In this video I talk about our beliefs and the power they have to influence our behaviors. I also touch on the ideas of limiting beliefs and driving beliefs, that is beliefs which may be limiting us from having or experiencing all we can, and beliefs that drive, therefore explain, certain behaviors we engage in or actions we take that may bring us closer to or move us further away from our goals, often without our even being aware of it.

Feel free to share any of your limiting or driving beliefs from one or more of of the seven areas of life we’ve talked about before (beliefs around Money, Time, Relationships, Health, Emotions, Work or Career, and Spirituality or Greater Contribution) and we can explore this in more depth in another update, OK?

I need ipod workout music ideas for my ipod.

And I thought maybe you can tell me about some of your best picks?

My same old same old is getting boring.

80′s, 90′s, top 40 anything.

Have fun with it and we can all get exposed to some new music.

So, I’m eager to hear your suggestions?

Ciao!

Taylor

Hi,

We’ve talked before about how important it is to boost your energy. Not just the spiritual kind of energy (that’s important too), but good old-fashioned physical energy. If you don’t have physical energy, it’s like tying your own hands – and a way to guarantee yourself bad moods, negativity, and a cynical outlook.

With physical energy, you become a warrior for our own cause. Your thinking stays sharp, you are able to be objective and stay positive in the face of challenges. When you fill up on good foods, you hunger for life.

Not all food is created equal. Some have spectacular results. These are the Superfoods, and include some of nature’s superheroes (like garlic, one of the most powerful antibiotics on the planet).

There are hundreds of superfoods, but after my experience with this season’s little agent of change, let’s talk about a subset of these foods… Superfruits!

Fruit is basically a powerhouse of nourishment. It is the thing a plant uses to feed the seed inside it when it falls from the tree. That seed is not yet able to grow roots and leaves of its own – and as fruit breaks down, it releases everything that a seed needs to flourish in its first weeks of life. Imagine how powerful that fruit needs to be to kick-start a whole new tree. And you can eat that power.

There are some fruits that are even more powerful than others. These go above and beyond the normal selection of apples and bananas (although these are great too). Here are a few of my favourites:

Blueberries
Loads of nutrients and a sweet (or tangy) flavor, and yet low in calories. A multivitamin in a delicious package.

Blueberries are packed with everything you need to fight off aging. We’ve all heard of antioxidants, but if you don’t know what that means, think of these two every day examples, like when metal rusts (oxidation of iron), or how a bitten apple browns when you expose it to air. This is also what happens as we age – our cells rust…

…Your cells get exposed to chemicals called free radicals that chip away at our protective coatings until there’s nothing left. This is where antioxidants come it… antioxidants ‘repaint’ your cells with protective coating. Result: we stay younger and healthier, longer.

Blueberries are said to decrease the chance of cataracts, varicose veins, peptic ulcers, and heart disease. They have also shown promise in protecting against macular degeneration and improving digestion. With a simple blueberry!

Cranberries
You probably know cranberries can reduce the chances of urinary tract infections. However, did you also know that these berries have natural compounds called proanthocyanidins that can “disable” certain harmful bacteria in your body so the bugs don’t stick or spread?

Cranberries too are packed with antioxidants. They are also red. Not just pretty, red is the color of betacarotene, the chemical our body turns into Vitamin A. This vitamin keeps our eyes in top shape, and has been strongly associated with good moods, good physical balance (like standing on one leg) and muscle strength. If you are strong, you stay vibrant, so including cranberries in your daily diet is a simple way to add years to your life.

Golden Berries
These are delicious when they’re fresh or dried. Easy to scoop and eat and also have some nice health benefits. Golden berries are an an amazingly powered superfruit packed with bioflavonoids.

Bioflavonoid are kind of like a vaccine against cancer. They are the bricks that rebuild our cell walls and give the powerhouses inside those cells the fuel they need to keep running smoothly. Countless studies have shown that bioflavonoids possess antiviral, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine and antioxidant activities. Makes me wonder if this superfruit can help any ailment in the body?

