Another trip around the sun: Birthday Reflections

 

February 27, 2023 Regenerate Your World Build the future you want to live in. I know these times aren't the easiest for all of us, but I am an optimist - I see the glass as half-full, instead of half-empty. To brighten up your days, I publish the Regenerate Your World newsletter coming to your inbox on a bi-weekly basis. Let's Get Empowered!

Birthday Reflections Reflecting on Birthdays: A Journey Through Life A birthday is a special occasion that comes once a year, and it's an opportunity to reflect on our lives, the journey so far, and where we want to go in the future. I celebrated my birthday earlier this month. For me, birthdays bring a mix of emotions, from joy and excitement to sadness and nostalgia. I have found reflecting on my birthday is a powerful tool that has to lead to growth and self-discovery. Looking back on the past year can help us to see how far we've come and what we've accomplished. We can reflect on our successes, challenges, and areas for growth. This introspective look can also help us to identify patterns and habits that we may want to continue or change. For example, I have the tendency to overthink things and get caught up in the details. Knowing this pattern, I made it a goal of mine last year to try to stay in the present moment, not get caught up in every detail, and be at peace with the pace of life. In addition to reflecting on our personal lives, birthdays can also be an opportunity to reflect on our relationships with others. I like to think about the people who have been an important part of my life over the past year and consider how I can deepen those connections in the future. This is where you come in, you all have been part of my journey this year and I am so grateful for your continued readership!  As I continue to reflect on my birthday I consider my life goals. What do I want to achieve in the next year? What steps can I take to make those goals a reality? I consider what legacy I want to leave behind, and how I can make a positive impact in the world. It might sound strange but it is helpful for me to think about what I want my tombstone to read and then I ask myself my I living up to the inscription. Finally, speaking of tombstones, birthdays are a reminder of my own mortality. It's a reminder that life is short and can spend my life unhappy, worrying about things that are out of my control or I can cherish the moment. I work on practicing gratitude in order to recognize the good things in my life this helps me live life to the fullest, take chances (like starting a business during a pandemic!), and think about the things that bring value to my life.  Reflecting on my birthday is a valuable experience. It has helped me grow personally. It provides an opportunity to look back on the past, consider the present, and plan for the future. Birthdays are a reminder that life is a journey, and we should take advantage of every opportunity to make the most of it. You don't have to wait until it is your birthday to reflect. What is something you are proud of? What is something you might want to do differently? What activities bring value to your life? Now after all of this reflection, it is time for cake! The photo above is me with one of my sisters, Jill, celebrating at my parent's house. She made a village of gnomes with strawberry hats, a chocolate cake, and a swiss roll! She is an excellent baker. Celebrating with my friends, family, and the cake are a few of the many things I was grateful for on my birthday! Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Click here to get your own subscription. Previous Birthday Reflections Every year I think of a quote or words to live by that will represent the upcoming year. This year my quote is, "Lean Into Your Power". It is inspired by the Alice Walker quote “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”. If you are wondering last year my words to live by were, "Don't ask for permission.". What inspired this phrase was thinking about how many opportunities I lost because I was waiting for permission. So many dreams go unfulfilled, and so much talent goes untapped because people are waiting to be given permission to do what they really want to do.

In the Media Where can you find EMPOWER Possible? Besides posting on my own social media I also collaborate with other entrepreneurs. Most recently I was a guest on the MRS Podcast (Multiple Revenue Streams). Check out the episode linked HERE . We discuss the pursuit of happiness and we bust some happiness common myths!

EMPOWER Possible Free Resources What are three things you can do to improve your mental well-being? Click the link below to watch the video. Three things you need to know about mental health Take a few minutes to relax and envision an empowered future. The act of visualization helps you to practice and imagine the future you would like to have. It directs your mind to focus on your goals for the future. Click the link below to get started. Empowerment visualization

Connect with me on social media! Copyright © EMPOWER Possible 4912 Idlewild St., Duluth, United States, 55804 EMPOWER Possible is dedicated to empowering individuals, organizations, and communities to organize and act together to regenerate our world through Self, Social, and Systems transformation. info@empowerpossible.com \ Website \ Mission

Do you feel the love?

