Accepting what is, without adding emotions

So on our last trip to St George, Ut. my husband and I had a great conversation about acceptance.

He told me that normally while driving he would look for the road signs or watch the GPS to see how much further he had to go. Each time he looked at them he would get feelings of anxiety or frustration as he realized HOW MUCH further he still had to go. This would then lead his mind off in a cascade of negativity. Ugh its so uncomfortable in the car, my legs hurt, im hungry, I wish we were there already…etc.

So he said this time, he made a conscious effort to look as the signs and think “OK 100 more miles”. Then he would just go back to listening to his book or music without letting it effect his emotion. The road sign is really only stating facts. So there are 100 more miles… and there is going to be 100 more miles whether you like it or not, whether you make yourself more miserable or not.

He also said it was important to not AVOID looking at the sign because that too would creative a negative feeling. Just Accept it for what it is, 100 more miles.

A lot of times when we are beginning new stages of our life or trying to make changes, we let ourselves get all worked up about where we are now.

Example: You are starting a weightloss program that requires you to list your weight and a “before” picture. Unconsciously you start to feel really bad about your current health which starts the cascade of negativity. I shouldn’t have let myself go like this, I look horrible, I can’t even control what I eat-how can I control other parts of my life, nobody is going to be attracted to THIS, why would anyone want to be with me anyways….etc. GET THE IDEA?

Your starting point IS WHAT IT IS…  A starting point. That’s it.

Now lets focus on how awesome we are for trying!

With Love,

Amanda

#acceptance #tipoftheday #itiswhatitis #startingpoint

Whisper-self love

Whisper

My sweet mom has struggled with depression for over 20 yrs. She had recently gone th a divorce when she started using DoTerras Whisper Blend. She wore it every single day and absolutely loved how it smelled. She would often receive random compliments on how good she smelled. She shared this oil with as many people as would listen. 

One night she was sitting out under the stars just thinking to herself when she thought “I am OK with who I am. I am a good person and Im happy with who I am. I love myself.” She said she felt really weird saying that out loud since it was not something she was used to say or even feeling. She looked around to see if anyone could have heard her. She shared this story with her sisters who giggled with her about it and her nieces started saying "Aunt Lisa loves herself". It was kind of a family joke (no feelings were hurt) but to me it was no joke. This was AMAZING, my sweet mom finally seeing in herself what we could see all along!

A few weeks later she was struggling with feeling stressed. So we decided to look up oils to use for stress. Bergamot was one that was listed so we looked it up in the emotions book. It said that Bergamot is the oil of self-Acceptance and it supports individuals in need of self-acceptance and self-love. I knew that bergamot was in one of her blends that she was already using but I couldn’t remember which one. After doing some research we realized that Bergamot was in her beloved Whisper. And that is exactly what the oil was doing for her, it was supporting her in Self-Acceptance and self-love and without her even knowing. 

Daily Success Regimen

This week I want our focus to be on Self-confidence and Self Care.

I had no idea what self-care looked like or really even what it was until I had the opportunity to work with Tiffany Walke Peterson (a life/business coach) in a Program called Success Academy. One of the very first things she had us all do was commit to a Daily Success Regimen. It was here that I learned how to start my day off being balanced, centered and grounded within myself.

Each morning she has you start off with just 5 minutes each of Spiritual, Mental and physical and then end the day with an evening review/mirror exercise. This was something that sounded absolutely bazzar to me. How could only 15 minutes change how I go about my day. What I didn't realize is that I had never set aside time to nuture ME. To literally give myself 5 minutes to stretch and LISTEN to my body, focus on the positive things in my life that I am grateful for, and listen to an Audiobook that reminds me of my goals and motivates me for the day. (our bodies often have things to tell us- like when we are getting run down, not getting enough sleep, allowing too much stress- and we don't take the time to listen until its too late and we feel horrible) I had never realized the impact these 15 minutes each morning could have.

