A Recipe for Feeling Great
By Lisa Martin, The Working Mother's Coach
When you feel good within yourself and about yourself, the result is a happy and self-content you. All the ingredients for your overall well-being are within your reach. Follow the recipe below to get the most out of your life.
1. Two cups of positive selfishness.
Being positively selfish means choosing to spend your time and energy on things that bring you joy and making decisions occasionally that are based on what you need instead of what others want.
Practicing positive selfishness is all about letting go of the harmful emotions you might feel because you took some time for you. It's believing that by serving your self-interests you will, ultimately, better serve the interests of your family, your colleagues and your community. By becoming positively selfish you can be physically and emotionally present at all times, without resentment.
2. One cup of unfaltering commitment to your wellness.
If you view your wellness as integrating body, mind and spirit it will become easier to make your well-being a priority. Use, the wellness wheel to see your physical, mental and spiritual health from a holistic perspective. Visualize a bicycle wheel. See the spokes radiating out from the center to the rim of the wheel; these are the activities you undertake to enhance your wellness. Exercise is one spoke. How you are treating your body in terms of nutrition and rest is one, too. Giving your spirit some time to be renewed, another spoke in your wellness wheel.
You may not always achieve a perfectly circular wellness wheel, but if you're willing to listen to your body and your intuition, they will guide you as you move toward overall wellness.
3. Two cups of daily joy.
Experiencing joy is about paying attention to the small pleasures, appreciating the wonder hidden in the tiny moments of life. Small, basic, everyday things can bring you joy--the smell of fresh coffee, the sound of laughter, the beauty in a blade of grass. Make an effort to slow down for just a moment and practice really seeing and experiencing all the beauty that surrounds you, joy can be found that easily.
4. Five ounces of relaxation.
If you are craving some downtime but not sure where to find it in the midst of all you do and want to do, try starting with five minutes. When you first wake in the morning instead of rolling out of bed and jumping right into your day, just lie there. Lie there for a full five minutes. Just breathe and think of your day ahead.
5. Three tablespoons of doing your best.
Your best is going to be different from situation to situation. It will change depending on how rested you feel, who is involved and where you might be. No matter what the circumstances, the most you can ask from yourself is to do your best.and then remember to acknowledge that you've done your best. It is in this self-acknowledgement that you will be released from angst and regret, and possibly see the humorous side of things.
© Copyright 2007. Briefcase Moms. All rights reserved.
Lisa Martin is a certified coach who inspires working mothers to achieve success that's balanced. Author of
Briefcase Moms: 10 Proven Practices to Balance Working Mothers' Lives, Lisa is a sought-after expert and speaker on work-life balance issues. Known for her very personal and practical approach, Lisa coaches working mothers to know what they want and get what they want. With 20 years of entrepreneurial and corporate experience, Lisa is also the founder and president of
Briefcase Moms - a work-life coaching and training company that helps organizations attract, engage and retain working mothers. A mother herself, Lisa's powerful presentations and programs have helped thousands of women define success and balance on their own terms.
www.briefcasemoms.com