Goal Setting

Goal Setting for the New Year

What are you setting out to accomplish in 2016?

“A good archer is known not by his arrows but by his aim.”
Thomas Fuller

And so it is with goal setting. One can have many lofty goals, but without direction to keep one on the path, they can become lost along the way, easily distracted, or end up giving up. Taking time to evaluate key components of our life, and making a plan to foster further

growth and achievement, gives one purpose, direction, and a priceless sense of accomplishment, once fulfilled.

A common practice I began with our children 20 years ago, was to sit down together and plot out goals for the year covering many aspects of life. I began this when they were but five years old. It’s proven to be nothing short of amazing. At the end of each year, we will gather round and pull out our goal sheets that we filled out at the end of the previous December, and one by one, go through them and share what each was able to accomplish. Those who didn’t want to share didn’t have to.

Many times over the years, there has been a child (now grown adults), that have even been hesitant to look at their old sheet in fear they had done nothing to accomplish what they had set out to do. I would always encourage them to look anyway, and when they did.... were they ever in for a surprise. They had many times, not only reached their goals, but surpassed them.

We continue this practice to this day. If my kids friends, new husbands, boyfriends are over at the house when we do this, they are welcome to join in, but seldom do. They sit in silence as everyone else scratches on their sheets in deep contemplation. I often wondered what they thought about during that time, and would send them home with a goal sheet ‘Just in case’ they decided to fill it out after all. I have been pleasantly surprised to find each one of them filled theirs out, they just needed their own space and time to do it.

I encourage you to do the same. There is something powerful that happens when one writes something down. First off, it saves us the trouble of trying to remember everything, hahaha! Seriously, it is taking a thought that is in your head, in the invisible world, and the moment you write it down, you have just brought it into the physical world. What’s even more powerful is when you ACT on what you have written with the intent to fulfill it. B.A.M! Powerful stuff my friends.

"In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia."   -Unknown

Here are some areas for consideration when setting goals for yourself for 2016:

Professional Educational
Intellectual

Relationships
Creative things (Hobby, etc.) Spiritual
Volunteer
Health
Fitness
Fun/Play
Material object(s)

"Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives."   - Viktor Frankl

Once you’ve decided what areas you’re interested in setting a goal for yourself, prioritize them. Then simply start at the top of your list. I like to write the goal on a 3x5 card and leave it someplace I will be reminded to read it. Then I wear a bracelet on my left arm, and once I’ve completed a task towards my goal each day (whether it’s a phone call, google search, research, errand, etc.), I move the bracelet to my right arm. People ask, “Why do you always wear so many bracelets?” I tell them, “Because I like to”, to keep things simple, but the truth is, I have a lot of goals, and am actively working on them each day.

Find a method that works for you. Some people like day planners, others a pocket notebook, iPhone, iPad, i-whatever.

The momentum of taking action is key to putting things into motion. Soon you will find the obstacles that appear here and there become something you can learn even more by, in other words, when most people stop and give up when a set back occurs, you realize there is something to be gained by the obstacle being there and delve in to get to the bottom of it, never allowing your goal to leave your sight.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy, prosperous New Year!!!!!

UNSTOPPABLE: THE ART OF OVERCOMING YOU

Becoming Unstoppable  

The Art of Overcoming One’s Self and Self Perceived Limitations

“Our minds are infinite vessels, fashioned by the thoughts we think.” 

-Jill Nix

Therefore, one would be wise to carefully examine that which he/she allows to flow freely within.

Either we shall rule our thoughts, and in turn, our life, or that which runs rampant within will manifest without, leading to chaos, confusion, lack of peace, and understanding.

The art of becoming unstoppable is simple. The transformation that must take place is what many perceive to be insurmountable, unattainable, and even impossible. Thusly, this is where we begin…. perception. 

As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or can’t, you’re usually right.” 

            Becoming unstoppable has one requirement:   

                                      OVERCOME 

                                          YOUR 

                                          SELF

In this one venture, overcoming of self, you become unstoppable. How, you ask? I cannot possibly explain it in it’s entirety, as much of it will only come through one’s desire to suffer the hardship, feeling of displacement, loneliness, discomfort, pain, and many other undesirable emotions and feelings, as well as, the indescribable joy, peace, and inner strength that comes with no longer identifying with the ego, or being distracted by the three dimensional world we live in. Too deep? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Overcome one’s:

• Insecurities
• Fears
• Perceived boundaries
• Perceived limitations
• Phobias
• Lack of confidence
• Jealousy
• Feelings of worthlessness

and the list goes on, and on, and on. Face these demons with lighted intent and they will vanish as you act to eliminate them from your life.

