To be honest, everyone wants more of something – happiness, health, love, time, satisfaction, success. In fact, most of us know what to do, we just make a choice not to do it. Instead of taking action to create positive changes, we blame, complain and make excuses for ourselves.

This is how we get stuck. We let our negative thought patterns become so entrenched that we fail to even notice them. They become this part of our life that we let lead us astray. This is why it is so important to have a daily practice of reflection.

It is through reflection we can see ourselves more clearly. We will discover personal insights and learn from our past. We also gain the knowledge that allows us to make the choice to take action and create the life we want.

• Take time every day to check in, see where you are
• Are your actions and choices are creating what you want?
• Find an action that you want to follow
• Then, make the choice to follow through on that action
• Repeat daily!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Here is a helpful hint. The next time you feel stressed-out, instead of turning on the television, try going outside for a walk and reconnecting with nature. It is amazing how quickly you can feel the harmony that is always available in nature. The splendor of the sky alone can shift your mood and widen your perspective. The uniqueness of the sounds that only nature can provide can change your mood and how you are looking at today.

In fact, the more you appreciate the beauty, peace and wonder of this planet, the faster you will feel more complete and realize more about who you are and where you fit in. You will experience the immediate restorative effect of nature's perfect order and energy. It is quite overwhelming when you bring yourself to a place of being fully present and tuned in.

By learning a natural way to nourish your mind, body and spirit you create an early Christmas by giving yourself one of the greatest gifts you can; peace and harmony.

• Take the time to spend some time restoring in nature this week
• Be present and experience life with all of your senses
• Be aware of what calls to you and catches your attention
• Pay attention to how even 15 minutes outdoors can recharge your life!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

The ability to maintain has risen in the collective consciousness on many people. Now, we think about the impact of what we purchase and make better choices in those purchases, to ensure our actions support the health and well-being of our planet and those inhabit this place with us. Still, when it comes to our personal energy and well-being, it seems that sustainability has a long way to go.

Many times we push ourselves to the point of habitual exhaustion. We deplete our ready reserves. We leave no breathing room for dealing with the unexpected challenges of life. And we fail to see that more effort is not always a winning game plan.

If we are to achieve sustainable success, we must learn how to better manage our personal energy, physical energy, emotional energy, mental energy and our spiritual energy. Through one simple daily practice we can create positive habits that keep us healthy, motivated and energized every day.

• Begin by evaluating your energy level and see how you are feeling
• Then take one positive action to restore your energy every day
• Finally, repeat this action for 30 days to make it habit!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

It is quite impressive how much we know about ourselves or is it too little. Nevertheless, it is far less impressive how often we actually listen to our inner wisdom and put it into action to make constructive changes in our lives.

There is an exercise that is frequently used in workshops to help people see the obvious. It is a Life Review exercise. This training provides the 20/20 hindsight we often wish we had (and quite often do). It goes something like this.

Take the time to imagine you are 95 and the end is near. You have just been given the ability to go back in time and change the course of your life. You do this by sharing the wisdom you have gained. What advice would you give your younger self? Whatever you are thinking now, do that!

Choose to take an honest and compassionate look at your life this week. Learn to listen to your inner wisdom and act on it. Then, enjoy creating the life you already know is possible.

• Make the effort to set aside about 20-30 minutes this week
• In that time, complete the Life Review reflection
• Then, make the choice to put one piece of your wisdom into action, today!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

When you were a child you did not need to be told to go out and play. It was all you wanted to do – play with your friends, laugh and explore.

As it turns out, that a sense of playfulness is actually very good for us – even more so as adults. This playfulness is one key to strengthening our mental, physical and emotional well-being.

When you choose to play – you naturally relax, release and unwind. You lower your stress level, connect to your creativity and open your hearts to areas it has not seen in some time.

This week, make time to go out and play. Trigger your creativity. It is a great way to strengthen your appetite for life.

• Find those things that amuse you, the things that make you happy
• Choose to spend time with people you enjoy
• Stop being afraid to laugh and nurture your sense of playfulness
• Finally, don’t take life that seriously and connect to your creativity, the inner you, and have fun. It will change your life!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

It is amazing how quickly our living spaces fill up. It seems that hanging on to “things” makes us feel safe, secure and complete. Remarkably, all our “things” also leave us feeling stressed, overwhelmed and exhausted.

