The Evidence Journal – A Valuable Life Tool!

Hi everyone,

There’s a simple and powerful tool for calming the voice of the inner critic and I’d love to share it with you here. You know what I mean by the inner critic, right? Whatever we call it (i.e.: the gremlin, the committee, the ego, etc), it’s the job of the inner critic to do what it can to make us miserable.

It can work very hard to tell us we’re not smart enough, talented enough, or good enough; we’re too tall, too short, too big, too small; we never have enough money for the things we want, enough time to do the things we want to; the right house, car, partner, body, career, talents, etc. And then there’s the classic line that seems to act like a virus in the minds of so many of us in the western world ... the “you’re not getting enough done” line. Sound familiar?

At its worst the voice of our inner critic can feel strong enough to suck the wind right out of our sails and leave us feeling anxious, stressed, depressed and/or helpless. At best it can be a big drain on our precious energy and keep us playing small. And yet the truth is that the voice of the inner critic has no power at all unless we believe its messages!

A thought is simply a thought and carries no meaning other than what we give it. If we notice a thought and recognize it as false or inaccurate, it loses all hold on us and we relax into living our lives with joy and peace. We can simply notice the thought, just like a cloud in the sky, here and then gone ... we notice it and let it go.

So, how can we recognize a thought or message as true, false or not fully accurate? One simple, yet powerful, way to do this is to record evidence in a journal or on paper so that you can see it and re-read it. This is a little gem of a tool I first read about in Michael Losier’s book The Law of Attraction, and I’ve used this tool many times to calm the voice of my own inner critic.

It’s based on a simple concept really. It comes down to testing the validity of a thought or message by looking for evidence of its truth and evidence of its opposite – and recording the evidence. I’ll use an example from my own life right now.

At times over the last few months my inner critic has been very persistent in telling me that I’m not getting enough done – in fact it’s been bold enough to tell me I’m getting nothing done! Amazing! Thankfully I have evidence to the contrary. In fact I have a LOT of evidence to the contrary.

Every couple of weeks I list my most recent accomplishments in my journal. Since the voice likes to tell me that I’m getting little or nothing done, I record evidence of the opposite, which is “I’m accomplishing things”. I write a running record of my accomplishments, big, medium and small. And what do you know; the evidence proves that I’m getting a lot done.

It’s not possible to believe the inner critic when I can see so much proof that I’m getting things done. I read the evidence and it connects me to the truth. Instead of believing the voice that would tell me I need to get more done to be happy, I realize that the truth is that I am happy, and in fact I would likely be a little happier if I got less done. Yes, less. Can you imagine? I sigh and sink into the recognition that all is well.

So, if your inner critic is active and you notice a serious leakage of vital life energy, get out a pen and piece of paper and write. Start by writing down evidence of the opposite of the message that your critic is feeding you. If you think you don’t have enough money, write down evidence of where and when you do have enough money; if you think you’re not a good mother, look for and write down examples of how, where and when you are a good mother. Do you feed your children? Do you drive them places? Do you clean and cook for them? And if you feel led, write down any evidence that might support the inner critic’s message. You may not find any. Or you may find some and that’s good food for thought – it could give you a more balanced perspective. Either way you’ll have more of the truth; you’ll know what to believe and what to recognize as a very tired and old story.

And if you’re thinking that it would be a lot of work to do this for every negative message your critic feeds you, I’d like you to remember two things. One, because the inner critic doesn’t want you to relax it will tell you that it would be a lot of work to use the evidence journal (it can be sneaky).

And two, a little of something is better than a lot of nothing. The truth is that most of us think a tiny few of the same negative thoughts over and over every day. So start with one. I can assure you that you will feel noticeably better.

In short, the power of the evidence journal is that it brings you to the truth. And you know what they say about the truth ... it will set you free. Here’s to that!!

Love and light,
Lee

Key Beliefs for a Life Well Lived

Hi friends,

Today I took some time to reflect on and record my core beliefs and values. The ideas I hold most dear and that I aim to shape my life around; how I see the world and what I think about a life well lived. I first felt prompted to do this in order to share more information about myself on my website and then I was reminded of how valuable it is to honor your deepest beliefs and values by taking time out for an honest check-in. To ask, am I living these beliefs and values? Where I am living aligned with these beliefs and values is cause for celebration, and seeing where I could be more aligned is powerful learning and an opportunity for shifting here and there. An opportunity to celebrate and shift to deeper happiness.

Doing this has felt very good to me and if you feel led, I invite you to do this for yourself. It will add meaning and richness to your life. I believe it will inspire you. It has sure inspired me.

My Core Beliefs:

We are designed to live with vibrant health and happiness – the body and mind have an amazing ability to rejuvenate, heal and thrive, even as we grow older.

My main job is to stay well, to take excellent care of my mind, body and spirit. It is from this place of health, happiness, relaxation and love that the gifts I have to offer the world shine the brightest. As Anne Lamott says, lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.

Health is a dynamic process of achieving your potential for a healthy mind, body and spirit. As we gain tools for maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit, we steadily gain lasting health and happiness.

