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There’s nothing new here. Truly. You’ve heard all of what’s in this post before. You already know the information, the concepts, and the ideas. So do I. But there are just times when I need a reminder. So I really wrote this one for me.

Joy. It’s not outside of you. Before my husband and I reached the millionaire mark, I thought doing so would make me happy. It did for a while, but the novelty wore off after a bit. I thought that when my health returned after an accident, that I would be happy. Again, it did for a while, but that joy was also temporary. And after years of inner work, meditation, therapy, and studies with world-known experts in the field of spiritual growth, I continually returned to that familiar statement “joy is within you, not in things outside you.” But did I really get it? I thought so. But maybe not…

Thinking I knew what to expect. For the past month or so, in preparation for a teleclass I’m teaching soon, I’ve been doing the abundance exercise presented in the Abraham-Hicks book, Money & The Law of Attraction. It’s the one where you get a check register and some checks that you aren’t using, and post “money” (imagined) into the checking account each day, increasing by $1000 each day. Then you “spend” that amount daily and actually write the check for things you will buy. To up the ante, and make myself “stretch” a bit, I began with $10,000, then “spent” that, added $20,000 the next day, and so on, increasing the amount added each day by $10,000.

At first, doing the exercise and “shopping” for stuff I wanted was fun and joyful. I actually felt like I had already purchased and ordered those things and they’d be coming in the mail any day. And I wrote the checks with no hesitancy, knowing that the next day there would be more money in the account, as if by magic, without my having to do anything. It was a feeling of freedom. And, after a few weeks of this, whenever I went to write “real” checks, from home or business accounts, I had a visceral experience of feeling the same freedom as I paid bills or bought things – no worries about investing right, the economy, or my businesses —  just knowing there would be more money in the account the next day. So far, so good.

Much more to learn. As I said, I’ve been doing this for a little more than a month now. So today in the exercise, I put the $400,000 amount I was up to into the account and chose to “buy” a condo on Maui. As I wrote the check for the condo, I had an odd feeling. A rather sad feeling actually. I couldn’t pinpoint it. So I stopped, took a breath, and sorted things out. What was the source of the sadness? What thoughts were present? Why wasn’t buying this condo bring me joy?

Ah. There it was. I wasn’t in a state of joy to begin with this morning. I wasn’t “buying” the condo from a place of joy. As I wrote the “check”, I realized that no matter what I bought, it wasn’t going to make me happy.

Now I’ve known this intellectually my whole life. But I didn’t know it as deeply as I do today. The money is just not going to make me happy. A new anything won’t make me happy. Perfect health, my spouse, the perfect career, or the perfect friends won’t either. Only I am going to make me happy.

This was sobering. I thought I knew this. I truly am a human in process, learning each day. I am sitting with today’s learning for now.

Just thought I’d share.

p.s. if you decide to give the exercise a whirl, let us know what happens…
p.p.s. “Most of you do not believe that it is your natural state of being to be well.”
— Abraham
Excerpted from the Abraham-Hicks workshop in Boston, MA on Sunday, October 20th, 1996

Tags: Abundance, Law of Attraction, Matters of the Heart, Mind, Sacred Attitudes, Spirit, Wellness Coaching, Wellness of Your Business by Erica Ross-Krieger
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I’ve been focusing a lot lately on the idea of expanding capacity…the capacity to do more of what we love, bring forward more of who we are, and the capacity to live with increased joy and grace.

One way to expand capacity seems to be to surround myself with new opportunities, new circumstances and even new information.

I’ve been browsing through books I haven’t known about before, DVDs I haven’t seen or heard of, and even new blogs I haven’t visited. The books I found at a used bookstore and the DVDs from a new catalog I discovered. As for blogs, I found 259 new ones in the batch of 260 that Liz Strauss brilliantly showcased at her annual Blog-To Show this past weekend (I also expanded my capacity for trying new bloggy things and put my own blog in the show:) Pop on over to discover some new blogs that will help you expand your capacity!

