Do you dread that afternoon energy slump that leaves you reaching for a coffee or something sweet as a pick-me-up to get you through the rest of your day? We’ve all been there and there’s a very common reason why this energy crash happens that few understand.
It all comes down to your blood sugar. Now when I say blood sugar, I am not talking about Diabetes, which most people think of when I bring up this term. We all experience blood sugar fluctuation in response to what we eat, when we eat and influenced by certain lifestyle factors.
When you eat a meal (or have a drink or snack) your blood sugar will increase. How much it increases will really depend on what you ate and how quickly glucose is released from these foods and/or drinks into your blood stream.
Carbohydrates break down into glucose in our blood stream. The carbohydrates with short chains (a.k.a. simple Carbohydrates) reach the bloodstream much more quickly than those with long-chain (a.k.a. complex Carbohydrates), resulting in higher blood sugar spikes.
Simple Carbohydrates are things like your cookies, pastries, most breads and cereal products, processed grains and their flours, white rice, refined sugar, candy, soda, corn syrup and high-fructose syrup, fruit juice concentrate and many processed foods.
Complex Carbohydrates include things like legumes, whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruit. A whole grain in it’s unprocessed form contains three parts and when it’s processed two of those parts are stripped away and you’re left with the blood-sugar spiking starchy part that is void of nutrients.
Repeated blood sugar spikes, over time, can lead to a condition called Hypoglycemia. I want you to think of it like a rollercoaster – your blood sugar spikes up after a meal, and then it crashes in a few hours, leaving you with low energy, cravings, and irritability. We all know that “hangry” feeling right?! Over time this also has a negative impact on your hormonal balance, especially your stress hormone Cortisol and sex hormones.
Learning to stabilize this blood sugar rollercoaster is really the key if you want to feel more stable energy throughout the day, have less cravings, support weight-loss and better hormone health.
Here are three simple tips that will help stabilize your blood sugar levels:
Navigating proper nutrition can be confusing in today’s day and age with so much conflicting information. It can leave you feeling overwhelmed and lost on what’s right for your unique body. If you find yourself in a place where nothing seems to be working for you, and you want to know which foods will support your unique needs, I encourage you to check out the Metabolic Balance Program. This is a fully customized nutrition program for women looking to support weight-loss, better hormone balance, energy levels and digestion. Best of all your plan will be entirely based on the chemistry of your bloodwork, taking out all the guesswork!
Ann is a Holistic Nutritionist, Metabolic Balance Coach, and thyroid guru who helps women gain confidence in how they look and feel in their bodies. Ann works with a scientifically backed metabolic approach to nutrition by using in-depth analysis of blood chemistry to develop truly unique plans to balance each client’s metabolism. The blood analysis reveals exactly which foods are right for each client to lose weight, and improve hormonal balance, energy levels, and gut health without any pills, shakes, or yo-yo diets. Analysis of blood chemistry + food chemistry = your unique metabolic prescription! Ann is also passionate about thyroid health, as she herself has experienced the lonely and confusing journey that came with the diagnosis of an autoimmune thyroid disorder, and loves supporting other women who may be struggling with thyroid related symptoms.
If you’re reading this, chances are you feel much like I did 18 months ago—overwhelmed, overworked, underappreciated, and disconnected. You go through your days managing your life and everyone else’s, rather than truly living it.
Does it ever feel like no matter how much you accomplish, it’s never enough? Do you find yourself giving endlessly to others, but feel drained and disconnected when it comes to your own needs?
The title of this article likely caught your attention because, deep down, you’re ready for a change. You want to break free from this vicious cycle of operating in survival mode and start shifting your reality. Am I right?
One of the most common questions I hear from women seeking transformation is: “Where do I start?”
No matter their circumstances, my answer is always the same: Start with personal accountability.
What is Personal Accountability?
Personal accountability is about stepping into ownership of your experiences in life. It’s recognizing that you have the power to choose how you respond to the events and situations you face and understanding that those choices shape your reality. It’s about shifting your mental narrative to one that supports the life you desire, rather than one that reinforces powerlessness.
At its core, personal accountability is the foundation of SELF-leadership—a crucial skill for anyone looking to live with alignment and intention. While we won’t dive into SELF-leadership in this article, it involves intentionally guiding your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours in alignment with your core values, purpose, and desired outcomes.
Now that we understand personal accountability and why it matters, let’s look at 6 simple strategies you can start applying in your life today.
We can’t change what we aren’t aware of or willing to accept; real transformation starts with self-awareness. Begin by identifying the areas of your life where you feel stuck or unsatisfied.
Once you’ve identified these areas, ask yourself the following questions:
Once you identify the areas where you feel stuck and recognize some underlying root causes, you can take intentional steps to break the pattern. Personal accountability begins with recognizing where you need to make a change.
