Using gratitude as a tool for happiness has been mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that an appreciative attitude contributes to success in work, health, and recovery.
Fostering a deep appreciation for your body and what it can do, is a crucial step in healing your relationship with food and body image. Building body confidence is much easier when you can learn to appreciate your body for what it can do.
When you practice giving thanks for our body, instead of complaining or worrying about what you lack, you give yourself the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.
It’s a matter of where you put your focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.
There are many things to be grateful for: colourful autumn leaves, legs that work, arms that can hug, warm jackets, the ability to read, roses, butterflies. What’s on your list?
Some Ways to Practice Gratitude
Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling.
Stephenie Farrell
Body Confidence Coach
If you're an entrepreneur, I'm positive that one of the reasons you started your business was so that you can live the life you want to be living. Am I right?
Oftentimes though, the way we build our business (the way our services are designed, how our time is spent or how our systems are developed) can take away from the actual profit we earn, taking us further away from the freedom life we're seeking.
When I learned what I'm about to share below, my business and life completely changed. However for me, there were years of doing things the wrong way first, and THAT is what I aim to save other women in business from.
Below are some common areas I aim to help women master so that they can go from surviving to thriving in their business. Allow my hindsight to be your foresight.
Common Mistakes of New Business Owners:
1. Only One Product/Service
In my opinion, (and there ARE differing views on this) offering only ONE product or service in your business has you putting all of your eggs in one basket. My first rule of freedom-preneurship is to diversify your sources of revenue for many reasons, including stability in times of uncertainty.
2. One (Time Consuming) Client at a Time
Get a client - YAY! Work with client - PHEW! Need New Client - AHHH!
If you're finding yourself giving all you've got to your ONE client every time you get one, and then feeling like you're at a loss when you're done - that's a problem. It's exhausting, not sustainable, and not abundant.
3. Only Offering Products or Services that have You Trading Time (yours or a staff member's) for Money
With this one, you have to know that I'm not suggesting you stop offering services that have you trading time for money. Many businesses are based on this model and require this as a foundation. What I AM suggesting, is that you add on others where you're not, and maximize the ones where you are.
So you may be reading this and feeling like: "Oh no. This is exactly my business." Which is TOTALLY fine because that's where it all starts. If you're looking to move BEYOND that, here are some ideas.
1. Funnels
Funnels are KEY. I'm not talking email funnels here. I'm talking strategically placed parts of your business that guide your ideal client through a journey. Each step of your funnel can and totally should be a profit system, while also serving your clients with exactly what they need in the moment.
2. Seasonal Offers
I'm looking beyond holidays with this one - although those are great too!
It's important we look at different SEASONS that affect our business and why. We need to understand why people purchase what we offer and when - and plan our year ahead accordingly. For example, what season is a new entrepreneur in come August, V.S. January?
The question I always like to ask myself is - how can my business be of greater service during these times?
3. Time Leveraging
VERY important. How can you start duplicating yourself in your business through SYSTEMS? How can you start reaching more people without investing more time? Maybe it's with group coaching, subscriptions, a sales team etc. You'll know what's right for you and your business, but figuring this out early on can be a game-changer.
While I can't offer everything I know in a blog post, I'm certain that even looking at these three areas can completely transform the trajectory of your business and lead you further toward living the life you want to be living.
If you feel like you could use guidance, tools and a plan with mapping all of this out, applications are OPEN for the Beautiful Business Program, and it could be EXACTLY the thing you need to move your business and life to the next level! Check it out!
In Happiness & Health,
Natalie Colalillo
Founder & CEO Happy Healthy Women
Instagram: @happy_healthy_nat
If you're not meeting your basic needs, it's more likely that you'll eat to compensate for your lack of self-care.
So, it's important to tend to the following areas so you can leave emotional eating behind you.
Sleep
Are you getting enough sleep? If not, you're probably low on energy. Naturally, people believe a lack of sleep can be corrected by eating more, but the truth is that eating will make you feel even more tired and lethargic.
Here are my top 5 suggestions on getting a good night's sleep that will also help you get in touch with your body:
Life Balance
Life can get busy, and when it gets busy, it can be overwhelming.
Try to balance these areas: work, play, movement, rest, relationships and family time.