At first glance, the notion of expanding capacity might seem to be the antithesis of living a simpler life…I don’t see it that way. Expanding capacity doesn’t inherently mean “get and do more stuff”…it could mean expanding our capacity to live more joyfully, simply, and authentically. I like thinking of it that way.

How about you? What would it mean for you to expand your capacity? What might be possible?

Tags: Explore This - Inquiries to ponder, I've Been Wondering..., Spirit, Wellness Coaching by Erica Ross-Krieger
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This afternoon I went to my favorite cafe. Took nothing but money, my driver’s license and my car keys. Thought I’d take a time out from all things work related.

I got my iced green tea, settled into a comfy chair, and did nothing but stare into oblivion. I’m sure there were whirring blenders, a strong aroma of dark roast coffee, and a cool breeze produced by the overhead fan…I’ve experienced them all, many times before. But today, I just needed to chill out. I did. For a good 15 minutes.

And then I heard a voice rise from the group of people who sat at the table beside me. “What’s been on your mind lately?” I heard a young woman’s voice ask. I turned, thinking she was talking to me. She wasn’t. She was talking to her group of friends. I turned back to my iced tea and, having borrowed her question, mulled it over for a while.

“What’s been on my mind lately?” I asked myself. Posing the question to my own self made me smile. My own “answers” to the question included everything from “maybe Oregon would be a good vacation spot this year” to “I’m wondering if my own fitness regime needs tweaking?” I even thought about several business decisions I’d sworn I wouldn’t bring with me to the cafe. Doing so with detachment was actually enjoyable.

After I left I realized that just exploring the terrain of my mind, without insisting that I had to do anything about what I was pondering, held the key to that enjoyment…

So what about you…what’s on your mind?

Tags: Explore This - Inquiries to ponder, I've Been Wondering..., Mind, Spirit, Wellness Cafe, Wellness Coaching by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Wellness – a small word with big implications. So big, that some people are overwhelmed by the idea. Overwhelmed because they think they have to take big steps, make major shifts, and do so all at once, right now. It’s no wonder.

Just reading the front cover of a popular wellness magazine this morning, I saw admonitions that I, while reading this one issue, should: “Change the Way I Eat; Change the Way I Exercise; Improve My Meditation Techniques; Revamp My Yoga Practice; Hire a Personal Trainer; Achieve My Ideal Weight; Stay Calm.” Yikes!

Of course, you could get equally overwhelmed by reading every single post I’ve put on this blog and expect yourself to implement everything – and implement all of the tips all today no less. But that’s not the way I approach wellness in my own life, and it’s not the way I want to promote wellness here. I’m a big believer in keeping things meaningful and simple.

Keep it simple.
You can begin to make a difference in the wellness of your life and business with your next breath. You already have the blueprint for doing so within you. With simple attention and a commitment to your inner nature, you can begin today to uncover or rediscover that blueprint.

5 Simple Ways to Bring Wellness into Your Life

1. Honor your breath.
Right now. Without changing a thing, what do you notice about your breath? Is it shallow? Fast? Slow? Your breath is the source of your life. Taking time to notice it each day, in the midst of business and personal life tasks, is a powerful way to honor your inner nature.

2. Clarify your values.
What’s important? Personally and professionally, what do you value? Efficiency? Joy? Education? Recognition? Identify your Top 3 Values and post them on your calendar or dashboard. Refer to this list as you make choices throughout your day, especially the choices you know will impact your overall wellness level.

3. Make a mini-assessment in 1 hour. Assess your life, your business and your actions.
Are your values evident in your personal and professional life? Are you walking your talk? Take your Top 3 Values and spend an honest hour with yourself as you assess your life and business. Is there one small but high-leveraging change you can make? When and how will you do it? Go ahead. Shift something right now.

