Linda Edgecombe

As we get closer to the start of the 2010 -2011 school year,  we tend to start getting ready for the busy month of September.   Here are a few tips to help you get organized,  energized and ready to start your new year.  I have always thought that September is more like a new year than even January is.  We get to go shopping for back to school things,  new binders,  paper, pencils and best of all new shoes.  But before we get all this new stuff,  I suggest we dung out the old stuff.  We need to clear some space in our lives and our heads before we can get going on adding new things.

1. Hold a quick family meeting,  over a casual dinner to get full buy in from everyone.
2. Everyone choose one room that they will take on as their project. 
3. Put a timeline of this one room so everyone works towards a target.
4. Choose one room or area that the whole family will work together on.  A general space that everyone uses. 
5. Have a plan in place on what  you will do with all the stuff. Create 3 piles in the garage or on your driveway.  You need to  plan to either give away, donate or take to the dump.
6. Have one day when all the stuff you have purged, leaves your home.  Piles can not stay in the garage till next spring!  Are we clear here.
7. Celebrate.  Choose a place to go for lunch or enjoy as a family.

Linda Edgecombe

www.lindaedgecombe.com

OK, so it’s August 4th and we (the Southern Interior of British Columbia) have been in very warm to hot weather for several weeks now. With very little rain that has fallen and even less in the forecast, most of us are feeling a bit baked by now. So my observations of myself and friends and family has been that; unless you get out very early (before 8am) or (after 7pm). Not much gets done when it’s this hot. So how do we keep up our energy for the daily tasks that are on our to-do lists? And as a parent, how do you keep yourself from going crazy with the kids being home for the summer and trying to keep them cool and in the shade from the sun?

First and foremost; things you need to consider in this kind of heat:
When temperatures are forecast above 32 degrees C, or 90 degrees F, this brings an increased risk of heat stroke and excessive sun exposure.

National Health Authorities would like to remind you of some simple strategies to avoid the harmful effects of high temperatures.

Heat-related illnesses include heat stroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion. Heat stroke is considered the most serious and requires immediate medical attention.

Heat stroke occurs when body temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails and the body is unable to cool down. It is most common in infants, the elderly, outdoor workers physically exerting themselves in the heat, and people who are unable to leave their homes.

Heat stroke can occur without warning, and exhibits the following symptoms: Hot, red, dry skin, rapid pulse, rapid, shallow breathing, headache, confusion, untypical behaviour, possible loss of consciousness, extremely high core temperature of up to 41 degrees C (106 degrees Fahrenheit).

Victims of heat stroke require urgent medical attention — call 9-1-1 immediately. Provide the victim with shade or a cool area indoors, remove the victim’s clothing, apply cool water to their skin and fan them vigorously to promote sweating and evaporation.

Strategies to stay cool to avoid heat stroke: Drink plenty of fluids and avoid drinks that can lead to dehydration, such as alcohol and coffee, keep your home cool by closing blinds and curtains, stay indoors with air conditioning or a fan, avoid strenuous activity during the hottest time of day (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), wear lightweight, light-coloured and loose fitting clothing, and a wide-brimmed hat when in the sun.

Never leave children or pets in a parked car. Temperatures can rise to 51.7 degrees C (125 F) within 20 minutes in an enclosed vehicle when the outside temperature is 33.9 degrees C (93 F).

Leaving car windows slightly open or “cracked” will not keep the inside of the vehicle at a safe temperature.

Check regularly on older people, and those who are unable to leave their homes, for signs of heat-related illness.

Avoiding excessive sun exposure can prevent heat stroke and help avoid sun damage and burns.

To minimize sun and UV exposure: Schedule outdoor physical activities when UV rays are at their weakest — before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m., especially between the months of April to October. Be aware of the daily UV index — the higher the number, the stronger the sun’s rays.

Always keep children under the age of one out of the sun. Be aware that water, snow, sand and concrete that can reflect up to 85 per cent of the sun’s dangerous rays. UVA rays can also penetrate glass (like the windshield of a car).

Remember to protect yourself even in cloudy or overcast weather since the sun’s rays can penetrate through clouds.

Seek and create shade: Seek shade as often as possible from trees, buildings, and canopies, etc, keep playpens, strollers and carriages in shaded areas.

Cover up: 80 per cent of skin cancers occur above the neck. Cover children’s head, neck and ears with a broad brimmed hat when outdoors, wear clothing that covers as much of the body as possible that is loose fitting and does not let light through.

For more information on heat-related illness, www.healthlinkbc.ca

Keep Up Your Energy!

So how do we keep up our energy when the heat is on? Actually, more beer is not the answer, but it sure does seem like a great idea at the time.

