The thing that stumps most of us about creating great health and energy is we don’t get that creating healthy eating and healthy lifestyle habits is really more about shifting our thoughts, shifting our mindset, than it is about the perfect recipe. The pursuit of the next best diet, the next best healthy eating program, and even the next best recipe stays front and center, like the proverbial gerbil on the ever-spinning-gerbil — wheel, without ever accessing the ginormous benefits that rise when vibrant health and soaring energy are achieved with approaches that produce results that last.

As a holistic health coach that’s studied health and wellness, personal development and human potential for 25 years, I’ve learned over and over again that I can guide clients to healthy eating practices all day long, but without implementing strategies that I learned from the success experts, the results are more often than not short-lived.

Success experts know the secrets to producing results that last — maybe not necessarily about health, but success is success, right?

I’ve discovered that the credos for success in any area of life can be applied to every area of life when we want to produce results.

Poor health and a lack of self-discipline led me to the world of health and self-discipline. Early in life I didn’t know the majesty of accomplishment self-discipline offered. It just didn’t exist on my radar.

But in 2006 I made the decision to own my health and my life in very new and meaningful ways and formed what I call “Save My Sass Incorporated.” I was very clear that I needed to own my life, my health and my word to myself in ways that empowered me, so I chose one goal. I was new to goal setting at the time and had heard that it was best if I started with one goal — nail it down, and grow my vision from there.

My one goal? I chose to juice fresh juice at least four mornings per week to see how it would impact my health and wellbeing. The success I created with that one goal set into motion a whole next-level life for me, from the whole next-level health I began to experience.

My daily commitment to juicing led to a whole-life transformation because of the enormous health benefits that one commitment triggered. Yes, that is when I began to notice a whole new horizon rising in front of me because I literally felt that much better. I now say to clients, it’s like the ‘stuff’ that bothers you will simply fall off your radar if you follow my lead with healing your body and training your mind. I began to feel so good that I no longer even saw the “stuff” that used to trigger me.

I apply the following four “secrets” I learned from success experts like a religion in all areas of life. As I’ve learned over and over, these four ‘success expert secrets’ will help you nail down results in your health and in every area of your life. Read here at Huffington Post

How many times have you kicked yourself for not achieving your full potential?

I’ve spent the past 25 years studying human potential and the challenges people experience everyday to better understand why some people produce such great success in their lives, and why some don’t.

My inquiry began many years back when I watched the lifestyle patterns of a very successful businessman who frequented a restaurant where I worked. Though I worked 50+ hours a week, I noted hard work alone was not the only necessary variable to achieving success. I learned that hard work matters, but I also learned that there are other important variables that contribute to achieving success, or not.

As I expanded my personal inquiry to gain a broader understanding of human potential and all that is possible, I identified five ways that will ensure you limit your success in life, that will ensure you stop reaching, growing and expanding if you don’t develop them.

Read more here at Boston News Network

Be true to you.

Be true to you. There is nothing worth having or doing in this one precious life, if it asks you to be anything less than your true you. Some will draw to you. Some will draw away. Let it all flow freely. We each have our own journey and flow is the natural process of life, so let go and flow with everything that comes and everything that goes, and always, always, always, Be true to You.

Strawberry Lemonade

There is nothing like fresh strawberries in New England, and we all look to find ways to use these ‘nature’s candy’ in all sorts of ways. This recipe, Strawberry Lemonade, is a healthy and refreshing drink to enjoy as the days begin to warm.

Nope, you don’t need to live in New England to enjoy this delicious drink!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb organic strawberries, trimmed and sliced hearty
6 lemons, juice
5 cups cold water
Fresh mint

Stevia or Raw honey to taste

PREPARATION

Purée a 1/2 of the strawberries.

Stir together strawberry purée, lemon juice, Honey to taste and water in a large pitcher until ingredients are well combined. Taste, then add more honey if desired. Stir in remaining strawberries and garnish with fresh mint  Serve over ice.

Cheers!

 

Never Quit.

Have you ever wanted something so bad, but it seemed to elude you?

You did your due diligence, you jumped through all the hoops, you ‘made all the marks,’ but still reaped no fruit.

You made all the proper connections, extended all the ‘correct’ overtures, you even extended “above-and-beyond-courtesies and kindnesses, all to no avail.

And then you decided to quit.

To give up.

