There is a difference between QUALITY TIME and FOOD TIME with ourselves and loved ones.

We often collapse these two into one. Why is that? Why do we eat foods that we know are not healthy for us? Knowing that we still feel the impulse to do it. Then we feel guilty about it and a vicious cycle continues. It is so deeply ingrained in our psyche. It has become a tradition or memory that we feel emotionally connected to. 

What if it were true when we tap into the origin of 'comfort' foods, we could tap into how to change the patterns that don't serve us? What if this is the way out of old habits with unhealthy comfort foods and into a new and better definition of comfort, and food?

How did the whole thing with family traditions and food start? 

When was the first time you remember you felt connected with your family at the dinner table? 

A Vicious Cycle

I was 5. My mom was cooking cabbage.  I was watching Chip and Dale To The Rescue. Remember...

When was the last time you shared your story in order to inspire and touch someone's heart?  Maybe that isn’t easy because you are still going through it. And, you still choose to share it in hopes of inspiring and motivating others?

I am here to encourage you and say it's time to share your story. Its time to share it in a way you have not done before. And in this journey, the clarity of why we do what we do is born. Consider your life a perfectly written novel and to tell your story from that perspective.

Here is the formula for "The Story of My Life" Novel. 

I invite you to do your own.

Step 1. Take your age. 

Step 2. Divide it by 10. 

Step 3. Multiply by 2. 

As a result, you will have  5 chapters of your life, plus a what’s next chapter. 

Here is my formula:  I'm 44, so each of my chapters are 8.8 years. 

The 1st chapter of my life is through age 9, the next chapter to 18, then 18 to 27, 27 to 36,...

How do I know my purpose? How do I know my true big Why? How do I know what's really true for me? How do I know if my gut is telling me the truth? 

And what if I know my why but how can I find the strength, confidence, and tenacity to keep going and not give up? How do I know I am strong enough?

When I sent you a survey last week asking what's important to you after 40, some of you mentioned finding purpose after becoming an empty nester and during retirement. 

Your answers inspired me to take a deeper look at my own life. And even though I am only 44, I am starting to ponder the same questions.

By the way, these and more topics we will be covering in the upcoming training "Healthy After 40" on March 24th, Friday 10:30am-12pm CST.

We will cover these five points:

1. How to be consistent with healthy habits  
2. Prevention of age-related degeneration
3. How to find purpose as an empty nester or in retirement 
4. Safe exercise for limited ...

Wouldn't It be nice to be energetic and positive most of the time? Wouldn't it be good to wake up in the morning feeling positive?

Instead, we hit the snooze button, maybe thinking about the daunting day ahead of us.

We do this day after day, week after week, month after month, and the years go by. We feel worthless and lacking. We blame ourselves and give up. 

Yet we do want a better, happier life and healthier stronger body.  

So here is our choice: we either keep hitting the snooze button and wishing the day away OR we get up and activate! It's simply our choice. 

So once again, I want to reflect on my personal experience.  When I wake up in the morning on  most days, don’t ask me questions,  don’t talk to me, don’t try to engage me in anything.  I don't wanna talk. I don't wanna smile, I think. I don't wanna be active.  I just want quiet. 

And yet you do know me as a bundle of energy,...

As I was prepping my breakfast (eggs, toast, swiss cheese with beetroot leaves), I contemplated what was important to me. I am, after all, past 40...actually 44. 

So let's talk about what's important for those of us who are over 40, 50, 60, and even wiser. 

I wonder if my thoughts resonate with yours. 

I would like to hear 5 major areas you can think of for a Healthy After 40 topic, which I will be teaching on March 24th, 10:30 AM CT. Click here to let me know.  

When we are over 40, what are our major priorities in life?

I feel at this stage we evaluate what works and what doesn't. We make certain changes to remove stress and unnecessary relationships. We often start new passion businesses or find other ways to take on new challenges or find other ways of adding income or meaning to our lives. We may start looking seriously at opportunities to grow wealth. 

