Well - what a night! I dj'd for 5 hours straight and couldn't think of a better way to bring in the new year than with the love of my life and some really cool, down to earth people!
2013 was a roller-coaster ... I started out 2013 with this big plan to get in the best shape of my life and had some very big goals for my business ... and both of these things stretched me into unknown territory ... UNBELIEVABLE and awesome things have happened. I found out I had a nasty pathogen in my gut and supposedly due to stress, from a few years ago, now PTSD this sucker got aggravated and caused an ulcer which had been bleeding for some time ... this led me to finding out I was a dangerously low in iron and my doctor was shocked that I didn't appear to be sick because he said that, people in my position usually have a lot of infections... not me, not one. He said I couldn't exercise for a serious lack of oxygen in my body. So, my dream of being in the best shape of my life fell by the wayside and when I tried to do any kind of major exercise it would wipe me out for days ... the gifts? PATIENCE, FORGIVENESS and so much more. wow. Setting high goals in my business in 2013 helped me attract some new business partners who now want to go all the way with me... it also made me realize that I if I wanted to be a top leader I had to develop the daily skill-set that this kind of leader would have... and so it began again --- even more personal development, especially in the area of NLP and how to be and even better mentor and coach. Accountability was and will always continue to be the way I am able to stay in the game. I can see no other way to move forward in becoming exceptionally successful in my profession. The person I was even a year ago and my posture is entirely different and I can see so many new markers around me, proving to me this is the path I am so meant to be on and that dreams are coming true everyday! The bad days also teach me so much and I welcome them ... even though they suck, I know I am going to grow from it. I have a great foundation building in my personal and professional relationships and communication is getting better in each area. I see 2014 as the year I finally achieve the "big, hairy, audacious goals" I have been setting out for a couple years now... I am persistent and I am not stopping until I get there... because I get more and more clear on my WHY and since I don't have my own kidlets it has a lot to do with my family, friends and the collective human condition and our Mother Earth! So when someone comes a long and has something to say about my products or services or even my enthusiasm about my goals (believe it or not this does happen), I have trained myself to connect immediately with my why (and the importance of the why = my values) AND AT THE SAME TIME also be very keenly aware that others are suffering and that I was there ... in this case, I have also trained myself to respond (not re-act) with kindness and love and the fastest way to do that is to ask them a question about themselves in a loving, personal way. If they aren't open then I know I at least tried. Here is to an amazing, crazy, wild, easy, scary and unbelievable 2014. To you and yours, Love ALL-WAYS PS: I just realized that I haven't taken out all my gratitudes in my gratitude jar - which sat on my counter in my kitchen for the past year ... so hear goes!!! Did you do one of these? Here was my post on how to do one, from early 2013... below is my SMILEBOX wish for all of us ... In~Joy :)
Even though this is usually a drink for a hot summer day I thought this would be an excellent choice for a New Year's non-alcohol drink bevvy! Enjoy! Ingredients 4 cups organic pear juice 2 cups Rooibos tea, chilled 1 cup sparkling water or soda 1 pear sliced Fresh mint Lemon slices In a large glass pitcher mix tea with pear juice, pear and sparkling water or soda. Serve and garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices Serves 8 Adapted from recipe at tegatea.com I am in a BEAUTIFUL Women's study group and I am loving it! Actually, come to think of it I am in 2 of them. One just ending after almost 9 months called Birthing The Sacred Feminine with my dear friend Pat Robinson and now a new beginning ...
I receive so many amazing messages and we meet weekly to share in wisdom, gratitude and break-throughs. This week an amazing poem was shared by a lovely young woman and I would now love to share this forward here with you! All the Hemispheres Leave the familiar for a while. Let your senses and bodies stretch out Like a welcomed season Onto the meadow and shores and hills. Open up to the Roof. Make a new watermark on your excitement And love. Like a blooming night flower, Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness And giving Upon our intimate assembly. Change rooms in your mind for a day. All the hemispheres in existence Lie beside an equator In your heart. Greet Yourself In your thousand other forms As you mount the hidden tide and travel Back home. All the hemispheres in heaven Are sitting around a fire Chatting While stitching themselves together Into the Great Circle inside of You. -Hafiz I got a bit of a sunburn sitting in the sun today! Fancy that! I just noticed this now...
