Focus On What Really Matters

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, Mindset, Self CarePosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast we are talking about what really matters in life:  your inner peace and your happiness.  In the hectic world we live in today, it’s easy to feel completely drained, burnt out, pulled in all directions, anxious and overwhelmed.  We have to take back our control and that starts on the inside, so let’s focus more on what really matters to be better equipped to deal with every day life.
 
Why is it so difficult to live well amidst the hustle and bustle and noise of our every day lives? 

Have you ever taken a moment to consider this?

Some people might say this is due to the way society has developed and is just a consequence of our modern world, but it is actually a timeless issue.

The challenges we are all facing look different for everyone.  But today, I am concentrating on 2 parts of the puzzle to living well:

·         How you can find inner peace
·         What it takes to be happy

Of course, each of these are huge topics in their own right, so we are only going to touch on each of them today.  I want to give you food for thought going into the last few days of 2022.

It’s a good time to remind ourselves to focus on the things that are truly important to us.

“Living a good life is about not getting distracted…We all need higher goals, projects, and ambitions to live our life a certain way.  If you have a reason to do things, you wake up with clarity.”

When you always focus on goals which lie within your control, you – not other people OR luck – determine the direction of your life.

So, we are going to explore ways of staying in control of your life and living well despite all the challenges our daily lives present us with.

Finding inner peace is a skill, one that we all need and one that can be learned and trained.

Inner peace is a state of calmness you feel deep inside yourself.

It’s interesting to note that peace is actually our most natural state of being.  If we don’t find our inner peace, we will be constantly overstimulated, hyperactive, exhausted and burnt out.

Let’s face it… today’s world can be too overwhelming, stress-inducing, hectic and totally chaotic at times. So, it’s essential that we return to the calmness and stillness within ourselves.

It takes conscious effort to bring ourselves to this inner state of peace.  We have to believe it’s possible and trust that every action we take will bring us one step closer.

Here are a few ways to find your own inner peace.

1.       Meditate and practice breath work – In episode 35 I introduced two breathing exercises:  the 6-2-8 breathing technique and the 5 by 5 box method.  Both of these will help calm your mind and connect to the present moment.  Don’t underestimate the power of breathwork as a means of relaxing, finding focus, meditating and reconnecting with your inner self and calmness.  It has an astounding effect.  Give it a try!
 
2.       Put down your smart phone – Do a social media detox on a regular basis.  I like to think of it as intermittent fasting.  Just as people detox their bodies for a determined length of time, you can implement this practice for screens too.  Instead of glaring at your phone and scrolling, grab a pen and do some journalling or read a book, or just sit in silence with your eyes closed and let your thoughts wander.
  
3.       Take a walk in nature – Nature is such a beautiful thing and can be so grounding.  Just by breathing in the fresh air, you’ll feel invigorated.  The Japanese have practiced ‘forest bathing’ for years and it truly does have psychological as well as physiological benefits.  Notice your surroundings, listen to the sounds, soak up the environment – find your inner peace.

If you become aware of moments when you need to find your inner peace, when the world around you is happening too fast and furiously, it’s important to have a few tools in your toolbox to calm yourself down.  I have merely touched on three ways that I find particularly beneficial, but I haven’t listed all the ways.  Test and find out what works best for you and train this necessary skill to install more calmness and inner peace into your life.

What does it take to be happy?  That’s a loaded question, isn’t it?  Simply because, happiness means something completely different to everyone.

I think there are two kinds of happiness:  surface-level happiness and deep inner happiness.

Today, I will share my thoughts on what I think it means to have deep, inner happiness.  And, I will give you two journal prompts for reflection.

Being happy comes from the inside.  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying,

“Happiness is an inside job.”  And, it’s true.

The way I interpret this saying is that we all have to be fully in love with ourselves on a deeper level, not on a superficial level.  It begins with loving yourself and accepting yourself for who you are.

Showing self-love and self-acceptance means being happy with:

·         The way you look, your appearance
·         The way you show up for yourself on a daily basis
·         Your personality traits
·         Your behaviourisms and habits
·         Your characteristics
·         Your flaws and shortcomings

That doesn’t mean you don’t need to change or it’s wrong to work on yourself to improve.  In fact, trying to grow and improve as a person is an act of self-love if you ask me because you are striving to be or become your best self.

I can love myself, yet still strive to lose weight for health reasons.
I can love myself, yet still strive to tone my body and build up muscles to prevent injury.
I can love myself, yet still strive to adopt more of a growth mindset.
I can love myself, yet still strive to implement new habits for my own development.
I can love myself, yet still strive to educate myself more and broaden my horizon through reading.
I can love myself, yet still strive to change aspects of myself.

But any change you desire to make has to be your choice and not that of someone else.

You have to understand that: you are enough just the way you are, you are worthy of everything life offers you, you have a gift that the world needs, you are special, very very special.

Deep down we all have to internalize this message.

I’d like you to journal about or if journalling isn’t a practice you have started (YET), just simply reflect on this question and jot down some points if you feel compelled to:

End-of-year Reflection
~Journal Prompt~
Write down all the POSITIVE WAYS you’ve changed over the past year.

And, once you are finished with this one, consider this second one:
Have my requirements for REST, PLAY and CREATIVITY been considered in 2022?

Finding inner peace has a lot to do with being present in the moment.  So, I encourage you to start setting intentions for yourself of returning to your inner calm and being fully present for yourself in this coming year. 

Recognizing all the awesome ways you have changed and grown over the past year must leave you feeling proud and pleased with yourself.  And, remember to inject that fun factor that I am talking about so much.  While our bodies and minds need down time to rest and recover, we also need play time to have fun, laughter and enjoyment in our lives. 

In Episode 39 on Creating Your Life Vision, I talked about the pillars of life.  If you recall, I highly recommended that everyone should include a fun pillar for adventure and excitement.  Never underestimate the value of such experiences in your life. 

That’s my message for today, friends.

This is the last podcast episode of 2022.  Thanks so much for taking the time to tune in and listen.  Just know that I truly appreciate your support of my podcast and I hope to bring you loads of great content, talks and topics in 2023 as well.

It’s going to be an exciting year for this show and I am glad to have you along for this ride with me.

My only hope is that you start to implement some of the ideas, tips and strategies that I talk about and I would love to know which ones have been beneficial for you personally.

I would also like to invite you to become part of the Inspiration2grow community on Facebook.  The group name is: Inspiration2grow for Female Goal-getters.  It is meant to be a community of like-minded women who want to grow strong from the inside out.  There will be daily journalling prompts, nutrition and fitness tips, exercises to try, encouraging conversations among the community and lots more.  So, be sure to join this group for support, new ideas and the necessary rocket fuel to propel your health and wellness to new heights.

You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself, show up for yourself and become the best version of YOU.

In case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you…

You are incredible, capable and your potential is limitless.  Never forget that and I believe in you 100%.  Now, go out there and show the world what you are truly made of.

Thanks for listening and I hope to have inspired you to grow.

Til next time,
Lisa  xoxo

Pursuing Goals Without Barriers

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, MindsetPosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast we are talking about removing those barriers our minds create for us.  You might be familiar with the situation of really wanting to chase down a goal you’ve been thinking about for some time now, but your mind starts getting in your way.  I hope to offer you encouragement and inspiration to break down these barriers and take action today.

How often do we want to pursue something yet allow our minds to set up barriers or conditions?  And, how often do we use this as an excuse for not moving forward?

If this doesn’t make much sense, stick with me.  I will explain what I am getting at here.

It is quite normal to get hyped up about setting goals at this time of year.  And to be honest, this week’s podcasts have a lot to do with goals.  Episode 39 was all about the first steps in creating your life vision which means gaining clarity about the areas or pillars that make up your foundation.  Under each pillar you will need to establish goals as benchmarks to determine whether you’re on the right track toward your ideal life vision or not.

In episode 40 I talked about the arguments for and against sharing your goals with others.  I think I presented a fairly strong case for one side of the argument.  Be sure to go back and have a listen if you haven’t already. 

So, a bit of theme has been set for this week. Not surprising because most emails, social media posts and short segments of our daily news broadcasts are talking about goals.  You can hear everything from: types of goals to set, how to lay out your goal plan, the concept of SMART goals (in case you haven’t heard this acronym before -> S means specific, M means measurable, A means achievable, R stands for relevant and T stands for the time frame or time period in which you will reach this goal).

Truth be told, we are completely inundated by this topic.  So, it’s no wonder this theme is front and center in my mind. 

When I speak to people about their goals, in particular their fitness goals, I often here these phrases:

·         Well, I would like to get fit, but I don’t know where to start.
·         Sure, I want to lose weight, but I haven’t found the right diet for me.
·         I want to begin strength training, but I know nothing about it.

Many people put up barriers in their minds before they even give themselves a chance to take the first initial steps toward their goals. 

They feel defeated before even starting.

