Do This Daily for Maximum Impact

Each and every day gives you a new opportunity to make a positive change in your life.

It's impossible to live a positive baggage-free life when you are stuck in your negative mindset. 

Change your attitude and you'll change your life for the better.  Your mental, physical and spiritual health will improve dramatically.  Let's get positive!

Start with your attitude shifting goal.   Start your goal with "I Want"

• to live with less stress
• to have more "me" time
• to let go of my junk filled past
• to improve my relationships

Write it down and give it a due date.  A comfortable due date works best.

Look at your goal and imagine yourself living it.  Are you happier?  Are you less stressed?  Have you added personal space and time?

What changes can you make every day to achieve your goal?

Write them down.  Are they doable?  You want your changes to be small bite-sized pieces.

Commit to one small daily positive change.  It can be as simple as

I will smile and say Good Morning to the coffee shop clerk or the bus driver or the office receptionist or people I pass on the street

  

I will commit to adding meditation to my day.  

I will work on my letting it go skills!

I will take the time each day to count my blessings 

I will............

Do it every day for one week. You will notice that your small change is now just a natural part of your day and you'll smile because you did it.

Now you can add a new positive change and keep building and growing.  Small and steady wins the race.

Wake Up   *   Smile   *   Make a Positive Change   *  Repeat

P.S. - My new website and jam-packed coaching programs will be launching soon.  Sign up for my Newsletter  (old dreary website) and get all the amazing details about my Free Monthly Group Coaching Calls.  Next Call is February 18th.

About Susan Ball:  Susan inspires her clients to live the life of their dreams with passion, joy, and love. Susan is an experienced international Life Coach helping people discover and live their ideal life through NLP, Mindfulness, and G.R.A.C.E.

Learn more about Susan by visiting her Online, on Facebook

It's Thanksgiving! What a Perfect Time to Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude

You hear about practicing gratitude everyday and I'll bet you wonder "how on earth can it make a difference in my life?"

Well, an attitude of gratitude can and will change your life.  It will definitely raise your happiness quotient, it will reduce your stress and it will positively impact your overall sense of contentment and peace.

I was so skeptical when I was first introduced to practicing gratitude.  I thought how could being grateful possibly change my life for the better? I was healing from an abusive relationship.  Truthfully, I was drinking too much and engaging in destructive behaviours.  I really couldn't see anything good in my life for the present moment and the future was even bleaker.

A very wise friend who was tired of hearing my tale of woe asked me one day, "What are you grateful for?"  Huh!?  She simply said "What about music? You love music.  It brings you pure joy."  She was right.  Music did and on countless occasions music helped me get through a rough patch.

So, it turned out I did have something to be grateful for.  I decided to earnestly give gratitude a shot and see what happened if anything.

Gratitude worked for me and it will for you too!

Start small - take 5 or 10 minutes and write down or just reflect on things you are grateful for. When you're ready, start your gratitude journal or jar.  Each week or month, reflect on all that you have been grateful for.

Say Thank You with a Smile- to the servers, to the police officer, to your children's teacher, to your spouse, to anyone at anytime who does something to make your life better.

Write a Letter of Gratitude - Have a teacher, coach, co-worker, old friend, or mentor who has made a difference in your life? When was the last time you told them?  Sit down and write a handwritten note of thanks for the difference they have made in your life.  Deliver it by hand or pop in the mail.

Next time you are outside or with a group of people, instead of checking your phone, take time to simply enjoy the moment.

Exercise your gratitude muscle often.  You will be grateful you did.

How do you practice gratitude?  Would love to hear how you bring gratitude to your daily life.

Susan

Help Me Celebrate My Birthday - Take Advantage of My Special

Feeling Stuck?  Feel like your Spinning and Going Nowhere? Is it time for a Change?

October is my Birthday Month and I celebrated my fabulous 58th on the 4th of October!

To celebrate, I'm offering a special Birthday Coaching Rate of $58 per session for the month of October.

Get in touch and start living your life with joy, happiness, freedom and authenticity.

PS - pass on the good news.

Call 902.660.2701 to chat!

Yes, I Want to Get Unstuck!

Special Rate expires October 31, 2014.

I Am, I Can, I Will - Shift Happens with Small Words

The lack of self-confidence is the most popular reason that clients seek my help.  Not having self-confidence impacts every aspect of your life:

• How you react to negative people 
• Whether or not you change careers
• Go back to school
• Leave a negative relationship
• Stand up for your authenticity and joy and happiness
• Actively participate in events, sports and with friends

Your self-confidence is your foundation and you build your life, success, happiness and pure joy on it.  If you foundation has weak spots, your ability to let go, chase your dreams and find pure joy in living, is significantly diminished!