Feeding Yourself Adequately
Food also affects our energy levels. If you're going without food for long periods, you're not getting the energy you need to perform at your best. Taking the time out of your day to eat isn't a waste of time; it's self-care. Eating enough fats, carbohydrates and proteins during the day will provide you with the clarity, energy and focus you need to get through your day.
Stress
Life can be stressful for many reasons:
Stephenie Farrell
Body Confidence Coach
Whether it be on coaching calls, masterminds or networking sessions, I often hear women preface what they are about to say with the phrase “I’m not an expert, but…”.
While I can totally understand why someone who is actually not an expert on a subject would use that phrase, I often hear it from women who actually ARE experts in the area, that have built beautiful, solid careers because they are indeed experts. What is happening?
It’s a thing we do sometimes. We minimize ourselves before we say something that may have some weight to it.
We remove ourselves from the spotlight, before we even step into it.
The example I use often is this one: Would you hire a plumber who comes into your home, looks at an issue with your pipes and starts their diagnostic with “I’m not an expert, but…”?
Likely not. We need to stop sabotaging our influence.
Hear me now: As women in business, we MUST step into more courage, power and influence when we speak. It’s essential, not only for our own self-belief, but for potential clients to have faith and confidence in us, and AHEM, FOR THE WORLD.
I know, it's easier said than done, especially if you’re making a move from an environment that held you down or kept you stuck. I see women coming out of the corporate world all the time, who are just not used to their opinions being valued, so they get used to the "back seat" and speak with an apologetic tone. Guess what though, you’re here. Doing it. In the ring. Making it happen. Your opinions mean a WHOLE lot, and yes. You are an expert.
For those wanting to once and for all break down that "I'm no expert, but..." belief, here are 5 ways to stop sabotaging your influence and step into your awesome expertise.
At the end of the day, entrepreneurship takes a different level of confidence, that we have to step into if we want to be seen as the experts that we are. It doesn't happen overnight for ANYONE, but becoming aware, and listening in to the expert inside that wants to SHINE is the first step.
In Happiness & Health
Natalie Colalillo
Founder & CEO Happy Healthy Women
Instagram: @happy_healthy_nat
Feeling a little scattered? Not sure when to do what? Not sure how to achieve optimal time management for your business but also be present and in the moment?
I. Hear. You.
Some days, I really just want to go with the flow, and some days - I can't get through my list of to-dos fast enough.
What I'm learning to do is really lean into that and have the exact kind of day that my body, heart and mind are telling me to have. Why? Because my inner knowing is right every time.
There's A LOT to be said about how we spend our time and the shape of our lives. They are one full circle. Sometimes we take the hours, minutes and seconds we have for granted, and sometimes we PUSH through them with HAVE TOS and SHOULDS that end up depleting us.
Yes - master your minutes and own your time, but also know the difference between force and flow.
One of the first questions I ask when I'm working with someone on this: Who's owning your time? If you're struggling with focus and unable to grow in the areas you're intending to...chances are you're allowing other things/people to own your time.
We have 1440 minutes given to us in each day. How do you spend yours? I'm not suggesting you track each second - but an awareness is key - yes, even in the flow.
Here are 5 ways to keep the focus and achieve optimal time management in your business...WHILE being present, in the flow, and living a life you love.
1. Set up your day the night before with an openness to change as needed - lists are great...but also be open to those lists shifting and carrying certain tasks over to the next day. For example, if you're not feeling the highest vibe in the moment...is that when you REALLY want to be reaching out to potential clients?
If those tasks continue to move to the next day for a week - you may want to look a little deeper and ask yourself why that keeps being postponed. A little work may be required to move past that block.
2. Time block a digital calendar with reminders - Include the to-dos for your business, and also the things that bring you JOY. Love naps? Add those in. Things that bring you joy are ESSENTIAL to your productivity - and if you have things on your list to look forward to - you're going to be in a way better state than the "all work - no play" lifestyle many business owners get trapped in.
3. Eliminate distractions, time wasters and vibe-killers. You'd be surprised how much a casual conversation here and a scroll through social there can add up to hundreds of minutes lost every week...if it's not contributing to your happiness, health, or success, how much time do you really want to be giving it?
