“I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.”
― Emily Dickinson

Words … they have been used to make us laugh and cry. They can wound or heal us. They offer us hope or devastation. With words, we can make our noblest intentions felt and our deepest desires known. Words are amazing and yet we often just say them without thinking about what we are saying and the effect they could be having on ourselves or those around us.

We use words to speak to others often we also use words to speak to ourselves consistently and constantly.

Throughout human history, our greatest leaders and thinkers have used the power of words to transform our emotions, to enlist us in their causes and to shape the course of destiny. Words cannot only create emotions, they create actions. And from our actions flow the results of our lives.

Some famous speeches that have impacted world events:

Who can forget the moving invocation of Martin Luther King, Jr., as he shared his vision, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live the true meaning of its creed…”

John F Kennedy’s speech “and so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

The speech by Earl Spencer at his sister Diana, The Princess of Wales’ funeral, “I stand before you today, the representative of a family in grief, in a country in mourning, before a world in shock.

We are all united, not only in our desire to pay our respects to Diana, but rather in our need to do so, because such was her extraordinary appeal that the tens of millions of people taking part in this service all over the world via television and radio who never actually met her feel that they too lost someone close to them in the early hours of Sunday morning.

It is a more remarkable tribute to Diana than I can ever hope to offer to her today.”

The examples could go on and on.

Many of us are well aware of the powerful part that words have played in our history, of the power that great speakers have moved us, but few of us are aware of our own power to use these same words to move ourselves emotionally, to challenge, embolden, and strengthen our spirits, to move ourselves to action, to seek greater richness from this gift we call life.

An effective selection of words to describe the experience of our lives can heighten our most empowering emotions. A poor selection of words can devastate us just as surely and just as swiftly. Most of us make unconscious choices in the words that we use; we sleep walk our way through the maze of possibilities available to us. Realise now the power that your words command if you simply choose them wisely.

This is what I am hoping to pass onto you today. The power of words. How they can change your direction, empower you and help your dreams become your reality.

Words – What a gift these simple symbols are! We transform these unique shapes we call letters (or sounds, in the case of the spoken word) into a unique and rich tapestry of human experience. They provide us with a vehicle for expressing and sharing our experience with others; however, most of us don’t realise that the words you habitually choose also affect how you communicate with yourself and therefore what you experience.

Words can injure our egos or inflame our hearts – we can instantly change any emotional experience simply by choosing new words to describe to ourselves what we’re feeling. If, however, we fail to master words, and if we allow their selection to be determined strictly by unconscious habit, we may be denigrating our entire experience of life. If you describe a magnificent experience as being “pretty good,” the rich texture of it will be smoothed and made flat by your limited use of vocabulary. People with an impoverished vocabulary live an impoverished emotional life; people with rich vocabularies have a multi-hued palette of colours with which to pain their experience, not only for others, but for themselves as well.

Most people are not challenged though by the size of the vocabulary they consciously understand, but rather by the words they choose to use.

We must realise that the English language is filled with words that, in addition to their literal meanings, convey distinct emotional intensity. For example, if you develop a habit of saying you ‘hate’ things – you ‘hate’ your hair, you ‘hate’ your job, you ‘hate’ having to do something – do you think this raises the intensity of your negative emotional states more than if you were to use a phrase like “I dislike “ or “I prefer something else?”

Using emotionally charged words can magically transform your own state or someone else’s. How do the words “impeccable” or “integrity” compare to “well done” and “honesty”? The words “pursuit of excellence” certainly creates more intensity than “trying to make things better.”

Simply by changing your habitual vocabulary – the words you consistently use to describe the motions of your life – you can instantaneously change how you think, how you feel, and how you live.

Taken from “Awaken The Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins

“Be an inspiration to yourself and
you will be an inspiration to others.”

What is stress?

What causes stress?

A lot of people believe stress is from their environment, people, pressure, time – it is none of this it is how we react to this.

