I Stand Corrected: I am an Overachiever, Underachiever!

I Am the Worst in Class: How much fun is that?

I had to write about my latest experience – maybe you can relate.My work with those dealing with high stress or chronic conditions include many techniques and perspectives.  With all that I teach, there is one more ingredient that is vital to success:  Finding balance by getting back to doing the things that we used to enjoy.  Even if you are unable to do exactly what you used to enjoy, then dive in and try something new. I took my own advice (yes, I was out of balance) and signed up for a jewelry class.  I had always wanted to try this and finally gave myself permission to commit my precious time to a weekly class.  I signed up for a beginners class (an improvement for this overachiever!)  I am learning how to light a torch, how to solder, make a bezel, sand down metal, cut out designs and more. In the class, there are many who have previously taken this class. I had to purchase materials and am happy to report that I did not invest in sterling silver (tempting as that was) for my first project, just to take the pressure off. Our first project was a simple ring, which went well except I jump every time I light the torch, and got tiny cuts from snipping the solder. My first ring turned out well, with a decent soldering job and a bit of hammered texture.  Feel like a kid in art class!   I just finished my third class and must admit I still jump when turning on the torch, but no longer cut myself.  Ahhh, making definite progress. I bring this up because I remember the last class I signed up for a few years back.  It was a mosaic class with students at mixed levels of experience.  Rather than picking a simple coaster for my first project, I decided that I could handle a Lazy Susan.  That was  not challenging enough – I made spiral designs.  No wonder why I quit!  My overachiever was alive and well, derailing me from enjoying myself. I remember a conversation with my older daughter.  I was telling her that I wanted to learn to knit scarves and I was going to take a class.  She laughed at me and said; “Mom, you will either quit in a week or open a knitting store!”  She was correct – I quit after one lesson. I have learned a lot since then.  I am now happy to be the slowest, least knowledgeable in the class.  I am really having fun just being inexperienced me.  After all, aren’t we supposed to have some fun without it being a contest of comparing, competing, and over achieving? When I allow myself to simply be a beginner, I am able to stay present with what I am doing while enjoying the process. I also love a challenge and always will, but allowing myself to balance work with play gives me more stamina and willingness to step up to the hard stuff. Begin to notice when you are comparing yourself with another.  Also, notice when you are comparing yourself to your own high standards. What might happen if you allow yourself to just be where you are?  I would venture to say that your experience will be much richer, less stressful, and enjoyable. Try it and see for yourself.  Feel free to let me know how it goes. Warm regards,

Nothing Exciting to Share – Now That’s Exciting!

I have been picking my brain to send you  something funny and exciting to start the New Year.  Then I dawned on me, there really wasn’t anything profound to tell you. I did take a family vacation in early December to the west coast.It is a rare occasion that my children and their significant others can get together. Nothing earth shattering occurred.  We hiked, ate, swam, and basically chilled out.  A wonderful time was had by all. After returning home, the holidays came and went and though much of it, I had a bad cold.  My work was at a standstill was the Cancer Support Community closes the last two weeks of December and clients are busy. I dealt with insurance companies for hours on end (no excitement does not equal frustration!)  Went to a few doctors, I watched mindless TV (love the Price is Right), slept late, waked the dog, meditated, read, saw my daughter, and hung out with Robert (in our new fireside socks) and the dog. As I write about this, it makes me re-examine excitement.  I relaxed and slowed down.  For a person who loves to feel productive, and be social, it took a lot of unwinding. I would venture to say many of us thrive on “doing” for many underlying reasons, probably the greatest being society’s value on success and productivity.  Now that it is mid- January, I am finally writing a newsletter.  I am sleeping a little later and taking more me time, letting go of trying to make something happen.  Every so often my mind kicks in and tells me I am a lazy bones.  It is good I know when my mind is messing with me.  When that happens I acknowledge the feeling and do a few moments of breathing or meditation to reset my thoughts. So there you have it.  Looking at what I wrote, I would say it is totally awesome just to be me not doing much.  The best part is giving myself permission that it is okay. Not so easy, but quite exciting! Warm regards,

Your Vacation: Leave yourself home and it will be great!

Yeah, Summer Vacation is Here!

Your vacation is around the corner and you are anticipating time filled with play, filling up, and chilling out. You leave your troubles behind- no work, no worries, no business calls (???)  A change of scenery and recharge is around the corner.   You plan, pack, buy new clothes, get your toiletries and  are finally ready to get in the car, or get on the plane to your well planned destination.

There is nothing in your way, except…  Yourself!

YOU are the only thing that you must take with you. This is a problem because there is no escaping the way you deal with life.  A coach once told me- how you do anything is how you do everything. You do vacation the way you do life.  Here are a few examples:

• If you are perfectionist- you will want your vacation to go perfectly.
• If you are a complainer- you will complain about the weather, traffic, delays, food, etc.
• If you are a doer- you will be a busy bee with little down time- after all, you don’t want to miss a thing.
• If you are in a planner- you will miss out on spontaneity.

