Stress reduces Intelligence!

Situation 1: You are stressed out with a co worker, employee or event at work

Situation 2: You are stressed because your kids or partner won't listen about helping around the house

Situation 3: You are in sales and dealing with a difficult customer or it's been a bit slow and this is stressing you out

Situation 4: You are getting yourself stressed over your health or your weight

In all of these situations choosing to be stressed actually lowers your capacity to deal effectively with the situation; stress lowers your intelligence! If your intelligence is lowered than how can you possibly get into intelligent and forward moving action? You actually cannot.

I was reviewing this incredidible information today as I was driving around doing my "Thanksgiving" errands and listening to Cell Biologist Bruce Lipton's recording "The Biology of Beliefs" Lipton states that in stressful situations a very "old" part of our brain kicks in and gets fired up (the amygdala - it actually gets hijacked!)). This is the Fight or Flight response system designed long ago to protect us from those saber tooth tigers! The fight of flight system is very reflexive which is amazing because historically under stress we had to respond immediately; see saber tooth tiger - Run!!! No time to think about that one!

This stress system does not have time to involve the conscious brain and our conscious brain is where intelligent and rational decisions are made.

Today, we are under stress many times during the day. Our ancient fight or flight systems were actually designed to handle the occasional saber tooth tiger not a whole pack and every day!

So how does knowing this help us maximize our thinking capacity in any given moment and what can we do to increase our capacity to use our intelligence under stressful situations?

1) Be Aware: Awareness is always the first step to change! Simply pausing while under stress to notice what's going or even articulating "hey I'm experiencing stress here!" dampens our fight or flight response system (not to be done if you are actually being chased by that tiger - then you really do need it!)

2) Stop, pause and breathe: This is a critical step and no longer to be reserved for the yoga studios! Taking a few moments of down time is critical to allow you to think more intelligently about choices you have and next steps to improve a situation

3) Identifying the emotions that are accompanying the stress: This is an actual emotional intelliegence tool you can use in any given stressful situations to begin calming the fight or flight response system and bringing in the conscious mind where intelligent choices and decisions can be made. Example: "Right now I am incredibly frustrated with ....

4) Begin intentionally identifying what triggers you: Begin today to really notice what in your environment triggers you. Is it what someone says? Is it how they say it? Is it when your partner leaves their socks on the floor or the bad news on TV?

Once you have identified these triggers ask yourself how you normally respond and then rehearse a new response. I recommend a notebook for this and also scheduling some deliberate time for it; perhaps 10 minutes today.

So begin now, begin today. When stress shows up realise in that moment that you have a reduced intellectual capacity to deal with what has shown up. In that moment choose a different response by using some of these techniques. Take back your intelligence and save your fight or flight system for the real saber tooth tigers!

Step into your greatness today!!

Angela

Friendships that Energize and Elevate...

I have been absent for quite some time making a few dreams come true! The first was a trip to Thailand with my family. My goals for 2010 called for more fun and adventure! Another priority for me was creating and maintaining powerful and meaningful connections with amazing friends, particularly women. This is the subject of this first blog back from my long absence.

In her fabulous book "The Happiness Project", Gretchen Rubin states that the most reliable predictor of not feeling lonely, for both men and women, is how much contact you have with other women. She states that both men and women find relationships with women to more intimate and enjoyable than those with men. This might be because Women tend to have more feelings of empathy for other people than men do.

It has always been a priority for me to cultivate friendships and I have never lacked a strong social circle but I am finding that the quality of friendships that are now surrounding me has been taken to a whole new level or perhaps it is that I am wanting these friendships to be at a whole new level and that is what I am attracting and creating in my life.

I recently arrived home from an incredible 3 day getaway with two of the most stunning women I know, Ruth and Carly a.k.a. Categon and Carloff (you have to be a lover of Lord of the Rings) The time away together both deepened our connection to each other and also, I believe, enriched our individual spirits. This trip confirmed that spending time with amazing women energizes and elevates your life to whole new levels.

Here are 3 elements which, for me, make these relationships so precious and fulfilling.

1) We share a huge value around growth and development. We love to read and share insights with each other and this creates the most spectacular and perspective shifting conversations. Many of our outings center around learning; dinner and a Daniel Pink lecture, getting together at a local Starbucks to discuss our recent readings are just a few examples. I learn so much when we are together!

