Think Positive! Blog - official blog for ipopin.com

How are you doing with your New Year's Resolutions?

We are 56 days into 2009. How are you doing with your resolutions or your goals for the year? If you are like many people, you may have had some slip-ups along your path or you might have even given up all together. If you have slipped up, remember that doesn't mean you failed. Slip-ups are part of the process and no reason to give up!  If you feel your motivation waning, it may be time to remind yourself about the reasons you chose your resolutions in the first place. Perhaps you are losing weight so you can be healthier and live longer. Maybe you are quitting smoking to be healthier and to be positive role model for your children.

If you have given up, you can always start again - you don't have to wait for the next New Year. Simply recommit yourself to your goal and start again today.   Remember, persistence is what sets apart those who are successful and those who are not.

Whether you have slipped up, given up, or are right on tract, remember that using affirmations is essential to successfully completing your goals or resolutions. Write down your affirmations and place them around your home and office to remind you to repeat these positive statements. Repetition of positive thoughts will help reprogram your mind for success.

Keep moving toward your goals, one step at a time. Share your experiences with your resolutions here so that you can support each other.

The art of listening

Imagine you are the in the middle of a conversation and the other person is talking… are you listening or are you thinking about what you are going to say next? Be honest. Most of the time people are thinking about their response or their attention is drifting away from the conversation all together.

Truly listening to someone is the best gift you can give them. Research shows that people tend to have positive feelings toward someone who has really listened to them. Being a skillful listener is a key to successful relationships at home and at work.

Present moment focus is an important aspect of good listening skills. You need to stay fully present in the moment and in the conversation. If your attention drifts, simply bring it back to the conversation. Listen with your ears, eyes, and intuition. Maintain good eye contact while you are listening. When you are on the phone, stop multitasking and give all of your attention to the conversation.

If you are not sure what the other person is trying to say, ask for clarification. You might even want to summarize what you heard and make sure you are accurate before moving on. Be sure you understand their message fully before you share your message. Remember that you will have time to respond and that your first priority is to listen when someone else is talking.

You will be pleasantly surprised at the impact that good listening skills can have on your relationships!

Lessons from a willow tree: success requires flexibility

 

Chicago Botanic Garden - Kirsten Harrell

I love willow trees. They look so graceful as they bend and sway in the wind. Their branches are very flexible which helps them move with the wind rather than snapping from the force of the wind. I think we can learn a lot of this. Flexibility is a key to success.

Are you flexible enough to bend with life’s challenges? Or are you more rigid and attached to certain things, opinions, and outcomes? When things change, are you able to adjust and go with the flow? Or do you feel overly stressed by changes and detours on the road of life?

Holding on to old ideas, patterns, and opinions simply because they are comfortable is a sign of inflexibility. This type of rigidity can hold you back and keep you from achieving your goals. Rather than trying to control everything, try letting the process of life unfold in its own way and its own timing. Success requires mental flexibility.

Success requires you to remain open to new possibilities and new ideas that can come from change. Being flexible involves learning how to detach – detach from opinions, ideas, and outcomes.

This week, practice being flexible. When something unexpected occurs, remain open to the world of new possibilities. Bend with the winds of change. Go with the flow and enjoy the process. Look at the new opportunities that are hidden within the changes that come your way. With a little practice you can learn to be more flexible and adaptable – you can learn to bend like the willow tree.

Dr. Hal Blatman

Many of you know that I have dealt with chronic pain most of my life and most significantly for the last 9 years.  I have been to many different doctors and health care providers with very little luck.  Most of them told me that there was nothing they could do for me and that my pain would only get worse with time. I never was able to accept that prognosis.  I certainly wasn't ready to give up.  I continued to do what I could - self-hypnosis, affirmations, guided imagery, energy work, EFT, etc.  While all of these techniques helped, I was still having severe pain so I continued my search for a health care provider that could help me.  That search led me to Blatman Pain Clinic and Hal Blatman, MD in Cincinnati, OH, a nationally recogonized expert on myofascial pain.  He is a cutting-edge physician that is board certified in pain management, occupational/environmental medicine, and holistic medicine.

