It's Summer: Dive in to Something New

A few posts back I decided the baby steps mantra was bad news.  After studying how Dr. Dean Ornish got people to clean out their arteries without surgery I decided his system could be applied to the Live Like Vacation mind-set.

He threw people into a high intensity program.  No baby steps.  Even babies don't take baby steps.  People practicing baby steps get nowhere.  They stay put thinking they have a lot of time before lifting the leg and eeking out another step.

The exercise schedule, the diet, and group support are intensive.  Meaning, the folks were immersed in the program daily.  No time off.  No delays.  No down time to get you down.  No opportunity to slide backwards.  This immersion helps you develop the new habits to stick with it.

So, once you are sleeping better, and authentically and have daily routine with wiggle room, it's time to immerse yourself in things that bring you joy.

**New **
     Step 6

Yes, it's time for Step 6.     (BTW....here's 1-5 to review)

Step #6.  Get your joy hobby in gear.  (Now that you've ditched the unproductive....Immerse yourself.)

J   join
O  outlet
Y  yearn

J. join others in a social supportive context.  Church worship, charity, exercise group, a class, or just plain togetherness with like minded people.


O. Find your outlet for creativity.  Make things, beautify your home, cook great food, learn an instrument, write, Make your mark on the world with your brain.

Y. Yearn for new information, try new things, read, teach yourself something, find a unique way to tweak your best traits.

It's summer time.  Things are laid back.  So start something new while it's warm and relaxing.  Joy hobbies can be very energizing.    Ready....Set....GO!

I Don't Want Change to Disrupt My Life

Yep, you've heard people say this in a few other creative ways.  You have said it.  I have said it.  A load of people in my practice say it.

I will only make changes that don't disrupt my life too much.

I just changed the radio station in my car from talk and news to classical music.  Whoa!  That's big!  Sure, I like classical music and I liked hearing it again realizing I missed listening to it.  Will it do anything else in my life?  I don't know, let's wait a long time and see.

So, I don't want to drag people down.  We should inspire each other.

But, nothing gets accomplished until you have a real commitment.  This is Step #1.  None of the other steps matter.  Without a sincere promise to yourself, there will be no change.

Change is annoyingly difficult.  We have to fight our comfort zone inertia.  Real change is crummy on the psyche until it is habit, then it is a "new normal" or the new sense of self expression.  It is the Live Like Vacation feeling!

Hey, Lisa, you said baby steps.  Now you're contradicting yourself.  It may sound like I am contradicting myself, however, let's take a baby step and then take a bigger baby set for each next step.

Do you need to renew your sense of commitment, this promise to yourself?
Let's do it.    (Part of the commitment problem may have to do with Step #4.  The unproductive may cloud your true self assessment.)

Who Gets Your Leftovers?

Thought of the day.  Who gets the leftover you?  You know, the exhausted, grumpy, I don't have another giving bone in my body you.

Don't give your family the leftover you.

Live-Like-Vacation!

Keep plugging away at it.  Take small steps.

30 Days Ago I Started a Blog

30 days ago I wrote about my vacation wake up call.

As soon as I came back from a very rare opportunity to visit a warmer climate and have a full week off with nothing on my mind, I resorted back to an insane life.

That's slightly exagerated.  It was not totally insane but as soon as I got off the plane I was back to my hyperactive self.  As soon as the phone began to ring I was unraveling my calm brain trying to bend over backwards for who?  Myself I guess because I am generally an over-pleaser.  Then, I was completely exhausted the next day.

Enough of my complaining.  I saw such a dramatic change between the vacation me and the back to normal life me, I had to reclaim the vacation me and incorporate the vacation me into the everyday life.  I wanted to make daily living more than checking of a to do list and being the family taxi service.

I want to live like vacation.

That does not mean sit on the beach homeschooling my child and working some amazing home business that provide barrels of cash to my bank account.  That could be in the future, but does not sound realistic to me.

Right now I am taking small baby steps at living a less scrambled life that has more calm so I can be a better health care practitioner for my practice members and have enough energy left to be a fun mom and wife.

So, here I already see my big fault here.  I need to be an awesome wife and mother first.  Then, have some left over energy for my private practice.  How did I get so brainwashed?

Time to get un-brain-washed and live like vacation.

Yes, things need to get done.  I have to raise a young boy and help him become a decent grown up.  Yes, we have bills to pay so we are not a burden to others.  Yes, hubby and I need to have a life together that doesn't include work, bills, repairs, errands, babysitting, etc.

So a mind shift took place because I saw the different side of me while I was on vacation.  And I saw that side of me lost suddenly back in the weeds.

So, the mind-set shift continues.
The habits change.  In ways this is becoming a health makeover although I have not noted too much of that since the blog began.

Based on the principle of the domino effect.  Good habits have a ripple effect in multiple areas of life.

Anything that helps you reclaim your energy gives you better mileage.  So, these initial baby-steps are leading to other goals that are more far reaching than getting everyone out the door on time.

So buckle up and enjoy the ride with me.

Live Like Vacation Traits in Action

In my facebook feed I caught an article about Gregg Jarrett's return to the anchor chair after some embarrassing media moments last year. It really is a nice happy ending story to read about when when the news is filled with depressing tragedies.

Understandably, we are only seeing Mr. Jarrett big smile a year later.  We were not privy to the day to day struggles he had to overcome and that he continues to work on.  Living life is a process. He must still go to therapy and meetings.  Every day he is working on his health.

There are some good lessons here we can also relate to:

1.  What you do has a domino effect on others.  For Mr. Jarrett he was impacting his family in a negative manner for a while.  Now, he is going in the other direction.  His boss, Roger Ailes made some sacrifices himself as he stood by his employee and stayed with him during every step of his trials.  His actions, also had a domino effect on Mr. Jarrett, as well.  And Mr. Jarrett very graciously acknowledges Mr. Ailes commitment.  We can make our work joyful to ourselves and others.  Recognize Step #5 here?

2.  Your everyday health and long term health both need good daily habits.  You cannot put your health on autopilot.  You can never take your health for granted.  As a health care practitioner I must stress that the body works very profoundly balancing important metabolic processes.  While things seem to work automatically and your body bounces back pretty well after a splurge at the donut shop, nights drinking with friends, or weeks of staying up until 1 AM, the body will eventually buckle under the stress.  Mr. Jarrett demonstrates this and he is working hard on his daily habits.  Step #2 is here.

I'll let him tell you his side of the story here.