Secrets of the Elite

Do you ever have the sensation that what you are dreaming of or hoping for in your home and life is not happening as fast as you would like? We live in a culture that wants a quick fix. I do believe that things can happen at a more rapid rate when you align your goals and intentions with a space that supports and nurtures those dreams.

That being said, I also want to share another element that is important to incorporate when dreaming big… you are dreaming big, right?

Here is a behind the scenes look at how an Elite Athlete makes his vision a reality…

The world watched the Patriots win their 5th Super Bowl a few weeks ago. It was a game of records!

Literally, so many Super Bowl records were recorded that day. The celebration centered on quarterback, Tom Brady, who had a groundbreaking performance that night. What most people don’t know is that behind the scenes there is strategic planning that takes place for the athlete on a mental and physical level that allows them to create the results they are hoping to achieve in their life. The attention to detail and the amount of time goes far beyond the rigorous training sessions that the team endures in-season and off-season. Far beyond….

Brady’s life, health and home are set up to allow him to succeed. His home has organic gardens, a chicken coup, an AMAZING gym and an overall feeling of casual relaxation, along with inspirational art that inspire greatness. This home environment sets him up for success. He can eat foods that are healthful, work out in a stellar space, can relax from his demanding life and is continuously encouraged on an unconscious level by objects in his environment. This is all a great formula!

Additionally, Brady and his trainer plan out his workout routines 3 years in advance! 3-YEARS! Initially I questioned the reasoning behind this. Why would you plan a workout routine when you wouldn’t know what will happen with your body? But, then my trainer explained it to me, and it all made sense. And, I realized that it is congruent with the H.O.M.E. Method of the Home in Harmony Lifestyle. SO I had to share it with you. Let me explain…

Tom Brady has a goal… a BIG GOAL!

He wants to win the Super Bowl (again) and break lots of records. That goal doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, he needs to plan out what it will take to get him to that goal and break it down into manageable steps that will get him to his goal. This can sometimes take time. When he and his trainer set a goal, let’s say, throw at a certain distance at a certain speed. This takes a plan that is set up in steps.

His trainer will look at his currents habits (H) and ability. The trainer will look at what the goal or objective (O) is and what are the manageable steps (M) to get there. Then it takes innate energy (E) and encouragement to keep Tom moving down the path to realize his goal.

Tom Brady and his trainer have things mapped out in a 3-year plan. I get that now. If I want to run a marathon, it is going to take me a long duration to get to a fitness and endurance level to get there. I am going to break it down into manageable steps to get there.

If I want to set my home up for success, I can’t snap my fingers and have it happen. It takes steps to get it to the place that is aligned with my vision.

Brady knows what it takes to be a top performer. He uses his home environment to set him up for success and he puts a strategic plan in place to allow him to bring his dreams to fruition. When the press asked Tom if he was ready to retire, I knew that wasn’t part of his 3-year plan.

Let me ask you, what is your Big Goal?
What is your 3-year plan to achieve that goal?
Is your environment setting you up for success?

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Photo Credit: Arch Digest

Just for You! Relief from Stress & Overwhelm…

Are you feeling overwhelmed? I can totally relate! Here’s what I did to overcome the overwhelm…

At one point this week I felt that panicky feeling in my stomach that felt like my insides were beginning to do somersaults. Have you ever had that feeling?

Similar to many families, Team O’Leary (that’s my nickname for my crew) has had a lot going on this year. Some of it exciting, like one child going off to college. Some things challenging to manage. For example 4 kids in 4 schools and multi team schedules. As the typical family dynamics and obligations unfold there are other items to juggle related to the home front. Our home is still under construction and as a designer I have a very hands-on approach to that project (much to the builders dismay 😉 and we are still navigating the insurance conundrum. Those are the plates that need to be spun on the home front and then there are plates that need to stay spinning for Home in Harmony. Private clients, group program participants and mentees and design projects. The snowball effect of what this means can seem daunting.

It truly is a whirlwind and it would be quiet easy to allow some of those plates to spin out of control and go crashing onto the ground. I can honestly say that I know what it feels like to have feelings of overwhelm creep into my world.

