Relieve Stress between you & those you love...

Here is a quick technique to help you relieve any minor or major stress between you and your Valentine (or anyone whose relationship is special to you--not just your spouse or significant other, but also important friends, colleagues, children, siblings, parents, etc.) 

This 4-6 minute activity is from the Interactions section of SOS: Switch Off Stress.  Let's say that you and this person have some tension between you that you'd like to resolve. The below exercise while help you transform your own emotions so you come to the next interaction with less emotional baggage.

How to Do SOS #53

Transform Negative Emotions

Many emotions we consider “negative” can actually teach us important things about ourselves. This technique shows you how to make negative emotions less overwhelming by  treat them as if they were simply raw energy.  You know from experiencing and observing your own emotions how quickly they can change; often coming and going naturally, like waves on the ocean.  What you can do with this SOS tool is to befriend the full range of your emotions so they can help you learn about yourself and improve your cherished relationships.

I recommend the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) as a way to learn from and release “bad” feelings because it is so simple, fast and portable and simple. EFT will quickly mutate any fear, anger, anxiety, jealousy that's hampering your important relationships. 

There are many schools of thought about how to do EFT; I urge you to adopt the instructions that most appeal to you.  Basically, the EFT process involves tapping lightly on a series of meridian points while making statements to release whatever negativity you’re feeling. To start, you will do a few rounds of statements that serve to first admit and surface, then release all the negativity you’re experiencing. ("I am so angry about what s/he said."  "I'm going to ignore him/her and see how THAT feels!") The second phase of EFT is to complete a few rounds that replace those snarky statements with neutral or more positive declarations. ("I have always admired him/her, and want to do my part to make it right between us again."  "I allow for the possibility that I may have contributed to these bad feelings between us.")

The common points for tapping are: outside edge of hands, top of head, inner eyebrow, side of eye, below eyes, under nose, under mouth, collar bone, under arm.  You will see that there are many variations of EFT; simply choose what makes the most sense for you.

• A fun introduction to EFT points (4 minutes)
• Stress and anxiety (4 minutes)
• Stress and anxiety #2 (5-6 minutes)
• And a special tapping just for Valentine's Day: Love Magnet!

(Note: All emotional release techniques need to be done where you will not be disturbed, nor will you disturb others. Most cultures are uncomfortable with emotional release, so be certain other people won’t try to “rescue” you from your healthy transformation of emotions.)

What SOS #55 Can Do for You

EFT is a self-help combination of acupressure and cognitive behavior therapies. This handy tool has gathered a great deal of attention in the last decade, and is currently undergoing considerable research in many countries around the word.  EFT works in part by sending physical and verbal soothing signals to your brain, which in turn dramatically lowers cortisol—by as much as 25% in one study!

And the good results are mounting. For example, there is a 5-year study at John Hopkins where researchers are using EFT for returning soldiers with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At the three-year mark, it reported a staggering 63% reduction in symptoms. EFT has also been used successfully with victims in war zones, natural disasters, violent crimes, and mass shootings. So…just think of what it could do to reduce the discomfort you're feeling between you and your Valentine!

Here are additional EFT videos and websites for you to explore: Try it on Everything; www.TappingSolution.com; www.EFTUniverse.com; Tap for Health blog. 

GOOD LUCK!!!

If you want to help your Valentine(s) enjoy some stress-relief, go here to purchase SOS: Switch Off Stress (only $8.99 for this 258-page-equivalent "evaBook")--or click here if you want to read more about what SOS can do for you and all those you love.

And here's a Free Kindle App so you can read SOS on any PC, MAC, tablet, or smart phone.

Second SOS Technique to Stop Stress-Eating 

The next really fast technique from SOS: Switch Off Stress that can help you with the common problem of stress-eating is #39: Activate Your Energy (The 20-Second Rule). 

In fact, this is a very useful and highly versatile technique for stoping any bad habit OR forming any good new one. So...whether it's not eating that coffee cake at your desk--or getting up from that same desk for a few minutes to take a break, stretch, and clear your mind, SOS #39 could be a big help to you.

