation in terms of anti-aging effects on the brain and the body, but they will certainly help more than not taking any steps to dealing with stress. On the other hand, if you take a liking to these simple meditation steps, you might want to explore mediation more seriously … once you start … you cannot go back!

If you are looking for a different way of meditation, you might also want to consider this more high-tech method that works well for millions… including myself!

>>>> High Tech Meditation: Centerpointe Research Institute’s Holosync “high tech meditation” program

You can also read another post I had written on the power of meditation: Why I would NEVER (EVER) give up meditation … no matter what.

Photo by skyseeker

I think that it’s going to be hard to eliminate stress completely from your life, but there are a few simple things that you can do to help yourself cope when times are difficult and unpredictable.

I’ve interviewed a few medical experts who have confirmed that since October 2008, they’ve seen a spike in the number of patients who come in with symptoms that are a results of this “new recessionary” economy.

Here’s a simple list of 31 great stress-reduction tips and tricks:

1) Go for a massage at a massage school to keep the cost low: a lot of massage students need real people to practise on!

2) Wear bright colours today, all day – you’ll strike up conversations with loads of new people

3) Buy two bouquets of flowers. One to keep and one to give away

4) Meditate by listening to soothing relaxation music

5) Buy some nice bath bubbles and check out for an hour.

6) Take a yoga class or buy a yoga DVD for home-use

7) Hang out at your favorite bookstore and browse through the latest published books and best-sellers.

#8) Invite a friend out to a movie, a concert or a play

9) Organize your photos

10) Grab your camera and rediscover your city!

11) Learn how to make your own soaps

12) Go to a museum exhibit

13) Don’t forget to volunteer

14) Take a cooking class

15) Go on tour with Mother Nature (see the woods, parks, ocean, mountains, desert or new buildings in your city)

16) Put on your favourite music really loud and JUST DANCE!

17) Do what the Brits do and have a cup of tea whenever you feel stressed!

18) Join a book club

19) Treat yourself to a manicure or a pedicure

20) Go for a free makeover in a department store

21) Brew a special cup of tea and invite someone to join you

22) Learn how to make a new recipe

23) Get a new pet

24) Paint the kids’ room a fresh, new colour

25) De-clutter your home and sell whatever you’re not using

26) Surprise your family with a fun Sunday drive into the country

27) Make a snow angel with your husband (in the winter) or go for a walk in the park during the spring season

28) Take an art class such as photography, painting, sewing, knitting or anything else you’ve always wanted to learn

29) Plan the next family vacation … even if it’s going to be one week spent at home

30) Blow bubbles with your kids

31) Go for a very long walk

>>>> What other ways do you de-stress? Do you use any of the ones listed above to help you cope with difficult days?

Photo by visualpanic

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***This is a really incredible interview***

A few months ago I met with sleep expert Dr. Colin Shapiro. Before even getting into all the amazing things I learned from my meeting with Dr. Shapiro, I think it’s really important to look at his amazing pedigree.

Dr. Colin Shapiro is a professor of Psychiatry and Ophthalmology, University of Toronto, director of Neuropsychiatry at the Toronto Western Hospital, director of the Sleep & Alertness Clinic & Sleep Research Laboratory at the Toronto Western Hospital and director of the Youthdale Child & Adolescent Sleep Clinic. He’s been involved in sleep research for over 25 years. He was trained in medicine in South Africa and earned a PhD in sleep physiology at the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Shapiro has written over 200 publications in the subject of sleep, including “Fighting Fatigue and Sleepiness”, Working the Shift” and “Who needs to sleep anyway”.

I’ll be honest, I had no clue that there was such a thing as a “sleep doctor” until meeting Dr. Shapiro. It was Eleni (our resident product reviewer) who suggested that it would be a great topic to tackle for women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s who are dealing with so many changes in their lives that affect their sleeping pattern.

The reality is that without enough sleep you’ll be subject to premature aging and there are not enough anti-aging serums on the planet to help you if you are living off of three hours of sleep per night.

My discussion with Dr. Colin Shapiro was fascinating and you’ll find below all of the highlights.  Since there was so much discussed, I’ve broken things down into bullet points to make it easier for you to follow!

1) Why do you think people are sleeping fewer and fewer hours these days?

* Today, people sleep one hour less than 25 years ago!

There are many causes to this:

- People have longer commuting times to and from work – many people are now travelling 1 hour to 1 ½ hours (some travel longer) every day to their job.

- There is a greater demand placed on everyone’s time because of TV, the computer, video games and mobile phones (how many sleep with their mobile phones or BlackBerries under their pillow?).

* There was a test that ran in Mexico with kids that lived in homes that had electricity versus homes that didn’t. Kids that lived in homes that didn’t have any electricity slept more (period) because there was little distractions once the sun light went down.

2) What are the health issues for women as they age and the lack of sleep?

The immediate effects of sleep deprivation are as such:

- You’re not able to think laterally.

- Anything that is automatic to you is not an issue, but any non-automatic task will ask a lot of you and you won’t be able to deliver.

- Your driving skills are impaired.

- Your mood is affected because you become very irritable.

- You simply are not able to function very well at all.

The long-term effects that I see in my practice are related to two things:

- Shift workers are very much affected by different sleeping times.

- Childrearing and mothers are also very affected because they are the ones who usually (not always) get up in the middle of the night to attend to their kids. As they age, there is a ration of 2:1 women who deal with serious sleeping issues.

- Nuns and women who’ve never had kids don’t deal with these sleep issues.

