Weekly Escapes's Weblog

Book Review – The Key To Everything by Zhana

weeklyescapes — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:28:24 +0000

Having read a few ‘attraction’ books, I had an idea in mind of what the
book was about, but I was pleasantly surprised. Zhana touches on those
principles, but it is so much more. There are real life exercises
within this book. Be prepared for CHANGE when you read it. Zhana gives
instructions on how to get the most from the book and I followed them.
I have to say this book brings the excitement back. As you go through
life, you tend to do the same things over and over and wonder why. The
book helps you make better choices and shows you how to improve. It
doesn’t just talk about improving but really helps.

Awesome book. I look forward to the next book topic from Zhana.

For more information, click here

Inner Baggage

weeklyescapes — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:31:17 +0000

Sometimes we go into a situation with a lot of inner baggage. WIthin the inner baggage, there is a little voice that says you can’t do this. It is the ‘nay’ sayer before you ever get your project off the ground. Check out your thoughts and feelings throughout the day and notice how it influences your actions. Do you feel down during the day without knowing why? It is probably because that little voice said “no go” to an idea that you had along the way. Our subconcious or “that little voice” will throw things at you – both good and bad. Self development is essential to raise the level of our conscious mind. It si our conscious mind that judges what we can deal with or what can come into our life. If you are unable to change your thoughts for the positive, you may not be ready to accept better prospects in life. Great things could be on the way for you, but you are turning it away.

5 Ways to Feel Comfortable Saying No

weeklyescapes — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:23:27 +0000

We all have many demands on our life. It’s so difficult to say no and disappoint others. Time management becomes an issue when you say yes to everything. You begin to have to short yourself with your family, your friends and your peers. How do you decide which one? That is the age old question. Our children say no all the time and we do not think twice about it. Why not us? In the picture, we know that we let others down when we say no. It is almost painful at times. Here are 5 ways to comfortably say no. Of course there are many more, but you can begin by using 5 ways and take baby steps to being on your way to a ‘no’ person instead of a ‘yes’ person.

You are having a party and you don’t want to spend all of your money on the food. One of the couple’s you invited asks if they can bring one of their friends. Just say no. Tell them that you have already accounted for your total numbers and can’t add anymore. There you said it. They probably won’t even blink but you will feel much better after you say it.
Your neighbor asks if you can water her plants while she is on vacation. Tell her no because you will be gone for a few days also. Don’t feel bad about it, feel refreshed. It’s freeing to say no to something that you really do not want to do.
You are at a company dinner and a co-worker says they want to taste a bit of food from your plate. They have never had it before and wish to ‘try’ yours. Saying no may not win you brownie points. But just think how good your food will taste without that little voice in your head saying ‘ew’.
Your married friend asks if you can babysit her six year old daughter. You know, because you are ‘single’ and haven’t been out in awhile. Tell her no and that you have some projects to work on at home. Just because you do not have children, you are not a stand by babysitter.
At the health food store, the clerk tries to get you to try a membership that you really don’t need. You are hardly in the store and do not want to pay anymore than what you are paying. Saying no with a smile will not hurt their feeling and not add dollars to your total.

Saying no is not always the popular thing to do. With constant demands on your time, saying no to a few things is a must for sanity’s sake. Spend your time the way you want to. Don’t add items to your day just to appease others. It is your day. Make it what you want it to be.

Expectation

weeklyescapes — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:23:23 +0000

Be careful of having an ‘expectation’ spirit. Do not feel as though you are entitled to have something. Showing gratitued for what you have already will allow you to position yourself for more. Check your mind for secret beliefs that may hold you back.

If you focus on what you do not want, you actually create it. It takes a shift in your mindset to replace bad habits. It is ok to really want something. The trick is be thankful for what you do have and say thank you or express gratitude for it before you have it. In your mind, experince haaving it. Be grateful because in time, you will have it if you prove that you can be grateful and show gratitude.

7 Steps to Controlling Your Inner Control Freak

weeklyescapes — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:19:21 +0000

If you are reading this article, you have a little (or in some cases) or large part of you that likes to control situations. We will say situations because that includes the person or people within it. Do you wonder why people can’t drive faster when YOU are in a hurry? When have you planned a casual event for your family or friends down to the final details of where everyone will sit at the table?.

Shhhh, its ok, let it out, BREATHE. It’s ok to be meticulous while planning some things but not everything. Here are a few steps to help you get started.

