January 30, 2015

Laughter to Maximize Your Success

A friend mine Beth Majerszky, a retreat coach leader and master joyologist of Simply Be Coaching and Retreats, gave a speech last week on using laughter to maximize your success. I wanted to share a few of her tips with you.

Laughter is contagious and it is a universal language. We all have the innate ability to laugh, but rarely spend enough time doing so. Children laugh on average 300 times a day and adults laugh 16 – 20. WOW! Look what we can learn from our kids. They are enjoying life and us adults tend to be too serious at times. When was the last time you found yourself into a really good laugh?

LaughWhen I looked out into the crowd as Beth our retreat leader was teaching a laughter practice and asking everyone to join in, you could see the crazy looks on everyone’s faces probably thinking things like…. “Are you serious? Am I going to look funny? What is someone going to say about me? This feels really awkward. Some participants were more open than others, but laughter is contagious, so those that were a little resistant couldn’t help but join in and after a while I could actually feel my abs getting a great workout from laughing so hard. It was totally the best, most fun ab workout ever.

 

 

 

Did you know there are also several health benefits to laughter as well?

– Lowers blood pressure
– Reduces stress hormones
– Improve cardiac health
– Triggers the release of endorphins
– Is a fun ab workout
– Produces a general sense of well being

So the next time you feel, frustrated, angry, upset, lonely, or stressed, take a little time out to laugh. You will surely see a change in your energy. If you live in the Chicagoland area and are looking for an upcoming retreat, check out Beth’s website www.coach-beth.com. Beth also does tele-retreats as well, so if you are anywhere in the world and have been looking for a getaway, but can’t get away, she can provide an amazing in-home experience for you. Enjoy and may your day be filled with joy and laughter.

January 14, 2015

Word of the Year for 2015

Happy New Year to all! It’s that time of year again, as we return to work after the holidays, and move back into some of our daily routines I wanted to take a moment to remind us about the resolutions we have thought about for 2015.

I spoke with my team earlier this week about their goals for the year and was excited to hear so many different intentions that everyone has. Many of the goals were health related, in taking time for themselves, taking care of their bodies, slowing down and letting things flow.

I intend to support my team with their personal as well as professional goals this year and am making a note in my calendar to have fun with sending them little reminders in support of their desires. When you let other know of your intentions, you create additional support that can assist you in reaching your goals.

After our discussion, I also encouraged the team to think about ONE word that describes how they want to BE. So many of us make resolutions and get disappointed when we don’t reach them. Many times its because the way we are BEING is not in alignment with the goals we have set for ourselves. When we begin to bring them into alignment, life begins to flow with ease and grace.

Last year my word was NURTURE and I am completely amazed at all that has unfolded in my life when I focused on nurturing myself. I have grown by leaps and bounds. One of the best lessons learned is that when I take time to invest and nurture myself, it is the best gift that I can give my family. Not only do I have more opportunities showing up in my life, but so do my husband and children. But the first step was taking the plunge and nurturing myself as a woman first.

Vision boardThis year my one word is PLAYFUL. As a working mom of 4 boys, I can end up being the more serious one who tries to create a sense of order in the household. This past year, I have learned how to take more time to rest, relax and meditate, but have not focused as much time for play. My 5 and 10 year old constantly remind me that its time to play and not to work. As I have started to embrace being more playful, I have realized that when I am having fun, exploring and being playful, I am able to enjoy and be in the moment. I enjoy things I may never have realized and create some amazing memories. When I let go of my worries, inhibitions, thoughts and fears and dive into letting go and having fun, I create amazing things. Attached is a picture of my intuitive vision board I created a couple months before I chose my word of the year. Its amazing how it totally represents being playful. Its just a reminder that our heart and soul knows what we need way before our mind is able to see.

I encourage you to share your ONE WORD for the year. If you want to share why great. If not, please go ahead and just share your ONE WORD. I think it would be fun to see what others are thinking and provide support along the way.