Food for Thought…from our friends at Neworld Coaching

Posted on: January 22nd, 2013 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

Here is some food for thought as you reflect on 2012 and move forward in 2013. Thanks to our associates at Neworld Coaching!

                         CHOICES

I choose my internal conversation

My self-talk lifts me up or brings me down

I choose my response to every situation

No one and nothing makes me respond

I choose my attitude towards my profession

I choose the way I treat other people

I choose what I will do about my physical health

I choose what I will eat or drink

I choose how happy I will be

I choose to maintain emotional control

I choose to act responsibly

I choose to grow spiritually

I choose what I will learn or if I will learn

I choose how much money I will earn,

and how many hours I will devote to earning it

I choose how much of my time, talent and treasure I will give to others

I choose to make my own choices and embrace my self mastery

I choose to make 2013 MY year!

~Michael

P.S. Please drop by the Neworld from time to time to see if we are offering any tools or techniques that you might find helpful for your business growth.

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The Coffee Bean Technique

Posted on: January 17th, 2013 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

THE COFFEE BEAN TECHNIQUE
   (Author Unknown)

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how growing her business was so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

Twenty minutes later she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you see.’

‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ the daughter replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Then the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, ‘What does it mean, mother?’

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak and limp.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique. They changed the water, the very circumstance that brought the adversity.

When the water gets hot, the coffee bean releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when you face challenges, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? Do you choose to handle adversity like a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; but they make the most of everything.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures.

Do you have an effective strategy for handling business and life challenges – for being the coffee bean?

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A Life Lesson from Marilu Henner

Posted on: January 15th, 2013 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

“Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.”

                                                                                    -Marilu Henner

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RESOLVE…To Get Organized!

Posted on: January 9th, 2013 by Cathy Mendler No Comments


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I look forward to sharing lots of helpful tips and exciting plans with you in the year ahead.

Did you know? In a recent survey for CNN by the Journal of Clinical Psychology, GETTING ORGANIZED was Number 2 on their 5 Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions. Surprised? Probably not.

To help you jump-start your productivity in 2013, CLICK HERE to claim your copy of Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog. Happy eating!

RESOLVING TO GET ORGANIZED

“The biggest reason most people fail is that they try to fix too much at once – join a gym, get out of debt, floss after meals and have thinner thighs in 30 days.” Marilu Henner

Have you already given up on your New Year’s resolutions?

Whether you need to organize your home, your office–or both–here are some ideas to help you succeed. Let’s get started and turn over another leaf!

Planning

“Most of us start out with a positive attitude and a plan to do our best.” Marilu Henner

Set aside some time to think about what you want to organize. Make yourself a cup of your favourite hot drink. Grab a pen and some paper. Did you know that if you write down your goals, you are more likely to achieve them?

It’s the start of a new year. Dream BIG—even if you think it’s unattainable. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you break a big dream down into small projects.

Create a Master List

Go through your house thinking about one room at a time. Take photos of each room; decorators say you’re able to view it more objectively. Determine what functions each room has to fulfill. If the room has to perform multiple functions, create a different zone for each activity.

Your master list should contain all of the projects that you want to complete. Estimate how long you think each project will take. Be realistic.

The next step is to prioritize your list, and determine which room you will work on first. It’s best to start with the room that causes you the most stress.

Scheduling

When you schedule organizing sessions in your planner or calendar, you’re making a commitment to do the required work.

You may not be able to complete a room all at once. If necessary, divide it into sections, and work on one section at a time. If you only have one hour, pick a project from your list that you can complete in that time period.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to do all the work yourself. If you want to organize a number of areas, schedule a family meeting. Involving the whole family in the process can teach them valuable life-long skills. Just remember that children can’t stay focused as long as an adult. Try to make it fun!

It’s also a good idea to schedule a snack break; prepare snacks ahead of time. Plan ahead–when cooking, double a recipe and freeze one batch. At the end of the day when you’re tired, you’ll have an easy meal!

Supplies

Stock up–garbage bags, recycle bin, empty boxes, cleaning supplies, rubber gloves, etc. Label boxes—Keep, Sell and Donate.

Use storage containers that you already own—the ones you emptied when you decluttered. For some items, you may need to purge before you can determine what type of containers you need.