How to Do SOS #39

Activate Your Energy

(The 20-Second Rule)

If you’re having a hard time switching off stress-eating, you can Activate your Energy so it moves you more decisively in your chosen direction.

Research has found that if you reduce the time it takes to initiate a task, you greatly improve your odds of both starting that task and staying with it until you form a new habit.  The 20-second rule launches you into action so you don't get stalled figuring out what to do, weighing your options, and making a decision. This tool translates into a very simple math equation:

• CONSTRUCT a 20-second-plus barrier in front of a bad habit you want to stop (e.g., eating that chocolate donut); and/or,
• REMOVE any time barriers between you and the new habit you want to establish (e.g., having a delicious apple in a bowl on your desk).

The key is that the time from thought to action must be less than 20 seconds.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of the classic book Flow, called this “activation energy”, i.e., the vital initial spark you need to overcome inertia and launch a positive habit. The 20-second rule sets up a new path of least resistance to a preferred habit.  It bypasses your need to always rely on grit, stamina or will-power to achieve your goal. ("I won't eat that cookie!.... I won't eat that cookie!.... I won't...oh, what the heck, it's just one cookie!") 

And, because it goes a long way to taking resistance and feelings of deprivation out of the equation, this 20-second SOS tactic can take you a long way toward reducing stress-eating! Here are some specific suggestions for putting the Activation Energy SOS technique to work for you: 

• Make a 15-second list of groceries to buy so you're well stocked on nutritious options. 
• Xerox a tasty recipe so you bring necessary ingredients home.
• Grab something healthy to eat before going to the grocery store; that way you won't be hungry (which makes you less likely to over-shop &/or grab too-tempting foods). 
• As soon as you enter the grocery store, use the 20-second rule to direct your feet first to aisles with fresh foods, veggies, fruits; you'll then pass the snacks with a full basket.  
• Once home, put healthier food choices in the front of your refrigerator and store less nutritious foods someplace they will take you more than 20 seconds to retrieve when the impulse to stress-eat next hits you. 
• And, last but not least, you can double up on your SOS tools to stop stress eating by using the Emergency Breath (see prior blog) or another Core breathing technique. This will help you stay your hand when you notice it's inching toward that bag of chips.

Have some fun; get creative. Activate your Energy to blast through all obstacles in the way of your resolution and goals. Don't rely on will power to see you through. Instead, use the 20-second rule to make much easier work of developing healthy, stress-free eating habits. 

What SOS #39 Can Do for You

There’s almost no limit to how you can use the 20-second rule to change your life for the better. For example, if you want to stop watching so much TV, hide your clicker and put some good books where it used to be.  Make sure that wherever you hide the clicker will take more than 20 seconds (and some physical labor) before you’d be able to put your hands on it.  That way you'll be making an affirmative decision that the upcoming show is worth all this extra effort.

As another example: if you want to exercise first thing in the morning, put your clothes in the path you take between your bed and the front door. If that doesn’t work (and your mate doesn’t object), sleep in them until your new morning exercise habit is firmly in place! You may also want to place your alarm clock so it is waaaaay across the room. That way you’ll be on you’re feet and moving before you even know it.

You can read more about activation energy in the classic book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and in The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor.  You may also want to view Csikszentmihalyi’s TedTalk “Flow, the secret to Happiness” at www.ted.com.

GOOD LUCK!!!

PS. Go here if you want to purchase SOS: Switch Off Stress (only $8.99 for this 258-page-equivalent "evaBook")--or click here if you want to read more about what SOS can do for you.

And here's a Free Kindle App so you can read SOS on any PC, MAC, tablet, or smart phone.

SOS to Stop Stress-Eating 

Several friends, colleagues, and clients requested that I address the difficult issue of "stress eating" now, especially since so many people have made New Year's resolutions to eat more healthy foods and/or lose weight in 2014. The next few TBA Community blog posts will provide several techniques from SOS: Switch Off Stress that can help you with this common and resistant problem. Here's to your health! 

