Do you have a “Sehnsucht” in this New Year?

by | Jan 7, 2014 | Ezine

“Sehnsucht” is a German word that means “longing” or “yearning.”

Do you have a “Sehnsucht” for something to change or improve in this New Year? If so, what is it? And how will you bring about the change or improvement?

Here are 6 Simple Tips to Pave the Way:

Here are 6 (six) simple tips you can follow to pave the way for that which you long for… the focus of your “sehnsucht”… to bring it into being!

Write it down…

Use a pen or colorful pencil or marker and draw or write it down on paper. Allow your imagination to flow freely and don’t hold yourself back. Capture all the details of what is at the heart of your “sehnsucht” and take this first step in making it real.

Make room… 

When your closet is crammed full of old clothes that don’t fit and you never wear, where can you hang up that nice new outfit you want to buy? You must first make room!

This analogy applies to anything new you want to bring into your life… a new job, new relationship, a move, better performance at work, and so on.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your current commitments, how will you ever do something new? Be honest with yourself and identify what can be let go.

If there’s no physical space in your home or work environment for what you want, then it’s time to declutter and donate (or hand down or recycle or toss out) what is no longer needed.

If someone in your life is draining you, identify why and if you can respectfully ease out of the relationship to release your energy for the new “something” you’re inviting into your life.

What am I personally doing to make room? For the first time ever, I’m doing a mid-winter cleanse that is focused on warm foods and soups. (I usually do a food-based cleanse in April.) I’m also slowly streamlining my household contents (especially old books, toys, unused and unneeded office supplies, ripped/old linens, what’s in the attic, etc) and keeping my schedule as “light” as it can be in January.

Take the first step…

Photograph by Augustus Binu

Photograph by Augustus Binu

Look back at what you drew or wrote down in the first step, then take a deep breath and ask yourself: “What is be the simplest, easiest thing I can do to get started?” Then, do it.

Check-in and Tweak…

Check-in about your progress and adjust if necessary. Did you take that first step? If not, why? What got in the way? How can you take a slightly different approach to make it happen? Who can help you or help hold you accountable? Or, what’s another simple, easy step you can take?
Take the second step…

Photograph by Augustus Binu

Photograph by Augustus Binu

Once you’ve successfully taken that first step, move to the next step.

And repeat…

Check-in and adjust (if necessary), then move forward. Check-in and tweak (if necessary), and move forward again.

What if I feel stuck?

If you’re not sure how to Make Room or Take the First Step, or if you get stuck somewhere along the way before you are able to realize what you desire, then schedule a free 15-minute call with me to talk it through. Schedule Here.  “Erin quickly identified the #1 issue holding me back.”

If you find yourself resisting, ask yourself: Do I really and truly want what I have a “sehnsucht” for? If so, don’t hold back!

Here’s to you making 2014 your Breakthrough Year!

The Gift of the 10 Second Hug

by | Dec 17, 2013 | Ezine

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAs you rush around this holiday season, remember to pause and enjoy being with those you love—friends, family members, even colleagues! Here’s a great way to connect in a wonderful way with yourself and others that only takes ten seconds.

Before beginning, ask someone you care about if you can give him or her a hug. If the response is yes, then follow these steps over ten counts (or ten seconds)…

Counts 1 and 2: As you inhale, wrap your arms around someone you care about.

 

Counts 3 and 4: Exhale deeply, as you relax into his or her arms.

 

Counts 5 and 6: Inhale and quiet your mind to connect all of your awareness to this amazing human being.

 

Counts 7 and 8: Exhale as you say something nice and loving to them to express your appreciation for all they do.

 

Counts 9 and 10: Breathe and enjoy being in the space with him or her.

 

After just ten counts, gracefully release and notice how this brief experience of mindful connection has affected how you feel.

 

And P.S. it is totally okay to stay much, much longer than 10 seconds!

Some of our greatest challenges stem from rushing and expecting ourselves to get too much done in too short a time. We unintentionally make careless errors, fail to absorb critical information the first (or even fourth) time around we hear it, and simply miss out on the joys that come from fully tuning into the numerous dimensions of our human experience.

The more we can find ways to Be Here Now—the 5th of the foundational principles I teach my private clients—the more we can recapture our potential and perform at a higher level in every thing we do.

Enjoy your 10 second hugs and the gifts they bring with them!

Grateful for Simcha – are you?

by | Nov 19, 2013 | Ezine

What is Simcha?

It’s a Hebrew word that means many things, including happiness or joy.