You might be one or all of these.

The Sichel Vacation

My husband and I recently took a vacation to Maine and Nova Scotia. We planned and booked our flights, our B&B’s, rented a car, and off we went.  My husband has trained me that vacation begins once the door to our home closes (such a wise man.) The trip to airport, the drive to hotel is all part of the vacation.  I have chosen to take that philosophy as well and it works beautifully.

My personality is one of a bit of a combination from the above vacation approaches, and I constantly strive to do it differently.  Here are a few examples:

1.  The weather was not good for most of the trip.  I had to constantly remind myself to let go of how I thought the weather would be and remind myself that the weather is not personal.  Actually, the weather did not get in our way of what we wanted to do and my holding back on complaining (for the most part J) allowed us to have much more fun.

2.  My “doing” personality was forced slowed down- we visited many beautiful sleepy towns.

3.  I must add on an extra perk- The Food!  Seafood… Memorable, delicious, and for the most part healthy. I think I took more pictures of the food than anything else!

4.  Trip home- this could have really have put a damper on the last part of our vacation.  We were delayed over 6 hours and did not take off from a small airport until 11:30 pm.  I could have gotten frustrated, but instead I got out my Fit Bit and got someone’s child to join me and we walked over 3000 steps. His mom,brother, and my husband eventually joined us.  I met some great people and joked and laughed. Delta, brought in pizzas and could not have been nicer.

So what does this have to do with calm living?  Since you cannot leave yourself home from your vacation, you can give yourself permission to shift one small habit. You will catch yourself in old behavior, which will give you a choice to make a shift. Maybe a simple breath is all that is needed when you catch yourself.

Take a moment and notice how you show up to life. Find one area from my list (if you are the perfectionist, please only pick one)  See what small shift you can make. Let me know how it goes.

Bon voyage!

My Two Most Difficult Challenges: Change and Asking for Help!

Change, change, & more change- That is the only constant in life. I see it happening all around me, but when it is my time to change I hold on, leaving claw marks.  I know I am not alone in this. What it is about change that is so challenging and scary?

First, Some Background

Years back B.Y. (before yoga) I was a super duper sales person.  I loved helping people and directing them to what would best suit their needs.  I worked in a wholesale showroom geared to designers.  I would have continued but my Lupus kicked in (and kicked my butt!)  I took a leave of absence that is still going on – that was about 25 years ago (I guess that I have quit by now.)

While in the first few months of my leave, I tried a gentle yoga class and there my journey into the health and wellness field began.  If you want to read more of that story, check out my bio page on my website.

The reason I bring this up is to let you know that in the past year, I have gradually stopped enjoying much of what I am doing in my work. I used to love it, but I am burning out.  I am clear that one big reason is that I am way too isolated and I can say without hesitation – isolation is the enemy.  It is definitely mine.  I spend much too much time with my dog. Although she is very quirky, sometimes inspiring, it is no substitute for human beings.  I am a people person and love to be part of, not apart from.  I have asked myself, what would I tell a client?  I would tell them to be kind to themselves, remember what makes your heart sing and take small action steps.  Hmmm, maybe I should hire myself!

I began to explore what makes me light up and fill up in my current work.  It is when I am speaking to groups, and teaching lunch and learn programs to organizations. I am eye to eye, relating to a group of people. I leave feeling exhilarated and am able to bring my fun, playful nature to this part of my work.

Decision Time

With this realization, I have decided that it is time to make a change.  Change is one of those things that I have a love-hate relationship with.  I am excited to see what is next, but very uncomfortable with the process.  Here is my first incremental change:

I have resigned from the Chemotherapy center and will no longer take private clients. I will finish up the few private clients I am currently working with the passion I have always shown. I am still going to speak mostly to support groups, do book signings, and teach some lunch and learn programs for businesses. I will still write my newsletters – That is it.

Now for The Asking for Help Part…

I know that I love to be busy and have fun, so I am not ready to retire and probably will never be ready. I am looking to work with or for someone. Yes, a job!

Here is what I bring to the table and what I am looking for.  Maybe you know someone you can introduce me to.

• It does not have to be health and wellness- my background of stress management is valuable in any job.
• Prefer part time, but for the right opportunity full time will work
• Selling, but not cold call sales or network marketing (too much my own business)
• Being the face of someone’s the business- their spokesperson
• Working with clients- client advocate
• Customer service/trouble shooting.
• Helping to run events – be it product or service
• Program manager
• PR/Marketing – that is my background
• Connecting people
• Managing a team
• I will travel

Those of you who know me know my strong suits.  Those who do not, here is what a business colleague I had dinner with wrote about me:

     “I met this woman once.
Spent about 2 hours with her.
And won’t ever forget her. 
     That’s just the kind of impact she has. 
     Bright. Witty. Intelligent beyond measure.
You’ll learn a lot from Ellen”

That is me in a nutshell, and so much more…
I am filled with gratitude for what I have done and the people I have met.  I look forward to seeing what my next adventure will be.  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I will stay in touch, and hope you will, too.