In a way, they have validated to themselves that this idea or goal is doomed to fail.

Does this resonate with you?

This is by no means helpful thinking, and if you want to achieve anything in life, you’re going to have to change your outlook now.

I guess, in a sense, by saying things like this, you are waiting for someone to swoop in and solve your problems of ‘not knowing’.

Believe me, I have been there.  Many years ago, you could catch me saying things like this too.  Mine went something like this…

·         I really want to write a book, but I just don’t know where to start.
·         I want to improve my level of fitness, but I don’t have the time.

Have you ever said something along these lines to yourself?

“I want to do X, but I need Y.”

If so, you’re either postponing your goal or trying to find a reason to NOT pursue it or you’re self-sabotaging yourself right from the word go.

Referring back to my original question:

How often do you pursue (or want to pursue) something but there is something ‘standing’ in your way?

·         I want to write a book, but I need a degree in creative writing.
·         I want to learn Spanish, but I need…
·         I want to start working out, but I need…
·         I want to make more money, but I need…
·         I want to teach yoga, but I need to be certified.

These are just some examples that came to mind, but you get the idea.  The goal is the first part of the sentence and the means is the second part.

Can I share a secret with you?  These are merely excuses.  Unless you want to change professions or your desired goal is regulated, YOU REALLY DON’T NEED ANYTHING TO GO AFTER YOUR GOAL.

Too often we have certain conditions in our minds.  We conjure up reasons or obstacles that are holding us back.  We think we need to have certain credentials or things like time or money, otherwise, we simply can’t do the ‘thing’ we want.

When I started my first business in Austria straight out of university, I was 27.  I could tell that people in my environment didn’t take me entirely seriously.  They thought I was too young to open a private language school, I didn’t have enough experience, I didn’t know how to run a business profitably, and so on.

However, 15 years after embarking on that scary, but exhilarating entrepreneurial journey, I had built up a wildly successful private school for both children and adults, local companies and their teams, CEOS, business owners, hotel managers and their staff.

But, here’s the point.

If I had let myself be held back by the thought:

I want to start my own private school, but I need to be certified…

I would NEVER have taken the leap I did to open my school, run it the way I wanted to, scaled it each year and sold it for a fair profit before moving back to Canada.

Did I have training as a business owner?  Did I study marketing?  Did I have a title in front of my name?

No. No. and No.

I simply had a dream which morphed into an audacious goal.  Did I have to conquer fear? Absolutely.  But my resolve to be successful outweighed my fear of failing.

I applied myself.  I focused on what I wanted to accomplish.  I went after my goal so fiercely that failure really wasn’t an option.  I preserved through good and also bad times.  I made mistakes but I learned from them. 

So,
What’s your end goal?

I want you to think about the things YOU want to achieve.  What’s holding you back?  And after today’s talk, I hope you say -> nothing really. 

Get over your excuses.

Get over those lingering thoughts that are holding you back.

Become curious about the HOW.  How can you make it happen? And find a way.

Become extremely focused and unwavering in your will to succeed.

Take the first steps.  Try those on for size.  Then take the next step.  Feel good about yourself for each and every step.

Give yourself permission to succeed.

The key is… you want to make it so easy for yourself to do that ‘thing’ that you will actually do it.

When you think “I need (blank) to do (blank)” you create friction, and your mind sets conditions about what is standing between YOU and YOUR GOAL.

My goal and work revolve around helping people become less rigid in their thinking patterns.  What matters is that you think things through, all the way to the end and reverse engineer how you will get to your end goal.

Remember that we can never get back time spent.  We have to make the days count and ensure every significant endeavor we start is worth it.

You don’t have to feel ‘ready’ or ‘worthy’ to start on a new goal adventure.

You are good enough to start.  You are good enough no matter what.  Never forget that!

We can’t always be sure that the goals we pursue will work out.  I hope most of them do.  But, in reality, I reach about 80% of my goals and I am happy with that.

Just know…you do not need any validation before you start.  Ditch the excuses that are getting in your way.  Take one step at a time toward your goal and be pleased with yourself for doing so.
 
My only hope is that you start to implement some of the ideas, tips and strategies that I talk about and I would love to know which ones have been beneficial for you personally.

I would also like to invite you to become part of the Inspiration2grow community on Facebook.  The group name is: Inspiration2grow for Female Goal-getters.  It is meant to be a community of like-minded women who want to grow strong from the inside out.  There will be daily journalling prompts, nutrition and fitness tips, exercises to try, encouraging conversations among the community and lots more.  So, be sure to join this group for support, new ideas and the necessary rocket fuel to propel your health and wellness to new heights.

You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself, show up for yourself and become the best version of YOU.

So, in case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you…
You are incredible, capable and your potential is limitless.  Never forget that and I believe in you 100%.  Now, go out there and show the world what you are truly made of.

Thanks for listening and I hope to have inspired you to grow.

Til next time,
Lisa  xoxo
 
 
 
 
 
 

Focus on Your Strengths NOT Your Weaknesses

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, MindsetPosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast we are tackling a very interesting topic – how to place more focus on your strengths versus getting bogged down about your shortcomings or your weaknesses.

“Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not by eliminating our weaknesses.” ~ Marilyn vos Savant

Nowadays, we live in a “fix it” world.

A world in which we are quick to notice what’s wrong or broken about our lives, and we are the last to notice what’s going well.

Can you relate to this?

We, as humans, are inherently bias to negativity because we tend to focus are too much and far too often on the ‘bad’.
 
Of course, back in the days of earliest survival, back in the days of cavemen and women, this was quite helpful when running from a sabretooth tiger and avoiding poisonous berries.

You see, focusing on the bad is or better said, WAS a survival technique.

But now, quite the opposite is helpful.  Most of the time, this tendency to negativity only leaves us in a perpetual state of “not enoughness”.

And, this leads to us spending a vast majority of our time trying to fix the broken parts of us – namely our weaknesses.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you in order to grow your mindset and skillset, you have to lean into the uncomfortable as well as put in the effort to develop new skills in areas which you want to improve.

However, throughout the improvement process, it is not at all super helpful to focus too much on the areas you aren’t good at.  This only leads to becoming de-motivated or discouraged or worse.

Instead, I want to encourage you to look for your strengths and the things that are going well – researchers call these “bright spots”.

Spend more time on replicating the times that went well and figuring out why and how they went so well, analyzing the positive moments and your strength during those moments. Don’t spend your precious time and brain power on trying to eliminate weaknesses or fix problems.

You’ll feel much more empowered by figuring out your strengths and drawing power from those experiences.

It seems to be in our DNA to concentrate on our areas of weakness and then focus attention on trying to overcome these, rather than giving ourselves credit for and becoming self-aware of our strengths.  It is simply a waste of time and energy to focus on the negative.  Placing your focus on your weaknesses will drain you. 
 
I came across a great quote by Marcus Buckingham that goes like this, “You should focus on your strengths and build on them.  It is a myth that our greatest potential for growth is your areas of weakness.  Focusing on them will demotivate you while focusing on your strengths will help you feel more positive and so give you energy.”

But he goes on to warn us not to confuse strengths with things we consider ourselves good at.  There’s a difference.  Just because you are good at something, doesn’t necessarily mean that you enjoy it. Doing something well, but not enjoying it will also drain you.  So, he advises people to consider what you are good at and find enjoyment it and do more of that.
 
Most of my podcast talks are geared toward the individual but the importance of focusing on strengths over weaknesses could apply to teams, work cultures, groups, leaders as well as individuals of any age.  Research has shown that we have a better chance at winning by focusing on our strengths – either in a group scenario or as an individual – than if we focus on improving our deficiencies.  So, it’s imperative that we capitalize on our capabilities to feel empowered and successful on our own or as part of a team.

What kind of frame of mind will you be in if you put more thought into what you do well?  This makes you feel accomplished and capable as opposed to dwelling on what went wrong yesterday.

Just imagine the power of a positive mindset for a child leaving for his/her school day and a scheduled math test.  If you help your child to focus on past tests that were well done, received a good grade and uplifting remarks from the teacher, that child’s outlook and attitude could possibly shift from an anxious, nervous, ‘not going to do well’ mindset -> to a positive, “I got this” mindset.

Focus on strengths rather than weaknesses to shift your mindset from a negative state to a positive outlook.  You can achieve this by recalling past events, situations or experiences where things went well for you.  Focus on how you did it, what went right, how you felt and how you can replicate the moment.
Having said that, this brings us to the slightly uncomfortable part of today’s show.

Most of us can list several things we simply don’t like about ourselves.

And, you’ve probably received feedback on “areas you could improve on” from others that usually just feels like outright criticism, sometimes solicited but more times their feedback comes unsolicited.

What happens then? Well, we become self-conscious.  We try to overcompensate. We usually try to overcome our weaknesses instead of playing to our strengths.

But, I am here to challenge this pattern that you and I have been following most of our lives.

Let’s reverse the pattern by acknowledging our strengths.