2) We challenge each other and create a safe space for each person to speak their truth. Speaking your truth can be a very uncomfortable and foreign experience. We have been so conditioned to holding back what we are really feeling and thinking. But this "stuff" is what gets in the way and prevents us from moving forward. I know that I have been conditioned in my life to run away from uncomfortable feelings and thinking, to distract myself with something more enjoyable. Relationships like these, however, are teaching me how energizing authenticity can be.

3) We laugh a lot and have loads of fun! Laughing releases huge amounts of great endorphins and elevates your energy. We simply need to laugh a whole lot more in our lives, laugh till it hurts and till you want to cry. This past week was all about laughter and fun by doing what spoke to us in any given moment. We shared stories, danced in the moonlight (till someone told us to quiet down - it was only 10:30!) and watched incredible movies that made us think, laugh and cry...

We had so much fun we are already planning the next one. My question for you is What kind of powerful friendships have you created in your life? If most of them are with men that is great but perhaps think about what can you do today to begin to cultivate a meaningful friendship with a strong and positive women or a circle of women?

Lastly, enjoy and be grateful for all of your friendships. As it is said in A Course in Mircles -

"People are brought together, intentionally, for maximal learning opportunity".

Namaste...

Angela

Change the Questions...shift your energy!

Today I found myself processing a stressful issue in my mind. It was bringing up feelings of unease and doubt. In a powerful conversation with my partner and dear friend - she asked me what kind of "weak" questions I asking myself about this particular issue? This was an incredibly powerful question! In moments of discomfort, moments when we are faced with issues, stressful circumstances or problems it is the questions we ask ourselves that determine the outcome and the ultimate direction we take. Anthony Robbins speaks briliantly to this concept in his book "Awaken the Giant Within". I took some time to review the concept.

"The quality of the questions you ask will determine where you focus, how you think, how you feel and what you will do" Anthony Robbins, Amaken the Giant Within

Weak questions keep us stuck, powerful questions help us move forward and look at every thing that happens to us and in our lives as a gift and learning opportunity. Weak questions keep the same repetitive and negative thought patterns swirling around in our heads. Powerful questions help to inject thoughts into our minds that ultimately serve us, better us and helps us move our lives forward.

Examples of Weak Questions: Why Me? Why does this keep happening to me? Why can't things just change? Why can't other people listen? Why can't others just change?

Examples of Powerful Questions:

How can I use this?

What can I learn from this experience?

Because of this, what will I be able to contribute to others?

How can I enjoy the process while I do what is necessary to move it in the direction I ultimately want it to go?

What am I truly grateful for right now in my life?

So today I intentionally replaced the weak questions I was asking myself, which were causing me stress and keeping me stuck in negative thought patterns with powerful questions. The powerful questions caused an immediate shift in perspective and negative thoughts were replaced with incredible "forward moving" thoughts.

Changing the questions I was asking shifted my thought patterns and also released an incredible amount of energy. I was flying the whole day.

If you find yourself facing an uncomfortable issue, perhaps feeling stuck in a reoccuring problem; ask yourself what weak questions you are choosing to ask yourself. Once you are aware (awareness is the first stage for change) then pick one of the powerful questions listed above or create your own and watch how you move forward and experience a huge amount of energy a long the way.

"He who asks questions cannot avoid the answers" Cameroon Proverb

Enjoy this day...

Amazing Food = Boundless Energy!

I am normally all over nutrition! My kids call me the "Health Nut Mom" and I love it! Lately, I have let a few things slide and this has affected my energy levels. I have not been as bouncy and when I am, the bounciness does not last nearly as long.

(This is a picture of me being quite "bouncy")

So this morning I grabbed some of my favourite nutrition books and set the intention to consume large quantities of "Superfoods". I was fascinated to see if this would have an immediate affect on my energy levels.

I began the morning with my usual warm water with a whole squeezed lemon. Citrus is a Superfood according to Dr's Richard Beliveau and Denis Gingras, authors of Eating Well, Living Well and Foods that Fight Cancer. I love these books as they are all evidenced based - backed by science!

Then I went on to eat a bowl of strawberries and blueberries - huge anti cancer fighting, anti inflammatory and anti oxidant properties are found in these foods. Onions, tumeric and cayenne were in the fritata I made. Onions are part of the Allium family of foods and have been shown, in studies, to hasten the elimination of carcinogenic toxic substances from our bodies. Turmeric and Cayenne are super spices that have disease fighting properties, I put them in almost everything savoury.