Uplifting, Fun, Humbling, Exhilarating, Inspiring & Exhausting:  All Rolled into One Great Weekend!

You might be wondering where I went on vacation.  No, this was not a vacation but an Ataxia Conference.

Many might not know about Ataxia.  I didn’t until I spoke at an Atlanta chapter support group meeting.  I am amazed by how many serious chronic illnesses there are that go unheard of.  Ataxia is a set of symptoms caused by a dysfunction in the cerebellum.  It causes uncontrolled, uncoordinated movements in gate, arms, eyes, or speech.  There are many different types and effects both young and old. Check out this short video clip recorded by Dana Mauro, the partner of someone who has Ataxia.

https://youtu.be/sXNVp-Z9W1k

I had the honor of participating fully in this event: Speaking to 500 people (it was a blast!), running a support group, training the support group leaders, and leading an adaptive yoga class.  Guess I am a woman of many talents!

At the conference, I saw many in wheelchairs, scooters, using service dogs, canes, and walkers.  I saw smiles, laughter, community, fun, families, support, appreciation, and joy. Both loved ones and those with the illness chose to embrace the weekend keeping the focus on solution, rather than the problem.

This reminded me of a Viktor Frankl quote: “Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” That is exactly what I noticed at the conference. The choice enjoy the conference and work around their limitations. Their illness did not define them, but was part of who they are.

What also struck me was how vital it is to have community support and simple solutions in daily life.  This was the main reason many took the time and made the effort to be part of the conference. Ongoing community support is something greatly needed throughout the year.

The importance for support and community is not only for those with chronic illness, but for all of us.  We are not meant to travel the path alone.   I tried it for some time and it is much more fun to be part of, rather than apart from.

Take a look at who is in your circle of support.  Are they living in the solution or focusing on the problem?  Notice if you are a part of community or separate.   If you are in need of more support, take one small step to reach out.

This is the reason I am launching a new virtual program.  I finally set a firm launch date (guess I should read the chapter of my book on procrastination!)

You will find the full scoop here about how to cut through the B.S. can learn some downright useful tools. If you are interested in learning more, shoot me an email.  If you already know you need to be part of a group committed to living in the solution, then go right to the details.

Help… I’m Drowning in the Muck!

When life get difficult and is filled with constant negativity, at some point you feel as if you were hit by a Mack truck. This is especially true for those dealing with chronic illness, difficult life changing events, or caregiving responsibilities. I would venture to say, everyone has experienced this from time to time.

I experienced this recently. This past weekend I visited my mom and new great nephew in NY.  AT 95, my mother watches all of the debates and reads the NY Times daily. She is amazing (and no, I do not have her great genes- I’m adopted!). I spent a lot of time keeping her company as she watched the debates. I also read more of the paper than I am used to.

I noticed that my reactions to small frustrations escalated. The political climate is oozing with negativity and I was above my quotient. I was allowing myself to be “slimed” by negativity- if you watched the movie Ghostbusters, I wanted their de-sliming solution! I needed to find creative ways to cultivate a positive attitude, especially since I was not in the comfort of my home.

The question is:  How do we balance life when there is negativity looming around us? Escaping to a desert island sound compelling, but not practical. I am not advocating avioding or numbing – it is more about learning how to fill up while dealing with negativity. No matter how hard we try, constant negativity will get to us. The truth is, negativity breads negativity.

Here is what I did:

• I realized I was feeling negative-naming it is a big key
• I took a walk, even in the cold NY weather (yes mom, I wore a hat!)
• I upped my meditation time
• I added more Loving Kindness meditation to my practices and repeated the phrases from time to time during the day
• I ate warm fresh NY bagels and nova lox – yum
• I held my adorable baby great nephew-very effective for a quick joy boost
• I made a phone call to someone I trusted and talked about it.  This kept me out of isolating- it is very important not to isolate
• I read an uplifting book by my favorite author of wholehearted living- Brene Brown
• I laughed and joked- humor goes a long way
• I helped my mother and went grocery shopping
• One big area that helps me on a daily basis is doing or focusing on what I love.

I focused on my upcoming presentations:

• Lupus Health & Wellness Seminar March 5
• The Ataxia Conference in Orlando March 31- April 2.
• Most of all, the launch of my virtual No B.S. Calm Living Book Club 

When the focus is on what makes my heart sing, negativity quickly transforms to joy and gratitude.

Creating my newest program is my way of helping others to live in the solution and I have a blast teaching that.

Remember this – no matter what is happening in your life or the world, bring your focus back to small steps to embrace what fills you up.