Decision-Making Practice

Is it possible to make decisions better, faster, and more easily?

The Road Less Taken or ?

According to Anthony Robbins, author of Giant Steps, Small Changes to Make a Big Difference, making good decisions takes practice.  He writes, “The more decisions you make, the better you’ll become at making them. Muscles get stronger with use, and so it is with your decision-making muscles.”

He recommends starting with two:  one easy decision with near term results, and one that will play out further in the future.

Make those two decisions today, and take one small step toward making each of them happen. You’ll be on your way to building confidence and a sense of accomplishment!

Try these steps:

1. Schedule:  Set aside time to focus on the goal and the decision to be made.
2. Research: What are all the possible options? Is there more than one reason for the choice I'm considering? Is it consistent with my values? Are there risks? Time constraints? Someone else to be involved? More information needed? Can I visualize the result? How would it feel? When is my best time of day to make decisions?
3. Plan: Set a deadline for the decision and create a step-by-step plan for how it will happen. Consider a back up plan if appropriate.
4. Decide: Make the decision and take the first step.
5. Enjoy: Reward yourself for being decisive and taking action!

More…

An Observation - It also seems that people with deeply-entrenched habits and daily "rituals" have less difficulty with decisions than those of us who tend to vary our routines.

I enjoyed reading the personal approach of Eva Lu, as she explores the decision-making process.  The blogs on her site are full of good ideas for maintaining health and happiness. http://www.mindofwinner.com/decision-making-process/

6 Tips for Making Better Decisions, from leadership expert Mike Myatt.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/03/28/6-tips-for-making-better-decisions/#32e4c02534dc

An extremely detailed approach to making decisions – evey step of the way:
How to Make Decisions from WikiHow
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Decisions

Fun Foods at the Wellness Retreat

At a recent Coastal Sanctuary Wellness event, we provided breakfast and lunch based on Paleo/Primal guidelines. Additional snacks available throughout the day included a variety of fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, and dips.  Sharyl Clapp planned and prepared the meals, which were thoroughly enjoyed by all. The complete menu is available in .pdf format:
Coastal Sanctuary Wellness Menu & Recipes - March 18, 2017

The beet-ginger soup with garlic and coconut oil has become a new favorite for me.  Here's a similar recipe from Marin Mama Cooks:

• 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (approx. 1 overflowing cup)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 large red beets, or 3 medium beets, peeled and diced in to 1/4 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 4 cups vegetable stock – you may have to use a bit more 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk, well stirred
• optional – juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• recommended toppings: matchstick sliced roasted beets, toasted pistachios, chopped fresh parsley and coconut milk

Making Happiness a Habit

Have you ever thought about ways to practice being happy?  I sometimes make lists of things that make me happy, so I can remember to be looking for them.

Examples on my "happy list" are rainbows, bird songs, colorful sunsets, flowers, taking pictures of colors and textures in nature...

Today I had a great opportunity to practice!  I recently discovered some "hidden" White Ratany bushes in the desert.  In past years, it's become harder to find, with only a few blossoms to view, so seeing this rare beauty with camera in hand was a great way to start the day!

More thoughts on happiness practice and science from Mindful.org:

Five Science-Based Practices for Daily Happiness

Sleep Matters!!

No matter how beautiful the moon is, don’t let it keep you up.  It’s important  to slow down, relax, and get plenty of good sleep every night to achieve optimum health. Why does it matter?  Here are a few good reasons that recent research has found.

Getting enough quality sleep regularly can:

• Help to stabilize your metabolism, reducing the risk of diabetes and obesity
• Lower your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease
• Lessen buildup of the amyloid plaque characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease
• Improve cognitive abilities, as shown on tests
• Improve awareness of social cues
• Improve decision-making skills
• Increase productivity
• Avoid genetic damage resulting from sleep deprivation

You’re not the only one staying up too late…  According to this November 2016 Popular Science article, more than a third of American adults aren't getting enough sleep:
 “LACK OF SLEEP COULD COST AMERICANS $411 BILLION A YEAR

If you don’t snooze, the economy will lose”

Popular Science has a suggestion:

WANTTO FIX YOUR SLEEP SCHEDULE? GO CAMPING THIS WEEKEND. RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT EVEN A WINTER WEEK UNDER THE STARS CAN HELP RESET SLEEP

If you can’t get away for a camping trip, here are a few other helpful recommendations:

Sleep Resources from Arianna Huffington 

and the  Sleep Revolution Manifesto

Check out this video from Mama Natural (6:23 min.) with 10 Tips to Improve Your Sleep, 

Eat better with herbs and spices

When I first started preparing more whole, natural foods, I was afraid that everything was going to be boring without adding pre-seasoned gravy or using prepackaged dressings, pestos, or other jars of this and that.

