Categories
Core Living

Running the Spartan Race: How do I live my life?

I ran the Utah Super Spartan!

This was an experience that has touched me to the core. There were no distinctions of classes. All people chipped in to help each other.

Small people were helping larger people get over or through the daunting obstacles. People were helping each other get up and start again.

Cheering “You can do this. Just a few more feet” was constantly spoken. People carried each other’s weighted bags. People stopped to give others water or food.

This was a time and place that brought more comradery than I have felt in any other place of my life (next to family), no discrimination, no degrading, just genuine concern.

In one area there was a very steep hill and in portions of it I had to crawl to get to the top. A total stranger stayed right behind me all the way to the top just in case I slipped. I did not ask him to do that; he just did it.

That will be a memory of a lifetime.

He did not have to care and I am sure I will never see him again, yet he chose to go a slower pace to see that I could make the hill.

Also, running this race with two of my daughters will always be etched in my heart. I saw them push themselves to go beyond their normal ability to do seemingly impossible obstacles.

And they still took time to help others when they were struggling.

If I could liken this experience to life, what would our world look like? It is hard at times to imagine so much concern for mankind. Yet, you can see this in times of human desperation. People can be good.

Life can be good.

We can find love and concern for all around us. At the rate of one person at a time, we can lift and love them. Every one of us has the ability to take one more step and to love others just one more time.

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We look forward to working with you. Let’s schedule a time to discuss where you are, what you are struggling with and how we can help

Like the chant on race day-

“Come on we can do this for 15 more minutes.

“For 15 more minutes.

“Again for 15 more minutes.”

I am writing this in part to help my heart remember the feelings of deep compassion that I felt that day during this seemingly impossible task when over a thousand-people were working together to make it to the finish line.

Life is one step at a time.

We really can win this race.

Book a free consultation to talk to me.

I can help you find your obstacles and and how to overcome them,
If you are ready to make your life run happier, please contact me on the link above.

Get the free download below.

It’s a great place to start.

Categories
Life Skills

Is Your Life Feeling Out of Control?

There are many reasons why life may feel out of control: your job is not doing as well as you would like; your relationships are not functioning well; your loved ones are sick or some have passed away; you are stressed and not seeing an end in sight; and the list goes on.

For many of us, the pace of life has accelerated to a level where we exist in a buzz of worry that we have lost sight of our purpose. The anxiety we feel, in turn, makes it difficult to get things done, creating a spiral of inaction and darkness.

What we need is the ability to cut through it all and find emotional, spiritual and physical balance. We need to think more clearly and advocate for ourselves so we can take a course of action that aligns with our purpose.

Even though changing this rut seems impossible, listed below are ideas to help reengage in life and to start moving forward finding and thriving in peace:

6 Ideas to Help You Re-Engage with Life

1-Surround yourself with friends, family, and communities who encourage you to reach your full potential, nurture your talents, affirm your value. But also give you a reality check when you’ve behaved badly or are especially stuck in negative thinking.

You can also get involved with your community through volunteering or just talking with people and neighbors. This can seemingly feel impossible, yet this is one of the fastest ways to get life back in control. These positive social interactions will improve your state of mind and physical
health- two critical building blocks of a fulfilling life.

2-Learn to love and accept yourself. Love is the medicine that accelerates healing. There is no better medicine than unconditional love. Not I love you if, or I love myself if. There is no “if”. It is just love. Here are some suggestions to learn a deeper self-love:

  • Stop comparing yourself to others.
  • Allow yourself to make mistakes
  • Don’t be afraid to let go of toxic people.
  • Don’t always believe the opinions of others.
  • Learn from the past, but do not live there.

3-Clean your space. Your physical space reflects your mental health. Clearing the clutter also clears the mind. Much of the time, we keep things because we can’t let them go. Does everything in your space bring joy? Many eastern scriptures suggest that by holding onto bad clutter is like hanging onto the past and preventing us from living in the present and embracing the future. Taking charge of the energy in our spaces helps us live in the present and live a more fulfilling life. So, where do you start?

