Feeling STUCK?

How can YOU get unstuck? Could it be as easy as changing your perspective?

In my travels I am learning that people from different places are all the same… in the sense that they are ALL just people. Old or young, male or female, from here or there... And guess what – your parents are just people too. They might seem really old to you but they were once the same age as you are now… and they were also children, perhaps with a sad childhood or even a rough one.

Sometimes it is hard for us to look past our own perceptions and imagine what life is like for others. We see things the way WE see them and that’s how they are… right? 

WRONG - This is an important concept to understand and take some time to think about… this can be extremely helpful in many situations because once you become more agile in your thinking, you are able to grow and become a better version of yourself. J

Often if you ask someone about WHY they haven’t reached all their dreams and goals they can provide you with a list of excuses longer than their arm… You can make excuses, or you can create an amazing life – but you can’t do both…

Some excuses are really reasons… just kidding – ‘reasons’ are just excuses that we have justified to ourselves.

The sum of all of your experiences is now sitting in your chair. That’s right… YOU are the sum of what you remember about the experiences that you have had… how we ‘remember’ something is often quite different than what actually happened.

If there is a car crash and it happens in front of a group of 12 different people, do you think you would get 12 statements that are exactly the same? Not one chance – you will get 12 different accounts of what happened and if you didn’t know they were talking about the same thing you may not even realize it because their individual accounts will be SO different… another example – ever played ‘Telephone’?

Are you wondering yet how you can have different perceptions that can lead to real change?

Here is the secret to permanent change:

1.             The perception you have of your memories is not based on reality. Your memories are LYING.

2.             Believe the truth instead of the lies… easier done than said so don’t think about it – just do it. (believing the truth is not as fun, sometimes it can be quite painful – it’s not easy but is worth it)

3.             Change your perceptions of your past and your childhood by reviewing your memories and the ‘feelings’ you have attached to them. Challenge the memories that are frozen into your brain about your childhood – rediscover them now with the rational thinking you have developed as an adult. As you gain a new perspective, based on rational thinking rather than emotional childhood memory, you will alter your self-talk. And when you adjust the conversation you are having with yourself, all day long, you can change your thoughts and your behavior. Changing your behavior will yield you different results :-)

Changing your perception of your memories from childhood will change the perception that you have of yourself TODAY!

Now, back to our parents – can we look at their life from an outside perspective and use our logical, rational thinking to imagine what life might have actually been like for them? Remember that they didn’t have the same luxury of technology that you did growing up… in fact they had many struggles through life, including carrying the burden of the stories their own parents shared with them as they grew up…. And they certainly didn’t have the benefit of reading this J

So is it fair to blame your current problems on something that happened years ago? NO

Let’s explore ‘humanizing’ our parents. Is it possible that they didn’t have a very good start in life? Weren’t they just a result of their own conditioning and environment, the same as you have been?

By exploring how your parents became the way they are, by using logical reasoning and our adult thinking, we can move them from possible abusive failures or whatever category we have them in to fellow strugglers – real people with real problems. It certainly doesn’t excuse their behavior, but it does help us to understand and revise the memories we have by looking at them today, instead of from the memory we created so many years ago.

30 Days to Bliss - Day 1: Make the Choice

I have fallen into the ‘must be perfect to get started’ rut. Thank you to my dear friend, Dara Kennedy, for starting a group and inspiring me to get back at my blogging. I have lost my beloved iPad (left on plane L) which had about 30 partial blog postings done. … Guess that teaches me my lesson about not finishing what I start or thinking too much about something and trying to make sure it is perfect before I put it online.

So when I saw this group today - 30 Days to Bliss – I though – there is no time like the present.

Dara’s post - Day 1: Make the Choice – is like a direct order. So I am. Thank you Dara.

I am so excited to be a part of such an amazing group and enlightening concept. Like many of you, I have been sort of like a caged bird or trained elephant… Let me explain…

A little bird is caged after breaking its wings to ensure that it doesn’t hinder the healing by getting out and trying to fly too quickly. Sometimes the healing takes so long that when the door is finally opened, the bird doesn’t venture out because it has forgotten how to take off. This group will serve as a support system to help inspire us to ‘take off’ and fly again.