When the overwhelm begins to show itself, this is what I do…

It is critical to manage the overwhelm! In today’s article we will look at some Simple Solutions to help you overcome your overwhelm.

First, it is imperative to mobilize and move into action to move through this experience and get to the other side of the overwhelm. Trust me, there is “the other side”. Knowing this keeps me moving forward.

Taking time to take a few breaths is also critical. At one point recently I was forwarding emails that were supposed to go to my business manager to my husband. His gentle reply of, “Hi Love, Is this something I need? I love you.” Was a fabulous reminder that when you are moving to fast, it can actually create more work because you are not doing things well which in the end creates more overwhelm. I then forwarded my email to my business manger letting her know what had happened and she sweetly and firmly said, “Hmm, I’ve been thinking about you and all you have on your plate. Maybe you should take some time to sit down and have some tea.” These lovely people were there to remind me that it is critical to take moments each day to breath deeply especially when you are feeling the impact of a dizzying amount of stress, commitments or overwhelm. We all go through periods in our lives where we experience this. It is how you approach it that can help you either move through it or stay stuck.

Let me share a few simple solutions to help you to overcome your overwhelm…

1- Look at the big picture and create a goal around it. This will help you envision where you hope to go. It will give you the needed momentum to keep taking each needed step to move you forward. For me, my vision is of our family enjoying our beautiful new home. I can see the smiles, hear the laughter and feel the warm fire from the hearth. This vision carries me and moves me through the feelings that begin to rise up in the pit of my stomach. What is your vision? Find it, feel it, connect to it. It will pull you through.

2- Compartmentalize the different areas that are creating that sense of overwhelm. Is it related to your personal life, professional life, home space, kids’ activities or clutter? Look at each area separately and create a system for each. Do this by creating goals and task list that are manageable. Take one small step each day to cross of these tasks that are related to the goals in each area. Make them small enough that they are manageable but big enough that you feel like you moved the needle.

3- Take time each day to take a deep breath. (The more of these moments the better.) It actually helps to lower cortisol levels in the body, which can help you think clearer. This helps you make better decisions that will be more effective and efficient.

It is a natural part of living to have experiences arise that can create feelings of overwhelm. Implementing strategies and simple solutions that will help you be more effective and efficient will help you move through your day with more ease and grace. Begin by sitting down with a cup of tea, taking a few deep breaths and writing out your vision of your ideal life and noting the things you will focus on today to move you closer to that goal. This will help you overcome the overwhelm.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Image Credit: www dot get healthy u

Are these toxins in your home and body?

If you have heard me speak at any point, whether in person, on the radio, Internet or TV you have inevitably heard me say, “Your home either supports and nurtures you or it drains your energy.” This is true on all levels… psychologically, physically, and spiritually. Today I want to make the connection between your home and your physical body. Most people don’t realize what an important role your home plays in your level of health. In this article we will focus on the health of your home & body and give you simple solutions to create the healthiest environment for you.

The air you breath as you walk around outside is filled with industrial pollutants. Studies have shown that the 5 most toxic industrial chemicals were found in the tissues of 100% of those sampled. 100%! This is an important statistic to understand because it suggests that as you and I go about our day we are inadvertently breathing in toxic substances as we walk down the street or go to the park. Unfortunately these toxins become stuck in our bodies and create havoc including dis-ease. Well, if that statistic isn’t bad enough, studies have shown that our indoor environments are many times more contaminated with pollutants than the air we breathe outdoors. The average person brings home 80,000 chemicals in the products they purchase. Let’s look at two…

Fragrance is in so many products that literally touch our lives. According to the National Academy of Sciences, 95 percent of the compounds used to make fragrances are synthetic materials derived from petroleum or petrochemicals in a laboratory. These chemicals are known to create dis-ease in the body. Fragrance has been categorized with second hand smoke. It is in everything from toilet bowl cleaning products to perfume. Begin to eliminate the amount of items that you bring home that have fragrance in them.