SO here is a QUICK TIP: Take a calcium/ magnesium supplement of any kind. Use as directed or connect with me for more info. This can help to buffer acidity (among other things) in the body caused by the burn. Acidity can affect your immune system and weaken bones and even muscles and sunburns can make acidity happen too quickly. This remedy will likely also help the burn to heal WAY faster and make sleeping a bit better to boot. This can also be used with kids just use a much lower dose ... it's an excellent first aid remedy to have with you on camping trips and to keep around the home. The benefits of supplementing a good quality absorbable Cal / Mag with proper ratios and clean sourced ingredients have numerous benefits, especially for bones in aging people (and pets). I have done this with myself, numerous clients, friends and family with great success! PS: You can add in a B-Complex to help keep your beautiful tan too! RE-SOURCE-FULLY YOURS, TAMMRA No Matter what you think, you are all-ways more than that! Today I may have just reverted to my shaved head, punker boot, pissed off, 19 year old self for just a wee moment. It has been a long time since I have been this upset and disheartened... and not with anyone else but sadly, with myself. If you have known me in the past few years, you know that I mostly talk about positivity, finding happiness and being grateful. And well, this part of my life I love and well, I love all of the other parts of me as well mostly because I know there is only One of me and no "parts" so I love the shitty bits of my life too! Ha! OK, enough of that, seriously though, today it really hit me just how much of a run around ... a merry-go-round I have been on and even though I have come through some crazy stuff, this one really threw me for another loop! The worst and best part about this new news is that when something this big comes along I know the gift is going to be just as great... after breaking through severe panic attacks and phobias just over a year ago - that I had for about 5 years and the incredible journey it has taken me on, I now know to embrace new challenges with an open heart and mind. Here is what I posted to my facebook wall last night... So that's it! This has opened my eyes yet again. The gift? Well, I have learned already that about 50-70% of all people have this *H. Pylori bacteria and I am now seeing that it can be related to many other, quite serious, diseases and GUESS WHAT, it's also linked to ANXIETY and Anemia! Helloooo! And is linked to PMS which has been nearly unbearable the past 6 to 12 months with wild mood swings. Well then I have to ask, have I had this little bugger this whole time and has it been a trigger? So, I feel really good about first starting with This guy Dave's suggestions after watching his video on youtube (see below), so I went to his website and read his E-book (first 3 chapters) and this seems like a legit way to roll. I already have eliminated many foods and since I have been a holistic nutritionist for almost 20 years now, most of the foods I haven't eaten in many, many years anyways, so this may be ok to do and I am actually excited to get started on a new way of life, as I said, yet again. AND, whenever I learn something like this, that could be affecting many people and now working through it myself, OBVIOUSLY I want to teach what I learn forward. I consider myself to be pretty self-aware and know my body, so if this can slip by me, then well, who knows how many folks out there have this and don't know it! One more thing - I wrote this blog post entitled "Journey to 40" and in it I created some calls to action and it seemed within days of writing that I could hardly get out of bed ... and I was then kind of beating myself up a bit thinking that I must be nuts to think I could be in shape again ... and that I was feeling so lazy and bloated yet was confused because I live a very healthy lifestyle (no drinkie, no smokeee, practise cleansing, take loads of bio-available nutrition...) so you can only imagine how fired up I am YET AGAIN to get through this, just like I always do!!! If you have landed here because you too have been told you have H. Pylori FOR GOODNESS SAKES DON'T BUY THE ANTIBIOTICS YET!!!! I wrote this blog for you so do yourself a favour and watch this video first and visit Dave's website http://www.h-pylori-symptoms.com and watch / listen to the testimonials! Please share your comments and what has worked or not worked for you. I want to know! I will continue to post on what works and doesn't work for me. I am starting with Dave's recommendation first though, that is for sure. You can find it HERE Love you with all my guts, bugs and all, Tammra *Helicobacter pylori (/ˌhɛlɪkɵˈbæktər paɪˈlɔəraɪ/; H. pylori), previously named Campylobacter pyloridis, is a Gram-negative,microaerophilic bacterium found in the stomach. It was identified in 1982 by Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, who found that it was present in patients with chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, conditions that were not previously believed to have a microbial cause. It is also linked to the development of duodenal ulcers and stomach cancer. However, over 80 percent of individuals infected with the bacterium are asymptomatic and it has been postulated that it may play an important role in the natural stomach ecology.