When elephants are young and born into circus service, they are chained with a heavy cuff around their leg. As they grow they just accept that since there is a restriction on them that keeps them restrained they learn to associate the cuff with restriction. As they grow bigger and stronger they could easily break away from the chain but they don’t even try because of the way that they have been conditioned to believe. When they finally perform in the circus there isn’t even a chain – just a cuff or ‘bracelet’ around the ankle. It offers enough of the same ‘feeling’ that the elephants don’t even try to escape.

Can you relate to feeling caged even if the door is open or restricted even though the chain is removed? Make The Choice is so important because it reflects in the direction of what we ARE looking for, rather than what we are NOT looking for.

You WILL end up with what you ARE or NOT looking for – so focus on the ARE!

https://www.facebook.com/Sterlingize.Me  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/30daystobliss/

SterlingizeMe - Become the Best Version of YOU! - The WHY Behind the Event.

So I’ve been asked several times now why I am putting on an event and what it is for, I thought I would share here how this idea came about.

As you may know I have been going through transition and working very diligently to find myself. A few days ago, everything sort of just came together. On August 6^th I took a Wealth Dynamics Profile, it asks you a series of questions to determine your natural strengths. It shares with you what you should and more importantly should not be doing in order to stay in the ‘Flow’. In further learning about myself I decided that I should really define what I want to do and what is important to me. I was asked this question - “What do you want to do?”

This is what I came up with:

I would like to be forefront in a movement that inspires the spark of entrepreneurial spirit to become infectious. I believe this is a natural progression to having a healthy body, mind and spirit.

I’ve taken this as a sign to put it out there and see who’s with me. So please read, and if you are interested in seeing where this journey leads and what it entails, stay tuned and come to my event on August 22^nd, 2012 in Calgary. [To register - go to http://sterlingizeme.eventbrite.com/]

So much of what we were taught in school and witness in modern day society is plain wrong. It doesn’t make much sense; it doesn’t allow us to be in full control of our dreams, goals and aspirations. Some of us have even become so detached and disconnected that we have forgotten what it even feels like to have a dream instead of just trying to catch up.

If we all came together and collaborated to push each other up, we would all thrive. If the language used in daily life, and the measures to preserve it were respected in all the moments we’d inhabit a different earth.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather live on that earth. I know that the only way to make life better for everyone is make life better for myself. The effect of my continuously improved behaviour will have a good impact in my life and also in the lives of those around me.

Together I believe that we can change the world. I have had the great fortune of receiving training and coaching from amazing individuals, two of whom have made a particularity big impact. What they share are a few core values, and the inner knowing of what they appreciate. Their passion is helping people from the inside out become the healthiest, happiest and wealthiest people they can be.

I use the teachings of Specialist Doctor Natasha Iyer and Coach Marco Kozlowski in my own life to effect small change in the right direction that blossom and evolve into positive lasting big change. I figured if this is what is helping me, why not set something up so that this is what can help others? So here we are… 11 days away from my very first event. Am I scared – yes. Am I nervous – yes. And after I give my head a little shake, do I know deep within myself that this is the right thing to do at the right time with the right people – YES! And that makes me EXCITED. I know this will be an incredibly inspiring evening. The right pieces are coming together.

This is what I believe - Every second of every minute of every hour of every day our bodies, which are made up of trillions upon trillions of cells are generating. If they have the right ingredients (building blocks of life) then they RE-Generate. If they get the wrong ingredients (chemicals, poisons, processed crap) they DE-Generate.

If we focus on what we DO want and then take the proper steps to achieve that and make it a reality, the rest of the stuff naturally falls away and becomes nothing more than a distant memory.

I want to make a difference. I know that I can’t do this alone.

Please join me and let’s make a difference together.

BLOG #2 - Nourishing Body vs Entertaining Taste Buds

Thank you for coming back to enjoy this second blog entry. I sincerely appreciate you interest and trust.

It is important to read these blog posts in order, so if you have been referred to this post by someone who cares about you, please also read the first post. It will enhance your results.

[To achieve the greatest benefit, please ensure you have a piece of paper and a pen available.]
Have you heard of Jamie Oliver's 'Food Revolution'? He is a man with a serious passion to help people and his approach is remarkably simple, yet extremely powerful.