After this I proceeded to drink two cups of green tea and as we speak I have a home made "Iced Green Tea" on the go, topped with Pomegranite juice! Green tea has properties that can prevent the formation of microtumours - which we all develop spontaneously throughout our lives (Beliveau and Gingras, Foods that Fight Cancer). This takes me to 4 superfoods and I have not even hit 10am!!! But hold on there's more...

At 1pm I made myself some steamed broccoli and a lot of it and open up a can of Mackeral - an Omega 3 rich fish. I found it fascinating to remind myself this morning that the modern diet may contain 25 times more Omega 6 acids than Omega 3's making it much more susceptible to imflammatory types of diseases - cancer being one.

As we speak I have eaten 3 tablespoons of freshly ground flax with a bit of vanilla soy milk, a great mid afternoon pick up. Sam, my dog received a few teaspoons as well - dogs need their Omega 3's too! Studies indicate that regular consumption of soy, a food rich in phytoestrogens can reduce the affects of elevated levels of estrogens which can play a key role in activating breast cancer.

Now I do intend to add a glass of Red Wine to the end of my day. Red Wine, contains Resveratrol a molecule that possesses multiple anti oxidant and anti inflammatory properties and therefore helps prevent the development of many chronic diseases...so I will add this one glass to my list of super foods!

I am so incredibly thankful that dark chocolate makes the list of superfoods - it has to be 70% cocoa to be considered. Dark chocolate has anti oxidant properties so I will have some of that later this afternoon.

So what am I up to now? Twelve superfoods and it is only 5:43 on my watch. How am I feeling - amazing!! My energy levels have been quite elevated and consistent through out the day which is what I want. I have taken no real dips in energy and this allows me to play full out, which is a strong intention I have created for my life.

So the day is still young and I plan to get to at least 15 Superfoods by the end of the day, perhaps some Olive oil on my salad and more vegetables from the cruciferous family (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc.). There you go it has not been difficult at all! Very little prep was involved, I simply set the intention to consume massive quantities of superfoods, made sure I had them on hand and away I went.

Nutrition is simple, it just requires some intention and attention. See what superfoods you can inject into your day and let me know how it affects your energy level.

Enjoy this incredible day...

The Meaning of Communication

I am studying NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) right now and I love it! I can sink into anything by Anthony Robbins as he is all about NLP. So this morning I read:

"The Meaning of a communication is the response you get"

In other words our communication is only as good as the responses we get - WOW! Powerful stuff! Those words really hit me this morning when I read them after my morning workout, sitting outside my favourite Starbucks.

Have you ever said something to someone that you thought was harmless, yet the response you got was unexpected, surprising and perhaps to you out of proportion? I know I have.

There are two main reasons this occurs:

1) Our communications are channelled through the unique filters others have - which means their "stuff". So if someone is sensitive to people who raise their voices, it will not matter what you say or what your intentions are, if you speak in a loud voice, they will not hear your communication.

"People will not remember what you say so much as how it made them feel" Maya Angelou

2) Your communication may not be as clean as you think - for example if you intend to praise someone and do it in an offhand kind of way they might think you are being false and respond accordingly

So what is the value in knowing this. Well when we do and when we can fully internalize this concept we are obliged to take full responsibility for our communications. This means we can no longer blame others for not listening or responding in the "wrong"way. Essentially there is no "wrong" way, there is simply how others respond.

What is the action we can take? We need to become acutely aware of the response to know if our communication was effective. If the response was not positive - reflect on why not, redo it or reinvent a new approach. Today, pay close attention to how others respond to your communication. The first step to change is awareness!

Enjoy this day...

Actions keep us on Track

I begin my morning runs listening to Coldplay and Lady Gaga, on my IPOD, and end with some inspirational music ( MC Yogi) or words. This morning I ended my run listening to one of my favourite recordings "A Passion for Life" , This morning I heard these words...

"Your actions speak so loudly, I cannot hear what you say"

I am passionate about staying on track with my goals, dreams and living my values. I am incredibly passonate about helping others do the same and helping them get back on track when they fall off. The best and most committed of us fall of track, that's just life.

I believe that aligning our actions with what we say and getting ourselves into motion again gets us back on track to our best and most energized lives.