When you embrace personal accountability, you move from feeling like life happens to you, to realizing that life is something you actively create. Often, we become stuck when we identify with our past experiences, instead of shifting our focus toward intentionally taking action to create the life we desire.
Remember: Our current reality is the result of our past decisions, and our future is actively being shaped by the choices we make today. Every day presents a new opportunity to create the future you desire. Start now.
To take this a step further, the next time you feel stuck, instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me?” ask, “What is this teaching me? How can I respond in a way that aligns with the outcome I want?”
Our thoughts are powerful and have so much influence over our reality. This step is about noticing when you fall into negative thinking patterns, such as “This is just the way things are” or “I have no control over this.”
When this happens, pause and reframe. Ask yourself, “Are these thoughts actually based in truth?”
Then, choose thoughts that empower you: “I have the power to respond differently” or “I can influence the change I am seeking by rewiring my thoughts.”
Learning to shift your mental narrative is essential to taking responsibility for the life you want. It requires the willingness to recognize limiting beliefs, challenge them, and let them go.
Taking responsibility for your life means prioritizing choices and taking actions that align with the version of yourself you want to become. It’s about showing up, day after day, especially when it’s uncomfortable, and making decisions from a place of empowerment, rather than fear or discomfort.
When and only when you are willing to accept that you are the only one who has the power to shape your life, you reclaim your agency and become empowered to keep moving forward.
Personal accountability isn’t about perfection; it’s about making progress. By building a habit of compassionate self-reflection, you’ll stay committed to the process of creating the lasting changes you desire.
At the end of each day, ask yourself: “Did I make choices that align with the person I want to become?” rather than “Did I accomplish my goal?” Learning to move away from black-and-white thinking and pausing to celebrate all wins, big or small, builds the momentum needed for continued personal growth.
Many of us become so focused on the “goal” or “desired outcome” that we lose sight of the journey itself—and all the growth that happens along the way. I know firsthand the importance of fully embracing the journey, approaching it with a beginner’s mind, and detaching from desired outcomes. The real magic and alignment happens when we remain flexible and committed to ourselves from a growth perspective, rather than an outcome-driven one.
Part of the magic of living in alignment with your true self is trusting the process and believing in something bigger than you.
If there’s one key takeaway from all of this, let it be this: Surrender control, detach from expectations, embrace the journey, and watch the magic unfold.
The Path to Joy and Abundance Begins with Personal Accountability
To create the life you truly desire—one filled with joy, abundance, and purpose—the first step is to take full ownership of your experience. When you do, you’ll start to see that every choice you make will either bring you closer to the life you want or keep you further from it. The choice is yours.
I hope this article has inspired you and sparked the motivation to start applying these personal accountability strategies in your life today.
If you found this article helpful and want to dive deeper, I’d love to connect! Join me at my Downtown Toronto Happy Healthy Women events, visit my website, or follow me on Instagram for more resources and support on your journey!
Emily Zhuang is a Certified Health Coach, Lifestyle Transformation Coach, and creator of The Balance and Thrive Method. Emily specializes in empowering purpose-driven female entrepreneurs to define their self-worth and gain the confidence they deserve, so they can create the life they truly desire. By guiding women to realign their time, energy, and resources inward, Emily enables them to live in alignment with their true purpose, and experience a life of freedom and true fulfillment. Her client-centered approach focuses on whole-person health, addressing the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual states of being, utilizing sustainable lifestyle shifts rooted in her Core Pillars of Health to deliver lasting results.
Creating sustainable health goals is key to long-term optimal health and wellness. The first step is ask yourself what does the healthy YOU look like?
What does this person look like? How does she feel waking up every day? What is her lifestyle like? What are habits you have as your healthiest self? This step doesn’t just allow you to envision the person you want to become, but it also provides you the opportunity to picture a reality where maintaining a healthy lifestyle does not feel like a chore; but instead, a tangible and fulfilling lifestyle.
That person you want to become is the star you are reaching for in the sky. You have a goal, so let’s talk about how to reach that star. The roadmap to get there is just as important as the end goal itself. Creating that roadmap and all the steps, make it a structured unique pathway suited for you.
Now that we know what your healthiest self looks like, the next step is to create tangible goals. With every goal you set, you want to make sure you can measure your progress. Whether it is weight changes, energy, or bowel movements, ensure your objectives are measurable to help you stay motivated on continuing your health journey.
With these goals, you create several little goals on this roadmap. These little goals are less intimidating and more achievable. It is so much easier to think of losing 1 lb/week than losing 30 lbs in 1 month. Your goals are doable, and you can now celebrate all of these little wins on your wellness journey.
