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Do You Hate Vacation – or Just the Sand?

Families on the beach are a great sources of quotes. This week, they were also an inspiration for this blog post.

A family of four – mom, dad, two boys – arrived at the hotel beach. Everyone looked happy enough to kill some time on the beach since it was too early for them to check into their room. Until. The. Rain.

The smiles remained for three of the four, but the younger boy was in tears as they headed back toward the hotel. This was the exchange between the young boy and his mom.

Toddler: “I hate vacation!”

Mom: “Oh, honey, you don’t hate vacation. It’s the sand that’s bothering you.”

Toddler: “It’s in my shoes.” The crying ramped up to sobbing.

And with that, the boy’s mom talked him through the ordeal of walking with sand-filled shoes another 10 feet to the sand-free area where his dad and older brother were patiently waiting for him.

A couple of hours later, I headed over to the sand-free pool. The family appeared to be having a great time: all four were in the pool. Both boys were laughing and playing. No shoes filled with sand here!

Lessons learned here from a toddler:

The next time you think it’s time to quit your job or fire a client, ask yourself a few questions:

Is it really time to move on from your job or client, or do you just need to get out of the sandbox?
Do you feel the need to sever this relationship only when it’s raining, or is this job / client always a buzz kill?
Why am I spending so much time in a sandbox when I don’t like sand?

Sometimes asking and answering a couple of simple questions can provide new perspective. Give it a try the next time you’re tempted to run for cover when the rain hits while you’re in the sandbox.

Do You Hate Vacation – or Just the Sand? was last modified: April 26th, 2016 by Deb Nelson

Challenge On: Expressing Thanks

Thank you: Arguably the two most powerful words in our vocabulary. The challenge to myself: extend a formal thank you
via handwritten note to at least two people a week for a good
turn they’ve done for me or others. Challenge begins today and runs through 2016.

It’s easy enough to say thank you – via text, email, snail mail, phone, in person – at any point in our day. When I worked in the nonprofit arena, I conveyed my thanks every day in a variety of ways for the many generous acts done on behalf of my nonprofits by volunteers and donors. Since those days (which ended five-plus years ago), however, I’ve been a bit remiss in extending thanks for the many good deeds that have benefited me.

A quick on-line search for the definition of thank you includes the following:

a polite expression of one’s gratitude

a polite expression used when acknowledging a gift, service, or compliment, or accepting or refusing an offer.

When used in it’s [sic] true form (not merely out of obligation) it is an expression of respect and appreciation to another soul (and simultaneously to all beings) for the unconditional kindness that has been bestowed upon you

Exclamation used to express appreciation to some for offering or giving you something, for helping you, or for asking how you are feeling

For me, thank you and gratitude are inextricably linked together. I owe a debt of gratitude for many and find that expressing gratitude via thanks provides a variety of benefits for me:

Serves as a reminder of the good deeds done on my behalf
Acts as a natural mood enhancer
Spurs me on to do a good deed on someone else’s behalf
Forces me to slow down and appreciate the moment
Boosts productivity in all areas of my life
Underscores how a seemingly small act can have ripple effects
Reminds me that there is a lot of good happening in the world

Join me in your own way in adopting an attitude of gratitude and thanking those near and far who lend a hand to your success.

Challenge On: Expressing Thanks was last modified: February 23rd, 2016 by Deb Nelson

On World Cancer Day, This Book Title Speaks For All of Us: F*ck Off Cancer

Today, February 4, 2016 is World Cancer Day. “Taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’, World Cancer Day 2016-2018 will explore how everyone – as a collective or as individuals – can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer.”

Linda Brossi Murphy faced breast cancer with a heaping dose of humor and bravely shares her cancer experience in her book F*CK OFF CANCER: Cancer, shaken, not stirred, on the rocks with a twist! to benefit those who may follow in her footsteps. Those who have previously walked in her footsteps will also gain some degree of comfort, validation, and sisterhood as they read this book. As Linda pointed out: “The good news about this is that I was not alone. The bad news is that everyone’s life is touched by cancer.”