Here is an example of what I am talking about; Making time for exercise when I "say" that I value my health speaks loudly as to what my priorities are. If I say spending time with my daughter is incredibly important yet I spend 90% of time on my computer writing my blog or doing work for my clients then spending time with my daughter is actually not a priority; my actions speak louder than my words. So it is my actions that get me back on track to living my values and moving towards my goals and dreams.

Today, I treated myself to a pedicure from one of my wonderfully talented and beautiful friends Adelina. She inspired me by telling me how her and her husband made it through a difficult period by talking a lot. One of her deepest values is family and communication. Her and Bill are an amazing example of walking their talk - actually doing what they say is important.

When asked what we value in life, many of us would put communication, family and strong relationships high on the list. It is life's challenges that put this to the test.

I love these powerful examples all around me. I loved what I heard this morning. I can hear it over and over again. I want to hear it over and over again till it is embedded deep within my cell structure so that when I get off track, and I will, I can use it to remind myself how to get back on course.

Examine your actions today and see if they are in line with what you say is important to you.

Namaste everyone...

Knowing is Key.

I receive these wonderful e mails by an on line resource called Daily OM and this one was entitled "Knowing is Key". It really spoke to me because the essence of it was how challenging it can be to really pin point what it is you want in life.
In the book and movie "The Secret", all based on the Law of Attraction, one of the key steps was to get really clear on what you want. Yet, with all the distractions, disturbances and doubts floating about in our life, I believe that it can often be quite difficult to get to the truth of what we really want. We may say we want a fancy new car and then we get the fancy car and realise that it's not the car.

Getting to the heart of what it is we want in our lives is incredibly important and something I create a lot of intention around. One thing that brings me closer and closer to the truth of what I want are my values. When you know what you value in life you create more clarity about what you want. If I value Meaningful work and an assignment comes a long that does not align with that value, I know what I want. If I value Family and something comes along that takes me too far away from family then I know what I want. When something comes along that compromises my freedom I know that it is not what I want.

By knowing what I value most in life and then making choices according to my values it brings me closer to what I want.

I also love the suggestion that was made in this article; WRITE IT OUT.

Action: Put "I want...." on a piece of paper and just start writing.

"Writing clears up Fuzzy thinking" R.Sharma

When you keep things in your head, you can stay confused about what you want. After all the mind process about 60,000 thoughts a day!

I will add that after each "I want" statement, write out "why" you want it. The "why" is frequently attached to something we value.

Last thing, don't judge what you are writing down - judgement puts up barriers, just write and have fun!

Angela

Faith or Fear You Choose!

A dear friend shared an amazing message with me the other day:

"Faith and Fear are Cousins - each moment you choose between either one"

In another creative conversation I was discussing the same concept of Faith over Fear with yet another incredible friend (I've got some phenomenal peeps!), she reminded me of Indie's incredible leap of faith in the movie "Search for the Holy Grail" - hence the attachment.

How brilliant would our days and moments be if we could always keep this top of mind? That in each moment, regardless of what shows up, we have the power to choose either Faith or Fear. Fear keeps us stuck; Faith moves us forward.

First you do the work to clarify what you really want in life, what you want to stand for (your deepest Values), what you want to achieve and do. You also do the work to regularly check in with this; I recommend once a week at the same time e.g. 6am on a Monday morning while the rest of the world is asleep, "Sleep less, live more" R. Sharma. Do the work, set it up right and then each day, each moment trust and let go, have faith that you are heading in the general, right direction towards your goals and dreams.

At each point you can choose Fear and stand still (Indie would have never reached his destination if he had chosen fear!) or you can take a step or leap in Faith. We all have it in us. Once we get clear, focused and get into action we all have the abilty to take those steps of Faith...might not hurt to get a cool Indie Hat for the really tough times!

Each day, each moment step or leap into Faith. Tell me how it goes.

Angela

Discipline releases Energy!

This morning I kept a commitment I had made to myself to be at the gym every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:15am to train with my buddy Sam; this discipline released an incredible amount of energy for me. Right now I'm flying!.

When I was working as a Personal Trainer, I would hit the gym, before training my clients, in the morning. I was doing a lot and I loved it. Over the past year I have gotten heavily into yoga and not as committed to resistance training. I have also fallen out of the regular habit of training in the morning.

Training in the morning works brilliantly for these reasons 1) you get it done! 2) you boost your metabolism for the day, especially when you do weights and 3) it increases your level of mental, emotional, physical and even spiritual energy.

