April is National Stress Awareness Month, and a report from the Society for Vascular Surgery shows that kicking the month off with laughter can be very beneficial for your health.

“Laughter increases blood flow and improves the function of blood vessels, “Dr. Vivienne Halpern, from the Society for Vascular Surgery said in a press release. “Reducing stress is especially beneficial for persons who have hypertension (high blood pressure).”

Stress and high blood pressure can have detrimental effects on the body. The combination of pressure at work, financial issues, and personal or relationship problems can all raise blood pressure and cause hypertension, and even cardiovascular disease.

Studies have shown that a good laugh on a regular basis can even help prevent you from getting sick.

“Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones (cortisol, epinephrine, dopamine, and growth hormone) and increases the level of health-enhancing hormones (endorphins and neurotransmitters),” she said. “This can result in a stronger immune system and fewer physical effects of stress.”

Feeling tense? Laughing relaxes the muscles for up to 45 minutes afterward.

Along with laughing, a healthy lifestyle can reduce high blood pressure and the chance of stroke and heart attack. This includes maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and exercising regularly.

What causes stress?

Feelings of stress are caused by the body’s instinct to defend itself. This instinct is good in emergencies, such as getting out of the way of a speeding car. But stress can cause unhealthy physical symptoms if it goes on for too long, such as in response to life’s daily challenges and changes.

When this happens, it’s as though your body gets ready to jump out of the way of the car, but you’re sitting still. Your body is working overtime, with no place to put all the extra energy. This can make you feel anxious, afraid, worried

Tips for dealing with Stress.

• Don’t worry about things you can’t control, such as the weather.
• Solve the little problems. This can help you gain a feeling of control.
• Prepare to the best of your ability for events you know may be stressful, such as a job interview.
• Try to look at change as a positive challenge, not as a threat.
• Work to resolve conflicts with other people.
• Talk with a trusted friend, family member or counselor.
• Set realistic goals at home and at work. Avoid over scheduling.
• Exercise on a regular basis.
• Eat regular, well-balanced meals and get enough sleep.
• Meditate.
• Participate in something you don’t find stressful, such as sports, social events or hobbies.

Until next time, don’t worry about things you can’t control and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

Your career, your relationships, your food habits, your life style…everything you do in your life is to meet all of these 6 Human Needs..Hence, it really helps if we learn about each need.

Here are the 6 Human Needs that drives all our actions.

1) Need for Certainty/Comfort : We need to have a feeling that our life is stable. Imagine you are having a nice lunch, and then you get a call that – your house is on fire. At that instant, you lost the stability that you have a good home. And things change. Of course there is no ABSOLUTE certainty, but we want certainty the car will start, the water will flow from the tap when we turn it on and the currency we use will hold its value.

2) Need for Variety: There is a need within you to have variety in your life, to feel that you can take calculated risks. You have new things coming into your life on a daily basis. There needs to be enough UNcertainty to provide spice and adventure in our lives.

3) Need for Growth : You want to feel you are growing and this growth can be in any part of your life – in a relationship, finance, living, learning. You should feel that you are growing.

4) Need for Contribution: You want to feel that you are contributing to the greater good. That what you do is making an impact in someone’s life.

5) Need for Connection/Love: There is an absolute requirement to have a feeling of connection/love. You need to feel loved, and you want to love.

6) Need for Significance. We need to feel that our life is important, that what we do matters. And this need for being significant is part of our human emotions.

Which is Your Most Driving Need?

Even though we need all 6 Human Needs, the strengths of them varies. If your “Comfort/Stability” is stronger, you will be happier doing routine work at your workplace, as it gives you comfort and stability. If you have a stronger “Variety” need, then you will get bored easily and you will want to move on and do something else. There is no hard-and-fast rule, saying one is better than the other. It is just the way human beings operate.

Now that you know these 6 Human Needs, let’s see 6 ways of how we can apply this knowledge to our life

1) When you get the feeling that “something is missing” in your life. There are times in life, when you feel there is “something missing” in your life but you don’t know what it is. During this time, you can just run through these 6 Human Needs to see which needs are being satisfied. This will help you know which need is being neglected, and that is the reason for your unhappiness.

2) When you are “setting goals”: When you want to set goals, you can prioritize your goals into various needs, and make sure you are balanced in all 6 areas. If you don’t do this, even if you achieve your goal/goals, you may not feel content or happy, because your basic needs are not being met, even if you achieved a given goal.

3) If you have “multiple options” to choose from: In this scenario, run each of the options through the list of  the 6 Human Needs, and see which option weighs more. Which option satisfies most or all of your Human Needs? This will give you a decision making framework, and help you to make better choices in life.

4) When you are talking to someone explaining what you want: If you want A, and the other person wants B. Instead of going into conflict mode, you can actually see which of the 6 needs you are trying to satisfy with A, and which of the 6 the other person is trying to satisfy with B. This will help you have a better perspective of the solution.