The SOS book is filled with many practical, easy-to-use stress management techniques that can slow down or eliminate stress eating. If you have this new evaBook, simply type in keywords such as "eating" - "food" - "weight" to find many options.  Remember that each SOS tool takes only 6 seconds to 6 minutes, so any of these activities could provide immediate relief from the kind of stress that might otherwise lead to a sugary treat or a second helping you really didn't need.

First on the docket is SOS #4: Emergency Breath, which is taken from the Core Section. This exercise is a form of "power" breathing that will jolt you out of crises or drama and stop you from feeling stuck, depressed or bored. 

This makes the Emergency Breath a very fast and effective alternative to mindlessly chowing down on fatty, sugary or salty snacks. This way, rather than gaining weight or continuing with low-nutrition habits, you will get some terrific health benefits instead.

How to do SOS #4

(10-20 seconds)

This three-step power-breathing process is highly effective--and really fast! It will take you less than 20 SECONDS from start to finish. (Caution: Do this technique only a) in a place where you will not disturb others, and b) while sitting or lying down, as it could make you light-headed.) 

Let's say that you're under pressure to complete a report by end of day, and you have a sudden, almost-irrepressible urge to have a chocolate chip cookie to boost your energy.

Step 1 (optional): The Pretzel. Put your arms straight out in front of you. Cross your wrists with palms facing. Then interlace your fingers and tuck hands back under your wrists, toward body. Rest interlaced hands gently on your chest. This “pretzel” pose may seem odd, but it engages your whole brain to provide extra benefits while you're doing the power breathing. Take a few slow breaths to settle down and center before moving on.

Step 2: Power Breathing. For 10 seconds take fast, deep and full belly-breaths from your mouth (in and out) so the whole trunk of your body moves like a bellows. Power breathing is rather noisy, as it is done from your mouth. (Slow down your breathing if at any point you feel light-headed.)

Step 3: Refocus. While doing the emergency breathing, take your mind off the stressor and focus it instead on something positive—for example, imagining a good outcome to this stressful situation (like getting the report done easily and on time) OR thinking about going home to someone you love when it's done OR bringing healthy, delicious foods to mind that will boost and sustain your energy so you can complete that report in record time.


Optional: Tracking results. If you want to see how much this tool helps, just rate the stress you’re feeling from 1-10 both before and after doing this technique. 

And of course, the real measure of success is your answer to this question: 

Did the emergency breath stop you from stress eating--or not?

What SOS #4 Can Do for You

This technique instantly interrupts the stress cycle. It removes any mental boulders that have blocked your way to laying new neurological tracks that will move you away from the habits of stress eating and toward keeping your New Year's resolution.

After doing the Emergency Breath, you will likely feel quite invigorated. I encourage you to do SOS #4 whenever the urge for stress-eating hits you. (Remember: Please step aside so you can do this in private; it is noisy and you don't want to bother anyone else.) The emergency breath is a phenomenal stress-buster—super-fast, and very easy to do many times a day, no matter how busy your life is.

The mental benefits and physical effects of repeating this technique regularly are numerous. They include: 

• Increased pulmonary capacity (directly tied to longevity).
• Cardiovascular system improvement.
• Detoxification (fast and full release of carbon dioxide from body). 
• Improved lymphatic and immune system functioning. 

And as you've probably already noted, these same positive effects listed above also contribute to natural, healthy sustainable weight loss.  So...think of SOS #4 as helping you to jump start a positive upward spiral, by managing just one little stress-eating urge at a time.

GOOD LUCK!!!

PS. Go here if you want to purchase SOS: Switch Off Stress (only $8.99 for this 258-page-equivalent "evaBook")--or click here if you want to read more about what SOS can do for you.

And here's a Free Kindle App so you can read SOS on any PC, MAC, tablet, or smart phone.