• Spilt milk at home and your reactions
• We have a response called fright or flight – summon all the resources we need to fight something or flee it.
• When we have this stress response the body changes, heart beats faster, brain function changes, vision narrows while it is lifesaving people are using this response on a daily basis e.g. Waiting in the post office queue

What are some of the signs and symptoms of stress?

• Cognitive
• Physical
• Emotional
• Behavioural

Cognitive Signs and Symptoms:

• Memory problems
• Inability to concentrate
• Poor judgment
• Seeing only the negative
• Anxious or racing thoughts
• Constant worrying

Physical Signs and Symptoms:

• Aches and pains
• Diarrhoea or constipation
• Nausea, dizziness
• Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
• Loss of sex drive
• Frequent colds

Emotional Signs and Symptoms:

• Moodiness
• Irritability or short temper
• Agitation, inability to relax
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Sense of loneliness and isolation
• Depression or general unhappiness

Behavioural Signs and Symptoms:

• Eating more or less
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Isolating yourself from others
• Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
• Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
• Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

One of my guiding principles is that every situation, good or bad, offers a gift that provides some benefit. It’s just a matter of finding the gift. Many people who are overtaken by events are quick to declare them a setback or disaster. Instead you can ask, “Where’s the gift in this?” -
John McGrath

What is in your mind – what is your mental clutter telling you?

The Mental Chatter is there for a Reason

• They’re reminding you that you’ve got stuff on your plate that needs attention.
• Many of the things bugging you are actually useful, whether it’s for motivation or simply for reminders.

How do you feel once you have decluttered?

• Relaxed
• Focused
• Free
• Value what you have
• Pride in your environment
• Organised
• Controlled
• Calm
• Care

What are the benefits of decluttering?

• More time
• More efficient
• Praise from others
• Do things well
• Be more comfortable
• Live in a clean atmosphere
• Less stress
• Increase enjoyment
• Relax
• Life skills for the children

How do you habitually communicate with your kids, your work colleagues, your partner, your friends? Often we don’t realise the power of our words have on them. Children, as well as adults, tend to take things personally, and we need to be sensitised to the possible ramifications of thoughtless remarks.

Think what could occur if instead of continually blurting out impatiently, “You’re so stupid!” or “You’re so clumsy!” – a pattern that can in some cases powerfully undermine a child’s sense of self-worth – break your own pattern by saying something like “I’m getting a little bit peeved with your behaviour; come over here and let’s talk about this.”

Not only does this break the pattern, allowing both of you to access a better state to intelligently communicate your feelings and desires, but it also sends the child the message that the challenge is not with them as a person but with their behaviour – something that can be changed. This can be the foundation for more powerful and positive communication between two people. It may mean that you have a more powerful and positive impact on your kids.

The key in any of these situations is to be able to break your pattern; otherwise, in your unresourceful state, you may say things you’ll regret later. This is exactly how many relationships are destroyed. In a state of anger, we may say things that hurt somebody’s feelings and make them want to retaliate, or in a worse case say something that hurts them that they don’t want to open up to us ever again. So we’ve got to realise the power of our words, both to create and to destroy.

We’ve got to be precise in the words we use because they carry meaning not only to ourselves about our own experience but also to others. If you don’t like the results you’re getting in your communication with others, take a closer look at the words you’re using and become more selective. I’m not suggesting that you become so sensitised that you can’t use a word. But selecting words that empower you is important.

I want to ensure that I am not being misinterpreted either. We do, at times, need negative emotions.

There are times we need to get ourselves into an angry state in order to create enough leverage to make a change. All human emotions have their place. However, we want to make certain that we do not access our most negative and intense states to start with. So please don’t misinterpret me; I’m not asking you to live a life where you don’t have any negative sensations or emotions. There are places where they can be very important. Realise that our goal is to consistently feel less pain in our lives, and more pleasure. Being aware of the words you use is one of the single most simple and powerful steps toward that goal.

It can be an interesting learning exercise. Becoming aware of the words you use, the impact they have on you and the impact they have on those around you. It is all about awareness. Become aware of what you are saying, the words that you use and the effects or impact of those words.

“Be an inspiration to yourself and

you will be an inspiration to others.”