To begin repairing your foundation, add these empowering statements to your daily routine:

  

Every day, twice a day, write empowering statements that begin with I am, I Can, and I Will.  I recommend doing this in the morning and just before bed.

These may seem like very simple statements but their impact on your confidence will be complex.

While you are writing your empowering statements, you are discovering all the great things about you.  And that will change your view of you and your life.  Start today and notice the shift.

Here are mine from this morning:

I Am Grateful * I Can Write * I Will Start Today

Confidence building is worth the investment - www.susanballnlp.com

It's Monday, Be Awesome

So many people lament Monday.  Some even start on Sunday!

Think about how you set your mood for the day and the entire week when you begin with hating on something including the day of the week!

I hate Mondays does not generate good vibrations or open your senses and spirit to all the good, awesomeness around you.  It simply causes you to hunch your shoulders, lower your eyes to the ground, and see negativity in your space.

What an ugly way to spend the day.  No Thanks!!!

So let's be awesome on Mondays.  It will change your perspective which will change your outcome which will cause you to smile and be grateful.

Monday is a wonderful day.  It truly is.  Look forward to every day and you will feel so much better.  

Happiness is an attitude and gratitude begins with a smile.

Cheers, Susan

About Susan Ball:  Susan specializes in working with clients to let go of their baggage and junk - limiting beliefs, past hurts, traumas, etc. in order to begin a new life chapter that is happier, balanced and perfect just for them!

Learn more about Susan by visiting her Online, on Facebook

I Broke-Up With My Daughter

and I feel free, fabulous and authentic.

It was a difficult relationship and I often felt that my soul was being dug out with a spoon every time we engaged with each other. It was time for a change!

Relationships can be wonderful, loving and mutually beneficial or they can be draining, stress-filled and grossly one-sided.  The relationship with my daughter was the latter.

It was one-sided, demanding, overbearing and she felt no compassion or remorse.  Kind words and gestures were way beyond her scope of understanding.

I hung in for a very long time.  Why?  Simply because there is societal pressure to continue a relationship based on family connection, blood or a specific set of labels.  In our case, our labels were mother and daughter.

I felt more like a doormat and an instant ATM.  My punishment for not behaving as she expected, banishment from my grandsons.  Do it mother or you will not see or speak with them.

The day came when I'd had enough and I was at my lowest point and I decided to break up with my daughter.

The words came easier than I thought they would.  Actually, once I said it, I started to feel amazing and that great feeling has continued to this day.

When you think of your "relationships" and your labels, is there one that you would like to break up with?  Yes, indeed!

Now imagine the peace and tranquility that would invade your being if you sent that person packing?  You feel amazing, calm and look forward to your day and life.

It can be done!  I know I did it and everything about my life has improved.  I will love my daughter forever.  Liking her is a whole other matter and I don't.

Healthy relationships are not defined by labels.

Connect with me and schedule your 30-minute complementary session.  It's simple Visit my website  or send an email

Say "YES" to Yourself and Create Your Best Relationship with You!

Best advice. Think about all the times you say "yes" when you really wanted to say no. Say Yes to Yourself and create your best relationship with you!

To create space for success and happiness in your life, it's important to make time for you.  How?  By saying no to others and yes to you.

Grab your copy of my Yes-No Worksheet and really explore your yes vs no options.  The worksheet will show you what you're missing when you say yes to stuff and then more stuff.

Start easy with 2 yes items that you want to change to no right away.  Write down a variety of ways you can say no (no maybes!).  Play with the words but always be clear that your answer is no.  Then choose the wording that feels right and practice, practice, practice.  

Once you have gotten your first no out of the way, you'll feel so much better, less stressed and you won't grow a huge wart on your nose!  The next no will be easier.

After you say no to something else, say yes to you.  Use the time to do something you "want" to do and not something you should do.

Have you scheduled your 30-Minute Free Consultation?

Get in Touch

When Are You Going to Lose That Dead Part...

So You Can Really Live!

When you read this story, you will want to Lose Your Dead Part and

Start Living!

It's time to realize your full potential and create lasting, sustainable positive change. Explore your potential and focus on your dynamic future....
NLP Success Coaching Works!