Sometimes it’s not so easy to identify our strengths.  On the other hand, our weaknesses are far too obvious.  We are constantly reminded of times when we fell short of the mark or couldn’t produce our best work or felt extremely uncomfortable dealing with a situation.  This happens because weaknesses often carry clear, vivid reminders of some past suffering we experienced. 

In order to realize our strengths, we will have to dig deeper.  You might have received unexpected praise for something you didn’t put much effort into – that could be a sign.  If people talk your ear off, you could be a good listener.  Maybe people constantly seek out your advice, you might be a great leader or problem-solver.
Every day life has a way of showing you what your strengths are IF you pay attention.

Another way to identify strengths is by figuring out what energizes you.  Strengths make us feel strong whereas weaknesses leave us feeling weak.  So, think of activities in terms of how they make you feel. 

Normally, I would ask you to put pen to paper and make a list of strengths versus weaknesses, but I would like to approach this self-analysis exercise on your strengths by posing some questions to you.

1.        What are you a natural at?  What comes easily to you that others find difficult and may struggle   with?  ->  Find and leverage that ability.
2.       What does reflection tell you about yourself? -> Spend some time reflecting, the create a list of 5 things you consistently receive awesome feedback on.
3.       What makes you feel good? ->  Remember that working on things we need to improve, drains you of energy.  But working from a place of strength, brings us joy and makes us happy.  Think about things you do that make you happy.
4.       What should you focus on? -> You can reach your highest potential by focusing on what you do best.  So, start building on what you already are, not what you are not.
 
If you want to improve your life, you will have to learn what your strengths are and align yourself with them.  When we play to our best self, the results are positive, productive and empowering.

It is important to play to your own individual strengths because our strengths are gifts that were meant to be used and shared with the world. 

My only hope is that you start to implement some of the ideas, tips and strategies that I talk about and I would love to know which ones have been beneficial for you personally.

That’s my message for today, friends.

I would also like to invite you to become part of the Inspiration2grow community on Facebook.  The group name is: Inspiration2grow for Female Goal-getters.  It is meant to be a community of like-minded women who want to grow strong from the inside out.  There will be daily journalling prompts, nutrition and fitness tips, exercises to try, encouraging conversations among the community and lots more.  So, be sure to join this group for support, new ideas and the necessary rocket fuel to propel your health and wellness to new heights.

You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself, show up for yourself and become the best version of YOU.

In case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you…
You are incredible, capable and your potential is limitless.  Never forget that and I believe in you 100%.  Now, go out there and show the world what you are truly made of.

I hope to have inspired you to grow.

Til next time,
Lisa
 

Should You Share Your Goals With Others?

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, MindsetPosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast we are looking at both sides of the argument whether it is a good idea to share your goals with others or keep them to yourself. I will present points for both sides, however, you’ll soon find out which side I favour.

Since this is the time of the year when most people look forward to a fresh start into the new year, a clean slate to fill with all the goals and things they would like to achieve, I thought it would be helpful to discuss the pros and cons of this hot topic.

I just want to say that the case for one side of the argument is far stronger, in my opinion, than in support of the other and you’re about to hear why.

So, there are two very distinct sides of this argument:  Should you openly share your goals with others?

On the one hand, you have the group that says, “Yes, of course share your goals.”  And, they are of the opinion that by sharing your goals, you hold yourself accountable.

But, on the other hand, you have the opposing group that says, “No, just don’t share them.” They are the ones who prefer to work in silence and let their success make all the noise.

For me, there is only ONE advantage to sharing your goals with anyone, and that is to have accountability.  Some people feel that by sharing your goals, whether big or small ones, your overall involvement in the goal becomes higher and with that, the likelihood of success increases.

Those who argue this accountability point think that friends or family who know about your goals will help to keep you on track by eventually ‘calling you out’ on things if you should get off track. 

But here’s what I struggle with – nobody likes to be publicly shamed for having a donut or a muffin at a family get-together if your goal is to lose weight, for example.  It’s embarrassing to say the least.

Therefore, if you do choose to share your weight lose goal or ANY goal for that matter with someone, make sure it’s the right person.  I would be open with them about how they should hold you to your word.  This person should also be someone you hold in high regard or look up to.  Maybe this person has even gone through what you are trying to achieve, so they could take on a mentoring role for you.

I will give you an example that recently happened to me. 

My husband and I met with another couple who we knew from our local gym.  We were laughing and talking about our efforts to keep fit and I mentioned that I would be doing a triathlon next summer.  I declared it as a goal which I had set for myself.  Normally, I only discuss my wild and crazy goals with my husband, so this kind of surprised me once I had said it.

Instantly, my new friend, Victoria, said she wanted to get involved and do it with me.  But, she said that swimming just wasn’t her thing.  I was excited that she had shown so much enthusiasm and I thought it would be so much fun to do it together with a like-minded person.  We decided to make it a water, road, trail triathlon meaning the first stretch would be done in a kayak, then we would bike a certain distance and the last leg would be on a hiking path.

At the gym the other week, Victoria mentioned that she had been thinking about our plan and she wanted to know when we would start training for it.  I was delighted to think she was as keen on completing this as I was.  So, this goes to show that by sharing your goals with the right people, you will gain the proper support and accountability.

For many of us, a spouse or significant other are the most obvious choices.  But that’s not to say that other people can’t work well as accountability partners too.
Find the right person.  Set up parameters around how they can/should help to keep you on track. And, go after that goal.

But, here’s the flip side of the questions, “Should we share our goals with others?” and the arguments against doing this.

First of all, people can be very judgemental when it comes to your goals. They may not react the way you expect them to and your self-esteem may take a hit.
In the past, I’ve even had people try to talk me out of going after what I wanted to achieve.  That’s probably the point at which I stopped sharing my goals.

And, I have to make it clear that when people judge you, it has more to do with how they feel about themselves than how they feel about you.
When people judge others, they are defining themselves; they are not defining you.

Goal setting is best done in solitude, at least at the beginning.  Actualizing your goal and the things you want to achieve will be easier if you go it alone but after you gain some momentum and confidence in what you are going after, then it is ‘safer’ to talk about your goals with others.  There is less likelihood of you getting off track or throwing in the towel.

And, there’s another really compelling reason NOT to tell others what you want to achieve…

By communicating your goal to others, this tricks your brain into thinking you’ve already achieved it.  You are less likely then to put in the necessary work.  By telling others, it creates a premature sense of completion because you experience a sense of pride in sharing, however that pride will not motivate you at all or create any sort of forward momentum.

Instead, my tip would be to strive to impress YOURSELF first and your results will improve by leaps and bounds.  It’s not important what other people think of you, but it is very important what you think about yourself and how you are showing up for yourself.

Try to impress yourself first and foremost to gain confidence and momentum in moving forward toward your goals.

The other thing that can happen when we openly declare our goals to others is that the admiration we get from them gives us a dopamine rush.  Quite often, you get congratulated on your goals without having achieved them yet. This might feel great at the time but the less likely we will be in executing on the necessary actions to reach our future goals. 

Instead, my tip would be to share only the small wins along your path rather than the big picture.  Allow friends and family to celebrate your small successes and who knows, you might find just the right supporter or accountability partner to reach the final destination with.

A further argument for not divulging your goals to others is that situations may change.  Your plans may change.  Resources may change.  So many things could happen.  If you have a big goal ahead of you, you really need to be flexible. By keeping it to yourself, you allow for more flexibility, and you can stay nimble riding the punches along the way.  Big, complex goals are best kept a secret.

Personally, I only tell my husband about my goals.  Depending on the scope of your goals, sometimes it is necessary to.

As always with things of this nature, there’s a caveat.  We are all individuals; we are all different in so many ways.  If you already have a good system in place that is working for you, great, stick with it.  But, otherwise, I hope some of the points and tips presented today were helpful.

One thing is perfectly clear, and we can definitely agree on this 100% – goals are achieved by sticking to a process consistently.  The biggest and juiciest tip would be to work out your process first, then tell your friends about it.  That will set you up for the most success and best chances of reaching your desired outcome or goal.

A few closing thoughts on goals…

You know, setting goals allows you to paint a vision of what you want your future to be.  And, here’s a different way to look at goals – consider your goals to be visions and dreams with work clothes on (quote by Dave Ramsey).  It makes so much sense because you will have to put in the work to achieve your goals which stem from the dreams you have for your life and the vision you have created (yesterday’s episode on Creating Your Life Vision Episode 39).

And, do you remember the Episode 34 featured Robin Arzon – she said her goals and dreams for her life are so exciting and invigorating that they help her to hit the ground running early each morning providing her with energy, enthusiasm and purpose for the day ahead. 

I want that for you too!

“If you don’t get chills when you set your goals, you’re not setting big enough goals.” ~Bob Proctor

Set goals that are exciting and send chills up and down your spine, ones that energize you and fill you with anticipation as well as purpose each and every day.


