Beautiful video about love. Two elephants reunited after 20 years – enjoy!

If you can’t view the video above, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28E2EKBlr0k

After pondering on this definition I realized that while this is easier for me with family and close friends it is much harder to do with myself and as such the focus of this month’s blog.

Many years ago I was so excited to attend a certification program on becoming a Certified Relationship Coach. I thought this would be a win-win for me. I would become certified as a relationship coach and I would know how to fix my husband. Well my jaw hit the floor when the facilitators explained the focus of the course was the relationship you had with yourself. So I composed myself and changed my outcomes for the course to getting certified and now it would be a breeze because of course I have a great relationship with me.

Fast forward to the end of the course and I did accomplish my first outcome of getting certified; however, the second outcome, my relationship with myself is a constant on-going process.

The basic premise is in order to have a solid, strong relationship with anyone including yourself is you must have commitment, trust and communication.

Commitment for me means having integrity; trusting that I will do what I say; empowering myself and others.

Trust for me means each time I do what I say I am joyful, excited, I can count on myself. The more this happens the more confident and dependable I feel.

Communication for me means I will have the same respect, softness, and caring that I use with others. One example I use quite often as how I communicate with people who I don’t know whether it be in a supermarket, a homeless person, or the doorman at my building. I have such an understanding and appreciation for what they have to do daily and I want to take a moment to show I care whether it be a smile or slowing down to chat for a minute or two.

Here’s my challenge to you: Assess the relationship you have with yourself focusing on Trust, Commitment and Communication.

1. Do you trust yourself when you say you are going to do something for you?
2. Is it a real commitment? Do you schedule it?
3. How do you communicate to yourself when you follow through with your commitment and how do you communicate with yourself when you put yourself second to someone or something else?

I mentioned earlier in this article that it is a constant on-going process for me and what I have learned along the way is to have patience with myself. I continue to focus on being less critical of myself and communicate in a softer, kinder way. I am accountable for the commitments I make to myself and I trust that I will do my best to follow through on a daily basis.

Commit to the ideal relationship with yourself. Create new and exciting ways to grow and nurture the most important relationship in your life.

Until Next Time,

B

P.S. Be sure to connect with me on my new Facebook page

I realized health was a major focus which is why there is the mini health treasure map which I keep on my workout machine. 2012 vision created; now what?  

I decided to do something different this year. I wanted to get a jumpstart on my health so I decided to do a cleanse. I knew the only way that I would absolutely stick to the cleanse would be to purchase one that was super easy. So I purchased an organic juice cleanse that was delivered fresh on Saturday night to begin promptly Sunday morning. Six bottles a day, one every two hours.

The result was I committed to do a cleanse once a quarter. And here’s why. I wasn’t hungry, the drinks were delicious and I even lost a few pounds. But the biggest reason was how I felt every day. No more headaches, no more brain fog and some newfound energy and focus. The last part says it all. I have read about, coached clients on, and been asked about food allergies. Now, I am rethinking that and have begun to slowly add things back in to see what, if anything, could have been causing the aforementioned issues.

Honestly, there are a few things I know contribute to my headaches and I avoid those things. To figure out what else was causing the headaches and brain fog was in the too hard box but now that I have a starting point it’s a no brainer and has been quite informative.

What has been something in your past that you know there is an underlying reason for the cause but you, like me, placed it in the too hard box or the “I’ll do that one day”?  For me, it was figuring out foods were causing my headaches.  For you it could be why someone pushes your buttons, how does the clutter return, why you struggle with time management, etc.

What decision can you make right now that could really get you that New Year New You excited feeling?  Need inspiration, create your treasure map and trust you will be guided in the right direction.

To Your Success!

B

EVERYONE participates even the little ones. We created my granddaughter’s first one when she was 18 months (pictured below).  Obviously her mom and I did it but as you can see her brother who is 2 years older did his own.

The idea is to go through magazines, etc. and see what resonates with you for the coming year. It is very interesting to see what the little ones pick out. Sandboxes, playing, singing. Very cute. For adults we focus on what we want to happen in the coming year. New Job, Travel, Great Health, etc. There are years I have created my treasure map and areas of focus are quickly created. One year; however, I realized I had no professional focus just by looking at my treasure map. I took a break for a day and when I went back the next day to work on my treasure map I was able to add things that would help me focus professionally for the coming year.

My completed treasure map is placed under the glass on my desk. Additionally, I take a picture of it and make it my screen saver. It’s a great way to see it all the time. Some of my clients hang it in their closet, post it on their bulletin board, or place it somewhere where they can see it daily.

The basics…

Suggested Materials: 

1) magazines, catalogs, saved thank you cards, birthday cards, etc.

2) construction paper, double stick tape, glue. Purchase enough so everyone can have their own.

3) stickers (there are so many to choose from now that scrap booking is so popular).

4) scissors for adults and also age appropriate scissors for young children.

5) crayons, markers, highlighters

6) I also purchase a roll of butcher paper or drawing paper. Children get bored easily so this gives them an opportunity to lay on the floor and draw or color. It’s fun for them to have a continuous roll of paper to play with.

The key with the treasure maps is to either keep magazines throughout the year and put them in a bankers box or we have a Treasure Map fund and just go out and buy magazines. We buy bird, flower, wedding , inspirational, sports, GQ, Oprah, Robb…you get the idea. The one rule we have is everyone gets at least one fresh brand new magazine but after that it is a free for all.

Ladies, just so you know the men do the treasure maps but they usually pick up a magazine and start reading so don’t worry about them just create your own. Eventually they do finish their treasure map.

It’s so much fun to look back over the years at all my treasure maps and see how much has come to fruition. And it’s a fun way to get everyone involved and also a super tradition everyone looks forward to!

Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained

Here are some of ours from the past!

