personal growth

My Life Book Experience

On February 10, 2011, I went to Chicago for 4 days with my husband (yes – I dragged him there), to work on my Lifebook. So many of my close friends had gone through the process and they all told me how life changing these 4 days had been on their lives…so, I went! After recovering from the shock of being right beside the studio where Oprah films each day, I began my Lifebook journey!

Indeed what an incredible experience it was to sit down for 4 full days and think about what you want your life to be like from here on. Of course, a Lifebook is a work in progress. You must always think about what you want and how to achieve it. I came out of these 4 days in Chicago with a 1st draft of my Lifebook which I intend to keep working on to make it better.

What Is a Lifebook?

A Lifebook is divided in 12 categories. For each category we received videos to guide us and to help us dig deeper and ask ourselves the right questions. Each category begins with four main questions: What is your premise? What is your vision? What is your purpose? And, What is your strategy?

The goal is to ensure that we identify what we want and work towards reaching those goals. One thing I learned is that you don’t have to attend a “real” Lifebook session (though I highly recommend it!). Utilizing the 12 categories, you too can sit down and create a plan for your life. Please take the time for yourself and do this valuable exercise. It can only bring more focus, clarity, fulfillment and happiness into your life. Enjoy!

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Oprah’s Not the Only One with a Big Secret

It truly is just luck that I chose to share my story the same week that Oprah did. Wonderful luck, but luck nonetheless!

I never shared my own story because I didn’t think it was necessary. It wasn’t a matter of trying to keep a secret or hide my past, but simply because I didn’t see the relevance. I didn’t want to make what I do and what I teach, about me. I thought that by keeping my story out of it, I would maintain the focus on the people who I was trying to help.
 
However, as I have shared my story personally with friends and colleagues over the past few years, I have learned that it is this type of personal connection that people need. I hope that it can inspire people and let them know that, even as a wellness expert, it wasn’t easy for me either. We all have our demons to face. The obstacles that we face may be different, but they can all be overcome. In sharing my story, I hope that it will inspire others to overcome their own obstacles and push themselves to do more and be more.

When people look at me today they see a fit, together, healthy and happy person. Dr. NathalieYou may think that I can talk about living a healthier lifestyle because it is easy for me. The truth is, it wasn’t always easy. As a teenager I struggled with a dangerous and deadly disease. Anorexia was all consuming and affected every aspect of my life. No matter what I did, I never felt that I was good enough.

I recently decided to share my story and did so through a CBC Radio Interview with Michael Bhardwaj. I talked about what led me to change my life and how I did it – How I went from 89 pounds and a hospital bed to a body builder and health and wellness expert.

 Click Here to Listen to My Story!

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Do You Know What You Want For 2011?

““He (or she) who fails to plan, plans to fail.” ~ Winston Churchill

Do you know what you want for 2011? 

It sounds like a simple enough question but, do you REALLY know? Or, are you going about life on autopilot and not really thinking about what you want out of life?

When I lecture at the clinic or for corporate wellness in the workplace, I often start my workshops with information about the importance of setting goals. By a show of hands, I ask the audience to demonstrate how many of them have goals, and whether or not these goals have been documented. Throughout the course of my workshops I have come to recognize that very few individuals actually make up goals for themselves.

Quite frankly, this shocks me! On average, two or three individuals will admit to having goals out of the fifty individuals in attendance. More often than not, only one of these people will actually have their goals written down.

I then ask the group what would happen if I got into my car after the presentation, not knowing my next destination. Where would I end up? Most people laugh and answer “nowhere” – which is my point exactly!

It seems like a silly question to ask but, if we don’t know where we want to go with our lives, where are we going to end up? We spend more time planning our vacations than we do planning our lives. Why is that?

A goal is nothing but a dream with a deadline. Creating a road map is necessary if we are to become successful individuals.

Ask Yourself…

  • Have I established goals for the next year, 5 years, 20 years?
  • Am I truly living the life that I want to live?
  • Have I made myself accountable for what I want in life?
  • Will my failed goals lead to unwanted consequences? 

