5 Tips To Make Everyday Gratitude Easy

Having gratitude can often feel like a cliche to many. The first inclination may be to say, "Off course I know that I should be grateful for what I have"-food, clothes, shelter etc. But often times most of us forget to be grateful. Gratitude is much more than a phrase of thanks giving, it is a powerful, easy tool to reduce stress and keep a focus on the things you want to achieve like weight management and other food related goals and other life goals.

It is said that "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others" Cicero.


Five ways to bring in gratitude more often in your daily living include:

1. Be in the moment always. Remember that the only time that you are truly physically living is now, and therefore it is only there that your power lies. Find one thing in that moment to be grateful for. It could as simple as being able to watch your favorite sitcom on TV or use your fingers.

2. Look around you. Often times we walk through our daily routines blindly, engrossed with our own thoughts, worries, and mental To Do Lists etc. It therefore becomes easy to ignore the things of simple beauty around us. For example instead of jogging with debilitating thoughts of the number of miles you need to run today to burn those doughnut calories from the previous day, notice a tree or pond or flowers,a bright sky, your good health etc.

3. Say "Thank You" often. These simple two words have much power, and when we use them often in our interactions with others, our children, our family, etc, that regular act can change our perspective. "Thank You" is the ultimate gratitude proclamation.

4. Write it down. If you feel remembering to be grateful throughout the day is not something you may be able to keep up with, then a good idea is to put it on paper ( at least 5 things). You can do this either in the morning to start your day off good or in the evening before bed. A good way to simplify this process is to choose things to be grateful for in one category in your life at a time eg. five things to be grateful about my home, my family, my city, my wife/husband, my body etc.

5. Say it either mentally or out loud just before going to sleep. Saying a few things you're grateful for just before going to sleep is a good substitute for the usual worry thoughts that may be part of your normal bedtime ritual. It can also set you up for more relaxed sleep and comforting dreams.

Here are two great videos on gratitude. One is from the Gratidudes presenting a great way to show gratitude through the quirky "Gratitude Dance". The other is set to the song "Thankful" by Josh Groban. Enjoy!












To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

The Top Self-Improvement Books to Kick Start Your Goals for The New Year

As a new year and a new decade begins, many of us have new goals and resolutions in place, and we need all the help we can get to keep motivated and inspired to experience the positive results we are working towards. There are so many personal development books out there that it can be challenging to filter out the best ones. And even though you already have even 20 books on your wish list that you’ve either had recommended to you or you’ve researched, each could take you hours to get through. Philosopher’s Notes has addressed this by offering the opportunity for you to read or listen to 100 of the top Self-Development, Success, and Self-Improvement books available.

The books depict top authors in the field like Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, Jack Canefield, Louise Hay and more. The cool thing about it is that each book entry is a shortened version either in a 6-page report or a 20 minute audio with the major points, ideas, core lessons and principles conveyed in each book. Think of it as Cliff Notes for Self-Help books.

In short, you get the take home message and teaching principles of the book, so you can get what it is that you need to learn from it in the easiest way. This format allows you to get right to the life changing part of the book without needing to get through the entire book first. Plus it costs a lot less than buying 100 books. And if you do decide to purchase some of the books on your own, they are likely to be the books you really resonate with. Often times, we can delay reading a book because we figure we don’t have the time to read through it. But the desire for success, increased happiness, fulfillment, and overall wellness still remains even though we procrastinate. The Philosophers Notes are like bite-size jolts of wellness.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

Do in Order To Become Inspired...Then Do More.

At this time of year many of us are inspired to make Resolutions and Declarations of things that we intend to accomplish in 2009. With these general statements, we enter the new year with a new sense of vigor and a true call for real action. There is a great deal of inspiration and a sense of empowerment.