Yes, you let go of what you most wanted because you thought ‘it’ wasn’t ‘meant to be.’

I so get it. I know that feeling very well.

It’s hard to stay the course, when doors of opportunity never seem to open.

I’ve often thought, “Let it go, Carol it’s not worth it.”

But sometimes it is worth the effort.

After 14-months of relentless persistence I was interviewed on WFSB, Channel 3, Better Connecticut on Tuesday.

Because I didn’t quit.

After 14-months of what seemed like a ‘closed door of opportunity,’ since all my outreach reaped zero interest, of course I felt I should just let the idea go.

Fourteen months of ‘valid excuses,’ ‘convincing reasons’ and ‘sound explanations’ for why ‘not now,’ was a long time to be told no.

But, I recently decided to express my interest again and the ‘win’ came in, the opportunity to be interviewed live on television.

Why did I persist?

Honestly, I don’t care about being on television as much as I don’t care about where you went to school, or what kind of house you live in.

What I do care about is, are you the 1 out of every 2 Americans who suffers with a chronic disease?

Are you the 1 out of every 4 Americans who suffers with 2 or more chronic diseases?

Will you be one of the 7 out of 10 who die from heart-disease or cancer?

Or, are you tracking to be one of these very high statistics?

And if you are one of these statistics, or tracking, I am mostly concerned with how this chronic disease is affecting who you think you are and how it impacts the quality of your life right now.

I experienced chronic disease. It impacted every area of my life and everything I thought about who I was, until I healed my body.

My commitment to share that you don’t have to live with chronic disease grew exponentially this past Tuesday – this is why I persisted.

That chronic disease is not normal, that chronic disease is not ‘genetically’ inevitable, that you can heal your body with lasting results, and that healing can make a profound impact on your whole sense of self and the whole quality of your life. This is why I persisted.

But with this post, my intention is to say, never quit.

Never let anyone take from you what you feel compelled to share.

In truth, if I did not persist, I would never have had the opportunity to reach and be of service to the very many who responded to my 4.5 minute clip on WFSB.

Never quit.

When we quit, when we suppress what we most want to do, when we hold back from sharing our unique gifts and contributions to the world, we not only hurt ourselves from being full self-expressed, we literally deny others the many gifts we have to offer. And in this case, my gifts are life-giving. Gifts

If you’re feeling pulled to give up on something in your life, check out my favorite quote on quitting below, and post it around your office, or you home for the inspiration to never quit.

Remember: it only takes one time to succeed … success is just on the other side of no.

Click on the image to watch my Better Connecticut segment:

 

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. ~John Maxwell

Last week we covered morning and afternoon – so today I want to tuck you in with one last Hack to structure your whole day for unstoppable success.

Who do you teach people you are in the way you treat them? In the things you do? In the ways you do the things you do? Who do you say you are, in your thoughts, with your words, in your actions?

I created a Mind-Hack to close your day that will slam-dunk everything you hope and want to be, if you do the exercise everyday. It is in a sense, a character building, in-action, feel-good exercise, because I found that simply saying I want to be more patient, I want to be more confident, I want to be more assertive was not enough. They are, in fact, just words, and when the rubber meets the road, “words are cheap,””actions speak louder than words,” as my Dad taught me.

Do you know that Benjamin Franklin had 13 daily virtues that he aspired to be everyday?

Whelp, this Hack is a fusion of my Dad’s encouragement to “let my actions speak louder than my words,” and Ben Franklin’s daily intention to be his best self.

OK, this is my “end of the day, but ‘in-action all day,’ Hack that I call, Who Do You Say You Are?

1. Create a list of attributes that you admire or revere, ways of being that you want to “feel,” but you know you are innately not… Yet. For example, if you complain a lot, you can create an attribute of complimentary, delighted, agreeable. Or if you are impatient, you can create an attribute of patience. Closed and rigid? Flexible, and so on. Create a list that you want to live by and include all your good feeling ways of being too, like happy, joyful, loving, grounded. You choose. Create a list of who you want to be and how you want to feel everyday.

2. But every night choose one word or one feeling. Choose ‘the’ one that you know you could benefit from empowering the most in your life. If you know you are chronically impatient, choose patience. If you know you could benefit from being light-hearted, choose light-heartedness.

3. Go to bed each night with the commitment that tomorrow you are going to be more patient. The magic of transformation begins actively during the night in you subconscious mind as soon as you declare your intention to “be patient.’

