Health and Nutrition

One of the seven steps of Practical Empowerment is health and nutrition. If you exercise and eat the right foods, you will most certainly be empowered. You will have more energy, your weight will be exactly were you want it to be, your hormones will be in balance, you will have beautiful skin, the digestive issues will go away and you will have less cravings and addictions. You will strengthen your will and it is the will you use to focus on and create what you want. What do you really want?

Your body is made from the foods you eat. Healthy bodies are not made from pizza. I invite you to add the following to your diet.

· A teaspoon of cod liver oil everyday. This will give you beautiful skin and improve your immune system. It will also help with the seasonal depression.

· Water-Our bodies are 75% water and we need sufficient water for optimum brain function, digestion, detoxification and energy production. Please go purchase a real good water filter that you will use for the next 20 years. Bottled water not only is not very good for you, but all those plastic bottles end up in the land fill and will be there for another 200 years. Divide your weight in pounds by 2 and drink that many ounces of filtered water per day from your own tap.

· Eat fermented foods that are organic and preferably you make yourself such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and high quality yogurt.

· Coconut oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, weight-loss promoting, and very tasty. Cook with it, put it on steamed vegetables or grab a teaspoon full and just eat it.

· Bone broth is not only good for your immune system, but settles the nerves after a hard day and is full of minerals. I make my own organic chicken broth and use it in my cooking everyday.

· Celtic Sea Salt-This is more that sodium chloride, this amazing stuff is an energetically charged mineral supplement, especially high in magnesium and balance with potassium and it really tastes great. Celtic sea salt will not create the health problems that our processed and bleached table salt does.

Now you might look at this list and be overwhelmed. Please do not be. Think of it as something you are going to do to be healthier, stronger and more vibrant. Start with just one new item per week and add it to your diet. Will it feel funny? Yes, because it is change and change always feels different. Welcome the change into your life for a more balanced, happier and healthier you. You will feel the best you have ever felt, I guarantee.

Your Personal Power

As I sit here to write this article, I realize that we actually create our own personal power and it all starts from a decision. The decision is to decide what you really want. The decision is to decide on your definite purpose in life. The problem is that when you ask people what they really want, they usually are not clear. If they do know, they are usually things they want to get away from, or simply another material thing to be used for a day or year or a lifetime and then discarded.

I always ask my executive coaching clients to tell me what they would do if they knew they could not fail. I tell them for just a moment to believe in themselves as infinite and unlimited beings with no limits and no barriers. What would they want to be? What would they want to do? What would they want to have? I believe personal power comes from being clear on what you want. In addition, I believe it is having a purpose that involves collective wants. It could be the wants of your family, your community or your world.

My definite purpose is to inspire and touch people in such a way that they make the decisions and take the actions necessary transform to their life and the result will be a better and more beautiful world for everyone. For one of my clients it is to spread joy everywhere, everyday. What is yours? Your personal purpose usually exists at a level of consciousness that can never be fully conceptualized. This does not mean that it is inaccessible. The best way to discover your definite purpose is to ask yourself the question, “What is my definite purpose” or “Why am I here.” In addition, writing, meditation and taking walks in nature are really helpful, along with discussing your purpose with a friend or an executive coach like me.

I like how the writer James Allen wrote about purpose.

“A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralizing point of his thoughts. It may take the form of a spiritual ideal, or it may be a worldly object, according to his nature at the time being; but whichever it is, he should steadily focus his thought forces upon the object which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longings, and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success, and this will form a new starting point for future power and triumph.”

Once you have your purpose, you will want to create a vision of how to achieve it in your marvelous and incredible imagination. It is the picture of the future you want to create. Having a personal vision is very important. It is the key that will unlock the enormous power of your purpose. Your vision is the vehicle that will bring purpose into your very acts and commitments. It is where you finally say, ‘I will do whatever it takes.” My vision is to be one of the best executive coaches in the world.