- The reality is that sleeping issues that you had to deal with in your 20s and 30s will come to bite you in your 50s and 60s.

3) What role does stress play with sleep?

* With the latest economic meltdown, I’ve seen a number of patients who work in the financial industry and who aren’t able to sleep properly because every day they deal with people who have lost jobs, money or their homes and it’s putting a lot of pressure on them and they find themselves unable to sleep properly.

4) Can you make up for missed sleep on weekends by sleeping 12 consecutive hours?

* Yes, you can to some extent, but you can never recover fully. That said, if you feel tired all week, a few extra hours over the weekend will do your body some good.

5) Are naps a good way for making up for shorter nights?

* Naps will help your recharge your batteries. A short 20 minute nap at around 3 p.m. will do a lot for you. Our body rhythm is set on 12 hour pattern – 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. That’s why so many people feel tired in the middle of the afternoon.

6) What do think of having a room that’s appropriate for sleep?

* The equation is quite simple, the more electronic stuff you have in a room the less you’ll sleep, so having a room that has no TV, no phone, no home office, and no play station will help you sleep better.

7) Is it true that in your 60s and 70s you only need 4-5 hours of sleep?

As you age, you will experience a change in the quality of your sleep, that said, you STILL need a good 6-7 hours of sleep per night even if you are in your 60s, 70s, 80, 90s and beyond.

#8) Can you share tips to help readers improve the quality of their sleep if they are dealing with insomnia?

* Exercise is so important in helping you sleep better. A study conducted in Seattle showed that sleep has a huge impact on how deeply we sleep.

* Light therapy will also help those affected by sleep disorders.

* Sleep medication is another avenue for those who need it.

* Melatonin can also help in regulating the body clock.

* Make sure that you are NOT able to see your alarm clock because the light from the clock will impact on your sleep. You can position the alarm clock so it’s still accessible, without being able to see the light.

9) Can you give 3 simple tips to help women get a better night sleep?

>>> Dr. Shapiro offered 5 tips instead of  3!

* Maintain a regular schedule as much as possible.

* Exercise regularly.

* If you don’t feel fully refreshed by normal sleep, PLEASE consult your doctor so he/she can refer you to a specialist.

* Educate yourself on the subject … there is so much information out there.

* Make sure your room is always sleep-ready … follow the tips from questions #6!

10) Dr. Shapiro’s last words on the subject of sleep deprivation:

* Most people respond to sleep differently than other health issues and they won’t consult a medical expert. They’ll brush it under the carpet as “something that will pass”. The impairment from sleep deprivation can be as bad as other health issues.

* Kids also have sleep issues that could be related to other problems than them being finicky.

* People don’t think of consulting with a sleep doctor because of their own embarrassment and they’re afraid of being laughed at.

* One thing I should mention in closing is that accident rates DOUBLE when people involved in the accident suffer from insomnia.

* Sleeping disorders are a serious matter and if you’ve been dealing with this for a long time, you should consult with a trained physician.

You can contact Dr. Shapiro at the Toronto Western Hospital or you can also visit his site SleepOntario!

Photo of adorable baby by peasap

Did you know that American employees leaving 460 million vacation days used?

Repeat after me: 460 million days of unused vacation time! I mean how many years of vacation is that anyways?

When I read that article in Marketing Vox magazine, which revealed that Americans only take 14 days of vacation per year, I immediately remembered the post I wrote a year ago after spending a summer in Europe.

You can still read it here: If you want to age well, you need to take vacation

Every time I read stories of North Americans being chained to their desks or being slaves to their smartphones for the sake of productivity, I always think these stories are completely insane … and then I take stock of my own life and realize that I’m as North American as they come and I DO NOT take enough time off and I surely don’t take the breaks I should take.

I always find this difficult because as a beauty and aging-well expert, I always tell my readers to eat well, slow down, sleep and take breaks from life, but here I’m the one researching a new beauty trend at 1 a.m. or running multiple new product launches in one day.

As you might have read in my previous post, I’ve decided to be very proactive in my pursuit of a more balanced life because I know it’s the only path to true happiness, fulfillment and aging well.

I’ve said it before, you can buy one of the most expensive products on the market: Best-selling and most expensive serums, but that’s just not enough.

Spending more money on products while having a crazy-busy life or never taking enough vacation will not help keep wrinkles or worry lines at bay. Nope, you’ll only end up spending an obscene amount of money on “stuff”, but you’ll see very little results.

The interesting thing about the article in Marketing Vox is that this tragedy of not taking enough vacation time is not a new trend, they’ve been reporting this for eight consecutive years. That means that for almost one decade now, most Americans are doing their mental and physical health a disservice by NOT taking time away from the grinds of the 9-5 (which is really more like 8-7 for most employees … if not longer).

Why do North Americans feel guilty about taking proper vacations?

*  I doubt many Europeans feel guilty about taking  their six to eight weeks of vacation and I can tell you first hand that no shop keeper in many European cities feels guilty about putting a “gone on vacation – back in September” sign in front of their doors.

* In fact here are the vacation stats of other countries:

“Great Britain has a two-day increase over 2007, with 26 days, and Germany, Spain and France all have increases of one day, receiving 27 days, 31 days and 37 days, respectively. Employed workers in the Netherlands and Austria are awarded an average of 28 days in 2008.” — Marketing Vox (you’ll notice how France boasts 37 days of vacation per year and France is still one of the richest countries in the world).

* Canadian are only slightly better than Americans with 17 days of vacation per year, but that is more than half of what the average French takes away from work.

