YOUR LIFE A-Z:YOUTH

ALWAYS RETURN TO YOUR YOUTH

YOUTH

It is a common saying that, “Youth has its privileges.” What does that mean to you?  When you were young immortality was not just a concept, immortality was the reality in how most of you lived your life.  Death was not your constant advisor.  As a result you took more risk, had more adventure, and enjoyed the push of adrenaline.  As age creeps upon on you, you come to understand that immortality is a myth and that mortality lurks around the corner.  However, to live captive to the taskmaster of mortality is not fun.   Allow yourself some of YOUTH’S flexibility and spontaneity.  All is not over until the fat lady sings and if she is not singing let the presence of YOUTH sweep you under its hypnotic trance and dance you off into the sunset.  Ask yourself this question, “What have I stopped doing in my life that I really want to do?”  Do you not do it because you think you are too old or because you are afraid?  Wrestle with the reality of your thoughts?  What makes you belief you are too old?  Are those beliefs valid or are those beliefs fear based?  Are you afraid to take the risk?  If so, what do you need to do to overcome your fear, in order to let the adventure of YOUTH have its way with you.  Living in fear is a prison system.  Letting your inner YOUTH help you escape your self-imposed prison system is vital.  Make friends with your inner-YOUTH today and start living your life as if you mean it.  There is plenty of time to get old.  You do not need to start today.

YOUR LIFE A-Z: ZUMBA

MOVE YOUR BODY 

ZUMBA

ZUMBA began by accident when Beto Perez was teaching an aerobics class and forgot his music.  After digging around in his bag he pulled out a CD of Latin beats.  The class loved moving to the music and thus the rage began (source Web MD by Samataro).  The great thing about ZUMBA is that you do not have to practice any choreographed dance steps but can allow your body to feel the music and move to the music, keeping pace with the rapid Latin beat.  ZUMBA can be done in the privacy of your own home for thirty minutes prior to stepping into the shower in the morning or you can join a ZUMBA group at a local gym.  You usually don’t have to worry about injuring your back or overworking a muscle group.  However, if you have healthy issues that concern you about physical exercise by all means obtain your doctor’s permission. Also, reportedly ZUMBA burns more calories in an hour than an intense yoga class or other aerobic exercises and the added bonus is that the time flies by.  Walking or working out on a machine such as a treadmill or an elliptical can be an hour of pure will power where a ZUMBA class moves fast and the time flies right by.   The exhilaration and energy you   feel as a result of letting your body move empowers you for a longer period of time post workout.  If you are exercise phobic, try downloading some Latin music and dancing to it in the privacy of your own home. 

YOUR LIFE A-Z: REJOICE

REJOICE IN WHO YOU ARE

REJOICE

“REJOICE and love yourself today, ‘cause baby you were born this way.”  Lady Gaga’s lyrics to the song Born This Way are quite powerful and if you allow yourself  to close our eyes and listen a sense of hope is birthed.  The word REJOICE is an action verb that promotes an inner response of “yes.”   REJOICE implies that you exclaim, shout, dance, and proclaim out loud an inner delight and exuberance.  What makes you REJOICE?  What makes you SING?  What make you feel alive and want to tell everyone how excited you are to be you in this moment and time?   REJOICE is an action response of gratitude.  Take a walk through your closet and chose a favorite outfit and REJOICE (do a little jig) that you are blessed enough to have favorite clothes in your closet.  REJOICE that you are able to be alive right now in this very moment regardless of how tough it might be in your life, express some gratitude for what “is” verses looking at what isn’t.   REJOICE in the small things in life and those small things will become more expansive and important.  REJOICE and love yourself today just the way you are, allowing self-acceptance to overflow into your heart and your actions.  Choose a symbol that represents who you are and search for a piece of jewelry that expresses your uniqueness in a way that you can delight in.  REJOICE is an important word, own it and use it today. 

YOUR LIFE A-Z: DANCE

MOVE TO ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

DANCE

DANCE is an energetic artistic expression of the body moving to music.  Ballet DANCE is a classic form of expression where African DANCE is an interpretive form of telling a story.  Both are art forms.  Both require study, passion, practice, and dedication to the art.  DANCE brings enjoyment and joy to those watching but DANCE is really not intended to be a spectator sport.  DANCE is an all-inclusive opportunity to move your body to music in order to keep your body healthy, express yourself and keep you in shape.  DANCE is easy and anyone can do it with no training.  I hear your complaints, fears, and judgmental self yelling, “But I look funny,” or “I have no coordination.”  Those are excuses.  You can DANCE alone in the privacy of your own home while no one is watching.  You could also take a Zumba DANCE class.  However, the real issue here is that you DANCE.  Young or old you can DANCE.  I challenge you to play some music that you like, close your eyes, and move your body to the music.  DANCE for ten minutes and repeat tomorrow and the next day.  This is an experiment for you to try for the next thirty days and discover whether you are happier and less negative as a result of DANCE.  DANCE is a transformative energy that requires no practice, no reps, no counting, and no competition.  Experiment with different types of music.  DANCE and enjoy the freedom of creative expression while feeling better