Happiness is an authentic feeling of wellbeing and contentment. And the path to lasting happiness lies in tuning into you and thinking and acting in ways that reveal your natural capacity for inner happiness.

Health and happiness are about living rather than fighting.

The mind, body and spirit are fully connected. A positive change in any area ignites a positive change in all other areas. For example, when you start to live with more passion and purpose, you’ll discover that you want to eat better and/or move your body more. I call this the Joy Diet.

We are all doing the best we can. When we have more resources, we do better. That is the human condition. When we understand this, we can feel compassion for others and compassion for ourselves; the world becomes a healthier place.

If you’re alive, you need help. We all need help to thrive and live our best lives and we all deserve it. Thankfully, we are designed to help each other.

My Core Values:

Service – Richly contributing to the health & happiness of those I connect with.
Compassion & Respect – Recognizing that we are all doing the best we can.
Holistic Health – Knowing that we are designed to live with a vibrant mind, body & spirit.
Happiness – Realizing an authentic feeling of well being & contentment.
Fun & Adventure – Living in wonder and joy - refreshing my spirit.
Personal Growth & Learning - Seizing new opportunities to grow and thrive.
Authenticity & Integrity - Being real and walking my talk.

Stay tuned everyone ... coming soon I'll share a powerful tool for quieting the voice of your inner critic.

Love and light,
Lee

Two Big Adventures (& Many Angels)

Happy 2010 Friends,

There’s no doubt that my favourite part of a good leap of faith is the surprising adventures that pop up along the way. I’m talking about the adventures that you didn’t see coming, yet are clearly part of the bigger plan – a plan perfectly designed to help you move forward to the next beautiful step in your life journey.

I want to share two adventures that have popped up and brightened my life lately. First, this winter I’ll be heading off to Maui for my first ever winter vacation. Yes! I’m thrilled by this opportunity and feel great things will come via this – they already have. If you’d told me several months ago that I’d be heading to Maui, I would have found it hard to believe – after all, my plan was to work, work, work and create to move my business forward – who had the time or money for a great winter vacation? Turns out, I did.

Thanks to one of many angels in my life that is. A precious relative of mine phoned out of the blue to say she’d like to treat me to this. She was generous enough to offer and I was wise enough to accept! I did notice the little ego voice in my head telling me I couldn’t afford the time and I thanked it for sharing, knowing that this was simply an old voice of fear and certainly not the voice of truth, possibilities and love. The voice of truth, possibilities and love knew that this trip would power me forward in life and the business ... for they really are one in the same.

In Maui I’ll be riding a bike 28 miles down the slopes of a Volcano, snorkelling for the first time, and meeting a lot of new people – new adventures in the making. I’ll also be coaching my clients via Phone or Skype (their pick) – all systems go, free of geographical boundaries. About half of my current clients prefer phone coaching as it is now, so we’ll simply continue on as usual, and those that prefer face to face connections have the choice to continue coaching on my return or connect via phone during this time. Pretty fabulous. Rack this up to another of the many things I love about coaching and speaking – great flexibility.

Then, shortly after this offer popped up, along came the perfect couple wanting to housesit for me during the trip – more angels. I was in awe at the ease of it all, and I still am.

The second big adventure began a couple of months ago when I had lunch with a woman I’d just met at a networking event. Over lunch she opened up and shared her strong desire for a new career or life path, and her deep frustration with not knowing exactly what it was she wanted. I felt led to coach her a little and so, with her permission, I did. By the end of our lunch she knew exactly what she wanted and felt fuelled with more energy than she’d felt in years.

She enthusiastically thanked me and then turned the tables by saying something that changed things for me and my business. She said “You’re not a normal Wellness Coach!" And because I tend to love most things that aren't normal (and sensed a real gift coming my way) I invited her to expand. And as I probed and she expanded, the words we needed to describe a key uniqueness in my coaching style came to life. Whala! The new Power of Wellness tagline was born: Tuning Into You – Mind * Body * Spirit.

I love it. It feels right. First, the “tuning into you” piece feels very much like what I do and what I help each client to do for themselves ... clearly tune into their dreams, their talents, their inner resources and wisdom, their heart’s calling, and their unique strengths and passions. Together we tune into the power that moves them forward with clarity, ease and joy.

And the Mind, Body, Spirit piece is important too because, so often, folks interpret “Wellness” to mean “body”only ... healthy eating and fitness that is. This Power of Wellness tagline makes it clear that we tune into all of you ... or rather any part of you that is calling for your attention, including your thoughts/beliefs, emotions, sense of purpose and your passions. As Dr. Wayne Dyer likes to say, “The Whole Enchilada”.

So now this wonderful new tagline is featured on the new POW business cards, the newly improved POW website and in the smile on my face. Yes, just when I was getting ready to go out and social network some more, the tagline angel showed up - not a moment too soon.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you I say. To the beautiful angels without whom these 2 big adventures wouldn’t be possible, to the Universe for helping me to recognize a good thing when it shows up, and to you for allowing me to share these adventures with you. After all, that’s what makes the ride meaningful, and that’s what makes it fun!

Here’s to all the adventures, yours and mine, that make our lives so rich.

Lee