However, it was explained to me last week during a lecture given by Wharton Professor G. Richard Shell about his new book Springboard, that Simcha can mean something much more profound. A rabbi once explained to Richard that Simcha can describe that feeling you sometimes have when you feel like you are in the exact right place doing the exact right thing at the exact right time.

My own personal definition of Simcha?

Something I like to think of as that wonderful, high vibrational humming feeling I get when I’m neither striving nor resisting, and I’m both in my experience yet able to observe it at the same time – the sweet spot of being in the rich flow of life.

I am grateful to know about this word Simcha, just as I am grateful for the experience of Simcha.

What moments of Simcha have you recently experienced in your life?

What are you grateful for?

As we move into next week’s celebration of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, I invite you to pause and consider these two questions:

What moments of Simcha have you recently observed in your life?

What are you grateful for?

If the second foundational principle* I teach my clients holds out in this context, you will experience more Simcha and have more things to be grateful for, simply by pondering these questions and shifting your awareness and attention to them.

Let me know what you discover!

foundational

Erin runs 1st ever 5k trail run!

by | Nov 15, 2013 | Events

It won’t be my first-ever 5k, but it will be my first-ever 5k on trails. Tomorrow, I run the Bucks County 5k starting in Washington Crossing Park in Pennsylvania.

These past 8 weeks, I’ve been training primarily on wooded trails throughout the Wissahickon, here in Philadelphia, with occasional city runs out my door on a mix of concrete pavement and park terrain in my home neighborhood.

Here’s a super short video blog I made about this experience and my realizations that I hope you enjoy:

What’s next? I’ve already downloaded the 10k Runner app and am looking for a good 10k with more interesting and rugged trails to run in early 2014. Any recommendations?

How mindfulness can reduce your overwhelm and anxiety

by | Nov 5, 2013 | Ezine

If you feel at times that your life is spinning out of control and you have too much on your plate, then you absolutely need to read this. Or if you generally feel on top of your responsibilities, but crave more time for yourself and intimacy with loved ones, then you too will benefit from reading about the practice of mindfulness.

The more our lives increase in complexity, the more we need to mindfully practice mindfulness.

But, what the heck does that mean?

The Bottom Line

When you carve out time in your day to pause and breathe and quiet your mind, you earn back the following for yourself:

  1. Almost immediate reduction of your stress level, with a decrease in your heart rate and blood pressure and reduced production of cortisol levels. (Increased cortisol and blood pressure are linked with weight gain, heart disease, adrenal fatigue and other issues you don’t want!)
  2. Calming of that inner anxiety that makes you sweat, wakes you up at night, and causes tension in your muscles. (Wouldn’t it be nice to sleep soundly and move smoothly through your day without moments of sudden panic about your “to do” list?)
  3. Improved cognitive function and better decision-making, with a measurable thickening of brain tissue and acceleration in the firing of the brain. (Clear out the brain fog and boost your short term memory, with faster recall of the info you need now!)
  4. A boost to your joy, your creativity, and your level of patience with challenging situations and people. (No need to get huffy when someone doesn’t understand you! Slow down and connect and be present to see what unfolds in life!)

And much much more.

3 Simple Steps to Mindfulness 

  1. Use a mindfulness app like Zazen to ping you throughout the day to remember to pause, breathe, and check in with yourself: how are you feeling? What do you need? Who can support you? What can you let go of? What are you grateful for?
  2. Check out how Whil can help you with focus, creativity, and breakthrough thinking, by joining this new 1-minute movement started by the founders of Lululemon.  All you need is one minute!
  3. Commit to 5 minutes each day — either upon waking or before bed — to breathe and reflect and let go of your busy monkey mind. My experience is that for each 1 minute you practice quieting your mind, you regain 10 minutes of your life. With these 5 minutes each day, you’ll earn back more than 50 minutes a day, or roughly 304 hours a year of better productivity and a more enjoyable life. That’s 7 or 8 work weeks for most of us! But maybe you’ll use some of that time for vacation.

PLUS 4 FREE Resources

Read chapter 1 in my book Refuel Recharge and Reenergize for free by clicking here. Check out reader reviews of my book on Amazon.com.

Get a taste of the simplicity and mindfulness that weaves its way through my Boost Your Performance program.  Click here to read and listen to free excerpts from this foundational training designed to create more space in your life by simplifying your daily routine, your calendar,  your in box, and your living & working space.

Schedule a free 15-minute call with me to talk about how you can cultivate more mindfulness in your life!

And if you missed my last post with 8 Free Energy Boosting Tips for Thriving (instead of barely surviving), click here.

Here’s to YOU getting out of the overwhelm lane and into the happy groove of conscious working and living,
Erin

P.S. Check out this recent NY Times article on Mindfulness that might interest you.