Archive for the ‘Personal Development’ Category

Jul
15

Dancing for Your Life

Posted by Julie

I love So You Think You Can Dance–the show is an awesome showcase of talented dancers and choreographers. The dancers prove that the art takes not only artistic skill, but athletic skill and strength too–just take a look at their bodies! Every week, six dancers end up at risk for getting kicked off the show and are forced to perform their solo, ‘dancing for their life.’ Time and time again, the dancers that end up leaving the show are the ones that don’t give it their all and show off everything they have during their solo.

As these dancers put all of their passion out there on that stage, I always think about how there are times in our lives where we have to do the same thing. There are times when we have to prove ourselves and throw everything we have out on the table.  We have to dance our hearts out in a lot of different ways showing the world the best pieces of ourselves and letting our strengths shine. And when we’re put to the challenge, whether it’s opening up our heart to someone, nailing a presentation at work or finishing a race, we have to remember to dance for our life no matter what stage we’re performing on.

Here Twitch, a breaker, shows everyone exactly why he deserves to return to the stage as he gives 125% to his performance–let it inspire you the next time you need to give it your all.

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Have you ever been worried about something in your future? Maybe you have a huge presentation at work that you’re losing sleep over, or you’re training for your longest race yet and fear you’ll never cross the finish line, or maybe you’ve just accepted a job across the country and are worried about making friends when you move. Often we spend time worrying about the worst that could happen. Dealing with that anxiety about uncertainty can be challenging.

So when you’re feeling anxious, Gina Hassan a licensed psychologist in California, suggests focusing on the present moment rather than catapulting into thinking about a future which is uncertain. “When we think about the future, we can often go into states of intense worry and anxiety about things that will never actually occur,” she says. There’s no way to know what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week or even an hour from now. Think about what’s happening right now, if everything is okay right now, focus on that certainty. And consider this quote from Montaigne, “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.”

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May
29

Do You Have a Life List?

Posted by Julie

If you don’t have a life list, you should start one right now. It’s easy and fun–simply make a list of all the things that you want to do in your lifetime, both big and small, fun and serious. Or you could make it more specific like 30 Things to Do Before You’re 30. Maybe you want to swim in the Mediterranean sea, run a marathon, write a book, fall in love, see Madonna in concert or cut your carbon footprint in half. A life list is an active way to remind ourselves to keep dreaming and achieving. Without setting goals, we could float through life for years without ever trying anything new or feeling the thrill of doing something challenging or exciting.

While you could just keep track of your goals in a journal or a file on your computer, it’s more fun to have encouragement and support along the way. I just started recording a life list on 43 Things. It’s a simple site that asks you “What do you want to do with your life?” and in turn allows you to record up to 43 goals, compare with others on the site, cheer each other on and sign up to receive email reminders.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Apr
10

Today is Your Chance to Begin Again

Posted by Julie

There’s been some pretty big changes in my life lately. Some positive and some not-so-positive. In times like this it’s easy to focus on the negative and have a “woe is me attitude.” While it’s frustrating when life doesn’t go your way, you can choose to embrace the excitement of all the possibilities change can bring.

My IntenSati instructor (a class you’ll probably hear about a lot on JivaFit) said it best last week when she ended class with “every day is your chance to begin again.” She was reminding all of us that every day we have the power to choose how we want to live our lives. If something isn’t going the way we want it to, we always have the option to make a change. If you’ve had a few setbacks recently or are unhappy in certain areas of your life, think about how you could make everything better. Today, make a pact with yourself to start changing and take this opportunity to begin again.

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