4. Schedule HIGH VIBE time! Get outside, move your body, feel good, eat well, turn on your favourite songs and dance. High vibes will help you be way more productive!
5. Constantly remind yourself of your ultimate goals, while being happy in the here and now. What are you working towards that makes that consistency so worth it? Reminding yourself of the goals while prioritizing your joy NOW will keep your heart feeling happy as you move closer to them.
The more we take full ownership of our time, the more empowered we feel and the better everything becomes around us.
Being able to ROCK time management for intuitive business owners and entrepreneurs is essential for productivity, self care and growth!
We have a whole session on this in the Beautiful Business Program, and it's one of my favourites to teach on. If you're looking to take your business to the next level - this program may be perfect for you. Find more here!
In Happiness & Health
Natalie Colalillo
Founder & CEO Happy Healthy Women
Plant-based Wellness and Business Coach
Instagram: @happy_healthy_nat
More and more women are deciding to make big change in the way they live out their lives and are moving toward entrepreneurship as a way to achieve the freedom they have been longing for. Nothing makes me happier, and it's a big piece of what we discuss in the Wellpreneur Club Mastermind Meetings and on our Monthly Leadership Calls.
While entrepreneurship is beautiful and can provide so much more opportunity, joy and creative freedom, it also requires a different skill set, mindset and discipline. The good news is, it can all be learned!
Below, I offer 5 ways that I believe are HUGE in moving from that place of part-time business or "side hustle", into a full-time, thriving business that generates a salary (yes - it's possible - with benefits) for you, and multiple team members to come.
Here are 5 ways to start making your part-time "side hustle", a full-time thriving business.
Are you looking at your business from the inside of it, as a sole proprietor doing all the things, or are you looking at it from a bird’s eye view, at all the moving parts and thinking about how to optimize each?
It doesn’t matter if you’re the only person in your organization right now. The minute you start seeing your business as a growing empire that is making space for multiple employees and an abundance of clients, is when you’re business will start attracting that.
In addition to that, how is it packaged? This sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many business owners aren’t clear enough on this, and they end up creating content around the topics that their passionate about, without any real ways for their clients to enroll in what they’re offering. This has to be clear, concise and simple. A confused mind will say no.
What does that journey look like? Envision yourself taking a potential client by the hand, and walking them through your offerings. Does it all make sense? Does one offering lend itself to the next, or do you go from freebie to a $10,000 package with noting in between?
Having a clear business funnel is absolutely essential in giving you a realistic visual of what is currently happening in your business, and providing a much clearer path for both you and your potential clients.
A funnel also allows you to automatically walk people through toward making the decision that’s right for them, and will also show YOU where you need to be spending the majority of your time.
Quite often when we start a business, we imagine ourselves doing the thing we are selling. I.e., coaching. We envision ourselves with clients, on coaching calls and invoicing for our services. And yes – it's important to visualize those things for SURE, however, it’s also important for us to realize that at the beginning, 90% of our time will be spent on doing the things that actually help us get eyes on what we’re offering, not necessarily on doing the actual thing we are offering.
If you’re in this place, trust that you’re doing things right and that you’re not FAILING as an entrepreneur. You have to SHOW UP in order to GO UP.
Creating revenue streams that continue to flow while you’re working on other things, is the key to creating not only a full-time business but a solid, deeply rooted business that can withstand the stormy seasons. They WILL happen - but you can do something about it before they do!
Being able to even out the roller coaster ride of business, especially when it comes to revenue, is essential and requires a different mindset and skill set, but it’s completely doable. After all, you got into business to grow, and have a life of freedom and choice - so let's make that happen, shall we?
If the above resonates and you'd like to be in on conversations where we talk about these things as they specifically relate to YOU and YOUR business - you'll love the Wellpreneur Club! We have weekly Mastermind Sessions and High-Vibe Business chats that are there to help women get out of their head and into their heart-centered success!
In Happiness & Health
Natalie Colalillo
Founder & CEO Happy Healthy Women
Instagram: @happy_healthy_nat
We all want to grow and learn and make a positive impact in the world.
We long to do something important with our lives and for the most part, we know that it starts with ourselves - we change the world by changing how we show up in the world and how we interact with the world.