So this is what the Morning Ritual looks like for me:
Physical :I literally ROLL out of bed and stretch (Im pregnant and sore all the time) right there on the floor. Focusing on deep breathing and clearing my mind. This is my time to just listen to my body.
Spiritual: I like to list things I am grateful for *start my day off attracting more of these things into my life. and focusing on the "family" part of my vision board ( later this week we'll talk more about creating a vision board)
Mental:  This is where I will start listening to my Audiobook that helps to keep me focused on my goals and motivates me for the day. Usually I am too engrossed that I end up listening while I get ready for work and on the drive too work. This has been a game changer for keeping me motivated.

Pretty simple right!

Here are three main things I have noticed by doing this more consistently
1. my husband and I get along better (I focus on my family part of my vision board and how grateful I am for him)
2. I find it easier to honor my self care habits like committing to 7hrs of sleep and drinking enough water (because I can tell the difference when I check in with my body daily)
3. I am MOTIVATED!! I get more done each day to accomplish my goals.

The Evening Review:
I once heard someone say that at the end of the day they like to write a TA-DA list! Basically it just helps you congratulate yourself for what you DID get done instead of what you DID NOT get done. I am always the first to beat myself up for the things I didn't do or even the things I didn't do that great. Try out Tiffanys mirror exercise and  take the time to GIVE YOURSELF SOME LOVE!

http://youtu.be/RRW_5S3C55I

Love you all,
Amanda

Ready for change!

Ok ladies and gents! What type of change do you seek this year?

Lets start here. Pick one thing about your physical, mental, emotional or spiritual health that is hold you back from being truly HEALTHY AND HAPPY.

For accountability sake, Here are my top two changes I want to make:
Physical health: my immune system is the pits. (inspite of trying to live a healthy lifestyle I get sick really easy, and its almost always a sinus infection)
Mental/Emotional health: I get overwhelmed very easily

Lets face it, Im sick of being sick. I am currently pregnant and when these sinus infections come along it totally wipes me out. In our home we use essential oils as our medicine and it works wonderfully. I have not been on a prescription medication for my sinuses in 2 years BUT I still get them way too often. So that tells me, there is more change to be made. I have been researching changes that I can make to my diet and other holistic practices I can add to my routine to enhance my immune system. I will keep you updated with what I find.

And secondly, feeling overwhelmed holds me back in so many aspects of my life ( in my marriage, family life, having/making time to have fun and especially in my business). When I feel overwhelmed it brings out the worst in me. I find things that other people are doing to contribute to my stress instead of taking the responsibility. I have come leaps and bounds from where I used to be but still let it creep into my daily life more than I would like.

So what now?
I take complete responsibility and decide what I have control over and...
change it!

This is our first week of TRANSFORM 2015 and our focus is on SELF LOVE, SELF CARE and SELF ACCEPTANCE. That is where all change starts, you've got to take care of yourself first.

Check back tomorrow for a post about a daily routine you can start NOW to support that.

Finding Hope

Two years ago today I received a phone call that changed my life forever.  "Today was going to be the day.. but I couldn't do it. " January 2013 I almost lost my sweet husband to suicide.       
Not one person,  myself included, knew this was coming. Nobody knew of the despair and debilitating pain Cole was experiencing.  After a very extensive in depth psychological test, Cole was diagnosed with severe depression, severe anxiety, and suicidal ideation.  We were also told that if Cole didn't use his resources (family, close friends, AA meetings, counseling and doing things he is passionate about) that his chances of suicide were VERY likely. 

Discouraged and hopeless would have been an understatement. So fast forward two years and our family is "healthier" than ever. Cole is an amazing dad, a caring husband,  kicks @ss at his job and tries daily to help others. Not to mention he is able to do all of this without the need to take a single medication.

So going from hopeless to finding and spreading hope is completely possible.