We start out ready to act, and hope that we can stay inspired and focused enough to keep the momentum going. But the decision itself and your conviction are not enough. I feel that waiting for conviction and inspiration, we never do anything or we give up the moment we don't 'feel' it anymore. So in this sense, it is true that "inspiration seldom generates action" or at least consistant action. Even if the goal is to be more inspired, this itself requires concrete action to get you to that state.

Doing when you don't feel like doing is sometimes an important way to keep inspired about a goal or resolution. Just think of a time when the last thing you wanted to do was smile, but you physically forced the smile perhaps after thinking of a cute puppy or something or someone pleasant. You didn't need to wait until you felt better or witnessed something funny to smile. However, taking action to 'fake it' may well have gotten you to a better feeling state even if you may not have been feeling your best.

The initial month or two of the year will most certainly test the strength of the changes you hope to make and stick with for 2009 and beyond. When it comes to food related goals, choose to incorporate the Non-Dieter Mindset principle of Being Unconventional. Do it your way and be open to adjusting your resolutions/goals to suit the changing tides of your life. After all, change is the only constant; it's just inevitable. Knowing that you're not bounded to the original form of a resolution or goal can make action towards it feel less constraining. Resolutions are too general and constricting anyway.

In terms of nutrition related goals , make the idea of fun a guiding and integral element. For example, with healthy eating the statement "I am trying foods from different cultures and experimenting with at least 4 new cuisines" or "I am shopping at a Natural/Organic Food Grocer" sounds more like something you may take action towards in the long run than if you were to simply say "I am eating healthier".

Remember that in real life, eating healthier often takes a backseat to eating enjoyably. People often say that they want to eat healthy, but if the food sucks they seldom stick to the 'healthy' plan. Trying foods from different cultures will certainly make your eating experiences more enjoyable while expanding on the number of healthy food choices made available to you.

Set actual objectives. Because these are specific and measurable outcomes, they put you in a constant action mode. Plus they cut a big and daunting goal into bite-size tasks you can better handle. By being specific, you make yourself more accountable. How many different foods do you want to try and by when? Write a list of ethnic restaurants to visit or a new recipe to try and set a time frame. Which Natural/Organic Food Store will you visit and how often per week or month? It might seem like a little more effort, but it eliminates vagueness which is a precursor to non-action.

Thinking that inspiration is always going to be available at will or you are always going to be enthusiastic about change is quite a misunderstanding. That's the main reason I feel so many well intentioned goals and resolutions get thrown in the bucket within a short time. People may feel that not having inspiration means that they probably don't want what they thought they wanted after all or they are not strong enough for it or they can't do it. Sometimes, however, taking responsibility for your own inspiration means that you may have to, as the saying goes, "Fake it Until You Make It". In the end taking any positive action, regardless of how small, truly brings about inspiration and results.



**I wish all of you a joyous and marvelous New Year and wonderful, fulfilling and healthful eating experiences always.

Why Having Self-Made Qualities Can Keep You On Top of Your Nutrition & Overall Ambitions

Many times when the word self-made is used, it usually refers to someone who has achieved financial success through their own ambitious efforts. But I believe that qualities which make a person self-made can be applied to any area-from money to health to career to personal pursuits.

To me personally, self-made means deciding to break away from the mold defined by everybody else and the comfort it provides. It defines self-empowerment, and I truly believe that we are all self-made. I think we just become lost in the noise and information we encounter every time we turn on the television, put on the radio, go to work, or pick up the phone. All of these demand your attention, but can stifle your own individual voice, so that something like quitting a job to pursue a dream or learning a skill without a class or loosing weight without a diet plan seem so outrageous.

Being self-made doesn’t mean that when you break away from the pack, you settle on a deserted island. But it does give you the luxury of tuning into yourself without all the noise, so that you choose the things around you which really do apply to you, and filter out those which do not. For example, being a non-dieter, where you choose to relate to food in a non-combative, non-anxious way; while in the midst of a largely food phobic society, can be a daunting pursuit.

