Sixty four ~ The Pleasure of being In-Charge

It is kind of ironic that today I finally decide to get back to posting and it happens to be the day that we read about being in charge.  I haven't been in charge for weeks now :(

We love to be in control.  We love to push ourselves beyond what we believe to be our limits.  It brings a sense of accomplishment, our own little high  "look what I just did!!!"  We can also get this feeling from biting our tongues when we really want to say something mean and awful (even if its true).   When we do things that we know we shouldn't we get a sense of guilt, that certainly isn't an enjoyable adventure.  If we do something that we didn't want to, or say something we shouldn't have, we feel bad.

We are not doomed to act according to old negative habits, we can free ourselves from these patterns by deciding to be the "real me".  It isn't going to be easy, or instant.  When we do or say something negative, remind yourself  "that is the old me".  Pick yourself back up and do the right thing. 

Be the boss today!  Do something right!  React the way your "real me" wants to react.  Stop putting things off.  Enjoy the "real you"  today!

Once you recognize that part of you is tough, strong, disciplined and focused then we can act as that person.  This exercise will empower you to be the person you want to be.  Little by little, the more you try,  the sooner it will be natural.  You will have fewer regrets in life, better interpersonal relationships and a hugely upgraded level of self love!

Sixty two ~ Inner Coach

This one will be the death of me....

We have an inner quiet voice, but we also have two inner noisy voices going on in our heads.  One noisy voice is the "I" voice - "I want... I will... I won't.... I don't want.."  This is the voice of desire, constantly wanting more or less of something, everything.

The other voice is the "you" voice - "You really should get up.  You are always late.  You shouldn't eat that.  You are fat."  This voice wants us to be the best we can be, it is our inner coach.  Both of these voices blab away at us talking constantly.  These noisy voices are superficial and shallow.

Now it's time to whip that inner coach into shape.  We want it to motivate us with positive talk.  We need to train that inner coach to speak to us in a way that we would like to be spoken to, to encourage ourselves to greater heights with positive words not with put downs.  Encouraging ourselves will morph into encouraging others and soon every thought and word will be positive and loving.

1. Listen to your noisy voices for a few days, learn how to identify the "I" voice and the "you" coach.
2. When your "you" voice tries to motivate you in a not so kind way, rephrase it in a positive motivating way... from "get up lazy" to "it's OK, go ahead and get up, once you're up, you'll feel better."

We have to live with ourselves 24/7.  Life will be so much more pleasant if its a positive happy self that we listen to.  It isn't just you, EVERYONE has these voices.   You have the choice to change those voices and make them positive happy ones.  You owe it to yourself to do this exercise. 

Sixty one ~ Priceless

How do you determine what something is worth?  It really depends on what people are willing to spend on it. 

8am - woke up, felt depressed, couldn't get up.

9am - got up, struggled off to work.

9 - 11:45am - worked like a slave to finish off the report and handed it in on time.

11:45 - 12:45pm - ate lunch at a nearby cafe while looking for a better job.

1pm - Boss called me in and said my report was awesome, best he'd ever seen.  He said I'm the greatest and called in the whole office to congratulate me on my efforts.

5pm - came home, had a great day, feel like such a success.

What a freaking roller coaster.... It happens though, doesn't it?

Someone noticed her hard work and then she felt value in herself.  Why do we need someone else to give us value?  Why can't we find and exhibit that in ourselves?  We need to learn to be proactive and praise ourselves.  One good thing is to remember that no one gives us value, we have to find it in ourselves.  On the other side, no one can take our value away from us either. 

Think of a time that you felt successful.

Now look and see that you still possess those abilities even when others aren't complementing you on them.  You are still valuable and good right now! 

Give yourself 3 honest compliments on what you did right today.

We all need compliments, we all need encouragement and we all need to be told that we are doing well.  We need to learn how to self generate compliments and how to pat ourselves on the back.  It is a good idea to compliment yourself AT LEAST 3 times a day.  We need it just like 3 meals a day!  If we skip a meal we start to feel slow and lethargic, the same goes for missing a dose of positive reinforcement.

Sixty ~ Feeling good about yourself

How do we learn to feel good about ourselves?

1)  External

Feeling good about yourself by doing things that make you feel good is the most common way people wok on self esteem.  There is a ton of literature on creating self esteem.  Setting and achieving goals is a good way to increase our self esteem, but it is a temporary fix, not a permanent one.  And what happens if we don't achieve that goal?

The main points to know about using external stimulus to build self esteem:

• Use it when you can - it will give you energy when you need it.
• Don't rely totally on your goals to determine your self worth
• Find an external stimulus that can be used repeatedly... an act of kindness every day.

2)  Internal

Work on developing a sense of self worth by learning how to appreciate who you already are.  Peel off the layers to who you really are and appreciate that person.   Love your inner self... your inner voice.  The more we can listen to our inner voice and act accordingly, the more we can become that inner voice, live and breathe that inner voice.

OK, it's time.... set an easily achievable goal and allow yourself until the end of the day to achieve it.  At the end of the day, pat yourself on the back for achieving that goal and internalize that good feeling due to your success.

This isn't something to do only when we need extra good energy, this is something to do everyday.  Build up your reserves and feel good about yourself everyday, all the time. 