* The study goes on to explain that 38 per cent of women felt guilty about taking time away from the office and that men were more likely to cut out the 9-5 grind by taking two weeks off, while women didn’t. I find that mind blowing given all the responsibilities most women have at home. It’s really no wonder so many women feel completely burnt out and spend most of their lives feeling exhausted.

Taking a vacation is good for your mind, body and soul!

* A vacation allows you to recharge your batteries and just be in a different state of mind.

* It’s true that a lot of us find it challenging to get all we need done before a vacation, but once we are away it doesn’t take long to let go and enjoy the time off.

* One or two weeks away from work will give you back a lot of that stamina that erodes with the daily pressures of life.

The conclusion here should be an obvious one … you need to take vacation time and you should take as many days as you possibly can away from work.

You can read the complete article from Marketing Vox magazine here: Stressed Americans Leave 460 Million Vacation Days Unused

Photo by muha

hilton-siesta-in-barcelona

As if stress wasn’t a serious issue in the past, the latest financial turmoil is causing more and more people to lose sleep.

Stress and lack of sleep are two of the surest ways of aging quickly and women (and men) of all ages need to be mindful of both of these detrimental bad habits!

I’ve featured a few companies who were in the “napping business” and it seems that there will be more and more companies targeting sleep-deprived individuals. The weight of this unstable economy is preventing so many people from having the kind of restful sleep that would help them function at their maximum capacity.

You can read my two other reviews on companies that specialize in the “napping business”:

Sleep deprivation is a major cause of premature aging

Napping salons are offering New Yorkers a new way of rejuvenating

Barcelona created a new way for over worked and tired travelers to rest for a few hours. The Hilton Diagonal Mar in Barcelona has set aside 40 of its 433 rooms for anyone who’d like to take a siesta (nap).

For €75 (about $99 USD/$121 CAD), customers get a barbecue lunch and a guest room from 1-5 p.m., plus access to the hotel’s gym and rooftop pool.

According to an article in Het Parool, luxury hotels in Catalonia are battling low occupancy rates, mainly due to a record construction boom (and recent real estate bust in Spain) that created more rooms than visitors can fill.

Another reason behind these new napping rooms is the fact that the Hilton Diagonal Mar is located in Barcelona’s financial district and relies on a steady stream of business travelers during the year, but which slows down in summer.

The napping rooms are a great way to allow tired business people an afternoon of rest and it’s a good way for the Hilton Diagonal Mar to weather this current economical crisis which has hit Spain quite dramatically.

If you are travelling to Barcelona for business or pleasure and if you need a quick afternoon pick-me-up, you might consider an afternoon nap!

You can find more information here: Hilton Diagonal Mar napping rooms

self_condifent_for_women

There is no doubt that people who have a lot of self-confidence have a very different life from people who lack self-confidence and those who have low self-confidence.

One thing is certain. Without self-confidence it is impossible to achieve great results. High self-esteem is so powerful that it can literally open any door for you. Confident people have loads of CHARISMA, a personal magnetism and charm that is highly contagious.

I think that a lot of women suffering from low self-confidence are willing to settle for less in their career, in their relationships, in their friendships and in every other aspect of their lives because they don’t believe they are worth it or they simply don’t have the courage of their convictions and the confidence to stand up to others.

A life of low self-confidence is a hard life because you are constantly frustrated with yourself and the way you let others treat you.

Now, it’s important to understand that self-confidence doesn’t mean bullying others and it doesn’t mean being rude. Nah, it simply means that you’re not scared of making your voice hear and you won’t allow others to walk all over you.

I know that as you age (celebrating 40 or 50 or 60 this year?), the process of changing can lower your self-confidence and you might not feel like the female-warrior you once were 20 or 30 years ago, but I think it’s even more important to do whatever it takes to boost that self-confidence and understand that getting older, simply means getting better.

Sasha Xarrian’s ‘Keys to Phenomenal Self-Confidence’ book is a short 30-minute read.

In her book, Sasha Xarrian reveals five powerful techniques that can make you a more confident and charismatic person.

In Keys to Phenomenal Self-Confidence you’ll discover:

* What exactly stops you from feeling self-confident?

* How to learn to honour and love yourself on a completely different level.

* What puts a smile on your face first thing in the morning (it works even if your alarm goes off at 5a.m.!)

* Anti-fear techniques.

* How to gradually expand your comfort zone.

* How to get rid of the guilt-baggage you’re carrying around.

* One action that you have probably never heard of before that will drastically change your self-confidence (and your life).

You simply need to download the book, grab a cup of tea or coffee and take 30 minutes to yourself.

You can download the book here: Sasha Xarrian’s ‘Keys to Phenomenal Self-Confidence’.

Photo by rolands.lakis

stressed_rushed_overwhelmed_unhappy_depressed

People of all walks of life have one thing on their mind these days: the fledging economy!

You cannot go to the water cooler, the gym, a dinner party, a meet-up with friends or simply browsing at your favorite store without someone mentioning the falling stocks and their shrinking life-savings.

People usually go to the gym to relax and get into shape, but I’ve noticed lately that people have been huddling in small groups with somber faces and shaking heads at the news of a world-wide recession. People are still sort-of-smiling, but you can tell it’s that forced smile where the corner of your lips curl up, but your eyes aren’t smiling one bit.

It’s true that most of us are changing our buying habits, but that’s not enough to make up for years of careless over-spending.

Stress levels are high and people are confused and frustrated. Things will eventually boil over and the economy will recover. We are in for a rough ride and it’s important now more than ever before to start taking notice during the day when your stress level is high or unbearable.