You can however make the process less daunting if you embrace these qualities:

Shear Individualism:
When you choose to do things differently you have to be comfortable in being alone with yourself. This doesn’t refer to physical isolation necessarily, although at times you do need to separate from the noise and contrary information coming from those around you, to hear your own information.

Practices like meditation, yoga, reading relevant books on self-improvement and on your subject of interest, and quiet hobbies like jewelry making, gardening, painting etc. can help you maintain your personal focus. I'm always willing to try almost anything that will help keep me focused. These practices are also important at strengthening you mentally, so that when faced with resistance from those who don’t agree with or understand what you are doing, you stay steadfastly on track.


Passion & Belief:
When you’re focused on doing and succeeding at anything on your own terms, you must be certain that it’s really something you feel strongly about. When you’re riding on an unpopular or uncommon path, enthusiasm is crucial, because before anybody else, you have to convince yourself that this can and will work. It’s very easy to get back on the barn wagon with everybody else when we don’t truly feel the excitement and sense in what we are doing.


Attitude:
Another name for attitude is mindset. Because a mindset is fixed into you mental image, it allows you to better stay focused and to be true to whatever is your core belief. A positive and optimistic attitude can help you to keep your passion and belief strong even with unexpected hurdles along your self-made journey.


Seeking Like-Mindedness:
In being self-made it is helpful to find like-mindedness in people and resources which serve to reinforce your view point and allow you to grow. It may be a book, an article, a blog post, an email or a conversation with a person who shares similar aspirations. Total immersion and focus are crucial to being self-made and anything or anyone contrary to what you’re focused on can put you off track fast.

But if you're truly self-made you're already the kind of person who makes nothing stand in their way. That essential quality defines you as a non-dieter and someone with a healthy attitude towards the food you eat, your health, and your overall well being.

Is Realism in Goal Setting Necessary for Success in Weight Management?

Is realism in goal setting important or even necessary? I can’t count the number of times I’ve had well meaning people tell me to "Be Realistic”, and I can’t say how debilitating I feel those two words to be. In a sense, realism produces not only identification with, but also conformity to what is accepted and represented by society or our friends and family; and making that reality our own. It’s a think-inside-the-box concept which makes it difficult to set goals based on personal needs, desires, tastes, lifestyle etc., and can lead to choices which may not be a great fit for us.

I’m really more interested in what is believable for me, and when someone tells me to be realistic, especially about goals, I believe what they are really telling me is to do everything like everybody else. But you can’t set goals largely based on the outcomes of other people’s lives. While you can learn from what others have done, to me goals have to be set according to a person’s own standards and life situation.

For example, many have chosen Zero-Calorie/artificial sweetened beverages as a means of decreasing overall calories in the diet. But for me personally, if I were to set weight management goals and a plan for example, such beverages wouldn’t be a component, because I generally dislike artificial sweeteners.

Yes, they are accepted, act as a sugar alternative and calorie buster and some would say is a ‘realistic’ choice; but it’s not real for me. While realism would incline me to go with the masses, and incorporate such sweeteners in my weight management goal setting, my personal preferences would oblige me to step outside of the box. The focus could possibly be more on using and seeking products with alternative natural sweeteners like honey, agave, raw sugar, molasses etc., and finding natural substitutes for regular granulated sugar.

There is some necessity to be true to yourself when setting weight management or any other type of goals, and to set goals which are most relevant to you. When realism becomes a significant requirement in goal setting however, I believe that we become vulnerable to circumstance. To me that’s what happens with dieting, which still continues to be a multi-million dollar industry, despite the fact that so many don't succeed at it. A person stands to be a victim to this circumstance, but going on a diet to loose weight is still popular as it's considered the ‘realistic’ thing to do.

The greatest things which have been done, all of the conveniences we experience today like the phone or air travel, weren’t achieved by realistic people. In fact these were perhaps the most idealistic and original people out there. They prove that change and success needs some stepping away from cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all ‘realism’, being true to ourselves, and getting into forming our own personalized goals.