Author Joel Barker says, “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world”

Every person who has done remarkable things in their lives has had a clear vision, stemming form a deep and pervasive sense of purpose. It seems a creative power is released when an individual’s vision and personal purpose are aligned. Results are easier to create, the vision gets clearer, there is more commitment to the vision and life seems to all fall into place.

I believe that personal transformation precedes organizational and world change. If it is going to be, it is up to me. If you really want to change the world, just build a better you.

Start today and decide on your purpose, then create your vision and then take the first step towards your goal. Tell me what you want and I will show you how to get it.

I Will Do Whatever It Takes

I was at a seminar one time in Minneapolis and my friend Pauline asked me what I really wanted to do. I told her that I wanted to create a business that made a meaningful and positive difference in people’s lives and filled my life with joy and abundance. She told me that was really wonderful and that I should create an affirmation around what I wanted to do. I thought to myself, what a great idea.

So I created the affirmation, “I am now creating and providing a service that makes a meaningful and positive difference in people’s lives and fills my life with joy and abundance.” Again, Pauline told me that the statement was really good and made her feel inspired, but that there was still something missing. She invited me to consider adding the following words, “I will do what ever it takes.” Wow, I thought to myself, that phrase now makes me committed to my affirmation. No longer were they just pretty words.

My new affirmation then became, “I will do whatever it takes to create and provide a service that makes a meaningful and positive difference in people’s lives and fills my life with joy and abundance.” As I look back upon this experience and the lesson I learned, I am so ever grateful for the presence of Pauline in my life at that time and always.

“I will do whatever it takes,” means the following to me.

-Seeing all my daily tasks through to completion.
-Keeping my commitments.
-Practicing when I do not want to practice.
-Not violating the rights of others.
-Giving up something of a lower nature to achieve something of a higher nature.
-Walking straight ahead towards my goal, no matter what and realizing all my fears are just an illusion.
-Being persistent and not giving up.
-Being willing to release all my ideas as to how something should be or look like in order to move forward.
-Trusting in the process and being grateful on every step of the journey.
-Being willing to fail and then get up and try again and again and again.
-Being open to and willing to listen to the advice of other people.
-Constant and never ending improvement of myself.
-Accepting other people as they are.
-Being patient.
-Asking for help.
-Having the wisdom and understanding that the good I desire is already here, and that all I need to do is get in harmony with it.
-Saying please and thank you to everyone.

Health and Nutrition - What to Remove from Your Diet

We are what we eat! Eating is a conscious choice that affects are lives, our attitudes, moods and emotions. There are many types of foods we may not be conscious of their impact. I thought it might be a good idea to invite you to consider removing some items from your diet. Here is a short list.

• Soda - The average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year, one can of soda can be loaded with sugar, artificial sweeteners and food colors and sulphites. Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease. Drink water or a cup of organic free trade herbal tea.

• High Fructose Corn Syrup – This is one of the biggest contributors of the obesity and type II diabetes epidemics we are experiencing. High fructose corn syrup is everywhere because it is cheap and plentiful and it is easy to incorporate into processed foods. I personally would not give it to my dog if I had one. It disrupts our sugar metabolism. It is also genetically modified as are the enzymes used to produce it.

• Trans Fats – This is a must. These are outlawed in Denmark and have no place in your diet. If you eat out, you are sure to be getting big doses of Trans Fats in your diet. Eat at home and enjoy the experience. Use organic coconut oil, olive oil, organic butter or ghee, and flax oil.

• White Foods – These white foods are highly processed grains and sugars and oils. A good example would be white flour and white sugar. In order to process these empty foods, we have to rob our body of nutrients to use them. Eat whole grains and whole foods everyday.

• Artificial Sweeteners – These are toxic chemicals and mess with the natural signals in our bodies. Try a moderate amount of organic maple syrup, honey or molasses.

• Artificial Colors, Preservatives and Flavors – All of these are toxic chemicals, contributing to allergies, asthma, depressed immune systems.

As I have said before, you do not have to do this all in one day, and you do not have to be perfect. Making dietary changes is usually not easy. Be kind to yourself and be patient. I invite you to remove one of the items form the list each week. Then you will wake up one day and realize that that can of soda really does taste awful and really does mess with your emotions and energy levels.

