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Browse every published article connected to Lee Odescalchi, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
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Browse every published article connected to Lee Odescalchi, or search within this exact expert archive.
Knowing that most of you are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to share some thoughts I’ve had for how to cope with the challenges you’re facing as a result. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or unsure about what to do; this is uncharted territory for us all.
When I look at people who have fulfilling lives, achieving what they want in work, enjoying satisfying relationships, and are just generally happy campers, they have something in common. They’re in a place of clarity which is so important to function at our best. What’s the difference between those who live in the space of clarity, and those who continue to feel stuck? They likely don’t carry around a lot of baggage, creating room for the positive mindset and energy that we need for a vibrant life.
"Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It's the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul." ~Amy Collette What’s all this talk about gratitude? It’s EVERYWHERE— social media, inspirational posts, in guided meditations. Gift shops sell gratitude jou als and gratitude jars. If there’s a short list of best practices for your biggest life, a gratitude practice belongs on it. Why is gratitude so popular?
Thank you so much for continuing on this journey with me. Last week we took a deeper dive into four key principles to becoming your own mood expert: 1. Keeping Positive 2. Creating a Treasury of Mood Adjusters 3. Assessing your Lifestyle Choices 4. Practicing Gratitude
Last week we started our conversation about procrastination. It’s something I struggled to overcome and could have gotten in the way of my dreams. Hearing the honest truth, that I didn’t have the discipline to complete my dissertation, was tough to hear. But sometimes it’s tough love that is exactly the wake up call we all need. Let’s talk a little more about procrastination, and choosing your language carefully…
Last week we started talking about being more present as it allows you to experience life in a more meaningful and more joyful way. Right now, we are living with an all-time high level of distractions, which is sending people’s stress levels through the roof; and stress robs us of our joy. That’s why, at a time of potential abundance and ease, people aren’t as happy as I know they could be. It’s so unnecessary. People have forgotten, or never knew, that to feel content and fulfilled, you have to take care of your mind.
In my last post, I talked about the value of letting go of what no longer serves you. Forgiveness is a biggie in that department. Are you holding onto past hurts in a way that costs you way too much… energy, joy, freedom? Shorting yourself of the peace and lightness that we’re ALL allowed to have in our lives?
Loss, death: it’s a part of the human experience. COVID-19 has certainly reminded us all of that. It stinks. Yet I want you to realize that there is a lot you can do to have it be less awful… for you and your loved ones. While it may be new, that this is the first time that we have all experienced major or minor losses at the same time, what isn’t new is that loss is loss is a loss. No matter the nature or the depth. I say this to reassure you: that you already know everything you need to manage really well right now.
"The joy of being is the joy of being conscious." ~ Eckhart Tolle Some of the readings on the subject can be a little too abstract for me. When I read Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, a mindfulness classic, I trusted that being present was important, but I have to admit… I didn't really get what he was talking about. After reading, and re-reading his work, I boil it down to this: being present, mindful is a mental state achieved by focusing your awareness on the current moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE- YET VERY DOABLE - STEPS FOR OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION We started this blog series talking about procrastination in general, and then shifted our focus to start thinking about what we procrastinate about and why. Now we’re going to get to work! Remember, document your thoughts, read, and reflect on each of these steps. (1) THE 5-MINUTE PLAN
Two people. Same life circumstances. One has a positive mindset. The other…doesn’t. Think about them both for a moment, what images come to mind? Does one appear happy, handling life with grace, taking setbacks with perspective, while the other seems “off”, struggles with bumps in their path, seems to find the gloom in everything? Pause for a moment and reflect on your circle of friends, I’m sure you can find examples of both. How do you feel around each of them?
Do you ever catch yourself in the middle of a swirl of negative self-talk? Maybe you find yourself imagining a conversation with someone you know, and before you know it, you're irritated and grumpy, maybe it's even keeping you up at night, making you restless.
Every day, whether it’s a fantastic day, a so-so one, a day of crisis, or during a pandemic, life is happening to you. Life calls upon you to decide how to respond, and how you choose to act makes a big difference in the quality of your life: how effective you are, and how happy you are. Would you like to learn to respond more successfully to what life presents? Then take a look with me in the area of coping mechanisms so that you can ingrain the ones that work best for you and let go of the ones that cost you too much.
