Have you made more changes in your life these days? We have alternated our life in many ways including how we work, shop, and communicate with others. I have spent a lifetime facing change. Often, I have embraced doing things differently, but sometimes I am going in kicking and screaming. In my past I found the more I resisted change, life seemed to get a little harder.  I also found that accepting and moving forward regardless of how I felt often turned out to be the overall best thing for me. Whether you are shifting where you live, altering your career, or who is in your life; change can be a wonderful experience. We only need to open our eyes to see what it brings to us. It’s all about attitude and focus. I remember when I moved to the Middle East Back in the 1980s. This was a massive change for a small-town Missouri girl who had only flown twice in her life. Although I feared the unknown, I was also excited to explore an unknown world. What I discovered from this experience is people overall react to change differently. They either embrace change and learn from it or reject it and hide. Those who hide lose a wealth of experiences and learning opportunities.  I still have fears today that I wrestle with, but now know change can bring enjoyable things to me. I look forward to new encounters that will enrich my life. Whether it’s learning a new skill, changing relationships, or moving into an unfamiliar area; it’s not about the change itself, but how you look and accept it into your life. Welcoming change can be difficult. I believe attitude makes all the difference about an experience when things don’t go as planned. Are you thinking it was a waste of time or not worth the effort? Or are you seeing how the experience taught you something and enriched your life? Many ventures I tried didn’t always work out as planned, but from this I learned and gained skills that continued with me to this day. We have constant change in our lives. Today more than ever. We gain and lose businesses, homes, jobs, friends, and family members. It’s difficult and, yes, sometimes it does feels like rocket science. You will experience change if you are living and not just existing. Are you letting life pass you by or are you making things happen? We get to choose how we think and accept the adjustments in our life. Are you resisting or are you growing? Robin Anne Griffiths is a published author, certified master development coach, personal trainer and behavior change specialist. She works with groups and individuals on life transitions to create personal balance – physically and mentally.

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Living in the sunshine state and having access to beautiful sunrises and incredible sunsets, we have an opportunity to experience everyday what others envy and come to experience on their vacation. By having this paradise at our fingertips it’s easy to forget what brought us here in the first place. We begin to overlook the attraction of the area as our lives become engulfed with, well – life.  Have you ever watched a drop of water falling onto a liquid surface?  Possibly you recall watching raindrops hit puddles.  Seeing this in slow motion or in a photo during the action of the drop hitting the surface can be mesmerizing.  The action is dramatic as the drop splashes into the surface spreading up in the most dynamic dance, bringing different light and texture while being beautiful all at the same time.  Watching this small but significant event can focus your attention to detail and appreciation for environment, energy and an overall feeling of peacefulness.  Do you take the time to embrace moments of your life?  It doesn’t necessarily need to be watching raindrops but to intentionally enjoy increments of your day being mindful of the beauty, joy or peacefulness.  Are you aware of your thoughts, feelings, surrounding environment, and the energy you are feeling?  In practicing mindfulness, we tune into those sensations without bringing the past or the future into the picture. Mindfulness So, what does it mean to be mindful? Psychology Today defines mindfulness as “a tool that allows people to be more aware of their physical and emotional conditions without getting bogged down in self-criticism and judgment.” Merriam-Webster defines mindfulness as “the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.” Basically, mindfulness means being aware of and controlling your experience. Another way to think about it is to allow thoughts to pass through and explore the experience and accept what comes into your awareness at the moment.  A way to expand upon your thoughts, feelings and sensations without an end goal.  How to practice mindfulness There are many ways to practice mindfulness.  A good way to start is to be aware of what you are doing with everyday actions.  Begin with your meals.  Many of us eat without thought of what we are eating, how fast, nor the taste of individual foods.  Try to not have distractions and pay attention to flavor, You may be surprise how filling – mental and physically, as well as satisfying, this practice can be.  Other ways to experience mindfulness is to be observant with your surroundings.  Listen more intently, pay attention to your breathing and really feel the connection in your senses between touch, smell, sight and sound.  Find time to be quiet and focus on the peacefulness outside of the daily world of noise. What are the benefits Research studies have suggested that mindfulness can benefit our bodies as well as our minds.  It can improve our mood, increase positive emotions, reduce stress, and affect overall psychological well-being. Final thought See where you can incorporate a little mindfulness into your life.  Perhaps it will be watching drops of water making their dance as they bounce off the surface.  Or it may be tiny steps to be aware of your thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a daily basis.  Enjoy the world around you and take in the multitude of different ways to find happiness, joy, fulfillment and purpose.  “It’s never too late to take a moment to look.” ― Sharon Salzberg Robin Anne Griffiths is a published author, certified master development coach, personal trainer and behavior change specialist. She works with groups and individuals on life transitions to create personal balance – physically and mentally.

