My friend Angela Fobianke has an idea…a dream….the idea is a work in progress, and it’s something worth considering.

With all the concern about insurance, the government getting involved, the debate…isn’t it time for some other ideas?

This idea isn’t perfect. But it’s an idea, it’s a start, a new way of thinking, and it’s sure-as-sunshine time for that.

Angela’s dream is to have a community hospital that’s not-for-profit. People are “members,” not policy holders. And it’s affordable as well as sustainable.

Worth considering, at least. Maybe your ideas add to the dream….

http://communityhospitals.wordpress.com/author/communityhospitals/

Is It Time For You to Go For Your Dreams?

I’m going to be wild and a bit crazy today.

I’m going to encourage you to go cold turkey…put down the remote, step away from the television, the newspaper, talk radio…just for seven days.

So many of us habitually watch TV, flip through the paper, turn on the radio and get wound up.

(I do promise you that if something really big happens in the world, you’ll hear about it. Others will be happy to let you know about it!)

We’re heading into spring, even in colder climates. Trees are budding, flowers are poking through snow, birds are returning, the days are longer and warmer, and it’s time, more than ever, to work on those New Year’s Resolutions.

Did you decide to lose a few pounds? Be more engaged in life? Did you decide four months ago that this was the year you were going to get fit?

Turning off the television and getting away from the media can help with that.

How? By giving us room to breathe.

Bad news brings us down. It sucks us in and sucks us dry. I’m advocating that we spend much less time on things that drain energy and more time creating and enjoying.

Even if all we watch is one hour a day of TV, by the end of the week, that’s almost a full work day. What could we accomplish with that time? More time with friends and family? Tossing a Frisbee? (Getting fit and being outside!) Walking the dog? Trying a new hobby? Preparing something from scratch? Could you use that time to learn something new? To keep those resolutions that seemed so important in December?

If nothing else, a media fast teaches us a thing or two about life. (I was really resistant to the media fast the first time I did it. In fact, I was angry when requested to do it. But I learned so much from the experience that I made it a way of life. I haven’t turned on my TV for weeks, and I once went five years without a television at all.)

Why not, as the weather turns more beautiful, enjoy the sunset instead of the next episode of Idol?

If nothing else, in the media fast week, you’ll learn a few things about yourself.

I’m here for you. I’ll support you in this, I’ll hold your hand. But mostly, I want to know what the experience teaches you.

Here’s to you and creating the space for your dreams to show up!

Greetings from Whistler, BC, the site of the 2010 Olympic downhill skiing events and Sliding Center!

It’s been an amazing experience to be here at the Olympics, watching people chase their dreams. We came out to support luger Ruben Gonzalez, competing for Venezuela.

As you know, the unthinkable happened. A young Georgian luger tragically died on turn sixteen at the Whistler Sliding Center while pursuing his Olympic dream.

I was impressed by the way the other athletes were undeterred–shaken, but not stirred to quote a famous character.

And I learned a lot from the experience of watching others.

A couple of days later, I took an impressive fall on one of Whistler’s magnificent ski runs. (I felt much better when I saw an Austrian Olympian crash on the same run!) I landed chin first and ended up with whiplash from the impact.

I was lucky. First of all, I wasn’t seriously injured. Second of all, I was skiing with a coach who knew all the right things to say to get me headed back down the slope. My confidence took as much of a beating as my ego and my body. But deep down, I wanted to go for experience completely, totally…despite the risk, despite the fear.

I skied the next day, as well, not wanting to pass up the opportunity to ski in a part of the world I may never get back to. The Canadian Rockies are majestic and impressive

We all have places in our lives where we want to go for it, to experience life fully. We may experience fear (I certainly did after my ski crash), but we shouldn’t let fear deter us. It may involve risk, as well. We need to be smart, make sure we cover our bases (helmets, protective gear, taking lessons, etc.), but when we have a dream, we should chase it, whether it’s writing a book, taking a trip, racing a car.

I’m happy to report that Ruben slid well. I’m happy to report that I’m feeling a whole lot better (thanks, Coach!). And what was the take-away from watching others chase their dreams…? I’m planning a trip to the Olympics in London to be inspired all over again.

Being around people who are inspired is inspiring.