His passion is helping people through educating them on WHY healthy food choices are important. He traveled, on his own expense from England, where he is a successful chef, to an area of the Mid-West, USA, that is affected with extremely high rates of obesity in children. The profiled family was absolutely lovely. A mom and her 3 elementary-age children. Mom was caring, warm and you could tell that she loved her children very much. Sadly, all of them were extremely overweight. The children, understandably, expressed sadness, frustration and even worse. The ridicule they endured at school is something the mom wished she could keep her children safe from. They kids were curious and, for good reason, had motivation to not be fat and unhealthy. They just didn’t know how as what they learned was from their mom, who was passing on what she had learned from her mom. Everyone had been doing the best they could with what they had – it just wasn’t going in the right direction. Maybe you can relate?

The first thing Jamie asked her to do was create a list of the food they eat in one day; breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. [Quick Exercise - Make a quick list of what you eat during a typical week (workday) / weekend day. 5 basic items for each day]

Their list was pretty typical; cereal, waffles, sausages, chicken fingers, pizza, fish & chips, garlic toast, burgers, hotdogs, soda, juice, pizza pops and burritos. What's on YOUR list? Pretty regular stuff, right?

Jamie then went to the store and got 7 days worth of food for the family. When it was piled on the kitchen table, the family was brought in to see their pile. As you can well imagine, it was an overflowing brown, blah mess. He then looked at the mom, touched her arm, looked into her eyes and softly said, "Did you realize that this is the fuel you are putting through your family each week?" She started to cry. And so did I...

Now imagine your two lists. Let's create your pile. Take your weekday list x 5, and your weekend list x 2. Put 3 meals per day (plus any snacks) on your own kitchen table. Close your eyes now and picture your pile. Be honest with yourself. What does your weekly pile look like? Is it bright, colourful and exciting? Is it brown and blah looking? Now, imagine me standing beside you, touching your arm, and let's be real my friend, "This is the fuel that you are putting through your body each week, x 52 weeks per year."

What does your pile look like for the next 30 years? What does the pile look like for your family? Include the snacks... Imagine and SEE YOUR own pile.


WOW. Please take a second and have a few deep breaths.

Now, would you agree that this is a simple, yet powerful display and visual explanation of why you and other people in your life carry excessive weight or feel less than awesome on a regular basis? Could it possibly also be why you or someone you know has become depressed and experienced deteriorating health? The quality of your health & happiness is directly related to the contents of your pile. YOUR pile is YOUR pile. It's made up of YOUR own stuff. No one is putting things in YOUR pile. The person who creates YOUR pile is sitting in YOUR chair.

So, let's talk about how to create your perfect pile. You may have heard this before, “How you do anything is how you do everything”, meaning that a burger isn't going to hurt you; neither are waffles or some fish & chips. However, if that is what makes up your lifestyle diet and that's repeated on a consistent basis, you will, a little at a time over the years, become the result of a lifestyle that's made up of burgers, waffles and fish & chips.

So let me ask you this; #1) Have you ever wished to be healthy and fit? #2) Have you ever felt like you have done all the right stuff and still struggle to be the best version of yourself?

The good news is that whatever has brought you to where you stand right now doesn't exist anymore. You might think it does because you have a memory of it. It feels very real, and it has been very important because it has taught you many lessons. More good news - the success of TODAY does not depend on your history being repeated. Tomorrow does not require anything you've tried before that doesn't work. Anything that didn't work simply doesn't need to be included. You have, my friend, before you a fresh opportunity to create the best version of yourself, and you can start RIGHT NOW if that works for YOU.


Are you ready to get started?

Now it would be easy for me to just tell you what to eat, right? Well, at first, but how long would that last? Perhaps a few days or even a week before what was happening becomes again the norm. Change is difficult, so let's focus on the process of evolution. Let's evolve you, step-by-step, day-by-day, week-by-week into the best possible version of YOURSELF.

Every second of every hour of each day, there are systems in your body working on cell generation. Cell generation happens all the time, not just 3 times per day as we've been conditioned to understand. Therefore, what you are using as fuel for your body is important all the time.

Some say the human body regenerates every 7-10 years which is a fantastic thought because it means we actually become a whole new person over and over and over again. Others argue that claim is not true because some cells (very, very few) have a super slow regeneration rate after age 25. Some actually die off and never regenerate. I say, let's not argue semantics. There's a lot going on. Let's talk about that and let the rest of the details work themselves out. Your skin, and largest organ, becomes new or generates on a cycle of about 28 days. Your skin also acts as a mirror for what's going on inside your body. Imperfections are symptoms of an imbalance or blockage within your body and your body’s way of telling you that something is not working properly and needs some assistance.