You cannot change the economy, you cannot stop TV stations from focusing on the matter at hand and you cannot force people to stop dumping their stocks in panic, but you can control how you respond to this world-melt-down by using a few tips and tricks to help lower your stress level.

Here are 10 tips to help you keep a level head when you feel stressed out:

1) Acknowledge and resolve the things causing you stress when possible: You have to first admit to yourself that a situation is causing you a lot of stress. Once you’ve identified the situation, be sure to resolve it as soon as you can by taking action. Procrastination will only add to your stress level because you might avoid dealing with the situation now, but it will come back to bite you down the road.

2) Accept situations you can’t change: There are certain things that are out of your hands. This recent turn in the economy is an excellent example of a stressful period that you cannot control. The best thing to do is to accept the situation and try to find other things that you can control … you might not be able to control stocks free-falling, but you have the power to start looking at how you handle money and start making some big changes for the future.

3) Remain relaxed as much as possible throughout the day: This is a hard one to do because there are things coming at you from every side and many of them you don’t control. You can take breaks to allow you to refocus and rebalance. Focusing your mind on more positive things or more positive imageries will also help a lot.

4) Try not to rush so much: It’s so important to give yourself enough time to do the things you need to do and that includes eating. If you eat in a rush that will only put a lot of pressure and stress on your digestive system. If you know you need to be at the other end of the city in one hour, it’s best to leave now and not wait until the last minute. It’s true that we cannot avoid rushing entirely, but there are many ways to manage our day so we’re not rushing every second of the day.

5) Learn to say no: Now, I’m not saying to say “no” to your boss and end up getting yourself in trouble, but I’m talking about all the activities we take on that add to our stress level. In your case, it might be simple fact that you’ve committed all of your evenings to volunteer work and you have very little down time. You might need to consider saying “no” to certain engagement and solely focusing on a few that still allow you for some down time. It’s always better to do a few things well as opposed to doing a lot of things in a mediocre manner.

6) Live in the present, rather than worrying about the past or fearing the future: “I should have, I could have, I would have” … how many times per day do you say that to yourself? These days a lot of people are singing that song in their head on daily base. Many people are revisiting decisions they’ve made in the past and they are beating themselves up for the outcome. That really won’t do much more than raise your stress level and lower your self-esteem. You cannot change the past and you cannot predict the future, but you can learn how to use the present as a way to create a better tomorrow.

7) Talk it out: If it’s a problem with a friend, co-worker, family member or significant other, it’s always better to find a way of addressing the situation as opposed to bottling it up and letting it eat at you. It’s true that being honest about your feelings can be scary, but if you position it as “this is how I feel when you do this or this is how I feel when you say things like” as opposed to blaming someone, you’ll get better results.

#8) Have fun: It’s so important (especially these days) NOT to forget to have some fun and find pleasures where ever you can. It can be as simple as inviting a friend over for a movie and popcorn or helping your kids with a science project or cranking up the volume to your favorite song!

9) Find some quiet time each day: If you don’t already some quiet time built in your day, you’ll want to make an effort to find time where you can rest your mind and set the worries of the day aside. It could be as simple as going for a walk, taking a nice bath, reading a good book or running on the treadmill for 20 minutes … whatever works at quieting your mind and allowing you not to “think” so much about what might be bothering you. You need that time to disconnect everyday or else the build up and accumulation of stress can really start affecting your negatively.

10) Relaxation techniques or breathing exercises will help a lot: This might not be something you might be able to do at your desk or during an important meeting, but if you feel a bit stressed or panicked, simply find a quite space (go for a short walk or go to the bathroom) to do some breathing exercises to calm you down. When it comes to relaxations techniques, you might want to sit in a quiet room for 5 or 10 minutes and close your eyes. You can also try rotating your shoulders back and forth to relive a lot of the tension.

Remember, you might not be able to control the world around you, but you can control how you respond to things that are coming at you.

Photo by kakashi_san

overwhelmed_by_stress

I think it’s safe to say that most of us have experienced stress in 2008 in a way that had been unforeseen in our lives. If you are lucky enough to have great-grandparents or grandparents who were alive during the 1929-1930 depression and who are able to recount their sad memories of those dreadful years, then maybe the events of this past October and November 2008 might not seem so foreign to you.

For most of us, it’s been a very shaky and bumpy ride filled with a lot of drama. Many people have been dealing with a deluge of bad-luck – losing their homes, losing their jobs, seeing their retirement money vanish into thin air, dealing with crisis at a level that is so elevated that it has left them in permanent state of constant stress.

Most of us were running after time and we were stretched thin because of the recent stock market and real estate bubbles, but now most people can spell stress in every possible language without batting an eyelash because it’s almost impossible to get away from it these days.

To cope with the uncertainty of the current situation many people have stepped up the expediency of their lives just to try to juggle everything without dropping a ball.

I’ve already talked to a number of health experts who have seen a huge increase in the number of new clients because of the recent events – people are stressed out and it’s showing up in every area of their lives.

So what is stress and how does it manifest in our body?

For the past one hundred years there has been much debate and theory offered about what stress is and what stress is not.  We each know intuitively what stress is to us because we all experience stress symptoms.  Defining stress and managing stress, however, is not so easy.

Hans Selye is one of the founding fathers in stress research. In 1956, Mr. Selye argued that:

“Stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental.”

Selye’s position was that the biochemical effects of stress would be experienced irrespective of whether the situation was positive or negative.

Since that time, much more research has been conducted, and new ideas have evolved. Stress is now widely perceived as a “negative,” producing a range of harmful biochemical and long-term effects. These same effects have rarely been observed in positive situations.

