 Over the last week I’ve been nursing myself from a terrible case of the flu. A fever of close to 102 degrees, severe chills and waking up in the middle of every night completely drenched in sweat. My body felt terrible, especially as I had coaching clients, 2 live meditation workshops and my very first webinar to host, all happening in the same week! With all these activities on my calendar, I knew that, at the first sign of getting sick, I had to move into “time-to-get-well-quickly” mode. Immediately, I started drinking hot tea with honey and lemon, and eating chicken udon and wonton soup. Richard got me some DayQuil, NyQuil and orange juice. I decided to get as much rest as possible, going to bed as early as 8pm and building in nap times during my day. I reduced my work to the very minimum I needed to get done, which made me feel super-efficient! And I barely looked at my social media. I just needed to rest. During one of the days while laying in bed, I thought to myself, “Isn’t it interesting how I know what to do to make sure I get back on the road to health. Now, why don’t I engage in these kinds of wellness activities all of the time, not just when I’m sick?” There are certain activities and ways of being that promote your well-being. These are what I call “energy expanders.” Energy expanders include getting lots of rest, eating nutritious food, and doing the things that make your body, mind and soul feel nourished and taken care of. Energy expanders could also include things like meditation and other spiritual practices, and spending time with loved ones. Energy expanders are activities that leave you feeling more energized and vibrant. And then there are those activities that I call “energy drainers." Sometimes these feel draining, and other times they make you feel "meh," or somewhat neutral. Energy drainers include things like watching tv mindlessly or getting lost in social media for hours, eating a whole bunch of junk food that make you feel awful after you eat it, or doing things that you don’t like to do (but you do them out of a feeling of obligation instead of joy). If you've ever felt like you wasted time, or you wondered "Why did I just do that?", those are most likely signs of energy drainers. Essentially, energy drainers are those activities and experiences that don't promote your growth and expansion. One of the keys to living a more fulfilling life is to include more energy expanders in your schedule. And the more your life is filled with these energy expanders, the greater your sense of fulfillment. Is that really possible, you ask? I’m here to say, yes, it is completely possible. But it takes some work. Having an energy-expansive life means shifting some of your beliefs and behaviors, and making a commitment where you say to yourself, “I’m worth it. I matter in my life, and I don’t want to settle for any less anymore.” It also means getting clearer and saying yes to what gives you energy and vitality, and no to what doesn’t. As horrible as getting the flu has been for me this past week, I actually can see the blessing in all of this. What getting sick helped me to remember is this lesson, that I don’t have to wait until I get sick in order to start doing the things that promote my health and well-being. I can start right now. So here's my question to you: What's one baby step you can take this week to bring more energy expanders in your life? Abundant Blessings and Namaste. I'd love to hear your thoughts about today's article. Please feel free to leave a comment below. And if you’d like support in getting clear on how you can create more energy expansive life, I can help. You can set up a complimentary life coaching consultation. Click here for more information.  In a couple of Facebook groups that I’m a part of, I announced my workshop happening next week on the topic of “Set and Achieve Your Goals for 2019.” I was struck by a couple of the comments. One person shared that goal-setting has been an ongoing challenge, and the way it’s been presented in so many corporate settings didn’t seem to resonate. It seemed too rigid. Another person commented how goal-setting approaches tend to be more outward-focused. It's all about the energy of getting something that's outside yourself, and what's missing is the inward focus and the attention to your spirit. I agree with both their sentiments. When I approach the topic of goals, I like to break it up into three different aspects: goal-setting, goal-getting, and goal-aligning. To me, all three are important elements in achieving your goals. Problems and frustrations usually arise when you don't take all three of these elements into account. Goal-setting is what most people are familiar with. You set your goal with the intention to arrive at a specific destination. Here are some examples of set goals:
When you set your goal, you set the destination for where you want to go. The problem with simply setting your goals is that it lacks the action plan for how you’ll get there. That’s where goal-getting comes in. Goal-getting are the set of activities that you put into place that provide the roadmap for how you reach the goals that you set. They’re the things that you do that “get” you to your goals. Using the above goals, here are some goal-getting examples:
As you can see, the goal-getting activities provide you with bite-sized, more manageable steps and measures of progress that move you in the direction of your goal. If you set goals and then engage in goal-getting activities, you’re way ahead of the game. But to get you to the finish-line with a greater sense of ease, grace and excitement, it’s also important to give some energy and attention into goal-aligning. Goal-aligning is the aspect of the goal process that gets to the energy and intention behind the goal. The reason why you most likely came up with the goal is that you wanted to experience something different or greater than what you are experiencing now. There’s an inherent calling in the intention and vision behind the goal that says you are equal in mind to the goal itself. Goal-aligning is the process where you connect with the energy of that intention and vision, where you uncover and unite with the Why behind your goal, and where you align the energy of who you are called to be within your goal-setting and goal-getting. Here are some questions that can help you with the goal-aligning process:
If you just skimmed through these questions, I encourage you to re-read them again and take them in. These are the powerful questions that most people never consider when moving forward with their goals. (And here’s an important side-note about goal-aligning. Sometimes when you ask these kinds of powerful questions, you might come to realize that the original goal you set might not really align with your heart's vision. In that case, you may need to re-visit that goal.) Ultimately, goal-aligning is connected to your greater vision, and it serves as the “pulling” force that draws you closer to realizing your vision. Here's the spiritual lesson in all of this: When you engage all three aspects of goal-setting, goal-getting and goal-aligning, you step into your power. You become a powerhouse for creative expression, in a way that’s grounded, exciting and energizing for your spirit. Abundant Blessings and Namaste. If you’re interested in learning more about these ideas, and other concepts and tips for setting and achieving goals in a way that’s grounded, exciting and energizing for your spirit, check out my upcoming workshop by clicking here.  Can you believe that it's already mid-February? Time is sure flying by. Over the past couple of weeks I've been talking with a number of people who share how quickly their New Year's resolutions have come and gone. "This was the year it was going to happen," many tell me. "But a few days after January first, I fell off the wagon. Maybe I'll try again next year." One of the biggest reasons why people can't move forward with their resolutions is that they didn't set themselves up for success. Sometimes the goals are too lofty, or they're too vague, or they're not compelling enough. That's where setting effective goals comes into the picture, and applying specific tried-and-true tools that ensure you stick to your goals. With this in mind, I would like to invite you to my newest online workshop: Set and Achieve Your Goals for 2019. I created this workshop last month and unveiled it locally in downtown Los Angeles. And what happened was....everyone loved it! Participants learned the power behind writing your goals, and how to create them so that your goals provide you with focus, excitement and clarity. Plus, I shared different ways for you to stick with your goals. (I share some of the top reasons why resolutions don't stick.) Because of the success of the live in-person workshop, I've decided to offer this workshop online so more people can participate. It's been quite a while since I've taught an online class, so this is pretty exciting for me. And, I'm needing to work out my logistical systems for putting an online class together. That's why I'll be teaching this class in beta format, meaning you'll get to participate knowing that everything might not be as smooth as I'm intending. I'll be doing this on video so I can share slides online, with notes and a recording for easy review and reference later. I won't be sending a gazillion reminders about this (probably only 2 more reminder emails), so register now if you feel that this might be right for you. Here are the logistical details: ONLINE WORKSHOP: Set and Achieve Your Goals for 2019 DATE: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 TIME: 12:00-1:30PM Pacific Time Teaching will occur on Zoom with options for audio only or video, and notes and recording will be provided. (Video will be best because you'll be able to see the slides and example I'll be showing.) The beta investment for this new goal-setting offering is $25. Click here to reserve your spot: https://www.abundantgood.com/set-and-achieve-your-goals.html If you have any questions, you can send me an email at joselito@abundantgood.com, or post a comment below. I look forward to participating in this workshop with you! Abundant Blessings and Namaste. |
About JoselitoJoselito is a spiritual life coach helping people create a purposeful, spiritual path to career and financial freedom. Sign me up to receive the free newsletterPopular Blog Articles Beware (Be Aware of) these 5 Unhelpful Money Stories How my body told me to quit my job How I was offered an all-expenses paid cruise after making my Vision Board Today I choose to live my GREATNESS You are not your stories. You are the story-teller. Your job is not your Source. |
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