Embrace:

• Love
• Peace
• Honor
• Integrity
• Truth

and allow your inner being to flourish.

Overcoming self requires one to take an honest look at their life, self, and preoccupations. What serves you? What enslaves you? Trust me, you are making choices that both serve you and enslave you. All must be carefully examined. 

What brings you true happiness? Peace? What brings you unhappiness? These must all be addressed. Every single element in your life that brings dysfunction to self must be addressed, dealt with, faced squarely, overcome, and released. 

We live in a society where 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Drugs run rampant, alcohol, porn, gambling, and other addictions (some deemed socially ‘acceptable’, such as food and sugar addiction, gaming, sports, etc.), are all outward manifestations of dysfunction. These must all be addressed.

This requires one to face the hurts, the pains, the denial of love and affection, the un-acceptance, ridicule, loneliness, and the many other emotions that have been buried under a false front. Feelings buried alive never die, instead people slowly commit suicide by their daily thoughts toward self and others, through excessive eating and/or drinking, drugs, porn, and so forth. 

LIFE REQUIRES CONSTANT EFFORT…………….

                                                               DEATH DOES NOT

There are many willing to die for a cause, but few willing to live 100%. Why? Does man fear life? Does man fear the effort required to march forth day by day? From whence does ones strength come from?

Death is not the greatest loss in life, the greatest loss is what dies inside while still alive.

Think of how many people have gone to the grave never realizing their potential. 

Do you realize your potential? Do you feel it stirring you from time to time? Does it stir you to contemplate? Set goals? Make a commitment? Take action? If so, why? 

If not, why not?

For a great deal of the population, the fear of death is only surpassed  by the fear of living!

Living, truly living then, is overcoming self. By overcoming self, any good you set out to do is then magnified 100 fold.  Imagine the possibilities. Are you one who fears what lies within? Are you ready to embrace life? 

Are you willing, ready, and desiring to become UNSTOPPABLE?

Many desire, but as the Warrior, few shall succeed. 

In the process of becoming unstoppable, one soon realize’s they must surrender to One who is Greater and has a greater vision, knowledge base, and Ultimate Wisdom. For man alone is but a leaf on a tree. Take a close look at the tree on the front page, it represents one’s journey to becoming unstoppable. It seems to stand alone, through the winds, the rains, the snows, the storms of life, if you will. Many may pass by and acknowledge the tree, perhaps, no one will. This tree must surrender it’s will to One of a Greater each day. The sun sends warmth, rain nourishes, the earth provides it’s foundation. Through each storm it weathers, it becomes stronger.

Pain, like fear, is to be acknowledged, dealt with, surrendered, and released. That which one determines to hold onto which is destructive in nature, will ultimately destroy them.

Begin where you are. Overcoming one’s self is the art of mastering one’s self. Begin where you are: Make a good bed. Ingest live, healthy foods. Speak kindly and think kindly of self and others. Serve someone daily not out of obligation, but rather, desire. Experiment upon these words. If hitting snooze, and thinking Mondays a drag when you open your eyes, start with getting up with a smile on your face. Have your day plan and prime goals ready to be accomplished. Be flexible because the Universe has it’s own way of ‘interrupting’ our plans to teach us something greater, of priceless value, and it often happens when we perceive it to be most inconvenient.

This was a rather deep subject that I ever so lightly touched on, however, I truly desire it motivates you to take action in your life, daily. Have joy. Share love.

BECOME UNSTOPPABLE!!!

Have a wonderful week. 

Health!

Jill

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE I KNOW ARE THOSE WHO HAVE:

KNOWN DEFEAT
KNOWN SUFFERING
KNOWN STRUGGLE
KNOWN LOSS, AND HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY OUT OF THE DEPTHS. 

THESE PEOPLE HAVE AN APPRECIATION, A SENSITIVITY, AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE THAT FILLS THEM WITH COMPASSION, AND A DEEP, LOVING CONCERN. 

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE DO NOT JUST HAPPEN.

WARRIOR PEACE

"Being a Warrior is not about the act of fighting. It is about the ability, courage, and commitment to end the war within oneself and not quit until the job is done." - M. Machowicz

May peace be with you Mr. Mack. You are an inspiration to many, and your influence cannot be underestimated. You, my friend, are a true Warrior.