Truer words were never spoken, as every person I know has a relationship with cancer. There are, it seems, many paths to health. Linda chose to follow conventional treatment: surgery (two lumpectomies) followed by chemotherapy and radiation. She also chose to participate in a clinical trial, not knowing whether she was receiving the actual drug or a placebo in addition to the protocol outlined by her oncologist.

We’re all lucky that Linda followed a friend’s advice to write this book. Linda tells it like it is, leaving very little to the imagination (yes, her book includes photos to document her journey) as she graciously told her story of life with cancer. This story will help assess cancer treatment by studying how the treatment affected every facet of Linda’s life. Yes, we can call this anecdotal data and dismiss its value. OR we can give this type of data a little more respect and call it a case study. It is, after all, each individual’s experience that lets us know how our science (treatment protocol) actually plays out. Linda’s observation about chemotherapy illustrates the toll her treatment took on body, mind, and spirit:

Someday, in the future, chemotherapy will be looked at the same way we currently look at electric shock therapy. Barbaric! As we progress in understanding cancer and finding treatments, it will eventually be looked back upon as ludicrous that we sat people down and pumped them full of a broad-spectrum poison.

There simply must be a better way to treat cancer. Linda endured more than a year and a half of treatment, at one point joking: “I am fat, bald, toenail-less, burned from radiation, and scarred. How lovely!” So how the heck did this wild woman get through her treatment with her sense of humor fully in tact? With a little help from her friends, of course! She had a support team that included a vast group of family and friends. Each chemo treatment found a collection of supporters in Linda’s chemo room laughing, joking, and sometimes cajoling the hours away. This party atmosphere did not mean that Linda didn’t appreciate the serious nature of cancer. On the contrary, this was just one way Linda chose to tell cancer to f*ck off.

Linda also focused on her medical team: To show the members of her medical team how much she appreciated their treatment, Linda asked her support team to bake cookies for her medical team rather than to bring meals to her and her family. Not just once and done; she had a calendar and her support team signed up to bake cookies and make sure they got them to Linda ahead to time so she could deliver them prior to her treatment. She also threw an end-of-treatment party to thank everyone – friends, family, medical personnel – who had helped her through her treatment.

This book is a generous gift from a cancer conqueror to anyone who wants to know what it’s like to walk through the world of cancer treatment. There are laughs and tears along the way as you’d expect. Not surprisingly, there are also poignant moments when Linda and her husband faced mortality head on. Little was easy; much was overwhelming. Each day also presented a new adventure, an opportunity to look at the world from a new vantage point. While making her way through a world of overwhelm, Linda chose to find a way to laugh every day as she walked through the halls of cancer treatment.

As we observe World Cancer Day in 2016, we owe it to Linda and everyone else who has faced a cancer diagnosis to:

Acknowledge that after 40 years of fighting a war on cancer, we need to change up our approach.
Stop expecting a different outcome without changing our behavior (treatment / research).
Provide support to cancer patients, rather than the cancer industry.
Focus on prevention. Prevention ≠ screening / detection.
Explore evidence-based complementary care.
Read this book and others like it to understand how cancer treatment affects the patient.

All eyes are on Vice President Biden’s moonshot. I applaud his and President Obama’s enthusiasm. We’ve also got answers right here on Earth that are waiting to be put into practice. What do you say? I say now would be the time.

On World Cancer Day, This Book Title Speaks For All of Us: F*ck Off Cancer was last modified: December 1st, 2016 by Deb Nelson

Challenge Met: Enjoying the Rush of Meeting a Goal

Zig Ziglar knew what he was talking about when he said: “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

Entering 2016, I joined the Marathon Sports Winter Warrior Challenge. The challenge for me: run or walk five miles OUTSIDE every day for the month of January. Don’t quite make five miles on any day? No problem. Simply downgrade to three miles or one mile a day. Just can’t get it together to get out one day? No problem there either – you’re out of the challenge.