However, there are many excellent resources proving to me that it IS possible to make simple foods that are completely natural and taste special too! 

Experimenting with herbs and spices can be a fun way to find more healthy foods that you like.

The BBC’s “goodfood” pages also have a lot to say about The Healing Power of Herbs and how to use them.

Top 10 Herbs and Spices – an ABC News video with Diane Henderiks, Chef and Culinary Nutritionist, provides information and tips along with some quick examples. (~ 7 min.)

Learn more about the traditional uses and properties of herbs:

Herbs & Natural Foods for Health

Healing with Soups

Eating lots of soups may keep you well during cold and flu season!  And some can help to heal you if something does settle in.

I first learned about the healing power of soups when I arrived in Phoenix, Arizona in 1978. After days of traveling, limited nutrition, and very little sleep, I found myself with a severe case of flu.

A neighbor directed me to an unusual doctor. He was an M.D. from the Phillipines, who believed strongly in food as medicine. He introduced himself, and asked abruptly, “Do you have insurance?”  When I shook my head, he said sternly, “Then you can’t afford to be sick in Arizona!”  After examining me, and deducing that I did indeed have the flu, he wrote me an unusual prescription.

He said, “You can get these items at any grocery store. Go and get them right now!”

Here is the shopping list and recipe he gave me, as nearly as I can remember:

• A package of chicken backs
• A bulb of garlic
• An onion
• A piece of fresh ginger
• Some black pepper
• Some brown rice

Chop up the onion, garlic, and ginger.  Put them in a large pot with the chicken backs, and add the brown rice and pepper.  Fill the pot to the top with water and bring it to a boil.  Once it’s boiling, lower the heat to simmer until the chicken falls from the bones. Keep it on the stove simmering and keep eating until it’s all gone.  You should be feeling better soon.

I did exactly as he said, and was amazed that I  had mostly recovered  by the time the soup was gone.  I’ve used this recipe with similar results, numerous times since.

Check out these additional healing soup recipes and resources:

• The Healing Properties of Homemade Broths, Stocks, and Soups
• Immunity-boosting chicken soup
• 3 Healing Soups

Starting a brand new year, a time to renovate…

Like many people, I’m approaching the New Year with some thoughts of things I’d like to change. Some improvements I’d like to make.  Some personal innovations – or more aptly, “renovations.”

From that perspective, I’m asking,” How’s my personal foundation looking?”  Seems like my foundation could use a little shoring up.  Remembering the “Power of Now,”  perhaps mindful awareness of this moment can help me to focus and identify opportunities. I believe it was Jon Kabat-Zinn who said, “If you can be present in this moment, there is the potential for the next one to be exponentially better. “

That kind of awareness is one of the 5 behaviors common to successful innovators, according to the authors of The Innovators DNA a book based on detailed investigation of how innovation happens.

My framework for Personal Innovation borrows some tools from the authors of The Innovator’s DNA:

By asking more questions, and observing the way things are more intently, opportunities for change become clearer. I’m sure you have different resolutions for your new year, but maybe you’ll get some ideas from my path.  Here are some of my questions and observations:

What do I want to be doing with my time?  Continuously learning and sharing new knowledge and processes for living well.

How that going?  Not nearly as productive as I would like!  I’m often distracted and spending time on things that aren’t important.

Why is that? Taking a step back to get a better perspective,  and relating to my experience in the corporate world, a few familiar tools jumped out.

1. Clutter clearing.  Focusing on key objectives and the related activities is much easier if obstacles are identified and cleared away before pushing forward. For me this means both mental and physical clutter… Where are my comfort zones?