Our goals drive us. They allow us to shape our future, and provide us with the ability to grow and excel in each of our endeavors. That being said, it is important to remember that, in order to achieve our goals, we must first document them. When we do write down our goals something amazing happens; we become creators, creators of our own paths! Remember, what the mind can imagine, it can create. Anything is possible! HOW we are going to achieve our goals at the time of setting them may not be clear, but if reasons come first, answers will come second. If you have a big enough WHY, the HOW will manifest itself – You will find a way to make things happen!

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein
  

Ask Yourself…

  • Do I have goals that have been left unaccomplished for an extended period of time?
  • Am I truly making strides towards accomplishing my goals, or am I hindering my own efforts either consciously or unconsciously?
  • Am I willing to look at things differently, so that things can change?
  • Am I open to new ideas or strategies that may positively assist me in the achievement of my goals? Where can I get ideas? Who could help?

Each year, on the first of January, I take the time to reflect upon my goals from the previous year. I like to evaluate what I have accomplished and review everything that has manifested throughout the year. It always makes me smile, how things have unfolded for the goals. It is verification that, even though I may not have known how I would accomplish them at the time, they had a strong  enough WHY that it just happened…amazing how that works! To continue, now that I have reviewed my previous year’s goals, I am ready to set new goals and design a roadmap for the next year’s journey. My successes motivate me to create new goals for the coming year and open up my mind to all the future possibilities.

My Goals, Categorized  

  1. Personal development and relationships– What skills do I want to develop? What do I want to learn? What relationships do I want to create?
  2. Career– What do I want to accomplish? What kind of impact do I want to have?
  3. Fitness, nutrition and food for the soul– What level of physical fitness do I want to maintain or achieve? What can I do to improve my eating habits? What practices can I partake in that will cultivate my spirituality? 
  4. Material things and time savers– Have fun with this one – have I been dreaming about purchasing a new car or installing the latest home entertainment system? Or do I want to hire help for household duties, so that I can have more time with my family and friends? 
  5. Economic– What income level do I want to achieve? Are there investments that I would like to make within the next year?
  6. Legacy– What do I want to leave behind?  What do I want to be remembered for?

 
8 Step Goal Setting Strategies 

  1. Brainstorm each of the categories for 5 minutes, don’t think too hard and allow your thoughts to come naturally.
  2. Next, establish a timeline for each of your goals, whether it be a year, 5 years, 10 years or 20 years.
  3. Decide upon a few goals (three or four from each category) that you wish to focus the majority of your attention on.
  4. Now determine the WHY of each of your top three or four goals.
  5. Decide if the WHY of each of your top three or four goals is “strong” enough—does it empower you enough? If not, pick another goal from that category which does get you motivated and excited.
  6. After that, put your goals through the “SMART” system.S – Specific – Is your goal too vague? Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do. Answered by what, why, and how.
    M – Measurable – How will you know when you have succeeded? Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
    A – Attainable – A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. 
    R – Realistic – To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished.  Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!
    T – Time-bound – Do you have a timeline? Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.
  7. Beside each goal – write one action step you can take this week to get you closer to your goal (i.e.- If you want to start doing Yoga – Your action step would be to contact the Yoga school you wish to attend, and ask about their classes and schedule).
  8. Make sure to place your goals in an area of your home, or office, which is frequently visited. The probability of accomplishing your goal(s) is increased when your ambitions are reviewed on a day to day basis. (Stay tuned for my article on vision boards and how you can create a powerful visual tool for your goals!)

Finally, have fun with your goal setting – you can do this goal setting session with your partner/spouse or a close friend. Personally, I refer to my goal setting sessions as a shopping list. It is my shopping list to the universe! Remember to THINK and PLAY BIG – the more successful and fulfilled you are, the more you will contribute to the people around you and ultimately, to the world.

Furthermore, embrace the fact that what we can think about, we can create – leverage the power of your sub-concious to plant the “right” seeds in your brain and watch what can happen!