After Thanksgiving we move into Christmas and this got me thinking about family traditions and how we all get together. Sometimes we think whose family will be with me this year? Why? Did I agree to that? Oh, okay. Second, are there new
kids, new wives, anything I need to know NOT to bring up? Third, how do I enjoy and survive this joyous time.

Why is it that the most trademarked family traditions can be the most scary? Childhood memories, obnoxious spouses, and just plain ole mom and dads can send me into a tizzy. Here’s how I have learned to appreciate being with those I love the most:

1) I attend family get togethers as often as I can and make the event my primary focus. In other words I have to let go of how I want to be treated and just look to be still. I make sure I leave my hot buttons at the door.

2) I’ve learned from many over the years that most people really just want to be loved and have a connection. Yes, maybe I do have someone in my family that is just obnoxious and I have learned it is their way of protecting themselves. I focus on building relationships and making loved ones feel loved. It helps you to understand the only person you can change is you. Accept the other person where they are and realize they really are doing the best they can.

3) Limit my time. I know for any particular event, there is a beginning and an end. Keep that in your radar at all times. You can stretch yourself to provide comfort, significance, or just a bit of connection to anyone. If this was the last time you were going to see this person before they died how would you treat them?

4) Have cues for those that are you trusted advisors. Ask them to look out for you, to make sure you are not alone with a particular person, to have each other’s back. It makes it feel safer when you know you are not alone.

Everyone goes through the holidays with some stress…whether it is meeting the gift expectations, everyone getting along, visiting family who is difficult, etc. I hope that these 4 tips help you enjoy your holidays and your family.

Happy Holidays!

I’d like to share my experience with Amberen, a natural treatment that has eliminated almost all of my perimenopause symptoms. You can order from the website and I’ll tell you how in a moment.

By the way, my name is Brenda. For the past four years I have had HRT treatment with two different doctors (one which literally almost killed me). I originally sought treatment because I was having bouts of anxiety and sadness. The last time I went to see him he said I had gotten worse each visit and he pondered if it was something he was prescribing as his mother-in-law had a similar response to treatment. I say the last time because I walked out of the door and promised myself to never return. Well, I never did go back and let him know he was right. Once I stopped the HRT treatment the suicidal thoughts and depression started to lift. However, my levels were very off and once again I started HRT treatment with another doctor to no avail. That’s why I decided to share my experience with Amberen.

What you’re likely to experience within a week of taking Amberen is reduced frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats; normalized sleep cycles; and less irritability and moodiness to name just a few things. It is all natural so you won’t have to worry about the side effects that could be experienced from prescriptions or compounding drugs. You’ll also find that within a few days of taking Amberen you will notice a lighter happier you and the brain fog lifting.

I know from my own experience with Amberen and having friends achieving the same results, you too can have your life back.

To try Amberen now, I invite you to click here to get started.

Apples are a great choice and are very healthy. A medium sized apple is just 95 calories and has zero cholesterol or fat. It also is low in sodium and high in fiber. Apples include many important vitamins and have a high amount of potassium.

Apples have been linked to helping you age better, fighting heart problems, asthma, recently lung cancer, and much more.

You know the old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”.

Here a few apple fun facts from http://www.nyapplecountry.com/funfacts.htm:

• It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.

• Apples are fat, sodium and cholesterol free. And they taste great too!

• Most apples are still picked by hand in the fall.

• An apple tree will start bearing fruit 8-10 years after it is planted. A dwarf tree starts bearing in 3-6 years.

Apples are great for breakfast, a snack, something sweet (apple pie), have apples in salad, use apples with Barney Butter.

What is your favorite way to enjoy apples?

The article discussed peanut butter that is ground fresh in the supermarket may be at risk for ingesting aflatoxin, a mold that has been linked to liver cancer. They state that although prepackaged commercial peanut butter may have less, there are still small levels of aflaxtoxin.

Here’s an excerpt from the article about what you can do to decrease the effects of aflatoxin:

“Individuals that opt for healthy organic peanut butter may want to pick up some celery sticks to dip in it. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that eating vegetables such as celery, carrots, parsnips and parsley can decrease the carcinogenic effects of alfatoxin. They also found success with chlorophyllin, abundant in green, leafy vegetables. Consumption of chlorophyllin at each meal resulted in a 55 percent reduction of aflatoxin in urine. It’s believed that chlorophyllin reduces aflaxton levels by blocking the absorption of the toxin in the gastrointestinal tract.”

As with many foods you have to be careful about what you’re eating. My grandson, as many young kids are these days, is allergic to peanut butter. He eats Barney Butter instead which is a great almond butter. It is peanut free and gluten free. It doesn’t require you to stir and no refrigeration is required. It also has 3G of sugar.

Check it out!

To Your Health,
Brenda

If your child is one of those kids that continually refuses to eat their fruits and vegetables, be sure to check out this great article titled” “Hiding Vegetables in Kids’ Foods can Increase Vegetable Intake”

A new study from Penn State shows that hiding vegetables in kids’ foods can increase vegetable intake. Preschool children consumed nearly twice as many vegetables and 11 percent fewer calories over the course of a day when researchers added pureed vegetables to the children’s favorite foods. Read More Here

JP+ gummies are also a great way to provide nutrients for children who struggle to meet their fruit and vegetable servings each day. Although JP+ gummies do not “replace” eating real fruits and vegetables, it does help to bridge the nutritional gap they have by not eating enough each day. Read more here

To Your Health,
Brenda

The great news about this is that most of us are clear (at some level) that we REALLY can’t change another person AND we can do something about ourselves.

This requires a few simple questions:

1) What words would you describe when you have an ideal relationship with someone?

2) Using those same words are YOU that person on a daily basis?

3) Which of those words could you practice being to become your ideal person?

Until next time,
Brenda