4. Discover what you love.
What makes your heart sing? What fills your soul at this stage in your life? Sometimes we get stuck in routines and wake up to find we are far away from doing what we love. Tame the Gremlin® that tells you that discovering what you love takes a lot of work. Keep it simple. If you had plenty of time and money, what would you be doing? Why? Take some time to write your answer (or speak it into a tape recorder). Find a way this week to start doing something you love. Review this tip often.

5. Focus on your strengths.
What do you do well? What comes easily? Are you overlooking any personal or professional strength that others see? List your Top 5 Strengths. Now ask 2 people (whose opinions you respect) to do the same for you—have them include any character attributes, business practices, or life skills they admire. Combine the information. Keep the final list handy and review your strengths often.

Bonus Tip: Read Something Inspirational
It’s amazing to me that the simple act of reading a short haiku, a small poem, an ancient fable, or an inspiring essay, can open up new space in the day. Find a collection of your old favorites, or discover a new one. Place Seven Sacred Attitudes® on your nightstand for easy morning or evening inspiration.

Invitation: Choose to take one of these simple tips and start cultivating wellness with your next breath!

Keep us posted: I haven’t done a few of these myself in awhile, so I’ll be looking at #5 today. How about you?

Tags: General Wellness Tips, Spirit, Wellness Coaching, Wellness of Your Business by Erica Ross-Krieger
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This is the first post in the “I’ve Been
Wondering…” category. I created the category for short posts about those everyday moments that capture my attention now and again.

One of those moments occurred this morning. While standing in the kitchen, drinking the last of the glass of juice in my hand, I glanced out the window and wondered…

As they’ve been doing for many months now, the people across the street are building a new home on their lot. I’ve watched as each stage–from the bulldozer to the current addition of windows–unfolds. With each nail hammered in, each board set in place, I’ve been witnessing a dream take shape. Nothing delights me more.

As I put my juice glass down, I realized we are all building something. Every action, every word spoken or written, is contributing to our own (metaphorical) construction projects. When it comes to wellness, we can look ahead to the day and keep in mind the wellness level we want to create in body, mind, and spirit and link our actions to that dream. We can ask ourselves if a specific action, or in-action is a useful “board” in our “wellness construction project” or if it isn’t called for in the “blueprint.”

As I walked out of the kitchen, I realized the metaphor was useful to me. I’m often telling myself I’m not doing enough in my own wellness plan and forget to acknowledge the small steps I take. I shifted my perspective and saw that the juice was a small but vital part of my dream to be healthy and live a vital life for many many years.

I’d been wondering how that construction site would inform me…

What about you? When it comes to wellness, what are you building? Does the metaphor help you?

Tags: I've Been Wondering..., Wellness Coaching by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Who knew family game night last night would lead to a blog post on the WellnessCoach blog? Not me. But I will use anything in front of me as a metaphor if I think it will help me shift and broaden my perspective on wellness. And today, I’m looking at a board game.

I believe the designers of Monopoly® were on to something when they put the “Free Parking” space on the game board. I think it was a subtle reminder to take time out and do nothing. A subtle reminder to heed the following quote in our daily lives:

“Now and then it’s good to pause
in the pursuit of happiness
and just be happy.”

– Guillaume Apollinaire

At least that’s how I’m thinking about the “Free Parking” space today.

And if you’d like to join me in this line of thinking, feel free to use this blog post as a “Free Parking” spot for yourself today. In your pursuit of happiness, your rush to read blogs, gather new information, and all matters you face, take a break.

Right here.

Right now.

Take one deep breath.

Close your eyes and just feel the joy of taking that breath.

Yes, just like that.

Take this one moment to be happy, right here, right now.

For this one breath.

Namaste

Tags: General Wellness Tips, Mind, Spirit, Wellness Coaching by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Time out from any overall wellness tips for a bit about blogging well. Now blogging’s not my area of expertise, and you’re not likely to see any future posts here about it, but I had to let you in on what I think it takes do do something well that isn’t your area of expertise.