Next is making sure these goals are realistic and that they fit your lifestyle. Your lifestyle is unique, and that is why your goals need to be unique as well. It also allows you to implement these goals in your day to day life, balancing work with your personal life, and optimizing both of these aspects of your lifestyle. Creating these realistic goals helps you stay on that roadmap, despite obstacles that may come in the way.
So now you have a picture of what your healthiest self looks like, you have determined what that roadmap to your healthiest self looks like, you have created tangible goals that are realistic and measurable, and you have the dedication to start this journey; so, what are you waiting for? Let’s start your health journey together!
Dr. Ishani Patel is a board certified Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Toronto, Ontario. She has taken a clinical interest in women’s health, fertility, endometriosis, hormonal imbalances, gastrointestinal health, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune-related concerns. Dr. Ishani has always believed that with commitment, education, and encouragement, the body can repair itself back to a state of health and wellness. She utilizes a combination of traditional medicine with evidence based medicine, to put all the puzzle pieces together and determine the root cause of your health concerns.
Ultimately, she is dedicated to assisting her patients in achieving their health goals, establishing a long-term plan for wellness, and helping them feel like their best selves!
Visit Dr. Ishani's Website
Journaling can work wonders. It's such a simple thing to do, and when you do it consistently, you can gain so many amazing benefits from putting pen to paper.
I remember as a little girl how excited I was to get my very first diary, I was 7 or 8 years old. It was a little white book with a unicorn on the front, rainbow colored pages and a lock for privacy of course, because at that age I had top secret info. that not another soul should have access too.
I remember not having many friends I could relate to, so I wrote in my journal. I even wrote out my own alphabet and started writing in my own symbolic language but it didn't stick. I loved the idea of having a book where I could write whatever I thought or felt and it was for my eyes only.
From there I continued to write in diaries & journals, I never stopped, there was never a time in my life when I didn't have something I was writing in, even if it meant a device to pull out and type out my thoughts in the middle of the night.
I have a natural tendency to be intentional with my writing, what would prompt me to write in my teens was the inner turmoil I was experiencing and the epiphanies that came from learning the hard way. I would then jot it down as a time stamp of the moment I experienced a personal revelation.
As I continued to evolve as a soul, so did my journaling practice and I realized that I was channeling information through my writing. Journaling is a sacred practice for me and has become an integral part of my path to self-mastery.
I would love to share my thoughts & experience on how journaling can help individuals on a deeper level.
1. When we consciously make time to journal, we are signaling to our brain that we are putting ourselves first by removing distractions & giving ourselves a clean canvas to express our thoughts. This act is calming because there are fewer stimuli, which means you're not having to constantly react and you can focus in on one thing, putting pen to paper.
2. Prioritizing time for yourself to journal will also help you feel at ease because it gives you an outlet to "mind dump". I find this is particularly helpful before bed or when you need to move on to a new task that requires critical thinking. When you're able to get your thoughts out on paper, you're releasing that energy and you will actually feel lighter with a clearer mind.
3. The act of writing can put you into a trance like state, this is often when one would experience intuitive writing or subconscious writing, this type of writing might not always make sense when you read it, but over time you may find some golden nuggets scattered throughout your diary pages.
4. When you are journaling with expressive writing, you are allowing your emotions to flow out of you which can help you regulate your emotions, become more conscious of your triggers and strengthen your emotional intelligence as a result. Of course, this takes your willingness to grow, adapt & implement lessons you've learned and nothing is a guarantee just because you journal.
5. Journaling can be an effective way to reduce stress. Writing your thoughts & feelings in an open, honest and expressive way can help you gain more clarity, understand the root cause of your issues & help you let go of the past so you can move forward with a more positive outlook. The fact that journaling can contribute to stress reduction also means that this will help boost your immune system making you more resilient.
6. Last but certainly not least, journaling can help you improve your writing and communication skills. This is a gift to yourself and others because this could mean your personal and professional relationships will be enriched by your ability to communicate your thoughts & feelings in a healthy and concise manner.
I hope I was able to inspire you to start your own journaling practice or fuel your fire to continue doing what you're doing.
Just remember to be gentle with yourself no matter where you are on your path. There is no right or wrong when it comes to journaling and this practice should support your personal growth.
Thể Oanh
Thể Oanh pronounced like Tey'One or Oanh 'ONE' for short, is an Oracle who serves as a Spiritual Guide, Image Consultant & Multidimensional Transformation Coach. She helps her clients gain unwavering confidence to consciously create a balanced life they love by becoming Spiritually aligned, looking sophisticated & feeling sexy. Oanh is Vancouver's new HHW Branch Director.
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As a high-achieving woman entrepreneur, you're no stranger to setting ambitious goals and pushing boundaries. But have you ever wondered why, despite your remarkable accomplishments, you sometimes find yourself doubting your abilities or focusing on perceived shortcomings? The answer might lie in a fascinating cognitive phenomenon called confirmation bias. In this post, we'll explore how understanding and leveraging this bias can be a game-changer for your entrepreneurial journey.