4. The next day let the word you chose define your steps. In active-mode you look for at least 3 opportunities to be patient, for example. By looking, plenty of opportunities to be patient will arise, which is where the magic of becoming who you want to be happens, though I heartily admit it might not feel so magical when you ‘asking’ to be patient. But it is in the act of conscious awareness, in the act of choosing your desired response, the act of flexing the weaker muscle of patience, that it will grow stronger just like when you go to the gym. AND… you’ve set up the ‘game’ of creating who you want to be at least t 3x a day, so creating a winning outcome is way more possible, than if you were not ‘playing.’ at all.

5. Final Step: When you get ready for bed, ready to choose your word for tomorrow, you assess your success for the day. You can do this as a mental exercise, though I recommend journaling initially. In this phase of the exercise, you celebrate your successes and your shortcomings, AND the impact on you, and the others in your life. Ask questions, like how did I feel? How did they feel? What were the benefits? What were the consequences?

Morning, noon, and night – these three Hacks will help you prime yourself mentally, physically and spiritually for unstoppable success.

Your next step? Register for my upcoming webinar below! This is a can’t-miss lesson that takes all the value of these three hacks from the past week, and quadruples them for a ripple effect across your life.

Sign up below to join me on Thursday! Are you in? Register here. 

Read Other Related Articles:

Mindset of Success: How to Structure Your Day for Unstoppable Success (Part 1 of a 3 Part Series)

Mindset of Success: Keep Your Mind on Track Throughout the Day (Part 2 of a 3 Part Series)

But how do you keep your mind on track throughout the day?

When many set out to create healthy lifestyle habits, they get discouraged when the 20-lanes of highway, the automatic and most often negative thoughts take over and thwart all their efforts.

So though I know that you will soon feel on fire and all charged up for your day from the benefits of a morning ritual, I also know that when you first start out, and even after you develop a solid morning ritual, you will sometimes lose your “fire,” you will lose your charge from your rituals … and you will feel discouraged. 

Yes, you’ll see you’ll start to develop great confidence in your new morning routine and all the ways it makes you feel empowered, and before you even leave your house for the day, one of your kids or your spouse will do something that sets you reeling off in ways that cause you to wonder if there is any substantive validity to what I am offering you.

How do I know? Because it’s happened to me and everyone else. Repeatedly. It’s human nature. It’s called conditioned thoughts and behaviors and you can change them. I have and so have scores of others. As Tony Robbins, a master of mindshift training says, “your past does not equal your future.”

This is why I created what I call ‘daily mind hacks.’

I saw the pattern of disempowerment roll me over faster than it took for me to empower myself and it felt very defeating.

Mind hacks are by design a fusion of “mindfulness bells,” from the Buddhist tradition, and affirmations and incantations from the personal development and success worlds.

And it occurred to me one day, that it would be a great idea to merge these two ideas together.

Hello Mind Hacks.

There are many ways I coach my clients to use mind hacks. One of the more powerful ways is to:

1. Identify 5 disempowering thoughts that “run your show,” like a reoccurring story in the background of all your thoughts. Thoughts that you know limit you, defeat you, stop you. The most common? I’m not good, or it’s “kissin’ cousins,” “I’m not good enough,” or “I’m not as good as.”

2. After you identify your top 5, and make sure they are the juiciest, most emotionally-potent negative thoughts because to step fully into your power, you’ve got to interrupt the cycle of stories that defeat you, turn them around. Create a polar opposite empowering thought for every disempowering thought. Then, say hello to your new Mind Hacks!

3. Now you’ve got a list of 5 empowering thoughts that will literally change your life, but you have to “think them” in order for them to have an impact. This is where Mind Hacks come in. Since disempowering thoughts run in the background like an old tape-recording, you’ve got to scratch them up with this list of new empowering thoughts.

Here is where personal development mantras meet old world Buddhist mindfulness bells, nouveau-style.

4. In your alarm clock on your smart phone, enter each empowering thought at timed intervals that you know would make a difference. For instance, my first bell off the day, my wake-up bell says “100% responsible — Co-Creator,” as a first day cue to remind me that I am 100% responsible for every detail of my life, so of course I am responsible for who I am and what I accomplish in my upcoming day, and … that as a co-Creator, that I must surrender and trust too, that there is a Force that has a say in what happens too. (I highly recommend you “steal” this one. Its a game changer!)