Movement: If you are someone who likes to get some exercise in your day, you simply have to get up much earlier to do it. Or you have to take it indoors.

Catch a Movie: As a break from the heat, we took our family to a funny movie last night, “Despicable Me.” The air-conditioning in a movie theatre will bring on the common cold. But we were prepared and all brought our sweaters, and they were needed, because at least we had something to wipe our hands on while enjoying 10 lbs of popcorn.

There is always the MALL… And is it busy when it gets super hot like it is right now. I would love to find out if sales increase when the weather is this hot. Or are people just doing the mall loop to kill some sunshine hours away?

Water is also a great escape, but be aware if you are outdoors enjoying the water, you need be able to get into some shade, because the cooling effect of the water does not mean you are escaping the burning effect of the sun.

Try a Kids Day Camp: Now if you have kids and they are a bit younger, there are lots of Summer Recreation Camps that are run by the local Recreation Centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, Community Theatres etc. As a former Recreation Professional who ran programs all summer, we know when it gets this hot how to keep kids cool with great activities, games crafts, and movies, so consider signing your kids up for a day or a week.

What to avoid when it’s this hot?
1. Too much strenuous outdoor activity. I know this is tough especially if you work outdoors. But from a safety standpoint, your company knows too much sun exposure is hazardous to you and their company.

2. The Fridge, if you are trying to lay low and save some energy by just hanging out indoors, then don’t let boredom catch you with your head in the fridge every 20 minutes. So have some healthy snacks to nibble on to keep you occupied and get you through the heat wave.

3. Only garden if you have to in the shade. Or wait till the sun has gone down. Most experts say, if you want the best garden, water in the early morning hours.

4. You must avoid de-hydration. So drink a ton of water to keep you hydrated when it’s this hot.

And remember this, this too shall pass and we will be coming up with ideas on how to keep ourselves busy when the rain returns again. Till then… “Wear Sunscreen”

Linda Edgecombe
“Accountability with an Edge”
Kickstart your Professional Speaking www.shifttopaidspeaking.com
www.lindaedgecombe.com
888-868-9601

Did you know that right now, right this moment you have the ability with what you already have to leverage your own personal brilliance in order to build your business?

Well, you do.

One of my favourite things to share with groups I speak to is about how their brain works.   Often people claim that their processing capability is less than what I’m about to share with you but no matter how you slice it – it is incomprehensible.   The shame is that we don’t always use it to leverage ourselves in our business.  The fact is, we work way too hard.

Do you go through your day expecting to come across the million-dollar idea?  (It’s all relative – for some a million isn’t going to cut it – for others, it’s over and beyond)  Next question:  Would you be able to recognize the million dollar idea if you saw it? 

Most people say ‘yes’ at this point.  I say it’s not likely they would. 

This is where we need to start to leverage what you already have – your focus. 

The fact is, day in and day out, we tend to focus on what’s in front of us and if we’re in business or trying to make a quota – what we’re usually focused on is the problem.  

C’mon, be honest and think about yesterday – what did you spend most of your day thinking about?   It’s a rare bird that can say they were focused solely on the good that’s happening around them.

The way our brain works means that whatever we’re focused on, whatever messages we constantly feed it (which turn into beliefs) in turn sets off a mechanism that I compare to a huge radar dish that is constantly scanning the environment to prove us right.  I’ll repeat that – whatever we consciously choose to focus on – our brain looks for in order to prove us right….whether it’s right or wrong.

Ever lose your keys temporarily?

 When you did, you were likely muttering to yourself, ‘I can’t find my keys’, ‘They’re not here’.  Notice what you’re prompting your brain to do.  You’re prompting it to prove you right even though your subconscious mind can process over 400 billion bytes of information per second and it knows EXACTLY where your keys are – it can’t send your conscious mind that sensory information because it would be contradicting your focus that ‘the keys are not here’. 

It’s the same with us at work.  If we’re constantly focused on the problem or the challenges that are facing us – we will find them – it cannot be any other way.

The great news is that you can leverage this knowledge and create an almost unfair advantage in your work and business.  If you truly start to shift your focus to be expecting the million dollar idea to show up – your subconscious will start to scan the environment for it.  This is the first thing you can do to start leveraging your brilliance for your business.  If the million dollar idea is there (and it is) if you keep your focus – you will have no choice but to see it.

This is just the start in leveraging your brilliance – next, I’ll share how the power of your story can attract all the business you want and how an amazing natural law proves that you can have what you desire for your self and your business.