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We live in a world that looks for the negative. If you think about it, you will find this is true. From the moment we wake up to the end of the day we are bombarded with negative messages. Before we even know of it, something sucks us into the vortex of negativity. Once in this negative world it’s easy to become a chronic complainer. I am sure you can think of a few people you avoid because they suck all the energy from those around them. Nothing seems to be good enough or right in their view. But before you point out all the people you believe to be these energy vampires, look at yourself and see if you are among them and on that harmful path. Observe what your attitude is and if you complain often. Do you have certain adverse or grumpy patterns? Here are some topics many people fall into the complaint habit:Weather Traffic Inconveniences Career People Politics Fatigue   Research has shown the more you complain the more likely you are to complain. Your brain becomes wired for negativity. Once you are in the deep habit of grumbling about most things in life, it will take a toll in your relationships, well-being and productivity. Complaining not only effects your energy but others. Think about the negative people you have been around. Don’t you feel worse after being around them? Science has shown that this negative atmosphere causes the release of a stress hormone that makes you feel worse than previously being exposed to the negativity or complainer. Complainers also affect productivity. Like a disease their attitudes infiltrate the workplace and spread the overall negative atmosphere. According to Psychology Today, science has shown the elevated stress levels resulting from negativity are a potential for mental illness and decreased resilience. “Pointless complaining causes stress and has the potential to weaken your immune system.” – Steve Parton, The Science of Happiness. Once you recognize you are in this spiral pattern, you can work on turning your thoughts to a more positive outlook. Begin by checking your thoughts before you speak. Are undesirable feelings turning though your mind? Even if you are not speaking them aloud, the results are the same. At the same time think about what you are feeling when your mind turns to complaining. Are you feeling powerless, angry, out of control? Next try to change your language. Move your thoughts and language to positive statements. It will be unnatural at first but over time you will build a habit. Practice with a statement such as it’s a beautiful day or I feel good. Look for solutions rather than fault by finding a positive in every situation. Break the habit of going to the people you vent to as they are rewarding you for your behavior. Look for people that have positive attitudes. They will lift you up rather than turning your thoughts to the worst-case scenario. Work on being less judgement. Should of, would of, and could of are phrases that’s better left out of your vocabulary. This includes judging yourself. Sometimes you need to roll with the punches and let go of the control. As you build a distance from the complaining habit, you will move towards more confidence. You will feel more self-assured, find more happiness, create better relationships and have greater productivity.  “The only thing complaining does is convince other people that you are not in control.”– Unknown  Robin Anne Griffiths is a published author, certified master development coach, personal trainer and behavior change specialist. She works with groups and individuals on life transitions to create personal balance – physically and mentally.

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Many of us grew up in a world of doing as you have been told.  I can still hear my mother telling me – “Because I said so!” when I questioned her direction.  We are taught to do things that are considered part of the norm.  Well the norm has changed a lot since I was a child as it has for most of us.   Now as an adult we begin to question what the right direction is but often fall into the trap of the “norm”.  It may be driven by what is expected of us from family, friends and co-workers.  It may also be from the pressure we have from our social environment.   No matter what the cause we need to question why we do the things we do if we expect to have certain results. I believe many of us want something different in our life but just can’t seem to find the right direction.  What is stopping us?  For some of us it’s fear.  We are afraid of failing and the embarrassment of others knowing that we failed.  Or it could be we are waiting on approval.  We need others to buy into our passion or dreams in order to start our journey.    If you are on the path to make some changes in your life then I would tell you to begin with your own beliefs about your impending journey.  Do you believe this is the right direction for you to go?  Your beliefs and priorities are great motivators for moving into a new direction.  But these beliefs and priorities must outweigh the fear you have and it must not be dependent on the approval of others.  You will not make necessary change or do things differently until the need is greater than the consequences.  Begin by embracing the fact that it is not a perfect world.  You will have mistakes, issues and probably some failure.  That is fine.  Plan for what you can up front and look to the future with an open mind. Know that the only way to learn and move forward is by taking steps that sometimes will be missteps.   Here is an example.  Many years ago I was a heavy smoker.  It was a terribly habit that started when I was very young.  Over the years the habit had become expensive and was making me sick.  Even so I did not want to quit.  I was hooked and afraid of the pain I’d feel from the cravings if I stopped.  Then one day I went on a trip to a completely different environment.  I was around people that did not smoke or want to be around it.  The effort to figure out how and when I could smoke a cigarette was stressful to say the least.  I begin to realize how smoking was leading me on a road to an unhealthy and poor existence.  The experience opened a new world for me and I started on a fresh journey.  This catalyst began a change that lead from one good experience to another.  It was not easy to quit.   I had to break habits that had been a part of my life for many years.  But the overall fact is that I wanted to quit.  I wanted to feel better.  The pain of smoking was greater than not smoking.  Quitting became a priority and I found ways to do things differently based on need and what I wanted going forward in my life. Don’t lose sight of what you want to do differently in your life.  It really comes down to what you believe, want and need.  Focus on what you want in the future and not what you are leaving in the past.  Trust yourself to set your path to do things a little different. “Things do not change; we change,” Henry David Thoreau

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