What is Confirmation Bias?
Confirmation bias is our brain's tendency to seek out, interpret, and remember information that confirms our existing beliefs while disregarding contradictory evidence. While this can sometimes lead to errors in judgment, it also presents a powerful opportunity for personal growth and achievement – especially for driven women like you who are shaping the business world.
The Double-Edged Sword for Women Entrepreneurs
As a woman entrepreneur, you may have experienced how confirmation bias can work against you:
But here's the exciting part: once you understand confirmation bias, you can flip the script and use it to your advantage.
Strategies to Harness Confirmation Bias for Your Success
Instead of dwelling on perceived shortcomings, actively seek evidence of your competence and resilience. Remember that pitch you nailed? The investor who believed in your vision? The team you've built from the ground up? These aren't flukes – they're proof of your capabilities.
Action Step: Create a "Success Journal" where you document your wins, big and small. Review it regularly, especially before important meetings or decisions.
Surround yourself with diverse perspectives that challenge your assumptions and broaden your horizons. Seek out mentors, join women's entrepreneurship groups, and engage with peers who inspire and push you to grow.
Action Step: Attend at least one networking event or conference per quarter focused on women in business or your specific industry.
Use confirmation bias to your advantage by clearly defining your goals and visualizing success. When you prime your brain to look for opportunities aligned with your vision, you'll be amazed at what you start to notice and attract.
Action Step: Create a vision board for your business goals. Include images of women leaders you admire, representations of your target revenue, and symbols of the impact you want to make.
When you catch yourself in a spiral of self-doubt, pause and ask: "Is this thought helping or hindering my success?" Replace limiting beliefs with empowering affirmations that reflect the leader you are becoming.
Action Step: Develop a set of personal mantras tailored to your entrepreneurial journey. Examples might include: "I am innovative and resilient" or "My unique perspective is my superpower."
Instead of fearing criticism, view it as valuable data for growth. Actively seek feedback from mentors, clients, and team members. When you receive praise, don't brush it off – internalize it as evidence of your capabilities. Feedback is a gift, and I’ll never forget the mentor who helped me understand this notion.
Action Step: Implement a regular feedback loop in your business, both for giving and receiving constructive input.
The Ripple Effect of Your Success
By harnessing confirmation bias for positive change, you're not just transforming your own entrepreneurial journey – you're paving the way for other women in business. Your success challenges societal biases and creates a ripple effect of inspiration.
Remember, the key to leveraging confirmation bias lies in consciously directing your focus toward the outcomes you wish to manifest. By doing so, you're not just building a successful business; you're reshaping the landscape and inspiring women entrepreneurs everywhere.
Are you ready to harness the power of your mind and take your business to new heights? The world is waiting for your unique vision and leadership.
Elaine Dickens, MA, Registered Psychotherapist, is a dedicated advocate for high performers and recovering perfectionists seeking to overcome burnout and deepen their emotional connection with others. Through her practice, Live Inspired Wellness, Elaine combines evidence-based strategies with actionable insights to guide clients toward sustainable success and well-being. Her expertise in mindset optimization, emotional intelligence, and ADHD empowers ambitious professionals to thrive both personally and professionally. Elaine's mission is to reshape the narrative around high achievement, proving that peak performance and personal fulfillment can coexist harmoniously. For inspiring resources on mindset and emotional wellness, follow Live Inspired Therapist on Instagram or visit our website.
What does burnout look and feel like? It may be hard or really easy to identify early signs of burnout. Our ability to recognize, identify, and address burnout begins with awareness of it.
Burnout is usually associated with our occupational experiences, however, burnout is becoming a universal term to describe the layering of prolonged and unmanaged stress, therefore we are all at some risk of burnout.
So how can you look for ways to resolve stress? I’m going to give you the bullet list and then my recommendations. From my experience, a gentle, loving holistic approach to burnout, is extremely transformative.
If you’re reading this list and you feel resistance, irritation, or overwhelmed, there’s a good chance you are in burnout. Or maybe you’re already doing some of these things but still feeling stuck. Everything you feel is valid and taking care of yourself may feel like an effort now but will transform how you live, think, feel, breathe, and be.
I suggest picking one or two of the stress reduction tools and practicing for a few weeks until it feels more like a daily habit. The regular integration of self care action is key to managing everyday stressors, that can compile, and lead us to burnout.
Burnout changed for me when I became more curious about how things could look or feel different for me. I started seeking my own answers, which led me to alternative forms of healing and new learning. Unfortunately, there is no one-and-done solution to burnout. It requires ongoing monitoring, management, and adjustment to maintain equilibrium.