Written by Karen Luniw – Your Personal and Business Attraction Expert and Speaker

Personal and Business Attraction Expert and Speaker, Karen Luniw is the Author of “Attraction in Action” and creator of one of the top downloaded podcasts on iTunes “The Law of Attraction Tips”.  This podcast has been downloaded by over 11 million people all over the world.  Karen helps go-getters, business people and sales professionals to bust through their blocks and attract more money.

Karen has a very real, down-to-earth approach and each client clearly experiences what Karen practices what she teaches.  She can confirm that Attraction principles have worked for her and it can absolutely work for you.  Karen’s clients learn to use a new mindset and other powerful tools to get anything they desire.  Success in the City:  Leveraging Your Brilliance is Karen’s top keynote topic

Karen’s podcasts have been downloaded over
  10,000,000 x by people just like you all over the world
 
What are you creating today? Get results and attract more.
Sign up for my free weekly tips letter at the link below…
 
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Have a great week!

Linda Edgecombe

www.lindaedgecombe.com

No I am not asking about your sex life.  But the question does have your bed in mind. I am curious how well you are sleeping these days.  As I mentioned in my personal note,  I spent 7 days last week at a wonderful hiking lodge called “Mountain Trek”  located near Nelson BC,  by the Ainsworth Hot springs.   I had 6 days of hiking, yoga, core training, detox saunas and no coffee, sugar, salt or WINE!  Needless to say the food was awesome and with all that exercise,  I slept like a baby.   One of the several workshops we attended was about quality sleep and how important sleep is for our overall well being, and, if it matters to you weight loss and optimum health.

Here are a few tips to help you get better quality sleep and why we all need at least 8 hours of it a night.

While the rest of the world runs full speed, we still live in a very primitive body, within which resides a biological clock that influences the activity of every single cell. Blood sugar, hormone levels, metabolic rates, body temperature, sodium/potassium levels, and immune function are just a few of the things directly linked to the body’s internal clock. Altering your biological clock can have a drastic impact on your health.

Poor sleeping habits can have a direct influence, not only on the quality, but also on the length of your life. There is a direct link between sleep and problems like heart disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, viral infections, ulcers, indigestion, muscular pain, strokes, asthma, headaches, and even fatal car crashes. Our own National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that over 100,000 automobile crashes each year are related to drowsy driving. Even more shocking are their latest figures showing that traffic accidents caused by drowsy driving now kill more young people than alcohol-related accidents.

It’s is important to try and get to sleep around 10pm and create a beautiful place to fall into sleep.  From 10pm to midnight is where your body does the work to restore and repair itself.  If you don’t fall asleep well here,  this will start to age you.   Between midnight to about 3am,  this is when you have loads of dreams.  And from 3am onward is when your subconscious mind does a download of information about memories and thoughts etc.  Each of these parts of our sleep are important.  So here are a few tips to help you get to sleep and stay asleep.

1. If you exercise after dinner, do it as close to eating as possible.  Your want to burn off the dinner and level out your insulin levels
2. Avoid evening snacks to keep those insulin levels down and not spiking
3. Make your bedroom a cave, well make it as dark as you can, unplug clocks by  your head and keep all electrical outlets close to your head not in use. They give off an electric current that stimulates your brain waves.
4. Make sure your bed is VERY comfortable for you.  Spend some money on good linen and pillows. Your deserve it.
5. NO TV, or computer just before bed, turn your mind off.
6. No caffeine after lunch,  let it get out of your system.  Note the highest amount of caffeine in a soda is Mountain Dew!
7. Allow yourself to surrender to bed, use some “heart-felt” meditations of gratitude to change the pattern of nervous systems that run from your brain to your heart.  This will change the stress response and will align all of your body’s systems.  Eg: Just take a deep breath into your lungs and from your heart, as you breathe out, think of something you’re grateful for from your day.  Repeat about 6 times.   You will be asleep.
8. If you want to use a supplement then chat with your doctor about taking melatonin. Which works to regulate your own melatonin hormones?  Some studies about sleeping pills have proven that you only get an extra 40 minutes of sleep by using them and they wipe out your memory of the dreams you have. 

Well there you have it.  So practice just a couple of these for the next few nights, and just see if you get a better nights sleep.

Nighty, night!

Linda

Linda Edgecombe

www.lindaedgecombe.com

I have always stated that there are two types of perfectionists.  And perfectionism is a disease we just have to get over.  It is all based on insecurity, if we weren’t insecure about something, we would just leave it alone.  

The first type of perfectionist is a person who has high standards for themselves and the second type is a person who has high standards for themselves and everyone else around them. 

The second type tends to live a lonely life as they find everyone around them backs away because they can’t measure up and quite frankly,  life is messy.  So they will tend to live a life of disappointments. 