Although there is greater awareness in recent years about VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), ambiguity still exists around what they are and the degree to which they impact health. Let’s clear up any questions. “Organic” in “volatile organic compound” signifies that the substance contains carbon. “Volatile,” means that the compound evaporates easily at room temperature. This means it is easy to breath in. Unfortunately, VOCs are actually linked to cancer; respiratory issues; and damage to the liver, kidneys, and the central nervous system. Unfortunately VOCs are in many household products including cleaning products, hairspray, dry-cleaning, carpeting and paint (just to name a few!) VOCs also have a cumulative effect on the body. The more exposure creates more damage. With so many household items off-gassing noxious VOCs, it is important to be proactive in decreasing their impact—or to eliminate them, if possible. One simple solution to diminish the level of VOCs in your space is to choose no-VOC paint. Milk paints and recycled paints are a great option. When you do decide to paint that perfect hue for your home haven, make sure you throw the windows open and ventilate for as long as possible!

Begin to develop an understanding of what you are bringing into your home and breathing in. Your home either nurtures and supports your health or it depletes you and creates dis-ease. Designing a healthful haven will positively impact your health, vitality and overall well-being.

I would love to hear from you! What unhealthy product did you eliminate from your home? Did you switch to something that was healthier? Please share!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Image Credit: lifestyle dot com dot au

This will sabotage you!

Do you have a big imagination?

Your imagination can be a huge asset or it can turn your life upside-down. I share this because often times with the New Year people are excited and nervous about what will transpire in the year ahead.

Take a moment to answer these 3 questions…

What are you excited about in 2017?
What are you nervous about in 2017?
What is the movie reel playing in your mind’s eye showing you what is going to happen in 2017?

The movie reel is your imagination. Sometimes your imagination can leave you tossing and turning in bed at night because you are worried about something and your imagination takes you down a scary path.

At other times your imagination might create a beautiful, grande picture.

Well, it is important to know that what you focus on multiplies in your life. Knowing this and using it to your advantage can help you design the life of your dreams.

Take the three questions above and notice what thoughts, ideas and pictures come into your brain when you are worrying or dreaming about what is on the horizon. Becoming conscious of these different thought processes will help you turn them up or turn them off.

Begin to notice when your imagination detours down the path of negativity and self-sabotage. Shift gears and change that mental picture. Create a positive affirmation that can offset that image.

Allow you imagination to flow gracefully when it moves down the path of designing inspired events and situations that are on the horizon. Turn it into a movie reel where you can hit rewind, and watch over and over again. Make a point to focus on this movie reel in the morning when you get up and at night before you go to bed.

This singular focus will help to expand and solidify what you are hoping to create in 2017. The laws of quantum physics take over when you focus on anything, expanding the possibility and creating more of it in your life.

Begin to notice your thoughts, positive or negative. This will give you a sense for why your current life looks the way it does.

If you want to design a life you love use your imagination to create a movie reel that fits the vision you hope to create in 2017!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Photo Credit: shutter stock dot com

Here’s How to Release Overwhelm

What if I told you that you CAN move out of overwhelm… even during the holiday season?

We have been focusing on Overcoming Overwhelm this month because this is one of the areas that is most frustrating, according to feedback from the Home in Harmony community!

When you are feeling overwhelmed, the feeling of needing more time creates more stress and overwhelm. I completely understand! When I begin to have the overwhelm sensation creep into my life, I usually ask for guidance from the Universe to make me more efficient & effective with the burdens that are mounting. Well, this week I want to give you concrete solutions to help ease the stress and make your efforts more efficient so that you can move out of overwhelm, get things done and feel relief!

In this week’s article I am going to give you a super Simple Solution to help you make your life easy to manage and make your time more productive.

I also want to invite you to join me for the 4-week Overcome Overwhelm: Make Your Life Easy to Manage Program that begins on January 11^th! This program was designed for you if you are feeling the burden of overwhelm, stressed out over all of your to-do’s and feel like you are on a treadmill that is going nowhere fast. This program was created for you so that you start 2017 with a fresh start and clear path to making 2017 your best year yet. Release the overwhelm by joining me for the 4-week Overcome Overwhelm: Make Your Life Easy to Manage program. Click here to register today!