 

February 13, 2023 Regenerate Your World  Build the future you want to live in. I know these times aren't the easiest for all of us, but I am an optimist - I see the glass as half-full, instead of half-empty. To brighten up your days, I publish the Regenerate Your World newsletter coming to your inbox on a bi-weekly basis. Let's Get Empowered! Do you feel the love? Hello, Regenerate Your World Readers! Life moves fast and seems to move faster by the day. Sometimes it can feel like we are spinning out of control with no end in sight. As the pace of life speeds up you may feel drawn to activities that can slow life down. One of these activities is meditation. Thich Nhat Hanh a Vietnamese Buddhist monk defines mindfulness as being fully conscious in the current moment. Thich Nhat Hanh believed mindfulness was the secret not just to happiness but to being authentically alive and who doesn't want that?!  Traditional meditation has many benefits, with practice you will begin to see the benefits of meditation including the management of anger, and social anxiety, improved concentration, and memory recall. Meditation is not always easy, be patient with yourself and you will soon see the benefits.  I remember the first time I tried meditation. I took a class in college called Suffering and Christian Healing. My meditation experience didn’t go very well and I stayed away from meditation for several years after this experience. Every Friday for 16 weeks we would go to a small cold chapel on campus, lay on an itchy woven mat, and listen to a guided meditation our Professor would read to us. (I really liked my Professor just not this part of the class).  Most Fridays, as I lay on my mat I was trying to keep warm and not fall asleep. I did not understand the process of meditation. After 50 minutes I got up off my mat feeling like I had just wasted my time doing nothing.  I didn’t know, “doing nothing” and “just being” is the point. I am glad I had this experience because I know now how important it is to be patient with myself when practicing meditation and when teaching others about meditation there are many points to share that will help explain the process of meditation. Jumping right into a meditation practice without direction isn’t very helpful. When I teach others about meditation I often share this experience because I always felt meditation is just natural and I should be able to meditate easily. Meditation is far from easy for me however I can adjust a few things in my meditation practice that make it easier.  For example, it is important to know  meditation involves the breath,  non-judgment, and  releasing attachment to any particular outcome.  Remembering to breathe and letting go of judgment helps me to stay in the present moment. While I still struggle with meditating for long periods of time and I continue the practice because I have seen the benefits in my life when I incorporate it into my day-to-day life. Meditation has helped me become less reactive to situations. I take pause before I respond instead of jumping to conclusions and making assumptions. A few additional points that have helped me are,  I try meditating in the same space and I make it easier by setting up the space ahead of time.  I like to practice meditation in the morning so I am not as distracted and not too tired. I try to be in a quiet space and it helps if there is a blanket available to keep me warm. I also remind myself to breathe and relax my jaw and lower my shoulders. Once I prepare mentally and physically it is much easier for me to meditate for a few minutes.  Have you ever tried to meditate? If so, what works for you? How have you incorporated meditation into your life? What types of meditation have you tried? There are many forms of meditation. One that has been particularly helpful for me during difficult times with others and when I am feeling disappointed is loving-kindness meditation.  During loving-kindness meditation, you focus on moving loving energy toward yourself and others.  Take a few minutes of your day to practice loving-kindness through meditation. To sign up for a free loving kindness video go to www.empowerpossible.com/p/loving-kindness-meditation-free-video How can you take a few minutes today and every day to show yourself some love?  In honor of Valentine’s day let’s do something to care for ourselves. Maybe it is meditation, maybe it is going outside for a walk, or it could be sipping your favorite tea or coffee whatever it is make time for it today and tomorrow too! “The object of your practice should first of all be yourself. Your love for the other, your ability to love another person, depends on your ability to love yourself.” ― Hanh Nhat Thich, True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Click here to get your own subscription. Poem about Love By Kailey Brennan August 22, 2019 Loving yourself is tough. Waking up every day with a proud sense of who you are can feel exhausting, or even impossible. But we all know, deep down, we can be the best versions of ourselves when we love ourselves fiercely and freely. Sometimes it takes mantras and prayers and sticky notes on the wall and chats in the mirror to make self-love stick. Poetry can help too.  Here is a poem about love. accept yourself as a work in progress the continue  to build yourself into the person you’re dreaming to be; the person you have all the potential to be.  accept your flaws, accept your truths. accept your past.  and make light of them. no one can tear you down if  you make peace with who you are and where you’ve  been.  if you are going to focus on the negative at all, focus on turning them into positives.  focus on growing.  sometimes, often times, our minds are the scariest  place to sit.  it’ll trick you into comparing yourself  to others and it’ll trick you into believing you aren’t  good enough. but you are.  you have always been and you always will be. you’re much more powerful  when you believe in yourself.  if you don’t love all of you, who will?  give yourself time to blossom.    —Reyna Biddy  In the Media Where can you find EMPOWER Possible? Besides posting on my own social media I also collaborate with other entrepreneurs.  Most recently I was a guest on Positive Impact TV. Check out the episode linked HERE to learn more about strengths and how to build them. I even highlight Gitchi Gami (Lake Superior) during the conversation! EMPOWER Possible Free Resources Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. It means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences. Resilience is part of an emotional skill set. Complete this worksheet to start building resilience today. Click the link to download. Building Resilience Take a few minutes to relax and envision an empowered future. The act of visualization helps you to practice and imagine the future you would like to have. It directs your mind to focus on your goals for the future. Click the link below to get started. Empowerment visualization Connect with me on social media! Copyright © [[account.name]] [[account.address]], [[account.city]], [[account.country]], [[account.zipCode]] EMPOWER Possible is dedicated to empowering individuals, organizations, and communities to organize and act together to regenerate our world through Self, Social, and Systems transformation.  info@empowerpossible.com \ Website \ Mission You are receiving this email because you expressed an interest in my work—thank you! You can change your email preferences or unsubscribe at any time.  Edit preferences or Unsubscribe

