Your Posture, Impacts You

Be fully in the moment, open yourself to the powerful energies dancing around you.
Ernest Hemingway

We know that our posture impacts how others see us, but did you know it also may impact how we feel about ourselves? We know that a change in facial expression such as a half-smile can lighten our mood. Amy Cuddy’s research supports the idea that intentional changes in our body posture impacts our physiology, thus changing how we feel about ourselves.

Here is a short clip of Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk discussing the impact of body posing on physiology.

Amy Cuddy Shortened Ted Talk

If you are so inclined here is Amy’s Ted Talk in its’ entirety!

Body Language and Presence

Amy Cuddy discusses power poses in this video.

Power Poses

Practice using a power pose(s) throughout your day to move yourself to an emotional space of confidence, peace, power, and contentment. Does it change how you feel? Are you a powerful, peaceful person? Yes? Would you like to be even more powerful, present, and peaceful? If so, let me know!

What if You are Perfect?

q 214x300 - What if You are Perfect?I mean perfect as you are…that you did not need to change anything about yourself.

What if you knew that at the very core of yourself that you were not flawed but whole, and wise? That no matter what anyone said, or did past, or present, you did not question the wonder of who you are? You did not question what you knew to be true for you, and that it was okay for it not to be true for everyone.

What if you trusted your own choices?

What if it is perfect for you to change your mind? To make another choice?

What if it is perfectly okay to create the life you wanted?

And it is perfectly okay to ask for assistance, if it would be helpful to you!

 

Are You a Boredom Pecker?

As I talked to Debby Kinsella at Full Circle Ranch B & B, Cave Creek, AZ about her hens that supplied the eggs for morning breakfast, a friend of hers pointed out that some of the hens had spots on their backs where the feathers were missing. Debbie said that they had recently found ouGallery4-300x195t that the hens pecked at each other when bored, thus Debby and Tom were building them a series of interesting things to do and challenges to keep them occupied, so they would not peck at each other.
I thought this was interesting. Like the hens, do we pick or peck on others when we are bored with our lives, and work? Do we begin to mess in the business of others when our own lives are not fulfilling and satisfying? I have often wondered if people are bored when they work on creating trouble and misery for others. Using our hen friends as an example, we might say that boredom in fact breeds contempt.
Contempt as we know per the work of John Gottman, PhD creates illness in those individuals being treat contemptuously. Given that contempt creates illness would it not serve us, and the other people in our life to be happily, challenged with our own business and life?
Where are you picking or pecking at others in your life? Where are you not minding your own business, or creating the challenges in your own life that keep you focused on yourself, and what is important to you? The next time you find yourself picking or pecking at someone else, ask yourself, are you boredom pecker?

 

Are You an A?

In the book, The Art of Possibility, Benjamin and Rosamund Stone Zander share a story of a young man that was attending one of Benjamin’s music courses. Zander, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and a teach at the Walnut Hill Conservatory had come up with the technique of giving his students all A’s at the beginning of the year so that they would risk playing full out, making mistakes, and growing through the year in his course.

One young man was perplexed by this idea. In his country, the orchestra where he played he was number 68 out of 70. The student after being awarded the “A” by Zander wandered around pondering this idea for several days. He then wrote Zander that this was at first confusing that in his country he is 68 out of 70 but in Mr. Zander’s class he was an “A” student. He told Zander that he realized that he felt better when he thought of himself as an “A” student instead of “68” so he decided he would go with being an “A” student.

 

This young man learned in a very short  time what it takes most of us decades to learn that we get to decide what we believe, and that we can choose that which will benefit, and serve us the most. This young man recognized that he felt better when he thought and felt of himself as an “A” student.

What are you thinking about yourself? Are you giving yourself an “A”, or a making yourself number 68? Consider both options, which would serve you best then chose! Who can you give an “A” to today?
Hear the story from Zander himself.
Giving an
Giving an “A”!

Face it You’re Fallible!

Do you want to feel better about yourself?

Then …

Stop judging yourself and others.
Find the humor, it is there somewhere.
Stay in the moment, yes this moment.
Meditate a few minutes each day.

Define ‘who you are’ by what is in your heart.
Take risks, start small, then go big.
Address your wants and needs.
Cultivate close relationships with people.

Solve and address problems ASAP.
Speak positively to yourself, or at least stay neutral.
Convert should’s to could’s.
Get balanced meals and exercise.

Change what you can.
Mainly your thoughts.
Possibly some of your behaviors.
Forget the rest.

Learn from your mistakes.
Face it you’re fallible, and that’s ok.
Forgive yourself.
Move on.

Do this for a year.
Who are you now?

I Believe…

I create my beliefs about myself.

What do I believe that holds me back?

 

What if I believe…

I can…

-change,

—be whatever I want,

——impact the world,

———-change my thoughts, emotions, view of the world, of others,

—————chose to trust or not others.

 

What if I believe…

I am…

-enough,

—-lovable,

——–talented,

———-intelligent,

————-free to choose,

——————continually changing and growing.

 

What if I believe…

My feelings are ok.

-I create my reality.

—-I determine the meaning I give to things.

——–I impact all I come in contact with and beyond.

————I trust myself.

 

What would be my greatest worry if nothing held me back?

Who are You?

How did you answer the question above?

What beliefs do you hold about yourself?

Are those beliefs helpful or hurtful to you?

Do these beliefs move you toward the life you want?

Or do they create obstacles in your mind that limit your possibilities?

You choose what you believe about yourself (Yes, you really do).

Is it time to get rid of those unhelpful thoughts?

Do You Verbally Abuse Yourself? Others?

“The old saying about sticks and stones was wrong. Names will forever hurt you,” says Natalie Sachs-Ericsson a Psychologist and Researcher. We often consider this verbal abuse if it is done to us by others, yet take a step back and “consider all the hurtful things you say to yourself (and/or your children, colleagues, friends) during the course of a day. Those disparaging comments you inflict on yourself will forever hurt you (and others)” writes Joelene Ashker, Life Coach.  So, STOP with the negative comments to yourself and everyone else. It’s that simple. STOP…Forgive yourself…Replace it with a truth based on the facts of who you are today, not who you were, or who you told yourself you were, or who someone else told you that you were but actually who you are…today. Do it NOW. Do it EVERY TIME…until you do it without thinking about it. What you focus on you become. Focus on being worthless, you will become worthless. Focus on your value and your value will grow. Remember you are in charge of your own garden! Pull out the weeds, and plant the seeds you want to grow! Copyrighted 2014SeedGrowing