Dr. Blatman has been a blessing!  He blends holistic and traditional approaches in a way that is the perfect combination for me.  I believe he is a true holistic pracitioner in every sense of the word.  He considers the whole body.  He truly understands how everything is connected and treats his patients accordingly. Dr. B is the first doctor that I have been able to share all of my symptoms with.  Instead of getting overwhelmed or thinking that I have a mental problem, he actually makes sense of the symptoms and offers a solution. He is so incredibly smart and knowledgable.  When you are in the room with him, it is clear that he is an expert at what he does AND he also honors you as the expert on your body.  His language is a perfect example of this. He often says "let's see what your body has to tell us today."  He will ask what your intuition has to say about what's wrong or about a treatment.  I feel like I am a true and valued partner in my health care (as it should be).  

I feel confident that no matter what is wrong, Dr. Blatman will always search to find an answer.  I know that he won't leave me hanging like so many other doctors who brush you off if they can't find a quick answer that can be fixed by a little pill.  Dr. Blatman will keep digging to find answers and then keep digging to find solutions.  He doesn't give up.  He believes that we can all achieve better health and feel better. 

Dr. Blatman uses trigger point injections to help the myofascial pain.  I wasn't sure how well these would work because I had many types of injections before with little improvement.  What I didn't know is that Dr. Blatman is a master with his needles!  I let him know where my pain is and then he gets his needles and goes to work.  Sometimes the places he injects are not the same places that I hurt.  In the beginning I thoght "oh, he didn't hear me right."  However, I had little faith... he has been right everytime.  I think he "hears" my body and is guided by what he hears (like a good acupuncturist).  The injections are painful, but totally worth it.  A day or 2 after the injections I get complete pain relief or at least greatly reduced pain.

It has been a year since I started with Dr. Blatman and I have made significant progress.  My pain levels are dropping and my energy level is increasing.  I recover more quickly when I do have a flare up.  I can feel my strength coming back.  It's been a long road and I have more to go.  I am delighted with progress I have made.  Thank you, Dr. Blatman! 

Self-care Toolkit

Making self-care a priority is essential for success. You need to be able to recharge your battery so that you can keep going. You must refuel frequently so that you can continue to offer your unique gifts to the world.

It is important to learn several ways to care for yourself. If you only have one method of self-care, it is like having a toolbox with only one tool. That wouldn't be very practical. You need lots of different tools in your toolbox so that you are prepared for different jobs. The same applies for your self-care tool kit. You need a variety of methods that can be used in a variety of situations.

It is important to try lots of different self-care techniques and find the ones that you like the best. I suggest that you write down a list of self-care tools that work for you. That way when you are feeling run down or off center, you can simply read the list and choose an appropriate self-care tool. It is important to have some techniques that are quick and easy like an affirmation or a prayer that you can easily repeat quietly to yourself to help you get centered. You also need self-care tools that are more in-depth and take more time - like taking a walk in nature or taking a relaxing hot bath. Use the simple and quick methods frequently throughout the day. Be sure to schedule time for the longer self-care techniques at least once a week.

Here are a few things to get you might include in your self-care toolkit:

1. Take a walk in nature
2. Listen to your favorite music
3. Take pictures of the beauty in nature
4. Meditate or use guided imagery
5. Have a picnic in a beautiful spot
6. Read something inspirational
7. Spend time with family or loved ones
8. Watch a funny movie
9. Play with your pets
10. Let your inner child out and play
11. Take a warm bath - throw in some dead sea salts for a truly healing experience.
12. Get a massage
13. Make a special dinner for someone
14. Volunteer your time to help those in need
15. Watch the sunset
16. Get up early and watch the sunrise 
17. Write in a journal
18. Start a gratitude journal
19. Practice deep breathing techniques
20. Smile frequently