Rat Race Relaxer

LIVE A LIFE THAT YOU LOVE

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Tue, 8 Nov 2005 14:19:00 -0500

Are you so busy racing to the next big goal that you have forgotten how to enjoy all the things that happen along the way? Only you can decide to savor the moments. CLICK HERE TO VIEW JOANNA CAREY'S NEW VIDEO for tips that can help you move from living a mediocre life to a life that you love!

Stories From The Rat Race

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:18:00 -0400

STORIES WANTED for the next book in the RAT RACE RELAXER SERIES. I am looking for stories from the rat race! Do you have a story from the rat race that may help or inspire others? Are you or someone you know not only surviving but thriving as you navigate the maze of life? Submit your ideas to j.carey@att.net subject line should read "Story From The Rat Race". Please include name, address, phone, email and your website address (if applicable) in the body of the email along with the submission. No attachments please.

Visit http://www.joannacarey.com/TheBook.html to review a chapter from the first book in the series. Story topics should focus on one of the 52 categories listed in the Table of Contents. Chosen stories will receive by-line and bio if desired. -- JoAnna Carey. Website: http://www.joannacarey.com/,. Blog: http://ratracerelaxer.blogspot.com/.

I am seeking real stories, from real people in their own words. There is no specific word count for chapters. Some chapters may contain one longer story while other chapters may contain several, short stories to illustrate the topic. My vision is to share inspirational stories that relate to each of the topics found in the first book of the Rat Race Relaxer series. This follow-up book will be for those readers who are doing their best to manage the rat race but would really like to know how others have found a new level of success based on the journey throughout the pages of book one.

The deadline is November 1, 2005. If your work is chosen for publication, I will include a by line, author description and website (if applicable). I am looking for personal accounts, not ghost writers, so there is no fee paid for submissions.

Email me at j.carey@att.net with the word "VACATION" in the subject line if you'd like a sample story based on Rat Race Relaxer Chapter 41, Take a Vacation!

JoAnna Carey, Motivational Speaker

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:30:00 -0400

JoAnna Carey, Motivational Speaker.
Click here to see video.

Are you looking for effective ways to increase productivity, to boost morale, to motivate your team, to lower the costs of employee healthcare and turnover?

I have helped others and I can do the same for you! I'm JoAnna Carey, The Rat Race Relaxer. I deliver presentations that motivate, energize and inspire your team to discover the power of using each day to make reasoned, proactive choices that eventually lead to lifelong changes. My speaking style is fun and interactive. Audiences love the uplifting stories and empowering tips based on information from my book, Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life.

5 Minute Empowering Message

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Sat, 12 Feb 2005 09:25:00 -0500

Are you looking for ways to alleviate the daily stressors of the rat race without adding extra obligations to your already full day? Then listen to my 5 minute empowering message called The Power Of Relaxing Into The Rat Race at:

http://empoweringmessages.com/visitors/JoAnnaCarey.shtml

In my opinion, the rat race is inescapable but we can learn how to manage our thoughts and actions instead of letting the rat race run us. Tune in for ways to relax into your path and harness the energy that you have been using in the struggle against the clock.

Pump Up Your Passion In 6 Simple Steps

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Thu, 3 Feb 2005 09:00:00 -0500

Love life. Lose track of time. Get caught up in the moment. Choose to be not only present but truly, utterly involved in the things you do. Sing, laugh, dance and play. Life really is too short to not participate passionately in every moment.

PUMP UP YOUR PASSION IN 6 SIMPLE STEPS:

1) Even when things seem to be going “wrong,” look for the gem in each experience. Are you one of those people who take the same route to work every day? Do you always eat at the same restaurant? Do you choose the same parking space every time you visit your favorite haunts? If you always do things the same way, you will always get the same results. Be willing to try something new. If you don’t like what you try, you've got a perfect reason to try something new the next day. If you do like what you try, it will give you the confidence to continue to search for other things that add joy and passion to your life.

2) View each situation you encounter this week as an opportunity to live passionately in the moment. Here’s an example: Your spouse or significant other is passionate about historic facts and monuments. You are not as interested in history but love to learn new things. Therefore, when you travel together and visit notable places, your partner focuses on the historic significance and you focus on how this experience may apply to current events. By slightly shifting your perspective, you will be more able to become passionately involved in the moment.

3) Document some of the moments that stand out in your mind, either good or bad, and notice how your attitude affected the outcomes. Life really is about the journey. That is a difficult concept for those of us who are always striving toward a particular goal. Savoring the moment means allowing yourself enough time to celebrate each victory before rushing on to the next event. When you're working diligently to live to your full potential, give yourself permission to accept a reward: take a day off work, have a nice dinner, visit a nearby attraction or park, plan a vacation, or throw a celebratory get-together. Above all, acknowledge that you accomplished what you struggled to attain.

