Incredibly Super Busy

This month I've taken on many more commitments than usual. With it being the holiday season and my daughter acting in her first play, I sometimes wonder why I've taken on so much.

Like many people, I enjoy being wanted and needed. I like feeling important. Although this may be difficult to admit, it's in fact very common. We often take on more than perhaps we should because of the primary need of being accepted. Being a coach and knowing how quickly things can spiral when we take on too much, I've learned to pace myself and to stay focused on the present. With many in my family worrying about holiday parties that are still weeks away, my aunt's surprise 95th birthday out in Long Island, and tending to all the holiday decorations, I've taken a much different approach....and I find it's working!

I have 8 speaking presentations planned for December and a really big one scheduled in Las Vegas in January. All different topics, of course! I'm also working on a free 7 week e-course that will be announced soon. But in order to offer the course, I needed to select a shopping cart solution that met my needs. This took some time, research, and advising. When I finally selected the WAHM-Cart solution (I'll keep you posted about this one because if I like it, I'll set-up an affiliate program with them!), I realized that I'm right in the heart of my busiest period and really don't have time to set it up (I've lost some of my technical astuteness when I left the Corporate world and no longer had the latest technology with all the bells and whistles available at my fingertips.) So, I tapped into my virtual assistant (well, he's actually my web designer, and a great all around helper, Adam Hommey at Assess Communicate) to bail me out and keep things going even though I'm spending time somewhere else.

I've also decided to eliminate my annual holiday newsletter, have delegated the decorating to my husband and kids, have arranged for help from my mother-in-law, and have given up wasting time worrying about things and instead use the time to plan and prevent. What I've learned is that it's ok to refocus and reprioritize, even if it's just for this one year. We could revisit traditions next year and decide which ones we want to continue or replace. I've also learned to trust that everything will work out exactly how it's supposed to. I get to where I need to go on time...miraculously, the lights are all green and traffic opens up when I need it (well, most of the time but definitely not always!). My copies are ready on time. Meals are prepared. And, everyone, including me gets to where they have to go. My family has become a team this holiday season with everyone taking on different roles and tasks and everything important getting done!

Hope this helps you re-think your holidays and busy times!

Warm regards,

Coach Natalie

Create Healthy Habits

Habits are nothing more than thoughts you keep thinking or the words you use to speak about them. If you have habits that are no longer working for you, the first step is to identify the thoughts you have around that particular habit. Be aware of how that thought feels to you and then replace it with thoughts that feel better. If you're not sure if your habits are working for you, look at how they make you feel physically, emotionally, mentally, and/or spiritually because that will help provide some indication.

In an e-course I received about this topic from my colleague, Eva Gregory (Leading EdgeCoaching.com), Wake Up to the Dream, an example she provided was, rather than holding a thought that you really 'need to give up sugar' or you really 'want to give up sugar', change your thoughts from those that sound obligatory or wishful to one of decision. 'I have decided to give up sugar'. Can you feel the difference in those statements? 'Needing' or 'wanting' sounds wishy washy. 'Deciding' is much more powerful and grounded. Now take it a step further. Change the focus from what you don't want - in this case, sugar - to what you DO want in its place... healthier eating habits, for example. So reach for another thought. For instance, "I have decided to eat healthily now" or "I am eating healthily now" or "I have decided to have healthy eating habits now." Then 'act as if'. Pretend you are now eating only healthy foods and loving your new eating habits and how you are feeling. How DOES it feel? Visualize what that's like for 30 seconds. Now let it go. Everytime you think of sugar or reach for something sweet, go back to your new thought, "I have decided to eat healthily now." Then notice what you are inspired to do in that moment. It may be to eat the sweets anyway; it may be to eat only a bite; it may be to bypass it altogether. The important thing is to NOT beat yourself up about it if you do choose to eat it. If you're going to eat it, ENJOY IT!!! Then come back to the new habit of thought you are creating, "I have decided to eat healthily now". Spend another 30 seconds visualizing how it FEELS to be eating healthily and let it go. Keep repeating this process, being gentle with yourself in the moments you eat less than healthily, acknowledging the times when you ARE eating more healthily, and over time you will gradually change your habit for good!

According to Eva, this process works for changing both physical habits and emotional habits. Changing your eating habits is a physical change you make in what you are eating. Changing an emotional habit is a matter of commiting to a change in perspective. For example, you can change a habit of thought such as "I rarely reach my goals in the timeframe I set, therefore I'm a failure" to "I know my goals are always reached in perfect timing, no matter what." By being willing to change your perspective, you literally shift your energy from one of resistance to one of relaxation and allowing, and in that shift you become an open vortex for your goals to be realized much more easily, and truly in perfect timing!

You can discard unhealthy habits and create more healthy habits just by taking conscious effort and being consistent. It may not be easy, but it will definitely be worth it!

Special BONUS: Send an email to natalie@superbusyparent.com to request a free report, "Habits of Highly Successful Women"..

Best regards,

Coach Natalie