I have experienced burnout during my nursing career, personally and also among colleagues. The COVID-19 pandemic created so much pressure and strain on the healthcare system, leaving many burnt out.
First responders and healthcare workers are already at risk for burnout, and we tend to forget that the average person will never have to experience the same challenges in their workday as someone within this profession. Respectively, we tend to gloss over the nature of their duties and responsibilities. But at the end of the day, these individuals experience real trauma and death. This is why it’s important that we nurture the responder within each of us.
Christie is a dynamic wellness practitioner. As the founder of Wellness Haven and Health Christie offers a circular approach to wellness with offerings that honour the seven principles of wellness: emotional, environmental, mental, occupational, physical, relational, and spiritual. Christie is a life skills coach, happiness coach, a breath work facilitator, as well as a medical aesthetician. Christie is joined by her daughter, Abigail, who offers home organization and a decluttering service. At Wellness Haven and Health we encourage and support others in their wellness journey.
Learn more about Christie and her business:
Website
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Receiving feedback is an integral part of personal and professional growth. However, it can also be one of the most challenging aspects of developing any project, especially something as personal and meaningful as a course that you've poured your heart into. The art of receiving feedback really goes beyond just listening to others’ opinions; it involves processing, understanding, and using that feedback to refine and elevate your work.
I’d like to share my own journey with feedback, especially as it relates to refining my courses. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences since I started in the online space.
Let’s face it—receiving feedback can be emotionally taxing. When someone critiques your work, it’s easy to feel vulnerable, especially if the feedback isn’t entirely positive. We often tie our self-worth to our creations, making it hard to separate constructive criticism from personal judgment.
For me, creating courses is not just a job; it’s a passion. I’ve spent countless hours crafting content that I believe will make a difference. So, when I first started receiving feedback, there was an internal struggle. I had to learn how to take a step back and look at my work objectively. Was the feedback coming from a place of helping me improve, or was it just a matter of personal preference?
This distinction is crucial because it allows you to filter out the noise and focus on the feedback that truly adds value.
Some of my students and clients have been sharing feedback on Course Design School, my signature course, regarding the content, the delivery, and the experience so far, and their feedback is inspiring some incredible changes. It’s amazing how their insights have opened my eyes to new ways of enhancing the course, making it even more impactful.
I could kick myself for not thinking about some of these ideas sooner, but instead, I’m embracing the gift of their feedback and getting back to work. Every tweak and adjustment is bringing me closer to creating the transformative experience I’m striving for.
As I embrace this feedback, I have now started a process of refinement. I am revisiting the course material, tweaking, adjusting, and sometimes overhauling entire sections. The process isn’t easy—it requires time, effort, and a willingness to let go of certain elements that I had initially thought were essential. But as I make these changes, I am noticing a shift. The course is going to be more streamlined, the content more focused, and the overall experience more impactful for the participants.
This process is teaching me a valuable lesson that I know but needed a reminder of: no matter how good you think your work is, there’s always room for improvement. Feedback is not a sign of failure; it’s a pathway to excellence.
Based on my experience, here are a few tips on how to receive feedback gracefully and use it to your advantage:
The art of receiving feedback is a continuous journey. It’s about embracing vulnerability, being open to change, and constantly striving for improvement. My experience with refining my course taught me that feedback, while sometimes challenging to hear, is an essential component of growth. It’s what transforms good into great and what helps us evolve in our work.
As you move forward in your own projects, remember that feedback is your ally. Embrace it, learn from it, and let it guide you to greater heights. The path to excellence is paved with the insights of others, and it’s up to us to walk that path with an open mind and a willing heart.
Ready to embark on your own course creation journey? Let's turn your expertise into a profitable online course. Book your FREE 90 Days to Course Launch Breakthrough Call.
Tracy Sherriff is a Certified Course Creation Expert who helps coaches, consultants, and other experts transform their expertise into a profitable online course in 90 days with just 5 hours a week—no overwhelm! Connect with Tracy by visiting her website, tracysherriff.com, or finding her on Instagram @tracy.sherriff.
As a woman entrepreneur, you're no stranger to juggling multiple responsibilities and striving for excellence. But in the pursuit of success, it's easy to fall into patterns that lead to burnout and diminished productivity. As a psychotherapist specializing in high achievers and individuals with ADHD, I've developed strategies to help ambitious women like you thrive. Here are four powerful techniques to enhance your productivity while maintaining balance:
In the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship, everything can feel urgent. However, true productivity lies in focusing on what's truly important. Here's how to prioritize effectively:
Remember, prioritization is about quality over quantity. It's a skill that can significantly reduce stress and increase your effectiveness as a business leader.