So, if you want to write, find other writers. If you want to be the best, find a coach and others who are doing what you want to do.

Bottom line…? Chase your dreams!

We’re here in magical Whistler, Canada for the Winter Olympics. It’s an amazing experience, an international cornucopia of people all gathered for fun and competition.

We traveled to Canada to support Ruben Gonzalez (thelugeman.com), a talented athlete who has qualified for his unprecedented fourth Olympics in hair-raising sport of luge.

This morning, the unthinkable happened. A young man from Georgia tragically died. It was a freak accident on turn sixteen during final luge practice. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, countrymen, fellow athletes, and everyone who enjoys the sport.

A lot of people who had a loved one competing in a dangerous sport may see this horrific even as a reason to take a deep breath and step back.

I see it as a chance to recommit to what matters most.

When we are involved in an event or when we love someone who goes for it, whether we are a parent, spouse, brother, sister, friend, or lover, we need to ask ourselves an important question…such as: how can we really support someone?

It’s easy to come from a place of fear. There are many of us who’d like to tell the people we love to be a bit more cautious. Maybe they shouldn’t train so hard. Maybe they should find a different sport. Maybe they shouldn’t travel the world alone. Maybe they shouldn’t take so many risks.

And maybe we should ask ourselves if we’re allowing our fears to rule us.

We’re not meant to live our lives wrapped in cotton wool. And we’re not here to suffocate others and suffocate their dreams, no matter how well-intentioned we believe we are. It’s by taking risks that we grow, evolve. By pushing and going for it, we become the people we are meant to be.

I’m not saying go forth and be stupid. I’m saying be smart, take reasoned and well-calculated risks. Know what you’re doing. Have the right protective gear. Get the right training.

If your kid wants to play hockey (like mine did), get him a helmet and plenty of padding. If your daughter wants to be the next downhill racer, get her lessons, a coach, and the right gear. If your friend wants to travel the world, ask her to send you a scarf from Cambodia.

I’m reminded of the amazing story of Shaun White’s mother. All of us know Shaun as an amazingly talented snowboarder who has taken the sport to new levels. When he had a serious accident skateboarding, one where he fractured his skull, his brave mom took him back to the skate park.

I’m willing to bet she was scared witless when she took him back for the first time. She felt the fear that any loving mom would have. But she put it aside. Her courage helped her son become one of the most amazing athletes on the planet.
Where can you be bold? Where can you encourage those you love to reach for their dreams?

Life is experienced fully only when we go for it, only when we chase our dreams.

Good luck to all the 2010 Olympic athletes. Good luck to anyone who lives large and digs deep for the guts to do it. Go, Ruben Gonzalez!

Yesterday, I traded in an intense workout for a massage.

And I had to ask myself: was that the best choice?

I have a confession. I’m going to be wild and crazy and sign up for this summer’s Warrior Dash. It’s an insane event, inspired by Navy SEAL training, American Gladiators, and Ironman competition. There will be lots of running, even in a river. You have to negotiate cargo nets, climb walls, crawl under razor wire, leap over fire.

Oh, and did I mention that the event will be held at Copper Mountain, Colorado, with an elevation of 12,000 feet? And that running? Part of it is up a ski run!

You’re told not to sign up if you don’t like to get muddy and dirty.

I have never wanted to do any of those things.

But, at the urging of my trainer, and the shaking heads of people (obviously) smarter than I am, I’m going to go for it.

It’s good to put an event on the calendar to inspire and motivate us. (Or, in this case, scare us!) Besides, if I tell my clients to go for it, I have to, as well…the whole walking the talk thing.

So, back to the massage versus the “300″ workout.

I’m in training for this event. I need to have strength and endurance for Warrior Dash.

But last night, I was just sore and tired. I had taken some time off from training while I traveled and my first workout caused me some pain.

So I opted for a massage. Instead of blowing off my first “300″ workout of the year, I rescheduled it.

We owe it to ourselves to listen to our bodies. We need plenty of rest and exercise, and we need to eat well. We need to recognize that sometimes we need to be easy with ourselves. And we owe it to ourselves to pursue our goals and not let ourselves off the hook.

Instead of skipping a workout, reschedule it. If we eat too much junk food, just make a better choice at the next meal.