5. Spread your empowering thoughts throughout your day at times that you know would serve you best. If there is a time of day that you know you need a boost, add a Mind Hack then. If you want to close your day with gratefulness let’s say, or a kind thought, Hack that. Since “repetition is the mother of all skills,” your new empowering thoughts will soon begin to take hold and you will be pleasantly surprised how “they” save you from a triggered response that might have “taken you down” in the past.

Read Other Related Articles:

Mindset of Success: How to Structure Your Day for Unstoppable Success (Part 1 of a 3 Part Series)

Mindset of Success: 5 Steps to Finish Your Day Strong (Part 3 of a 3 Part Series)

30 of Tony Robbins Best Quotes

Once you attend a Tony Robbins event you’re hooked. OK, once I attended my first Tony Robbins event I was hooked, and so was Oprah, Andre Agassi, Donna Karan, Serena Williams, Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Jackman, Bill Clinton, and millions of others around the world. Robbins pulls no punches — he levels the playing field — he changes the “game.” His events are of another nature – part dance party, part mind-blowing, transformational explosion. His passion and level of contribution are an experience I highly recommend.

Here is a “sampling” of 30 of my most favorite Tony Robbins quotes. I promise you this, after reading through this list, you will feel empowered! I can’t say that they are in any particular order. Each one offers it’s own unique force for me. But I can tell you this, I can likely share with you a story or two about the ways each one of these quotes has impacted my life.

I hope you enjoy and find benefit from reading this collection.

“I discovered a long time ago that if I helped enough people get what they wanted, I would always get what I wanted and I would never have to worry.” ~Tony Robbins

“You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don’t think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully.” ~Tony Robbins

“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” ~Tony Robbins

“Commit to CANI! – Constant And Never-ending Improvement.” ~Tony Robbins

“It’s what you practice in private that you will be rewarded for in public.” ~Tony Robbins

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade.” ~Tony Robbins

“Where focus goes, energy flows.” ~Tony Robbins

“The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.” ~Tony Robbins

“If you don’t set a baseline standard for what you’ll accept in life, you’ll find it’s easy to slip into behaviors and attitudes or a quality of life that’s far below what you deserve.” ~Tony Robbins

“Nothing has any power over me other than that which I give it through my conscious thoughts.” ~Tony Robbins

“If you can’t, you must. If you must, you can.” ~Tony Robbins

“If you believe you are right, or you believe you are wrong, you’re right. Whenever you are certain about it, you will support it. Remember that.” ~Tony Robbins

“We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish.” ~Tony Robbins

“People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals – that is, goals that do not inspire them.” ~Tony Robbins

“If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.” ~Tony Robbins

“Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision.” ~Tony Robbins

“Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” ~Tony Robbins

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” ~Tony Robbins

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” ~Tony Robbins

“A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.” ~Tony Robbins

“Most people fail in life because they major in minor things.” ~Tony Robbins

“Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.”  ~Tony Robbins

“It’s not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean.” ~Tony Robbins

“The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you’re in control of your life. If you don’t, life controls you.” ~Tony Robbins

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” ~Tony Robbins

“Things do not have meaning. We assign meaning to everything.” ~Tony Robbins

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” ~Tony Robbins

“The only problem we really have is we think we’re not supposed to have problems! Problems call us to higher level- – face & solve them now!” ~Tony Robbins

“Your past does not equal your future.” ~Tony Robbins

“For changes to be of any true value, they’ve got to be lasting and consistent.” ~Tony Robbins

Which Tony Robbins quote is your favorite? Share with me below what you liked most about this collection of quotes, and please do share if you enjoyed! 

I have a series of things that I do every morning no matter what, that I know can help you structure your day for unstoppable success.

No matter how late I go to bed, no matter what I have to do that day, I do my morning rituals. My morning rituals ground me. My morning rituals empower me and inspire me. I created them with great intentionality to include the whole “mind, body, Spirit” spectrum, because my research and experience make very clear that one type of practice alone does not offer the force of power that a balanced practiced offers. I sometimes laugh now when thinking about all the ways people and events would get the best of me, when I didn’t have my “Sacred, success-driven,” formula guiding me each day.

The first thing I do when I open my eyes is put my hand on my heart and take a few deep breaths and recount 3 things I am grateful for … and why. Gratefulness is a game changer.