Also, name a vitamin, and golden berries probably have it: A, C, B1, B2, B6 and B12, for feelings on well-being, stress-busting and fast healing. Golden berries are great for vegetarians too, as these little babies are 16% protein.

Goji
Goji’s are a little bit like sultanas. This fruit from the eastern world contains carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, fats fiber and nineteen types of amino acids. Most people prefer to eat them mixed with something else – a handful of nuts, in cereal, or with cheese – as they are sweet.

Goji’s have a hundred benefits, but the main ones are their polysaccharides: These feed the sugar needs of your body’s cells, making them rev up to power you through your day (hence its popularity on the sports field). Polysaccharides also encourage quick and strong cell growth, which means they reproduce more often and make stronger copies of themselves. In other words, you stay young longer. More youth means more energy.

Figs
These Mediterranean delights are called Nature’s Meat by vegetarians. They are high in protein, and loaded with potassium. Potassium is ‘brain food,’ and is also a bit of an antidote to sodium, or salt. We all tend to eat too much salt, and potassium balances it out.

Figs are sometimes called the Diabetics Fruit, because they contain properties that increase natural insulin production. This is especially effective for preventing diabetes. Figs are packed with fiber too. Fiber is a weird thing. It has no calories, and yet it makes you feel fuller for longer. A high-fiber diet is almost guaranteed to make you eat less, and still feel the same levels of satiety. And figs taste so good. By the way, did you know that fig leaves are also edible?

Lychee
Lychees aren’t so common in the United States, but they are available everywhere in other Western countries, Europe, and of course Asia. Lychees have been determined to be the second best fruit for polyphenols, which help your heart. They have 15% more polyphenols than grapes and are able to help prevent degenerative diseases including cancer.

When I’m at the fresh market, I pick up a few bunches. Their light, sweet, tart flavor is wonderful by itself, on ice-cream, or in a mixed fruit salad. Lychees are full of antioxidants, and some other things that scientists haven’t really identified yet – they just know that they’re good for us!

Noni and Acai
These are great in smoothies. Both are packed with antioxidants.

I understand Noni is from tree related to the coffee tree. It has a long use as a traditional medicine in Polynesia, Tahiti, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Hawaii. Taken by itself, it’s pretty pungent and bitter so I mix it with another juice or add it to a smoothie.

Acai berries are another one of nature’s heart helpers: they’re loaded with Omega-6 and Omega-9, which are fatty acids that optimize the walls of the heart, lungs and brain. I get it frozen and you can also get it in powder form. Either way, you get plenty of carbohydrates, dietary fiber and protein. Acai also shows promise for preventing cancer development, alleviating menstrual cramps in women and treating various urinary problems.

Well, there you have it.

When looking for energy from your foods, the idea is to get a lot of variety. I know that grocery shopping is easier on automatic pilot – when you get into the rhythm of reaching for four kinds of vegetables and three kinds of fruit.

But when you find out things like how a serving of Omega 3 each day can increase a child’s IQ by up to five points, a teaspoon full of brewer’s yeast taken with a calcium supplement each day increases your metabolism by 15%, and the folic acid in green leafy vegetables decreases behavioral problems, it makes a little extra thought worth it, don’t you think?

What are your favorites?

Ciao!

Taylor

Have you ever felt life dealt you a bad hand? Times when you wondered why it had to be so hard, times when you wished for it to get easier?

Reflecting on those times, it’s a lot clearer now why I felt that way. I was putting my body through a wringer and it was worn out. And actually my mind was too.

If you look back on such occasions, you too might realize why you were having a rough time, why things had a certain rhythm.

And it’s a lot easier now to understand that things would have indeed gotten easier if I had asked myself a better question, one like “How can I give myself the strength to get through this?”