Take the first step to Living Your Life to the Fullest

Book your Free Consultation

Single-Tasking or Overcoming Overwhelm

When was the last time you focused on one task and completed it without interruption?

I'll bet  it was quite a while ago and I'm confident in my wager.  My confidence is because I speak with clients everyday in my coaching practice who are struggling with "I'm overwhelmed".

They are average people with jobs, kids, spouses, parents, friends who volunteer and get involved with their children's activities.  Their calendars are filled with due dates, to do lists, task lists, and appointments.  Some of their planned activities actually overlap leaving not even one second from the end of one activity to the start of the next!

Is that even humanly possible?  Is it healthy?  Does it leave time for just simply enjoying life?  NO!

A common result of too much overwhelm and busy-ness, is procrastination.  It all becomes too much and there doesn't seem to be enough time to do anything.

Overcoming overwhelm begins by adopting "single-tasking".  The fine art of doing one thing at a time.  The ability to delegate or forget about it.

Running around like a chicken with your head cut-off filling in the demands of "everyone" except you is not only unhealthy it is unproductive and not sustainable.

Tomorrow look at your mega huge calendar of things to get accomplished and pick one - just one.  Write it down - I will do/finish/meet with/visit/enjoy this one thing.  Do not take on any new projects or appointments.  Break down your task into steps and achieve each step individually and do a good job so you can smile at your success.  

I have become committed to the idea of single-tasking and the health benefits in choosing to back away from the dreaded multi-tasking.  

I would love to hear if you are a single or multi-tasker.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

It's been awhile since my last post - I broke my wrist and hand in 2 places while enjoying the amazing beauty of Cape Breton island.  The wrist has not healed very well and it is still difficult to type but I miss writing in my blog and I had a plan for expanding into guest blogging that will happen in 2014.

As I reflect on 2013, I realize I have so much to be grateful for and welcome the new year with a sense of curiosity and excited anticipation.  Did I make mistakes?  You betcha!  I didn't focus on what went wrong but on what I learned and how I can improve based on what I learned.

I spent time celebrating my accomplishments, reaching my goals, reviewing my mistakes, and generally, enjoying each and every day and the experience that came with it.

As you review 2013, ask yourself these questions:

1. What was your biggest accomplishment this year?
2. What are you most proud of?
3. Did you learn from your mistakes?
4. Did you adopt an attitude of success and gratitude?
5. What did you do to celebrate and recognize your accomplishments?
6. What great things do you have planned for 2014?

Start 2014 with a flourish, change your attitude and put these simple strategies to work every day:

• Practice positivity and gratitude.  
• Wake up and embrace the new day.  
• Sit back at night and celebrate your accomplishments.  
• Have real conversations and smile frequently.  
• Laugh and share laughter.  
• Encourage your inner child to come out and play.  
• Choose adventure and wonder at the world around you.

I'm looking forward to getting back to writing and finishing my e-book in 2014.

Have a wonderful holiday season!  Resolve to embrace change.

Meditation is a Journey to Peace & Healing

Over the past few months I have had the amazing privilege of leading a group of wonderful people through a series of guided meditations.  We have focused on healing, playing and your authentic self.  

In the beginning, deep breathing proved a challenge for many.  Placing hands on bellies to feel the rise and fall of their diaphragm, we practiced breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth.  I watched as they became familiar with deep breathing and I watched their faces and bodies relax with each breath.  It was beautiful!  I could see their state shift from stress to calm and peace.

Meditation is a wonderful gift we can give ourselves.  The magic starts with your breathing.  Once you learn how to breathe for relaxation, you will be able to do it on the fly and calm your physical, emotional and mental state - instant meditation.

Let's Practice

Sit or lie down comfortably.  Place your hands on your belly and breath deeply.  When you breath in, your hands will rise up with your belly - that's a good breathe!  Focus on your breathing - deep breath in through your nose for the count of four (Mississippi's)  and out through your mouth for the count of four.  When you breath out, say the word "relax" quietly in your mind.  

Practice, Practice, Practice

When you have mastered your deep breathing and using the word relax, add "I Am" statements while you breath in - I am calm, I am confident, I am happy, etc.  Create I Am statements that work for you and use them.

Now, you are ready to enjoy the wonderful healing power meditation.  Do it daily - it will heal and you will gain a wonderful sense of peace.

To assist you on your journey, feel free to download my Healing Meditation.  

The Guided Meditation Series that I have been hosting will be taking a summer hiatus in a couple of weeks and I want to truly thank the group for allowing me to help them help while at the same time healing myself through meditation.

