Pleasure

Our culture is forever encouraging us to do more, be more and accomplish more.  Many of us have gotten so busy and stressed that pleasure has started to feel like an indulgence, a departure from our goals.  But what if taking time for fun and pleasure actually helps us achieve our goals?

Studies show this is true on a small scale as well as a larger scale.  For instance, the brain functions best if we give it a 15 minute break every 90 minutes.  Also, the brain solves problems best when we focus intently on the issue for a time, and then do something completely unrelated and engaging, such as exercise or having fun.  In this way, the subconscious mind and intuition are allowed time to process.  We’ve all had the experience of trying to think of a name but are unable to until we let it go.  Then it just pops in our head, hours or even days later!

More importantly, an “all work, no play” philosophy belies an undercurrent of negative beliefs regarding ourselves and life.  When we do our best to achieve our goals, and yet take the time to take care of ourselves and enjoy life, we signal to the universe that we expect things to go well and the universe can then do more for us. We are also more relaxed and able to see options and opportunities that we would otherwise miss.  It also signals to us that we trust ourselves as well as maintaining balance and better health.  When we expect things to be easier, they become so.  Why work harder when you can work smarter, and happier?  So, take a break.  You deserve it!

Aging

You may have seen this famous viral videos that went around and if you haven’t, here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTWo9EfQ4Hc

This is one of the most amazing and inspiring videos I’ve ever seen!  I believe that it shows just how culturally brainwashed we are as a society about aging and the rate that our bodies break down. 

How often do we hear complaints from others about their knees, metabolisms and many other ailments that are all blamed on the aging process.  Even George Clooney was quoted as saying “Everyone has a year where they feel like they’ve aged a decade.”

We can do exercises to strengthen our knees, exercise and adjust diet to improve metabolism and take other steps for other issues. But we don’t.

Let’s be honest – it’s not aging but rather less and less activity, illness, diet, stress and lifestyle changes that cause most of us to “get old.”  Over time the effects of these accumulate but more importantly, we feel powerless to change the tide of what we feel is a slow decline because we believe it’s our age! Of course, aging is a small factor, but far less of one than we believe.

If we would only realize that we do have control of our bodies and perspectives, perhaps we would decide to halt and even reverse those “aging ailments” as best we can and to start living younger and stronger every day.  We must start wherever we are to heal and strengthen.  It may feel difficult and slow (because it took a while to get that way) but it is worth it because our bodies are meant to be healthy for many years. 

Let’s all reject the negative suggestions around us and break the “aging stigma.”  Let’s create our own healthy, youthful realities with better beliefs!

This is one of the most amazing and inspiring videos I’ve ever seen. I believe that it shows just how culturally brainwashed we are as a society about aging and the rate that our bodies break down.

How often do we hear complaints from others about their knees, metabolisms and many other ailments that are all blamed on the aging process. Even George Clooney was quoted as saying “Everyone has a year where they feel like they’ve aged a decade.”  We can do exercises to strengthen our knees, adjust diet and exercise to improve metabolism and take other steps for other issues. But we usually don’t.

Let’s be honest - it’s not aging but rather less and less activity, illness, diet, stress and lifestyle changes that cause most of us to “get old.”  Over time the effects of these accumulate but more importantly, we feel powerless to change the tide of what we feel is a slow decline because we believe it’s our age! Of course, aging is a small factor, but far less of one than we believe.

If we would only realize that we do have control of our bodies and perspectives, perhaps we would decide to halt and even reverse those “aging ailments” as best we can and to start living younger and stronger every day. We must start wherever we are to heal and strengthen. It may feel difficult and slow (because it took a while to get that way) but it is worth it because our bodies are meant to be healthy for many, many years.

Let’s all reject the negative suggestions around us and break the “aging stigma.” Let’s create our own healthy, youthful realities with better beliefs, just like Johanna!

Stress and HeartMath

We all know that stress is the greatest contributor to illness but it affects us on many levels and in many ways and can be all encompassing.  Stress can come from current situations, jobs and relationships but it can also come from unhealthy beliefs and habits, past trauma and even feeling uninspired and unfulfilled.  It’s no wonder it is universal and pervasive.

There are many things we can do to reduce or eliminate stress immediately, such as meditation, self-hypnosis and exercise to name a few, but one of the most impactful things we can do is an occasional stress inventory.  This means writing down everything that causes stress, temporary or permanent, and figuring out a strategy to handle it.  If it is an unhealthy relationship, either shift it, heal it or even maybe let it go.  If it is your own perception, find tools to help you change it in an empowering way.  In any case, see that you are in control and find a way to improve each issue.  Some things may take some time to find a solution but your intention will get your brilliant subconscious mind working on the problem for you.  When our lives are more aligned and happier overall, less effort is needed to recover from our day.

