A safe harbor where beliefs are respected and kindness prevails.

Living A Life Of Health & Wellness

by

95096361-2What does it mean to live a life of health and wellness? To live each and everyday making the best choices you can?

Health and wellness is a lifestyle. It’s how you feel about yourself. It’s about who you know yourself to be. It is loving yourself enough to take care of yourself spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Most of the time we just move through our days without much intention of taking care of ourselves. It is as if we were taught there is no need to pay attention to our bodies, no need to concern ourselves with our thoughts, no need to develop a deep relationship with our higher self.

Yet this is exactly what we should be taught. We are born with an innate knowing of the grandeur of life. The possibilities before us are endless when we are young. We believe we can be, do, and have anything we desire in life. This is what many have let go of due to a lack of faith in themselves.

I want you to rekindle this faith in yourself. I want you to remember how amazing you are.

I want you to treat yourself as you would your own child. You would protect and watch out for your child. You would shield your child from negative situations and thoughts that would diminish their self-belief. You would feed your child nourishing food. You would encourage your child to be brave even in moments of fear and sadness. You would encourage your child to reach beyond what they feel is possible.

You would do this because you see in your child the potential that lies within, even though they do not. You see how amazing and special they are. You know that if they just apply themselves to creating what they desire the will succeed. You see this all laid out before them as if it were already complete.

Now I want you to see this in yourself, because it is true. You must look upon yourself as this amazing being who if only applies themself to creating what they desire with bravery even in the moments of fear, will manifest their desires. Your path of happiness, health and wellness is already laid out before you. All that is required is the bravery, and boldness to know you will create it.

You are meant to be full of life, full of happiness, full of health and full of wellness. It is our birthright.

So as we progress through this and every year ahead, let us remember this birthright, and begin to bring health and wellness back into our lives.

It is my pleasure to share with you all that is needed to create health, happiness and wellness on a day-to-day basis.

I will give you clear understandable and simple steps that you can apply in your life, and in doing so you will begin to change your life for the better.

I wish for all of you Vibrant Health!

Want to work with David?  Want to know more about David’s lifestyle?

 

Soulcial Living – 56 acts of Loving Kindness

by

Fotolia_54607324_Subscription_XXLAnd so the time has come to share my last 14 suggestions for “Soulcial Living”. Since January 9, 2014 I have offered you over 56 ways to practice, including the suggestions below.  That equals at least one kind gesture a week every day of the year.

In ‘Loving kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness’ Sharon Salzberg says:

“The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention.” 

This is the secret to Soulcial Living – what we focus on multiples; simple yet true.

Begin this practice by bringing more loving kindness into your life.  Incorporate gestures of love, kindness and simplicity into your everyday existence.  Here are 14 additional tips to guide you:

  1. Let someone into traffic who looks like they are in a rush
  2. Start a campaign to help an individual or a group.
  3. Plant a tree or flowers in a neglected area in your neighborhood
  4. Let a debt go that someone owes you, whether monetarily or otherwise
  5. Give up your seat on a train or bus
  6. Tell a service providers manager what a great job they did
  7. Donate your long hair to Locks of Love
  8. Write a referral for someone
  9. Send thoughts of compassion to someone you dislike or feel uncomfortable
  10. Make homemade treats for your co-workers
  11. Send your favorite inspirational book to someone who is down
  12. Use less energy in your home and office (kindness for the planet)
  13. Stick up for someone who has been treated wrongly or unjustly
  14. Radiate loving kindness to the planet

 And ONE MORE

 15.Be gentle with yourself

Everything begins with YOU!

Moving Past Self-Sabotage

by

Fotolia_48229032_Subscription_Monthly_M-1Julie wrestled with canceling her personal discovery session. The mental commentary in her brain went something like this: ‘I don’t really need support. It’s probably best that I work through this on my own. I can manage my life with asking for help’.The truth is, Julie was deeply anxious about sharing her private story and struggles with a stranger.

When she registered for her appointment, she clearly stated that she was struggling to find meaning and purpose in her personal and professional life. She hoped to receive support from someone, who’s lived through the ‘how low can you go’ limbo and the uncertainty that shows up during the first stage of a life-altering transformation.