Confidence Boosting

Confidence is a tool you can use in your everyday life to do all kinds of cool stuff, not least to stop second-guessing yourself, manage your fears and become able to do more of the things that really matter to you.  But not many people realize that their self-confidence works just like  muscle - it grows in response to the level of performance required of it.  Either you use it or you lose it. 

Confidence Boosting Tips:

Write a list of the things you’re tolerating and putting up with in your life, then write down how you can remove, minimize or diminish each one.  

Get crystal clear on the things that truly matter to you. 

If they’re not in your life, you need to bring them in

Stop playing different roles and squeezing yourself into boxes based on what you think people expect you to act like.

Learn to catch yourself every single time you tell yourself that you can’t have, won’t get or aren't good enough to get what you want.

Take yourself off auto-pilot – make deliberate decisions on what really matters to you.

You've got a whole bunch of out-dated rules that determine what you do, don’t do, should do and shouldn't do.  These rules limit your thinking and limit your behaviour.  Tear up your rule book and notice how free you are to make great decisions.

When you feel like stamping your foot and yelling “I deserve better than this!”, take a step back and say 

“I can BE better than this.”

Take a chance on something tomorrow.  

Anything, big or small, just take a chance.

You need to be around people who make you feel like YOU, so spend more time with the people who support and encourage you and less with those who undermine you.

Keep comparing yourself to others?  Stop it

You’re just fantastic as you are

If there’s something you've been struggling to understand for a while, stop trying to understand it.  Accept it just as it is, fully and wholly.

Don’t say “Yes” to taking on a task simply because you don’t want to rock the boat – you can politely decline requests you can’t meet and don’t need to create an excuse for it.

Still beating yourself up for failing or screwing up? It might not be a barrel of laughs but it’s not going to help you get through it.  Much better to recognize that everything, whether it turns out or not, is how you practice living a rich life

*****

Do one thing each day that makes you smile

Do it Differently - Choose & Want It!

That's How Happy People Do It!

When was the last time you did something different?  Oh, it could be anything like a new route to work or watching a movie outside your comfort zone or joining a group to discuss books, politics, current events or wellness.

What stops you?  

Age?  Inspiration?  Confidence?  Family?  Time?   Money?   These are the common excuses used when I ask this question.  I'm sure you're familiar with all of them.

What if I told you the real reason that you have stopped doing it different, is an over-abundance of "shoulds" and "oughts" and "musts" in your everyday thoughts and language.

Let's start with Should and Ought and Must - my least favourite words and the first ones I get my clients to abandon.  Yup, I want should and ought and must left in the rain in an alley somewhere - gone, forgotten, abandoned!  

When you use the word "should", your body language actually changes - your shoulders hunch forward and you slouch.  Slouching closes off your breathing and as a result you start a pattern of shallow breathing instead of healthy deep breathing. 

Next comes that uneasy feeling - stress, anxiety, and guilt.  And the final feeling is one of resentment when you do complete the "should" or "ought"  or "must" task.

That's a lot of negative pattern behaviour because of three little over-used words.  You know a negative mood swing is about to hit you when you hear the words "should" or "shouldn't", "must" or "mustn't", "ought" or "ought not".  

These patterns of speech and our negative reactions go back to some authoritarian figure, a parent, a teacher, a neighbour, or a respected elder.  How many times did you hear "You should be doing your homework" and did you jump up off the couch with a smile on your face and go do your homework?  No, you slouched off the couch, probably put up a bit of an argument, and then went to your room, shut the door and maybe did your homework = Stress, Anxiety, Guilt and Resentment!

When you hear yourself using should, ought or must, challenge yourself by asking these easy questions:

What other choices do I have?  What would happen if I didn’t do it?

Or these questions for "shouldn't":

If you say, for example, "I shouldn't spend money on this", ask, Why shouldn't I spend money on this?  What would happen if I did?  What would happen if I didn't? 

Once you've answered the questions, you will know whether you "want" to complete the task, favour, or purchase and you will feel satisfied and happy with your decision.

When Should, Must and Ought shift to Want and Choose, you will feel that you have made the decision that you want to make and move forward towards completing the task in a light and positive manner.  And when that happens, you will feel so much better!  MOST IMPORTANT – if you choose do perform the should request you are now doing because you want to and from a position of power

Choose to it Differently by Questioning Should and Answering with Want!

Visit Susan Ball, NLP Life and Business Coach and book

your 30 minute Free Consultation!