Getting Started

“. . . don’t let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started.” Marilu Henner

Harold Taylor, a leading Canadian time management expert, tells us studies have found that you’ll accomplish more if you focus on one task at a time.

Gather together everything you want to store in an area before you start organizing that space. Start by grouping similar items together, so it’s easier to make a decision about what to keep. Place items that belong elsewhere in a box just outside the room. It’s easy to become distracted if you leave the room.

Resist the urge to tell yourself, “I may need it someday.” Remember to REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE.

Take a break–set a timer–to keep up your energy level. This is especially important when working with children.

Storage

Similar items should be stored together and as close as possible to where they are used. An item is more likely to be put back if its home is close at hand.

Clear storage containers should be used as much as possible, so you can see what is inside. Be sure to label all containers.

Maintenance

Maintaining your organized space will require some effort from everyone. Make tidying up part of your children’s chores. Schedule a daily or weekly clean-up time, so things don’t get out of control. If you find something isn’t working, don’t give up. Schedule a family meeting; a small change may be all that’s required.

Rewards

When you’re done, don’t forget to reward your children and yourself for all your hard work!

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Emotional Wisdom…by Susan Holm

Posted on: December 27th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

Recognize your Emotional Wisdom

When you experience uncomfortable feelings like unrest, sadness, irritation or unhappiness, don’t be so quick to label them as bad feelings. Your feelings are genuine, and signs that something is stirring inside of you.

Our feelings direct us and shield us from harm. They help us know what is going on inside and around us. They are our teachers. Don’t judge your feelings but follow their direction to reveal the underlying issue, so you can move forward to a resolution.

Recovering your Emotional Wisdom

This month really listen to your emotions. When you repress your emotions, you are working against them.

But if you embrace your emotions, you work with them, so they can heal and provide protection as they were meant to do. Remember that emotional well-being is directly related to your physical and mental well-being. Don’t permit your feelings to drag you down. Acknowledge them, let them go, and then take action. Remember, responding in this way is not only a step toward creating a happier life, but you will also be moving toward living in an emotional state that supports good health. Every thought we have has a powerful effect on the body.

It’s important to be aware of the amount of emotional stress that you are attempting to cope with in life. Take some time to think about your life, and how you respond to external influences. Identify the specific emotional stressors that you are dealing with. Ask yourself the following questions. Your answers will go a long way in helping you reduce your stress load.

Do you enjoy your work/co-workers? Do you feel secure in your employment?

Are you in a supportive family/home environment? Do you have occasions to express and receive love?

Do you trust that you will always have enough of what you need? Do you have sufficient creative expression?

Does your environment feel like a sanctuary, without clutter?

Do you make time for relaxation during the course of your day? Do you enjoy deep restful sleep?

Do you take days off? Do you go on vacation?

Are your relationships harmonious? Are you involved in community activities (spiritual, sociable, professional, volunteer)?

Are you without any significant health challenges?

Have you accomplished a notable personal achievement in the past six months?

If the majority of your answers are YES, you have created a life that supports you emotionally. If you notice that you have more NO answers, take some time to evaluate how you can improve the quality of your life experience.

To begin, acknowledge and embrace your emotions, so that you can uncover their cause and work towards a resolution.

MY ACTION CHOICES AND RESOLUTIONS TO RECOVER A SENSE OF EMOTIONAL WISDOM:

To begin recovering a sense of emotional wisdom, I will:

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Suggestions to Help You Recover Your Emotional Wisdom

There are different things you can do in everyday life to ensure you remain in touch with your emotions. Consider the following:

Breathe slowly and deeply.

Rejuvenate with a nature break.

Let your media influences be uplifting and positive.

Get plenty of good sleep.

Make a commitment to regular stretches.

Write in your morning pages.

Schedule your artist dates.

Cultivate a spirit of gratitude.

Practice patience.

Emotional Wisdom Activities

Don’t let the winter weather get you down. Participate in some type of activity to keep your emotions positive and inspiring!

Indulge in a warm bath.

Take up Nordic Pole Walking.

Go see funny movies.

Play some of your favourite songs while making a lovely dinner.

Strap on your skates and skate on an outdoor rink.

Curl up with a copy of your long-lost favourite book and read a few chapters with a cup of tea.

A Little Inspiration

Stop resisting your feelings, so you can see what they offer you: a sense of wisdom, and a chance for nourishment and growth.

