Last week I attended a talk by Tulane graduate Dr. Ned Hallowell, author of the classic international best seller, Driven to Distraction. After a trip down memory lane recalling his Tulane days, he shared his New England childhood struggles with learning differences and how those led to his years of research and successful treatment of both children and adults with ADHD.

Mindfulness for empowerment? Yes! Take 5 minutes now or 5 later, but try this today. In the excitement of work, family and life, I have to consciously make time for self-care. There are times when I find it difficult to believe that I deserve to be so happy and am not as open as I should be to receive love. This is human, yet something I can work on.

Many people seek a coach to help reduce their anxiety. It’s a common problem in our day and age, with the media inflicting images of doom, and gloom glowering from every corner of our cobwebbed minds in the middle of the night.

I’ve had a few interesting conversations lately with clients about days off. One client was back at her childhood home for a vacation and the other was easing into the weekend. Both are in the early relationship stages with their planner. Yes, days off are for relaxing and letting the mind wander: both necessary activities for inciting juices to flow and innovation to spawn.

Studies show that pursuing goals that are in alignment with our core values is a key to happiness. That sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  But what are your core values? If someone asked you now, would your answer be the same tomorrow? What do you value in life?

I recently read an interview with Drew Brees, in which he said, “Focus on moving the chains, man. You move the chains and everything usually works out.” I love this idea! You can make anything happen by consistently taking small steps. Just get that first down.

Happy New Year!

Are you ready for a new and improved you? Let's start the new year off right with some self-reflection. Take a few minutes (or a few pages) to think about how you would answer the following questions:

It’s the end of the quarter, the end of the semester, the end of the year. How did you do this year? Take some time to reflect on what you were able to accomplish. Celebrate everything that you did! Do you keep a planner, agenda or calendar? Look back at all that those tasks you crossed off, all those meetings, all those appointments, all those fun activities that made you you.

When you've been sitting for too long studying for the exam or working on that final paper, try two minutes of mindful movement. By aligning your body and your mind with breath and movement, you can focus even more.  Watch this short video by Cara Bradley and Mindful.org for a two-minute break that will get your blood flowing and your brain working.

Here is an interesting trait you may not have yet discovered: Sometimes you want something to be so perfect that you are afraid of getting started. Or maybe you have to think it through first and have the perfect plan and all of the perfect materials before you get started. Or maybe, you actually got started (woohoo!) and you have been in hyperfocus mode for many hours and now you can’t get back into the real world because what you're working on is just not perfect yet and you can’t let go, so it’s never finished.

Thanksgiving break. Since I’m sure you’ve got the gratitude thing down, so let's focus on the “break.” This is a holiday, a vacation, a break from daily work. We plan our work schedules, and Thanksgiving break also ought to have a place in the planner. For me, it’s a time to spend with my family relaxing.

I saw this sign near the railroad tracks and immediately thought of transitions. Some of us fear them. Change can be difficult, but if you know it’s coming, it’s doesn’t have to feel like a rough crossing. It can be smooth sailing. In fact, just having a positive mindset can make a huge difference already. Something different is coming. Woohoo! Adventure awaits! Bring it on! What do I need to do to get ready?