5) Changing your (old) habits: If you want to change a habit you have to ask yourself “Which Human Need is this habit trying to satisfy”. Then, find a replacement habit that you can consciously do every day, which satisfies the same Human Need. You can then remove the old behavior easily, as you already have another behavior that helps you fulfill the same Human Need. Remember, everything you do is to satisfy one of the 6 Human Needs.

6) If you are a Leader: Your Leadership will be better if you know the Human Needs of the people you work with. Your life positively changes when you learn, understand, and change your perspective of things based on these 6 Human Needs. Your life will never be the same again.

Until next time, use the 6 Human Needs to start off your New Year as a checklist to understand your own behavior, your interaction with people, and to know more about what drives you forward. As always, continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

As with so many aspects of our life, we become proficient at what we regularly practice. The regular, preferably daily, use of positive affirmations can make such a profound contribution to our well-being and willingness to grow and learn, that it can change the course of our life. All we have to do is develop the discipline to make these positive messages habitual. In so doing, we bring our vision of ourselves in line with our Higher Power, Who accepts us completely as we are.

Since February is the month of Love, the messages I give myself today will remind me that I am loved, I am lovable, and I am a capable & loving child of God.

Until next time, give yourself a positive message for the day and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

1. Start at your happy place. A study showed that success comes after positive emotions outweigh negative ones by three to one.
2. Half of our happiness comes from what we think and do. Put yourself in a positive state of mind at all times.
3. Avoid setting too many goals of will power at one time. Will power gets used up in a day when we call on it many times to overcome temptation.
4. Behavior is contagious. Limit time with people who behave opposite of your goal. Don’t let others squelch your success.
5. Surround yourself with positive cues that will help you succeed. An example would be to change your computer passwords to your goal.
6. Get out of your comfort zone and do something difficult. The things that people are most proud of are the things that were the worst to do.
7. Risk it. People typically don’t regret what they tried and failed at, but they do regret not trying at all.
8. For the ladies: Get your own goals and make the time to achieve them. Putting everyone else first doesn’t work for achieving your own personal goals.
9. Create an agreement with yourself on how you’ll handle a certain scenario you’ll likely encounter during your day. You’ve already decided what to do and you can move on right away.
10. Be sure you’ve got goals. Wake up a happier person knowing what your short term and long term goals are and knowing you’re working toward them.

Until next time, Take a Risk, Get out of your Comfort Zone and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

On a walk to the mail box I saw another neighbor who babysits my dog. Carolyn and I caught up on the weather, yard work, life, family, work, my dog, and then Janet came up in our conversation. During the course of our conversation Carolyn told me that Janet lost her eye sight and moved in with family in another state. The news left me with an empty, sad feeling. I wished I had called sooner. I wished I had stopped by to see Janet sooner. My call or visit would not have saved her eye sight, but maybe I could have made her laugh or just given her a good reassuring feeling. The contact would have given me a good memory, and the feeling of having done a good deed.

In my younger years I had a former employer who told me “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” I know someone famous probably said that but I heard it from her first in regards to an idea I had about being more productive at work. She said don’t talk about doing it. Whatever it may be, do it with great feeling and “Do it now!” So whether it’s work, family, a thought, an idea, a chore, an errand, a call, a visit, whatever it may be do it now or it might be too late.

You can never turn back the hands of time. Responding to life in the present will prevent regrets down the road of life. It means living your life with the feeling that each second is complete – no unfinished business. Peace of mind is never having to say, “I wish I had.”

How do you feel about your life? Have you done all that you needed to? Do you have some unfinished business? Well, what are you waiting for? Do it now! Live as if every breath is your last. It might be.

Until next time, Do It Now and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

The Four Agreements are:

1) Be Impeccable with Your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using words to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. Use the power of your words to edify and to praise others. Speak of only good things for yourself and others. Talk of happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

2) Don’t’ take anything Personally: Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. Each person has the right to their own opinion. Don’t allow yourself to be effected by the opinion or actions of others. You have no control over what other people do but you do have control over how you react or respond to it. Find the positive intention in each situation or person. Allow people the space necessary to be themselves. Have patience and YOU will persevere.

3) Don’t make Assumptions: Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. Nothing is right or wrong. It is only our interpretation. Be willing to see the lesson behind each experience and to change from the inside out. The best antidote to avoid making assumptions is to give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to make assumptions or criticize others.

4) Always do Your Best: Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. If you always do your best you will not judge yourself or suffer from guilt, blame and self-punishment. Think only of the best, work only for the best and expect only the best. As you do, your best will shine through and you will positively affect many people.

These Four Agreements are very simple, but very profound. To embrace and live each of the Four Agreements is to find yourself experiencing personal freedom–possibly as never before. I invite you to take a look at each one of the agreements and honestly ask yourself where you are in relation to the application of them. Then proceed to make the necessary changes to move to the next level by incorporating and demonstrating each agreement into your life.

Until next time, embrace each of the 4 Agreements to experience personal freedom and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

In fact, you can give the world no greater gift than to focus on gratitude and let your relationships blossom through your genuine appreciate.  Expressing true gratitude is not superficial. It involves a genuine heart to heart connection.  In other words, gratitude is sincere appreciation that is delivered with real meaning.