Richard S Lazarus (an American psychologist well renowned for his theory of cognitive-mediational theory within emotion) is attributed with our most commonly accepted definition of stress:

“Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.”

Everyone responds differently to stressful events.  That stress response is part instinct and part to do with how we think.  We can train our minds how to best respond to the stressors in our lives.  Stress does not need to be all bad.  Some stress in our daily lives is good and challenges us to reach even higher heights.

Here are some startling statistics about just how stressed out our lives are:

None of these stats below take into account the recent economical debacle, but I have a feeling that everything you see below has been heighten by the fact to so many people have so much more now to think about, manage, worry about and face than ever before.

* 35 per cent of BlackBerry users would choose their PDA/Smartphone over their spouse (Source: The Economist).

* The vast majority of people (84 per cent) say they check their PDAs/Smartphones just before going to bed and as soon as they wake up, 85 per cent say they sneak a peek at their PDA/Smartphone in the middle of the night, and 80 per cent say they check their email before morning coffee. (Source: The Economist).

* A staggering 87 per cent of professionals bring their PDA/Smartphone into the bedroom. (Source: The Economist).

* Americans are critically under-vacationed. That’s both by choice and circumstance, at least according to the results of Expedia’s annual Vacation Deprivation Survey. Americans had only 14 days off in 2007. Yet 35 per cent of Americans won’t take all the time off they earn, leaving upward of 438 million days of vacation untaken. (Source: Expedia.)

* 70 per cent of Americans 16 years and older say they don’t have enough time to do all the things they need to do. Half of US consumers now say that a lack of time is a bigger problem in their lives than a lack of money. (Source: Yankelovich.)

* 43 per cent of Americans, 39 per cent of British, 60 per cent of Dutch and 47 per cent of Australians rate themselves as “time poor”, meaning they feel short of time. (Source: Jay Walker Thompson.)

Do you feel like you’re constantly running after time? I’d love to know who else among my readers who is dealing with this feeling of rush-rush-rush.

Photo by Vaidy Krishnan

self_esteem_love_yourself

If anyone would tells that “my New Year’s resolution is to love myself more”, you’d probably look at that person and think they’re off their tree! It might seem odd to have “love myself more” as a New Year’s resolution, but the reality is that unless you love yourself more you WON’T think that you are worth having a slim body at a healthy weight, you won’t think that you are worth finding the love of your life, you won’t think that you are worth having a better education, without self-love you won’t think that you deserve to get paid $10,000 or $25,000 more for your expertise than what you are getting right now.

All that to say that you can only start creating a better life for yourself once you have learned to love yourself.

The following post from love expert Sasha Xarrian explores the question of self-love in more details.

Post submitted by Sasha Xarrian

Did you know that to be happy, productive and influential, it is vital to love yourself?

It is not only imperative that you love yourself; you must love yourself abundantly!

Do you? If you don’t, it is not necessary to go back in time and try and figure out why.

It really isn’t. Throw away the past. Right now! And start loving yourself this very minute.

Right now, think of something you have done that was worthy of love and appreciation.

It doesn’t matter if anyone gave you love or appreciation for it because you are going to take care of that yourself.

Flood your body and soul with love right now. Know you are special – no matter what.

Know you deserve to be loved – deeply – no matter what.

Flood your body and soul with love again.

Feel the warmth.

Feel the tears.

Feel how special you are.

Know – deep within – how special you are.

Now from this moment on, walk back into your life with your head held high, knowing and feeling that you are incredibly special.

Commit to love yourself, no matter what.

No matter what!

There are no exceptions.

Sasha Xarrian is an expert at increasing the love in your life.

You can read how Sasha creates every day an outrageous life for herself and how she helps others create outrageous lives for themselves: Sasha Xarrian’s Outrageous Mastery.

Photo by Delphine devos

I think this post submitted by Shannon, one of our readers, could not have come at a better time. I’d suggest that we all take her advice because I think we really all need to little bit of “R & R” (rest and relaxation) time given the current daily string of bad economical news!

Post submitted by reader Shannon Melnyk

Ah, the Saturday morning paper; a universal symbol of weekend lingering, indulgence and slow, lazy breakfasts.  But something is different, have you noticed?  My intrigue in the fashion page has waned.  I don’t care what Karen Von Hahn has to say, and I find myself rushing through the features to clip coupons.  And instead of the crossword puzzle, I mull about in a grim haze trying to see just how many times I can circle the word economy on the front page.  I’ll spare you from my most recent findings.

This holiday season, the psychological effects of the sliding economy are going around like a bad rash.  It’s enough to want to hit the spa, pronto.  Ironically, however, that’s just the sort of indulgence that would contribute to our increasing stress over our hard-earned money, or lack of it.

It’s no surprise that sales of luxury goods are down; but cosmetics sales are up … economists call it the lipstick index.  When times are tough, buying behaviour takes a turn for the little things that makes us feel good.  Women everywhere are looking for the big bang in their blush or some glee in their new gloss.

I’m all for immediate gratification, but what about truly feeling well at a time when the stress of merry, merry is looming?  Is running off to the spa a regenerative reality?

“R” may be for recession, but it’s also for resourceful.  The killer combination of beauty and brains can have you saying Moor Mud Wrap in two minutes or less.  How about a complimentary hot stone massage?  Or a free arctic berry facial?  It’s time to pull out your wallet and … no, leave your cash and credit cards alone.  Find that grocery store loyalty or air miles card and you’ll be on your way to booking some bliss for absolutely no cost.