My only hope is that you start to implement some of the ideas, tips and strategies that I talk about and I would love to know which ones have been beneficial for you personally.

That’s my message for today, friends.

I would like to invite you to become part of the Inspiration2grow community on Facebook.  The group name is: Inspiration2grow for Female Goal-getters.  It is meant to be a community of like-minded women who want to grow strong from the inside out.  There will be daily journalling prompts, nutrition and fitness tips, exercises to try, encouraging conversations among the community and lots more.  So, be sure to join this group for support, new ideas and the necessary rocket fuel to propel your health and wellness to new heights.

You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself, show up for yourself and become the best version of YOU.

In case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you…

You are incredible, capable and your potential is limitless.  Never forget that and I believe in you 100%.  Now, go out there and show the world what you are truly made of.

I hope to have inspired you to grow.

Til next time,

Lisa  xoxo

P.S.  If you are interested in hearing more about going after your goals, becoming more consistent and confident in your efforts, here are 3 past episodes you might like to read here on the blog:

Episode #4 – “10 Ways to Stay Committed and Consistent”
Episode #9 – The Domino Effect
Episode #22 – 1% Improvement Mindset
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Create Your Life Vision (Part 1)

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, MindsetPosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast we are going to talk about taking a look at where you are in life currently and considering your life’s aspirations or values.  Everyone has different priorities as well as milestones which they want to achieve.  We refer to these goals as our ‘pillars of life’.

Pillars of life can be thought of as foundations that both guide us and provide stability while giving us balance at the same time. In today’s show, I hope to help you identify your pillars and gain clarity around what you really, truly want within each area.  That is the essential first part of creating your life vision.

Imagine you’re going to meet your friends at an amazing Hawaiian resort.  Sounds beautiful, right?

You land safely at the airport, grab your luggage and jump into a rental car.  Then you type in the address into the car’s GPS.
You know exactly where you are going, so getting there is easy.
However, if you didn’t know the address (or at least the name of the resort), it would be a completely different story, because there are a LOT of resorts in Hawaii that you could potentially end up at.

Well, it’s the very same thing when it comes to reaching your big, audacious goals and dreams.
You need to know WHERE you’re going if you ever want to end up there.

How?  By creating a life vision for everything you want to achieve.  This doesn’t have to be complicated…

In fact, I’ll help you get started today with Part 1 of how to create a life vision.

Once you have yours in place, success will come faster and easier for you.  Why?  Because “wrong turns” will be a thing of the past and your internal GPS will know exactly where to lead you even if the journey doesn’t go as planned.

So, let’s dive right into the practical part of creating your life vision…

The biggest thing that prevents people from taking action on their future dreams and goals is not having clarity around what that future actually looks like for them.  When you have extreme clarity, whatever fears, obstacles or distractions arise on the journey, it will be hard for you NOT to keep moving in the right, desired direction.  It is this CLARITY that will help your overcome fears and obstacles, be your guiding North Star and provide the necessary strength and conviction to stay the course.

Clarity itself is one of the most powerful tools you can use to accomplish the life you want, the goals you desire to reach and the big accomplishments you set your mind to.

Part 1 on this process is by no means complex or complicated but it does require some thought and deeper consideration.

This exercise can be done at the onset of a new year, or even every six months or perhaps quarterly just to assess whether you are on track or not.  Your course might need a few adjustments and that’s perfectly okay.  You will need to revisit and tweak accordingly.

So, I want you to imagine 5 tall, strong pillars holding up the roof of a building.  I came across the exact structure I always imagine when I do this exercise on a trip to Puerto Rico.  It was an open structure in the middle of a grassy area surrounded by tall palm trees, with the most beautiful marble inlay floor, no doors, no windows, no walls – just the white pillars and the roof.

In this exercise, each of these pillars are going to represent an important area of your life.  And to be clear, everybody can decide on the number of pillars they will have – some will outline 4, others perhaps 7, but there is not right or wrong number of pillars for your life vision.

Here are some common pillars people what to focus on:  love, happiness, health/wellness/exercise & nutrition fall into this category as well, wealth/financial, relationships, personal development, career/business, spiritual, charitable/volunteering and giving back pillars.

Time to time, you might need to shift your focus to some areas more than others to maintain balance, but essentially, all the categories or pillars you choose will receive the necessary attention and work they need to stay on course.

Which ones are yours?  Which ones do YOU want to improve on, set goals for, make huge achievements in?

I know one person who chooses 5 pillars:  financial, career/business, relationships, health/wellness and personal development.  For him, it is like 5 spokes of a wheel.  And he maintains that all 5 spokes need to be moving forward (meaning: being worked on and improved) for the wheel to keep turning and to prevent a bumpy ride.  If all of his 5 areas are balanced, then the ride is smooth.

Another person I know well has only 4 categories or pillars:  love, happiness, health and wealth.

So, as you see, this is very individual, and YOU, only you can decide on which areas are most important for your ‘ideal’ life and vision.  You are on a unique journey, so remember that your pillars might look totally different from those of a good friend.

In order to create your life vision, the intentions and goals you have for each area, I need you to picture or imagine your IDEAL life.  The key word here is ideal.  We are not making a 5-, 10- or 20-year plan with this exercise, we are zeroing in on one year and more specifically, one ideal year.

At this point it is time to become curious, deeply curious about what you want in each area and how you want things to be.  You are going to dig deep and be extremely detailed with each pillar.  Write down 3 – 5 bullet points or boxes to be checked off once accomplished for each pillar.  Get specific and curious in terms of how you’d like your ideal life to look in each pillar. 

Let’s look at a few examples to show you what I mean:

Some bullet points under the pillar of health might be –

1.       Limit alcohol intake
2.       Never sacrifice sleep
3.       Drink tons of water
4.       Avoid sugar
5.       Only eat when hungry

Bullet points under the pillar of wealth could be –

1.       Invest in the long term
2.       Have an emergency fund
3.       Live below your means for an extended period of time
4.       Start and set a budget

Bullet point ideas for the pillar of love are:

1.       Love unconditionally
2.       Practice gratitude daily
3.       Love yourself before loving someone else
4.       Spend plenty of time with close friends and family who lift you up
5.       Learn to forgive and accept forgiveness

Bullet points for the category of happiness could be:

1.       Exercise
2.       Never stop learning
3.       Have an open mind
4.       Complete fulfilling tasks
5.       Avoid all sources of negativity
6.       Choose progress over perfection
7.       Protect your mental health at all costs

Bullet points for the pillar personal development could be:

1.       Read non-fiction books
2.       Journal daily
3.       Begin breathwork as a form of meditation
4.       Try new things each day or week or month
5.       View failure as a learning experience not a setback
6.       Become strong from the inside out

Remember, don’t be vague when listing 3 – 5 bullet points under your pillars.  For example, if you want to drink lots of water, then get specific such as:  I will drink 4 full water bottles each day.  Or, if you intend on expanding yourself and your horizon through personal development, you might list “never stop learning’.  Well, that is not detailed enough to follow through on or even keep track of your progress.  You should be listing something like:  I intend on reading one new book on mindset or personal development each month.  See, that’s something you can keep record of. 

The points mentioned are mere examples to get your own creative juices flowing and to, perhaps, spark an idea of how you could level up your life.  You and I both know that there are endless ideas, but you have to choose what is right for you, aligned with your life’s vision and things that will light you up inside creating the best version of YOU.

There’s one pillar I believe EVERYONE should include, and that is the Fun/Enthusiasm pillar.  Life is too short to live a mundane, boring, unfulfilled life.  So, I strongly encourage you to add in this category to your life vision to increase the fun-factor, inject some adventure, ramp up the excitement levels and simply enjoy life to the fullest.

The pillars of our life’s vision help us to achieve balance by providing us with anchors to grasp on to when the waves of life rock our boat.  These pillars can and should be continuously developed and solidified.  A roof cannot be held up and supported properly if one pillar falls short or crumbles or isn’t as tall as the others.
Our goal is to create sturdy pillars and a solid foundation for our life’s vision.

As mentioned earlier, your pillars will evolve as your circumstances change and that’s okay. It may even take a lifetime to perfect your pillars, but the act of creating a path you deeply desire will give you the necessary clarity and confidence to keep moving forward and stay the course.

Just a few closing thoughts on your vision because, I bet many of you haven’t really taken the time to consider what your vision is or laid out a strategic plan of how to fulfill this vision.

Your vision of where or what you want to be is the greatest asset you have.  This vision I keep referring to is the ability to see your purpose, your dreams, your desire and your tomorrow.   And, I will leave your with two quotes:

“Vision with action makes a powerful reality.” ~Ron Kaufman

“Make your vision so clear that your fears become irrelevant.” ~Kerwin Rae

Keep in mind – this is only part 1 or 3 in the exercises of creating your life vision. By the end of the pillar exercise in Part 1 you should have complete clarity on what your ideal life vision looks like, with your chosen pillars including 3 – 5 detailed and very specific bullet points under each of these pillars.