  • Choose one small space at a time.
  • Make it a goal to keep one item and let one go.
  • Build in incentives – Listen to podcasts, music or a dinner out when one area is done.
  • Have a declutter buddy. They can help you let go of unnecessary, unused items.

4-Get active and build momentum. Plan and write down your goals. What do you want your life to be? Mel Robbins book “The 5 Second Rule” has some inspirational ways to get momentum and to keep moving forward. Mel tells her story about her morning routine: “Instead of rolling over and sleeping in, Robbins counts silently to herself, “five, four, three, two, one.” This simple act distracts you from anxieties and redirects your attention to what you should be doing, instead of submitting to instantly gratifying urges. By continually doing this, you can break a negative cycle and create new and better habits.” This is like a blast off. When you reach the number 1 you are blasting off. You get up and start moving. Robbins also used the five-second rule to “stop avoiding exercise and to push herself outdoors for regular jogs.” And when she felt like procrastinating on updating her résumé, it was, “five, four, three, two, one” …blast-and she got to work.”

5- Live your principles. Many of us feel an emptiness inside each of us; a longing for something more. That emptiness is often a result of not living what we believe. Everything we think, everything we do, has a consequence. If we make a choice, we have an outcome or a reaction. If we don’t make a choice, we have an outcome or a reaction. We are going to experience the consequences of our actions in one way or another. You find so much more peace in life when your words match your actions. You gain greater peace and less wanting when living your principles.

6- Change our perspective. Do we really know our purpose? Or are we letting our ego, society, or friends tell us our purpose? Instead, take a step back and re-evaluate what you consider your purpose. Is it really you or something expected of you?

When you look deeper inside yourself, you will truly see how to gain back the control you feel you lost. In terms of peace of mind, it is much greater than attaining the ego or expectations of outside influences. We really should be true to ourselves and follow the steps above to unwind ourselves from the stress and pressures we face.

These ideas may seem simple or maybe to some it may be overwhelming. We can find greater control in our world by taking one step at a time. Work at your own pace, celebrate the wins, and be grateful for them. Don’t look for what is broken, look for what is working. You will be absolutely amazed at how much control you do have in your life and how much more you will be gaining. One step at a time.

To gain a deeper understanding of what your subconscious thoughts are telling you, take the free assessment. It is a real eye opener of why you do the things you do.

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Categories
Hope

Broken Hearted

We spend a life time setting goals and believing that we can reach them. Or believing that all these amazing things could be ours if we just work hard enough. In reality that is a big part of how to become what we want to become. To work harder and harder in life.  It is so very important to really believe that we can accomplish what we want. And yet we seldom stop to think that life doesn’t always turn out as we planned. That doesn’t mean that we should plan for life to turn disastrous, and we really don’t want to live in fear that we will lose the life we worked so hard for. Yet we do need to understand how life really is. It is so Important for us to continue to believe that life can deliver to us our greatest desire and that we can obtain the very things that make us happy so that we can live in peace and understanding. Life can be good even when, at times, we can’t seem to see it. 

I often think about a family member that their child spent years struggling to gain his health. He was diagnosed with cancer at a very young age and went through so many treatments for years only to pass away. Yet when I look at that family they are unbelievable kind, loving, generous and so willing to help anyone who is in need. So heartbreaking yet so filled with love. 

Every one of us goes through heart ache more than once in a lifetime. Some of the hardest moments in life is losing a loved one. That breaks our soul to its very depths. It seems impossible to ever feel like we can breathe again. 

We can feel that depth of pain when we lose a job, loose a friend, or maybe even have to change our life’s course because of circumstances beyond our control. Perhaps we have even lost the way to fulfill our passion. There is divorce, or breakups, and recently, the pandemic has affected so many of us. 

Why do we have to go through such pain? Why do we have to feel so completely broken and hopeless and filled with literal pain?  Is there really a way to start to live again? How long before we can breathe or even stop the crying and the constant feeling of sadness? 