[1] I used to think that being "free" was to live in the moment and living in the moment meant leaving my life up to chance rather that making conscious or "smart" choices. After a few years of severe anxiety, which led to panic attacks and phobias, I studied something called NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and realized that everything I did in life was first, a decision and second, a choice made from that decision. I also learned that beliefs came from these decisions (not the other way around) and the decisions were made very early in life based on other people beliefs about their own life and also, their beliefs about me. Thankfully I woke up in 2008 and realized that I could uncover these unconscious decisions and change how I perceived them and this of course changed my beliefs.
Are you still following this? I remember thinking in my early teens that I would grow up to be a single mom on welfare. Now I know that I have found a vehicle and the "tracks to run on" and I know my life has a much bigger purpose and rather than be afraid of my potential (or what other people might think of me) I ask myself everyday, what more is possible? How can I give to life as it has given to me? How can I empower somebody, anybody, today, on this glorious planet with the tools that have given me what seems like a second chance at happiness and love? Many people still don't realize they are the ones at choice, they are the ones in charge of their own life. Many people still do not realize that their beliefs may not even be their own and it's holding them waaay back from who they truly can become! If your life is upside down and you are stuck in a job that you don't want anymore and you don't get along with your family or your friends or things just aren't getting much better even though you are "trying hard" then maybe it's time to do a life review! It's ok to ask for help and take your beautiful life on a new, brighter path ... one that has a happy ending. You do have a choice. You are the one in charge of your life and your decisions. You can change old beliefs that no longer serve where you want to be in life by making new decisions about how your life can really be. You can walk a new path. The time is now, it starts with one single step... OK everyone... I guess the "cool" people are probably out doing "cool" things on a Friday night but I have a fully booked weekend so I am staying in this Friday evening and after MAAAANNNY years of planning parties and partying, partying and more partying I am good (and lucky I am not dead really). Anyhoo, I digress ... I am starting something new and I am so excited! OK, so some people know that I love to post daily quotes to my facebook page and I am still going to do that because I know people love them and I find the whole process to be a great habit for myself too... BUT last night I learned a new amazing journaling tidbit about how to create my own quotes (and / or poems) and I am so excited to share this little exercise with you (this is also a great tool for workshop facilitators, super fun). Now usually the idea is to choose "words" from a pile but if you don't happen to have a box full of pre-made words (which is another project) then you can do this little exercise by choosing words in a book, or a few books / magazines. Write the words out as you choose them, then form into a quote or a poem. This can now be written in your journal, or made into quotes for around the house, vision board, picture frame and / or to post on your social networks. I have gone ahead and randomly chosen some words from different books in my office and I really loved all of the words, sat with them, arranged them into sentences and a poem and this is what I came up with so far! I have written these into a journal workbook that I have been creating in. This was waaaay too much fun and I will practise this often! I would LOVE to read some of your quotes / poems too! Please post them in my comment area below. Here they are: "Listen first, then walk on your ever-changing and infinite path of harmony." "A winner knows how to 'just be' in the quantum heart of nothing." Living Grand I thought these quotes might be fun to add to a photo too and look what I found! http://quote4fun.com/create/ and look what I made in just a few minutes...