Parts 2 and 3 will be coming to my podcast soon.

I would like to invite you to become part of the Inspiration2grow community on Facebook.  The group name is: Inspiration2grow for Female Goal-getters.  It is meant to be a community of like-minded women who want to grow strong from the inside out.  There will be daily journalling prompts, nutrition and fitness tips, exercises to try, encouraging conversations among the community and lots more.  So, be sure to join this group for support, new ideas and the necessary rocket fuel to propel your health and wellness to new heights.

You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself, show up for yourself and become the best version of YOU.

In case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you…
You are incredible, capable and your potential is limitless.  Never forget that and I believe in you 100%.  Now, go out there and show the world what you are truly made of.

I hope to have inspired you to grow.

Til next time,
Lisa
 
 
 
 
 






10 Empowering Messages You Need to Hear

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, Mindset, Self CarePosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast, I will be talking about some ideas worth considering to live your best life.

I try to keep all the information, ideas, tips and features on this podcast evergreen, which means they will always be relevant for my listeners and followers. So, I have to emphasize that even though I am referring to a new year full of possibilities to live your best life, your NEW YEAR could begin anytime, not just on January 1st.  That’s a myth that I would like to dispel here, that you can start to implement change anytime.  There is no pressure to start on any particular day.

These concepts, quotes, thoughts can be revisited time and time again.

1.       Show gratitude.  “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more.  If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” ~Oprah Winfrey

What are you feeling grateful for today?
 
2.       Start a regular exercise routine.  Your body and mind will thank you for it.
 
Your muscles don’t know the date on your birth certificate.  They only know whether or not they’ve been exercised recently or not.
 
3.       Show yourself some self-love. Look deep inside and see your own beauty.  Know you are powerful beyond measure.  Go forth confidently and believe in yourself.  Shine where you stand.

“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” ~Khalil Gibran
 
4.       Just know that it’s never too late and you’re never too old to start something new. 
 
5.       A person’s most beautiful asset is not a head full of knowledge, but a heart full of love, an ear ready to listen and a hand willing to help others.
 
6.       Slow and steady progress is still amazing progress.  No matter how slow you go, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch.
 
7.       Strive for 1% improvement over yesterday.  At the end of each day ask yourself what you can do or implement to create a small, yet over the long-term significant, improvement in comparison to the day before.
 
8.       Consistency is where it’s at.  In anything we do or want to achieve, consistency is the key word.  In terms of your fitness or workout routine, the best advice is to get it done in the early morning rather than “later” in the day because most times later doesn’t happen. 

Try to adjust your sleep routine to go to bed 30 – 60 minutes earlier to allow for an earlier wake up call. 

Getting your physical exercise early on in the day will set you up feeling more energized, productive, youthful, in control, and less overwhelmed about the day.

It truly is the puzzle piece to unlock something extraordinary in your body and life. And, you’ve heard me say this in previous episodes, but by taking care of yourself and putting attention and care into your body, you will reap the benefits like a domino effect through other aspects of your life.
 
How can you structure your day to show up for yourself, your body and mind in the early morning?
 
9.       Turn your dreams into goals and fiercely chase them down.

Dreams are nothing more than fantasy when they are not translated into goals.  It takes nothing to have a big vision, but, everything to make it a reality.

You can turn your dreams into goals and goals into reality as long as you truly work for them.  I am grateful for where I am today as it’s the fruit of my hard, determined work.  It’s the result of taking action when I didn’t always feel like it.

Reality check – If you have been dreaming of something for so long but feel like there’s no progress, look back.  Have you done what you’re supposed to do?  Or did you simple manifest your dreams with no action?

That leads to no where.  Dedicate yourself to achieving your desires and be ready to do anything for it.

Focus on doing the things necessary, taking intentional action and it will lead you to great results.

10.   About motivation…

Motivation is not something magical that suddenly appears from the sky and falls into your lap.  Motivation changes; it’s not constant.  And if you have it one day, you might not find it the next day.

If you only work hard on the days you’re motivated, then you will never achieve your goals, never!  Discipline trumps motivation.  Integrity trumps motivation.  Grit trumps motivation.

Discipline means showing up day in, day out because YOU set a goal for yourself.

Following through with the commitment or plan you made with/for yourself even when it gets tough is called: integrity.

Pushing your way through the resistance that comes up in your mind and body is called: grit.

So, instead of me saying, “Get motivated” or “Find your motivation”, I will say – work on your discipline, personal integrity and grit.

That’s a winning combination!  You’ve got this.

I truly hope to have inspired you to grow.

Til next time,

Lisa xoxo
 
 
 

Some Year-of-End Thoughts

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, Mindset, Self CarePosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast I am sharing some ‘end-of-year’ thoughts with you.

I like the idea of starting the new year with a different focus.  A year, 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days – is enough time to make a lot of things happen.

But, while we can achieve a lot in a year’s time, we can still become frustrated if we’re not realistic.  Taking the time to think and ponder what you really want to do in the upcoming year will ensure you get a good start into 2023.

Let’s be honest… no one can make a significant impact by doing something for a week or even just a month.  Mastering skills, working on your character, personal development, growing your mindset, and building healthy relationships all take time.

If you are chasing your dreams, never quit too early.  Keep going and stay the course as I like to say.
 
So, here we are just a few days away from Christmas and the holiday season.  Another year is coming to an end.

For me, Christmas has always been the most wonderful time of the year.  My excitement and enthusiasm for Christmas dates back to my years of working in my parents’ retail store.  I asked to be scheduled to work on Christmas Eve when everyone else didn’t want to because people would come in scrambling to find that perfect gift at the very last minute.  If I was able to help them, they were delighted.  This lit me up so much.

On the flip side, I also loved shopping and experiencing the hustle and bustle.  There is something magical about the colourful decorations, streams of lights, beautiful trees, the smells of Christmas, candy canes and gingerbread – two of my all-time favourites.  Not to mention, family get-togethers, playing games and enjoying quality time with people near and dear to us.

But my husband and I have started living a calmer, more mindful life and I’ve been taking a very different approach to the holidays.  I focus more on small, intimate get-togethers with close friends.  Planning and creating adventure and experiences with loved ones is my priority over the material side of Christmas, the gift giving.

I believe that people will remember the time spent with them rather than the money spent on them in the long run.  So, it’s experiences over gifts from here on in.
Along the lines of being more mindful, I like to look ahead into the new year quickly approaching and do some planning. Maybe you could call it an assessment asking myself some questions, journalling about it and finally, committing to the ones I feel align with who I want to be in the new year.

I’m not talking about New Year’s resolutions because this ‘assessment’ could be done at any time during the year.  I’m referring to potential changes, habits and goals I want to be my absolute focus for the next 12 months.  I have 5 pillars:  health, fitness, career, creativity, charitable. 
  
So, I ask myself:

How do you want to improve your health and nutrition over the next 12 months?
What can you do or implement to increase your level of fitness?
How do you want to show up in your business and further your career?
How can you flex your creativity muscle?  Are there any new creative hobbies you want to try?
How can you be more charitable?  What organizations do you want to support and how?
 
If you’re listening to this episode in February or March, you could begin then.  There is no perfectly magical time to make changes in your life.

One thing I think people miss out on is BEING PRESENT.  This takes work and intention to always be present and live for the moment.  It took me years to work myself in a position to do this.  But now, I am fully present and focused on enjoying life. 

For the new year, I have suggested to my husband that we plan an event of sorts every 6 weeks to have something new, exciting and totally different to look forward to.  I wanted to inject some fun into our every day.  This might mean booking tickets to a symphony concert, going on a road trip for one day not knowing exactly where we are going to end up – like a mystery tour, trying a new sport like kite surfing.

Every year you have the chance to start with a clean slate.  You can hit the reset button and do things differently than in the past.  It doesn’t matter if you had a great year or a less-than-stellar year.

Celebrate.  Cry.  Laugh.  Enjoy.  Live fully.  Show up.  Be present.

But never forget that life moves forward.

-> What do you want to focus on in the new year? Or the next 12 months?
-> What do you want to do to improve your career, yourself and your relationships?
-> What will you do when things don’t go according to plan?  (Never think that everything will go well, as planned.  Be prepared for setbacks.)

For instance, I have focused on reading more over the past few years.  While I haven’t quite met my goal of reading one book (fiction or non-fiction) each week, I came pretty close.

Another focus of mine has been improving my nutrition and exercise routine.  I didn’t keep strict track of how many days I worked out or how many swim sessions I made it to, but I think my goal will be to get in at least 300+ workouts over the course of 12 months.

When I plan my year, I only focus on setting targets that I can directly influence.  I am never vague about my benchmarks.  So, you’ll never catch me saying things like, “I want to improve my fitness level by doing some strength training.”  That’s not specific enough and allows all kinds of room for non-execution and losing control over the situation due to external circumstances.

