what causes stress – Page 2

Get what you want…or at least what you need.

I want to inspire you today with two of my favorite music quotes.

“Oh, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.”

-Rolling Stones

Followed by….

“All you need is love, love. Love is all you need’

-Beatles

Take some time today to consider what you have in your life right now. Are you constantly chasing what you want when in actuality you already have everything you need? Embrace the love that exists all around you and allow yourself to feel supported and content. Namaste.

Just add Fun.

The Best Books on Self Help will teach you how to get happy. One way to do this quickly is to add fun!

I was volunteering at my daughters school the other day and in gym class the kids were doing skipping. I was immediately taken back to the asphalt of my elementary school and I vividly remembered skipping my lunch hours and recesses away. The challenges of learning to skip double dutch and doing double- and triple- unders while singing silly rhyming songs had me reminiscing and giggling to myself. And I found myself wanting more of it!

As we age, the pressures of work and family and home life leave little time for fun. But fun is what keeps us going. Fun is what motivates us to hop out of bed in the morning. Creating fun in our lives inspires us, makes us smile, and helps us learn in a positive way. Fun is what it’s all about.

Think back to your days as a child and think about an activity that you really enjoyed, like skipping, softball, hockey or dancing. Remember the fun you had. And start creating some of that fun energy in your life right now!

My birthday is coming soon, and this year I am asking for 2 long skipping ropes and a couple of friends willing to take turns skipping double dutch. I am already imagining the conversations that we can have, and the laughter that will ensue from an afternoon of skipping on a chilly spring day.

Add some fun to your life today. Namaste.

Dream Big and Plan for Reality.

Having dreams and then chasing them is the ultimate feeling. Dreaming big keeps you motivated and forces you to keep going. Visualizing your success is a huge part of getting you there. You have got to see it to believe it and then achieve it.

Until you achieve all your wildest dreams, you do need to plan for what you have right now, and also plan for what you will need in the future. This means having a budget in place to keep you on track. Do you know how much your monthly income is in relation to your monthly expenses? Do you plan to save portions of your money in order to pay for upcoming dreams, like vacations or vehicles? Are you falling short every month and not sure why?

The only way you will be able to realistically achieve your goals is to know what you are starting off with, and then plan for what you need. Implement a personal monthly budget, and then be sure to stick to it. You have got to hold yourself accountable to your budget in order to see the results. Check out the Personal Budget Worksheet available on my website to assist you with this process. Reassess your budget monthly to ensure that you stay on track.

There are always ways to increase income or reduce expenses in order to achieve what you need. Plan for what you want, and then try to be a little patient while the Universe shifts things around to accommodate your wishes. (Patience is something I am still trying to wrap my head around. I want it all and I want it now!)

Make real plans today to achieve your dreams. Reduce stress and build confidence by managing your cash flow. Happy budgeting!

Use the Universe.

Always seek out Books on Motivation to help you with stress. There will be times when you will feel overwhelmed, and you may wonder how you are possibly going to accomplish everything that you want to accomplish in your life, or even in your day. When you feel this way, you need to know that you are not alone in achieving your dreams. The Universe is waiting to help you, but it needs you to provide guidance. You need to be true to yourself about your dreams, and about the results you want to see in your life. Keep a journal and consistently write things down. This is one way to connect with the Universe about your desires and feelings. Writing things down solidifies them in your own mind, and gets you working on things at a subconscious level. It’s like taking action in your sleep! You will be amazed at what the Universe will do for you when you are willing to put yourself out there. Opportunities will start showing up from every angle, and you will find yourself spending time assessing these opportunities instead of worrying about how you are going to get it all done.

And when opportunities are presented to you, be sure to say thank you to the Universe in whatever way feels good to you. Giving thanks, and appreciating the small things that happen, will ensure that more is sent your way. So chase all your dreams, even if they seem scary and unachievable. You don’t have to do it alone. Namaste.

Take some time.