I am sure HEALTH is at or near the top of the priorities list for 40+.

I...

We are buuuusy. Life can become overwhelming. We might be taking care of elderly family members. We meet the needs of our spouses and families. We prioritize our jobs to build wealth and provide for ourselves and others. We do a loooot of things! It feels like juggling 10 balls in one hand. I hear you; I have often felt that too.

I think we all understand that we tend to take care of other people and outside responsibilities before we take care of ourselves. We know that often we simply don't prioritize self-care. We know we are not putting our oxygen masks on first. We know this isn't healthy for us. We feel like we should know and somehow do better!  We know what we SHOULD be doing, don't we? BUT we are just too busy and overwhelmed to make it happen

Do we often feel that if we start with our own self-care first, we are somehow failing others? The emotion comes from the pit of the stomach telling us we must take care of them first.  We blame...

 

"My mood and intention to make healthy choices have changed a great deal…

I choose happiness."

I want to share Susan’s story with you.

Before we met each other,

Susan was having trouble with a lot of pain. She had bad migraines. Susan says: They're pretty much daily and I was really feeling beaten down. I was very depressed and wasn't able to work much. I would eat anything quick and easy, mainly fast-food delivery.

In October 2022, Susan heard me speak at an online meeting. We met one-on-one to get to know each other. Susan was ready to change her health and her mindset. 

She joined the Transformation Club, subscription service for $35 a month, the most basic self-paced level. She needed something inexpensive to get started with. 

Here is how she utilized her Club subscription: 

First, Susan used the Club program to guide her to adopt healthier choices one step at a time. 

Second, she joined our monthly...

The holidays are behind us. I said it last week, but today it's really truly clear and unquestionable. We are definitely looking at what's ahead of us. We need to move forward. We need to get started on those New Year resolutions and goals. We just gotta go.

I am curious.. Where do you find yourself today? 

Are you still feeling like waking up from holidays and taking it slow and easy? Are you still in planning and strategizing mode? 

Maybe you already talking about your goals but have not yet made that first action. Maybe you are talking about it with other people in order to find guidance, support,  or help. You may feel some anxiousness and uncertainty. 

Maybe you went on vacation and just relaxed and enjoyed yourself. :-)

Some of us are already in action! Is that you? You have done your planning and hit the ground running. You are rocking your actions and well on the way to realizing your goals. You are excited for this year....

Holidays behind us.

In my family of origin, we wait for an Old New Year, which is on the January 14th, to undecorate from holidays. If you don't know what Old New Year is, Google it. I think in my culture we allow 2 weeks after January 1 to still be in the holiday spirit because we actually quietly want to not let holiday spirit go. :-)

Honestly, who does want to let holiday cheer go? 

Yesterday I taught the Vision Board Workshop. (Want recording? Join the club and listen to a replay or take a self-paced course here.) It was the last event devoted to holidays. This is it.

 What now? The same old days of grinding life? 

Sometimes our New Year resolutions all of the sudden don't have the same charge of excitement. 

The third week of January may be filled with, "I don't want to’s". We know we have to go back to our busy lives and work. We also know we want  to do the actions we set our commitment towards. We know it all starts...

What is your WHY? 

Without vision people perish.

While listening to our first book club conversation when we shared why we decided to join the club to read "Start with Why", it made me deeply ponder:

What has happened to our Whys?

Are we clear on our vision, mission? Has it reshaped and changed in the last 2-3 years? 

How about several Whys? Personal Why, business Why, Why In the world?

It occurred to me that the last several years have shaped us into a different way of being and living. Learning to be independent thinkers, independent livers, learning new ways of doing our business. 

During early months of Covid, many of us had an opportunity to slow down and focus on ourselves, to focus on self care, on family, to relax and reestablish. That time allowed us to reevaluate, reset, and rearrange priorities.  

And maybe for some of us, taking care of families and having indoor time took our self-care attention into a direction away from...