As counterintuitive as it might seem, taking breaks is crucial for maintaining high productivity. Here's how to make breaks work for you:
These intentional pauses can help you maintain energy and focus, leading to more sustained productivity over time.
Time blocking can be a game-changer for busy entrepreneurs. Here's how to make it work for you:
This technique provides structure while allowing for the flexibility that dynamic business environments often require.
Goal-setting is crucial for business success, but it's important to approach it with flexibility:
Remember, goals are guides, not inflexible mandates. Be willing to adapt as circumstances change.
Implementing These Strategies
As you incorporate these techniques into your routine, remember that productivity isn't about doing more—it's about achieving what matters most efficiently. Start by implementing one strategy at a time, and be patient with yourself as you develop new habits.
If you're finding it challenging to maintain productivity while avoiding burnout, you're not alone. Many women entrepreneurs and recovering perfectionists struggle with this balance. As a registered psychotherapist in Ontario, I'm here to help you develop a personalized approach to productivity that aligns with your unique needs and goals.
Book Your Complimentary Discovery Call
Want to dive deeper into these productivity strategies? Check out the full blog services on liveinspiredcounselling.com for more detailed insights and tips.
Remember, investing in your mental health and productivity is one of the best things you can do for your business. Let's work together to unlock your full potential as a woman entrepreneur.
Elaine Dickens, MA, is a Registered Psychotherapist and Founder of Live Inspired Wellness Inc. Specializing in guiding high achievers, recovering perfectionists, and ADHD warriors, Elaine helps clients avoid burnout, build resilience, and deepen their emotional connections. Through her expertise, she empowers individuals to balance their drive for success with personal well-being, fostering a more fulfilling and sustainable approach to life and work. Elaine is happy to be a Happy Healthy Women Uxbridge, ON Branch Director
Our bodies have the extraordinary power to let us sense when danger is present, and oftentimes they do so without us having to think about it. We become acutely aware when dis-ease sets in and hampers our normal functioning. As a nurse working in the hospital setting the changes experienced by people are often managed by medication.
Have you ever experienced a sense within your body that doesn’t fit into the usual five categories? It is fascinating to note that our body has over twenty senses internally and externally. These incredible sensory functions manage to keep us safe and connected to the world around us. Without going into the scientific depths of how our sensory receptors function, exploring with a curious mind can help us tap into the wonder they hold.
We have all experienced pain in our lives whether it be at skin level, deep into the muscles, organs, or emotionally. Each one of these has special properties that can stop us in our tracks when triggered. When the pain response is activated, we have a choice of what we do with it. As a nurse, I ascribe to the definition of pain as “pain is what the experiencing person says it is, occurring when they say it does.” Pain provocation, quality, radiation, severity, and timing are all explored.
The other sense that we recognize as important is our temperature. Our body identifies heat and cold and has built in processes to allow heat to escape or trap it in. This is another protective process.
We also have mechanical receptors that sense our body position, balance, and muscle stretch. Such complexities that we do not have to think through. We do not have to think about the way our joint is positioned in space. There is structure and organized function aligned within our body.
We could also explore the internal receptors such as blood pressure, blood oxygen content, bladder stretch, having a full stomach, and lung inflation. All senses that we are fortunate we do not need to think about, recognizing how marvelous our body really is.
So, what happens when dis-ease sets in or medications interfere with the natural function of these senses? We become misaligned with our body and our internal senses can become dulled or impaired. It takes practice to stay in touch with these senses beyond the five. Taking time to activate your senses and observe them through meditation can help you live in harmony with your senses.
Christie is a dynamic wellness practitioner. As the founder of Wellness Haven and Health Christie offers a circular approach to wellness with offerings that honour the seven principles of wellness: emotional, environmental, mental, occupational, physical, relational, and spiritual. Christie is a life skills coach, happiness coach, a breath work facilitator, as well as a medical aesthetician. Christie is joined by her daughter, Abigail, who offers home organization and a decluttering service. At Wellness Haven and Health we encourage and support others in their wellness journey.
Learn more about Christie and her business:
As an entrepreneur, you make decisions every day. Some are small, like choosing a meeting time. Others are huge, like launching a new product. But all of these decisions shape your business. One key factor in making good choices? Confidence.
Let’s break down how confidence affects decision-making and how to use it to your advantage.
The Basics of Decision-Making
When you make a decision, your brain considers several options. It weighs past experiences, personal biases, and even your mood. Confidence acts like a filter for all these factors. It changes how you see the risks and rewards of each choice.
Confidence and Bias: A Balancing Act
Sometimes, we’re too confident. This is called overconfidence bias. It’s when we think we know more than we do or that we’re better at predicting outcomes than we really are. As an entrepreneur, your passion can make you especially prone to this. Being aware of this bias can help you make more balanced decisions.