The Institute of HeartMath is wonderful organization dedicated to helping people with stress.  Their website (below) offers many tools and insights and I hope you’ll check it out.  You may have to make some short and/or long term changes but you’ll be happier, healthier and live longer.  It’s worth it!   

http://www.heartmath.org/

New Year's Resolutions

Many people at this time of year feel their motivation waning or already having 

failed them in regards to their New Year's resolutions. The statistics are

staggering and rather disheartening mostly because we don't think through our goals and plan

plan accordingly. Here's to Round 2!

·        Know that most people underestimate their lack of motivation and overestimate 

their willpower.

·        It's good to take an honest, but kind, assessment of the problem/goal. How long

have you been struggling with it? What have been the ramification of the problem

 / not having achieved the goal? What have you learned from previous attempts, 

successful or unsuccessful? What resources do you have at your disposal, internally

and externally?

·        Identify the consequences of doing nothing. You won't be focusing on this but 

it is important to identify these and to make an initial list so that you are honest

with yourself (no avoiding or denial!) and to increase motivation, at least enough

to commit to a plan.

·        Identify the "Reason Why." This is one of the most powerful calls to action. Identify

your emotional and logical positive motivations and remind yourself of them constantly.

·        Make your actions automatic and a part of your schedule so you can't make excuses.

(e.g., exercising first thing in the morning before you've had a chance to get too

busy or pre-making healthy meals so they're readily available.

·        Create short term and long term goals so you don't overwhelm yourself.

·        Create a manageable plan and just trust that it works. Take the steps in the plan,

be patient and simply tweak as you go along.

Naturally, reassess at planned appropriate intervals that make sense and are decided

during planning.   Unfortunately, most people do the opposite....get impatient, 

giving themselves excuses to stop. If that happens to you, don't worry or judge 

yourself. Just start at the top of the list again, and again if needed. 

Balance During The Holidays

The holidays may seem like the worst time to talk about balance as our schedules, stress, eating and more are all off course. But at this time it's good to notice we’re off balance and to accept and acknowledge that this is a natural state as well. Balance is a lifelong goal and we will always waver. Ultimately, the goal is to waver less and to lesser extremes over time.


Often times, the busiest time is the best time to take a break before spiraling out of control. There is some wisdom to the idea that the less time you have for it, the more you need it. The more we get off-balance, the more time and effort it takes to get back on track.

Here are some ways to center and refresh ourselves:
Self-hypnosis, exercise, read a good book, take a walk, hot bath, meditate/pray, laugh, catch up with a friend (even if it's by phone). Sometimes, just sitting for a few moments and breathing deeply through our bellies saves the day. The important thing is to slow down, relax and reconnect with your center.

Benefits of Hypnosis

Hypnosis and self-hypnosis have many applications and benefits but today I’d like to address the little known benefits.  Just the very process of accessing the sub-conscious mind regularly (regardless of the goal) creates the below effects for most people and sometimes more depending on the individual.  Some perceive them as immediate and strong while others hardly notice the connection to these remarkable changes, experiencing them more subtly.

There’s an increases in the brain’s ability to learn, grow and adapt.

Sleep and healing are improved.

The brain continually upgrading and optimizing itself and your life.

Intuition and ability to listen to inner knowing are improved.

One gets stronger messages and realizations on how life can be improved and/or problems solved.

You feel more creative, confident and at ease.

The ability to be more decisive and confident in decisions is increased.

You feel more empowered overall and in control of your life.

A more positive, optimistic and solution-oriented outlook.

More messages and problems solved through dreams.

Life generally goes more smoothly.

These are just a few of the amazing benefits from regular hypnosis.  Feel free to share some of your own experiences privately through email or publicly by posting to my blog at http://greaterachievementshypnosis.blogspot.com/.   I’m sure we’d all love to hear your story!

Perfection vs. Excellence

We all want to do our best and be our best but perfection and excellence are very different.

Perfectionists feel as if they cannot make a mistake and if they do they feel flawed and inferior in some way.  This is simply torture on many levels as mistakes and errors are inevitable, even for the best of us.

Excellence on the other hand, expects errors and mistakes and uses them as an opportunity to learn and improve without judgment. 

So embrace and accept real or perceived mistakes and even welcome them as ultimately positive factors.  Learning to do this as you fine tune your skills and abilities is essential, knowing there is no other way to become a master.