YOUR LIFE A-Z: MOJO

GET YOUR MOJO ON

MOJO

Get your MOJO on!  Inside of you there is an energy source that will awaken if you start feeding it rather than starving it. MOJO is that indefinable quality of the life source energy the Twenty Minute Coach has been speaking about.  MOJO is that charismatic part of you that opens up when you dance, drum, chant, sing, or any other activity that your physical body participates in.  If you are depressed your MOJO has been stolen.  Don’t just wallow in your situational depression; call out the battle cry and dance.  When you dance your MOJO will hearyou and begin returning to you. When you stop dancing your MOJO will not have the energy to fight off the thieves that stole it.  MOJO needs your active energy to bring it to you. MOJO only shows up when invited and only stays while you honor and embrace it.  If you wallow in your situation MOJO becomes weak.  If you say to me, “but I can’t do anything about my situation,” I will say, “Can you dance, sing, drum, walk or chant?”  If you tell me no I will say, “Come back when you can do one of these things and we will call MOJO back together.” MOJO is that energy that wins, battles, and overcomes the nastiness of depression and leaves no room for anxiety.  You cannot be anxious while you dance because you stop dancing.  Your MOJO is your beloved friend who wants you to move into your full potential.  Find yours today!

YOUR LIFE A-Z: FIESTA

CELEBRATE YOU WITH ALL THAT IS COLORFUL

FIESTA

The Twenty Minute Coach is lightening the mood a bit with this word FIESTA. That brings immediate images of party, parade, food, dance, music, and good friends to the mind.  Did you know that the original Latin and Spanish use of the word was derived to worship a saint? I am sure there is more to that story.  However, in the meantime of all of this politico stuff, celebrate yourself with a FIESTA!  You don’t have to wait for your birthday, Cingo DeMayo, Fourth of July of any other reason to have a FIESTA.  You don’t even have to be saint.  You might want to choose a Greek god or goddess to celebrate.  But for no reason at all have a FIESTA.  THIS IS COACHES ORDERS:  celebrate with a FIESTA of food, fun, dance, music, many brilliant colors and friends.  Have your own personal FIESTA and celebrate the fact that you are still breathing.  To start, choose at least three people to invite.  There are at least three in your life if you choose from work, family, and acquaintances.  Next, choose your favorite colors and use that color scheme to decorate.  Choose your favorite foods and use that as your food theme and add your favorite music.  Choose a date and time and voila, you have a FIESTA in the making.  Now, enjoy the creation of this FIESTA.  Who is on your list? What does the invite look like?  What recipes from your favorite foods and is music via speakers or do you want your own DJ?  See, there are endless possibilities.  Enjoy all of them. 

YOUR LIFE A-Z: UNBLOCK

UNBLOCK 

GET A CLEAR VIEW

UNBLOCK and make free, release your inner potential.  Most of us have had an experience of feeling blocked.  Writers experience it so often that they have a name for it: writer’s block.  In order to UNBLOCK your energy you must move.  Yes move your body.  Get up and stretch for ten minutes or walk outside and around the block.  Observe your environment.  Notice what you usually don’t bother to see.  UNBLOCK your attention and allow it to wander around and explore what is right there in front of you.  UNBLOCK you positive voice. Let it out and express your thoughts and dreams.  Put fear in a box, while you move forward UNBLOCKING the energy that you need to accomplish all that you want to experience in your life today and tomorrow.  Fear blocks us from accomplishing that which we desire.  Fear fills us with what if.   UNBLOCK the voice that is waiting to say,  “You can do this.”  “It is okay.”  UNBLOCKING your potential requires that you take positive action.  It requires that you move toward, around, under, through, or over the obstacle that is keeping you stuck.  When you are on a drive going to a destination and you come to road- block, you can’t just sit there neither is it appropriate for you to turn around and go home.  You have a destination that you are headed toward.  There are many ways to get to the same destination.  It may be a detour, but UNBLOCK your resistance and move toward your destination today. 

YOUR LIFE A-Z: INTERACTIVE

ALONE, IN A DIVERSE GROUP, DIFFERENT, BE INTERACTIVE

INTERACTIVE

INTERACTIVE is at least a two-person interchange of activity, communication, and being interdependent with each other. Shy people who are generally introverts by nature have a more difficult time being INTERACTIVE with others.  Sometimes being INTERACTIVE can be almost physically painful for introverts.  However, the joy that comes through being interactive is a true benefit to a lifestyle of joy and contentment.  Today, take an inventory of your INTERACTIVE style.  Who do you gravitate to at work?  Where do you seek out for lunch?  When do you choose to be with people and when do you prefer to be alone?  How do you take care of yourself when you have to be INTERACTIVE with bosses, negative people, and people that distress you?  Life sometimes forces us into INTERACTIVE situations in order to help us develop a sense of positive self-esteem by challenging us with difficult circumstances and situations.  Each time we have to Handle something like that is hard for us, we won’t to evaluate it from the perspective, “how well did I Handle that INTERACTION?”  By focusing on what we did right we are able to add positive emotional muscle to our self-esteem.  Being INTERACTIVE will bring us more joy than disappointments.  Being INTERACTIVE will give us opportunities that we miss by staying in the shadows of life.  Let yourself practice INTERACTIVE connections today with new people at work, the grocery store, a different parent at a soccer game.  Broaden you life with INTERACTIVE communication.