OPINION: TRASH IT-BELIEVE IT-OR OBSERVE IT

OPINION: belief, judgment, thought(s), (way of) thinking, mind, (point of) view, viewpoint, outlook, attitude, stance, position, perspective, persuasion, standpoint; sentiment, conception, conviction.
An opinion is just that, an opinion. It has nothing to do with you. It was not formed by you, created by you, endorsed by you, approved by you, or in ANY way attached to you....... UNLESS....... YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IT!!!!If you choose to believe the opinion of another, especially anything that comes through the air, then you have just given up your personal power. You have just wandered into the fold of the sheep, no longer making your own decisions, creating your life, creating the new. Instead, you're just following the herd, whomever the shepherd may be, if there even is a shepherd. Many times sheep find themselves open to the wolves that pass their way, they are vulnerable.When one is a wolf, they have focus, drive, ambition, and a keen sense of awareness. They identify the tracks of others easily, and can quickly track them, if necessary. Think for yourself. Whoever has an opinion, owns the opinion, it is not yours. Many times, it is but a reflection of the person giving it. However, there are times when an opinion might very well hold some element of truth to it. One would be wise to examine the opinion for any truth to be found. One must not be afraid to open the door to truth, and if some element of truth lies within the opinion, then it is your responsibility to deal with it in a way which will only bring you further personal growth. Sometimes an element of truth can be seeded amongst lies and heresies. Take what applies and allow the rest to pass.The only time one should listen to the opinion of another is when it is from a person they highly respect, find honorable, integrous, honest, has experience from which to base an unbiased opinion from, and can remain objective. And this is ONLY if they have asked them for their opinion, or are searching for their opinion.Of course, all this is simply my opinion, hahaha! Take it for what it's worth to you.As a Professional Trainer and Lifestyle Coach, I'm asked frequently for an opinion. I give it freely, unbiasedly, and with love. The truth is seldom easy to hear. The fleeting, flattering compliments whether based on truth or not, are much more easily digested. “All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others.” 
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt“When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch.” 
― Bette Davis“If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

PAIN RELIEF: MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN RELIEF VIA SELF-MASSAGE. THIS WORKS!!!

Hi Team!

Looking for a way to loosen those stiff muscles and release joint pain on your own? Welcome Painotopia.

Painotopia covers how to treat muscle and joint pain, naturally, using self-massage with tennis balls, etc. It's a great site and many athletes have found it to be a Godsend.

As a coach, I find a vast majority of athletes not stretching and/or massaging the muscles properly.

Please, keep in mind:

- Warm-up before any training
- After you're warm, begin a total body, or if pressed for 
  time, at least stretch the muscle groups you will be   
  working. Hold stretches to 5-10 seconds.
- Never begin a plyometric movement without proper warm-
  up
- Stretch the muscle group you're working while you're in 
   between sets/exercises, for 5-10 seconds
- Finish with a cool-down (walk on treadmill, gentle cycle, 
  etc.), and then
- One last total body or muscle groups you worked, stretch.
- Hold final stretches for 20-30 seconds.

Stretching should never be a painful experience. You should stretch just to the point where you feel slight discomfort, not pain.

Check it out:
http://www.painotopia.com/

SMART STUFF - HOW TO 'GROW' YOUR BRAIN

I receive a lot of questions about how to enhance the brain, become smarter, learn how to focus and concentrate, and how to simply quiet the brain. 

The brain is our central computer, orchestrating multiple functions at a mind boggling pace. We are but aware of a small fraction of what our brain is actually doing at any given moment in time, as much is run on auto-pilot. Thought however, is something we supply the brain with based on our emotions, experiences, perceptions, expectations, personality, and attitude. 

Just as any other organ of the body must be cared for and tended to consciously, so does our brain. It must have proper nutrition, hydration, electrical conductivity, circulation, rest, sleep, protection, be free of toxins, get plenty of oxygen, and plenty of exercise.

Today, I'm going to focus on the exercise element of the brain. Just as a muscle weakens when not used, so does the brain in it's own peculiar way. For instance, take a person who has just retired from 30 years of hard labor i.e., on their feet all day, lifting and moving things around, making important decisions, decisions that needed to be made quickly, and ran a crew of 75 employees. Suppose this new retiree wanted to move, down size, to a home with little maintenance.

As the years passed since retiring, he grew into a daily routine, he woke, got dressed, made the same breakfast each day, walked the dog the same time each day, same route, had lunch the same time, same food, same company (he and his dog), listened to the same news station throughout the day, and watched his favorite tv shows every night. He may have been challenging his brain when first adapting to this routine after all the hustle and bustle of just leaving his job, but now it's all done on auto-pilot. He no longer finds himself thinking about much because he thinks about the same things each day, or has other things (radio, tv), fill his mind for him. Hence, the brain is set to 'idle'. It's ready for attention but will sit idly by until its master decides otherwise. What once was calculating complex issues is now settling for simply being.

This can happen to anyone. Wake up, use the same toothpaste, put on shoes the same way, drive the same route to work, deal with the same people and their emotions/personalities all day, have the same type of conversations, eat the same type of foods, and so forth.