You and I live in a culture where the demands, to-do lists and stressors can pile up and inundate our ability to function well. You might get by but you know there is so much more to living. It should be joyful, vibrant and fun! Maybe not all the time but a good portion of the time! Instead you are set up to experience life in reverse. That is, work first, pressure first, to-dos first and maybe you can fit in that thing called fun or self-care. Is that what living was meant to be?

No! You are here on this earth to have an amazing experience. You can design whatever you envision for the best version of your vision for your ideal life. What does that look like for you?

Let’s look at 3 super Simple Solutions to help you jump off the treadmill of your life and release that dreaded overwhelm. You deserve so much more! I am here to tell you there is so much more than to-do lists and stress.

Isn’t it interesting that often time people seem to wear their to-do lists as a badge of honor? Is it time to shift that perspective for you? Take some time in the coming weeks to notice how many conversations revolve around comparing and complaining about the amount of stuff that needs to get done. Observing where this shows up for you is the 1^st step in noticing the pattern, which will allow you to walk a different path. As they say, what you focus your attention on is what shows up in your life. Begin to focus on ease & release instead of inundation & overwhelm. Things will begin to shift.

Having a simple system will also help you break the overwhelm cycle. Separate out the different areas in your life that need attention. List these things in your journal or on a piece of paper. This will help you be more efficient and effective when you begin to set forth in accomplishing tasks. For example, when I sit down at my computer it is imperative that I focus on one area at a time. I separate the different areas that need attention and I focus on one thing at a time. Depending on the day I might write down.. (1) House Renovation (2) Work Operations (3) Writing (4) Kiddo Stuff for X School. I then set a specific amount of time to focus solely on one thing for that period. If I don’t do that my energy and attention can move back & forth leaving me way less than effective. So, separate the areas in your life that need attention and focus on each are for a set amount of time. This will help you be more efficient & effective which is the 1^st step in releasing overwhelm. Imagine what it would be like to move through your day with efficiency & effectiveness! You would be the rock star of your life!

It is important to write down anything that comes up for you that you know you are going to need to deal with at some point. Having a specific spot to keep this information, be it a small notebook you can fit in your purse or on an app on your phone, will help you be organized. I actually prefer the notebook so that I am not always tied to my technology. Jotting items down that pop into your head helps remove it from your brain. This allows your brain to be free of a pileup of clutter, whether that mind clutter are ideas or to-dos.

The major setback that can occur from to-do lists is that they get so long, they can be difficult to accomplish. Each evening take a moment to figure out the 3 most pressing items on your to-do list. You might select the ones that will give you the most relief to complete. Break these down into small manageable pieces that will help show you the action steps needed to move forward. This will help you gain the momentum to move forward instead of staying stuck in the overwhelm. Commit to sticking to those 3 items before moving on to anything else. Notice how great it feels and the relief it brings when you can cross those 3 things off your list by the end of the day! Celebrate!

When you are stuck in the space of overwhelm it is often hard to begin moving forward. The burden of overwhelm can feel so heavy. This is when it is SO important to just start. Take that first step and move forward. This will help with the momentum you need to overcome overwhelm! Begin now!

It is so easy to get stuck in overwhelm. Today’s world and our culture set you up for failure. You are continuously under siege from a barrage of information overload, a mountain of things to organize, people who need something from you and a to-do list that can be miles long. That is exactly why I created the 4-week Overcome Overwhelm: Make Your Life Easy to Manage program that begins January 11. I want you to succeed and create the best version of the ideal vision for your life!

You deserve to live a life that flows with ease & grace. If you want to gain an understanding of what is working and not working in your life. This program is for you if you want to learn how to identify overwhelm before it takes over, determine what is causing it and redesign the patterns & habits so you can step into your power and take charge! You will get manageable action steps so you can be more, have more and do more without going into overwhelm. Step into 2017 with a clear path to releasing overwhelm and designing the life of your dreams by joining me for the Overcome Overwhelm: Make Your Life Easy to Manage Program. Click here to get started!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Photo credit: insights dot dice dot com