We all carry loyalty cards to save up for those big ticket items.  A flight to France; a big screen tv.  But air miles and loyalty programs also offer small items that pack a big punch.  Imagine the happy dance I did when I found out my grocery store points were eligible for a gift card to one of the premiere spas on the west coast.  My weekly trudging down fluorescent-lit aisles for soy milk, carrots and toilet paper translated into a Hot Chocolate Bliss Mud Wrap at the very swanky sanctuary known as Spa Utopia in Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel.  Of course I made a day of it.

There’s nothing that says relief better than pattering around in a fluffy white robe sipping fresh infusions, laying around a luxury lounge and indulging in a eucalyptus steam in-between treatments.

Rejuvenated and relaxed, I also realized the extent that loyalty pays off.  I still had points to do this year’s holiday shopping!  Exfoliating the rough times out of our lives is indeed possible with a little ingenuity; put down the newspaper and just say spaaaaaaaaaaah.

Photo by tinou bao

***I’ve included a pretty cool video at the bottom of this post***

Do you want to make 2009 the best year of your life? Would you like proven tools that can shut out all this bad news about the economy and transform your life?

Do you want to become debt-free, stop smoking, lose weight, discover the career you can feel passionate about or make the changes that actually last? Do you desire a new outlook on your life?

If you want more than you’ve ever had before, you’ll want to see what I have to share with you. But first let me ask you a candid but very important question:

Of all of the Resolutions that you started off with this past year, which ones did you actually achieve or make some real progress?

-  All of them?

-  A few?

-  Any?

What would THIS year have looked like if you’d really made major progress with all your Resolutions?

What if you achieved one?

How about two? Which ones?

How about ALL of them?

What will this year look like if you do it NOW?

What if you had a clear step-by-step process that produces results? What if I could prove it?

Now I’m not saying your Resolutions or Intentions will magically appear in your life by without effort. It’s going to take ACTION on your part!

No, you can’t sit on the sofa and manifest a new home, car or CEO position.

If anyone tells you differently, run the other way.

Have you ever noticed when you KNOW you’re going in the right direction that everything just seems to fall into place? It’s called “FLOW.”

That’s what I’m talking about, yet most people don’t know how to get it or what process it takes to find it. It’s elusive. But not when you have guidance. Not when you have the secret to the process.

A process that anyone can use to actually turn their Resolutions into reality.

Does such a process exist? Is there a proven system to help you achieve every goal you desire, one that will help you to make 2009 the best year of your life?

Yes there is. It’s called “Got Resolutions?” and it can be yours!

“Got Resolutions?” is a personal leadership program that provides a step-by-step system for setting and achieving your New Year’s Resolutions.

I was recently introduced to this exciting program and came away extremely impressed with the content, delivery, and the overall impact of its message and execution.

If focus, discipline, and accountability were the things that prevented you from achieving your Resolutions in the past, then you must get  the “Got Resolutions?” program!

In fact, here’s what Best-Selling Author Brian Tracy has to say;

“Got Resolutions? is a serious program for serious people who want to make serious and immediate change in their lives. There is no better way to start the New Year, and Gary Ryan Blair will show you how to finally turn your resolution into reality!”

Earlier this year you probably set some Goals and Resolutions, made promises to yourself, and ended up with unmet goals and unmet resolutions.

It’s not your fault! You, I, and millions of others mean well but we just didn’t have the tools…until NOW!

Right now you have the opportunity to create history rather than repeat it.

You’re staring down the barrel of an awesome opportunity to begin the year fast, focused, and full of hope. All you have to do is say YES, I’m ready to turn my Resolutions into reality.

It’s easy to get started right away. Visit GotResolutions.com and MAKE your Resolutions reality!

I’m wishing you a New Year of health, wealth, and happiness.

Just get out there and pursue your resolutions with open arms and believe deeply in your ability to enjoy the rewards of resolutions and dreams achieved.

Now THAT would be an amazing New Year’s gift to yourself, wouldn’t it?

We’re still 16 days away, but I wanted to wish you an early Happy New Year!

Be sure to check out the video that explains the entire process. You’ll be glad you did!

Photo by by Celso Flores

holiday_blues_holiday_depression_holiday_stress

The holidays are here! It’s the time of the year where you have to fight with crowds to get your kid the latest “it” toy, stand in long queues to buy two shopping carts worth of food for the parties and dinners you’ll be hosting, bake until the wee hours of the morning, and drink and eat far more than usual.

Yes, “Tis the season to be stressed and depressed”.

Stress and depression have long been associated with the holidays. The most common triggers of stress and depression during this gift-giving season are normally:

1) Relationships (mostly family)

2) Finances (some people spend several thousand dollars at this time of the year)

3) Physical exhaustion (between the power-shopping and the power-partying … most people put so much pressure on themselves during the month of December)

Here are my 14 tips to live by during the holiday season to avoid stress and depression:

1) Don’t feel obligated to do it all: You DON’T have to buy gifts for everyone, you DON’T have to go to all the parties, you DON’T have to spend more than you can afford to impress anyone, you DON’T have to eat everything you see, you DON’T have to drink so much that end up with a bad hangover. You really DON’T have do to any of this … you have the power to make those decisions.

2) Manage your expectations and the expectations of others: People might expect that you will show up at their event or you might think that in the middle of your busy life you have time to cook a chef-like dinner for 50 family members like the unruffled Brie Van De Camp (played by Marcia Cross on “Desperate Housewives”), but it’s important to be forthright with people and let them know when it’s just not going to happen. It’s much easier to manage people’s expectations up front than disappoint them later.

