Life Challenges are Often Financial Changes and Emotional Uncertainty

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Cheryl Hanson

The economic downturn of 2007 is still in a mean mood, and with this downturn, world wide financial changes have created a world of emotional uncertainty. There have never been a wider amount of people in a state of uncertainty, change and emotional challenge.  The entire world is in a point of crisis, and with the resources of our planet in a strain, this has created a life challenge for us all.

Life Challenges are Financial Changes

Financial Changes Have Impacted the Entire World

Why would a financial change in life become an emotional crisis?  It seems unlikely that we would find happiness in this kind of situation, but more often than not, the change that you experience may force you to reflect, review and realize what is really important to you.  During a financial change, we are forced to give up the fluff, and embrace the necessities of our life.  We are hopeful for the future, but we are more realistic.  Financial changes force us to love ourselves more, and realize how lucky and wonderful we are as individuals.  This challenge, is a real lifestyle change, with new positive gains to be had.  The only reason to pout and go back to a life before the financial crisis, is to recap some lost emotional baggage, and take care of the past cares that may interfere with your future.

Financial Changes can Force You to Move Forward

When you are faced with a financial change, where you may have less money than you are used to living with, it can be a frightening time.  It will be a good thing for you in the end, but finding the solution to changing your life can be very difficult.  Be easy and kind on yourself, and do not blame yourself for a financial change or beat yourself up. This is no time to embrace your emotional side, but move forward with your positive areas of yourself, and use those positive attributes to your advantage.  There are ways to move forward, without using your emotional uncertainty in this mix.

Find a Way Out of Financial Changes by Focusing On Positive Skills

You may have to resource a friend or an expert to help you move from a financial change, but you can do this.  Even if you have not graduated with your schooling goals yet, you can use the skills you have already acquired to your advantage.  Start with the local library, and reflect there, in the quiet of the public library, with pen and paper.  Start by listing all the skills you have, and what you enjoy doing.  If you like to cook, write it down.  Then, detail through what kinds of cooking you like; do you like barbeque?  Stir fry, steamed vegetables with noodles?  What about baking?  This list will grow, and you will have a long list of skills before you know it!

A life challenge like this requires you to write down all of your skills, and to review them in this manner.  Looking at them, are there some that you would like to expand on?  Do you think you could use any of these in a way that could improve your financial changes at the moment? I bet you could!  Grow your list, and keep reference to it.  Carry it with you, and keep looking for a job or profession that matches your skills.

Creating a life resume like this, is the first step in securing your place in finding the solution to any financial changes in life.

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Healthy Living Comes With Love

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Cheryl Hanson

The life we live is reflected in the choices we make each and every day, and one of the best choices we can make is to choose healthy living.  Live that is lived in a healthy way includes good nutritional food choices, lots of fun and invigorating exercise options, keeping our toxic environmental options low, and remaining in a powerful but positive habitat is important too.  Healthy living starts not just with simple and honest review of our lifestyle, but the choices we make each and every day, and involves those we love at the same time.

Begin with Healthy Living Choices for Those You Love

Healthy Living Starts with Loving Yourself

The most important person in your life should be yourself, your spouse, your family and then your friends.  If your work, your goals, money and your passions come first, that is a choice that needs to be addressed as your first change to find healthy living.  You cannot do this alone, and your love for yourself needs to be for good reasons, not just for others in your immediate circle.  If you can’t find time to create a positive life for yourself, you are not impacting your family and friends in a good and positive way.  Finding time to eat nutritional food, to exercise the day’s stress away, and to learn more for your own benefit is very important for a day of healthy living.  It does not take much to walk away stress each day for 20 minutes.  Or, a visit to a health food store can combine your quest to find healthy living in food and in new ideas.  Keep your options open for yourself, and time to do this each and every day.