We are not sharing our story for sympathy,  support or understanding.  We are sharing because we know that we all have our individual struggles and not many people talk about them because they are afraid they are alone. They are afraid of judgment,  afraid others will look at them differently.   Sometimes our pride tells us we don't need anyone's help and that we can get through it alone.   Nobody's life is perfect or without trials. So yours might be a physical ailment, cancer, loss of a child/loved one, divorce, emotional or mental struggles but please don't suffer in silence, reach out to someone! Find someone that has had similar struggles in their lives and support one another. Silence keeps us stuck in the problem, communication opens the door to the answer.        

I truly believe that we don't go through painful events for no reason. We are given these opportunities in life to learn and grow and ideally to then help others.

If you feel this message will help please share our page and our message.

#findinghope #january2nd #depression #anxiety #suicide #change #transform2015

Transform 2015

Each New Year everyone (individuals and companies alike) tend to focus on some version of a New Year, New You! In fact, DoTerra has a FABULOUS New Year, New You lifestyle change/weight loss challenge that they put on. I absolutely support and advocate this and think that weight loss and a healthier version of you is spot-on for a New Years resolution. The problem I have is that I see so many people that are either discouraged before they even start because they have “failed” at this same resolution over and over or people are PUMPED to start and may even make HUGE changes but always fall back to their same old routine and lose any progress they made.

It can be argued that failure to make a lasting change is for a variety of reasons. Honestly, I probably agree with them all.  So this year I’ve decided to focus on making changes to find “Health and Beauty from the inside out”. I believe that if you change your mindset, love yourself, and believe that you deserve whatever it is that you seek; then and only then will you be able to make lasting change. I also believe that healthy and beauty on the outside is a direct reflection of what is on the inside. If you get skinny/lose weight but you are treating your body poorly by feeding it unhealthy things, covering up its calls for help and lathering it up with toxic chemicals …..it will only be short lived.

Join me for TRANSFORM 2015, a journey to find “Health and Beauty from the inside out” this new year. I have a full schedule for January that is jam packed with information, experience, hope, and inspiration. I will be posting daily and hosting classes. Follow along and interact for chances to win giveaways and most importantly make a LASTING CHANGE!

Love you all,

Amanda

Our Life Transformed!

On May 21 2013 my husband entered a Alcohol and chemical treatment program. It was both the HARDEST and most rewarding thing we have EVER been through. I can hands down admit that this has TRANSFORMED our family into what we are today. I have long been on a journey to find health for myself and my family. I also have literally cried over my deep desire for the people around me to be TRULY HAPPY and struggled with the fact that I couldn't do that for them.

 

I have been totally amazed at the power of what is taught in treatment and recovery programs.  the power it has to break an individual down and allow you to transform/create/build yourself into who you are truly meant to be is incredible. THAT is where you find TRUE happiness!I have often talked to my husband about how I wish there is a "treatment program" for others who are not affected by addiction.  We all have our issues and struggles, most are not as debilitating as addiction but never the less we all suffer in some way or another.  Since going thru this experience, my husband has been an open book. He is literally willing to share every detail of his experience, struggle, and journey of recovery. I am AMAZED at the amount of people who have intentionally or unintentionally reached out to either of us for help with "issues". Anything from suicide, addiction, selfdoubt, relationship problems, happiness, depression and anxiety, all of these for themselves or loved ones. It has been an awesome experience being able to help people with their struggles just as others have helped us.

Are we perfect or experts in anyway?! Absolutely NOT! We absolutely do not know the answers to everything, and we haven't been able to do it alone. We would like to offer support, sharing advice and our experience to anyone that is looking for a true change in their life.  We are complete opposites and I feel that has helped us connect with more people. I am an introvert and am a health nerd, I love physical health, research, essential oils, going green and organic. Cole is totally an extrovert and loves talking to new people, he ROCKS at helping others with being present, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Together we hope to inspire TRUE health, happiness and transformation in all aspects of your life.

 

 We have a message to share and can't wait to get it out.

Love you all

Cole & Amanda