I used to think Valentine's day was a joke but to be totally transparent I don't even really know where this pseudo holiday came from! There are many holidays and "days" that happen that I really don't know much about and it's probably because I wasn't raised with any type of religion. I was influenced by other's and their religion but my Dad, who raised me mostly, and my Mom never went to church or quoted the Bible.
My parents, including my Step-Mom, always did something fun for me for Valentine's day so I always looked forward to this special day as a child, then somewhere along the way I guess I grew out of it, or it wasn't cool or I dunno.... but now I love it again! So instead of going to do some research and pretend I even have a clue that I know what this day is about (and maybe one day I will) I decided that I would declare what Valentine's Day means to me and hope that someone will find it amusing. LOL - so here it goes...
I would LOVE to hear about what Valentine's Day means to you... Friends who knew me, back in my very early 20's - when I was an annoying, evangelistic vegan, would tell you that to hear that I had a hotdog craving recently would be very surprising to them. I haven't been a vegan for about 7 years now but for about a solid 4 years I would not touch anything that was even near meat. You may be asking, well why did I quit being a vegan? Well that is another blog post completely. What I can say now is that I do recommend it as detoxification diet but one has to be very careful if they decide to make this a lifelong decision, which I would support granted they have worked with a health professional to learn about their body's specific needs AND have aligned their beliefs. OK, now back to the hotdog... Well, this all happened when I was doing what I call my "cleanse days" about 2 years ago, when all of a sudden I had this overwhelming craving for a hotdog. It actually stopped me in my tracks and I started to laugh. Now don't get me wrong, I have been known to eat a buffalo or organic smokey every meow and then, but this craving was different somehow. So I did what I recommend to my clients when they are on their "cleanse days" and that is:
OK! SOOOO! What did the hotdog craving represent for me? The craving took me back to a birthday party when I was 9, and it was one of the best birthdays that I could remember as a child... I had all of my friends there, we were having so much fun and we played for hours, playing with all of my new toys and I was in my glory. When I thought of this memory and how it related to my life in the present, I realized I hadn't been out much (in my new town), nor did I have any real friends yet. This craving and memory really inspired me to find out more of what was going on in my community, start showing up in my life again - like a re-birthday party for myself, and start building new and authentic relationships. This was a big step and now I have been making new friends and having a lot more fun, as well as having more parties and inviting new friends to join me... all thanks to a hotdog craving! What are your cravings trying to tell you? Love Tammra Wow, what a weekend! I went from having a tonne of fun, to feeling silly (because someone decided to tell me - publicly - what they thought about my brand, which I don't have yet and made some rather unnecessary remarks about a very dear friend), to feeling overwhelmed and procrastinatey (new word), to feeling like I was in trouble, right back to feeling like my motives had purpose again! Crazy!
I just watched this happen to my beloved Tony this week too ... I saw how someone ripped into his dream and how this affected him and his excitement BUT then today had a friend email him and wanted to buy his product. Tony is so passionate about everything that he sets his heart and mind to and not everyone is going to understand why but now he sees that by staying persistent and consistent with what he believes can bring people joy, the Universe will give it right back! From a very young age I had to take care of myself. So I learned quickly how to trust my gut! I know that what I have to offer people comes from a solid, loving and grateful heart space........ So why am I writing this and why are you reading this? Because the title says "Persistence Trumps Dream Stealers" and this means you clicked on it because you have also had a similar experience, or 3 or 20... and you are still in and you still love it. Good for you, give yourself some credit! We know that many great inventors and many successful leaders were condemned for what they believed in but they forged ahead anyways. Only YOU know what your dreams are therefore only you can keep them alive. KEEP GOING! Someone is waiting for you to share your gifts with them...
Are you a people pleaser? Do you need validation and approval from family, friends, colleagues, co-workers or your boss about your achievements? Well WE ALL DO, we all LOVE recognition ... but at some point when can we simply be happy with ourselves and KNOW in our heart that no matter what anyone says to us, we can be great? Does what they say really matter? Look at the big picture, will what they say matter in 5 years? Will we let them take us out of the game? Will we let them have that kind of power over us? We must learn to not judge them either, as this is like "drinking poison and expecting the person to die.." all we can do is learn to manage our own reactions.