Confidence in Uncertain Times
When things are uncertain (which is often in business), confidence becomes even more important. It’s what allows you to make decisions without having all the answers. Being confident doesn’t mean you have no doubts. It means you trust yourself to handle whatever happens.
The Two Faces of Confidence
Confidence is crucial, but there’s a catch. There’s a big difference between real confidence and just acting tough. Real confidence comes from skills, experience, and knowing your limits. It keeps you open to new ideas. Fake confidence can lead to hasty decisions and missed chances to learn.
Building Your Decision-Making Confidence
Want to boost your confidence in making decisions? Try these tips:
Wrapping Up
Understanding how confidence affects your decisions can make you a better entrepreneur. Remember, it’s not about always being right. It’s about making decisions with confidence and learning from them. As you run your business, let confidence be your guide. Just remember to balance it with humility and self-awareness. That mix will help you navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
Be bold. Be confident.
Karen Vaile is a Confidence & Mindset Coach and Founder of Karen’s Coaching Korner. She helps businesswomen gain the confidence to take bold action and achieve their personal and professional goals.
Karen’s mission is centred on transforming uncertainty, self-doubt, and apprehension into assertiveness and decisive ambition. Through her 1:1 coaching program “Create Your Confidence,” she tailors her approach to each client’s unique needs, helping each one to reach her fullest potential, attain her goals, embrace boldness, and embody confidence and grace in every aspect of life. Karen can be reached via DM.
In the fast-evolving landscape of entrepreneurship, standing out isn't just about what you do—it's about how effectively you share your knowledge and expertise with the world.
One powerful way to elevate your business and personal growth simultaneously is by creating an online course. Here’s how embarking on this journey can help you become a better version of yourself in business:
Creating a course requires you to distill your knowledge into a structured, actionable format. This process not only reinforces what you already know but also challenges you to fill gaps and stay updated with the latest trends in your field. As you research, plan, and teach, you deepen your expertise, becoming a go-to authority in your niche.
Effective communication is key to success in any business endeavor. Developing a course demands clarity in conveying complex ideas, engaging your audience, and fostering understanding. As you craft content, explain concepts, and interact with students, your communication skills naturally sharpen, enhancing your ability to influence and connect with others.
Launching a well-crafted course establishes you as a thought leader in your industry. It demonstrates your commitment to sharing valuable insights and solving real problems for your audience. This positions your brand as trustworthy and authoritative, attracting potential clients who seek your expertise and solutions.
Courses provide a platform to connect with like-minded individuals, potential collaborators, and clients. Engaging with your course community fosters relationships built on shared interests and mutual support. These connections can lead to new opportunities, partnerships, and invaluable feedback that propel both your business and personal growth.
Creating a course pushes you beyond your comfort zone. It requires innovation in content delivery, engagement strategies, and problem-solving. Embracing this challenge nurtures your creativity and resilience, equipping you with skills to adapt to changes and seize opportunities in an ever-changing market landscape.
Beyond immediate benefits, courses offer a sustainable revenue stream. Once created, they can be sold repeatedly without significant additional effort, allowing you to leverage your time and expertise effectively. This passive income stream not only supports your financial goals but also frees up time for further business development or personal pursuits.
Ultimately, creating a course is about making a meaningful impact. By sharing your knowledge and empowering others to succeed, you contribute to their growth journeys. Witnessing the transformation and success of your students brings a deep sense of fulfillment and reinforces your purpose-driven approach to business.
Creating an online course isn’t just about expanding your business—it’s a transformative journey that enhances your skills, expands your influence, and fosters personal growth. It’s an investment in yourself and your future, offering rewards that extend far beyond financial gains. Embrace the opportunity to share your expertise, inspire others, and become the best version of yourself in business and beyond. Start today, and unlock the potential that lies within you.
Ready to embark on your course creation journey? Let's turn your expertise into an impactful learning experience that transforms lives. Book your FREE 90 Days to Course Launch Breakthrough Call.
Tracy Sherriff is a Certified Course Creation Expert who helps coaches, service-based professionals, and other business owners successfully scale their business online with high-quality, high-impact courses and programs. You can connect with Tracy by visiting her website tracysherriff.com, or finding her on Instagram @tracy.sherriff. You can also connect with her in the Happy Healthy Women in Business Facebook Group.
Many of us with a creative idea, vision, or project often struggle with the same thing: the gap between having a brilliant idea and bringing it to life.
The common problems of perfectionism, procrastination, and overwhelm get in your way and prevent you from making any real, significant progress. You dither for months, years, and sometimes even decades, all without taking action on your creative dreams.
I know because I’ve been there. But over the last ten years, I’ve been able to overcome those problems and launch the passion projects of my heart — and I want the same for you.
I’m using everything I’ve learned to outline the 5 mistakes you’re making that prevent you from taking action — and the 5 solutions to fix them.