Here is to living with passion, purpose and a plan and to an amazing 2011!

“Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” ~Bo Jackson

Dr. Nathalie

PS – Need help on your road to wellness?  Check out my new program www.roadmaptowellness.com

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The Keys to Finding More Hours in Your Day

 Do you need more time? One of the number one complaints that I hear on a daily basis is “I just don’t have the time”. That is the excuse for so many things from diet and exercise to business endeavours and quality family time.

If you are one of those “there’s never enough time” people, don’t worry. I am here to help, and just in time for the holidays! This is a mini workshop to get you on track to achieving your goals and managing your time better.

Now, I can’t do this alone. I am going to need your help. So, take out a blank sheet of paper. Divide the page into two columns and in the first list the following:Keys

  • Sleep
  • Work
  • Eating
  • Driving/transportation
  • Socializing
  • Personal care
  • Meal preparation
  • Relaxation
  • Reading
  • Exercise
  • Any other activity that you may take part in on a daily basis

In the second column write down the number of hours each week that you spend doing each of these things and total that column. How many hours did you come up with?

There are 168 total hours in a week. How many are you missing?

The most important thing to remember in time management is that we cannot change how many hours are in the day. We can however, change what we do with those hours. It is imperative to focus and compartmentalize your time in order to reach your goals. And, you must start by setting SMART goals.

The majority of people have a general idea of what they want out of life but no plan on how to get it. 23% have absolutely no idea what they want from life and only 10% have specific, well-defined goals. Which one are you?

Every goal that you set for yourself should be:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Timely

Here is your next bit of homework:

  1. Set 4 goals today – 2 health and fitness goals, 1 mental/emotional goal, 1 personal goal
  2. Beside each one, write down exactly why you want to achieve that goal
  3. Set out 3 specific action steps that need to be taken for each goal to be accomplished
  4. Schedule those action steps into your calendar

Now, don’t stop there! While you have your calendar handy, schedule in some of the other regular aspects of your life. Whether it is date night, a call to Mom, grocery shopping, even time to relax, add these items to your calendar. If you are focusing on doing these things regularly rather than trying to rush and fit it into your busy schedule, it will be much easier and take up less of your time!

Whether you have plenty of darts and no target in sight, or plenty of targets and only one dart, this system can, and will work. Compartmentalizing and scheduling will make a huge difference, if you simply do it!

Of course, this is life, and the unexpected will happen. From emergencies and urgent issues to children and last minute work problems, life will always try to keep you on your toes. Think of it in terms of driving: if there is an obstacle standing in the right lane as you are driving down the road, what do you do? You have to go around the obstacle, but it is important to get back in your lane as soon as possible. The same goes for your schedule. When the unexpected happens, carefully navigate the obstacles and get back on track as soon as possible.

Some of the biggest time eaters in our lives are due to technology. If you have a habit of spending too much time on email, Facebook, Twitter, watching television, surfing the web, etc. – you are most likely using these to procrastinate. These are virtual snooze buttons for the tasks in your life that need to be done. The most important thing here is to find the cause for your procrastination. Is it fear? Boredom? Unclear goals? Overwhelming task list? Perfectionism? Once you have identified the cause, you can focus on the solution.

One of the best tools to fight procrastination is self control. Delayed gratification is a very good predictor of success and studies have shown that children who show self control tend to be more successful later in life. They enjoy higher paying jobs, have higher graduation rates and a greater chance of completing post-secondary education. You now have goals, action steps and a schedule. The rest is self control! You can be more successful in every aspect of life if you choose to be!

Keep in mind that YOU control your time, it doesn’t control you. Your mindset is a huge part of this and how you think will make a big impact on your ability to manage your time. Keep these things in mind as you begin making these changes in your life:

  • Today is a gift. That’s why they call it the “present”.
  • Use the time that you have been given wisely.
  • Taking time for yourself is important.

Would love to hear about your time management tools and strategies - the more organized we are the more laser focus we can be!

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drnathalie@drnathaliebeauchamp.com

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