LIVE BOLDLY

Life Keys Radio Show 3/18: Doing the Unthinkable!

Posted by Lauren - 03/11/10 at 02:03:32 pm

What have you always dreamed of doing, but felt too afraid to do? Or have you moved beyond your comfort zone to accomplish what was once unthinkable? Tune in to hear me and my guests talk about the unthinkable as a pathway to personal liberation and power.

Tune in to the Life Keys radio show on Thursday at 1pm ET, 10am PT at http://www.hayhouseradio.com/.

Have a question? Call me toll-free during the live show in the US and Canada at 866-254-1579. International callers can dial the country code then 760-918-4300.

Lauren Recommends: Simply…Empowered!

Posted by Lauren - 03/09/10 at 09:03:43 am

Simply EMPOWERED!
By Crystal Andrus
This book gives you the tools to overcome any hardships—to turn your pain into progress, your anger into courage, and your sorrow into strength. You can create and sustain success! And to help support you in your journey to empowerment, Crystal, myself, and a host of other leading experts are offering a special “package” to you! When you order Crystal’s life-changing book today, you’ll get Crystal’s “4-Week BODY BOOTCAMP” virtual program, plus over $2,000 worth of empowerment gifts for free! To access your gifts, and purchase Simply…EMPOWERED! Click here now! http://www.crystalandrus.com/promos/

Lauren Recommends: Master Your Workday Now!

Posted by Lauren - 03/09/10 at 09:03:39 am

Master Your Workday Now!
By Michael Linenberger
Do you want more freedom, ease, and effectiveness in your workday? If you feel overwhelmed by all the work you have on your plate, and pressured because there’s too little time to do it, then you’re going to love this: Master Your Workday Now!, a remarkable new book by productivity guru Michael Linenberger, offers a revolutionary yet simple system that automatically eliminates overwhelm, boosts focus and concentration, and allows you to get much more done in much less time. If you’d like to get more accomplished in less time and enjoy doing it, then I urge you to click on this link and check out Master Your Workday Now! http://masteryourworkday.com/

4 Steps to Turning Challenges into Opportunities

Posted by Lauren - 03/08/10 at 10:03:10 am

We’re living through challenging times. But inherent in nearly all challenges are opportunities for renewal and transformation. The current economic crisis offers the chance to re-evaluate how you live your life, to be more mindful and strategic about how you spend money, and to take stock of your values and priorities. Corporate lay-offs can provide the opportunity to find a more meaningful job, transition into a new career, or pursue the dream of starting your own business.

How you respond to crises has a lot to do with the lens through which you habitually perceive the world. If you tend to see the world through a “gloom and doom” lens, you may be reacting to current events with feelings of fear, anxiety, or a sense of despair or powerlessness. And even if you tend to view things through the lens of optimism, you may be reacting to the constant barrage of negative media messages with milder feelings of concern and insecurity.

Wherever you may be on this continuum of perception and reaction, deliberately shifting your focus to unearth and explore the opportunities inherent in these challenges can help you move from a state of insecurity, powerlessness, or fear into a state of empowerment, inspiration, and action.

Below are 4 steps you can take to help you make this shift:

1. Notice how often you expose yourself to the negative messages of the news media. Try to keep your exposure to a minimum, enough to keep yourself informed, but not so much that it’s feeding your fear over and over again.

2. Make a list of the ways the current crises are impacting you or your life. For example, “I’m worried I’m going to lose my job”, “I have less money to go out to eat”, “Sales are down and business is slow”, “I’ve lost 30% of my retirement savings.”

3. Write down the opportunities inherent in each challenge. Using the examples listed above, your opportunities might include some of these:

Challenge: I’m worried I’m going to lose my job. Opportunity: Get my resume updated and start networking to find that rewarding and fulfilling job I’ve been thinking about pursuing for the last two years.        

Challenge: I have less money to go out to eat. Opportunity: Download some new recipes from the internet to expand my cooking skills and start having intimate dinners at home with family and friends. 

Challenge: Sales are down and business is slow. Opportunity: Use this slow time to get my office organized, update my marketing materials, and reconnect with past customers I’ve had no time call.

4. Recognize that there are some challenges that are simply beyond your control. For those that are—for example, the decreased value of a home you may own—instead of expending energy worrying and complaining about it, turn your attention to those challenges with opportunities you can act upon.

© 2010 Lauren Mackler

This article also appeared in the Huffington Post. Click here to go to the Huffington Post article. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-mackler/4-steps-for-turning-chall_b_482336.html

Life Keys – 3/11: The Power of Simplifying

Posted by Lauren - 03/08/10 at 09:03:38 am

In today’s consumption-oriented society, many people seek fulfillment in ways that create stress, fear, overwhelm, illness, and waste: big homes and mortgages, overeating, and obsession with wealth and material possessions. Tune in to learn how to simplify to reduce stress, and create a healthier and more fulfilling life.

Tune in to Life Keys on Thursday @ 1pm (EST)

www.hayhouseradio.com

Call us toll-free in the US and Canada by dialing 866-254-1579. International callers can dial the country code then 760-918-4300.

Lauren’s One-Minute Wisdom: March 2010

Posted by Lauren - 03/01/10 at 11:03:21 am

This month’s One-Minute Wisdom on Critical Factors of Success.

Click here to listen.

Life Keys- 3/4: Demystifying Health & Wellness

Posted by Lauren - 03/01/10 at 10:03:44 am

Do you want to know the source of your pain, address food allergies, lose weight, or improve your physical, emotional, and mental health? Tune in to hear Lauren and guest Caroline Sutherland share practical tips to optimize your health and build a strong inner support system.    