Susan Holm, Naturotherapist, and Owner of Natural Health Care Centre, provides therapies facilitating optimum wellness. These natural therapies provide relief from painful symptoms, correct the cause to help you live healthy, think healthy and stay healthy. Click here to learn more about how Susan can help you live your best life.

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Check Out These Smart Websites!

Posted on: December 24th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments


Create your own holiday checklist!

Is there a particular checklist you’d like to see? Please send us a note with your request.

We’ll get to work, so that you can get checking!

Check Out This Website!

Be a smart consumer! Get recalls and safety alerts on health and consumer products, food and vehicles. Check out this important website.

Here’s a fun website to check out! If you’re in charge of organizing a Secret Santa gift exchange, you may find this website useful.

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Committing Your Dreams to Paper…and Beyond!

Posted on: December 20th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

“Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time, to figure out whether you like it or not.”
   –  Virgil Garnett Thomson

Is there one improvement—even a small one–to help your business run more efficiently or effectively? If you have an Oprah Aha! moment (“a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension”), make note of it, so you can take action in the New Year. Once you commit your brilliant idea to paper, your brain will begin to percolate some next steps.

When you see friends, don’t be afraid to verbalize your ideas or share your hopes and dreams. Your holiday cocktail conversations will be more stimulating! Good friends will support you and tell you that you’re not crazy. They may even hold you accountable, but don’t let that scare you. It will keep you moving forward and help you take the next step–whether it’s big or small.

So start thinking about what you need or want to accomplish in 2013!

DON’T FORGET!

If you use a paper planner or family calendar, remember to pick up a new one for 2013. Mark down new appointments now, so they’re not forgotten.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST!

It’s OK to say NO to a request–especially during the holidays–if you’re already too busy. And DON”T FEEL GUILTY

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A Word of Wisdom from Richard Bach

Posted on: December 18th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

“The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is the way one uses them.”                                                                – Richard Bach

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Ideas for Clutter-free Gift Giving This Year!

Posted on: December 13th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

The holidays are here, and the big day(s) is(are) edging closer and closer. If you want your preparations to run smoothly, your objective should be to accomplish the priorities on your list. Don’t let your perfectionist tendencies keep you from completing your tasks. There’s no reason why that can’t happen.

So let’s get started and turn over another leaf!

CLUTTER-FREE GIFT GIVING

“The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value.” Charles Dudley Warner

We have become a country (along with our neighbours to the south) that likes to accumulate stuff. Why is there such a high value placed on having so many possessions? Are you trying to keep up with the Joneses? Are you drowning in debt in order to do so? This compulsion to accumulate causes clutter.

Getting Started

One of the first steps in dealing with clutter is to reduce it. Think Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Given the state of our economy, many people are out of work. The holidays aren’t supposed to be about who spends the most money.

Family Traditions

Schedule a family meeting, and review your family traditions. Consider eliminating the least favourite. You don’t have to do something just because you feel it is expected. It might not be as important to others as you think.

Gift Giving

When you give a gift, give it without any strings attached. If you are concerned that the gift may need to be exchanged or returned, include a gift receipt.

Regifting

The decision whether or not to regift is a personal one. If you decide to regift, the item should be in mint condition. Make sure you aren’t returning the gift to the person who gave it to you.

Gift Ideas

Ask for suggestions. Don’t assume everyone likes what you like. Listen carefully to people; they often give you ideas without even realizing it. Jot down ideas as you think of them.

Be creative. A membership for car services can be appreciated at any time of the year—whether someone’s stuck in a snow bank or has a flat tire. A magazine subscription—decorating, crafts, health or sports—can be a thoughtful gift. Tickets to a play or concert are also another idea.

Give gifts that are kind to the environment. Check out the many church bazaars and shows which showcase talented local artisans.

Gift Cards

Give a gift card to a person’s favourite store. A gift certificate to treat themselves for lunch or dinner at their favourite place will always be appreciated. For someone who loves gardening, a gift certificate to a nursery makes a great gift.

Make your own gift certificates—several hours of babysitting for a friend, a home-cooked dinner, shovelling snow for a neighbour, etc. Let your children have some fun suggesting ideas and creating the gift certificates.