May you be happy and well!!

Practicing Compassion

There is a Buddhist meditative practice that teaches how to be more compassionate. It is called Metta. Metta is the Sanskrit word for love. The meditation focuses on consciously evoking feelings of love and compassion both for oneself and others. The Metta practice is built around repetitively reciting a series of phrases to one’s self. The phrases are as follows:

May I be filled with love and kindness.

May I be free of suffering.

May I be peaceful and at ease.

May I be happy.

After a certain period of time, one is instructed to replace the “I” in each phrase with specific family members, then friends and acquaintances, and eventually even one’s enemies.

The Focus of Your Mind

One of the statements I always tell myself and encourage my clients to use for themselves is the following:

"All bad feelings are focusing on what I do not want. I always focus on what I want. The power of decision is my own. I have the power as to how I focus my mind."

The Intention Experiment

I have been reading a book titled ‘The Intention Experiment” by Lynne McTaggart. I find it to be an incredible book. The book is a revolutionary and groundbreaking exploration of the science of intention. It draws on the findings of leading scientists on human consciousness from around the world. The book demonstrates that thought is a thing that affects other things and that thought generates its own energy that you can use to improve your life, to help others around you and to change the world.

The book forces you to rethink what it is to be human. As it proves, we are connected to everyone and everything. The idea that we are connected to everyone and everything requires that we pay closer attention to our thoughts, intentions, words and actions.

You read the book and let me know what you think. You can also go to her website and learn more about “The Intention Experiment” The Intention Experiment - the largest mind-over-matter experiment in history

Letting Go...

Letting Go

To “let go” is not to try to change or blame another; it’s to make the most of myself.

To “let go” is not to nag, scold or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To “let go” is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

To “let go” is not to deny but accept.

To “let go” is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To “let go” is not to cut myself off; it’s the realization I can’t control another.

To “let go” is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To “let go” is not to be protective, it’s to permit another to face reality.

To “let go” is not to be in the middle, arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

To “let go” is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To “let go” is not to regret the past but to grow and live for the future.

To “let go” is not to fix but to be supportive.

To “let go” is to fear less and love more.

To “let go” is not to care for but care about.

To “let go” does not mean to stop caring; it means I can’t do it for someone else.

Meditate Your Way to Health

I was having some health challenges about 25 years ago, and someone suggested I meditate. I did and my health improved and so did my whole life. So here are some great reasons to meditate.

You will have improved concentration and a clear mind makes you more productive, especially in creative disciplines like writing. I am very productive when I meditate.
You will focus more on what you want.
You will be less bothered by little things. Do you sometimes allow yourself to get upset by little things? It is the nature of the mind, which is not who you are, to magnify small things into serious problems. Meditation helps us detach. We learn to live in the here and now, rather than regretting the past or worrying about the future. We do not worry about little things, but are able to see the big picture.
You will have better health. There are numerous studies, too many to count, pointing to the health benefits of meditation. The reason is that meditation reduces stress and alleviates anxiety. If we can reduce stress, many health benefits follow.
You will have a deeper understanding and knowledge of yourself. Meditation helps us to have a deeper understanding of our inner self. Through meditation we can gain a better understanding of our life’s purpose

Meditation has nothing to do with philosophy or religion, but is about consciousness.

Meditation is the cornerstone to personal growth and transformation. I recommend that all of my clients meditate if they are truly committed to personal transformation and growth. The “Holosync Solution” from Centerpointe Research Institute is the best way I have found to meditate. It is simple, easy and effective. All I have to do is push a button and put on the head phones and in just a few minutes I am in a very deep meditation. Since using the products, my meditations are deeper, longer and more beneficial. I feel more relaxed, happier, confident, positive and creative. I am really able to focus on my goals, and let all the distractions just go by. Everyday seems to just get better and better! Highly Recommended!

Follow the link Marty McEvoy - Practical Empowerment and order the demo disc today. Let me know how you like it.