Yesterday evening I was out at my weekly Toastmasters meeting and went out for another hour, after the meeting, to socialize with members of the group. I usually don't do this during the week, knowing that I have to wake the next day to hit the gym; but I did.

This morning at 4:30am my eyes slowly fluttered open, I hit the snooze once and these thoughts went through my head "You can hit the gym later" (knowing well I had a busy day and this likely would not happen), "Wake up at 6am and go for a short run, it will at least be something", "You're tired, you were at Toastmasters last night, you deserve this rest" and on and on it went - Excuses! I was making excuses and excuses are what have us not playing full out in so many aspects of our lives.

At 4:59am I leapt out of bed and was ready in about 8 minutes flat (that includes slicing an apple to fuel my workout - never train on an empty stomach!). I made it to the gym for 5:15am - I live 3 minutes away so this is incredible.

When I saw Sam this morning I was so grateful that I had gotten my butt out of bed. We had an incredible training session together. We trained shoulders and abs with jump squats in between sets. Just being there energized me. Sam always makes me laugh so we have a lot of fun, this energizes me (highly recommend getting a partner, someone who you enjoy being with and if they can make you laugh even better! They can also get on your case if you don't show up.). As I drove away I realised that another element was creating energy for me, discipline. The fact that I had been disciplined enough to stick to my commitment around my health. This caused a huge release in my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual energy. Mental energy - I was thinking great thoughts about myself and others, Emotional energy - I was feeling amazing, postive emotions, Physical energy - my body felt stronger and more alive and spiritual energy - I was feeling even more grateful for what I have in my life.

We might believe that discipline means too much structure and a lack of freedom. I am finding now that it creates the exact opposite. It opens up time, space and releases energy. As well, when you are disciplined you have less regrets - regrets zap your energy!

"The price of discipline is far less than the pain of regret" unknown

Enjoy this day...Get disciplined, get focused, release energy!

Angela

Begin your day with wisdom and wellness...

What I know for sure is that if my day begins well, my whole day has a higher possiblity of unfolding well. If I can begin my day with a great piece of reading, some stretching, a run and some moments of breathing or meditation, I find I am better able to handle whatever life wants to throw my way with a greater amount of energy and awareness.

Some mornings I may have time for only 2 minutes of reading from a book of wisdom, other mornings 15 or 20 minutes. Some mornings I allocate enough time for some yoga, a run or the gym and other mornings I may have time for my 5 famous stretch moves!

(go to http://www.coreperformance.com/ for some highly effective and efficient moves)

Some mornings I set the intention for a 20 minute meditation session and other mornings I may just sit still for 2 to 5 minutes.

I encourage my clients to get into a morning wellness and wisdom routine as well. Some find it difficult to get up earlier. Studies show it takes about 3 weeks to create a new habit and this one is well worth it. So often I hear "I don't have time for myself" or "My days are so crazy" If you get up even a half hour earlier, you will find that extra, amazing time for yourself. Your whole life will change; you will actually find it might just slow down a little. I love what Success Specialist Robin Sharma always says "Sleep less, Live more" .

I try and remember that when I want to press the snooze button one more time, it helps me get my butt out of a nice warm cozy bed. I don't know about you but I am all over "living more".

Enjoy this day...

Angela

(Sharma's Greatness Guides and Daily Inspirations, also by Sharma, are great to use for quick wisdom in the morning)

If you are breathing you can Lead

I am reading Robin Sharma's latest book "The Leader who had no Title"; it's amazing. Two keys points that are landing big time with me right now are:

1) If you breathe you are a leader and 2) You cannot lead others until you do the inner work to elevate and lead yourself.

These messages are brilliant and keys to thriving in today's turbulent environment.

"It is no longer an excuse to say you don't have a high rank so you don't need to take ownership for the results of an organization"--R. Sharma

Or I will add the results in your life. If you breathe, you can lead. We can lead in our homes, in our communities, in our work. Leaders do what's right. Leaders do the right things even when it is difficult. Leaders elevate others. Leaders create positive change wherever they go.

You can be at a party in a group of people who have decided to partake in gossip and negative talk; leaders have done the inner work to know that engaging in this type of energy magnifys it. A leader might set the intention to shift the conversation, shed a positive or different perspective or can choose to walk away to shift energies elsewhere.

I say this a lot but I find that it is so true, "the only work worth doing is the work on yourself - the inner work".