1. Put an expert on your team.
Actually, put several on board. I hired blogging pro, Julie Hood, at YourBlogTeam (YBT) to help me get going and troubleshoot as I go. I also subscribe to some additional (and fabulous) bloggers’ feeds so I can learn a bit more. Namely, Liz Strauss, ChrisG, and Yaro Starak.

2. Acquire compelling & practical education that suits your learning style.
In this realm, I began the Teaching Sells journey last October. And now, I’m excited to embark upon another adventure, as you will see below. Thanks go to Edward Mills at EvolvingTimes.com, and Julie Hood at YBT, for pointing out what appears to be a promising resource:

Simpleology’s New Offer

I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice
It’s what I’m doing as a blogger to learn to blog well (and btw, it’s also what I do in my own personal wellness regime.)

4. Get into a routine and rhythm
Be it blogging or a physical wellness routine, what rhythm suits you and what you are trying to achieve? Find one, stick with it, and experience the truth of what my friend, and author, Dan Millman says when he teaches that “Discipline equals Freedom.”

5. Evaluate & Course Correct
I’m learning this is key in the blog world, just as it is key in the wellness world. Implement, evaluate, tweak, implement again and so on.

Okay, enough tips about blogging well from a novice blogger. (btw, I hope you see these same tips apply to your personal wellness regime:)

So, what do YOU do to blog well? Love to hear it!

Tags: Announcements, Wellness Coaching, Wellness of Your Business by Erica Ross-Krieger
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The first 19 tips for a Relaxing Holiday Season were wonderfully presented today by Edward Mills, in the Evolving Times Blog. I’d like to add the 20th tip here.

Just Notice
Yes, this is the tip I offer you this season…Just Notice. Simple words, challenging to remember. The method? Glad you asked…

Try this:

Throughout the day, take time to be present to the moment before you.

First, ask yourself: “What do I notice here?”

Then check within yourself and with all that’s around you by asking:

How is my breathing?
Are my shoulders tensed?
Am I grinding my teeth?
What is literally right in front of me?

And the big question:

What about this haven’t I noticed before? (I was instructed in a workshop once to ask myself this question while looking at a $1 bill for 15 solid minutes, where all we did was to notice something on the bill that we hadn’t noticed before. It was quite illuminating.)

Make no judgments about what you notice, just notice it. Examples: “I see a desktop with 10 stacks of paper, an over-flowing in-box, I don’t think I’m breathing, there is a holiday card from a dear colleague and my clock says 3pm.” or “I see a table of gift wrap, a sink full of dishes, my breathing is shallow, my shoulders are hunched and tight, I see small flecks of glitter on the card my niece made, and I never noticed the way the light comes in through the shutters in the afternoon.”

Then take a deep breath and continue with what you are doing.

I can guarantee that if you “just notice” and omit the judgments (“Oh, this place is a mess and I am way behind”), and simply answer the questions above, the “just noticing” will go a long way toward keeping you focused on the heart-centered present…which is all the holiday present you might really need:)

What tips do you have for stress-free holidays? Let us know!

Tags: General Wellness Tips, Matters of the Heart, Mind, Spirit, Wellness Coaching, Wellness of Your Business by Erica Ross-Krieger
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The holidays and a new year bring many opportunities to “live in the richness of the moment”, as I call it — or to “live consciously” as Leo Babauta says in his ZenHabits post today. But most of those opportunities for conscious and rich living will go unnoticed if we stress out, multi-task and rush around getting everything “just right” for our celebrations and year-end business obligations.

To reclaim the richness of those moments, I’ve found It’s helpful to adopt the 4-step practice I call, Stop…Breath…Notice…Choose.™ And though I’d love to teach it to you in a coaching program or a Sacred Attitudes workshop next year, the holidays are already underway and I’ll bet you’d like to start reclaiming those moments right this minute. Good news is, you now can!