Arete: The Pursuit of Happiness: What does happiness mean to you?

 

January 30, 2023 Regenerate Your World  Build the future you want to live in. I know these times aren't the easiest for all of us, but I am an optimist - I see the glass as half-full, instead of half-empty. To brighten up your days, I publish the Regenerate Your World newsletter coming to your inbox on a bi-weekly basis. Let's Get Empowered!

Arete: The Pursuit of Happiness Arete is a word the Greeks came up it carries with it one of the greatest pursuits of humankind. Arete means “to exist to your full potential”. In past newsletters - https://empowerpossible.blogspot.com/ , I mentioned my training in positive psychology. I have attended many workshops and lectures about the various aspects of positive psychology and in turn have led many workshops on the topic. According to founders of positive psychology, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi positive psychology is "the scientific study of what makes life most worth living",  or  "the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing on multiple levels that include the biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and global dimensions of life". There are always many lessons I learn each time I present a workshop. There is one lesson in particular that stands out to me related to this topic. After leading a workshop series one of the participants mentioned in the last week of a 10-week workshop that she was very skeptical of this topic. The name of the workshop was called Happy Hour and she felt happiness is frivolous. I asked her to say more and she shared that she felt “there are many more important things in life to focus on than happiness. Yes, happiness is nice but I don’t feel like I can waste my time focusing on my happiness I have more important things to do”. After she shared I had to take a breath because we had just spent an hour a week for 10 weeks discussing the importance of happiness in our lives and developing skills to incorporate the lessons we discussed. I was feeling like I failed. While thinking about her statement she continued, “but after attending this class I see now that happiness is more than a frivolous feeling it is an act. My happiness means more than I thought. If I am happy it means that I am more fulfilled, and I am a better mom and co-worker. It doesn’t mean that life is perfect or that I am ignoring my problems it means that I can address my problems without letting them consume me”. As soon as she shared these statements I was glad that I didn’t rush to defend myself and the course content. I realized she did a better job summarizing the material than I could. I saw others in the room begin to nod and they continued to share how their perception of happiness has changed. They realized happiness is a skill. When I begin the Happy Hour workshop I start by sharing the concept of Arete. The definition of happiness that is the foundation for the workshop is happiness is achieved by striving to reach your full potential. Happiness is not just a mood it is work and work is not the opposite of happiness. Authentic Happiness allows us to experience the full range of human emotions, happiness is engaging in meaningful activities that we enjoy That doesn’t mean life is not stressful or that we do not need to work hard is simply means happiness is more complex than a yellow smiley face. Studies show that people who view work as less of a “job,” which is a chore and takes away from their free time, and more as a “career” or “calling” are exponentially more likely to feel fulfilled. These same people also invest more time in their work and are usually more successful. Researchers suggest you rethink each of your daily tasks. If you are a health professional, for example, and paperwork usually drains your energy, consider the purpose of the task. If you think of it as documenting the progress of a patient and making it easier for other health professionals to step in later, then it becomes easier to view your actions as contributing to the greater good. Now that we are beginning a new year it could be a good time to reflect on the past year.  Below are a few questions that can help you reflect ( no need to overthink, just write down what comes to mind): What contributed to your happiness last year, what moments brought you happiness, and what themes do you notice (nature, travel, food, friends, family)?  