This self-sabotage scenario happens a lot in the counseling and coaching world. It’s perfectly natural to get cold feet and want to bail on a first session. Anxiety makes an entrance when we choose to step outside of our comfort zone. Frankly, anybody who wants to change, grow and transform their life is going to feel a bit apprehensive at first. I often hear, “I almost cancelled our call today,” from my new coaching clients.

Here are some examples of the self-sabotage pre-call thought process:

‘If I cancel now there is no harm since I don’t have an established relationship with this person.‘ ‘If I run now, I don’t have to face what I’m up against.’

‘What was I thinking? I’m FINE. I don’t need any support.’

‘I can’t make this kind of personal investment in myself right now.’

If you choose to reach out to a coach, counselor or mentor for accountability, an unbiased opinion, or simply to be heard; your soul is nudging you to get some perspective from a professional who is trained to support you. There is a reason you were attracted to their work and scheduled an appointment. Asking for support does not make you weak.

You owe it yourself to follow through on your original instincts and show up for your appointment. If you don’t click with the person, you never have to talk with them again. If you come away feeling supported, recharged and hopeful about the days ahead, you’ve found a good match. New clients regularly tell me how happy they are that they didn’t bail on our call after our first session.

I recommend the following steps if you think you may be ready to work with a mentor, life coach or counselor.

  1. Get clear about what you wish to change in your life.
  2. Find an expert who resonates with you and read client testimonials.
  3. Ask for a referral from a trusted friend or family member.
  4. Reach out to two or three professionals for a low-cost, or free discovery session to see if you are a good energetic match.

Julie did follow through on her discovery session after canceling the first appointment. I’m happy to report that she has moved beyond the discomfort of the first stage of transition and is loving herself up with lots of compassionate self-care before moving into the exploration stage of her new life.

If you are in the throes of what feels like a significant life-changing transition, have the courage to ask for help. Then show up and see what unfolds for you! You’ll be glad you did.

What are you assuming?

by

Fotolia_55005268_Subscription_LSo often I hear a client say that someone in their life expects them to screw up, to fail, or to be a disappointment.  How discouraging is that?  Do you feel like no matter what you do someone who is important to you automatically assumes the worst?

What ensures however is even more enlightening.   As the conversation goes on it’s filled with the same “self talk.”  Negative and defeatist but even more telling is that they are also assuming the worst about the others in their own life.  It’s that vicious circle that undermines not only the person’s growth but also every relationship they have.

I understand what it feels like to be treated as less than.   Less capable, less valuable, less, less, less.  It just makes us feel like we can’t achieve our goals, find a loving relationship, the ideal job or be able to buy that home.  When we feel that miserable it is reflected in our thoughts and conversations with and about others.  In other words we’re paying our misery forward.

While ideally we’d like the other person to be more encouraging and supportive… they may be wishing we were.  As long as no one takes the initiative we stay stuck in this Catch 22.  We can’t control the behavior of anyone else but we can change our own.  We can also start with being more loving to ourselves.

Throughout the day pay attention to your thoughts.  Are you thinking the worst… or at least something less than the best?  When you catch yourself doing so, stop, then say to yourself, “That thought isn’t working for me.” Now shift to a more encouraging thought. Here are a couple of examples:

  • Shift “I’m always going to be overweight. I have no willpower” to “I’m not in the physical condition that I want to be however I can choose today to: (Fill in the blank)  drink more water, eat a salad, take a walk.”
  • Instead of saying “I’m never going to find my soul mate” choose to say “I will open my heart to attract the perfect partner for me.”
  • Take “I can’t afford to go out with all my friends” and turn it into “I am choosing to have friends over for a potluck or BYOB.”

Each shift makes you feel better about yourself and your life.  Resolve to shift your negative thoughts about yourself as often as you can.  Make a game out of it and start to laugh at your former negativity.  Notice how much better you feel.  Now that you’re practicing so well with your own life choose to do the same for your thoughts about others.  Before long you’ll notice how your energy rises and the change in those around you.  It all starts with you.

Feedback