There are times that a routine is our saving grace, for sure. One just needs to realize when the routine has served its time, and we are ready to change things up, whether it's mentally, physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.

A young child learns so much so quickly, and his or her capacity and desire to experience is simply over the top!!! Hence, they adapt all along the way. They conform to no one set of ideals, their minds are free and open to everything.

Although, it is wise to learn from our mistakes in youth, I believe it is also wise to keep a healthy portion of the spontaneity, curiosity, excitement, adventure, and willingness to learn everyday, alive and well... throughout our adult life.

So, when people write and ask me about how to 'charge' their brain, so to speak, I would have to begin by saying:

DUMP OUT THE TRASH, first.

Yes, dump out the excuses, the lethargy, the resistance to change. Dump out the memories that do not serve you in a positive way. Dump out the I can'ts and install the 'I CAN' program. 

Then make a commitment to yourself to only allow what you DO want fed into your brain, in. This means filtering news, gossip, images, music, literature, relationships, and so forth. 

This also means dumping the garbage labeled 'food' products, that are products for sure, but certainly not food. Commit to putting health into your system at least 80% of the time each day, and work your way up from there. 

Drink good pure water. Get out and get some clean, fresh air,   breathe deep. Get daily physical exercise, and LAUGH!!!!!!
Laughter is not only good for our brains, every single cell in the human body responds to laughter, just as every single cell in the body responds to our thoughts, be they true or false. Beware. You hold the key to the treasure chest, what you find inside is solely your creation. Think wisely.

Now, on to the exercises for the brain. The brain welcomes these exercises!!!! Many involve what I call a 'cross-crawl' pattern, meaning, it makes the left and right hemisphere's of the brain work together, synchronicity!

There is something here for everyone. Work your brain daily.

1. Puzzles: Set up a table, or use one you already have out, and get a good size jigsaw puzzle. You will be surprised at how many people who stop by your house will be drawn to the table and start toying with a few pieces while chatting.

2. Word puzzles: Crosswords, Search and Finds, you name it. Keep a book by your bedside, or in the restroom, or in the truck.

3. Write often: This could be as simple as keeping a journal, starting a blog, writing a friend, to writing a book.

4. Read challenging information: Find pieces by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Look for pieces and books from the old school boys: Darwin, Newton, Galilee, Aristotle.

5. Play an instrument: It's never too late.

6. Sing: Yep, in the shower, the car, the gym, at work, sing!

7. Dance: You know where there's singing, there's dancing, right? So bust a move!!!

8. Memorize poetry: Emerson, etc.

9. Sketch: Go outdoors, or at work, or while on a call, it works just about anywhere, but it requires the brain to think, make configurations, etc.

10. Build your vocabulary. One thing I've alway had fun with was the vocabulary section in each issue of Reader's Digest, to me it's like an adult version of a mini spelling/vocabulary test.

11. Write with your opposite hand: I'm very right-handed, never wrote left-handed. I had to have bones fused in my right wrist several years ago that left my right hand in a solid cast for 4 1/2 months! No use of it whatsoever. I was forced to learn to do things with my left hand. Writing was one of the toughest. Strange thing occurred: I found the more I started using my left hand, I started thinking differently, seriously.

12. Play memory games: Yep, you know the ones kids love to play. It can be card games, or even on a computer.

13. Create a stimulating, enriching, playful environment where you spend a good part of your time. No one wants to be in a cubicle, no windows, everything very 'plain'. Liven it up with pictures, music if you can get away with it, keep a few interesting challenging books nearby, make it colorful and pleasant. Hold a weekly challenge: Who can do the most push-ups?

14. Work on expanding your attention span. In todays world of technology, studies have found over and over and over again, that both the attention spans of children AND adults has dwindled to about 3 seconds!!!!! What do you think about that?! First thing, turn of the devices unless necessary, do not allow them to become vices (social media, gaming, porn, whatever), YOU need to keep charge. Get outdoors. Get together with a friend and work on a project one of you needs help with, find places you can work on your attention. Listening to another speak is a great opportunity to keep your attention, but too many times, we're busy thinking about what we want to say while the other person is speaking. Put on a talk, that's on a cd, take notes, listen, pay attention.

15. Learn a foreign language: Let me know if you learn Russian, as I'm looking for someone to 'talk' with.

16. Paint, sculpture.

17. Play chess, bridge, and other challenging games.

18. Exercise: Play group sports this way you must think ahead, move, predict, etc.

19. Expose yourself to new opportunities. Keep life alive and fresh. 


As you incorporate many of the things on this list, you will find your ability to focus, concentrate, and pay attention will grow. Your brain will be happy, and you will be happy!!!

Health!