3) Manage potential family fights: You already know which family members don’t get along. You can choose to ignore the past feuds and hope things will magically resolve themselves over the holidays (when people tend to drink far more than usual) or you can simple manage potential stressful interactions by separating people. Practising forgiveness is so important if you want to move on with your life, but that can only work both ways. I know of an aunt whose husband is just a party-crusher. That man will always find a way to pick a fight with anyone. I swear the man would find a way of picking a fight with Mother Teresa, after years of trying to appease him and years of apologies to everyone around her, she now gets dressed during the holiday season and makes the rounds by herself. In her view a 70 year old person who is not willing to find peace should not be around others! In your case, it might mean that you have separate parties or events or gathering for people who just cannot see eye to eye.

4) You won’t impress anyone if you get deeper into debt: It’s so important that you know in advance how much you will spend on your overall shopping and how much you will allot to each individual person on your list. If your goal is to “buy” someone’s affection, you are basically going up a dead-end road and you are exposing yourself to post-spending stress and anxiety. If your budget is tight and you still want to be able to give something to as many people on your list you can always try more recession-proof gifts such as homemade baking, family gift exchange (so you are giving only one gift to one person in your family), or simply taking someone out for a coffee and spending face-to-face time with them.

5) Don’t start planning at the last minute: I’m always amazed by people who are done with their holiday shopping by the end of October and they have their holiday cards in the mail by end of November. Now we cannot all be that organized, but starting everything on your holiday list on the 20^th of December is bad news. You want to start planning as early as you can so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by all the things you have to do or all the invitations you’ve received. The best thing is book time for shopping, baking and preparing your home to receive guests. We often underestimate how much time things actually take to do during the holidays when the rest of the city is also out and about. In order to avoid the stress of parking and waiting in endless queues (lines), it’s best to have a list of things you need in each store so you end up going once. When it comes to grocery shopping, you’ll want to plan a few big-food-shopping trips and you’ll want to go when it’s not so busy. Finally, it’s the holidays and you need to arm yourself with patience because things will likely not run as smooth as they do the rest of the year.

6) You don’t have to say “yes” to everything: The best way to enjoy your holidays is by doing things that you really want to do and to be surrounded by people you actually like. By saying “no” to things that bring you little joy, you avoid feeling frustrated and unhappy. You also have to take into consideration that although it’s the holidays, you still need to keep your work-related commitments and that means that some nights, you’ll have to gracefully bow out of a party invitation.

7) You don’t have to be Martha Stewart: As a former personal chef, I myself feel that a lot of these celebrity-chef shows put a lot of pressure on ordinary people who don’t have a team shopping and cutting in the background. You’ll want to remember that your vegetables don’t have to be perfectly julienned and you decor doesn’t need to include this season’s hues and you really don’t have to go out and buy all new furniture to impress anyone. This year of all years, spending to impress others is simply a recipe for financial disaster. Since no one has that luxury, it’s unlikely that everything will be perfect during the holidays and you need to come to terms with that and embrace imperfection.

#8) You don’t have to eat everything in sight: Yes, it’s the holidays and yes there are certain foods that you can only eat during this time of the year because they are so labour intensive no one will take the time to prepare them at any other time of the year, but that’s still NOT a licence to eat everything that you see or everything that’s presented to you. Don’t forget that everything you over-eat during the holidays will become weight that you’ll have to lose in January! It’s true that keeping up with your fitness regime is much harder during the holidays, but it’s not impossible and you should really make sure that you work out at least twice per week to keep your body moving and keep those calories burning.

9) Make sure that you don’t skip sleep entirely: There will be late nights and early mornings in the weeks to come, but it’s important that you manage your schedule so you don’t end up spending too many weeks with insufficient sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to so many serious health issues such as irritability, road rage, minor depression and “sleeping at the wheel”. Another holiday related issue with lack of sleeping include the fact that the less you sleep the more your body will crave fatty foods to compensate. You’ll really have to manage your party-schedule so that includes enough sleep.

10) Are you setting unrealistic resolutions? So many people are now starting to seriously think about resolutions for the New Year. I’m a firm believer in dreaming BIGGER, but at the same time you need to make sure you move towards your goals in a systematic and realistic way. For instance, if you are 80 lbs overweight and your New Year’s resolution is to reach a healthier weight, you should perhaps set incremental goals for the year. Instead of telling yourself that you’ll lose 30 lbs by the end of February when you start your health regime on January 2^nd is not a good plan. Yes, you can lose 30 lbs in less than 60 days, but the chances of you maintaining that lost weight is slim to none because it’s a scientific fact that crash diets don’t work. You should instead, decide that you’ll lose 2 lbs per week (or about 8-9 lbs per month). If you exceed that goal you should celebrate by getting a pedicure or a massage! By taking things at an incremental level, you set yourself for success and your New Year’s will become a lifestyle choice.

11) Don’t ignore your feelings: If you take the example of President-elect Barack Obama who shed some tears when his 86 year old grandmother, who raised him, died at the eve of his presidency, you see clearly that it’s important for you to give way to your emotions. If something sad happens around the holiday season, no one expects you to be a robot and slap on a “happy face” and pretend nothing happened. If you are dealing with issues that are so heavy they prevent you from wanting to celebrate the holidays, that’s something that maybe you’ll have to do.