Just think of all the things each day that you are grateful for. Things like spending time with family, the smell of coffee to get you going in the morning, a warm shower, sunshine on your face, a home cooked meal, the ability to breathe, walk and talk, or an unsolicited appreciation of your efforts. Once you start noticing the beauty of life around you, gratitude expands and creates more of what you focus on.

You can use the same approach to develop renewed appreciation for the people in your life. I know firsthand because yesterday started out being a very sad day. It was my first Fathers Day without my Dad. I tried so hard to muster up the energy to be positive and optimistic. But for some reason I kept slipping back into a somber depressed state until a friend of mine called to check in on me. (He knew of my situation) He begin telling me that instead of being sad over the loss of my Father I should use today as a day of celebration for his life and express gratitude for who he was and what we had together. And so I did! Gratitude is a great place to be in! And two days later, the day of my Dad’s Birthday, I jumped right back into that same place of gratitude again.  Now, nothing but love and appreciation flows through me whenever I think of my Father.

Why not take a few moments today to consider all the relationships you are grateful for? Reflect on the qualities you appreciate in each of your relatives and friends – the smile on a child’s face, the hug of a loved one, the spontaneous playfulness of a friend, or the unconditional love of a pet.

Do you appreciate these things? Then show your gratitude and appreciate the abundance of greatness in your life. Better yet, write a note of gratitude to the people who have touched your life. Express what you love about them and how it makes you feel. You will add meaning to their lives while strengthening your relationships.

Until next time, express gratitude and appreciation in all aspects of your life and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

1) Memorize your Mission Statement. This is your organization’s purpose, the reason for your existence.  This statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. Know it by heart and have your employees memorize it too.

2) Embrace change and be flexible. Successful entrepreneurs understand that change is inevitable, so build change into your business plan and into your outlook.

3) Be Positive. Your attitude affects your ability to respond to opportunities and challenges. Even when times are hard, look for ways to make the best of it.

4) Treat your employees well. Your employees are your company, especially in a small business. Your employees are behind the scene but they are the front line of your company. Hire well and pay fairly; give employees respect and authority.

5) Develop and maintain good credit. Your ability to borrow money for your business depends on your personal credit. Establish procedures to pay your bills on time every month.

6) Get things in writing. I’ve made handshake deals, but I’ve also seen clients change their minds and people I’ve trusted turn 180 degrees when unexpected things occur.  A clear written document is critical with any important business deal.

7) Establish personal savings and a retirement account. Like most entrepreneurs, I’ve given virtually every dollar earned back into my business. But unexpected things happen so you need to be prepared for the future as well.

8 ) Develop a business plan. Now here is the secret, you need to develop or reassess your business plan every year. This will help realign your vision on where you want to be so you know where you are going.

These past 14 years, it hasn’t always been an easy ride, but at least I’ve always been in the driver’s seat. Being an entrepreneur has been great, and I’m looking forward to so much more to come!

Until next time, enjoy the ride in the driver’s seat and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi

Certainly it is all of these and more. However, perhaps even more important than anything mentioned above, what makes this holiday so loved and appreciated, anticipated and planned for, sacred and significant to us all is the simple fact that July 4th serves as a day to remember, appreciate, and surround ourselves with what and who is most important in life – family!

We all know that the ‘parades’ and ‘fireworks’ of life are only moments of effortless entertaining pleasure; but the joy, happiness, and success of a family is far more rewarding and yet is only achieved through sacrifice, hard work, persistence, getting up after temporary defeats, and most importantly, because of unselfishness – the very same qualities that our country was founded upon!

Until next time, celebrate this memorable day, whether it be honoring our Flag, visiting historical monuments, watching a parade, or enjoying family festivities remember to express gratitude and appreciation not only for those who serve our country but for all the friends and family that serve you, and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!

Love & Light,

Debi

It’s easy to tell people what they want to hear. It’s easy to make up excuses or say something that’s untrue just to get yourself out of a jam. The problem with doing this is after awhile your credibility will be tarnished and no one will believe you. And once you’ve lost your credibility, nothing you say will matter very much at all. Do not allow yourself to get caught up in that trap.

Although the truth can hurt, it’s well worth the pain. My Grandma use to always tell me as a child growing up that “If you tell the truth you will never get in trouble.” When you’re strong enough and confident enough to speak the truth, you gain respect and influence. Being honest and straightforward will also open doors for you. You will become known as someone who tells the truth. Think about what a statement this will make about you and your life.

Instead of covering up your weaknesses with lies, show your strength with truth. Instead of being arrogant enough to think you can get away with a lie, be confident enough to know that you CAN tell the truth.

It’s important to say what you mean, and do what you say. Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk! Be honest with yourself and with others. Let your words and actions speak to the genuine and valuable person that you are.

Until next time, allow the power of the truth to set you free and continue to discover your full potential and live the life of your dreams!
Love & Light
Debi