4) Exercise regularly. An active lifestyle is vital to your well-being. If you are so busy that you won’t schedule regular workouts, start by incorporating daily routines such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away from buildings, walking instead of driving whenever possible, even pacing and stretching at your desk while on the phone. Being busy is not an excuse to neglect your health. Exercise does not have to mean hours on an exercise bike or trips to the gym. Give yourself permission to improve your health and wellness without the guilt often associated with weight loss as the only objective.

5) Pencil in a few appointments with yourself! Amid today’s culture of information overload and multi-tasking, taking time to “be” is a formidable challenge; grant yourself permission to schedule a few minutes of nothing! Be a trendsetter, write “alone time” in your calendar or take as many non-working lunches as you can for one whole week. Find at least 10 or 15 minutes each day to just sit quietly sipping your drink of choice. Shun all outside input: no idle conversation, no telephone, no reading, no radio, and no television; the point is to just ‘be” with yourself and your own thoughts. Use the time to think about where you have been, where you are going and how to live in the moment. This is not as painful as it may seem; difficult, and maybe a bit frightening, but you won’t know if this can help you pump up your passion unless you try.

6) Laugh at yourself! Don’t take life too seriously. Whether you are happy, sad, embarrassed, confused, or even indifferent, learn to laugh at yourself. It's impossible to know everything. It's impossible to always do the right thing. Being human means making mistakes, learning from the experience and moving on to a new lesson. To live a life full of passion, you will have to let go of the need for perfection. When all else fails, look for a reason to laugh at yourself. Let go of the need to control what will happen next. Giggle, belly laugh, laugh until you cry -- but just keep laughing and your pumped up passion is destined to unfold.

Use these six simple steps to create a more passionate lifestyle. When you decide to pump up your own passion you also seize the opportunity to add joy to the lives of others. A smile, a compliment, a small gift, or a card can make a world of difference in every life that is touched. Spread joy and your passion will soar!

Copyright 2004 JoAnna Carey, Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC. *Adapted from the book Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life. All rights reserved.

About the author: JoAnna Carey, aka “The Rat Race Relaxer,” is available for radio, TV and print interviews. She’s an energetic entrepreneur who merges her life experience and business success to perform enjoyable, influential presentations. She is the producer and host of her own weekly television program titled The Rat Race Relaxer™ Show and the author of Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life. Contact Carey’D Away Enterprises, LLC at http://www.RatRaceRelaxer.com. ###

__________________________________________________________________
This article may be reproduced and shared in any format as long as the contact and copyright information with author bio is included. Please also send us an email at mailto:j.carey@att.net and let us know how you are using the articles so we can continue to provide useful and timely information to our loyal readers. A courtesy copy of your publication is appreciated.

Listen To My Radio Interview

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Thu, 27 Jan 2005 08:41:00 -0500

Are you interested in learning practical, easy to implement ways to relax into the rat race and get more of what you want out of life? Learn simple but effective ways to face your fears, overcome obstacles, be honest with yourself and set intentions to make 2005 the best year of your life!

JoAnna Carey, The Rat Race Relaxer, is appearing on a radio show tonight, January 27, 2005, at 9 pm Eastern. It is web broadcast from http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm. The show airs at the same time on a traditional radio station called Victory FM in Tampa, FL. If you can't tune in tonight, visit the link above to access an archived version for your listening convenience.

Host Dawn Fields is known for her ability to ask the questions that get to the information we all want to know. The interview will focus on fears, passions, obstacles to success and the universal law of the power of attraction. This hour-long interview will help listeners start the new year with an action plan for success.

Hope you can join us at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm.

Don't Settle For Less Than Your Personal Mission

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Tue, 18 Jan 2005 15:40:00 -0500

Success is not an easy concept to define. What does it take to be successful? How does success look? When should a person feel like a success? Once success is achieved, how can new goals be set without diminishing the value of one’s previous accomplishments? Can success ever be realized when time is finite and obligations seem endless? These questions may be answered best with the following question, “Who is the person defining success?”

Take the initiative to define your own success by developing a personal mission statement. A personal mission statement is developed by focusing on the qualities that make you unique, such as, who you are, what you would like to do, your hopes, fears and wishes. It can be as ambitious or as simplistic as you desire, and it is ever-changing.

What if you don’t feel confident enough to create a personal mission statement? Start with a group of goals you would like to accomplish over the next year. Keep experimenting until you find an idea that you believe you were meant to relentlessly pursue. Remember, it is your mission and it can change as you grow and excel; you are the only limit to what you can become.