January can be a downright tough month to be outside in Maine. Apparently Mother Nature wanted me to succeed, though, and provided us with a number of unseasonably warm days – 45 degrees in Maine in January??? Score! No worries for those of you who are wondering if I got off without difficulty in reaching this challenge. I was also outside in wind, rain, snow, and ice.

The rewards for meeting this challenge? My name will be listed along with the others who completed the challenge on the back of a t-shirt featuring this handsome guy. More than that, though, as Ziglar’s words imply, this challenge was about setting a goal and following through on my intentions. I wrote about my three words for 2016 earlier this year: Focus. Finish. Follow-through.

So far, this challenge includes two of my words: Focus and Finish. I had to put this challenge at top of mind and make time every day to be outside. There certainly were a couple of days when I just didn’t feel like going outside. I had made a commitment to myself and a friend to participate in and complete this challenge, however, so I put on my winter gear and headed outside. Follow-through will now be to make sure I transition from walking to running over the next 60 days – a longer-term goal that feeds into a goal to run, walk, or crawl 1,000 miles this year. Thanks to the Winter Warrior Challenge, I’ve already walked 161 miles.

So, what was the key to my success in getting my sedentary self out of the house to achieve this goal? Several factors were key to ensure that I met this goal:

Accountability – I had an accountability partner who was doing this challenge with me. Since she lives in Massachusetts, we weren’t walking or running together. Instead, we stayed connected via text messages and phone calls. There was no way I was going to leave her high and dry by not completing this challenge.

Support System – I had announced to some friends and, of course, my husband that I was entering this challenge. My husband accompanied me on weekend days when he could, and a friend of mine was able to fit a walk into her schedule just when my resolve was wavering. Timing is everything!

Immediate Gratification – I had to go online to confirm that I had, in fact, walked or run five miles each day. I was able to get a lift by meeting each day’s challenge and seeing the cumulative number of miles that I’d walked. And…the challenge was for one month only: the end was always in sight.

Long-term Impact – As I mentioned, this challenge fits into my year-long goal to walk or run 1,000 miles. (I hope to avoid crawling.) It will also get me in shape to run a 5K in March and to hop on my bike in April.

SMART Goal – This challenge fit right into the SMART Goal theory. It was specific, measureable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Unintended Consequences – Not only did I became a morning person (who would ever have thought that was possible?), but I also became much more productive over the past month.

Success breeds success. I’m looking forward to experiencing and sharing more successes in 2016. How about you?

Challenge Met: Enjoying the Rush of Meeting a Goal was last modified: February 2nd, 2016 by Deb Nelson

Got A Beef With Meat?

There is no shortage of diet options for us to choose from: vegetarian, vegan, paleo, paleo vegan, macrobiotic, Mediterranean, raw, high fat, low fat, high carb, low carb, and on and on. Can’t we just eat food. Hmmm…now we’re talking.

What’s the purpose of our food? Pleasure? Nourishment? Both? Rip Esselstyn’s book, My Beef With Meat: The Healthiest Argument for Eating a Plant-Strong Diet makes the case that plant-powered food offers both pleasure and nourishment. A former firefighter, Esselstyn also puts to rest the argument that manly men can’t live on plants alone.

He argues that:

Plants can heal. Plants can nourish. Plants can nurture. Plants can give you everything you need to be the healthiest person you can be and live the life you deserve to live.

The book sets out to debunk 36 myths surrounding diet and takes a look at actual facts about plant and animal foods. From Plants are Plentiful in Protein to It’s Never too Early to Start a Plant-Based Diet to It’s Never Too Late to Start a Plant-Based Diet, Esselstyn explains his take on how and why plants are the way to go. Referencing science to back up his claims, Esselstyn implores us to take the plunge into the plant world and leave the beef behind. He also includes 140 recipes to entice us into the plant-strong side of life.

