![5 Essential Practices for a Happier Life: #2]()
Jan 24, 2020
Practice 2: When you find yourself wondering why is this happening to me? remind yourself that 95% of your circumstances in life started with your choices! Don’t like your relationship? Wasn’t it you who wanted to be with this person? Don’t like your teen’s attitude? Wasn’t it you who chose to have kids? (No, I did not, I accidentally got pregnant!, Wait, did you choose to have sex)? As Dr. Phil says, when you choose the behavior you choose all the possible consequences!
We can trace back almost every current circumstance in our life to a choice we made. (Well, I didn’t choose to get cancer!) Of course, you did not! This goes into the other 5%, now your choice is how you will treat your cancer, how you will support yourself, your attitude, how you will navigate this difficult situation. When we are truly victimized (not my nail broke, or Starbucks screwed up my order, or there is too much traffic, victim mentality), when hurtful things completely out of our control, happen to us such as being a victim of a crime, losing someone we love, a car accident, a scary diagnosis, we still have the free will to choose how we will respond, and heal and continue on.
Taking accountability for how our choices got us to the here and now, reminds us we are in the driver’s seat of our lives, which now results in new choices as we can continue to steer our own path in the direction we want. Practice owning your choices and the results with an accountability, not victim mentality. Learn to say, “I did this to me.” Now what?
Essential Practice #3 on its way.
![5 Essential Practices for a Happier Life: #2]()
Jan 21, 2020
LIFE ESSENTIAL #1: Practice Makes Permanent
The keyword is practice! We all wake up every day with a mood, an attitude, either positive or negative self-talk or somewhere in between. Every morning is a new start to your day and no matter what is going on in your life, if you practice, or intend, or want to, or begin… to put these 5 things into place, I promise you, you will feel better, more satisfied and increase your happiness and satisfaction with your life.
Let’s start with the most important one, and the one you might dislike hearing the most:
The only person you can change is you! You have 100% direct influence on how you behave, how you fill yourself with positive support such as spiritual or uplifting books, podcasts, blogs, Youtubes, Ted Talks, short stories, and how you view the world. You are the circle of influence, the one person you can count on to change for the better. I know it would be so much easier if you could just change everyone else, and, I am sure you work on that a little bit every day. However, as you are well aware of, no one wants your good advice, your smart observations or correcting someone else’s behaviors, unless, of course, you are asked directly to do so. So today, put your energy into your own well being, self-improvement, self-acceptance and love yourself up a bit just to be sure you get some love at the start of your day. (And, if you don’t know how to do that…here is how: give yourself 3 compliments, write down 3 things you are grateful for and choose super healthy food to start your day, and put some time in your morning for a walk, yoga treadmill or the gym.
Research shows that practice makes permanent-permanent pathways through our brains, making that “highway” easier for you to travel every day. And, habits your no longer practice start to fade since you are no longer traveling that road. Start today with practicing this #1 Life Essential. #2 is on its way.
Jan 17, 2020
CONTINUE TO TRANSFORM INTO THE BEST VERSION OF YOU!
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I value open honest conversations between women regarding their life journey. Do you? Join me for a weekend of learning and continued growth with other women. We will explore how we cope, what we are learning about life at our various ages, what keeps us stuck and how we can continue to evolve. Join Gail and other women for a soul-filling, heartwarming, meaningful retreat in sunny Surprise, AZ April 4th and 5th, 2020
TOPICS EXPLORED
What keeps you from showing up and expressing yourself 100% of the time?
What do you need from your relationships you may not be getting? ( your partner, kids, family, co-workers, friends)
At your age what have you learned about life that surprises you?
Who do you aspire to be? ( is there a desire to grow, change, be an even better version of you?)
This retreat explores and provides, conversation, concepts, and strategies for living your life on purpose with profound personal integrity and more unconditional love.
CLICK THIS LINK FOR DETAILS and TO ENROLL
https://mailchi.mp/f19ece1c096d/r516rptrr9
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Gail A. Manahan is a licensed mental health counselor, the creator and founder of CORE seminars for Teens and Adults, Creator and Facilitator of Women’s Retreats and the author of Is Raising Your Teen a Piece of Cake?
Gail’s newest book Love More, Resent Less is due out in 2020!
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![5 Essential Practices for a Happier Life: #2]()
Jan 11, 2020
Here we all are again! Alive, hopefully well, and reading this post in the New Year of 2020. New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday as I love that there are no presents to buy or big meals to prepare and it is a time of reflection about the past and projection about the future. I love making resolutions, taking time to see where I want to focus and improve my life. Of course, I may start out with good intentions and commitment but then abandon ship and go back to old habits. However, I love re-focusing and stepping up in my life to live with more personal integrity, being true to myself, taking a moral inventory and making the changes needed for a more fulfilling life.
I have been fortunate, blessed, lucky to have the life I have. Good health, a great marriage and family, so many friends and have had the means to experience a multitude of good times. The life I lead has been a combination of luck and making good choices and working hard and that I was born privileged (something I had no control over, I always find it interesting that people get all haughty that they were born white in the US as if there was something so special about them, instead of acknowledging the complete random circumstance of their birth). I recognize daily that I am one of the few on the planet having the great life I do. I am saddened by the fires in Australia, angry about what our country started with Iran which resulted in the tragic result of the civilian plane crash, I am worried about global warming and its impact on every living entity on the planet. My heart goes out to anyone struggling with cancer and poor health problems, and with the grief of losing people and pets we love. There is so much to be sad and angry about in this world. And, there is so much to be grateful for and so much beauty and love and goodness in the world. It is truly a cluster fuck of all that is bad mixed with all that is good. I don’t think human or animal life has been anything but this–joy and suffering combined.
As I look back on the good and fortunate life I have got to live for 64 years I am profoundly grateful. As, I look forward to the years ahead I realize suffering is always knocking at the door, so I open the window today to the joy, the blessings and all that is good at this moment in my life. I am well aware that everything changes, and that nothing is permanent. This moment as I write this is a joyful moment. I am savoring it.
I am grateful for you, readers, and I wish you open windows that bring love, good fortune and blessings into your life in 2020!
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Dec 14, 2019
Join me and other women who love to grow, and who value honest, open and insightful conversations regarding our lives. Where are you now, where do you want to go from here and how are you currently navigating? Learn new concepts to apply to your life and gain clarity on who you aspire to be, to keep growing and to take a look at what is next for you in your life.
April 4th and 5th in Surprise, AZ Bask in some warmth and sun!
Stay tuned for more details. Email me at [email protected] if interested!