Our environments have a significant impact on our energy levels, creativeness and enthusiasm. It is important that we intentionally create positive environment around us so it can support us in creating the life we strive for.

By simply removing the clutter and excess we create an open, clear and expansive new energy. I encourage you to give it a try. Take the time to intentionally create a positive environment that will connect you to more of your full capacity. Make your environment a strength instead of a weakness!

• Start by getting rid of what you no longer need
• Just clear out the clutter
• Then, create spaces around you that feel peaceful and secure.
• Finally, reap the benefits of a positive environment!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

There are days when life can feel like an ongoing series of never ending responsibilities. While you move through every experience waiting for the next, you find yourself hoping to find a moment just to catch your breath. Has this ever happened to you? It has happened to me, many times.

Catching a breath is exactly what you need more of when you are pushing through these cycles of responsibilities. You have to get through them. Breathing exercises will release the stress that drains your energy, productivity and overall happiness. And, it just feels good!

It is amazing how quickly you can bring yourself back to a center ground by simply taking three deep breaths. While there are several studies that prove that conscious breathing works, experiencing the benefits for yourself allows you to see that the proof is in the results.

Starting today, make it a daily practice to begin and end every day with three deep breaths.

1. Begin by taking a breath to become Present and find your bearing – feel your breath moving in and out at a nice even pace
2. Second, take a breath to Center yourself – feel your calm, peaceful balance return
3. Third, take a breath to Ground yourself and begin anew – feel a deeper connection, anchor in and stabilize your emotions

That’s it. I have found that this exercise helps me to stay focused, remove anger and give me an overall feeling of relaxation and stability. I know you will too!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

There is nothing like a good crisis to capture your full attention. It is amazing how quickly you can focus on what really matters when the rug is pulled out from under you.

Of course, the benefit of life's challenges is that you become much more willing to look within, reflect on your life and learn from your mistakes. You will start to see your patterns. You will discover what we value. And you will see what it takes to make the positive changes in your life.

The world continues to live in a state of uncertainty, and living the good life has taken on a new meaning. Substance replaces image, as the timeless principles of authenticity, compassion, integrity and creativity come to the foreground.

You do not need to be in crisis to clearly see your priorities. In fact, it is much more beneficial to you when you choose to create the life you want from a position of strength.

• Start by making a list of your top ten values
• Second, pinpoint how you will consciously choose to live your values
• Finally, check in to see how you are doing every week

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Early in life we learn that one of the fastest ways to make friends, and fit in, is to be agreeable. It is just so easy to say, “Yes!” And there is a lot of positive reinforcement when we agree with others.

What is even more subtle are the sacrifices we make in the spirit of pleasing others. We conveniently set aside our own morals and ethics in order to please those around us. However, when our personal needs go unmet for too long we are left feeling depleted to downright resentful.

Learning when to say no is a very good thing. It means you know your limits and respect yourself enough to take care of yourself, a notion that might conflict with our desire to be liked by others. Make the choice to set some healthy boundaries and establish the support you need for a happier, healthier life!

• Begin by Identifying where you need to set some healthy boundaries
• Then, practice honoring those boundaries every day
• Finally, pay attention to how it feels and what you are learning

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!

Looking for an easy way to restore and revitalize your sense of well-being and feel happier? If so, pay a visit to Mother Nature today and soak in her natural energy and a little extra Vitamin D too.

There are a series of studies in the Journal of Environmental Psychology that have shown the positive effects being in nature has on the human perspective. Yes, the mere presence of nature holds one of the keys that connects us to our Creator. And it does not get any easier than this.

By simply being in the presence of nature for as little as 20 minutes in one stretch can and does strengthen our feelings of vitality and health. Nature also leaves us feeling more compassionate and generous. We flourish when we stay connected to the great outdoors.

I woke up today at 7 o’clock after having a horrible night’s sleep. I chose to go for a walk and admire the beauty that has been provided for me. Now, I feel refreshed, relaxed and revitalized! So, in my case, doctor…heal thy self!

Make the time to get out and recharge in nature!

• Make the time to go for a 20 minute walk outside
• Try to listen to the sounds of nature
• Take notice of all of the beauty that surrounds you
• Be thankful for what you have!

Remember, life can ALWAYS BE BETTER!