March: Spiritual Wellness Month

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
The mind is everything. What we think, we become.”
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental Meditation

Overview

Spiritual Wellness is becoming increasingly more popular and mainstream. Even now, though, the concept of spirituality still seems a bit hokey to many people. The simplest way to describe spiritual wellness is that it is a realization that all of us are connected to a single source of creation. It involves seeking meaning and purpose in our human existence. One of the biggest questions on the topic is if spirituality and religion are the same thing. I found this distinction from Patrick Moore, Health Expert for Yahoo! that I thought was interesting:

"A fundamental difference between spirituality and religion is that spirituality is individual. 12-step programs operate by "attraction rather than promotion" whereas organized religions often promote their values with missionary zeal. In spiritual programs, my faith is exactly that - mine. It does little good for me to try and coerce you into my belief system."

And spirituality isn’t just something we keep at home anymore. Workplace spirituality is something more and more corporations are seeing the value in. Things such as helping employees assess their passions and values in pursuit of meaningful work are some of the ways companies are opening their business doors to spiritual wellness.

3/24: Three things you can do in the next 24 hours to get the ball rolling

Create a positive affirmation
I use affirmations with my coaching clients in their career impact process. An affirmation is a positive statement designed to counteract a negative belief that you possess. It is a powerful component in eliminating self-limiting thoughts and words, and can be used to apply to all your life goals. In his article, "A Time to Work and a Time to Play!" Ronnie Nijmeh highlights the differences in balance needs of single people, couples without children, and couples with children. He also offers the following list of possible affirmations you can use to help you achieve work-life balance:

I keep work and play in a healthy balance.
I deserve to spend time relaxing.
I deserve to spend time enjoying my family.
I have a balanced life.
I cherish the time I have to enjoy my spouse.
I enjoy my work and the excellent job that I do.
I enjoy my time to play with my children.

Don't limit yourself to these statements - use them as a guide and make them unique to your own personal goals. If you are new to using affirmations, at first it may seem a bit awkward, but this is a very normal reaction to something that is new and that requires a paradigm shift.

Meditate
Try this basic meditation session from Create-Health-and-Wellness.com

• Pick a Positive Affirmation or sound that you believe in 100%, such as, “one”, “Love”, “Good Health”, “AH” or “OM.”
• If you don’t feel comfortable with a word or sound, just concentrate on every breath you take, in & out.
• Sit quietly in a comfortable position. Avoid interruptions, like the telephone. Place both feet on the ground.
• Close your eyes or focus on a small object, like a flame, put your right hand over your left hand and place them gently in your lap.
• Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you breathe out, say your word or sound out loud or to yourself.
• Don't worry about your performance. When thoughts (or chatter) come to mind, simply say to yourself, "Oh well," and gently return to your repetition.
• Do this as long as you like.
• Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, allowing other thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising.

Self-awareness in your career
A career that is fulfilling is usually one that provides us with more than just big bucks. After the novelty of money wears off, you’re left with, well, the job. And if the job isn’t satisfying, you need to dedicate time to really getting to know yourself. To begin, spend a few minutes thinking about and writing down your values. Then, pull out your resume or job description. How much of what you are doing or what you have done is a reflection of those values?

Tools & Resources

Spiritual Wellness Assessment
A New Earth online classes – based on Eckhart Tolles book, these online classes are featured on Oprah.com
Marianne Williamson’s Miracle Thought Podcasts

February: Relationship Wellness Month

"However good or bad you feel about your relationship, the person you are with at this moment is the "right" person, because he or she is the mirror of who you are inside."

- Deepak Chopra

Overview:

Relationships take centre stage in the month of February. We don’t live and work in a vacuum, so it just makes sense that the quality of the relationships we maintain will affect our ability to achieve our goals in work and life. In fact, many experts have posited that healthy relationships may even be more important to our overall well-being than fitness and nutrition. But what are relationships, and how do we make them “well”? Relationships are the most common, universal experience that vary in degree of “closeness”. Family, friends, acquaintances, coworkers and even clients are some of the more important groups that we forge relationships with to meet several of our basic needs as humans. As they say, “It takes two to tango”, and there’s no denying the fundamental give-and-take nature of relationships. But why not focus this month on how you can be personally proactive in nurturing the relationships that are meaningful to you. Your personal health may thank you for it.

3/24: Three things you can do in the next 24 hours to get the ball rolling

Love yourself first
Before you can even begin to successfully nurture relationships with other people, you need to learn and take time to develop a strong relationship with yourself. By loving and respecting yourself, you engage in behaviour that communicates to others that you are deserving of respect. What can you do right now to demonstrate love to yourself? Hueina Su, MS, BSN, CEC , says that self-care is a form of self-love. Create non-negotiable self-care practices for yourself (for example, reading, tea time, yoga, exercise, meditation, monthly girls night out, yearly physical check-up, massage, pursuing a hobby, etc.). The next step would be to stay true to it.

Look for the good in others
Whenever I’m having a tense time with my husband, it is all too easy for me to conjure up all his negative traits (and I’m sure he could do the same for me!). I frequently notice how we get into a negative loop either through toxic talk or thoughts about each other. So here is an exercise that is very useful that you can do with just about anyone in your circle. Place that specific person in your mind, and then begin writing down all the qualities you admire in them. Yes, it seems as though actually writing it down is much more powerful than just thinking it in your head. Everyone possesses qualities that are redeeming and likable, and by writing them down you can get yourself out of that negative headspace that is a barrier to progress and well-being.