He cites the claim by the American Institute for Cancer Research that:

You can’t control your age, but you can control your cancer risk….For seniors, the AICR advises that all meals be based on plant-based food. A consistent diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will ‘protect against a range of cancers, including mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, lung, pancreas, and prostate.’

In full disclosure, I gave up meat (or carcass as Susan Peirce Thompson, Ph.D. would say) a number of years ago. It’s a decision that suits me well. I also realize that each of us is unique with our own nutrition needs. So…what to do? What to do? If you’re a carnivore, experiment with your diet. Try opting out of meat and giving Meatless Mondays a whirl. For the rest of the week, take a look at the amount of meat / animal products you’re eating. How much of your plate is covered by a hunk of meat and how much of your plate is covered by vegetables?

No doubt if you are eating meat, you think you’re not eating that much. That seems to be the refrain from meat eaters around the world according to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. So take a look at your plate, and make a few adjustments. See what happens if you cut down on the amount of animal products (that includes dairy and seafood) you’re eating and replace them with vegetables. Pump up the volume on the amount of water you’re drinking while you’re at it. Do you feel better? Worse? Do you have more or less energy?

If you give this a try, let me know how changing up your diet works for you and whether you’ll make long-term changes or revert back to your traditional diet. Or have you already been experimenting to find a diet that suits you best?

Got A Beef With Meat? was last modified: December 1st, 2016 by Deb Nelson

Focus, Finish, Follow-Up: My Three Words for 2016

Perhaps Pablo Picasso said it best: “What one does counts. Not what one had the intention of doing.” I would hasten to add, however, that our dreams are much more likely to happen if we set and state our intentions.

It seems that clean slates, fresh starts, and big dreams are the buzz as we enter the New Year filled with hope and high expectations. I’ve set resolutions in the past – broken them quite quickly – and moved on without hesitation.

So…why am I devoting my first blog post of 2016 to something akin to publicly announcing New Year’s resolutions? It’s all Chris Brogan’s fault. Brogan has set his three words for the year each January 1 since 2006 and encourages the rest of us to join him. It’s easy enough. (Easy meaning it’s a logical approach. Choosing words that fit my life and following through are up to me.) Here’s how it works:

Pick any three words that will guide you in the choices you intend to make for 2016. They should be words that let you challenge yourself as to motives and decisions. They should be words that help you guide your actions.

This seems a much better fit for me than resolutions. Semantics? Maybe, but the way I see it, selecting three words allows for missteps, pivots, and life in general throughout the year. The three words are chosen to guide activity through the year to meet goals. I’ve set intentions for the year in a number of areas of my life. Here is how I see My Three Words moving me forward in both my personal and professional lives this year.

Focus. I never have a shortage of ideas bouncing around in my head. The issue for me is which idea(s) to take action on. Then, of course, once action has been set into motion, there are sooo many shiny objects vying for my attention. It’s easy enough to stay on task: shut down social media windows (what?!?!?), turn off that phone, avoid those pesky distractions, and identify short-term tasks to be completed in support of long-term goals.

Finish. Once I select an idea to act on, I’ll outline what the finished product will look like. No stopping mid-way through project. Eye on the prize of completion. Since I’ve identified the areas I want to concentrate on, it’s easy to say no to proposals that won’t move me forward in reaching my goals. I’m looking forward to doing the happy dance in celebration of project milestones and completion!

Follow-Up. Input along the way can also open up a variety of possibilities that can be incorporated into a project or put on hold for a later date. When a project / idea reaches the finish phase, follow-up on opportunities that have been presented (versus those distractions that have been kicked to the curb).

Since I’m writing this post on January 4, we’re four days into 2016; and, yes, I’ve begun to put these three words into practice. I’ve identified some goals for 2016 and have accountability partners to help keep me on track. I’ve moved the needle a bit in each of these areas over these four days:

Shifting business to health coaching
Publishing my book
Fitness

What’s your plan for 2016? What’s moving you forward this year? It’s not too late to choose three words to help you have a happy, productive 2016. What do you say?