No regrets, no recrimination, just choices that take us toward, not away from the things we say we want.

Here’s to you. What are you “going for” in 2010? (And if by chance you want to Warrior Dash, too, www.warriordash.com.)

Is the time right…?

This week has been exciting, with the debut of Avatar. (Wait, this is not a movie review. In fact, I’ve yet to see the movie!)

What this is about is going for it.

James Cameron had the idea for Avatar at least a decade ago. He wrote the treatment for the movie back in the 90s. (Yeah, last century!)

Until now, technology didn’t exist to create his vision.

So, what dream have you had on the back burner because the time wasn’t right? Perhaps techology didn’t exist that would help you create what you wanted. Perhaps you didn’t have enough time or money. Maybe you were just paralyzed by fear.

But you have a dream, an idea, something cooking on the back burner. And I’m asking…is the time right now?

One person responded to this question by saying he’d leave the country, maybe via a cruise, for the first time. Another said he wanted to take a trip with his wife, the honeymoon they’d never had. Another is actually going to start writing. Another is going to complete a web site. One person said this is the year she pays off the last of that credit card debt.

I’m not talking about a resolution or a new habit, something you might beat yourself up about later.

What I am talking about is a dream, something intense and real, something you want to create.

And I’m asking, again, is the time right?

If so, here’s to you, here’s to “going for it,” here’s to your Avatar!

It’s definitely that time of year, when we start to think of resolutions, of new habits. This will be the year I finally…

Well, unless we understand how our brains work and harness that energy, that change may be more difficult than we counted on. In less than a month, we’ll be back to our old ways and dreaming of next year.

Changing our behavior is challenging, but it’s not impossible. And the rewards make the effort more than worthwhile. Think of the feeling of accomplishment of meeting your goals. Think of the empowerment, the rewards, and the impact on your self-esteem.

First, let’s understand the challenge. We don’t change without first having the thought that we want to change. The desire attached to that thought determines whether the change we want will actually work for us. As Napoleon Hill says, “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”

The region of our brain called the basal ganglia controls cognition, learning, voluntary movement, and movement coordination. This is the place we “store” repetitive behavior, such as driving a car, so that we don’t have to consciously think of each step when we get behind the wheel.

Here’s the tricky part. New skills and ideas, as well as information, has to go through the prefrontal cortex. We move skills, ideas, info into the basal ganglia through repetition. Sounds easier than it actually is. Since the prefrontal cortex uses a lot of energy, our brains resist this. It’s easier to do what we’ve always done. (This explains why we give into temptation and sleep in on a Saturday morning instead of getting up and going to the gym!)

So how do we outsmart our brains? Repetition, repetition, repetition.

As Nathaniel Emmons says, “Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters.” We’ve heard it takes twenty-eight days to establish a new habit, and that’s a great place to start.

To really create new neural pathways, we need to do something for sixty to ninety days. And guess what? It takes up to 180 days (yep, half a year!) to have the information stored in the basal ganglia.

The good news is, by then, the new habit, the new strategy is second nature. Even better news, we can do this with several items at once. We can learn new eating habits, new writing discipline, and begin a savings plan, all at the same time.

With a goal, with the desire, with the determination, and with understanding how our brains can be outsmarted, success is within reach!

Here’s to YOUR success!

     Abundance isn’t just about the money your bank account. It’s a state of mind. No matter how much, or how little we have, we can always share.

This thoughtful blog is provided by Cathy Forsythe, a Realtor extraordinaire, a woman who lives what she teaches.

Take a Smile and Pass It On
Or
Share the Abundance

We’ve talked about sharing your money. And I still think giving it away is a vital habit for all of us to get into. The rewards, both physical and spiritual, are endless, and the benefits to others cannot be measured.

But there’s more. (There always is, isn’t there?)

What about how we live our lives, each and every day, and how we interact with others? Can that also be a form of tithing?

Have you ever stood in line beside someone who is arguing with a clerk in the store because the clerk cannot do what the customer wants? The clerk is miserable, the customer is obviously miserable and everyone around them is uncomfortable, another form of misery. Now maybe that customer has just had a very bad day, maybe they have a family emergency, maybe they just had a fight with a family member—but that does not give them the right to pass it on. And it is not the clerk’s fault, she is are only doing her job. But after this customer leaves, satisfied or not, what has happened to the clerk’s attitude? Is that attitude passed on?