Do one thing for someone at work
The workplace is filled with people we interact with on a very regular basis. And considering most people - if working full-time - spend the vase majority of their working hours at the workplace, it’s only logical that the quality of those relationships will affect our mental, emotional and physical health. To get into the habit of creating some really good karma at work, find one person you work with and do one good thing for them: let them know you appreciate them, tell them what they’re doing well, pitch in and help them with a deadline. Start with just one person and one kind act, and do your share to fill your workplace with positive energy.

Tools
Discovery Health Relationships Tools

Web resources
Work With People: Interpersonal Relationships, Conflict Resolution (About.com)
Relationship Wellness

Family Health and Family Relationships

Reading
10 Tips for Building a Strong Relationship (eBook)

Healthy Relationships and Healthy You
Your Trump Card: Self-Love

Approval Addiction

January: Financial Wellness Month

“We should love people and use money, not the other way around” – Bob Proctor, author of “You Were Born Rich”

Overview:
It seems very timely that January would be named Financial Wellness Month. Particularily in light of the current economy, this new year brings an opportunity to get our financial affairs in check. Townson University in Maryland provides the following description of what it means to be financially well, “People with high financial well-being may have a lot of money or a little, but either way they are able to live within their means, not spending more money than they have. They are aware of where their money goes, and they have a budget that they stick to, as well as a long-range financial plan. They are aware of and meet their financial obligations and generally have a comfortable relationship with money.”


Do it now:
Try these two tips from FinancialWellness.blogspot.com

Go on a Money Diet
You've heard of going on a diet to lose weight and get back in shape...Have you ever considered going on a money diet? Not spending any money so you can get back in financial shape?
Try this: make a deal with yourself that you will not spend a dollar for one week. No eating out, no buying stuff on ebay, no downloading music or MP3's, no filling up the car, no buying groceries, no shopping at all. What changes do you need to make? Take your lunch to work with you, carpool, listen to your existing music library, eat stuff you have in your cupboards or fridge. Try it and see how much you can save. It's the little things that add up.


Visualize Your Way to Success
In Bob Proctor's book, You Were Born Rich he suggests that the images we hold in our mind create our reality. "Your entire life is governed by images. It necessarily follows then, that you should be acutely aware of the images you are building in your mind."It is rare if ever, that you hear successful people amazed of their own success - they are not only aware of the steps they took to become successful, but they've spent countless hours visualizing the process, the people involved, and seeing themselves achieving the highest levels possible.Therefore, it stands to reason, that if successful people visualize success, and success involves visualization...that you should spend time each day in quiet solitude seeing and visualizing in your minds eye - all that you hope to be, do and achieve.

More tips...

Get paid what you're worth

Managing the money you have is an obvious part of financial wellness, but what about increasing the money you earn through work? Salary negotiation can seem daunting for anyone, but you'll have a far greater chance of succeding if you can demonstrate your business impact to your employer. Rick Smith of executive search firm Spencer Stuart states that in your career planning, "Above all, figure out how to improve your value to the people you'll be working for (and with) along the way. "If you expand your value," Smith says, "sooner or later, the market will pay for you." He further states that compensation is a trailing indicator of success: that you don't get paid for what you're doing, you get paid for what you've already done. As a quick exercise, begin writing down your accomplishments with your current employer. You'll begin to see if you have the leverage to get the compensation you deserve, or at the very least see what you'll need to start doing to get there.

Frugal Friends

I have a few friends that have mastered the art of frugal living. They are my role models. Every time I get together with them, they indirectly help me resist the temptation of overconsumption. Surround yourself with people who will provide you with a positive influence to help you reach your goals, and redefine the meaning of “success”.

Tools
Financial Gadget
Worksheets for success
Spending plan
Financial Wellness Check-up
Spend Less Calculator

Web Resources
FinancialLiteracyMonth.com
Ontario Association of Credit Counselling Services
InChargeCanada.ca
SimpleDebtFreeLiving.com
FrugalLiving.about.com

Reading
“You Were Born Rich” – by Bob Proctor (free e-Book)
Are you suffering from “affluenza”?
Is your online spending out of control?
Broke vs. Poor – what is the difference?

Focus on Wellness: a New Year begins!

A new year brings a fresh opportunity to become an active force in your own journey to wellness. This year, Equipoise: for work and life will spend each month in 2009 focusing on a different dimension of wellness. So what is "wellness" exactly? Although there isn't much agreement on the precise definition, what we can say is that it is more than simply the absense of disease. DefinitionOfWellness.com describes it as follows:

Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence.
Process means that improvement is always possible
Aware means that we are continuously seeking more information about how we can improve.
Choices means that we consider a variety of options and select those in our best
interest.
Success is determined by each individual to be their collection of life accomplishments.

Each month Equipoise: for work and life will highlight a different dimension, and you can use the information as an opportunity to plan your own wellness goals. Each blog entry will offer the following:

Overview: A description of the dimension of wellness for the month

Do It Now: The hardest part of reaching our goals is not neccessarily creating them, but actually carrying out the steps to see them through. Breaking down goals into manageable chunks is a classic way to see your plan come to life. This section will offer strategies that you can implement immediately to get the ball rolling.

Tools: Worksheets, gadgets and quizzes

Web Resources: Many organizations provide free online materials and can point you towards additional resources and information

Reading: A list of articles and even some free e-books for further reading in each dimension

If you are ready to begin working on creating greater wellness for yourself and for your family, subscribe to our blog posts(found in the right sidebar) and stay tuned each month. All the best for a happy, healthy and prosperous year!