Still having trouble defining personal success? Imagine that a genie were to grant you three wishes. If all you can come up with is, "I would like to be rich and thin," you haven’t taken enough time to know your true goals. Ask yourself what you would DO if you were rich and thin and you will see a hint of your true mission. Now ask yourself if any of the things you named are things you can do right now and, if so, why do you choose not to follow through.

This is a very personal key! Measuring your standards on a bar set by others means permanently installing yourself on a treadmill of your own making. Have the courage to determine what you want out of life and make a promise to yourself that you will not settle for less than your vision of success.

I see this dilemma often among parents with young children. Some are stay-at -home moms who would really like to work at least part-time. Others are working at careers that leave them unsatisfied, when they would really prefer to spend more time with their children. And although we don’t often hear about this dilemma among fathers, there are a growing number of men who are sharing equally in the day-to-day activities of child rearing and would also like more flexible work schedules. Take the time to determine what is most important in your life and be honest with yourself as you identify a personal mission statement.

When you take the time to know where you are headed, you will begin to see opportunities that will help you reach your goals. By honoring your vision of success, you'll be in the best position to take that next bold step toward personal fulfillment. Start with a few things you want to change, ideas you want to pursue, people you want to meet, or a new hobby you want to try. Then, when you see an opportunity that will help you reach your unique goals, embrace the challenge. Above all, commit to keeping your life mission foremost in your mind because it will help you identify your aspirations and serve as a roadmap as you navigate the maze.

Copyright 2004 JoAnna Carey, Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC. *Adapted from the book Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life. All rights reserved.

About the author: JoAnna Carey, aka “The Rat Race Relaxer,” is available for radio, TV and print interviews. She’s an energetic entrepreneur who merges her life experience and business success to perform enjoyable, influential presentations. She is the producer and host of her own weekly television program titled The Rat Race Relaxer™ Show and the author of Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life. Contact Carey’D Away Enterprises, LLC at http://www.ratracerelaxer.com/. ###
___________________________________________________________________
This article may be reproduced and shared in any format as long as the contact and copyright information with author bio is included. Please also send us an email at mailto:j.carey@att.net and let us know how you are using the articles so we can continue to provide useful and timely information to our loyal readers. A courtesy copy of your publication is appreciated.

New Year's Resolutions You'll Keep? A Simple Quiz

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Tue, 4 Jan 2005 13:57:00 -0500

Let’s talk about New Year’s Resolutions. Do you set the same resolutions over and over, year after year, with the same results? Do you procrastinate, avoid the issue, confess to being lazy or come up with a zillion reasons why you will do something about those pesky resolutions tomorrow? Then, do you hear that little voice in the back of your mind that whispers, “You have a whole year to make these changes, right?”

Take charge! Don’t journey into 2005 doing exactly what you’ve always done and expect miraculously different results. The following tips will show you how to stop sulking, to develop a clear sense of purpose and to stride boldly into 2005.

Start with buying yourself a nice journal or at the very least set aside a notepad that you will use to record your journey into the New Year. Begin with a few positive sentences about your greatest accomplishments of 2004. Then, jot down some of the mistakes or obstacles that kept life interesting but are better left in 2004. Now, write down your list of resolutions for 2005. This doesn’t have to be fancy or grammatically correct it is just a place for you to note your ideas in an effort to develop that clear sense of purpose.

The following quiz can help you explore how and why you choose these particular resolutions.

1) Is your list the same or a similar list to the one you wrote last year?
2) How many years have you used this same list without achieving the results you sought?
3) Are you setting goals to please others or to please yourself?
4) Why did you set each resolution on your list? To answer this WHY question, consider the following:

a) Think back to who you were when you first decided upon each resolution.
b) Are there any resolutions on your list that don’t apply to your life right now?
c) Why did you want to accomplish each goal when you first set the intentions?
d) Was there or is there someone else in your life that influenced you to add any of the
resolutions?
e) Why do you want to accomplish each goal now?
f) When, or by what date, do you want to achieve each goal?
g) What specific steps will you take this year to achieve your resolutions?

5) What are you really trying to achieve in 2005?
6) CHALLENGE: List at least ONE thing you will do differently than you have ever done before to make your dreams a reality in 2005!

Now, look at your resolutions from a whole new angle. Start with a blank page and develop a list of everything you have ever wanted to do. That’s right, everything. Ignore all resolutions, obligations, fears, costs or any other obstacles that may prevent you from adding an item to your list. Just write anything that comes to mind when you reflect on everything that you have ever wanted to do. To develop a clear sense of purpose for the New Year, take the list and choose at least two things that you will commit to accomplishing in 2005. Then, write out a few steps that will help you begin the journey of attaining something that really has meaning!

Here’s the fun part. Compare your list of everything you have ever wanted to do with your initial New Year’s resolutions. Are there common themes between what you will set out to conquer in 2005 and what you hope to conquer when you consider everything you would like to do with the rest of your life? If the two lists don’t show similar desires, what are you waiting for?

