What matters most!

What an interesting question. For me, it is whatever I am focused on at that very moment.

What I realized this past week is that what matters most to me are my children, my family my close friends and you, the women that I serve. Why, you ask?

Well, because in the end, it is the legacy of today that matters.

For me, my legacy is the kind of mother I am to my children and what difference I make in the lives of others.

I have two boys ages 11 and 14. When I was playing with my kids this week over vacation, laying in bed reading with them, getting a snuggle in the morning when they woke up, eating meals together, talking…I realized just how much I was giving to them while doing nothing but loving them, what matters most.

So often, when we get divorced, we begin to focus on the divorce more and more as time moves forward.

We think more and more about:

· the unfairness and inequity of it all
· the horrible “ex” that we have
· the deal that we are negotiating
· how we are going to “show him”
· and other types of negative things.

What happens when we shift our focus to these things is a detachment from what matters most to what upsets us most.

Not only are thoughts energy, but these increased types of thoughts begin to attract that negative energy.

The challenge is to maintain a focus on what DOES matter most which usually makes us smile, happy and inspired. When these are your thoughts, that is exactly what you will attract and when the good stuff will begin to happen!

If you are among the many who have lost your focus on what matters most, let me help you!

The following are a bunch of questions designed to help you begin to explore this idea and bring you back to what’s most important!

SELF REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

The most important thing in the world to me is:

I feel important when:

What is fun to you?

What is essential to you?

What do you need?

What can’t you live without?

What makes life worth living? Why do you get up in the morning?

I hope you have enjoyed this exercise and that you will make sure to take the time enjoy and indulge in what matters most to you!

I would be happy to indulge you in a ½ hour strategy coaching session to guide you through this exercise, simply email me at laura@lauracampbellcompanies.com and we can set up the time!

I hereby give you permission to protect yourself!

If you are like me, this is the worst economic recession that we have lived through. And as luck would have it, we are going through it as single women and single mothers!

We can approach this time in two ways:

1. we can join the rest of the world by diving into the pool of “doom and gloom”, dismal forecasts and depressing statistics, or

2. we can stay focused on what we know we need to be doing and put up our invisible shield from all that will distract us physically, emotionally and psychologically.

So, what will it be for you?

I have chosen to protect myself and my personal life plan from being derailed by the world around me!

My priorities have shifted since this economic downturn began and they are now ordered as follows:

1. creating a new financial plan

2. developing a strategic plan for my business and professional development

3. focusing on the parenting of my two children

4. embracing new relationships

5. nurturing my health and well-being

6. initiating a new self care regime into my life

Together, these make up my 2009 Life Plan and allow me to fulfill all the areas of my life that need my attention.

While a year or so ago I was much more focused on what was going on around me, today I am narrowing my focus to those things that are most important to me:

· my security
· my health
· my family
· my ability to serve and support women through my business
· my wellness

Have you taken the time to identify what matters most to you?

Often when we feel overwhelmed and anxious, looking inward and reconnecting with what matters most will help to calm our sense of urgency and desperation.

All the answers are already within you!

You possess all that you need to move forward!

Now it is only a matter of tapping into your SELF and your inner resources. You can only do that when you are tuned in…all that you see and hear on tv, the radio and the newspapers will pull your attention away from what you need to focus on.

1. Activate your personal protective shield!

If there is something truly necessary for you to know, I promise you will know about it! Turn off the tv and stop reading the paper! Rather, bring out your ipod or pop in a CD and enjoy whatever music makes you feel good! You don’t need the anxiety of the government, the stock market and the country to motivate you…you are your own motivator! Or, visit the library and take out a motivational audio tape or a book on tape and enjoy something uplifting!

2. Create a new morning ritual!

Instead of waking up to the hustle and bustle of your normal routine, try setting your alarm for 20 minutes earlier. Wake up and read a chapter of a good book. Grab a mat and stretch for 10 minutes. Put on your favorite meditative music, close your eyes and imagine doing your favorite activity! Give yourself the opportunity to welcome in the day in a positive and relaxed way!

3. Set your daily intention!

Carve out 10 minutes each morning to set your intention for the day. Close your eyes and imagine how the day will go. Visualize how your interactions with your kids, your colleagues, your clients, or anyone else will look and what you want to accomplish during the day. See your successes before they happen!

4. “Take time to smell the roses”!

When the world around us is uncertain and unstable, it is more important than ever to take the time to acknowledge those things around us that are stable! The beautiful blue sky, the sound of your children laughing, the smile that a stranger bestows upon you… There is an incredible amount of beauty in the world around us. During times of challenge, we tend to forget to see that which is right in front of us.

5. Tune into your body!

Our bodies are amazing machines! They know what we need without us even thinking about it. Listen to your body! When it needs sleep, give it sleep. When it needs nourishment, nourish it. When it needs attention, give it attention. It is the greatest gift we have and it needs to be taken care of.

These tips will help you to weather the road ahead and nourish the parts of you that are your inner compass! Take good care of and protect your greatest asset…yourself!

What is passion? Passion is defined as “feeling very strongly about a subject or person, usually referring to feelings of intense desire and attraction, to be very passionate about something”.

As we all know, passion can be positive and passion can be negative.