When I’m exposed to a situation like this, I make every effort to make that same clerk smile before I leave. I always have an extra smile and am more than willing to share it. Isn’t this a form of tithing? Does it cost you anything?

Do the words “please” and “thank you” cost you anything? And yet when you use them, with feeling, of course, you leave a deposit of gratitude in someone else’s day. Don’t just mutter the words, say them from the heart, share the joy.

Hold the door open for someone, pick up a dropped item, share a joke with anyone who is having a bad day. It’s easy, it’s simple, and it won’t cost you a penny. So give up the excuse that you don’t have enough money to tithe. Sharing what you have will still bring riches and abundance your way. It will also bring a new level of joy into your life that will draw prosperity to you like a magnet. Bring the joy into your life, then pass it on. There are many who will benefit from even the smallest gesture of warmth and gratitude.

Harnessing Your Energy

If you’re like me, you don’t have enough hours in the day. Do you ever wonder what you could do with more energy, more pizzazz? Could you accomplish something really great, set the world on fire? Or if that’s a stretch, would you settle for being able to get out of bed without hitting the snooze button half a dozen times? How about falling asleep without a cocktail to the shut up the monkeys in your head?

There are tools we can use to managing our energy and be more effective.

First of all, taking care of ourselves needs to be a priority (otherwise we’ll continue dragging our butts all the way to the finish line, never mind setting the world on fire!).

When you’re looking at your energy level, pay attention to the great science being uncovered in this area. We need 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Sleep is where we rest, rejuvenate, heal and help our hormones balance—and this can help with us having a healthy weight. That’s right. Getting enough sleep can help regulate your weight.

Fueling our bodies with healthful foods makes a huge difference in our energy level. By eating every few hours, we don’t end up overly hungry and making choices that don’t support the demands of our busy lives. By eating healthy, we can help our blood sugar levels and avoid spikes and crashes. Darn it, I’ve learned I feel better after a breakfast of a scrambled egg with spinach and a multi-grain English muffin than I do after a cup of coffee with French vanilla creamer.

Eating within an hour of getting up helps jump start your metabolism. No joke. If you eat correctly, at the correct times, you can eat more and weigh less. Ask your dietician. You’ll have more energy and avoid feeling sluggish.

Regular exercise, including cardio and weight-bearing activities, are a huge help. (Of course, see a doctor before you get going on an exercise program!)

We all need breaks from stress, too. What rejuvenates you? A bath? A little NFL? Dinner with friends? Boating? Skiing? Hiking? Camping? Hunting?

Just as taking a daily shower or having a morning dose of caffeine is a habit, we can establish other healthy habits. We can choose to support, rather than drain ourselves mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

Why not pick a place to start? You don’t have to overwhelm yourself, since you’re probably overly stressed to begin with. Perhaps consider starting with the rejuvenation piece? What can you do that nourishes yourself or your relationships? A latte with a friend? A burger with a colleague? A massage?

Maybe just eat breakfast a few days a week, and see how you feel on the days you nourish yourself well? If you drink too much caffeine, maybe consider cutting back, just a little.

If you don’t move your body much, how about an evening walk three times a week? Maybe consider some light yoga? (Again, talk to your doc.)

What if you turned out the lights one hour earlier, just twice a week?

What is it that you can do for you? How can you set the world on fire and live a life of excellence? I’d love to hear from you!

Since I love to hike, I decided to get in better shape. Not lugging that extra twenty pounds up the mountain had to make a difference!

I hired a trainer, and we began at the, well, beginning. We spent a four-week segment on stability before moving onto endurance.

We incorporated weight training. I used to be intimidated by weight training. I thought it was for big, burly, manly men. But as I’ve used weights more and more, I’m finding some huge benefits, and to me, the best is that I have an overall sense of wellbeing. According to an article in Everyday Health, strength training not only boosts your energy level, it also boosts your endorphin level.

Who knew I’d get more benefits than getting to the mountaintop a little easier?

Weight Training Has Huge Benefits!

To read the entire article, here’s a link: http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/add-strength-training-to-your-workout.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthWomensHealth_20090911

To your health!