Focus, Finish, Follow-Up: My Three Words for 2016 was last modified: January 4th, 2016 by Deb Nelson

Strong Partnerships Helping Cancer Patients

Know someone who’s healing from a cancer diagnosis? You might want to check out your local YMCA. LiveSTRONG and YMCAs have had a strong partnership since 2008. This partnership underscores important knowledge about healing from cancer: cancer patients need community support and healing cancer is a long-term process.

Riding past my local Y last week, I was glad to see this sign promoting the LiveSTRONG at the YMCA program. This program is “designed to help adult cancer survivors reclaim their total health.” Participants in the program meet twice a week “to regain their physical, emotional, and spiritual strength.” That’s why I love the idea of this program: there is an acknowledgment that cancer patients need to heal on a number of levels. Cancer affects every nook and cranny of a person’s life and LiveSTRONG at the YMCA aims to address a variety of challenges cancer patients face.

This 12-week program, offered at no cost, also benefits every family member of the cancer patient as it includes a complimentary membership for the entire family.

Printed material sums up this program:

Participants work with Y staff trained in supportive cancer care to safely achieve their goals such as building muscle mass and strength; increasing flexibility and endurance; and improving confidence and self-esteem. By focusing on the whole person and not the disease, LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is helping people move beyond cancer in spirit, mind, and body.

Restoring strength and physical stamina is important; equally important is the need to restore self-confidence, address relationship issues, and stresses and life changes associated with cancer diagnosis and treatment. If you know someone who could benefit from this program, please connect with your local Y or LIVESTRONG.

Strong Partnerships Helping Cancer Patients was last modified: December 1st, 2016 by Deb Nelson

Relying Too Much on Technology? Maybe Low Tech is the Way to Go.

While traveling last week, I decided to rent a bike to get some exercise and take advantage of the warm weather. What a valuable lesson it turned out to be. The only bikes available while equipped with old-school baskets and kickstands were lacking in handbrakes and gears. I hopped on this beauty of a bike and took to the bike paths with a fresh perspective.

Yes, I must admit, I missed the idea of my bike and its 30 gears. Had a bike similar to the one waiting for me at home been available to rent, I’d have chosen it. Lucky for me, I had no choice other than this sweet low-tech beauty. I also had no need for any of those 30 gears I’ve become so accustomed to dependent upon when I ride my bike at home. A lesson learned here: how much tech power do we need? Do we make things more complicated by using technology because it’s available rather than because we need it.

I think about how we as a society invest our resources – time, energy, funds – pretty frequently. Usually it’s in the context of healthcare. Are stronger, more expensive drugs the answer to the culture of dis-ease? Or do we need to take a step (or many steps) back and get closer to nature to heal so many of the chronic illnesses that seem to be the result of poor choices?

Do yourself a favor, take a ride on a yellow low-tech bike and have a colorful salad for your next meal. Then make a habit of choosing these options. You just might find yourself feeling a bit better than you thought possible.

Relying Too Much on Technology? Maybe Low Tech is the Way to Go. was last modified: December 1st, 2016 by Deb Nelson

Right Brain + Left Brain = Magic for Your Brand

Traveling from Maine to Florida today offered up an opportunity for me to delve into a book I’ve had on my nightstand for a couple of months now. Tracy Carlson’s What Great Brands Know: Unleash Your Right-Brain Genius to Stand Out and Make Customers Care was more than entertaining or enlightening. While reading this book I felt as though I were in a private class learning from the master. And, in fact, I was.

With more than 20 years of experience as a marketing strategist, Tracy Carlson has worked with a wide variety of businesses to build their brands. In her book, Carlson shares what she’s learned in a straight-forward fashion that makes you feel as though you’re having a conversation with her in your kitchen or living room. She takes the mystery out of branding success stories, providing case studies along with tactics that businesses of any size can implement TODAY.