Tune in to Life Keys on Thursday @ 1pm (EST)

www.hayhouseradio.com

Call us toll-free in the US and Canada by dialing 866-254-1579. International callers can dial the country code then 760-918-4300.

Alone on February 14? 6 tips to becoming your own Valentine.

Posted by Lauren - 03/01/10 at 09:03:09 am

Valentine’s Day is, for many singles, a holiday to dread instead of one to celebrate. I experienced my own loneliness on more than one Valentine’s Day. Then, several years ago, I had a revelation. I could be my own Valentine!

I know, being your own Valentine might sound like a desperate attempt to soothe the sting of single life. I thought so, too—until I actually experienced it. The first year of becoming my own Valentine, I organized a dinner at a nice restaurant for a group of single men and women. On the invitation I wrote a request: “buy, have gift-wrapped, and bring to dinner a gift for yourself in recognition of the magnificent person you are.”

It was one of my favorite Valentine’s Day celebrations! We took turns opening our gifts and sharing what we admired about ourselves. Some people were moved to tears, as they realized how hard they usually were on themselves.

Since then I’ve celebrated myself every Valentine’s Day—regardless of my relationship status. I do something special like get a massage, take a day trip, or buy a bottle of my favorite champagne. Last year I ordered and had delivered a dozen, long-stemmed roses in a box, with a card to myself that said, “I admire the fabulous woman you are.” For the next couple of weeks I felt infused with love each time I looked at the beautiful roses on my table and the card hung on my refrigerator.

Below are more ways to “become your own Valentine”—all of which will build your self-esteem and a loving relationship with yourself.

1. Plan a “Self-Celebration” Valentine’s Day pot-luck party. Ask each guest to bring their own favorite food dish and a wrapped gift to give to themselves.
2. Order in a delicious meal, put on your pajamas, and hunker down with a great book or movie. Some of my favorite Valentine’s Day movies are Trading Places, Mermaids, and The Associate.
3. Treat a friend, family member, or co-worker to an evening out. Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to return a kindness or to reconnect with someone you haven’t seen in a while.
4. Organize a girls’ or guys’ night out that includes something entertaining like karaoke, playing pool, shooting darts, seeing a play, or listening to live music.
5. Spend the day volunteering. Helping others is gratifying and makes you feel good about yourself. To find opportunities in your city, visit the Single Volunteers Web site.
6. Attend a social event. If you don’t know of any in your area, do a Google search with the words, “Singles events Valentine’s Day <your city>.” Then click on the links to find an event that sounds appealing.

Ask yourself what you would like, then commit to giving it to yourself. And remember, you always have a choice. You can either spend Valentine’s Day feeling bad, or you can do something that uplifts, nurtures, or delights you.

This article appeared on HealYourLife.com.  Click here to see Lauren’s video on HealYourLife.com.

Lauren Recommends: Second Sight

Posted by Lauren - 03/01/10 at 06:03:20 am

Is the Role You Play Playing with Your Life?

Posted by Lauren - 02/26/10 at 09:02:44 am

Every living system seeks balance. In nature, this process is called homeostasis. Within a family system, homeostasis explains why members adopt certain roles. In healthy families, members take on different roles at various times to meet the family’s needs. But in dysfunctional families, the roles are more rigid. For example, if one parent is addicted to alcohol, the other may be busy providing for the family and seldom home. One child may take on the role of Caretaker, preparing meals for younger siblings while another becomes the Hero—the one who strives to do everything perfectly.

But the family dynamics that shape family roles aren’t limited to severe dysfunctions like substance abuse. One of my coaching clients grew up in a loving, close-knit family in which he was the Hero. Because his parents wanted him to have opportunities they never had, he was expected to get straight A’s, a good education, and a successful career. And while this role enabled him to become an accomplished and wealthy lawyer, his life was falling apart. High blood pressure was causing health problems, workaholism threatened his marriage, and the responsibilities of providing for his elderly parents, an expensive home, and three children in private schools overwhelmed him.

Another example is Casey, who dreamed of becoming a professional photographer. Casey was in a financial-services job she hated, but in which she felt trapped. Growing up, both of her parents struggled to hold down jobs. Casey started babysitting at the age of 12, and had been helping her parents financially ever since. She lived with her boyfriend, who was supporting his ex-wife and son. He was unsupportive of her making a career change, because they needed her income to pay the bills. By continuing to make others’ needs more important than her own, she had unconsciously recreated her family role of Caretaker in her adult relationship.

While our family role may have made sense growing up, it often wreaks havoc in our adult lives. As our primary role takes hold, parts of us become suppressed—parts we need to live a healthy and fulfilling adult life. These can include the part that feels like a worthwhile, deserving person; the part that feels intelligent and competent; the spontaneous, playful part, or the part that can feel and express joy.

If the role you play is sabotaging your life, change the behaviors that reinforce it. If you play the People-pleaser who always says what others expect for approval, start expressing your real thoughts and feelings to others. If you’re the Hero who works relentlessly to achieve, bring fun into your life. Take an improvisational comedy class, do karaoke, visit a water park, or anything else to reclaim your spontaneous, playful part.

Many people’s unhappiness is rooted in the habitual role they play. By consciously shedding your limiting role, not only will you achieve greater well-being, but you’ll reclaim the innate wholeness with which you were born, that’s critical to living a healthy, balanced, and fulfilling life.

© 2010 Lauren Mackler

 
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG, OR WEB SITE?

You can, as long as you include this complete statement at the end of the article:

© 2010 Lauren Mackler

Lauren Mackler is a coach, psychotherapist, and host of the Life Keys radio show on hayhouseradio.com. She’s the author of the international bestseller, Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness & Transform Your Life. Sign up for her Live Boldly newsletter at www.laurenmackler.com.

Search