Bottom line is that your body is producing cells each hour of every day and whether they are RE-generating or DE-generating depends on the available building blocks they have to use during the process. If the quality of the input is good, then the outcome is good. If it's not, well then...
So, the first step in creating our perfect pile is being AWARE about what is going into our current pile. Let's establish the starting point. Please, if you're so inclined, moment to moment as you are going through your day, adding to your pile, ask yourself this simple question, "Is what I'm putting in my mouth for the purpose of ‘nourishing my body’ or ‘entertaining my taste buds’?" Now, go ahead and eat it.

That's it. Just categorize. The first step of evolving into the most awesome version of yourself is to start the process of becoming aware of what's going on and establishing a starting point. This part of the process is only becoming aware.
I'm so proud of you for making a commitment to be mindful of WHY you are putting WHAT you are putting in your mouth. If it's helpful, go ahead and start a short journal and make notes about what you eat. You can even send me a private message with your list if you would like me to help you monitor your progress. During this time, you're simply becoming aware of what's going on, and then later on we can discuss what's going on. If you have any questions, I'm here to help!

Congratulations for allowing yourself to consider what is going on. It's the most important step of the process. You are now officially on your way! =)

BLOG #1 - The Most Important Person in YOUr Life is...

Please allow me to introduce YOU to someone who is truly amazing!

Are YOU ready for this? I know YOU are... Otherwise why would YOU be reading this page? Thank YOU by the way... I appreciate YOU stopping by... Okay, back to the introduction... I would like to introduce YOU to the Best Possible version of, YOU guessed it... YOU!

So now that we've got that out of the way, we can get down to business. What do you suppose I mean by introducing you to the very best version of YOU?    Well, if you are anything like me, and I'm thinking you might be since after all, our fingernails are made of the same stuff... Many people have told you things that lead you to believe that although there are good things about you, there is a lot more wrong with you than right with you. It happened to me. A lot. I remember feeling not so good about myself but didn't want to be a complainer so I just went through life hoping that no one noticed how much was wrong with me. I spent a lot of time wondering what people thought about me and even what they were saying about me when I wasn't around.

Then one day I realized, these people, the ones who I thought were judging and thinking - actually weren't. In fact most of them were too busy worrying about what I thought about them to care really anything about me. That was a serious A-Ha moment...



So why SterlingizeMe and what's it all about?

The purpose of this blog is for YOU, the reader. To determine and discuss how to go about creating the very best version of the most amazing person in your life, YOU.

From the inside out, together we'll discover the greatness that lives within and is waiting patiently to get out.   Step by step, day by day and one discovery at a time.

The posts in this blog will focus on the areas of nourishment for the body, mind and spirit. And why it is essential that these 3 aspects are in balance...

If you are able to, please read this next part outloud:

"Whatever has happened in my life before today has happened for a reason. The sum of my experiences has brought me to where I am. The most important day is TODAY. Where I am right now, in this moment, is the starting point for whatever is next. The past does not define me as a person, nor does it determine my future. There is one person that controls the direction of my life, and they are sitting in my chair. There are people who want to help me. Today I choose that I am responsible for my own life."

I invite you to read this everyday if you think that would be helpful... One thing that has made a dramatic difference for me when implementing new concepts into my daily routine is to use a dry-erase marker and write encouraging words, such as above, on my bathroom mirror.

The name of this blog, SterlingizeMe, serves to represent becoming the best version of yourself.

Sterlingize means to become Sterling. Dictionary.com defines sterling: Noun - British Money. Adjective - (of a person or their work, quality or effort) Excellent or valuable. "This organization does sterling work for youngsters". Synonyms: genuine - pure - real - true.

If you make something 'personal' you 'personalize' it, so if you are going to make something the best version ever, you Sterlingize it.

I invite your questions, comments and suggestions as we participate and work together on creating the very best versions of ourselves.

Through this we will strengthen our families, our communities, our neighborhoods, our cities, our regions, our countries and the whole planet.

Here's a wonderful quote - "Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." ~Rumi