But it can be so easy to tumble down the rabbit hole of judgment. Unfortunately, nothing stops our growth and our impact like judgment.
And that is because what we judge we can not understand.
The minute that we say "He's a liberal" or "She's a conservative" is the moment that "understanding" comes to a halt.
(Or maybe a better example right now would be "He's a pro-vaxer"/"She's an anti-vaxer!")
When we decide to place a label on someone or something, we often do so with an undertone of approval or disapproval attached to it. It becomes very difficult to understand the things (and people) that we disapprove of.
The whole idea of disapproval is that it is something foreign to you or outside of you. And we all know that is ripe and fertile ground for an "us against them" environment.
As human beings, we tend to react to things that are foreign to us or outside of us in 3 different ways:
The first way we can react is to quickly reject that person, their behavior, or their ideas. For many of us this means that we don’t want them around us, we don’t include them in our friend groups and if they are family we spend as little time with them as possible. They become the them to our us. When this get’s played out on a bigger stage we see countries going to war, we see racism, we see refugees with no place to go. And we begin to use language that vilifies and depersonalizes them until in the worst cases we are ok with their complete destruction. I know that sounds extreme but how many of us watch the news and see exactly this type of behavior.
The second way that we can react is by accepting the difference as long as it’s not brought to your awareness. It’s like saying “Ok it’s fine that we are different but I don’t want to hear about it and I don’t want to see it.” This happens when we go home for thanksgiving and we say “I’m just not going to talk to Uncle Bill about politics" or we say to our partner “Since we’re not married my parents are going to make us sleep in different rooms” even though you have been living together for years. It’s saying we are fine with people being gay but we would never be friends with them. The list goes on and on....
The third way we respond is by removing all the differences and saying, “Well we are all the same.” We saw this when Black Lives Matter came on the stage and asked us to see something we didn’t necessarily want to see...so many people responded with “Well, all lives matter.” And in removing the differences we remove anything that was uncomfortable and that we could have learned from.
Now if you respond in one of these three ways you will notice something very interesting. You’ll notice that in each way of responding you are right. In the first two, you are right and the other person is wrong. And in the third one, you’re both right. Oh yes, that ego is one tricky son of a gun.
But there is a fourth way of responding. It's a difficult one but it will provide you with so much spiritual growth and such a rich and abundant life experience. And that is to look at things and to look at yourself through the lens of the other person - with such a deep curiosity that when you look back at your own behavior it looks strange to you.
Let me give you an example in a story that I heard:
There was a therapist that was going to go work in an Indigenous community. And when he arrived he looked at how they raised their children, the children ran from house to house acting as if each house was their own, they spent most of their time unsupervised and playing outside. When the kids misbehaved every adult felt the freedom to discipline them.
And the therapist thought - “Oh this is a huge problem. These kids are not grounded in their families, they lack connection with their mothers and fathers, they are allowed too much freedom and not enough structure” and on and on.
But the longer he stayed in the community and the more he got to know the people that lived there, he began to see the world through their lens until finally, he had some understanding.
And then when he looked back at his own community he thought “How strange it is that we live so isolated from each other, that we don’t allow the influence of other people to penetrate us, that we build so many fences and so many boundaries - perhaps that is why I have always felt so alone.”
This story is so impactful not because it glorifies one way of living over another, but because it causes us to look through more than just our own natural lens to see the world through another’s eyes and to allow what we see to pierce us and to cause us to grow!
So today ask yourself - which of these four ways of responding do I normally choose? And how would I become a more beneficial person in the world if I decided to remove my judgments and to see the world through the eyes of another the best that I could. How could I gain a more clear picture of reality if I also chose to see and accept my own strangeness as well?
Want to know more? Listen to The Art Of Being H(YOU)man Podcast - Episode 8 Accepting Other
Meg is a life coach, blogger and event host that is passionate about walking with people who want more out of life than just the status quo!
She believes that life doesn’t have to work out exactly the way we think it “should” in order to be enjoyed and that people don’t have to be perfect in order to be loved.
She believes that we all have the voice of truth inside of us but sometimes it can be hard to hear. And most importantly that we must live between the tension of accepting the things we cannot change and taking massive action on the things we can!
