Resistance ~ How Does It Show Up In Your Life?

I was forwarded an email today from a friend about resistance being an either/or attitude vs. a both/and attitude. I found this to be especially serendipitous since I was working with my coach around some resistance I've been feeling internally to a change that I feel needs to be made.

This article was from Dr. T's Timely Tips and I found it really thought provoking.

What really hit me was that when you find your attitude to be either/or - Either is has to be this way OR it has to be this way, you are creating resistance. This resistance creates a block that prevents you from truly being open to possibilities.... that truly great minds embrace a both/and attitude. Dr. T mentions an example of a person wanting a dessert that is both hot and cold, hence the hot fudge sundae was born.

This was a lightbulb moment for me. I have a delicate and challenging relationship with my mother, which most of us can relate to in some form or another, and I want to be more emotionally connected to her, but feel resistance due to previous hurts.

I'm working through this with my coach - I recognize that this block that I hold onto only holds me back from being the best me I can be. I get off of the phone and this article is in my inbox.

What I've realized is that my relationship with my mother has always been an EITHER/OR situation for me. Either I connect emotionally and open myself up to hurt OR I put the shield up and protect myself, at the same time losing out on a deeper relationship with my mother.

What I have just been opened up to is: What prevents me from both connecting emotionally, lowering the "shield" and being able to protect myself from being hurt a the same time?

Who says the only way to protect yourself from hurt is to emotionally block yourself off from a person? What I've realized is that although I have the wall up, I am not necessarily protected from being hurt - I still get hurt. I still feel the emotions and I lose the potential for a better relationship with my mother at the same time.

So, now the question is: How do I shift my mindset from either/or to both/and? Definitely food for thought!

How about you?

Where are you creating resistance with an either/or attitude that prevents you from living life to it's fullest?

How would your life be different if you were to shift your mindset to both/and?

I am really interested to hear your thoughts and comments around this new awareness - please share them with me!

Until next time...

P.S. - Email me if you would like a copy of this article.

"Simple Strategies to Effectively Work From Home"

Thanks to Smart Moms ~ Smart Business for inviting me as one of their guest speakers!



“Simple Strategies to Effectively Work From Home”

Learn how to engage the right mindset to work from home effectively along with realistic time management strategies and lessons on setting boundaries.

(download the worksheet to help you take notes - a PDF file)

Effective Time Management Strategies

Typically time management is one of the most challenging areas to master, especially for women. Here are some strategies to consider for effective time management.







Creating your Absolute Yes List

Keeping the ultimate vision of what you want to create in your life and business will help you determine your YES list.

Ask yourself these questions when being asked to do something:

• Does this bring me closer to my ultimate vision?


• Do I feel good about doing this?


• Do I really want to do this?

If you do not answer ALL three questions with an absolute YES then you should absolutely not commit to the request - even if you feel obligated.

Create Your To-Do List the Night Before

Not only will creating the list help you fall asleep faster, you will wake up with purpose and intention every morning. Doing this will keep you focused and productive.

Put Yourself on Your To-Do List

Self-Care FIRST - Care of others SECOND

It's simple: You cannot provide for others and be effective at anything if you are running on empty. Not only will it cause emotional and physical stress, but greatly impede your productivity over time.

Allow for Flexibility

You want to create a daily routine which helps you stay organized, but don't schedule everything down to the minute or you will never stick to the routine. Leave enough time in your schedule to be flexible to change your mind or agenda for the day.

Try NOT to Multi-Task

Seems crazy huh? Here's the thing about multi-tasking: When you are multi-tasking you are doing many things at once, but you are not doing one thing well. If you are feeling the need to multi-task then you have too many things on your to-do list and you want to re-visit them with your absolute yes questions.



Doing things sequentially allows you not only to dedicate your full energy and focus towards that item, it actually increases productivity. You will accomplish more if you are not splitting your attention between multiple things at once.

These are just a few strategies for managing time. If you feel this is definitely your main area of concern, I'd love to work with you to create your perfect time management solution. Please feel free to contact me at Growth In Action ~Empowerment Coaching and Training to set up a complimentary consultation.


Until Next Time...

Empowerment through Choice

What is the one thing that will always make you feel empowered?

It is the ability to make a choice. The problem is that we often forget that there is a choice in absolutely everything. Even if external circumstances prevent us from doing what we prefer, we have a choice in how we are going to approach the situation. We have control over our attitude, thoughts and feelings.

Being "Stuck":

I often hear people talk about being "stuck" at their jobs. When asked why they don't move to another job that would be more fulfilling, their reply: "I can't because I need the health insurance" OR "I can't because I've built up my retirement" and it goes on.

Do you notice anything interesting about those responses? They all revolve around the word "can't". The word can't is disempowering... it's pretty reasonable to assume if your thought processes around your job involve the word can't, that you would feel "stuck", because according to you, you can't do anything about it.

What else did you notice about those responses? The one thing that I find interesting about them is that if you really dig deeper, you often find that these individuals place high value on their health insurance benefits or retirement packages and although they are unhappy and dissatisfied, the value of these benefits outweigh their dissatisfaction. So, essentially they have made a choice... the benefit to cost ratio tips in favor of the reason they stay.

Empowerment Via Choice:

Here is how we are empowered through choice: We are empowered when we are aware that we are choosing something.

Instead of being "stuck" - ask yourself "What reasons do I give for staying in the current situation?" "What do do I gain?" "What do I lose?" "What is more important to me right now?"

Once you answer those questions you will have made your choice. AND as you are going through the questions and answers you will become aware of the fact that you are making a choice.

The next step would be to ask yourself: "How do I choose to feel about this decision?" This is where attitude comes in....

You Have The Power To Choose!

I found another interesting article on the "Power of Choice" by Chuck Gallozzi - check it out!

Until next time...

Jumpstarting Productivity

I don't know about you, but I find that my days are most productive when I start my day early. I remember the most productive time in my life included a schedule of exercising, cleaning and reading all before 8 am. I had never been a morning person (still not) - still at that time in my life I had committed myself to that routine and eventually it was automatic. My productivity was high and I felt a strong sense of accomplishment. So, now I have been trying to get myself back into that routine so as to capture that high level of productivity and I just can't seem to get my behind out of bed in the morning.

I am the classic "snoozer." I always start with good intentions - I go to bed at a reasonable hour, I set my alarm clock for 6am..... and then 1-2 hours later after hitting snooze over and over I finally get going with my day.

I was starting to wonder if I would ever be able to get back into that routine and here I come across an article. Steve Pavlina produces a very successful blog and his How to Become an Early Riser definitely caught my attention.

He draws attention to the correlation between early rising and high productivity. Along with his observations around how much time you gain by rising early, he shares an interesting system for becoming a habitual morning person.

So, if you are like me and wish you were a morning person - check out his article and try it out. Let's see what success we have in our new commitment to ourselves. I'll keep you updated!

Until next time...