"You cannot elevate and champion another person until you do the inner work required to elevate and champion yourself" -- R Sharma

When you begin to do the inner work to elevate yourself often it is simply your energy that creates positive change in your environment. You are open to seeing the world from a different perspective. Doing inner work releases energy and this puts you in motion. It makes things happen and self leaders know this. Some might say leaders are born. I agree with Sharma, if you breathe you can lead but it will take work, it will take doing the difficult stuff - liking getting up early to do it. It will take doing what's right. It will take failing or falling off course many times and getting focused and energized to get back on course.

If you are breathing this is the only work worth doing...trust me on this. If you are not doing so yet, begin the inner work and go Lead somewhere right now.

Incredibly inspired and grateful to be alive right now,

Angela

Owning your space

Over the past month or so negative behavioural patterns have been showing up in my dog Sam. What I am really getting right now as a result of different interventions (friends, trainers, the dog whisperer - I love this guy!) is that the issue is not with our dog but with me and my energy. I only speak for myself also knowing that others in my household are working to be mindful of their energy. The particular energy that I am becoming increasingly present to is my own fear. The dog whisperer speaks brilliantly about "Owning your space" so that positive energy begins to radiate from you. When we are in fear we are unsure about our own space and the space we occupy on this earth.

Owning your space is such an amazing concept. It is about being fully self aware and also managing your emotions in the moment. When I own my space I step fully into it. When I own my space I know who I am. This is not about controlling space or controlling others. It is all about self awareness and self control - I love it! When Sam displays these negative behaviours I have to become more present and mindful to what is going on with my energy, shift it consciously in the moment when I notice that fear is creeping back in, breathe and own it, own the space. When I do this, his energy shifts dramtically and he also becomes more of who he is meant to be - an amazing dog.

Isn't this the case with anything and anyone? When we do not own our space we can allow the negative energies of others to shift our energy. When we own it and fully step into it, we keep our power and freedom and also shift the energies of those around us, even when you do not notice this happening - at a quantum level it is!

Things show up in your life for a reason, always to teach you something or take you to a whole new level. At first when these problems showed up with Sam, I wanted to walk away. Saying "Hey I did not sign up for this" "This is too hard and time consuming". My usual nature (look up type 7 on the enneagram, a personality assessment tool http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/ ) is to move onto something more exciting.

This has showed up however for a specific reason so I can learn more about my own fears and finally go deep with it, own my space. This is so much more than about my dog.

"Only what we are not giving can be lacking in any given situation" Marianne Williamson

What was lacking is me fully showing up, owning my energy and my space.

I know I can do this. I know a long the way there may still be times when I want to give up. I know issues might surface around fear that I do not want to confront. This is my opportunity to experience depth, focus and discipline, all the things that I am about at this point in my life, all that I have asked to experience.

What a wonderful universe - ask and you will receive...

Enjoy the day...

Angela

Be Amazing

Here's to my first blog entry on this site, thought I would begin with some thoughts from an e mail that was forwarded to me today by a dear friend .

Daily Motivator http://www.greatday.com/

"You don't know for certain what will happen tomorrow, or even later today. So stop fighting against it and don't waste your life with worry about what might or might not be.
Be okay with what will come, and you'll be able to handle it. You'll even discover some pleasant surprises" Ralph Marston

We waste a lot of energy when we focus our thoughts on anything beyond the present moment. I am really trying to internalize this. It is hard sometimes when you have a lot of things on the go. The other day was a great example. Sometimes when we have a big day ahead of us, we get worried about getting through it all, getting it all done on time and well - clients, kids to the dentist, dog to the vet, healthy dinner to create...but when you are okay with it all you handle it. When you stop fighting and resisting you just seem to go through it quite easily. When I allow myself to go through all my days easily, surprises do happen along the way - time for pleasant and meaningful conversations, insights received from someone who knows something I do not ("never leave a person without learning something new" - Robin Sharma) and time for smiles, laughter and appreciation.

Slowing down and focusing on what matters most and what energizes me is an intention I have set. I want to experience life deeply, I do not want to simply skim the surface of it.

"I will not die and unlived life..."

Even so, I will still have crazy, busy, back to back days. Perhaps less than I used to now that I have set the intention but if I can be okay with it all, not fight any of it, not worry about how it will all get done it will be more than okay it will be amazing...I just know.

Angela