As the title of her book implies, Carlson introduces the importance of including the right brain in branding strategy. Yes, the analytical left brain and its statistics are important in measuring the impact / success of a brand; but statistics alone aren’t enough to make us sing the praises of a brand. Carlson doesn’t intend to denigrate the importance of the left brain in the world of branding, nor does she imply that the right brain alone should rule. The magic happens when the right brain and left brain work together.

Left-brain challenges can be invaluable at certain times, and they can make us feel more secure, but they are rarely the gateway to magic.

Don’t despair if the thought of entering the touch-feely world of the right brain makes you break out in a cold sweat. Carlson lives up to the promise she makes at the book’s outset. She identifies six principles that brands know and use to make an impact. For each of these principles, Carlson provides:

An overview of each principle.
Three dimensions of each principle: what it is, what it isn’t, and why it’s important.
Brand spotlights where she illustrates how each principle has been put into practice via case studies.
Getting started – suggestions and ideas to take steps to implement each of the three dimensions associated with each principle.

The framework outlined in this book removes the anxiety of walking on the right side of the brain and encourages each of us to engage in holistic thinking. As Carlson notes:

We are not just bundles of data waiting to be charted, guys. We’re still people, with dreams and quirks and passions. We’re much more complex and interesting than you think. Only a few brands and companies really get this and meet us where we are.

Thanks to Carlson’s book, you can be one of those few brands and meet your customers where they are. You’ll be glad you did.

Right Brain + Left Brain = Magic for Your Brand was last modified: December 1st, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Morning Routine Leads to Success

For the past five years, I’ve turned my back on routines. Spontaneity has been my routine of choice. Suddenly, though, I find myself bumping into bloggers and speakers who are underscoring the importance of having a morning routine. Hmmm…maybe it’s time for me to listen.

Playwright, filmmaker, and bestselling author Julia Cameron suggests writing what she calls Morning Pages: putting your first thoughts of the day down on paper before any activity has the opportunity to interrupt whatever might be on your mind as your day begins. These thoughts need not be connected – no pressure to write a novel or the first chapter of your memoir. A collection of thoughts, worries, possibilities will lead you to a good idea every now and then. But most of all, these brief writings (3 pages a day) are not for sharing with anyone. No editing here, just free-flowing, uncensored writing. Cameron believes this will enhance your creativity, bringing life to those ideas that have been in the back of your mind and allowing you to find and achieve your life purpose.

Similar to Cameron, John Gannon starts his day off with writing. His writing regimen includes three elements:

Give Thanks. Acknowledge and document those things you’re thankful for
Write Freely. Similar to Cameron, Gannon writes unedited thoughts to get his day off to a good start
Rev Up Your Idea Machine.

Following the advice of James and Claudia Altucher. Gannon began a practice of writing 10 ideas each morning. After just 30 days, he calls this a life-changing practice. And, perhaps the most appealing aspect of this approach for those of us who are loathe to add a routine to our lives: Gannon completes this three-part regimen in under 15 minutes each morning.

Today I found a link to yet another post about morning routines in my inbox. Justin Nault’s routine is a bit more involved than those of Cameron and Gannon. Nault takes a 10-step approach: not 10 difficult steps, 10 do-able steps including getting at least six hours of sleep, making your bed, journaling, and adopting a mindfulness practice. This approach lets you feel like you’ve accomplished quite a bit before you know it, encouraging you to push through ten elements of this routine.

And then, of course, there’s Steve Jobs and his uniform. This genius branding move kept him from wasting time and brain space figuring out what to wear in the morning. While this worked well for Jobs, I’ll take a pass on this time-saver.

Why am I so focused on routine and time-saving activities? I’ve found since entering a nutrition health coach program a couple of months ago that schedules and routines are making my life easier. In addition to implementing a morning routine, I’ve also started meeting weekly with a group of women to hold ourselves accountable for moving our businesses forward. So far, so good on this front!

How about you? I’d love to hear what you do to keep yourself productive and stay on track to achieve your goals.

Morning Routine Leads to Success was last modified: December 1st, 2016 by Deb Nelson

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