Being Too Neat Wastes Time

For some of us organizers, time is as precious a commodity as clean space. Spending time obsessively colour coding a filing system, or moving things from one pile to another, or sorting underwear into piles of weekday versus weekend wear just doesn’t make sense.  According to me, (a not very organized person) Duh! Just get it in the right drawer, now that’s organized!

Messy Is Not The Same As Disorganized

If you know where documents are on your desk, what difference does it make if the corners line up at sharp angles? Many times, people with a messy work environment are more efficient because they don’t spend time filing, and then finding the same piece of paper several times a day.

According to me again, we are more creative and can relax our minds to find innovative answers when piles and bits of paper do not distract us in our sight lines.  Bottom line is; if the system you currently use is working for you,  fly at it.  If not, choose what you need to do to be the most effective, relaxed and creative person you want to be.  And don’t beat yourself up trying to be neater or easier going.

A Case For Rolling Up Your Sleeves To Clean: This Is For Your Work Or Home Team

An honest assessment is needed to get you started.   I want you to open up every closet at home and at work.  Ask yourself, do you like what you see?  Would you be embarrassed if all your closets were left open and storage room doors taken off, and a bunch of friends are coming over to your house?  Or at work, some of your most cherished clients or potential clients are coming for a meeting. 

Where To Start

For Home:  What your junk drawer says about you. 

I need you to pick an hour to do this task.  You will need a garbage bag and access to your recycling box.  Pull out the junk drawer and just look at what’s in it.  All the gadgets, pens, pencils, twist ties, coupons, etc.  And on every item, do the 6-month test.  Have you used this item in the past 6 months?  If not, chuck it, recycle it or give it away. 

When you have difficulty throwing something out, even though you have not used it for over 6 months, there are deeper issues holding you back.

Once you have done this task.  Thoroughly clean out the drawer and wash any inserted organizer trays and put back the items that passed the 6-month test.

Whala!  Now just make a few notes in your journal about how you feel cleaning out that one drawer. 

For Work:  I would like you to do the same thing if you have one of these drawers or closets or rooms in your office.

Quite frankly you need open, organized space to be creative and engaged. End of story!  It is time to ‘spring clean’ even if it’s November.  That means, every closet at work (and/or home) needs to be opened and left open until you dung it out. You also need to clean out your files on your computer. Perhaps at one of your next meetings you can have a quick discussion as to why we hold onto ‘stuff’ that no longer has value to you.  What else at work are you holding onto that no longer has value?  For example: old files, promo material, old campaigns, old material on your company website, policies that were written back in the 80s or worse, earlier.

If you are not quite convinced on why you should de-clutter here are just a few more reasons.  According to journalist Patricia Cook from Associated Content, she sites five good reasons why we could all use a good dunging out.

1. It looks better when you are done
2. You save time, not having to find things in the clutter
3. You become more productive, see number two
4. Being organized saves you money, and sometimes makes you money. Have you ever found coupons and gift certificates in a pile of papers?
5. Most important reason to dung out, it gives you an emotional lift

Have a great week!

Linda

www.lindaedgecombe.com

Learn to love yourself, but get OK with the fact that not everyone will like you. Don’t spend your energy on making everyone happy all the time.  It’s a waste of your good time.

Innovation has more power to move people than making it there safely.

Develop an opportunistic mindset.  In everything you engage in, pull out even the tiniest opportunities to act on.

Create a vision and assist in opening the eyes of others to see their vision

Learn to make decisions, even if wrong, and act on them.  Change and tweak until it works for you, your family or your team. Waffles are a Breakfast food, not a leadership style…

Ideas to live by.

Have a great week!

Linda Edgecombe

www.lindaedgecombe.com

OK, so it’s early June and I know that I have not been that motivated for a few months now.   Is it procrastination or just that American Idol is now over and the Bachelorette is now on that’s kept me from focusing on practically everything and certainly everything physically active? 

I mean other than weeding my several acres of gardens; I have basically done nothing for months.  And this 49 and10/12’s  body needs more than just bending at the waist to pull a weed to fit into a nice birthday outfit.  I know all too well that what we put out there we get back.  It’s basic physics; I talk about it all the time as a presenter.  I’ve written about often in the past.  I experienced it again this weekend at my 12-year-old daughter’s fastball tournament.  The more I sat there for 8 hours straight, the more I sat there.  I was flip’n exhausted by the end of that day, and I had done not one thing that required energy, well other than cheer and reach into my backpack for more snacks. 