Announcing the arrival of my e-book! Yes, after a successful year in paperback, Seven Sacred Attitudes has morphed into its new form. For those traveling a path of personal growth and development and wanting to live more meaningful lives, here’s the e-book no “traveler” should be without: Seven Sacred Attitudes®: How to Live in the Richness of the Moment.

I am honored that wellness expert, Dr. Gerald Jampolsky, M.D., endorsed the book by saying:

“Erica Ross-Krieger’s words are wise, sensible and compelling. From the very first page, her profound Seven Sacred Attitudes will become an important part of your life. It is with admiration and acclaim that I recommend this must-read book to everyone desirous of adopting attitudes that heal.”

— Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D.
Author of Love is Letting Go of Fear
Founder, Center for Attitudinal Healing

A few notes about the e-book:
With compelling stories and thought-provoking questions this e-book will encourage you to open your heart and explore your attitudes toward life. Learning the 4-step process to cultivate the Seven Sacred Attitudes will help you lead a more joyful, meaningful life. Discovering more about the attitudes will be a juicy journey. The Sacred Attitudes are:

* Use Inner Wisdom
* Accept What’s So
* Go Slow
* Do Less
* Show Up
* Trust the Process
* Be With the Questions

Each essay, fable, and story in Seven Sacred Attitudes illustrates one of the Sacred Attitudes, revealing that every step, every breath, along life’s path presents an opportunity to deepen your learning. Questions help you examine—and cultivate—energy-giving attitudes for personal growth and a rewarding life.

So, enjoy the e-book and join me in the practice of reclaiming each moment, so we can fully enjoy the season and cultivate the richness of the New Year.

P.S. Here are a few more endorsements of the e-book and mega-thanks for giving me the chance to share my good news:

“This engaging life manual teaches you to rely on Sacred Attitudes to nurture your inner wisdom, cultivate serenity, and allow happiness to emerge. Following Erica Ross-Krieger’s simple daily process of ‘Stop, Breathe, Notice, and Choose’ will help you focus on the heart-centered present.”

— Roger Jahnke, O.M.D.
Author of The Healer Within and The Healing Promise of Qi

“As you contemplate the delicious gems inside Seven Sacred Attitudes, you will find Erica Ross-Krieger has accomplished two marvelous things: first, she reveals the Heart of a true Teacher; and second, she gives us a new model for being with ourselves, coaching others, and making our lives full and meaningful.”

— Craig Carr, CPCC, PCC

Founder, Coaching Elements, Inc.
Senior Trainer, Coaches Training Institute

“Seven Sacred Attitudes is a compelling and inspirational book. Who can resist finding out what the Seven Sacred Attitudes are and how we can use them for healing our lives?”

— Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., Author of The Four-Fold Way and Signs of Life

Tags: Announcements, General Wellness Tips, Matters of the Heart, Spirit, Wellness Coaching, Wellness of Your Business by Erica Ross-Krieger
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In his Zen Habits blog yesterday, author Leo Babauta wrote a delicious post called Faith in Humanity: How to Bring People Closer, and Restore Kindness. As others who inspire me have done before, he wrote of the simple acts of kindness and “paying it forward” that help make this world a better place. In the past, I’ve responded to the idea of “paying it forward” with great enthusiasm for a day or two. I’ve anonymously paid bridge tolls for cars behind me, put money in expiring meters and volunteered my time.

But somehow, after a day or two, I forget. This time, I have an idea for keeping the idea alive. Leo offered his e-book for free to the first 30 people to comment to his post, and a link to those who wrote about the post in their blogs (like this one) and mentioned how they would “pay it forward.” I think the best way I can “pay Leo forward” is to offer this idea to my readers:

I’ll be posting a yellow stickie on my mirror as soon as I’m done with this post. It will say: “How will you spread kindness today?”

I hope you’ll do the same. It will remind us to consciously look for ways to “pay it forward” every day…not just for a few days. Thanks for the nudge, Leo.

Tags: Announcements, General Wellness Tips, Matters of the Heart, Spirit, Wellness Coaching by Erica Ross-Krieger
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