Meg creates spaces where women can slow down and process all the things that are influencing and controlling their lives - their everyday thoughts, emotions, and the stories they have been telling themselves.
Spaces where they can look at their inner world, gain valuable insight and then reclaim their personal authority, and make conscious decisions that transform the way they experience their lives!
Through one on one coaching, group coaching and workshops Meg helps women show up in the world with more love, and less ego, more compassion, and less judgment, more vulnerability, and less shame, more emotional agility and less fear!
Meg is also the current Branch Director of South Surrey/White Rock for Happy Healthy women.
Meg’s currently running events are:
The Self Love Series (March 2021 to June 2021)
The Art Of Being H(You)man Series (January 2021 to April 2021)
The Goddess Talks (All of 2021)
Meg lives in BC with her husband of 20 years, two teenage boys and their little dog Charlie. To learn more about Meg and her business, visit her website realexcellentliving.com
I know - many of us don't even want to hear the words "Fall" or "Autumn" as we're still Summer Lovin', but what if a few tweaks over the next few weeks could make all the difference in the abundance that comes your way next month and into the 4th quarter of 2021?
A popular topic these days in our community has been about how to create a successful 4th quarter.
Here are 5 Simple things you can do NOW, to create a successful fall in your business.
1. Get Dreaming - lie in the sand and soak up the sun...and while you're at it, let your heart and mind do a little dreaming. What does the rest of the year look like for you if you had your way? Because guess what, Lovely - you do!
2. Brand/Website Check-Up - Does your website, brand, colors, social media, newsletter etc. all speak the same language and provide a cohesive feel for your business? Do you still have classes from 2020 on your website? Look through it all as if you were a potential client. If something feels off to you, it likely needs a little refresher.
3. Create Your Roadmap - Where are you now and where are you going? We offer a free business roadmap template to our Collective Members that I myself designed and used to create Happy Healthy Women. I complete this roadmap once every 6 months, and it has been a game-changer in mapping out my dreams and making them a reality.
Grab the free roadmap template by signing up for a 30-day trial of the Wellpreneur Club!
4. Get In With a Community - Who are you running your ideas by? Expressing your challenges to? Learning from? Growing with? These are all really important things for women entrepreneurs, which is why I created this community. It's a must!
5. Trust - Yourself, others, the process. I fully believe the Universe is constantly working in our favor to create exactly what we're wanting, and the more you trust your inner guidance, the more will come your way.
These are just a few of the things that have been coming up lately in our Collective Mastermind Meetings about creating a successful fall in your business! And yes, you can and totally should join us!
In Happiness & Health
Natalie Colalillo
Founder & CEO Happy Healthy Women
Instagram: @happy_healthy_nat
How often do you think or feel negatively about yourself?
If you're anything like I was, I bet you do pretty often. Am I right?
Love, that it isn't the REAL you. It's your inner critic, AKA your inner "mean girl," that's talking inside your head.
If you let her, she'll drag you down in just about every aspect of your life. Believe me, I've been there too, but I overcame this, and so can you.
Here is some practical advice on silencing your inner mean girl and start channeling the real you!
When I coach women, this is just one of the things we work on. It's essential to reconnect to the REAL you.
Changing your life happens from the inside and builds the confidence to go after a life that truly lights you up.
Connect with me if you'd like to explore how we can work together so you can live that life.
XO, Stephenie
Writer’s block is a real thing. I suffer from it frequently, and I have 20 years of experience as a professional writer. Fortunately, though, there are ways around it.
If, despite your best intentions, you struggle to get your thoughts down in writing, I invite you to consider three barriers that may be standing in your way.
A topic pops into your head and you’re about to start writing when your inner critic jumps in with, “that’s been done before,” and you’re probably right. Pretty much every idea in the universe has been covered before – but not by you, and that’s what matters.
Your prospects aren’t simply people who need your services. They’re people who need your services and resonate with you as a human being.
Your packaging is what makes you unique; your language, your opinions, your insights. So own them and delve into a topic, even if it’s been covered 150,000 times before. If anything, a topic’s popularity proves there’s an audience eager to receive a fresh perspective on that very subject.