JOY TO THE WORLD! 
'Tis the Season to Switch Off Stress

We are happy to announce the release of an exciting new Balancing Act book by Sharon Seivert. SOS: Switch Off Stress is a uniquely designed "evabook" (electronic-video-audio book) that offers 101 really fast ways to relieve stress (in 6 seconds to 6 minutes).  With SOS you can to do SOMETHING right now to stop stress, no matter how little time you have. Read more here about how SOS can help you.

And because the Balancing Act Community wants you enjoy these practical techniques and share them with your friends and family, we will be releasing one SOS techniques in every blog post going forward!

SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRICE. SOS will be available at an "early bird" discount rate during the high-stress holiday season. Normally this 258 page equivalent book can be purchased for $8.99. But during the holiday season you can give it to those you love and admire for only $5.99!!

No wrapping, no mailing, no stress. Just follow above SOS link to send as a gift and set delivery date. (You can read SOS on all computers, e-readers, tablets, etc.)

Fly Away! DaVinci's Parachute & The Starters' Project

Hello Friends,

Did you know that Leonardo DaVinci invented a pyramid-shaped parachute more that 500 years ago? The design was largely ignored over the centuries--until 2000 when daredevil Adrian Nichols proved that it worked. According to Nichols, even with its heavy medieval materials, the original DaVinci design provided "a smoother ride" than the modern umbrella parachute.

So what does DaVinci's Pyramid Parachute have to do with the Starters Project? Here's the Bad News, the Good News and the Great News.

The Bad News: They said it couldn't be done. Today marks the end of our team's first crowd-funding attempt, and unfortunately, The Starters' Project did not reach its fixed-funding goal.

 The Good News: They tried it--and it worked! The whole team and I have learned an incredible amount. In fact, what we didn't know about what we didn't know at the outset of this adventure could fill volumes. Here's just a sample of what we learned--and also the next steps we're taking to act on that valuable learning so we can fly away to the next stage of our adventure.

• The Starters' Project was too complex for a concise crowd-funding message; it also lacked the urgency, emotion, or sensationalism of most successful campaigns. Next steps: We will simplify the message and put me out front as the voice of TBA.
• Most people didn't understand crowd-funding's intersection between investing, giving to a cause, and pre-purchasing a new product. Next: Any future crowd-funding efforts will focus on our non-profit Starter efforts so people receive a charitable deduction.
• I did not realize how many wonderful people I've lost touch with over the years--and that I did not have the infrastructure in place to contact them. Next: I will continue reaching out to friends and clients so we can stay in regular communication, build lasting community, keep updated on news.
• There is so much "white noise" in social media that people are overwhelmed by the volume, and it is hard to be heard. Next: I will build a steady (but not intrusive) social media campaign in which I "sing" this beautiful work so it pierces through surrounding noise for anyone who wants to listen.

The Great News: This odd-looking invention provided a smooth, safe ride. The Starters project opened some unexpected new doors for us. Indeed, I think we can confidently say that the outcomes listed below make the project a resounding success.  It certainly was not the outcome we anticipated--but we may actually be better off in the long run.  For example:

• The Balancing Act eBook is being released in a couple weeks. 
• I launched The Balancing Act blog. (And what a surprise! I love doing it.)
• Fred and I completed the Career Changers' Guidebook v2. (It's beautiful!) 
• I started work on a series of short eBooks that address specific applications of TBA.
• We made our first videos & now know how to create videos for the Guidebooks.
• We generated enough buzz so we decided to charge ahead on the Starters' GB v1. 
• We have an invitation to offer the Starters GB at a large entrepreneurial school. 
• The GBs will become the platform for CLSI's "Opportunity Knocking" programs. 
• Theses GBs will also help us train trainers & coaches + maintain quality-control. 
• The Starters' Strengths Report is being considered for a prestigious coaching firm.
• We will be opening our on-line commercial store sometime later this fall.

And the last bit of Good News: Fly Away!! So, as it turns out, we don't have a lot of time to sit around and mope.  In fact, the team is already moving into swift action so it won't take 500 years for people to realize that the complex-looking contraption of the Starters Guidebook really can help many people fly away smoothly and make safe landings in whole new lives.