Homemade Gifts

Homemade baking, jams, soup, pickles or canning wrapped in a festive tea towel, basket or cookie container are always appreciated–particularly by someone who doesn’t bake or can.

Organize a cookie exchange. If you have a friend who loves to bake, ask her if she’ll bake for you in exchange for wrapping gifts or another task.

If you knit, scarves, hats and mittens in a person’s favourite colour will be appreciated on a cold wintery day.

Services

Give a gift of your time. Running errands for a friend or having afternoon tea with a senior are just a couple of ideas.

Donations

For those people who have everything, make a donation to their favourite charity. Make a donation to your local Community Services Christmas Goodwill program in their name. Or give them a card stating that you have purchased an Angel Tree gift, so that a child has a gift to open on Christmas morning.

Instead of another mug for your child’s teacher, ask if you could donate classroom supplies.

Holiday Clothing

When you’re going through your closet deciding what to wear to your holiday get-together, think about donating the outfits you no longer wear.

The Princess Project provides young women who may not have the means to afford a beautiful dress for their graduation or prom. All dresses, accessories and shoes are provided at no cost to these young women. For more information, contact Kelly Steiss.

Make it Meaningful

Make time to volunteer. Involve your children. Whether it’s serving a meal at a soup kitchen, helping at the Food Bank, delivering Christmas hampers or visiting with someone who lives alone, there are numerous ways to get involved in your community. Volunteering is a reward in itself.

The important thing about the holidays is that you allocate some time to do whatever means the most to you.

Remember–clutter-free gift giving can apply to the whole year, not just the holidays.

ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS!

I invite you to share our newsletter with your friends and family. As well, I welcome your feedback and suggestions.

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Plan to Balance Your Holiday Food Intake!

Posted on: November 29th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

JANE’S NUTRITION TIPS — Plan to Balance your Food Intake during the Holidays

For some people, holiday eating means abandoning sensible everyday choices while overeating. You can have the delicious tastes at Christmas time by going for quality and not the quantity of food. These four simple planning tips can help you keep your calories in check over this busy time of year.

Balancing out the Calories for the Holiday Function

Often, clients tell me that they don’t eat all day so they can splurge at the holiday function that evening. Good idea? No!

  • Instead, think about maintaining a balance before, during and after the holidays. Don’t skip meals in anticipation of a feast.
  • Eating breakfast and lunch will ensure that you are not famished when you arrive at the function.
  • If the event starts late, it is wise to have a small snack (e.g., a yogurt with almonds or half a sandwich) in the late afternoon, so you don’t get to the function and start overeating.

Family Dinners

Be mindful of what you are eating and when you are full.

  • Be sure to fill one plate with the most nutritious foods including a variety of colours (green – broccoli, white – potatoes, yellow – peppers, red – tomatoes, etc.).
  • Eat slowly and focus on the task at hand…Eating! This will give the brain time to receive the “full” signal from the stomach and prevent you from overdoing it, but it will also let you savour the flavours (even your mother–in-law’s turkey stuffing…).

Alcoholic Beverages and Desserts

This may add to the festivities, but it also adds a lot of “empty” calories.

  • To reduce alcoholic calories, have a vodka with clubsoda (no calories) or cranberry juice.
  • Have only one glass of a great red wine, and then have sparkling water with lemon for the rest of the event.

As visions of chocolates, sugar cookies and other tasty holiday treats run through your head and onto your hips, remember to enjoy desserts in petite portions.

  • Indulge in a small amount of your favourite, such as homemade shortbread.
  • Snack on high fibre fruit with natural sugars throughout the holidays.

Water and Activity

  • Drink lots of water. It’ll help you feel fuller, so you’re less tempted to fill up on too much food, and you’ll generally feel better for staying hydrated.
  • Make time for staying active. Activity or exercise will help give you more energy, allow you to deal better with the inevitable holiday strain, and help you maintain your weight.

Recipe – These healthy snack bars can be made ahead of time and are a great on-the-go option during some of your busiest days of the year.

Jane Dummer, RD, is a leading dietitian for the Canadian food and nutrition industry and a long-time resident of Waterloo region. Jane offers services for corporations and media, specializing in agri-food, functional foods and workplace nutrition and wellness. Follow Jane on Twitter @janedummer and subscribe to her Grow with Nutrition Blog.

It’s never too late to eat healthy!

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