Have you heard others tell you to just get over it? Yes, to some degree we can change all of this pain by rewiring our brain. Yet in reality remember that this pain is very real. It is called Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. Says Brown University cardiology Richard Regnante, M.D. “They may be in cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, or severe heart failure. They may require advanced life support with airway management and medications to support blood pressure.” All of this from the life changing paths that we had not planned.” 

A broken heart is not just folklore. The study offers a possible explanation. Grief or fear is experienced. Stimulating the adrenal glands and nerves produce stress hormone including adrenaline. The reduced pumping causes chest pain or other symptoms similar to a heart attack, that can sharply lower the heart’s pumping ability.

A ‘broken heart’ is not just a period of emotional sadness. In some cases, it is a traumatic physical event. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is informally known as ‘broken heart syndrome’ because it often occurs due to an emotional or physical shock. 

So, after learning all that, ask yourself what part do we have control of? It really is true that we can choose how long we will suffer. 

Following are some ideas to help you work though a broken heart and come out feeling like life might be worth living after all:

  1. You can run away from the pain or pretend it doesn’t happen. Or you can work through it and find solutions. Such as: Set some goals that will help you deal with the situation. For example: a vacation with friends or family, take up a hobby, learn something new that can help you with work, or other parts of life. Maybe the greatest help would be to reach out to others that are going through a similar situation and volunteer to help them. I had a friend that their child chose to end their life. After this overwhelming situation she decided to learn all she could about how to help those who are feeling suicidal. She then started working for the Suicide Hot Line. She has saved countless people from their feelings of despair and hopelessness. 
  2. Feel the good and the bad in each and every day.  “One day at a time. As our day goes so does our lives. A day is like a whole life. You start out doing one thing but end up doing something else. You plan to run and errand, but never get there. And at the end of your life, your whole existence has that same haphazard quality too. Your whole life has the same shape as a single day. Do you want to change the shape of your life? Change the shape of your day. Do you want to change your day? Change this hour. Change what you think, feel, and do at this very moment. A small rudder can steer a large ship. Small bricks can become magnificent mansions. Small seeds can become towering sequoias. 

Minutes and hours well spent are the building blocks of a life well lived. They can inspire goodness, lift us from the captivity of grief and pain, and lead us upward, where we can find a fulfilling life.” Elder Dieter F. Uchtodorf 

  1. Take good care of your body. Nothing is more refreshing than to go for a hike in the mountains, forest or beach and have a good cry. Then get your body moving. It will help you release the hurt and be clear minded in your everyday life. Stress can be decreased and your thoughts ordered. 
  2. Get happy with you again. Focus on service, ambitions and goals. If you don’t have them or feel lost on what the next right step is then reach out for help. Yes, heartbreak will recover, but time is something we cannot gain back. 
  3. The biggest step to help you get through a heartbreak is to write down all the things you are grateful for. Write down all the things that you learned from this experience. No matter how hard this has been, there is a reason for it. What Is that reason? What did you learn? What different direction did you go. What goals changed? What kind of people are now in your life. Lots to think about. 

The best thing about having a broken heart is that at that moment in life we have been filled with love and the beauty of life. That person or experience may not be here now yet it gave you Something that a lot of people may not have had the opportunity to feel. How empty life could be if we had not felt those magical, amazing moments that we had an opportunity to live. Write down all of those feelings that you experienced and feel blessed because at that moment you won. 

There are many ways to heal a broken heart, but the most important thing is for you to know that it is possible.

Life is filled with solutions and wonderful ways in which to overcome hardship. If you are willing, you will find what you are looking for. And if a mended, happy, recovered heart is what you seek, then you will find exactly that.

If you are struggling please reach out. One step at a time brings huge steps of progress and peace. 

Take the free assessment on my website and share if you know of someone that is struggling. We are not alone in this world. 

kristena@corelivingessentials.com

 

Categories
Happiness Life Skills

Steps to Finding Your Purpose and Direction

 

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Podcast

Stop Reacting to Anger