Today is the day that you look yourself in the mirror, put your hand on your heart and declare "I AM ENOUGH!" and make a conscious choice to be around people who lift you up, who are healthy, who think positive, and breed a brighter future. Life is short, make it count! BE GREAT... it's that simple! Do your best to be great, in every moment, in every gesture, in every breath... and make being great about kindness, compassion, giving, receiving, asking for help, giving someone a hand with no conditions attached to it, smile at strangers, buy the next person in front of you in a line up, a coffee! The more you do this the more life will bring you happiness and greatness -- then rinse and repeat. Pour greatness into yourself first, then your family, your friends, clients, co-workers etc... Recognize others even for the littlest things... re-cognize greatness in yourself too, even more so... be great be great be great! As part of my intake process on my Lifestyle profile sheets, after I ask a client about all of their problems, symptoms etc., I ask "what is going right?" I would say about half of them fill it in. What if we looked at every situation in terms of how it could go right? I once worked with a client who was a Safety Manager at a Mill and after many years of no accidents there were suddenly a string of people getting hurt. This person blamed themselves, asking me what I thought was wrong with her. I asked her to explain the situation to me and as I heard her blame herself, I asked her "how it felt that she thought this of herself". I kept repeating this question until we got to the core of what she really thought about herself and why. It wasn't fun but we got to the core and she was able to accept that this is how she thought of herself and how this is who she became because of her own thinking and then I congratulated her for letting us go there and allowing it to bubble up to the surface, this time without any judgement, just acceptance. Then I asked the key questions "Is this true?" "Is this who you really who you are?" "Is this what people say about you?" and she said "No!". Then I asked her to write out the situation (including her safety talk) about how she would have rather seen it go. I said, "write it in the most positive way you can think of and be creative. Like you are telling a story" Well what happened next was most surprising to her. She still used words like danger, crisis, trouble, fear, and hazardous. Once she was finished I asked her if this was the ideal situation and she said "absolutely." I then asked her to go through and circle all of the words that were negative or caused fear. I could see the lightbulb turning on as she went through and circled quite a few scary words. I then asked if she thought her staff felt safe or more afraid by her safety talks. I just saw this look of astonishment on her face and she was speechless. I then said now go through and change all of those words into a positive and really take a moment to choose high power and positive words (using a thesaurus). We both agreed that this would be life changing for her career and that, of course, she had to follow regulations and protocols but that she did, in fact, have an opportunity to end her safety talks with a vision of true safety. Would it be fair to say that we all have an opportunity to tell a new story? Of course I went on to apply more of the deeper more integrative techniques of NLP, Hypnosis and Timeline Therapy™ While I was in Phoenix I hiked a mountain called Camelback. It was AWESOME! It's been quite some time since I hiked because, well, for about 2 years I had what is referred to as "panic attacks" and from that I developed a fear of heights among other things ... I am SO HAPPY to say that has been disappearing over the past 2 years now... Well as you can see in the photo to the left, my beloved Tony and I are sitting at the SUMMIT! BUT not without a few tears ... and moments of inner Zen along the way. I knew I had a little bit of left over residual fear around heights and with the help of a few other kickass ladies and the support of Tony I said "enough is enough" and it was time to OWN IT! I didn't get angry at myself or judge myself I just simply thought "this seems ridiculous and it's time to own it!". There were A LOT of rocks, so all of the way up and all of the way down it was like a squat marathon and with two knee surgeries on my left knee in the past, my right leg was working extra hard. Needless to say I could hardly walk for the next few days... So the running joke between Tony and I was: each time I had to walk a little faster or use some stairs, we would say "Own It!" for every right-leg step. It was pretty funny. It has become a bit of a motto around here! Feel free to share in the comments below how YOU will Own It in 2013... Wow, here we ARE! We made it! The Earth didn't explode into a star, we didn't get hit by a meteor, no one dropped the big bomb... in fact everything is still the