Not surprisingly, the answer often boils down to energy, and finding ways to boost your energy level.

When your body is filled with vibrant energy, it becomes so much easier to breeze through adversity, realize your goals and master the key seven areas of your life.

In fact, your health IS one of the seven key areas of life. A well cared-for body is essential to becoming fulfilled in the other six. Your body really is your temple – it is the place you inhabit every minute of every day. You are worth a clean and well-cared-for environment, aren’t you?

And a healthy body is a powerful friend… It gives you feelings of courage, and physical strength to face challenges. It also gives you more choice, and a calm and positive outlook on situations.

As Lao Tzu said: “We do not see things the way they are. We see things the way we are.”

In other words, when you give your body the tools it needs to think clearly and be lighthearted, we can see being stuck in traffic as a wonderful chance for some ‘me time’ instead of a big hassle. Or the late notice on the phone bill will be seen as a chance to work on our fear of negotiating, instead of reason to panic and lose sleep.

At a certain level, emotions are chemicals that your body produces as responses to situations. These chemicals race through your body and make you feel emotions like joy, sadness or anger.

To me this spells good news because it means you can supply your body with the ingredients it needs to help you feel calmer, happier, more confident. And in most cases it is free, or just a few groceries away.

For example…

Milk contains casein, which is a mood-stabilizer. Did your Mom ever give you a glass of warm milk at bedtime? Without knowing it, she was being a good food scientist. The casein in milk slows the breathing and relaxes your muscles, inducing a sense of contentment – and helps us drift off to sleep. A small piece of cheese can have the same effect.

A twenty or thirty-minute walk, at a good pace, produces endorphins. Endorphins are like a body’s natural ‘joy chemical.’ They literally give you a sort of high, making you feel ten feet tall. One similar kind of natural chemical is phenylethylamine (also known as PEA), which is responsible for those kick-up-your-heels, feeling on-top-of-the-world sensations that love and attraction can bring. And wouldn’t you know PEA is found in chocolate? Goes a long way towards explaining those cravings, doesn’t it?

If you feel like the glass is half empty – drink it. Dehydration can be responsible for feelings of failure, your bad moods, sleepiness, lack of concentration and headaches. Keep in mind that when you take a headache pill, often it’s the water you wash it down with that acts faster than the drug. So why not go ahead and keep a large water bottle near you at all times during the day and make sure it is empty by the afternoon. Little and often is the key.

The “little and often” principle applies to food too. Regular, small intakes of a variety of foods will help you keep your blood sugar stable, which also keeps your moods stable.

And remember variety is important. Thankfully as a child all I knew was a Mediterranean diet. Heaping salads, olive oil, fish, not too much red meat, and loads of fresh vegetables. I’m grateful for these early lessons in healthy eating habits. Today I love other foods too, and I have a deep understanding of how important variety is.

Food science is not as advanced as we think it is. Different foods work together in ways that we know about, but often don’t really understand. We do know that it is good for your body (and your spirit) to regularly try new flavors and experiment with new foods. Isn’t there a saying, “Variety is the spice of life”?

And although the idea of eating healthy and nutrition  is now firmly planted in my psyche, it’s easy to get out of whack. This is where being aware of the signals (see earlier post on warning signs) is helpful, because if you’re feeling sluggish, tired, moody and unmotivated, then maybe it’s time for you to go back to energy basics…

When you feel like the world is ending, it is amazing how something as simple as a quiet space, a good meal, a stretch and a nap can completely alter your perception.

A stretch? Yep, a stretch…

Stretching lets blood flow into cramped muscles, and with blood comes oxygen, sugars, minerals and nutrients. A two-minute stretch of your neck, arms and a couple of leg muscles can be as invigorating as a half hour nap.

Also, remember to breathe. Sounds silly, I know, but think for a minute about how shallow your breathing probably is right now, and how a slumped posture cramps your lungs. A full inhale and exhale should take 10 seconds and push your belly way out. Try it now. Feels better already, doesn’t it?