Just because you do not wan someone or something in a particular place, you can’t magically make it or them disappear. Learn to relax and be all right with some things naturally happening that you can’t control.
Expect the unexpected. For those of us who have inner control freaks, this will sound outrageous. Real life means that there will be things that you can’t control.
Don’t interrupt people when they are talking or finish their sentence. This is one of the true signs of being a control freak. You have no way of controlling what you will say and what they will say.
Do not dominate meetings. Of course exerting control over the environment is a fundamental human need but there must be a release. There has to be times when you do not control the situation or become a spectator.
Have a friend point out controlling behavior. Most people who have issues with controlling the situation cannot see it within themselves. They believe that they are helping out and doing everyone a favor. Have someone you trust and who you will listen to point out instances when you exhibit the behavior. It will help you to control the inner control freak when you understand when you do it.
If you are sharing information within a group, do not ‘one up’ them. People who have inner control freaks like to gain control of a conversation by telling an even better story than the person talking. They have a better kid’s story or a better job story. Allow the person speaking to tell what’s on their mind, without interruption and wait 10 seconds before you say anything. During those 10 seconds, remember these words “Participate not Control” and if you still want to say it, go for it.
No one is perfect! The inner control freak of you is so determined to control everything because it doesn’t want to admit that it doesn’t have all of the answers and is not perfect. It’s ok to not be perfect and in some cases, it’s very endearing. No one will notice if one of the vases has 5 flowers and the others have 4. It’s ok if you don’t get the last word in a conversation or if you are not the first one to say you have to go in a phone conversation.

Allow your inner control freak to become less present in your life. When you continue to let it thrive, you are actually saying “You aren’t capable” because you have to control every detail. Work on these steps to allow yourself to be more comfortable within your own life and within the life of those around you. Don’t allow the inner control freak to lose relationships with others.

5 Ways to Relax at Night and have Restful Sleep

weeklyescapes — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:14:18 +0000

We are so busy during the day. As a stay at home mom, your list of things to do seems to multiply. You wear many hats during the day. It seems that there are not enough hours in the day to do what you need to do. So what happens? We sacrifice a few hours of rest at night to try to complete all of your responsibilities. It may be the laundry, or loading the dishwasher. It could wait until the morning but we squeeze it in anyway. Most of the time we do it because there is already a ‘fresh’ list of ‘to do’s’ for the next day. We are all guilty of it. Once we do try to rest, our brain has a problem with shutting off so that we can rest.

There are studies that suggest that brains stay active during sleep stages. We need certain stages of sleep to help us feel rested and energetic for our next busy day. When we “short” our sleep, we do not allow our bodies to go through all of the stages. We need sleep to help us think clearly and be able to react quickly. Sleep also allows us to create memories. When you have not had your required sleep, it may affect your mood and even behavior. There are even some links to lack of sleep and depression or weight gain. Here are five ways to relax and break the cycle.

Your Sleeping Environment – Remove anything from your bedroom that could be a distraction. Certain noises or lights from a watch or alarm clock could prohibit you from being able to relax and fall asleep. If you have a television or a computer in the room, remove it or turn it completely off (not just the monitor, computer users). These items can draw you in while they are on by having an interesting show or a quick check of email. Room temperature is also important. Make sure the room is comfortable for you and not too hot or cold.
Hot Bath at Bedtime – Your body will begin to relax when you take a hot bath. The hot water allows for a drop in body temperature. This will help you feel sleepy.
Relaxing Activity – Once your tasks are complete for the night take some time to distress and relax by reading or enjoying your favorite music. Create a bedtime ritual so your body will know that its time to unwind.
Time for Bed – Don’t lie down in bed awake. If you lay down and 30 minutes later you are still wide awake or going through your to do list, get up. Try to do a relaxing activity before trying to lay down again.
Avoid Caffeine or Nicotine – Colas, teas and also cigarettes have stimulating effects that will keep you up at night. Caffeine depending on the dosage can take as long as 8 hours to wear off.

Continued problems with relaxing could be a health problem. Be sure to discuss any continued relaxation or sleep problems with your doctor. Here’s to tonight’s successful night of rest, relaxation and sleep.

Passion

weeklyescapes — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:00:42 +0000

You have to be passionate about your purpose. Passion is what will drive you and motivate you.

What is Passion? How do you become passionate about what you do or what you want to do? That passion will be etched in the window that is you. What do you love? Look at your likes and dislikes to help you come up with that thing you do best. It may be something that comes extremely easy for you or what you really enjoy doing. This may be your passion.

The choices that you made up to this point may not be youru passion. For whatever reason, these choices brought you to whwere you are now. What’s next for you?

You have learned many things along the way. You may have thought that life just kind of happened but of course that is not true. There have been many “forks” in the road that brought you to where you are now. Where do you go from here? There are so many choices. Explore your passions. You might be able to bring them to life – if you will do the work.

Believe!

weeklyescapes — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:56:58 +0000

With a believing state of mind, you can transform your purpose and goals into physical realities. What you belief in has to be so strong that it becomes a part of your soul. Taking small steps help you reinforce the belief that you will succeed. Even if you don’t feel confident initially, make sure you are consistently working towards the goals. Each action you take will raise your confidence level.

See yourself achieving your goals in your mind’s eye. When you are consistent, watch your internal language. If you harbor self defeating thoughts, it will materialize. Any time a negative thought arises, replace it with a positive one. Continue this process until it becomes a habit. It will become something that you do automatically.

George Lucas said “You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in from of you.” If you don’t have strong feelings for what you do, you will stop at the first giant hurdle.