Raise your hand if you’re a perfectionist? (Thanks. You can lower your hand now.)
When I’m writing for my clients, I labour over every sentence I write because I’m being paid to deliver high-quality work. It’s my job to deliver an A+.
As a blogger, though, I aim for a B-. Why? Because my goal isn’t to win people over with my writing skills, and neither is yours. Your goal is to demonstrate your expertise while building or strengthening your rapport with people who matter.
So, follow a few best-practices, like keeping paragraphs short and proofreading your work (always), and trust that if you miss a comma here or there, nobody’s scrutinizing you because they’re not interested in your writing skills; they’re interested in your content.
If any of the above resonated with you, this may sound familiar.
You sit down at your desk, straighten up your keyboard, take a deep breath, and prepare to write. A few seconds later, you realize you haven’t eaten lunch so you stand up and head to the kitchen.
Or perhaps you think about writing a post but hey, you have a business to run, which means you have calls to make, invoices to issue, courses to take, and networking events to attend.
I get it, but here’s the thing: if you really want to write, you need to commit to the goal of writing and hold yourself accountable to that commitment. If that means setting aside an hour a week and publishing one article a month, then do it.
Commit to that hour. Put it in your calendar and show up for it as you would if you were giving that hour to a valuable client. Alternatively, join our co-writing community. We meet for two hours every second Friday and we get some serious blogging done.
Perhaps I’ll see you there!
Viv
Viv Singer is a Toronto-based freelance copywriter with 20+ years of experience helping solopreneurs and businesses of all kinds and sizes express themselves through the written word. Whether she’s writing newsletters, websites, announcements, advertisements, blog posts, or social content, she’s passionate about crafting words that capture the attention of their audiences and compel the right readers to read on.
Check out Viv’s professional copywriting portfolio, explore her personal blog, or email her to learn more about her copywriting services.
I wonder if you can relate to this - I spent a huge chunk of my life thinking there was something wrong with me.
It just seemed like I was just never enough - never smart enough, talented enough, pretty enough, successful enough, - I wasn’t enough in any area of my life.
And so I decided to go on a journey of “fixing myself.” I took classes, read books, took trainings, I practiced my craft over and over again until I got more than just good at it, I bought more expensive clothes and drove an hour to get my hair done at the best place - the things I did to try to be 'more' was just a never-ending list of to-dos!
But I had consoled myself with the fact that I at least had hope: I had this promise that if I stayed on the treadmill of self-improvement I would get to where I felt I needed to be!
But year after year I never reached that promised land and year after year I found new areas I needed to improve (hello motherhood) and new methods that I still needed to try.
And then one day I picked up a book about acceptance...not just any kind of acceptance….Radical Acceptance...and I thought well maybe I should give this a try!
And I have to be honest, I laughed through most of the first chapter - I can remember thinking - "Well this won't work! I would never do anything if I just sat and accepted myself for who I am!"
But there was a tug on the heart that made me keep reading - And I am so grateful that I did, because it turns out I had NO IDEA what Acceptance actually was!
I thought it meant giving up and giving in...a type of "It is what it is."
But Radical Acceptance is oh so different than that!
Radical acceptance has two parts:
The first part is the ability to really see what is in front of us. We might think that we have a good idea of what is happening in front of us but the truth is most of us look at the superficial circumstances and create some story about what we think is happening.
We see someone who is angry and we see someone who is out of control instead of seeing someone who is hurt. We see someone who is procrastinating and we see someone who has no drive rather than someone who is dealing with the burden of perfection.
We almost never see what really is, unless we pause and take a moment, and in that moment accept what is in front of us so that we can see clearly.
Most of the time we resist and reject what is in front of us. We see an angry person and we say "You shouldn’t be angry." We see someone who is procrastinating and we say "You should come up with a greater why."
And in saying what 'should be' we reject what is.
The second part of Radical Acceptance is to feel compassion for what we see. Normally when we look at something on the superficial level we tend to put it in the box of right or wrong - and we don’t normally feel much compassion for the things that go in the 'it's wrong' box!
But when we see what really is we can also see the pain behind the things we label wrong and when we see pain it inspires us to compassion!