Make 2005 the year that you change the way you set and REACH your New Year’s resolutions. An effective way to tackle resolutions is by committing to take one step each week so the goals become more than just intentions; they become habits. If you are averse to the thought of change taking an entire year, then commit to a time schedule that feels right for your situation. You’ll see results with every week that you take action! This is your life, so set your own rules and work at your own pace. If it does take you an entire year to reach those resolutions, think of it this way: what's a year when it means a happier rest of your life?

Copyright 2004 JoAnna Carey, Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC. All Rights Reserved. * Adapted from the book Rat Race Relaxer:Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey.

About The Author:
JoAnna Carey, aka "The Rat Race Relaxer," is available for radio, TV and print interviews. She's an energetic, young entrepreneur who merges her life experience and business success to perform enjoyable, influential presentations. She is the producer and host of her own weekly television program titled The Rat Race Relaxer™ Show and the author of Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life. Contact Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC; http://www.RatRaceRelaxer.com.

___________________________________________________________________
This article may be reproduced and shared in any format as long as the contact and copyright and author bio information is included. Please also send us an email at mailto:j.carey@att.net and let us know how you are using the articles so we can continue to provide useful and timely information to our loyal readers. A courtesy copy of your publication is appreciated.

Welcome To Rat Race Relaxer!

noreply@blogger.com (JoAnna Carey) — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 13:42:00 -0500

Thanks for visiting the blog! I'll use this site to post ideas, comments, stories, etc. But, for now, I want to share one of my latest articles 5 Ways To Reduce Holiday Stress. Stay tuned for a quiz that will help you set New Year's Resolutions that you will want to keep!

5 Ways To Reduce Holiday Stress
Copyright 2004 JoAnna Carey, Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC.
http://www.joannacarey.com

Are those bells ringing in your ears a sign of holiday cheer
or a sign of too much stress? Don't let this Holiday Season
slip by in a blur of over scheduling. Commit to making
changes -- one step at a time and you'll discover the gift
of a more enjoyable year-end celebration. As you juggle the
complexities of work, home and family, here are 5 simple
steps that may help you become as jolly as ol' St. Nick.

5. Develop an list of everything you would like to do THIS
Holiday Season, then prioritize in order to get the most
amount of joy from the limited amount of time you have to
spend with family, friends and coworkers. Remember, this
year's priorities may look different than those of holidays
past!

4. Express gratitude. What a great time of year to thank all
of those people who make your life worth living! Don't let
the hustle and bustle of the season steal away your
opportunity to be thankful for the people, experiences and
events (both good and bad) that made this year unique and
memorable. If you're sending greeting cards, why not add a
personalized message about why you are thankful for having
the recipient in your life.

3. Learn to say NO -- put YOU first sometimes. It's ok to
say no! I repeat: it is ok to say NO! Schedule some "alone
time" during the holidays so you can reduce the temptation
to take on too many responsibilities that may cause a
meltdown at the worst possible moment.

2. Choose your battles wisely. As the end of the year
quickly approaches, you may be pulled in too many directions
and it may be impossible for you to attend every get
together. Holidays are often full of over taxed emotions so,
rather than succumbing to a confrontation, try to approach
each situation as an opportunity to accommodate the most
important needs of those involved. Express your opinion
about the little things that are causing extra stress
instead of hiding those emotions that may cause your temper
to reach the boiling point.

1. Life really is about the journey. Savor the moments! That
is a difficult concept for those of us who are always
striving toward a particular goal. Savoring the moment means
allowing yourself enough time to celebrate each activity
before rushing on to the next event.

BONUS Stress Reducer: The Rat Race Relaxer Book provides 52
stress busting tips -- one for every week of 2005 -- that
will challenge you and your friends to get what you want in
return for running the rat race!

While the keys may appear simple, they are guaranteed to
help you tackle the rat race head-on, and turn it into a
race than can be run --and won-- by charting your own course
rather than navigating someone else's.

All Rights Reserved. * Adapted from the book
Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey.

About The Author:
JoAnna Carey, aka "The Rat Race Relaxer," is available for
radio, TV and print interviews. She’s an energetic, young
entrepreneur who merges her life experience and business
success to perform enjoyable, influential presentations. She
is the producer and host of her own weekly television
program titled The Rat Race Relaxer™ Show and the author of
Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life. Contact
Carey’D Away Enterprises, LLC; http://www.RatRaceRelaxer.com.
___________________________________________________
This article may be reproduced and shared in any format as
long as the contact and copyright information is included.
Please also send us an email at mailto:j.carey@att.net and
let us know how you are using the articles so we can
continue to provide useful and timely information to our
loyal readers. A courtesy copy of your publication is
appreciated.