I choose to be detailed and maintain a certain amount of control.

So, instead I would lay out the plan by saying, “I will get in one hour of exercise each day, a swim session, a spinning class, a gym workout comprised of warm-up, 10 – 12 specific total body exercises, and cool down. And on my rest day, I will go for a one-hour hike.”  At the beginning of each week, I will plan in the exact workout for each day depending on my schedule.

While the time frame of 12 months allows us to make a lot of things happen, we tend to overestimate AND underestimate what we can achieve in a year.

In the fast-paced world we live in today, people want instant results and lack the patience as well as the necessary perseverance to stick with the plan over the long-term.

But, on the flip side, people also underestimate what they can achieve if they remain focused and make consistent efforts – big or small – toward their end goal every single day.
 
So, I want to encourage you to chase down your dreams and never quit too early.  Keep grinding away every day.  Be flexible and know when to pivot if your plan requires adjusting. 

Develop self-awareness which is a skill in and of itself.  Just know that life is full of paradoxes. 

There’s never one truth or ‘right’ path to follow.
The only path that’s right if YOUR path.

Let’s start thinking about the new year, full of possibilities and opportunities for you.  But don’t forget to be in the moment during the final days of this year.  Have a good time and enjoy the company of others.

And when January 1st rolls around… wake up, get to work on yourself and your goals and keeping looking forward.

I truly hope to have inspired you to grow.

Til next time,

Lisa xoxo
 

 

The Powerful Practice of Journalling

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Mindset, Self CarePosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast I am talking about the habit that changes everything – journalling – and how to set a powerful intention for your day through the practice of journalling.

By putting pen to paper each day through a daily journalling practice you can truly revolutionize the way you think, the way you feel, you can increase your emotional awareness and it can help you be more self-aware in general.  It is an outlet for your thoughts and a means to keep track of experiences you may want to revisit later in life.

Journalling is the single most effective tool to bring about change in your life.  This practice helps keep your brain in tip-top shape.  It is shown to boost your memory as well as your mood.  Win – win if you ask me.

Statistics tell us that approximately half of us have written in a journal of some kind during our lives, and now about 1 out of 6 people are active journalers.
You might think I’m exaggerating, but until you try it, you won’t know the full power of journalling.  And trust me when I say, if there’s one new habit you’d like to incorporate into your daily schedule, why not consider journalling.

The great news is… it is completely free and there is absolutely no right or wrong way of doing it.  Journalling will make a huge impact on your life and it’s never too late to start.

Journalling needn’t be all too time-consuming either.  Simple aim for 2 – 5 minutes when you get started.  After a while, you might find such enjoyment in this practice that you lengthen your journalling sessions.

One more added bonus, people who journal report overall better mental wellness and wellbeing. So, it offers benefits when it comes to your mindset, managing your thoughts and becoming a more courageous, confident person.

Some objections I hear people say about journalling are:  I don’t really know when to find the time to journal  OR  I never know what to write about.

To those of you who think like this, I want to stress that if you have time to brush your teeth, you can also find the same amount of time to journal.  Regarding what to write about…

Here’s my tip:

SLOW DOWN to get to know yourself and understand yourself.  Ask yourself what it is that you truly want in life and attempt to establish a deeper connection with yourself.  Start to reframe your thoughts, overcome any toxic things or people in your life, then begin to live your life on the next level of YOU, whilst pursuing and chasing your dreams.  Remind yourself of the beliefs you have, the decisions you’ve made and the standards you have set for yourself. Use journalling as a way to reaffirm that you are indeed capable of achieving what you set your mind to.  Journalling can also be used as a means of tracking your wins, to encourage ourselves and self-validation showing ourselves that we are on the making massive progress.

Journalling needn’t be elaborate, nor pretty.  There is no one style to follow.  The best method is the one that works for you.

A few things worth noting about this practice:

-> Journalling improves learning and memory performance
-> It helps you set goals and achieve them.
-> It helps you manage stress and process emotions.
-> The likelihood of meeting your goals increases by 42% when you journal on it and write it down.
-> People who journal report that they stay more focused on goals because they write about them.
-> 77% say it helps them with self discovery.
-> Deeper self understanding and clarity result from journalling.
-> Journalling can also support creative inspiration.  Great ideas come through journalling.

Your values, beliefs, feelings about life, your thoughts, emotions, what you want out of life, who you are and what makes you you come through when you practice journalling.

It legitimately improves your life and boosts your confidence levels too.  You have better mindset management and the probability of reaching your intended goals is higher.  It deepens your gratitude and appreciation of life.  After journalling for a while, you can look back and see the growth and transformation you have undergone.

Let’s face it… our days can be quite hectic at times and humans crave entertainment in one form or another. 

But I want you to think of journalling as a blessing, a means to slow down and have time to think.  Allow your brain to wonder and give it the job of staring at the blank piece of paper.  Allow your thoughts to flow freely and write down whatever comes to mind.

There are many, many styles, or themes for journalling, so I will just outline a few of them and then tell you how I journal.  This might give you some inspiration to start with.

The first theme I really enjoy is called the “Brain Dump” or “Thought Downloads” method.  It’s journalling time when I let my brain write freely about something specific, for example, ideas for my business or podcast episodes, or what I want to write my book on, or how I want my days to look like in order to optimize my healthy habits and fitness routine.  A thought download might be, “I’m feeling overwhelmed about …” Give yourself a designated amount of time to write down everything pertaining to this feeling.  Be general or specific about these feelings.

You’ll be amazed how much it feels like a tremendous breath of fresh air when you are done. 

Journalling is like brushing your brain, cleansing it every day.  It can also be viewed as a way to warm your brain up for the day ahead OR cooling it down at night to prepare it for restful sleep.

Another type of journalling I engage in is: “Thought Reframing”  It’s a great mindset tool to use in order to flip the script on some not-so-helpful thoughts that are taking up too much space in your mind.

You could begin each day by asking yourself, “What is the thought that is bothering me today?  And, what’s a more helpful way of thinking about it?

Another journalling prompt along these lines could be, “What is the most toxic or cluttering thought that I have that’s blocking me from absolute joy and peace?  How do I reframe this?”

In keeping with the mindset theme, a further type of journalling is called the “Belief Exploration” where you write down answers to the following questions, “What is my current belief?” Followed by “What is the belief that I would like to have?  What do I want to believe I am capable of? How do I get myself to believe I am champion of…….. (fill in the blank)

As to my personal practice of journalling…

Well, I do it first thing in the morning in order to prep my mind for the day.

I ask and write about two key aspects of how I want the day to go.  The first question I journal about is:

“What are today’s top 3 tasks/priorities that will make me feel successful at the end of the day?”

These can be a combination of business-related tasks, fitness-oriented activities or things I want to prioritize for my health.  I take my time to outline them with specificity reminding myself why they are important and how I will feel about getting them done.

The next question is:  “How do I want to show up for myself today?”  With this journal prompt I try to outline my self-care items for the day.

If I have a bit more time and feel like I’m on a roll, I will list 3 things I am grateful for and why.  I also jot down my thoughts on how I will be 1% better over yesterday.

To get you started, I will give you a few questions to journal about:

1.        How do I feel about…  – myself, my body, my partner, my job, my health, etc.
2.       What do I need most today?
3.       What am I grateful for and why?  List 3 – 5 things and get as granular as you like.
4.       What has been my biggest achievement this week/month/year?
5.       What do I feel happy about today?
6.       What am I excited about today?
7.       What am I looking forward to?
8.       What changes do I need to feel healthier, happier and more fulfilled?
9.       What have I learned over the past week/month/year?
10.   My word for 2023 is… In your journalling explain why you chose this word, what it really means and how are you going to show up for this.

Remember that you are learning to have conversations with yourself through the practice of journalling.  You are also learning how to be a good friend to yourself.
 
So, grab a coffee or cup of tea and go deep within.  Get curious and enjoy the process of journalling.  The more you awaken your curiosity, the more you stay alive.  It can provide deep pleasure and opens doors if you allow it to.

I truly hope I have inspired you to take up journalling as a daily practice.

Til next time,

Lisa xoxo
 
 

2 Essential Tools You Need – Breath Work & Mental Imagery

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, Mindset, Self CarePosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2grow podcast I am giving you a glimpse into how you can use breath work and visualization as methods of focus, meditation and relaxation in times of stress, anxiety and overwhelm or just because. 

It’s Tangible Tuesday so I want to provide you with some tools and tactics today that will help you in any number of situations.  In fact, the breath work I am going to walk you through today was very beneficial for the children and teenagers I used to work with.  Many of them told me they would implement the breathing technique right before starting a test to gain focus or in instances they felt a highly anxious at school and playing their sport.  They’re simple, yet highly effective.

How often are you breathing?  I mean, consciously breathing by taking deep, mindful, belly breaths that really oxygenate your entire body and mind.

