Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Help for Acid Reflux



Like many singers, I have had acid reflux for some time now and it continues to be a challenge for me. Since it is not healthy to stay on reflux medications for any length of time, I am always looking for other information/treatment. Courtesy of one of our members, Lisa Popeil, I have come across a new cookbook to reduce acid reflux. I have ordered it and will try it out. You will find the link to the book and website below. After using the book for a bit, I will report back. Meanwhile, if any of you have information, ideas or solutions, please be sure to comment!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Getting Motivated after 50


I never expected to be where/what I am today. Like most young people, I had ambition, drive, ideas, energy and abilities. I was physically fit and assumed that I would remain so. Looking at women older than myself, I would often think, "I'll never be like that." I wouldn't gain weight or wear "matronly" clothing or give up on what I wanted. My attitude would remain positive and I would not give up on my goals. Yet, here I am in my mid fifties, looking and behaving in exactly those undesired ways. What happened? And more important, what do I do about it now?

Looking at and reading motivational and self-improvement books and websites, they all seem to be relentlessly cheerful and optimistic, touting the idea that it's never too late to go after your dreams. Well, I'm here to say that that's a load of *!$%#.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that change is impossible. What I AM saying is that it can be really tough. Whatever the reasons are that get us to our undesired versions of ourselves in midlife, those reasons are real. Life is, at times, quite difficult. We are thrown curves that we never anticipated and, little by little, our former chipper, ambitious selves are chipped away. The disappointments, the battles, the health issues, the job changes, the financial worries, the deaths, the challenges of family life - all of these add up and slowly, little by little, can change us. We wake up one day, having been so busy catching those "curve balls", and realize we are not longer anywhere on the field we started on.

Then, having realized that we are nowhere close to where we wanted to be, we have no idea what the map is for getting back to, or even close to, our former selves. Meanwhile, the curves and their respective difficulties, may still be very present in our lives.

So, how to begin anew? To be honest, I don't have a neat and complete answer for that. I'm just starting that journey myself. What I can say is that one needs to get out of one's normal realm. Being around different people or trying/learning something new gives you a new experience of yourself. For example, not too long ago, I said "yes" to being more involved in an organization of which I am a member, and to serve on its Executive Board. Being essentially a loner, doing this was a stretch out of my comfort zone. However, being around people that I don't normally see and who have a different perspective on who I am and my abilities, really jolted me out of my depressive fog. It allowed me to reconnect with some of my strengths and to realize that, at least in some circles, others saw me as competent and having certain strengths. That, in turn, gave me energy to act on those strengths and do some other new things.

Take a class. Go to a workshop or seminar and learn some new skills or information. Do something that requires interaction with other people. By being around new people, one can get a renewed sense of self. Doing a new activity or new information can create a renewed sense of capability. Before one can follow all of those grand "Just Do It!" types of slogans, one has to find the energy. For me, at least, that energy has come from getting more involved (which is still a push for me) and exploring new ideas.

Has it totally changed me and my attitude? Have new ventures taken away any of the challenges that got me stuck in the first place? NO. But, it has given me the energy and bravery to try the next steps. Taking one step leads to the willingness to take another. And that, my friends, is what it takes. Take one little leap. And than another. And another...

Monday, June 13, 2011

The Importance of Pursuing Dreams




Dreams are the oxygen we breathe. If we move towards them, all the happiness hormones will be released in our bodies. If we move away from them, we experience bad emotions. Depression might not be anything but your mind's response to giving up your dreams.

You might think that currently you have no dreams or that you are not depressed because of letting go of them but if you examined your past you will find things that you have always longed for but you ignored them when you didn't manage to achieve them.

Some of us keep fighting for these dreams and so maintain optimism and hope in their lives while others bury these dreams deep down in their subconscious minds and remain depressed for the rest of their lives.

Suppressing Your Dreams
Some people lie to themselves by trying to believe that they are living the lives they wanted. A man who has always wanted to be the CEO of large company but only managed to be a supervisor might start convincing himself that going higher in the corporate ladder might result in a stressful life. Even though the man might actually believe the lie his subconscious mind never believes it and the result in an inner conflict and a severe depression

Unless you revive your dreams you will always stay depressed. So, is there any solution to this problem? Yes! There is a powerful solution that requires some courage but that is very effective. Remove the dust the covers your old dreams, revive your life goals that you have always wanted to achieve and admit that you were lying to yourself by accepting the way you live right now. Only then you will start to breathe once again and only then your subconscious
mind will find that your life is worth living and that depression is no longer needed.
You just need to make your life meaningful, and nothing can make it more meaningful than fighting for the things that you really wanted to have.
M. Farouk Radwan
Article Source: http://www.positivearticles.com

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Self Motivation Tips

Tips for Self Motivation

Each of us has enormous, untapped potential. Here are several very effective strategies to help you get moving toward that fabulous potential.

1. Be willing to leave your comfort zone.

The greatest barrier to achieving your potential is your comfort zone. Great things happen when you make friends with your discomfort zone.

2. Be willing to make mistakes.

Wisdom helps us avoid making mistakes and comes from making a million of them.

3. Practice empowering, expansive thoughts.

Don't indulge in self-limiting thinking.

4. Choose to be happy.

We often cannot control the events, circumstances or people in our lives. However, we CAN control our reactions to them. Happy people are more motivated. Make the conscious choice for happiness.

5. Finish what you start.

So many of us become scattered as we try to accomplish a task. Finish one task before you begin another.

6. Practice, "I get to...."

When you experience a setback or frustration, turn it around by saying, "I get to...". I get to take more voice lessons before I win that audition. Never quit because of a setback.

"We must be prepared, at any moment, to sacrifice who we are for who we are capable of becoming." - Charles Dubois