Monday, April 29, 2013

Dump-Delegate-Do It Differently

Executive coach and consultant Jim Dethmer offers this very interesting exercise:
1. Identify the top 25 activities you engaged in during the past month.
2. Next to each one put an arrow: pointing up means the activity increased your energy level, sideways means it's neutral, pointing down means it decreased your energy level.
3. For those noted as neutral or down-arrow activities, consider one of the following options:
     a. dump it
     b. delegate it
     c. do it differently
A personal example of this for me (though I didn't know I was doing this exercise at the time) is house-cleaning, very much a down-arrow activity. It has to be done (can't dump it). I don't want to pay a cleaning person (won't delegate it). Now I do it differently. I set a timer for one hour and clean as much as I can as fast as I can. I am generally invigorated by how much cleaning I squeezed into that hour, and I'm overjoyed that I can quit in one hour.
I think this is a pretty cool exercise, and I'll be pondering other activities in my life in light of this.
Have a super week!
Leta

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

One Thought on "Why Practice Yoga?"

This comes from a Huffington Post article titled "Your Brain on Yoga: How to Kick Bad Habits and Foster Better Ones"...

Eva Norlyk Smith: Many people who practice yoga regularly say that not only does it get easier to get on to the mat, it also becomes easier to make better lifestyle choices -- eat more healthful foods, get enough rest, engage in more physical activity, and so on. Why is that?

Dr. Timothy McCall: That's the other piece of the puzzle. When yoga is practiced with sensitivity and attention, it gradually increases awareness. It awakens your ability to feel what's happening in your body, heart, and mind. When you become more aware of your body, more aware of your mind, more aware of your breath, you start to notice the consequences of your behavior. So a particular food that might not be so healthy may taste good to you, but you may start to realize that when you eat it, you feel crummy. When you notice that connection, you say, "You know what, I don't think I want to eat this anymore."

That's another way that yoga can help us to change habits. It comes from the inside. What the doctor tells you is one thing. But when you notice the consequences of your actions, it's a very different -- and much more effective -- motivator. This is your body's internal wisdom talking to you, and that advice is a lot easier to follow than that of a doctor.

I have found this to be true for myself personally. And it's way easier than fighting a bad habit. 
Check out my website for more on Forrest Yoga, and join me!
Breathe!
Leta

Monday, April 15, 2013

Contemplating Death

The blog title is a chapter title in the book, The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer. It is an extraordinary chapter that invites thoughtful consideration.
Here's a quote from the chapter and an assignment in the class I am currently facilitating:
“Think honestly about what you would do with your last week. What a wonderful thought to contemplate. Then ponder this question: If that’s really what you would do with your last week, what are you doing with the rest of your time? Wasting it? Throwing it away? Treating it like it’s not something precious? What are you doing with life? That is what death asks you.” 


In fact, this could be my or your last week here. We don't know when that last breath will be. Does that inspire any changes in your life? I'm pondering...
Live an inspired week!
Leta

Monday, April 8, 2013

Disappointment

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed that the Shockers lost to Louisville on Saturday night. However, in my emotional realm, disappointment is 1% and pride in the Shockers' accomplishments is 99%! What an awesome adventure for them and all their fans, all of Wichita, all of Kansas! "Good work!" to the team and coaches and all who traveled to cheer them on.

But wait, I'm not done. Disappointment has been a huge issue for me in life (as in, I don't even want to go there or try that or whatever, because I'll be disappointed). Spirit has given me a huge boost in dealing with this issue in this quote from fellow practitioner, Jenn Fay: "Disappointment is judging something too soon, for the end result of GRAND is guaranteed." Disappointment has always felt like an insurmountable boogie-man to me. "Judging something too soon," now that I can work with. I'm excited to see where this simple, but empowering, thought takes me.

Have a lovely week!
Leta

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Shocker Heaven!! It's a HAPPY place!

In regard to why he and his family don't leave Wichita, Shocker basketball coach Greg Marshall says, "Why mess with happy?"
So I use this awesome quote for a blog post...
I am happy. I am also bored. I don't care for being bored. It makes me most desiring of a "spiritual shove" to my next adventure. Marshall's quote brings me back to reality--why mess with happy? I love my life, it's great, I choose to worry about nothing. Why mess with that with impatience and angst? 
It's all good, and it will be EVEN better if WSU beats Louisville Saturday evening. GO SHOCKS!!!
I'm a sports nut and proud of it!
Leta


Monday, April 1, 2013

Opening Day!!

"We're born again, there's new grass on the field." (A line from "Center Field" by John Fogerty)
Baseball season starts today, I am in heaven. I LOVE baseball! Many thanks to my grad school buddy, Larry, who, many years ago, spent hours teaching me baseball strategy at the Twins games in the old stadium in Bloomington.
We simply don't know that we are going to live to see another baseball season open. That's not a morbid thought! It's a thought that makes me LOVE this day, and that reminds me that life is so good, there's nothing to fear or worry about, and all is well.
And, yes, I'm a die-hard Cubs fan. Haven't won the World Series since 1908, yadda, yadda, yadda. I am committed to living as long as it takes to see the Cubs win the World Series, so I could be around a LONG time :) I'm good with that!
Love your life--it's priceless!
Go Cubs!
Leta