Love Every Day

Once we've learned how to see the good in our lives and make a protective fence around that good, the next step is to foster and grow our inner-self so that a deep self love will flourish.  Cultivating happiness is like making a beautiful garden, the first step is to see that our garden plot is beautiful, has good soil and lots of potential, the second step is to erect a protective fence around our garden so wild animals don't come and trample it.  The third step is to maintain our garden by planting beautiful plants that will grow and flourish with time making our garden into the most exquisite island of paradise.  When we've successfully done all three steps then we have cultivated a glorious amount of happiness and inner bliss.

Lets continue the journey towards a blissful life by getting to know ourselves, finding out what really makes us happy, what drains us and to learn to LOVE the absolute beauty of being "me"  Once we have learned to recognize our greatness, to act in ways that make us feel good and to value ourselves as the great and wonderful person that we really are, then we will have opened up the gates of inner serenity, which is a very high level of happiness!

Getting to know ourselves is a lifelong process.  We are always changing and growing based on our experiences.  The more we learn about ourselves, the more we will come to truly love ourselves.  Self love is a necessity.   We know what is wrong with us, so we can't hide from ourselves.  It is a balance of accepting who we are despite our faults and loving "me" anyway.  Once we learn to look in the mirror and see "the real me" we will fall madly in love with ourselves.

Fifty four ~ 50/50

"The evidence is in (she lied to me).  The defendant has given a pretty good defense (she said she didn't really say it, and that I misunderstood) but really nothing is conclusive, how am I supposed to judge this one?"

When we are in doubt, it is best to give them the benefit of the doubt.  If we really can't find any solid conclusive evidence then we should just dismiss the case.  Perhaps we will get more clarity or proof at a later date, then we can take another look at the case and go from there.  Dropping the case now is better than dragging something on and on that you just cant prove. On the other hand, if the case really is invalid, then you did the right thing.  It isn't fair to hold something against someone when you aren't even positive that it actually happened.  Just let it go.

Is there an unfulfilled relationship/friendship you are currently in?  Are you still unsure if someone did something and holding a grudge against them just because you don't know what else to do?  Take the time today to get the facts and make a decision today.  Stop dragging it out, do it now.

People deserve the decency of being treated fairly and lovingly.  Get the facts and deliver the verdict. 

Warren, S. 2010, 7 Ancient Keys To Happiness, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

What is KOMBUCHA???

What is Kombucha

 Kombucha has been consumed for thousands of years and is a fermented probiotic drink that originated from China but oftentimes is credited to be originated from Russia.

It is made from tea, sugar, a scoby and a starter from a previous batch (you will need a starter kit to start brewing kombucha).  

The sugar and caffeine is used all up in the fermentation process so don’t worry, it has very little (if any) caffeine or sugar in the final product.

A SCOBY is an acronym for symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast.  In short, it’s beneficial bacteria and yeasts that work synergistically together to produce a certain type of ferment. 

Kombucha is brewed (or fermented) over a course of 7-31 days.  The final product is naturally carbonated making this a fizzy and tasty drink.

Kombucha has been know to have some amazing health benefits, lets dive into this topic!

Why Is Kombucha So Healthy For You

Kombucha around the world is considered a healing drink and it has some amazing health benefits.  

It should be noted the kombucha can not heal, it just brings your body into balance to allow your body to heal naturally!

Here is a list of healing properties from drinking kombucha.

• Probiotics – healthy bacteria
• Alkalize the body – balances internal pH
• Detoxify the liver – happy liver = happy mood
• Increase metabolism – rev your internal engine
• Improve digestion – keep your system moving
• Rebuild connective tissue – helps with arthritis, gout, asthma, rheumatism
• Cancer prevention
• Alleviate constipation
• Boost energy – helps with chronic fatigue
• Reduce blood pressure
• Relieve headaches & migraines
• Reduce kidney stones
• High in antioxidants – destroy free-radicals that cause cancer
• High in polyphenols
• Improve eyesight
• Heal excema – can be applied topically to soften the skin
• Prevent artheriosclerosis
• Speed healing of ulcers – kills h.pylori on contact
• Help clear up candida & yeast infections
• Aid healthy cell regeneration
• Reduce gray hair
• Lower glucose levels – prevents spiking from eating

List provided by Kombucha Kamp.

Getting Started

If this seems like something you would like to try, I will be doing the next post, Learn How To Brew Kombucha With An Easy Step By Step Tutorial, on Thursday.
If you want to jump start and get your kombucha starter kit early, you can purchase a starter kit from Sara over at Healthy Families For God. 
It is hands down the best price out there, at only $15 ~ shipping included!  It is important to buy from a reliable source.  This is where I got my starter and it showed up in just a few short days!

Get Your Starter Today

Sara, from Health Families For God, also gives you detailed directions and unlimited email support if you should need it!  What a value!

A Great Giveaway

We are also doing a great giveaway!   We have teamed up with Healthy Families For God to give away two kombucha starter kits!  

A starter kit comes with

• 1 organic scoby
• 1/2 cup organic kombucha from previous batch
• kombucha recipes
• detailed instructions on how to brew your own kombucha  
• unlimited email support if you should need it!

Just simply fill out the form below and you will be entered to win. 

You can earn more points if you leave a comment, tweet our giveaway and if you like us on Facebook!

Enter all 3 times for a better chance of winning!  We will pick a winner randomly at the end of the contest stated below.

If you are the winner, the starter kits will be promptly shipped out to you!  Enter to win today!

This post provided by Whole Lifestyle Nutrition...  click here for the full article, how to get started and a great giveaway!