Overreactions, emotional meltdowns. Something has happened to get you very upset. Or (more frequently!) a series of things have happened, and just when you thought you were handling it pretty well – “Bring it on! I don’t let stuff get to me” – boom. One more thing happens, it’s the last straw. And you feel the anger or the frustration build to a breaking point. Swearing, yelling, crying. Or maybe you shut down. You want to pull the covers over your head and say to the world, “I can’t deal. Leave me alone. I am DONE. I have HAD it”.
Welcome back! It means a lot that you take your time to be here, especially right now when we're all juggling new responsibilities on top of our old routines. We started talking last time about feelings of loss, and I invited you to write down some of the feelings of loss you've been noticing recently, and what's been helping you, or what's been holding you back. I want to stress the fact that a loss is a loss, and what you're feeling today is not less of a loss compared to others; it's your experience of loss.
Given the social isolation mandates required to keep everyone safe during the pandemic, many of you are spending much of your time alone, maybe even separated from loved ones that you usually live with. It makes sense that you may be feeling lonely at times. After all, we are social beings: even introverts need human connection. Without it, our lives just aren’t as fulfilling. I have some tools designed to cope with isolation, steps you can take to feel better.
We started last time talking about dealing with the feelings you may be having given the new, very challenging time, we’re finding ourselves in. We will get through this if we work together.
"The joy of being is the joy of being conscious." ~ Eckhart Tolle Some of the readings on the subject can be a little too abstract for me. When I read Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, a mindfulness classic, I trusted that being present was important, but I have to admit… I didn't really get what he was talking about. After reading, and re-reading his work, I boil it down to this: being present, mindful is a mental state achieved by focusing your awareness on the current moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
If you are 100 % psyched for the holidays and you can’t wait to enjoy every second, stop reading and have a blast! But if there’s any part of you that isn’t counting the minutes in excited anticipation and loving every minute of your preparations, you may want to keep reading. There are a lot of people feeling stressed right now, maybe a little grumpy. I know people who dread the holidays. I don’t want you to feel like the holidays are something you have to get through; trust me, it doesn’t have to be this way. You likely have a lot more say in this than you realize.
Do you know that, by using some easy-to-apply tools, you can have a profound positive effect on your mood? If you practice my principles consistently, you won’t believe what a game-changer they are. ALL of us experience moments of highs and lows. They’re a natural part of life. What I’m talking about is learning how not to let our moods get the best of us. It’s about purposefully doing the specific things that lift you up or calm you down: whichever’s needed at the time. And it works for everyone.
Last week we started the conversation about becoming your own mood expert. This is very important to me because I believe, in most cases, the power to change your mindset comes from within. I want to reiterate that in some cases medication is needed to help with depression and anxiety. If you are presently on medication, speak to your doctor before making any changes. You may even want to share my thoughts with them so that they can incorporate them into your treatment plan.
It’s a thief. If you procrastinate, it’s likely been robbing you of your happiness: your dream job, the academic degree that will allow you to have a career you’re passionate about. The promotion or raise you’ve been wanting, yet haven’t gotten around to taking the training required for it — the marathon finisher medal you’ve wanted to earn. Your procrastination pattern could be damaging your relationships. Because if you put things off and then cancel plans or are late as a result, you are breaking promises to people.
I want to take you back to a time when you were very young. When everything you were to become and create and have in your life was all ahead. The possibilities were endless! Back then, you might not have known it, but you had everything you needed inside of you to create a wonderful, fulfilling life: satisfying work, meaningful relationships, plenty of time and money.
We’re going to have fun this week, and I have to thank my team for inspiring this blog. Let me tell you a brief story… We recently had our team call, brainstorming, getting our creative juices flowing, working on programs for the upcoming year (more on this to come!) when we started talking about mindset. We all get in a “funk” now and again, it’s unavoidable, but how do we turn our day around to get back on track, and back to being our most productive selves? It’s tough, isn’t it?