Creating Change
6 ways to embrace postive change in your life
The only thing constant about life is constant change. Those who embrace change grow. Those who run from change stay in the same place. I am sure going to a high school reunion will prove my point.
The last reunion I went to was a real eye opener for me. I went to a small high school outside of Boulder, Colorado called Niwot. It was named after an Arapaho Chief. Niwot means left handed. After years of struggle and starvation he and his people were mercilessly gunned down outside of Denver; in what has become to be known as the Sand Creek Massacre. Fortunately the population that inhabits the Boulder Denver area has embraced change and no longer engages in this type of activity.
Back to my reunion. All the people that were considered the un-cool crowd had all blossomed into amazing creatures for the most part. And the people that were the most popular seemed to be the ones that never left Niwot and hung onto their past. Maybe because they felt their best days were behind them. I am here to tell you that your best days are right now and if you embrace change the days ahead will simply get better and better.
Think of yourself as being in a Chrysalis which you came into as a caterpillar and you are emerging like a butterfly.
Here are a few tips that might help you embrace change and emerge a little bit easier.
Recognize That Change is Valuable
Without change a caterpillar would not become a butterfly or a tadpole a frog. Change is the natural progression of life. To stifle change stifles growth. Recognize that change creates a value in things that only change can.
Create a New Set of Goals
A great sage once said “a goal not written down is simply a good intention”. Isn’t there some road that was actually paved with good intentions? All kidding aside, you will not move toward change without a map. And your map is your action plan to make change. Think about change and write down. Decide what you want the outcome to be and how you plan on getting there. Think it and then ink it.
Reframe Negative Experiences
I talked with my dad’s partner yesterday about a project they were working on. His nick name, ironically, is “happy”. He managed to complain during our entire one-sided conversation. He complained about the million dollars he just made on the project. I said “that sure beats a sharp stick in the eye” he said “well, I guess that depends on how you look at it”. He’s right about that at least. Is the cup half full or half empty? Make lemons into lemonade. Life is what you make it and how you make it depends on how you frame your experiences. Change can either be looked at as negative in which case it will be or you can reframe the experience into a “learning or growing” experience that has made you a better person.
Letting Go of Your Desire to Control
That fact is we really control very little. And once we recognize this we can let the universe take over and except the natural course of life. There is one thing we do control and that is the way we perceive change. See Reframing.
Embrace Endings and New Beginnings
Al things come to an end; movies, relationships and even life. By recognizing that nothing is permanent and all things change and eventually come to an end we can start to embrace the new beginnings that endings create. Just like the caterpillar whose existence ends and is born again as a butterfly we too have many endings and beginnings in our lives. We once were children who passed which gave birth to our adult lives. We can not stay children forever and we can not stay stuck in old patterns that need to die in order to spawn new chapters in the story of our lives.
Have a Sense of Humor and Laugh it off
Accept change with a sense of humor and add a little laughter. Studies have shown that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being. In your efforts to embrace change use a little laughter to wash away the pain and make your new adventure come with ease.
Have an excellent day.
Thom King
President
thom.king@steviva.com
Steviva Brands, Inc.
YOUR MIND
Don't Believe In Miracle, Depend on Them
Max Steingart
You don't need an explanation for everything.
Recognize that there are such things as miracles,
events for which there are no explanations.
Later, knowledge may explain those events quite easily.
The fact that you can plant a seed and it becomes a flower,
share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's,
smile at someone and receive a smile in return are common miracles.
Your duty to yourself is to believe
that for which you have sufficient evidence,
and to suspend your judgment when you have not.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Some things have to be believed to be seen.
Vision is the art of seeing invisible things.
YOUR BODY
Watching Your Calories - How Low is Too Low?
You may have wondered how few calories you can consume without sending your body into starvation mode, the survival mechanism that slows down your metabolism to conserve energy. The answer is unique for each person, but there are a few guidelines.
The American Dietetic Association, The Obesity Society, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute all recommend a maximum daily calorie deficit of 500-1000 calories. However, women should consume no fewer than 1000-1200 calories a day, and men no fewer than 1200-1600, without medical supervision.
What is a daily calorie deficit? If you burn 3000 calories a day but consume only 2500, your daily calorie deficit will be 500 calories. That equates to weight loss of about one pound per week, and a daily calorie deficit of 1000 calories equates to weight loss of about two pounds per week.
If you find that you stop losing weight, it may be that you are trying to lose weight too quickly. Try increasing your calorie intake by 100-150 calories a day. Adding a healthy snack like a piece of fruit should do the trick and get you back to losing weight again.
Before restricting your calorie intake, you should talk with your health-care provider. You may also want to seek the guidance of a registered dietitian who specializes in weight reduction.
YOUR SPIRIT
Calm The Mind
"All man's miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone."
-- Blaise Pascal
Meditation calms our minds and makes it easier for us to pay attention to the reality around and within us. Meditation breaks through the masks that have built up as our identity. It helps us see through our defences and connect with unacknowledged and unloved aspects of ourselves. It opens us to higher mind and the voice of intuition.
We can consciously choose meditation as a way to become more aware of who we truly are. If we don’t take the initiative to open to our authentic selves, we can be certain that deep challenge and pain from life experience will push us to awaken.
"Meditation helps me feel the shape, the texture of my inner life. Here, in the quiet, I can begin to taste what Buddhists would call my true nature, what Jews call the still, small voice, what Christians call the holy spirit."
-- Wayne Muller
"In a world filled with noise, we need to quiet ourselves to hear God’s voice."
--Paul Borthwick
YOUR RECIPE
All Natural Sugar Free Tropical Raspberry Smoothie
(makes 4 servings)
Skill Level: Easy
Coconut milk adds an exotic twist to this refreshing morning shake. Be sure not to confuse sweetened “cream of coconut” with unsweetened coconut milk.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
4 ounces (scant 1/2 cup) silken tofu
1/2 cup fresh raspberries, plus more for garnish
4 tb sp Steviva Brand Stevia Blend or 1/2 cup of applesauce with a very small dash (1/16 tsp) of Steviva Brand Stevia Powder
1 to 2 drops coconut extract, to taste
3 ice cubes
Whipped cream, for garnish
Directions:
1. Combine coconut milk, tofu, 1/2 cup raspberries, Steviva Brand Stevia Blend or the apple sauce Steviva Brand Stevia Powder blend and coconut extract in a blender; blend until smooth. (If you want to remove the seeds, you can strain the mixture through a sieve, then return it to the blender).
2. With the machine running, add the ice cubes, one at a time, and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass, and garnish with whipped cream and raspberries, if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Facts Per Serving:
Serving Size: 6 Ounces
96 calories
8 g protein
3 g total fat (0.9 g saturated fat)
7.2 g carbohydrate
5.1 g dietary fiber
1.5 mg cholesterol
3 mg sodium
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