My daily inspiration this morning came from my tea cup, which read “take some time”. I have included a picture of it here! For me, taking some time means giving myself some time, even if it is 5 minutes. I plan to do just that today. I will do yoga by the pool, even if it is just for 5 minutes. You cannot make more time, but you can take more time. Use your time wisely, and add value to your day and to yourself by taking some for you. Enjoying 5 minutes sitting with your eyes closed and focusing on your breathing can reconnect you with the Universe and with yourself and you will be amazed how great you will feel after just 5 minutes. Set a timer if you need to, but take that time for you today. Namaste.

Inspiration is Everywhere!

This morning when I went to make coffee, I noticed a little saying on the tray where the coffee was stored. It said “Enjoy your life”. Funny, I have made coffee everyday for 5 days, and yet today is the first day that I actually noticed this little message. I guess I needed a little inspiration today.

My 3 beautiful children were up at 5:30 this morning (and we are on vacation!), and the sun had not even peaked up out of the ocean. Good thing I went to bed early last night. But really Tina, come on. You are on vacation, you have 3 lovely, healthy girls, and you got to watch the sun rise over the ocean blue this morning. Enjoy your life! Because it is truly amazing, and everyone needs a little reminder of that sometimes.

Inspiration is everywhere in your life, but you have to be looking for it and you need to be perceptive enough to see it and understand it! Enjoy every moment of every day, no matter what gets thrown at you. Smile and breathe. Relax and don’t worry. Keep your eyes open… the Universe is waiting to inspire you!

Cooincidence?

I am required to volunteer once a month at my daughters preschool, which I love. If I cannot do my scheduled shift, it is my responsibility to find someone to switch with me. Recently, I needed to swap a shift in February. I have a class list at home, but I was pressed for time and wanted to take some action right away. There is a communication book that the parents write in if they need to communicate with the teachers, so I thought I would just write it in there and hope that one of the moms would be able to cover it off, and that they would chance to look at the book (most of us only ever look at it if need to write something in it, never otherwise).

A few days later, one of the moms came up to me and said, “Hey. I was wondering if you would be able to swap volunteer days with me…I am not able to make it on my scheduled day”.

She had not even seen the note in the book, and she did not know that I was looking for someone to swap with also. Ha ha! Thank you Universe!

We ended up swapping out days, and both of us walked away happy and knowing that a piece of our lives had just been handled. Oh yeah.

And all I had to do was write it down. I put it out there to the Universe, and then just went with the flow.

Start questioning the cooincidences that happen in your life, and try to track what you did to make that happen. When things work, keep doing them. You are in control. Namaste.

Balance.

Not too much. Not too little. Start getting things “just right” in your life by balancing, and prioritizing.

Been spending a lot of time at work? No worry’s. Just make sure you take some extra time to relax, have fun, and spend time with your family and friends. Been having too much fun lately? That’s ok too, but you still have to make up the time that you missed from the other things that require effort in your life. You can’t just slack off or you will not get the results you want in your life. Ensure that you have a healthy balance, and you will never feel ripped off when you have to put extra effort into other things in your life temporarily. Namaste.

Happy Monday!

When life dumps on snow, make snowmen, snow forts, and snow angels. Try out snow shoes, go skating, skiing or snowboarding. Don’t have snow where you live? We have lots here to share! Canadian living at its finest! Have a great Monday. Namaste.

A thought on Christmas.

Christmas is the time of year that everyone starts feeling overwhelmed and stressed out! Cookies to bake, cards to send, houses to decorate, shopping, parties, kids concerts….Whew! I am exhausted just thinking about it! My advice today is to stop! Christmas is being marketed to you as a consumer, and you do not have to buy into it! If you can do all of the things you feel you have to for Christmas, without feeling stressed, perfect. But if you are already anxious about it, let it go. Christmas will come and go whether you get everything you feel pressured to get done or not. And why not rethink Christmas? For me, the best part about Christmas is that my husband gets a week off because his work closes. And our kids are also off school. So, we get a whole week to spend together as a family. Our focus is on sharing this time with our family, eating, drinking and being merry! Let the stress of Christmas go, and just enjoy it. No one is judging you on your efforts this Christmas, so put some focus back on your family and friends. Namaste.