12) Don’t forget to breathe at all times: The holiday season is that time of the year where it’s so easy to forget to breathe correctly because there’s very little time to stop and sit back. It’s going to be up to you to make plans to slow down and take some “me” time. You can decide to cut back on one hour of TV and go for a walk instead or maybe you might decide to take a bubble bath every night to calm down or maybe your thing is to go out with friends for a karaoke evening! You should do a stress-busting activity that you enjoy and you must remember to include a few moments of pure bliss during the craziness of the holiday season.

13) Be proactive: If you are alone during the holidays, there are ways for you to spend time with people and not have to feel isolated. You can ask around and see what others are doing. When you ask that question, most of the time people will want to know what you are up to for the holidays and when people find out you will spend them alone, your chances of getting an invitation increases. If you feel uncomfortable with that idea, you can always seek out support at a local church or community centre because they often have events. You can also volunteer to feed the poor … this will surround you with people who will be incredibly moved by your actions. Helping someone who has less than you do can really uplift your spirits.

14) If you are feeling overwhelmed, seek help: The holidays can be a time where you feel pressured to do it all and to do it all perfectly. You know things are bad when you skip sleep to prepare cupcakes in the middle of the night. If you start feeling anxious, overly stressed, if you cannot sleep, if you feel a sense of heaviness inside and if you start feeling certain physical ailments that you didn’t have previously, it’s high time for you to check in with a doctor. It’s important not to ignore these signs just because it’s the holiday season because you might be suffering from symptoms associated with the early stages of depression.

Photo by Paul Keleher

Steve Pavlina has a very colourful and interesting past, but what’s most interesting about him is the fact that he’s put to the test most (if not all) of the personal development tips and techniques he features on his blog. I guess, he’s quite accurate in his statement when he says that:

“Personal development is hard work. If you’re looking for shallow quick fixes, you’ll need to look elsewhere.”

There is nothing shallow about Steve’s blog or about his new book.

Steve’s philosophy is not very far from some of the greatest minds in Personal Development like Napoleon Hill, Clement Stone, Dale Carnegie and Wallace D. Wattles.

What resonates the most to me about Steve’s philosophy is this statement:

“… having the maturity to take 100% responsibility for your health, your career, your finances, your relationships, your emotions, your habits, and your spiritual beliefs.”

As you know, I’ve made a conscious decision to slow down my life and take a look at priorities and remove time-suckers so that I can live a more balanced life.

Reading Steve Pavlina’s book was a logical step in my journey and since I had learnt so much from reading his blog, I saw “Personal Development for Smart People” as a go-to guide I can always keep on hand when I need a quick refresher.

Why is Personal Development for Smart People such an important book to read?

I think it’s safe to say that the month of October 2008 has been one of the most challenging, scary and darn right unsettling for most of us. I’ve said this many times to so many of my friends: “October 2008 will change a lot of people because it will really force so many of us to look at our lives and perhaps rethink a number of things”.

Some will find solace in religion, some will want to donate more of their time to helping those who have less than they do, some will take this opportunity to form a closer relationship with their kids, others will be forced to start from scratch and many of us will need to find more balance to cope with so much uncertainty.

The first part of Steve’s book focuses on 7 principles that are so timely: Truth, Love, Power, Oneness, Authority, Courage, and Intelligence.

The second part of this book feels like it was written on Monday, October 6th, 2008 (aka Black Monday) when the international stock market crashed. In this second part you find the following 7 principles: Habits, Careers, Money, Health, Relationships, and Spirituality.

Since the fundamental core of making any change in your life lies in you taking action, Steve has included a number of questions that will get you thinking about each one of the topics you are reading and how it relates to your own life.

You’ll also find a lot of exercises that will take you from reading to taking action and actually making some changes in your life.

“Personal Development for Smart People” won’t solve any of your problems unless you are ready to make a change. If you’ve gotten to the point where you need to make better decisions in your life and you need some sound advice as to how you go about making those changes, this book will surely be a great eye-opener.

Hiring a Personal Development or Life Coach is not something many of us can do, but books like Steve’s give you basic tools that you can start applying immediately in your life to help you get the type of life that you’ve always dreamed of.

In closing, I find that it’s important that you know that this is not a “get-results-quick” type of book because this deals with personal development. Your life is a journey and it will take you some time, effort and a lot of commitment to get to where you want to be and “Personal Development for Smart People” is just an arsenal in your tool box of sound tips to a richer and more prosperous life!

You can find Steve Pavlina’s book here: Personal Development for Smart People

In my quest to find a more balanced life, I came across this goal setting challenge I had highlighted on the site a few weeks ago.

I think that sometimes, you need some help in getting to where you want to go in life and in some cases it might mean hiring the services of a Life Coach.

The problem with that solution is that it’s a very expensive proposition, but it’s a sure-fire way to be accountable for your outcome.

Since I cannot afford the services of a life coach, I decided to enroll in the 100 Day Challenge instead.

The idea is that for the last 100 days of the year, I’ll be focusing on making sure I find more balance, contentment and happiness in my life.

September 22nd is an important date as it marks the 100 day countdown of 2008.

You’re welcome to join me! You’ll find all the details on this program which ONLY costs $97 for the entire 100 days!!! There is NO way you’ll find any Life Coach who will work at that kind of price.

There are also a lot of great bonuses to help keep you on track for the rest of the year!

Here’s a quote that describes EXACTLY were I want to be:

“The happiest people are those who think the most interesting thoughts. Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good company, good conversation, are the happiest people in the world. And they are not only happy in themselves, they are the cause of happiness in others.”
William Lyon Phelps

I plan on getting there with this challenge!

Click here for more details: 100 Day Challenge: Start Fast Finish Strong

Photo by Sir Mervs