We talk of taking ACTION when decluttering. The A stands for Assessment. Think about what you are wanting to achieve when you declutter. Is it an overall transformation or is it a better or more creative use of your space. This video contains questions to ask yourself to get a clearer picture.

An energy cycle is how your body functions throughout the day. You need to take note of when you feel good, when you feel tired, when you are just chugging along.

Ask questions such as are you an early bird or a night owl? Listen to what your body is telling you.

It is not always possible to have control over all your tasks or when they need to be completed. However, any tasks that you have control over when you can schedule it then stop and think when is the most appropriate time to place it into your schedule.

When your energy is feeling good you should focus on:

• Important tasks
• Critical decisions
• Problems
• Complex issues
• Or any areas you have been procrastinating

Rather than arrive at work, organise your day, say hello to work colleagues, get a hot drink then check emails as a warm up exercise. Try and put your two most important projects for the day into the first two hours of your work day.

You will find that you get a lot more done.

Action

Let’s chart your energy levels:

1. Grab a piece of paper and draw a big “L” for a graph with a vertical and horizontal axis [or download from www.lifestylerefocus.com.au/free-resources
2. Mark the vertical axis “0″ to “5″ to represent your energy level; 0 – representing low   5 – representing feeling terrific
3. Mark the horizontal axis with your work hours, in one hour increments. You can actually begin this from the time you wake up of a morning.
4. When you arrive at work in the morning, draw a dot where energy intersects with time to indicate how you feel in terms of your energy level.
5. As the day progresses, draw a series of dots horizontally to show how your energy highs and lows.
6. Then connect the dots and analyse your line chart.
7. It’s recommended you do this for a week to get an average as we can vary daily depending on our sleep, wellness and other factors.

Examples

• Great night’s sleep, energy level high, ready to get working, happy = 5
• Poor night’s sleep, feeling flat, yawning, bored = 1

You can download a copy of the energy cycle template from our website www.lifestylerefocus.com.au/free-resources

Thank you and I look forward to sharing more tips, strategies and skills to support you to be more organised so that you too can create a better life.

“Be an inspiration to yourself and

you will be an inspiration to others.”

Time only needs ‘managing’ because we don’t seem to have enough time

to do everything we want and need to do.

In particular, we never seem to be able to ‘find time’

for those important but not urgent activities.

Stop looking.

You’ll never find time.

It isn’t lost. You’re living it.

You have to consciously decide to live it

in certain ways and not others.

You have to make time by taking it away

from one activity and giving it to another.

Start Living

Liz Cassidy

Action:

What is most important for you to do this week? Make the time to do it.

It’s not about not having enough time

it’s about it not being a priority.

Thank you and I look forward to sharing more tips, strategies and skills to support you to be more organised so that you too can create a better life.  P.S. You are welcome to refer to our website to see the products we offer to support you to create a better life. www.lifestylerefocus/products

 “Be an inspiration to yourself and

you will be an inspiration to others.”

The power to choose is what gives us the opportunity to create a different life, right now! We, as an individual, have the power to choose.

If we set a goal of health and fitness which means we exercise everyday, then that needs to become a priority. We have the power to choose what we do, that is, we choose to make the time to exercise.

The entire goal setting theory will not work unless we accept that we have the power to choose.

Remember don’t let age, life or other excuses get in your way.

You don’t have to be great to get started,

But you have to get started to be great.

Les Brown

Action:

Make a list of 50 or 100 things you would like to do in your life. If you haven’t, take 15 minutes now and start thinking what are some fantastic experiences you would like to do. It doesn’t really have to be 100, but once you have identified them, make time to include some of the fantastic adventures you would love to do into your life. What will your time frame be – one a week, one a month, one a year? Just do it!

Here’s to making powerful choices so you can live life to the fullest!

You are welcome to refer to our website in the free resources section for a template of 50 things I would love to do. www.lifestylerefocus/free-resources

Thank you and I look forward to sharing more tips, strategies and skills to support you to be more organised so that you too can create a better life.

“Be an inspiration to yourself and

you will be an inspiration to others.”