Mistake #1: Trying to “Figure it All Out”
You want to start a blog so you start researching the best web host, the best cross-posting tools, the best SEO strategies for headlines and metadata. But when do you get around to actually launching that blog?
You want to start a podcast so you start researching the best microphones, the best editing software, the best way to soundproof a room. But how long does it take before you get around to recording your first episode?
You want to start writing a novel so you start outlining every character backstory, every plot twist, and researching every setting for total accuracy. But at what point do you actually sit down and write your first page?
There’s a point when trying to “figure it all out” stops being about planning and starts being about perfectionism and procrastination.
The solution?
Limit your research and planning.
If you find yourself stuck in the research and planning phase without ever moving forward into execution, it’s time to STOP and just START. Set a limit for yourself — define the absolute most important pieces to know and figure out the rest later. Remember: as painful as it might feel, you don’t need to have everything figured out all the time.
Mistake #2: Waiting for “Inspiration to Strike”
When you wait for inspiration to strike, or when you wait until you “feel like it” you oftentimes never get around it.
The solution?
Well, here’s a secret successful creatives have discovered: Your muse doesn’t suddenly appear by itself. You can summon your muse — simply by showing up before it appears.
The great Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art, says:
“When we sit down each day and do our work... The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned her favor.”
Sitting down, showing up, and getting ready to work is how you summon your muse so you can get things done.
Mistake #3: Setting Lofty Goals
How familiar does this sound?
“Okay, I’m going to sit down and outline my whole novel.”
“All right, I’m going to sit down and wireframe my entire website.”
“Great, I’m ready to sit down and finish mixing my latest music track.”
And then what happens? You start feeling overwhelmed by the huge task. Or you start getting bogged down in details and minutiae. Or you start thinking that it’s going to take forever to finish and begin to get discouraged.
The solution?
Use time bound limits. Give yourself a set amount of time to work, and then stop when the time runs out. It doesn’t matter if you complete the task in one sitting or not. All that matters is that you made progress. Setting a time limit hinders your overwhelm and procrastination, because you know you only need to start — you don’t need to finish. Which brings us to mistake #4.
Mistake #4: Trying to Make it “Look Right” or “Sound Right”
You start writing your novel and spend hours tweaking the first paragraph or first page. You spend so long trying to find the perfect words to convey what you’re trying to say that you never move past the first chapter.
Or you start working on a design and find yourself repeatedly adjusting the colour palette and font choices, going back and forth, but never actually getting around to the rest of it.
The solution?
I have a saying: “Make Bad Art”.
Now, this doesn’t mean producing poor quality work. It simply means that you don’t need to get it right the first time, or even the second, third, or tenth time. When you create with the intention of doing it badly — on purpose! — you get rid of that perfectionism and procrastination.
Remember, you can always fix it later. The key is to simply make progress, bit by bit, even if it doesn’t look or sound the way you want it to at first. Give yourself permission to be bad at something and I promise, you’ll see life-changing progress in your creative pursuits.
Mistake #5: Thinking Your Idea is Unoriginal
How many times have you thought something like this:
“Someone else is already doing my idea.”
“What do I have to say that a dozen other people already haven’t?”
“There’s nothing original under the sun.”
Many of you worry that your idea isn’t original. You see other people doing it and think that it’s not worth doing yourself. You get imposter syndrome. “Who am I to do this, when other people are doing it better?”
The solution?
Find your “twist.”
Because here’s the secret: Being unoriginal is actually a GOOD thing! It means there’s a market for what you’re creating. It means there’s an audience for it. People want what you’re making.
You just need to figure out what YOU bring that no one else can. What’s the differentiator that comes from your perspective, your personality, your background, your experiences? Find the “twist” that is unique to you and you’ll stand out — even if you think you’re unoriginal.
One of the toughest things when it comes to creativity is bridging the gap between having a brilliant idea and bringing it to life. By limiting your research, summoning your muse, setting time bound goals, embracing “bad art” and finding your unique twist, you can overcome the obstacles that hold you back. It's time to stop dithering and start doing.
Ready to take the next step? Visit candicelee.ca to see how we can work together to finally bring your creative vision to life.
Candice is a multi-passionate creative entrepreneur dedicated to writing, music, and mindset shifts. As a multi-six-figure bestselling novelist, wellness e-com founder, affirmation product designer, and amateur music producer, she brings a wealth of experience to her role as a Creativity Facilitator. Candice helps clients overcome indecision, refill their creative wells, get rid of blocks, and take action on their passion projects. With an enthusiastic and empowering approach, she offers 1:1 coaching and workshops to guide people toward their creative goals. Candice's mission is to inspire and support others in achieving their dreams so they can find fulfillment and joy.