Energy is the source of life, and fuel for your dreams. So next time you wish for things to get easier, just say “Hold it! How can I give myself the strength to get through this?”

Boost your energy and you give yourself the gift of unlimited potential.

Ciao!

Taylor

Did you know that from the moment sharks are born, they never stop swimming, even when they are asleep?

Okay, sharks may not be the first thing you think of when you are asked about role models. Let’s face it though; sharks have been around much longer than man or any other mammal, maybe as much as 400 million years. To me this says they’re doing something right.

And they never stop moving forward. I think it’s a good metaphor for life: even if you’re only moving forward slowly, it’s vital to always keep moving.

Change doesn’t need to be hard: In fact, it’s better if it’s easy, and pleasurable, don’t you think?

Let’s say you want to lose 100 lbs (I like round numbers!)…

A hundred pounds, phew that’s a lot of hard work. It’s probably going to make you feel miserable for a long time, and I’m guessing you will only feel good about it you’ve lost it all, right?

Wrong!

Put aside the one hundred pounds for a minute…

And let’s dig into something that will help you get there (remember, this is just an example)…

Why not pick up a new recipe – perhaps one that uses ingredients low in saturated fats and is as fast to prepare as ordering takeout? Or maybe ask the person at the deli counter how they make that delicious Tuscan bean salad.

Prepare it, enjoy it, and then CELEBRATE!

…Buy yourself something that you absolutely love, like a brand-new book by your favorite author. Some new clothes. Call your friends and invite them over for drinks. Go completely over the top about how you celebrate achieving this first goal. I’m serious.

Make the change pleasurable.

Reward the good changes that you make.

This reminds me of a while back…

One of my mentors pointed out something to me that was so obvious and yet not so obvious…

What he told me is that if one day you’re making $10 and the next day you make $20, you’ve just doubled how much you make (or if you like percentages, that’s a two hundred percent increase). And no matter how small the amount might seem, you should celebrate.

That kind of got my attention. And even though in his example he used money, you can easily apply this to weight loss, relationships, your career and so on. I wonder if it will make you smile?

…Now back to reaching your goal, “rinse and repeat”… do it again… make another small improvement.

What I’ve just described pretty much sums up “AGAI” – one of my personal philosophies – Always Grow and Improve in the seven key areas of life. Do this and you will get the most juice out of life.

See, a tree doesn’t become 50 feet tall overnight. It works slowly at unfurling the seedling, throwing out some new shoots, beginning to make branches.

And all the while, it is aiming towards the light. It hardly sabotages itself by thinking “I’m too small, weak or dumb to become a tree from only this tiny seed.”

A tree just naturally strives to be as tall and strong as it is meant to be. A tree is always growing growing.

And so must you to live an extraordinary life.

Now I can almost hear you say it is sometimes necessary to take time out for reflection and understanding. And you’re right. The key is after that begin to pick up the pieces and go on with our lives, avoiding letting a pause turn into complacency or defeat.

One way I think of it… is if you are not growing, well, there’s really no other way to say it, you’re dieing. Now I’m not saying get out there and climb the highest mountain or swim the deepest ocean. Perhaps you can take it one step at a time, like biting small chunks out of one area of life each and every day. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day!

So maybe one day you can work on your breathing when find your temper boils up. Perhaps you can give a dirty bathroom a good cleaning every Saturday instead of putting it off until what you really need is a Hazmat team. And smile more often throughout the day saying goodbye to a frown (your mood follows your body). Or stick to the issue in an argument, instead of trying to score points dragging in other problems. And practice saying “no” more often if you are taken advantage of.

Small improvements… yes. And yet you can see how they add up, can’t you?

Imagine 365 improvements at the end of the year across the seven key areas of your life:

Three hundred and sixty five ways that you are growing, becoming even more interesting, and experiencing life at a new level.