What would I like to have more of in my life? Start by brainstorming, but then try to go very specific. What do I need less of in my life? Get specific. What beliefs around happiness do you currently have?  Do these beliefs help you reach your full potential?  What's one thing that really helps you when you are feeling down?  Consider what beliefs support you in reaching your full potential and what beliefs you may need to shift. You have this one life to live and I know that you can live a fulfilling and happy life I FEEL THAT IN MY ENTIRE BEING. How?  Ditch the belief systems that tell you you can’t. Look for representations of what is possible and stay aligned to *that* Consider your support system- are you a rule follower or breaker-how do you set yourself up for success- does guidelines (setting a bed time, move by 3pm, 5-7 fruits and veggies a day) feel liberating or constricting?  Take a workshop or course about happiness and develop your happiness skill set. Go to EMPOWER Courses  Get a coach to help support you.  Lastly, what can you do today? Right at this moment to get started? Maybe it is writing down your commitment to the concept of Arete and reaching your full potential. Or it could be listing 3 things you are grateful for and why or taking five big deep belly breaths and releasing each breath with a smile. Whatever it is take a moment right now to do it. I am also here to support you. Please send me an email noting what steps you are going to take today to info@empowerpossible.com. The photo above is from a presentation I delivered at the MidWest Health Promotion Conference last year when I still worked at the College of St. Scholastica.  Something that helps me reach my full potential is delivering conference presentations. I used to despise public speaking. I even determined which grad school to attend based on schools that had non-teaching graduate assistantships. If I had to speak in public/teach that school was off the list. I since have overcome my fear of public speaking and it is something that I can find some joy in.  In order for me to overcome my fear I focus on the benefits that will result from doing what I am afraid of. I think about how my audience will benefit from what I have to share and that the audience is there because they are interested in what I have to say and want me to succeed and deliver a good presentation. This is an example of an activity that makes me happy but is also a lot of work. **Disclaimer - I do believe happiness in the context of arete is achievable for everyone and I would like to acknowledge mental health is on a spectrum ranging from clinical diagnosis to no clinical symptoms. Mental health is also different from mental well-being. Mental well-being is also on a spectrum from unwell to well. All of us fall somewhere on both spectrums and where we fall on the spectrum changes. Where we fall on the spectrum will affect us and our ability to achieve arete. Please do not be hard on yourself if arete does not come easily to you. You may need to focus on other areas of your well-being and mental health before focusing on arete.  Take care this week and always. Thank you for your readership! Together we can regenerate our world, Julie

The Choice Is Mine  By Abimbola T. Alabi I've had my share of troubles in life, though not as much as some have had. But I've discovered that happiness - or a lack of it - never really comes from my friends or foes. Although they do influence it, it's really up to me. Happiness Poem Life may not let me choose my lot, But whether I'd be happy or not... That is my choice. To leave hurtful memories behind Or allow them to bother my mind... The choice is mine. To fret over a mistake when it's done Or learn from it and move on... The choice is mine. To be bothered by all that people say Or ignore them and go my own way... The choice is mine. To hide my feelings, pent up, unspoken, Or say my mind and ease the burden... The choice is mine. To enjoy what I've been able to gain Or ungratefully regard it with disdain... The choice is mine. Sometimes I won't get to pick my lot, But whether I'll be happy or not Will always be my choice. Click to review EMPOWER Possible Free Resources

Connect with me on social media! Copyright © EMPOWER Possible 4912 Idlewild St., Duluth, United States, 55804 EMPOWER Possible is dedicated to empowering individuals, organizations, and communities to organize and act together to regenerate our world through Self, Social, and Systems transformation.  info@empowerpossible.com \ Website \ Mission