Healthy Living Grows from Love

Once you empower yourself, now you can begin to share your wealth with others.  This will easily occur, and bring strength to all you know and love.  You will find more attention is brought to you quickly in terms of rewards, praise, and people looking to you for support and compassion. They will rise to the occasion for you, and with your constant empowerment, you can bring a joy back to many lives with your love of yourself.  Find the time to empower others, by living a healthy life for yourself, and spread that joy with others.  This is a constant force, and it can be addicting, so once you begin the process, expect the unexpected, and watch for the new life to embrace you quickly and openly.

Healthy Living Choices are Everywhere

Sometimes when you are in a less than healthy lifestyle, you cannot see the forest through the trees.  You are stuck, and you only believe the choices you must make each day, are the only options.  There are so many choices you make each day, that you did not have when you where a small child.  You did not choose to live an unhealthy life, it seemed to be forced upon you.  Maybe you were born into a very difficult time in your families life, and you saw only unhealthy options, and did not realize until much later, that a different life even existed.

If you are stuck smoking, drinking alcohol, eating less than nutritious food, and suffering from these choices, you are not alone.  The path is yours, and you can learn how to not make these choices, and learn that healthy living comes from the understanding that you are not losing anything by dropping these choices, but gaining everything in the days ahead.

 

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Finding Happiness

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Cheryl Hanson

In today’s fast paced world, the way to wealth and health is often thought to result in finding happiness.  Or not at all!  The reason that we are happy and not sad, is often because we find a reason to live in a positive, motivated and purposeful way.  It is true, that you may be sick and poor, and your happiness value is higher than when you were healthy and had money.  How could this be?  The reason we may feel happier some days and not others, is because we are often led down a road of greatness.  How this occurs is different for us all.

Finding Happiness in Life

 

Happiness is In the Moments

How we complete a task of finding happiness depends on you and your talents.  Maybe you are a skilled cook, and your talent of making people happy with your great food, completes your happy quotient.   Or, maybe you are a research scientist and you have a quest to find a way to create a more powerful magnet to be used in many different industrial applications.  The possibilities are endless.

Finding your skills and talents is often a trial and jury process.  Not everyone completes this key step. Without a clear understanding of your key talents and gifts, you will struggle with happiness throughout your life.  That being said, some people know they are great builders of homes, craftsmen of wood or metal, and still never find their true north.  The next step to happiness lies in application of your talents to real day problems.

Please be sure to take stock of your talents and skills, and make use of them, by seeing if there are real life solutions that can be created by your particular knowledge of your specialty.  If you are a well rounded individual, and have many different skills, do not let go of your focus of what really makes you happy and finds you smiling at your most.

Finding Happiness in Your Work

When you are at work, do you find yourself excited to start each day?  Are there things that make you run at full speed, and sometimes, you wish you had more time to create a closer answer to the problems each day?  If not, keep searching for the path that really makes you push yourself.  Without this fire, this passion, and the relinquishment of all your past excuses, you will not accomplishment finding happiness.

Here’s why:  You can’t just make yourself happy, you have to make others happy.  The truth is, we are all great people.  We all want to ensure success for others.  When we see the positive changes in others lives, we are true to ourselves, and there is a new connection to all humanity.  Why else would Ghandi, Mother Theresa, or Martin Luther King Jr., give up their lives to the world? The simple fact is, they are being selfish in their unselfishness, because it made them happy.  To see the change they were hoping to create, was the goal.  Not for just themselves, but for everyone.

Doing Good for Others Equals Finding Happiness

This brings me to my last supportive argument, which creates new creative action to the benefit of others-give yourself totally to the collective group of humanity, and you will be successful at finding happiness.  The majority of us believe the acquisition of wealth creates the happy factor we are all searching for.  When in truth,  once you own something, there is no happiness in its acquisition, but only burden of responsible ownership.  The same goes for your actions as a person in our collective society.

When you create good will towards all men, you create a good flow for yourself.  Start to love yourself, and pass the trend on, and give of yourself completely.  Many lives have been changed by not large lifestyle changes, but small steps each day to become the best person you can be.