Always Grow and Improve.

Ciao!

Taylor

You may have heard of the 7 Areas of Life?

If you’re new to the concept (welcome, by the way) the 7 Areas of Life are:

Money, Time, Relationships, Health, Emotions, Work or Career, and Greater Contribution.

Each of these 7 Areas are like pillars that support your happiness and well-being. When one is weak and crumbles, your well-being caves in.

If you sit back and think about it, you might agree that most of us work on one, two, or at best, three of these pillars, right?

Some pour their heart and soul into their jobs. Ever found yourself concentrating on your career …identifying yourself with your job title or how much you earn, only feeling fulfilled when your work life is going well? …I know I have.

Others focus predominantly on their relationships. For these people, family and friends are the most important of the seven Areas, and they do not feel like a whole person if they’re not always focused putting others first.

By now maybe you can see how you favor one or two Areas the most. And likewise you might just as easily have clear in your mind the Areas you neglect… say maybe your health (when you eat out a lot to save time and energy), your money (when you spend money on things you know you don’t really need) or maybe your relationships (if you get caught up in a rat race of life bound with responsibilities)?

Don’t feel bad about the Areas you neglect, because we all do it. Just promise me you’ll avoid making the mistake of assuming that two or three strong “pillars” will make up for the rest. Because if you do, sooner or later the roof of your inner house will cave in, there is no doubt (I’ve been there and got the t-shirt).

And maybe it already has caved in… Perhaps right now you as you read what I’m saying there’s an uncomfortable sensation in the pit of your stomach – the one that signals now is time to change some things in your life…

…time for your Personal Renaissance.

Remember the Renaissance? It was the complete social and cultural change that took place in Europe from the 14th to the 17th century. The Renaissance was a time of great leaps forward in politics, art and culture. It was also the  time when the Renaissance Man (or Person!) was first recognized as a role model for us all.

Renaissance literally means “rebirth” and a Renaissance Person is someone who is balanced. An “all-rounder” of a person, who is equally devoted to work and relaxation, art and science, discovering and creating, giving and receiving, the outer and inner world.

I bring this up because when you pay more attention to the 7 Areas of Life, you can experience a similar rebirth, as a more complete and happy person – your own 21st Century Personal Renaissance.

And the beauty of it is that you can kick off this process in just seven days.

Really.

Here’s how…

First I’m going to list the 7 Areas in order of importance…

Actually, that’s not quite right. One Area is no more important than another. And to tell you the truth, even that’s not totally accurate. But they do have a logical sequence…

For instance, there’s no point developing your higher mind if you are lethargic and depressed from bad food and lack of exercise.

Okay, so here is your 7 day plan, in sequence…

And by the way, Day 1 is today. Right here, right now, or rather… when you finish reading the exercise.

All right, let’s do this!…

Day 1 – The Physical Self

Your body is your temple. All of the other elements of your life are related, and this includes our physical selves. You only get one body, so let’s give a little something back to it…

Step 1: Drink a glass of water. Most headaches are dehydration, and so are the “afternoon blues.”

Step 2: Stretch your arms above your head and breathe deeply.

Step 3: Walk around the room, taking long strides.

Day 2 – Emotions and Meaning

Everyday we have emotional responses to one thing or another. Some responses are good for us, others are harmful and disruptive. Because there’s a crucial link between your state of mind and your state of health, the key here is to become a master of your emotions…

Step 1: Tell yourself you want to recognize the next time you experience a heightened emotional response (e.g. anger) so that you can identify it.

Step 2: When you recognize you’re having strong emotions and feelings, decide if it is a positive or negative feeling. Your body responds to the way you think and feel. So if you are having a negative emotion, this can have a negative effect on your body.

Step 3: If you are experiencing a negative emotion, give yourself permission to let that feeling go.

Step 4: And now think of something that makes you feel happy or peaceful. There is research that having a positive outlook can improve your quality of life and boost your health.