Many of us go about our busy days and never take the time to truly BREATHE deeply and with intention.

Once you practice breathing techniques and truly harness the power of your breath, the results can be refreshingly awakening.

So, breathwork can best be described as an active breathing technique that focuses on our breathing patterns and creates a mind body connection that will improve our health on many levels – physically, emotionally as well as spiritually.

You’ll gain clarity and feel empowered. During breathwork you don’t need anything externally, so there is a feeling of inner empowerment that comes or arises from within.  It sounds a bit woowoo, but until you actually give it a try, you won’t understand what I mean here.  Your own breath can become a source of answers to questions, offer insights to challenges you are facing, provide a sense of freedom from feeling stuck and also gives you a glimpse of what’s next for your life and your work in the world.

Breathwork helps you put the brakes on an acute stress response and diverts the health problems associated with chronic stress, which we all know is quite detrimental to our health.  By activating the body’s relaxation response, deep abdominal breathing helps decrease blood pressure.

If I had to guess, I would wager a bet that many of you have never practiced breathwork before OR even considered it as a means of becoming mentally stronger.  But I am sure that you have heard the saying, “Take a deep breath,” when you found yourself in a stressful situation.
 
Feelings come and go like clouds on a windy day, but conscious breathing remains my anchor.  Conscious breathing is the best antidote to overcome moments of: overwhelm, anxiety, stress and feelings of being out of control.

Okay, let’s dive into the two breathwork techniques you can use anytime, anywhere.

The first technique is called the ‘6-2-8 Breath Triangle’.

This breathwork exercise is done with your eyes closed and the triangle part of it means you are going to focus on your nose leading to one edge of your mouth to the other edge and back to your nose.  So, let’s begin by closing our eyes and simply focusing on this triangle right below your eyes.

Good, now we are ready to add in the breathing component.  The 6-2-8 method means we will take a deep breath in for 6 seconds, hold it for 2 followed by a long, deep exhale for 8 seconds.  Let’s try it a few times.

Eyes closed focused on your triangle.  Start by breathing in for 6 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, then release a long exhale for 8 seconds.  And again.
And once again.

If you become distracted by anything (maybe a smell or sound), always bring it back to the triangle and focus on the invisible line connecting your nose to mouth to other edge of your gorgeous mouth and back up to your nose. 

You can do this exercise for as long as you want.  You should feel your belly moving in and out  – this means your breaths are deep and slow.  You find yourself relaxing and letting stress, worry and anxiety leaving your body.  Your shoulders start to drop with even more relaxation.  Your mind focuses better and better with each breath.

Breathwork helps you regain control of yourself and is a powerful tool to have in your arsenal.

The second breathing technique I will teach you today is called the ‘5 by 5 Box’.

So, begin by picturing a box with your eyes closed of course.  Our breathing and focus will be in line with this box.  Essentially, what we do is inhale for 5 seconds, hold it for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds, and hold again for 5 seconds.  So, we have 4 breath actions and each takes place along one side of the box.

Let’s give it a shot… Inhale for 5 seconds and let your mind imagine moving up one side of the box.  Hold this breath for 5 seconds while moving along the next side of the box.  Now, exhale for 5 seconds and again, move your mind along the third side.  Hold in the exhaled state for 5 seconds and you should be back to the beginning.  Once again,…

Remember, the #1 way to get in control of yourself is by breathing!  You can practice either of these techniques in an easy environment OR you can add stimulus in order to improve your focus.

If you have children or teens who could use a bit of focus or relief of tension and anxiety in their lives, introduce them to these methods.  You will be surprised at how well they work for people of any age.

Now, I am going to move onto visualization or mental imagery as a second tool to have in your tool box.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, the mental images you create and carry around, positive or negative, have a direct impact on our physical and mental performance.  When you begin to train your skills of mental imagery and meditation (this could be through breathwork), you will notice that you are better able to stay calm under pressure and you will experience improved focus on doing one task at a time.  You will be present in the moment rather than getting caught up in the past or future.

An added bonus … you will develop one of the best tools to increase your confidence.  This particular tool I am talking about is referred to with the acronym B.A.L.L. which is a 4-step mental imagery drill you can start implementing today.

B – stands for BREATHE using the 6-2-8 Breath Triangle Technique (we went through it earlier)
A – stands for AFFIRMATION.  Using self-talk training you say things to yourself with a strong, committed internal voice. 
L – stands for LOOK BACK at your previous success.  Remind yourself that you are a success and draw on these examples from previous experiences.
L – stands for LOOK FORWARD to your new day.  Get excited about what the new day has in store for you.  It’s loaded with opportunities to show up as your best, most confident self.

I want you to understand this…

-> Anxiety comes with an obsession over the future.
-> Depression comes from an obsession over the past that you can’t do anything about.  You can’t go back and re-write your history or change anything about it; you can only learn from it.)

Living your daily life optimally comes from being obsessed with the present – here and now.

Today’s the biggest day of your life.  Why?  Because you are living it!

So, make a conscious effort to be present TODAY.  Show up as you were meant to and make yourself so darn proud.

When your head hits the pillow each night, in your mind – replay all the positives that happened during the day. Replay your performance of the day.  Let go of any negative moments and reinforce the positive.  Tomorrow is a new day to shine.

If you’re wondering who even used mental imagery, let me provide a few examples…

The first time I saw it being implemented was in top athletes who use imagery extensively to build on their strengths and help eliminate their weaknesses.  It is a critical tool for them to compete more effectively.  You might have seen athletes before major sporting events with their headphones on, eyes closed, fully concentrated, tuning out everything else around them – they call it ‘getting in the zone’.  Imagery not only helps athletes regulate the levels of anxiety they are experiencing at that moment before or during competitions, but it also helps athletes remain calm, confident, focused and mentally tough.  In fact, research has shown that athletes are able to improve both physical as well as psychological reactions in certain situations with visualization.

Some practical examples:

* Emily Cook, of the USA freestyle ski team, visualizes each aerial jump as part of her training for the Olympic Games.  She broke it down and recorded her visualization technique as a script to go over again and again and it goes something like this:
‘I am standing on the top of the hill.  I can feel the wind on the back of my neck. I can hear the crowd. I turn down the in-run. I stand up. I engage my core. I look at the top of the jump.” She went through every step of how she wanted her jump to turn out.
 
* Billie Jean King, top seeded tennis player, was already using mental imagery to win matches back in the 1960’s.

* If you’ve ever watched an alpine ski race, you’ll often see the starters visualizing the run right before the buzzer rings and they are heading down the slope.  Skiers including Lindsey Vonn of the United States, would use their hands to simulate the path of her skis.

* Olympic swimmers such as Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky attribute part of their success in the pool to getting mentally prepared through visualization.
 
Visualization can also be coined “strategic daydreaming”.  It is like a dress rehearsal of what lies ahead.  It offers mental preparedness for the day.

So, for those of you who intend of using visualization in your every day life, here are some helpful tips:

The skill of visualization is fairly simple and straightforward in theory:  You find yourself a quiet, calm spot, then close your eyes, and roll the scene (as if a movie is playing out before your eyes) of your ideal day or you overcoming adversity of some kind or yourself at your next workout.

The goal, here, is to give yourself a series of WINS.  This provides you with a sense of “been there, done that.”  It gives you a ‘dry-run’ of the day so that when it happens for real, you won’t be overwhelmed or become buried by the pressure and the unexpected.

Mentally imagining the day or a particular scenario helps to decrease your overthinking which many of us get so caught up in that we can’t move forward at times.  Overthinking means you are thinking about what others are thinking, worrying about disappointing people, obsessing over things outside of your control and over-analyzing every little thing you are doing.  What visualization does is it helps keep you focused on the things that matter most.

Both breathwork AND visualization could become part of your morning routine setting you up for a successful day. Who doesn’t enjoy starting the day off in a relaxed state of mind feeling prepared for whatever the day may bring?

I sincerely hope you give these methods a try. 

Remember that daily practice will yield the best results and you will become fair more comfortable and train and tweak these skills to work best for your situation. 

I truly hope to have inspired you to grow with these ideas and methods of relaxation and focusing.

Til next time,

Lisa xoxo
 
 
 
 
 

Mindset of a Real Life ‘Superhero’ feat. Robin Arzon

by Lisa OberbichlerConfidence, Goals, Habits, Health & Fitness, Mindset, Self CarePosted on No Comments

In today’s episode of the Inspiration2Grow podcast I will be featuring the mindset and personal story of an extraordinary woman, Robin Arzon, who was recently featured on the cover of Women’s Health magazine in the November issue.  She is a huge proponent of using movement and fitness to transform your life.  She is the real deal and I would love to share some of her tips and ideas on how to embrace your true self, advocate for yourself and ignite your own superwoman strength.

If you have been following my podcast, you’ll know that I have fallen head-over-heals in love with spinning classes.  And when I ran into Robin’s picture on the internet as a head trainer for Peloton and VP of Fitness Programming for the company, I knew instantly that she would be a great feature for my show. She is well known for her mental strength, which she gained through her fitness journey.

