All of us have habits. We speak of healthy habits and unhealthy habits, but most often we associate habits with something negative or trying to overcome a pattern. (Think of smoking, watching too much TV, unhealthy snacking between meals, yelling at the kids...) The truth is that anything we do repeatedly—whether negative or positive, unhealthy or healthy—becomes a habit. Isn't it time to use positive, healthy habits to create the life you want? But how long does it take to break a habit? Is there a way to reset the brain?

People pleasing is a habit for many; it was a way of life for me. Then one evening, I was brainstorming topics for a school paper with my daughter. It's enjoyable generating ideas; I love collaborative ventures. However, she quickly torpedoed my ideas for one reason or another. After a while, I started feeling disheartened and said to her, “If all my suggestions get rejected, what’s the point of me giving ideas?” What she said next turned my world inside out.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

“You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” ~ J.K. Rowling

At one stage or another, we have all experienced failure. It often invokes a negative emotion, which connotes feelings and ideas of defeat, frustration, and disappointment.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

My first experience with visualization was in high school as a springboard diver. My coach requested me to switch from a jackknife (or pike) dive to a layout dive, which had more difficulty and higher points in competition. As you probably know, a layout dive requires the diver’s body to be an unbending plank. My coach was extremely frustrated with me for weeks because no matter how hard I tried to stay straight, I’d bend at the top of the dive. (A diver gets docked in their score for this error.) Every day after diving practice, I’d go home exasperated with myself.

Then the summer preceding [...]

There is a lot of talk about creating a life you love, the law of attraction, and tons on overcoming anxiety and depression. The internet is a smorgasbord of information. You can read and learn about any topic! They range from “How to Attract Your Soul Mate,” to “How to Overcome Anxiety in 5 Easy Steps” to scientific articles like “Change Your Brain and Transform Your Life.”

We don’t have a shortage of virtual advice. Yet, just like overeating at a giant buffet, if you consume too much, the result is indigestion and brain fog. People often come to me for coaching with severe indigestion of [...]

Mind mapping is a fun way to brainstorm ideas, digest information, or organize your thoughts and goals. I'm no stranger to mind mapping; I've created them frequently over the years. It’s fun, effective, and utilizes the natural processes of the brain.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

With all the daily ups and downs and the moment-by-moment challenges that arise in our lives, it's easy to forget that we have a say in how we feel. We have the ability to choose our response no matter what happens (and things do happen). It's called being intentional, and when setting intentions, we bring more joy into our life. We can begin to create the quality of our experience mindfully, even when it doesn’t feel like we have any choice. This is why mindfulness is so powerful.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

A story—and a need for resiliency.

One beautiful autumn evening, after a full day with clients, I was carrying the groceries through the living room when I noticed my dog's peculiar paw prints on wet carpet. In shock, I quickly dumped the bags on a table and walked into our kitchen, which now resembled a toddler's wading pool.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

It’s one thing to say you want something, another to make it a goal, and another to visualize yourself achieving your goal. The last option is possibly the most powerful.

Visualization has been cited as a game-changer by athletes like Olympian Kerri Walsh, celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, and Jim Carrey, and influential business people like Bo Bennet and Harvey Mackay.

Rehearsing your own success is not just for the rich and famous, though. It is a powerful tool for everyone from parents at home to kids applying to college, business owners, and everyday staff workers.