  • Open doors for others
  • Engage in polite chit chat
  • Listen and respond thoughtfully
  • do not engage in drama or over emotion as it creates a negative emotional state
  • Comprehend new ideas, and pass them on
  • Teach young people with patience
  • Support and care for a pet
  • Take time to meditate and bring silence to each day
  • Learn a new skill at each and every opportunity
  • Give up excuses and look to the alternative of saying yes
  • Take time to support those in need
  • Take up a cause that means a lot to you and tell your story
  • Stop focusing on money and wealth, and concentrate on knowledge and cooperation
  • Finding Happiness starts with your thoughts and attitude in life
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Happy Diets Work with Healthy Food

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Cheryl Hanson

If you are eating lots of sugary foods and starches, chances are you are often hungry.  It is a hard place to be, always eating food that makes you hungry and does not bring you any real nutrition in the long run.  Often, when you are eating this kind of diet, you will be tired, and very slow.  It takes effort to always have some movement in a high sugar, high starch diet.  It is cheap, but when you consider the long term consequences, you are taking a very expensive turn.

Many people work through a period of their lives, where they stop caring about their diets.  It is a sad time for most. Often, there are some kinds of tragedy going on in life, and some real challenges.  These things are all related, so making a change in your diet, can actually reverse some kinds of life challenges as well.

Move towards healthy foods.  Look for one-ingredient food groups.  Eat fresh veggies and fruits.  Do not eat anything that is full of preservatives.  Stop at starch laden food sources, as they turn straight into sugar.  And, do not eat sugar.  Do not eat sugar substitutes.  Start a new appreciation for fresh fruit.  Become a fruit maven, and eat it constantly.  Change from Diet Pops or Sodas to water, tea or simple juices that are 100% fruit.  No sugar, no chemical sugar equivalents, and your diet will be much more positive.

Your new lifestyle needs your reflective and positive changes in life, and it can start with your diet.

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Keeping Your House Clean

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Cheryl Hanson

Life is cluttered, and so is your home!  Often, we get sucked into buying things, and then we do not use them.   I have a pair of ice skates that I have never used.  They are dull and old now, and should have been given to someone who really could use them.

But I have them!  So, they sit in a storage room, just like this one pictured here.  The mix of cold weather items with summer garden equipment is a common sight, especially in areas where freezing temperatures make it necessary.  This can be a challenge, as often, you forget where things are, and end up then borrowing the neighbor’s tool, and then returning it down the way.

Stop this endless stack of stuff, but analysis.  It only takes a few minutes a day.  But, if you do a little each day, and keep up with the ongoing mess coming into the house each day, your home will sparkle with organization.

Look for storage, that has open areas for new items

Just because you are looking for ways to evolve your new life into shelves and buckets of bins, does not mean you will have a way to find your precious items.  Some things can be donated, some can be tossed, and some need to be saved.   Again, here are your categories:

1. Donation

2. Toss

3. Save

Each item in your home needs to be looked at objectively, in this manner:  How often do I use this, is it something I really need, does it still work, and will I use it again in the future.  Answering these questions can be hard, because what happens, often is there is emotion tied to each item.  This must be handled slowly, and quickly.

The Crystal Punch Bowl

One way to do this, is to work on a small area of clutter each day.  Give yourself 5 minutes where to take 10 things, and answer the 3 main sort questions.  If you come up with emotion tying you to an item, give yourself some time to objectively work through your connections.  Here is an example:

Your Aunt Mary had a punch bowl, that was your pride and joy, when she gave it to you.  It is the only item from her, and it is a large crystal bowl, with many cups, spoons, and plates for 20 people.  It is a lovely large bowl, and is so beautiful. It sits in your closet, near the front door, and going through your hallway closet, you find it there.  It has sat on the shelf, for over 6 years, never being opened.

Since this is the only item you have to remember your Aunt Mary, but it is a large and huge item, you have a conundrum.  You love it, just not the amount of space it takes up.  It is such an amazing and beautiful piece of crystal!

Here is my suggestion for this situation.  And, it can be handled on a Monday evening back from work.  No big deal!