Day 3 – Relationships

Relationships are made up of a thousand small moments of shared history. They are the things that help us identify our place in our family, our community and our world.

Step 1: Give your partner, spouse, or your best friend a seven-second hug.

Step 2: If you have kids, smile at them every time they walk in the room today.

Step 3: Smile at a stranger, and say good morning if you are feeling really brave!

Day 4 – Time

This is a difficult one for a lot of people, even more challenging than Emotions and Meaning, because we live in a world of “time poor” people and time is now a precious commodity, divided into tenths of seconds, rather than the movement of the sun across the sky.

Step 1: Tell yourself that doing “nothing” is valuable use of your time.

Step 2: Find somewhere quiet and let yourself daydream for a bit. Remember when you were a kid and you would stare happily at the ceiling for hours at a time? During this time, your brain displays some very interesting wave patterns, and it has been shown that kids who are allowed to daydream have higher IQs, are better able to concentrate and have less behavioral problems.

Day 5 – Career/Work

I’m not going to ask you to spend more time at the office! Instead I’m going to ask you to think carefully about whether your job (this extends to homemakers too) is bringing you all the rewards and joy you deserve.

Step 1: Make a small change to your working environment. Sit near a window, or take a 15 minute walk in your lunch break. Say good morning to someone you see all the time but never speak to.

Step 2: Let go of the stress. Breathe deeply and remember that fretting over things that haven’t happened yet will not help you achieve anything more quickly.

Day 6 – Finances

Lots of people are worried about money, especially now.

Money means freedom, and control over your life. Here’s the real rub with this definition of money… we can limit our options if we feel we have to make more more money to have that control, because you can have control over your financial life without needing to earn more – you simply need to look honestly at exactly what you have and what you do now.

Step 1: If you don’t have a budget, or if you don’t stick to one, begin today. Keep a financial diary and jot down everything you spend in a single day.

Step 2: Create a budget that works for YOU. One person I know loves to treat her friends. She can’t help it, she is always picking up the tab for after-work drinks. Yet her budget works! How? She is honest about her habits, and budgets a certain amount of money each week for treating other people. Once she reaches that limit, her weekly generosity is cut off. Simple.

Step 3: Take control of the small expenses: Walk to work, make birthday and holiday cards with your kids, turn off the heat in rooms you aren’t using. It’s not just the money you save that will help here, it’s the return of personal power – you can control your money.

Day 7 – Greater Contribution and Spirituality

This doesn’t necessarily mean religion, although that’s certainly part of it if you go to a place of worship. This is the area of your life that is about enjoying the spiritual rewards of your Personal Renaissance. This is the day when you stop to smell the flowers, to be grateful for the good things in your life, and to celebrate in whatever way is meaningful for you.

Step 1: Before you jump out of bed as soon as you wake up, take five minutes to stretch, wriggle your toes and smile. Even if you need to fake a smile, that’s fine. Endorphins (the feel-good chemicals in the brain) are released every time you smile, even if it is forced. Your body really does want you to be happy!

Step 2: Begin the day thinking about the people closest to you. Really thinking about them: How they feel, how they look, how their life might be right now.

Step 3: No matter how you spend your day, try to collect ten things you appreciate: Mental snapshots of gratitude – like the smell of coffee at your favorite cafe or of flowers in your garden,  a warm shower … or the garbage bin not needing to be emptied! Review these tonight as you go to sleep – instead of worrying about the bad things.

And that’s it.

Seven days and Seven Vital Pillars of Life that bring you closer to your Personal Renaissance. You have the power to be happy and paying attention to all seven pillars of a whole and balanced life will make you happier than you thought possible.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this…

Ciao!

Taylor

P. S. A post or two ago you may have noticed I hinted I’ve got something in store for you. Well, I’m now putting finishing touches on it. So leave the best comment and you’ll get a copy.