same... or is it? That will be up to you and I. As I become more conscious of my words, my thoughts, my actions and create more positivity in my life, I know that this ripples outwards to others... so little by little, one happy thought at a time, one good deed or random act of kindness at a time, can all collectively empower the greater good. Or so that is what I have decided to be true. Ha! I am excited about a couple of things today. First, I want to share this great little project with you that seems to be a big hit on both pintrest and facebook. It's a Gratitude Jar ... the photo below explains the rest (click on the photo to go to my post on facebook and share it to your wall). Below the photo I talk about a few more things I want to share with you on this fine New Year's Day ... Whatever New Year's means to you, whether it's about celebrating who you have already become, or giving up some bad habits, or creating new goals or letting go of expectations, or maybe it's nothing at all- life as usual, all I ask is that you be KIND to yourself first, practice kindness to others and just be a good human. We can truly become whatever we think we can and so much more... Much Love always, Tammra
Today I spent some quality time with a good friend. As we shared some good laughs and experiences she said something that caught my attention. She said she had recently put herself through some "extremes". This was one thing I could say, with certainty, that I had also put myself through... which, in a nutshell, comes from setting up our expectations too high and then beating ourselves up if we fall short of those expectations. In fact I had done this so many times in my "previous" life that I ended up with severe panic attacks that eventually led to phobias! Now there is no way I can really know what she really put herself through but I could sense that she had "had it", as I heard her exclaim "No more extremes!"
Of course, as good friends, we talked about so many other topics but I couldn't help but think about this "extreme" comment on my drive home. I suppose it's because I have "healed" myself from those panic attacks and phobias, that I can see this situation much more clearly now. Honestly, my personal experience has shown me that we have just got to find our own personal rhythm when it comes to achieving; our own flow ... and strive for some sense of balance. You know... the "the happy medium" literally. Find. A. Way (a medium). "Quitting" something is still an extreme. To NOT make a plan is still a decision to not make a plan. We all have a strategy to everything we do, whether it's a strategy to "being good" at something, a strategy to being healthy, a strategy to being and staying sick and a strategy to how we work. Isn't there a saying that says that "how someone does one thing, is usually how they do everything"? I believe we can become aware of our unconscious strategies and use them to our advantage. Then I came home to turn on facebook and I saw this quote...
Hi and welcome to my new website and or blog and or whatever you wanna call it! I just couldn't wait to get it started so I am launching this before new years day! And before I even buy the domain name - ha! I have been wanting to write a blog for years but just didn't think I had the time... now that I have my fingers in a few pots I just don't see any other way to build a bridge to all that is "Tam".
Of course I think, "Oh will this be too narcissistic or "is this blog just going to be another ego trip"... and at the same time, I just know people are looking and searching for tools to live a happier, healthier life and I have got those tools baby!!! My life as been a wild ride and honestly, it's been, at times, hell on earth and other times, it has been so much fun and uber bliss! I have a dream of writing a play about my life story some day and let me tell you, there are some serious twists and turns and already I know there is a happy ending... because this is how I see life now, it's all just perfect, even if it's not. Today I start with a smilebox (below) that I made for friends and family and I honestly appreciate all of the support I have had throughout my life. The image quotes I chose for this were some of the most inspiring ones for 2012. And as an extra treat for you, I "zipped" up all of the images I saved from last year that were big "hits" on facebook and now you can have them too... save them and post them to your facebook wall or other social network. To download this zip folder click on the link below. Here's to us and some amazing last days of 2012 and to an exciting New Year! Live long and prosper!
Song featured in my smilebox creation: Silent Heart feat. Lina Rafn (Treibsound Remix)
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Hi I'm TammraI live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada and I am uber passionate about holistic well-being, music, art and being playful. Want to know more about me- read my story here. |