I get right up to wash my face and brush my teeth.. Crazy as it sounds, water on your face, brushing your teeth are game changers. Sound silly. The next morning when you wake up exhausted and tired, but you’ve got a lot to do, but have the option to sleep in, get up and brush you teeth and wash your face. You’ll see what I mean, Fatigue vanishes.

I then make my Morning Elixir and take a probiotic — everyone can benefit from taking a probiotic (keep in mind, probiotics are like wine, the more money you spend the better they are).

I bring my Elixir to “my chair” by the window and read my big life Vision and Purpose — the two things that make every challenge, circumstance and seemingly troubling event a trivial matter. When I root into my Vision and Purpose — it’s MC Hammer time, “can’t touch this.” It’s such a powerful thing to do everyday.

When I complete my Vision and Purpose, I do deep breath work for at least 5 minutes. Honestly, I don’t know how anyone manages their life without deep breath work. You don’t have to be religious or Spiritual to really grasp from this practice that there is a Life Force that literally allows our breath to continue with no effort of our own. Breath work is an extraordinary practice — one that opens up a world of possibility that would not seem possible otherwise.

Another thing I do every morning? I learn one new thing. I read Success Magazine, a health book or journal, or listen to an audio while I get ready for my day.

This formula creates a mindset of unstoppability and success. I take time to align my body and mind to focus my goals and commitments to who I want to be in the world. But today I wanted to share with you the “Granddaddy” of my routine to set me up for success everyday:

Green juice.

From a purely scientific standpoint, green juice & leafy greens are the most alkaline, the most magnetic of all vegetables because of their high level of chlorophyll (the green pigment that gives them their color). Green juice and leafy greens literally go into your cells and pull out the acidic waste matter so it can leave your body. Think of greens like an internal soap to go in and clean your cells out.

Starting my morning with green juice aligns health, energy, beauty and success on the inside to directly reflect in who I am being in my day on the outside, because I’ve now primed my mind and body to run at optimum efficiency. My mind is pivoted for success. My body is pivoted to for maximum health and energy.

I highly recommend that you start creating a daily routine for your morning, so you’re excited to start the day, to shift your mind for success right from the moments when you open your eyes. Green juice? That recommendation peaks with all the others. Indeed the, equation is magical!

In a few days, I’ll be sending out Part II of my Three-Part Series for manifesting success  where I will give you a tip for driving your success-driven mindset all throughout your day. Register here to receive that post straight into your inbox, plus so much more!

Read Other Related Articles:

Mindset of Success: Keep Your Mind on Track Throughout the Day (Part 2 of a 3 Part Series)

Mindset of Success: 5 Steps To Finish Your Day Strong (Part 3 of a 3 Part Series)

I know. Health goals. They’re exciting and full of promise. And very often daunting the minute after you make them.

Like coming up on your last mile in the Boston Marathon, while simultaneously texting your friends about how much you love green juice.

Pure ridiculousness.

My solution? Always pack green apples and a pumpkin seed trail mix. They’ll both save you every time.

And type your list of reasons into your smart phone to have as a reminder, when you find yourself standing at the counter of your local pizza shop.

10 of my favorite get-healthy reasons?

1. Your energy will skyrocket — think explosive!
2. Your digestion will improve — hello Mr. Toilet — 2-3 daily eliminations a day = youthful you!
3. You will lose weight — ooh la la …
4. Your skin will glow — oh you’re so radiant!
5. You will feel younger — love me some Zumba!
6. You will look younger — yes, you’re right, he’s not my son, he’s my brother.
7. You will feel happier — please, let me hold the door for you.
8. You will be more productive, more clear, more focused — yes, your brain will work better!
9. You will get more accomplished — what’s next?
10. Your sex-drive will improve — oh, really, that’s what’s next?

Best case scenario? You will jump out of bed every morning and run to the bathroom for your “regular” elimination, and with explosive energy you confidently dart off to Zumba class when your young, handsome instructor says, “no she’s not your daughter”… You are oh-so, over-the-moon joyful that you don’t want to insult him, so of course you say, “no, not my daughter, my sister.” As you dash home, you get a call from Richard Branson to fly to the moon and since you already accomplished everything you needed for the day, you say, “heck, why not?” As you depart Virgin Galactic glowing, everyone asks, why are you smiling?

What are your compelling, FUN reasons for getting healthy? I’d love to hear. Leave your comments below?