If you want to help us during this next stage of development, you can make a tax-deductible charitable donation to Core Learning Services' exciting Starter programs for ex-offenders or First Peoples, OR you can purchase a Guidebook or coaching services by contacting me directly.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Best wishes, Sharon
(SSeivert@thecoreporation.com)

The Blues Brothers, The Balancing Act, and You

Hello Friends, 

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Blues Brothers. I often recommend this music-filled classic comedy to clients so they can see, in a highly-entertaining format, how the steps of The Balancing Act fit together and can lead to a successful outcome. (If you haven't had the pleasure of watching this 1980 film, that's the first order of business.)

Here's how the Blues Brothers succeeded on their "mission from God" by instinctively following the Balancing Act process....

Step 1. Elwood Blues picks up his brother Jake when he's released on parole. The Blues Brothers stop by to visit the Orphanage of Perpetual Delinquency, where they grew up. The head nun there (aka "the Penguin") asks them to save the school from imminent foreclosure. Because the brothers' CORE Identity & Values are aligned with their old home that has helped them and so many other children, they agree to take on this cause.  And this is how our unlikely heroes start their great adventure.

Step 2.  But the brothers don't have any idea what to do. Looking for inspiration, they go to church. There Jake "sees the light" and has a VISION of giving a concert to save the Orphanage. (This Vision comes naturally from their Core Gifts as musicians; they're not just delinquents, you know).

Step 3. The Blues Brothers now declare they are "on a MISSION from God" and move into strong action. Their incredible determination and focus keep them on track throughout this whole saga, despite obstacles such as the State Police, a nasty rival C&W band called the Good Ol' Boys, a really dangerous mystery woman, AND the Illinois Nazis!!! (Whew! And you thought you had problems.)

Step 4. Now that they have the clear Mission of giving a concert, Jake and Elwood need to put their band back together. (The INTERACTIONS stage is all about getting the right people to help us achieve our Missions.) In the movie we are treated to performances by many Blues legends, including Aretha Franklin who insists on R-E-S-P-E-C-T--which of course, is vital for all our Interactions. Additionally, once the band is finally together, everyone in the group has to broadcast the word so people come to the concert.

Step 5. The Blues Brothers concert is a wild, rocking success. (In this last TBA step, we implement the STRUCTURE that make all the prior steps a reality.) The band reserves the hall, fills the seats, collects the money, puts on a concert that shakes the rafters, and then dodges roadblocks and bullets to bring the money back in the nick of time to save the Orphanage. YEA!!

SYNERGY: At the end of this story, the Blues Brothers are in jail. HOWEVER, the closing scene shows them giving a Jailhouse Rock concert to their captive audience. So who's to say?--maybe this outcome is actually "synergy" for them. It certainly is for anyone who loves the Blues and a terrific movie.

________________________________________________________________

And a reminder: You can get a Balancing Act Interactive Career or Starter Guidebook to help you through your own life and work adventures by going to the Starters' project today. (Note: The project's special low prices will be in effect only until noon on September 19th.) 

By participating in this project you are not only helping yourself; you are also helping Starters everywhere succeed in their own adventures. 

Thank you and best wishes! - Sharon
For more information, go to:
www.Indiegogo.com/starters
www.thecoreporation.com

Take a Tour of New Career Changers' Guidebook

Hello friends,

Here is my very first PowerPoint Voice-Over iMovie AND my very first YouTube video upload.  I've been learning about all these great media tools while being Team Lead of the Starter's Guidebook & Community crowd-funding project.  Don't expect me to be nominated for an Academy Award anytime soon--but I have to say that I'm rather proud of myself for managing to navigate these basics.

To learn more about the new Career Changers' Guidebook, just click on our video below &/or go to the Starters site where you can grab a guidebook for yourself or someone you love. (The project's low special-prices are only in effect until September 19th @ noon.)

If you get one of our Guidebooks, we will be in e-mail contact to make sure it serves your needs and all your questions are answered so you get off to a great START yourself.

Best wishes, 
Sharon