I define passion as being “juiced” about something. To get that feeling of having your heart race, being breathless, and euphoric!

It could be a person, an experience, an activity, a job…anything that gets you going is what passion is all about.

The question is, do you feel passion?

Is there enough in your life that you feel passionately about?

If the answer to these questions is YES, then congratulations, you are a very fortunate person and my wish is that you never lose that feeling and those experiences!

If your answer was NO to either question, then perhaps an exploration of this word is in order!

Remarkably, we all experience many things that get us excited, however we are not always aware that we are experiencing this passion at the time. With all of the areas of our lives that need our attention, it is often hard to know when we are feeling passion because we are so busy multi-tasking and moving on to the next thing.

If we neglect to both recognize and to fully appreciate these feelings in our lives, especially our relationships, we will, over time, lose touch with just how to do it. At that point, these parts of our lives will begin to suffer.

Perfect examples are our children or our partner, whether a spouse or significant other. In the beginning, we are enamored by both. The newness of a relationship or the birth of our children, offer us an incredible euphoria! We can sit and daydream about them, feel the flutter of excitement and enjoy the daily passion that comes at this stage.

But then, life sets in. Our jobs, demands, life, responsibilities and challenges draw our attention away from this ecstasy! In our effort to manage all that we have to do, we forget to carve out the time to see and experience the true passion that we have for our partner and/or our children.

The passion is still there, but it is our overwhelm and self imposed pressures that create the “noise” in our lives and make it difficult for us to hear and feel the euphoria that we still possess.

Here are five steps for opening yourself up to reconnecting to the passion in your life:

Step One: Clarity

Light a candle, grab a piece of paper and a pen and take a little time to write down what passion means to you. What does it look like? What does it feel like? When was the last time that you felt that kind of passion?

Step Two: Priorities

Next, create a list of the things in your life that you feel passionately about. If you feel passionate about skiing and you have not been skiing in five years, it should still be on this list. Just because you have not been doing it doesn’t mean that you can’t in the future.

After you make the list, prioritize it in order of how passionately you feel about each item.

Step Three: Time Management

Next to each item on your list, write the following:

· how often you feel passion for it
· how much time do you devote to doing it or feeling passion about it
· how might you find more time to devote to it

Step Four: Creativity

Next, you will need to write down all of the ways that you currently derive passion for each item. In addition, explore and brainstorm all of the ways that you might be able to more fully enjoy the passion that you do feel about each one.

If you love to ski and have not found a way to integrate into your life, how might you be able to welcome this into your life in a new and different way?

Step Five: Indulgence

Most importantly, make the commitment to yourself to fully indulge in all of the things in life that you feel passionately about.

Find time, create time and take time to FEEL the passion that stirs within you!

When you have completed these steps, share them with your family, friends, spouse/significant other, kids and anyone else who is in your support circle.

Share with them your new commitment to passion and its presence in your life!

Let them know that to feel PASSION will ultimately enhance your ability to create a life of fulfillment and enjoyment. And when you do that, you will be a better woman, mother, spouse, girlfriend, friend, daughter and all of the roles that you enjoy!

Go for it!

Research suggests that January is the saddest and most depressing month for individuals.

• Resolutions loom large
• The surge of holiday festivities is over
• Winter has set in
• We do more reflection during this month

I can’t say I agree…January for me is a month to set the tone for my entire year!

It is the time when I make commitments to myself, my children and others. Spring seems right around the corner and I begin to focus on what will be instead of what was!

The good news is…it is now February!

So many of you have been writing to me with what you are experiencing right now. Your concerns, overwhelm, and anxiety around the many areas of your life that you need to manage is clear!

In response to all that you have shared with me, I have decided to begin a FREE Monthly Teleseminar Series next month!

I have invited a special Guest Expert each month to join me in sharing useful information, tools, resources and guidance with you!

Each Guest Expert will represent a different subject area and will be available to answer and questions that you may have.

I will be recording each of these calls so that if you’re unable to make it for any reason, you can listen to the recording at your convenience.

The calls will take place at 9:00 EST and will last one hour in duration.

My hope is that these calls will:

1. create an easy way for you to become familiar with the concept of teleclasses and online learning!

2. give you just the boost you need each month to continue focusing on creating your new life!

3. provide an opportunity for you to take ONE hour for yourself each month!

The first Monthly Teleseminar will take place on Wednesday, February 11 at 9:00 EST.

I will be sending you a separate email with the details about this fantastic call and expert! To register for email updates and further information, please click here.

Despite the economic, personal and professional challenges we are all facing, this is also a time for radical change!

We have seen a radical change in government.
A radical change in the economy.
A radical change in employment.

What does all this mean? It means Opportunity!

History has shown us that these times of radical change are cyclical and we are going to see a shift all across the country and the world. And, this change will not all be “bad”. There will be wonderful creation and innovation that comes out of this massive shift!

If we don’t keep ourselves open to new opportunities and possibilities, and live in fear, overwhelm and anxiety…we will not see these opportunities when they present themselves!

This is the time for you to take control of your life instead of it controlling you!

Do whatever it takes to calm your mind, body and soul and keep your eyes, your heart, your mind and your emotions open to what will be!