And here is the good news - when we have seen what is really there and when we have felt compassion for what we see we come to a beautiful place - we come to a place where we are connected to our higher self and where we are connected to our resourcefulness and to our creativity.
Too often we see, we reject and we jump into action. And then we don’t understand why the solutions don’t bring us the joy they promised or why we still feel upset after things have technically been worked out.
We jump into action too quickly and don’t take the time to process the emotions that we are experiencing.
The truth is we are actually only ready to take action after we have practiced radical acceptance!!
Only after we truly see and find our compassion are we ready for any type of action! If we dive into action before we truly see and find our compassion we tend to react instead of act and I don't know about you but when I am reacting I am never at my best self!
So amazingly enough when I practiced Radical Acceptance in my life the quote from Carl Rogers came true when he said "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself as I am, then I change."
Are you curious about Radical Acceptance and how it would impact your life? Listen for more on The Art of Being H(You)man Podcast
Meg is a life coach, Hypnotherapist, blogger and event host that is passionate about walking with people who want more out of life than just the status quo!
She believes that life doesn’t have to work out exactly the way we think it “should” in order to be enjoyed and that people don’t have to be perfect in order to be loved.
She believes that we all have the voice of truth inside of us but sometimes it can be hard to hear. And most importantly that we must live between the tension of accepting the things we cannot change and taking massive action on the things we can!
Meg creates spaces where women can slow down and process all the things that are influencing and controlling their lives - their everyday thoughts, emotions, and the stories they have been telling themselves.
Spaces where they can look at their inner world, gain valuable insight and then reclaim their personal authority, and make conscious decisions that transform the way they experience their lives!
Through one on one coaching, group coaching and workshops Meg helps women show up in the world with more love, and less ego, more compassion, and less judgment, more vulnerability, and less shame, more emotional agility and less fear!
Meg is also the current Branch Director of South Surrey/White Rock for Happy Healthy women.
Meg lives in BC with her husband of 20 years, two teenage boys and their little dog Charlie. To learn more about Meg and her business, visit her website www.megheppner.com
"Ding Ding!"
There it is. That reminder you set in your phone to workout! It's time!
But wait - you're still in bed, or in the thick of work at your computer. Your runners are under a pile of other shoes, and you're dreading that same YouTube workout you've already done a few times.
You hear that voice. The one that whispers: "skip today", and you respond: "I should. I've gotta get through all of these emails and I just don't have the time. Who was I kidding setting that alarm?"
Then you press delete on the notification...you've decided you're just not the workout kind of person - and then the whole guilt - action - inaction - guilt - action - inaction cycle starts again.
𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝟮𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲?
The thing is, I really wanted to be a person who loved fitness, and the biggest things that made that happen for me, had nothing to do with setting alarms.
Here are three things that helped me get to that place and I know they'll help you too.
𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗪𝗛𝗬 - Are you working out to have a six pack, lose the baby weight and have a "bikini body"? Or are you working out to feel strong, live healthy and be in a good mental state?
The first few reasons are based on your perception on what others think of you. The others are about what YOU think of you. It's the latter that will keep you inspired to keep moving.
𝟮. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 - Time and Money. Yes. If you looked at the hours and coin you dropped on something that IS successful in your life, I bet it wouldn't be a "when I have the time and/or money" situation.
As tempting as it is - wellness is not a thing you want to cheap out on. At the beginning of my journey - I joined a boutique fitness studio to get me on the right track. It was the most I had ever spent on my fitness, but it kept me accountable.
I knew that the regular membership type deal that I had done so many times before, wasn't enough to keep me in the zone. I needed more.
𝟯. 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 - Shift your mindset away from temporary fixes and toward lifestyle changes. Repeat after me: "I am a person that loves fitness, wellness and nutrition."
One small choice and habit at a time will get you closer to the lifestyle, state of mind and the wellness you envision.
When I coach people through my wellness program, we look at all sides. Nutrition, mindset and fitness. It's important to know that it's not just action that creates change. It's action fueled by emotion, feeling and passion. What is the life you want to be living? Let's focus on that.
Connect with me here if you'd like to explore this for yourself.
In Happiness & Health,
Natalie Colalillo
Founder & CEO Happy Healthy Women
Instagram: @happy_healthy_nat