“I really used movement as a tool to unlock and empower, and that is how I became a wellness leader,” Robin Arzon.

Her accomplishments are quite wide-ranging – beginning with a successful career as a corporate litigator in New York, to a marathon runner whose passion for running, movement, health and fitness morphed into a full-blown pivot from working in the field of law to getting involved with Peloton as a full-time career.  As one of the head instructors at Peloton she has worked hard and is very proud of the huge community she has created bringing people from around the world together in the name of fitness. More feathers in her cap include being a NYTimes best selling author with her book entitled “Shut Up and Run”. Her passion for running has seen her complete many different races over many different distances, even a 100-mile race.   She is also head ambassador for the clothing line GSTQ.

A typical day for her begins with her own personal workout and includes – strength training.  But other essentials elements of her morning routine are: meditating for 20 minutes after getting a solid 9 hours of sleep AND fuelling her body with the proper nutrients.  For her, a smoothie packed with vitamins and plant-based fuel is her go-to.  Not only does she emphasize the need to fuel our bodies with right foods, she also stresses the fact that we all need to hydrate our bodies for optimal performance.

“My life is a workout, but my own personal workout is critical, and that will usually involve something related to strength training.  I’m always, always staying hydrated – you cannot hustle without the proper hydration, and in my opinion, with plain ole’ water, as optimally.” ~Robin Arzon

Another critical component of Robin’s ideal day and something we can all consider implementing in our lives is to nourish our souls by educating and diving into things we want to know more about.  This could be through classes or reading, but for her, it creates mental grit in her every day. 

“I want to go to bed prouder each night than when I woke up.  I think our legacy is comprised of small decisions.” ~RA

She claims there is no such thing as work-life balance, but there are priorities as well as a strong work ethic that will get you there. Everyone needs a North Star, which is to do epic things in this world.  We should listen to what our gut tells us, identify a standard for greatness that is both aspirational and achievable. Joy comes from finding what is valuable for you and your life and what can be achieved in this regard. It is worth getting uncomfortable and digging deep to achieve this.
 
One piece of advice Robin gives people who want to begin a fitness journey is to ‘trust the struggle’.  You have to be brave enough to own your journey and it will require struggle.  It’s great to have a mentor or to follow and admire someone else’s fitness path, but ultimately you will have to go it yourself.  There is something unique and special about the journey you embark on.  Trusting your struggle is incredibly important, according to Robin, just as being brave enough to actually have experiences where you fail.  You will gain confidence, flex your bravery muscle, discover resilience you never knew you had, grow strong from the inside out.

I recently heard Robin’s response to the question:  What’s the coolest thing you have ever done?  And I want to share her answer with you…

Robin answered, “It’s not a day or an achievement; it’s a way of life.  One of the coolest things I’ve ever done is learned how to become resilient and trust my hustle.  I think that is everything from knowing that my bag is stocked with ROAR and I’m staying hydrated, but also trusting that I know how to prepare for small and big victories.  I think that the iterative process to success is going to be challenging, but it’s knowing that you have the backbone and the processes and the things in your superhero toolkit to rise.”

The ‘Superhero Toolkit’ Robin is referring to here includes:
 
-> Daily movement
-> Visualization and creating/tweaking a visual board every 3 – 4 months
-> Breath work
-> Journalling
 
From the beginning her mission has been to “redefine, reform and rethink possibility through movement.”  Believe it or not, Robin grew up in a family setting that didn’t place much emphasis on playing sports or being active.  In fact, she thought physical activity and movement were rather scary as a young girl.  She would tell herself things like, “I can’t throw a ball” or “I can’t get fit” and her message to everyone is:
 
We become the stories we tell ourselves. So, it’s crucial that we are aware of these stories running through our minds all the time AND the stories we are telling our children.  Once we label ourselves or are labelled by others, we adopt a kind of identity around it. 
 
For her, she told herself, “I’m not a runner” or “I’m not athletic” and so, she thought there was no way she could ever hit the streets for a jog or a run.  Remember, back in the introduction …. Robin went on to become an ultramarathoner. 
 
When it comes to movement and strength training, she encourages everyone to step out of any old identities which are holding you back, and adopt new ones along the lines of, “I can be a fit, strong woman” or “I am capable of lifting weights to tone my body”. In her words, get curious and uncomfortable about movement and exercise.  Use movement as medicine for your body and mind.  Find the courage to step out and do something different.  Try to develop a stickiness to the habit of movement and fitness by starting small with just a 5- or 10-minute commitment.  The hardest conversation always starts within yourself. 
 
And, regarding the talks we have with ourselves, she emphasizes that we should prioritize these conversations to know your boundaries.  We cannot set standards for ourselves or anyone else if we don’t know what are boundaries actually are.  This goes back to the self-care in episode 30. 
Establishing boundaries creates higher standards and holding ourselves to higher standards brings us more success. 
 
It all goes back to basics and simplicity.  Create consistent, non-negotiable everyday habits with yourself which are important to uphold.  Eating and fuelling your body with healthy food, getting enough sleep, hydrating adequately every day, filling your own cup.  The energy you gain from these actions is ultimately your currency.
 
For Robin, self-care is a prevention strategy.  It is not something you turn to when you are already at your whit’s end.  An analogy is; self-care is like an escape valve which allows that built-up pressure within to be released bit by bit before it explodes.
 
Nothing gets done well or intentionally if we don’t take care of ourselves.  That applies to both the small, mundane every day things but also the larger aspects of our life.  When we find ourselves in moment of crisis, it’s hard for us to make the right choices.  That’s why we have to have our healthy, daily habits so dialed in that we are not setting ourselves up for failure or poor choices.
 
In regards to self-care, ask yourself, “How can I move my body to make me feel more powerful?” 
 
Realizing she could be her own inner advocate was a very empowering moment for Robin.  She came to know that she was the director of her life, which was terrifying and exciting at the same time.  She began running as a means to deal with trauma but soon found out that it provided her with so much more.  Fitness became one of those non-negotiables.
 
“When you go beyond your limits during workouts, it boosts your confidence.  And the workout is so much more than the 20, 30 or 60 minutes you put into the workout  —  it’s how you are going to remember who you are in the other 23 hours in the day.”
 
Although Robin only found movement and fitness as a young adult after a very traumatic event in her life, dreaming big has accompanied her throughout her life.  I’m a huge proponent of dreaming big and setting huge, scary goals for ourselves.  So, her thoughts on dreams resonated with me so much.
 
Her favourite quote is:  “Dream so big that it makes small minds uncomfortable.”  And she continues by saying, “My dreams wake me up before my alarm clock goes off.  I’m ready and so intoxicated by my dreams and the moment I don’t feel or think like this, then I know I have to dream bigger.”
 
I could go on forever about this amazing human. For Robin, leaving a good law career for a job in the wellness industry was a huge pivot but she knew and openly admits that “success wouldn’t be easy but I always wanted it more than I feared it.” This is the mindset of a wildly successful individual.
 
So, after so much inspiration from the perspective of Robin Arzon, I will close off today’s show with Robin’s top 5 tips on how to stay focused and motivated for your workouts:
 
1.        Be realistic with your goals:  Always write them down to get a clear picture of your workout and set the right routine.
2.       Visualize your goals:  Try to imagine the end-game result, and keep that vision to remain focused and make progress.
3.       Meditation for the win: Take to meditating daily to calm yourself and ensure a great start to your day.
4.       Fuel your body for success: Your body requires energy for your workouts, so consume the right foods to guarantee your body can perform optimally not only during the workout but throughout the entire day.
5.       Allow enough time to rest:  Pay attention to sleep and rest times so your body can recharge after each session
 
If you are ever short of motivation, let’s recharge your energy with some of Robin’s inspiring quotes:
 
Inspiration quotes by Robin Arzon:
 
1.       Don’t dim your light.
2.       Sweat transforms lives.
3.       Survive or thrive.
4.       You didn’t get up today to be mediocre.
5.       Take your life and make it the best story in the world.
6.       Are you giving yourself permission to win?
7.       Limiting beliefs are loud.  Make your hustle louder.
8.       You are the director of your life and you don’t need any external validation EVER.
9.       Don’t allow yourself to create negative ‘labels’ for yourself and your abilities.
10.   Know the value and the standards you want to set and uphold for yourself.
11.   We can either be a victim to the circumstance or be victorious no matter what the circumstance is.
12.   Your dreams should wake you up before your alarm goes off each day.
13.   I always believe that I wake up with an invisible crown on my head that says, “Chin up, crown on ALWAYS.”
14.   Willpower is a muscle that fatigues, but it can also get stronger.  If you’ve fallen off your game – in any area of life – the simplest way to get back on it is to surround yourself with inspiration.

I truly hope to have inspired you to grow.

Til next time,

Lisa xoxo