Once the dinner is done, and you have a moment to clean, go to the closet, and take out the punch bowl and all of its boxes.  Wow, that really took up a lot of space!  All of the kids hats and mittens would easily fit in that spot.  And, I will never ever use it.  It is something special.  Yes, that is true.  But wait, isn’t your friend Anne opening a catering company?  I bet she would love this!

Getting on the phone with Anne, you have now completed your five minutes of cleaning, but boy how successful you have been!  Now, you have opened up a spot for winter gear.  For your handbag at the end of the day.  For some games you play on a regular basis.  And, your friend was thrilled to receive the bowl.  You can always borrow it, when you need it.  She is a good person, and was very happy to place it into use.

The point of this story, is you are working through your problems, and doing it consistently.  You are letting go of past excuses.  You are learning new things, and opening your mind to new open spaces.  Cleaning out old items is more than just stuff, it is working on sending your old mindset packing as well.

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Bring your Happy Face Forward!

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Cheryl Hanson

Your new lifestyle is going to need your happy smile and smiling eyes more than ever!  It is the key to ensuring your new lifestyle, and becoming even happier than you ever have been in your life.

To do this, you will need to forget the past, stop living with regrets, and dwelling on the problems of the present.  Your future is bright, and you need to always live in the moment, and know your new life is just steps away.

Does this inspire you?  I hope so!  Here are some really easy ways to brighten your day, and do it all with your mindset, not a physical thing, or a purchased item.  It has to do with your mental outlook on life.

Build your future in the Present

The only way to ensure a happy life, is to believe in yourself.  It is a corny thought, but you have to be a cheerleader for your new initiatives and endeavors.  Even if it is a new way of eating, or a new kind of hobby, you are the driver for this new life, and need to be on-board with this new change 100%.  If you are not, it will not succeed, and you will feel let down, and completely disillusioned.  It is easy to have a fire in your belly at the beginning, but if you can’t tend to the fire, and keep it going, do not start the path.  You need to be committed to your new life, and take it from there.  Without the birth of your love for your new you, the future will not become what you believe in, and will not exist.  So, take the reigns, and do it!

Let your chips fall where they may

The new positive edge, will lead you through tumultuous waters.  There will be large walls to climb, lots of hurdles, and many, many nay-Sayers. They will all want to decide you can or can not do it.  Often, it takes some real strength to stand up to the challenges, and objectively handle them.  Do not stop the process, and keep it moving forward.

Be sure to learn more about your new lifestyle

An educated mind, is a powerful mind.  It is something you can gain, and it can never be taken from you.  Even super wealthy people have the risk that all of their money could disappear.  Just like that!  If you learn about a way to power homes in a new way, how to make crying babies happy, cure dog’s from hot spots, you will never have this knowledge taken from you.  So, get yourself pumped with resources, read a new book, take some time to listen to a lecture, listen to a new radio program, or even reach out to someone you really admire.  The fact that you are learning, will constantly empower you to find that positive vibe, and make you even more adaptive in any situation.

Let your life grow, and you will be the better person for it!  If you are looking to enlist any positive vibes, send me a comment, and we can boost ourselves forward together!  Nothing works better than other positive thinkers.

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Biking Can Bolden Your World

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Cheryl Hanson

If you are looking to make a change in your life, and you just feel in a funk, and have not found a great avenue to displace this feeling, chances are you are missing a sense of nature.  If green fields, and open fresh air, make your eyes open with wonder, and you feel the possibilities, you have the need for a ride.

Ride your Bike

Not only will it be a cheap and effective way to get around, but you will see the majority of the world in a new way.  The feel of the rubber on the road, and the real way you connect to the natural parts of life, are all into biking.

There is a reason so many people are hooked on biking.  It is a thrill!  You can use your bike to get to work, and be more alive when you get there than any car or bus rider.  If you have to, take a bus, and get off and ride part way on your bike.  Do not disappoint yourself without the ride at least a little each day.  You will get so much from your ride.