2. Time management. Not just allocating time and prioritizing, but recognizing how to optimize my best times.  I’ve started to observe how I feel – what time of day do I consistently write best?  What time of day am I learning better by reading.  How does eating more at lunch make me feel? What time of day does exercise feel energizing, instead of tiring?

3. Just do it!  There’s an old saying, “Luck hates the slow and loves the bold.”  Or as Dr. Wayne Dyer writes: "Excuses begone!"

This will be a good year to overcome my tendency to hesitate.  That’s not to say I don’t want to approach new directions with caution, but when adequate analysis, research, and soul searching are done, it’s time for me to stop “dawdling.” (Wonder where that word came from?)

Hope this gives you some ideas.  Happy New Year!

Looking where you’re headed

Have you ever tried to walk, run, or climb while looking back over your shoulder? I have. In fact, I have actually tripped and fallen while looking in one direction and moving in another!

Since looking backward in the physical realm interferes with my ability to move forward, does it also makes sense that I can best achieve my goals by focusing on the direction I want to go, not on where I came from?

Many of the people I admire have pointed out the value of thinking positive and visualizing what you would like to have happen, instead of focusing on the past, or on what you fear.

Dr. Wayne Dyer’s books and videos are excellent resources to describe how that works.  He said, “You become what you think about, whether you want it or not.”

Thinking about Mindfulness

Have you had difficulty “emptying” your mind to get into meditation?  I certainly have!

As an active learner, I tend to think that when I want to get better at something, I need to study more.  But generally speaking, studying mindfulness more intently doesn’t seem to produce better results.

Recently, though, reading the TIME Special Edition, MINDFULNESS, The New Science of Health and Happiness, I had an “aha moment.”

In the article, “Why Every Mind Needs Mindfulness,” Mary Elizabeth Williams pointed out that when you’ve noticed that your mind wanders, it’s not a sign of failure.  In fact, the awareness of a wayward thought is actually a sign of mindfulness working.

After reading that, I happily went for a mindful walk. Every time I started to think of something on my “to do” list, I remembered her words, and smiled as I turned my attention back to the blue sky and the sun on the autumn leaves. 

We hear so much about Mindfulness these days, some people are put off by the term.  I’m convinced, however, that anyone who looks into the concept for themselves will find some amazing benefits.

It was great to see Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, sharing Mindfulness practice with Anderson Cooper in this 2015 video clip from 60 minutes.

Thinking Positive, Creating Change

The GLC Wellness blog shares lessons learned, stories to brighten the day, and ideas for living happier and healthier.

Hanna's Story

A few years back, my granddaughter, Hanna, graduated from college and started out with a job at Americorp. In her job, she became acquainted with homeless families who had no resources or options to get themselves off the street.

As the somewhat naiive and positive-minded young lady that she was, she didn’t just say, “Someone should do something about that.” She immediately decided that SHE could and would do something. She researched the processes for organizing a community and a nonprofit org, trusting that if others had done this, she could too.

Hanna contacted a national organization called Family Promise and got the information to set up a nonprofit affiliate program in Lincoln City.

Then, armed with a bright smile and the belief that people want to do good, the new graduate approached churches and businesses in the area, explained the problem, and asked them to help. Business leaders and church parishoners were caught up in her enthusiasm, and energized, They stepped up to do what she asked of them – providing not only basic shelter on an ongoing basis, but many engaged personally as volunteers in the process.

Ultimately, they joined in supporting her development of a nonprofit with the lofty goals of getting homeless families into meaningful lifestyles, with education, career paths, and jobs. Along the way, she has faced many challenges, including personal health issues, but she has continued to pursue her passion, making a positive difference for those families to live happier, healthier lives.

 In just a few years, she has literally changed the lives of many previously homeless families, and set in motion a system that will change many more in the future. Recently, the organization she started, Family Promise of Lincoln County, has received a significant United Way award to continue its work.

Here is Hanna with the founder of the national Family Promise organization, who recently presented Hanna with an unprecedented award to recognize the success of the Lincoln City program.

You can follow Hanna’s Family Promise journey in the Lincoln County and coastal newspapers online:  Promise Kept – Nov., 2015