Transportation is Only Part Of The Story

If you are on your bike, you feel the rush of the air on your face, the roar of the wind, and the sun on your arms.  You can control how fast you go, and it is not a race.  So many people are like, worried about racing, and work so hard at making an appearance to look like a race cyclist.  I prefer an older bike, that has many baskets, and big tires with great fenders.  Lots of reflective tape, and a great big old schwinn seat.   It is my adjusted commuter bike, that I use to get wherever I need to go.

My car sits silent, while I ride around, even in the winter.  It is not the importance of how fast I get there, but that I saw a bald eagle on my way to the supermarket.

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Add some Comfort to Your Winter

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Cheryl Hanson

The winter can be very dry and harsh on your skin!  When you are at your wits end, here are some ways to add a little moisture to your skin, and your home, and do it with little investment.

Coconut Oil

Use this natural cooking oil for your hair, your skin, and your feet.  It is easily absorbed, and does not leave your skin greasy or over moisturized.  You can often find it in the healthy food isle at your grocery store, and it is in a mason jar.  Buy the organic version, as the chemicals and preservatives will not exist in this type of process.

As well, if you are looking for a great high heat oil for cooking, for frying or baking, coconut oil is the best.  It is a solution for weight loss, and for smooth skin.

Open that Dishwasher!

When you run the dishwasher in the winter, you need to use the hot water settings, or your dishes will not get very clean.  The reason is, the water that goes into the dishwasher, is going in very cold, and the soap and food remnants will not remove themselves very well in cold water.  Plain white vinegar, instead of the dishwasher soap, can work better in the cold water.

And, since you are using the hot water cycle, when it is complete and drying, open the door, and let that steam out.  You will add some much needed moisture to your home, without buying a dehumidifier.  Here are some other ways to add moisture, along the same lines:

  • Dry clothes on a line inside
  • Open the clothes dryer at the end of the cycle to get the steam into the air
  • Do not vent your shower, as the steam can quickly evaporate
  • Make a pasta dinner, and boil some water.  The pasta will boost your happy mood chemicals in your brain, and will be a great treat on a cold winter’s night.

What tricks do you use to keep your home hydrated, but not too overly hydrated?  After all, we all need to have a little warm feeling in the depths of winter!

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Smoking Habit is Untrue

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Cheryl Hanson

Is Smoking a Habit?

Many people have described their smoking is a habit, and that is why it is so hard to break.  NOT TRUE! If you have a habit, it is something you do out of habit, not out of necessity.  Smoking is an addiction, and a chemical addiction.  The addiction has to do with Nicotine, and if you qualify it further, it is a drug addiction.  The truth is, if you are a smoker, you did this initially despite the bad taste, the smoke in your eyes, and the unnatural way you inhaled smoke into your lungs.  You continued this unnatural process until you realized that there was a new hunger, a little pang, the nicotine need.  You can remove this “habit” at any time, the moment you realize the pang is temporary, and the addiction can only be cured by the complete removal of nicotine.

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New Lifestyles Start With You

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Cheryl Hanson

How can you get from the couch to the beach?  It is just a matter of will power, and finding the best way to calmly, brazenly and boldly take on the task!

Move Forward

Literally, you need to move.  The best way to do this, is to live your life. Find great way to enjoy your ride to work, ride a bike, take some time to roller blade, walk your dog more.  It is all apart of adding movement to your life.  Take some time to go out with girlfriends and dance!  The guys are counting on you to do this exact thing, and miss you when you do not show up.  Why are you at home?  Take some time to get out there, and enjoy your life!

Take a Class

Enjoy not just your normal movement of your body, but enjoy some great mental growth, and join a yoga class or a class that will address your crafty side.  The very fact that you are busy, doing something, means you are not eating, and sitting around.

Being at Home

It is not such a bummer to be at home, but if you just sit around, are not learning anything, or growing as an individual, you are growing as a couch potato.  Find a library near you, get some books, and read!  Make a gourmet meal, with a new cookbook, and keep it fresh and natural.  No ingredients that you can not pronounce.  Enjoy some time painting a room.  Take some pride in making something from scratch.

You have the ability to impact others, and you can only do it when you are loving yourself.  Be sure to take this step first.

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