Procrastination for me is a way of not looking at what I really want to, let alone need to look at in my life. It’s like putting a towel over every mirror in the house so I don’t have to really look at myself.  And when there’s nothing to face, then no decisions are required. Truthfully, I am at a cross roads in my career.  I have been a full time speaker for the past almost 20 years and love being in front of groups.  To me there is nothing better than getting people laughing to the point that time just flies for them.  However, I have found that the travel to and from the places I go to speak has worn me out.  I keep thinking and even more, feeling like some big change for me is coming.  I open my computer and expect some revelation to appear through my emails.  I was reminded of some sage advise I had given one of my sisters a while back, as she dished it out to me; that in order for doors to open up for us, some have to be closed, but which ones? Now there’s the question I need to look at.

So enough about me, what are you doing these days to keep your inspirations alive?  Are you focused or just doing what I call “gumping” Remember Forest Gump?  He, like the feather in the beginning and end of the movie, just floated from one thing to the next and made due where ever he or it landed.  Now that’s me for sure, I’ve been gumping.  I wonder how long one can gump for until its time to snap out of it.  Now I don’t know about you, but I have been a very driven woman pretty much all of my life and find my drive needs a bit of a tune up.  I called a girlfriend last week to have her come over and go running with me.  I haven’t really ran for several years.  It was great.  So I know for sure that I need a buddy when it comes to getting focused on fitness.  What do you need to get and keep you focused?  Seriously MOVE on something and let physics take you farther down the line.

PS: Don’t forget your sunscreen this summer. 

Linda Edgecombe CSP

Author, Professional Speaker, Mom of Two, Wife of One and Passionate Gardener

1-888-868-9601

www.lindaedgecombe.com

According to an article in the Globe and Mail, research has been conducted to find out what it takes to be highly successful in today’s world.  A new book called “The Winners Brain” indicates that highly successful people function differently from the average Joe.  I know your first reaction will be “Ya, Duhh!” But don’t be too haste to stop reading because they also say that we ‘Average Joe’s and Josee’s can actually re-wire our brains physically.  Researchers Mark Fenske and Jeff Brown of Harvard Medical School discovered some commonalities in highly functioning individuals and identified eight winning factors in these successful folk.

Including:  Self-Awareness, Motivation, Focus (I’m sorry, what was I just writing?), Emotional Balance (I’m doomed!), Memory, Resilience, Adaptability and Brain Care.

8 tips for training winning brains

1. Self-Awareness: Train yourself to interpret other peoples gestures by watching sceens from a movie on mute,  add your own commentary to write your own script.
2. Motivation: If you procrastinate,  make large tasks more manageable,  break them into smaller chunks.
3. Focus: Stop a few times each day and just really focus on everything that is going on around you for just a few minutes.  Try practicing this one in the morning when you are less tired and you will be able to practice easier.
4. Emotional Balance: Check your perspective on what is happening to you this exact moment.  Then try and change how you are experiencing this moment.  Remember this is just an activity to try and practice perspective shifting.
5. Memory: Recognize and consciously purge useless information.   Like the song that is playing on the radio as I write this article was released in July 1987.  Why do I remember stuff like that?  Oh ya, back to the article.  Focus Linda, focus!!!
6. Resilience:  First let me define Resilience as the ability to bounce back after a tough situation,  to recover and be stronger.  OK,  so to work on this one, when you find yourself in a tough situation,  think about someone  you know who is very resilient and think to yourself how would they handle this situation?  Or better yet, I wonder if they might come and take you out for dinner and drinks? Just a thought.
7. Adaptability: The ability to go with the flow.  Bottom line here;  try some meditation and yoga. Both of these have been proven to thicken the cortical layer of the brain.  I am not sure how that helps, but it does sound good.  And at the very least, you will be more flexible and if you have a spouse, they will appreciate you more…
8. Brain Care:  Yes it’s back to physical exercise.  Researchers say that a bit of moderate exercise a few times each week strengthens your brain.  And for other benefits of exercise, see number7.

Linda Edgecombe, BPE, CSP

www.lindaedgecombe.com

info@lindaedgecombe.com

I came across this article and felt it was so good that I wanted to share it with you. According to the folks at Alist HR, good cheer spreads through social networks of family and friends – knowing someone who is happy makes you 15.3% more likely to be happy. 

People who are surrounded by happy people and those central in their network are more apt to be happy in the future. A friend who lives within one mile (1.6 km) and who becomes happy increases the probability that their friend is happy by 25%. Effects are not seen between coworkers because the social context of work “might moderate the flow of happiness from one person to another.” The conclusion is that people’s happiness depends somewhat on the happiness of others with whom they are connected; however the effect diminishes with time and distance.

The study notes there are many factors impacting happiness and that “happiness is determined by a complex set of voluntary and involuntary factors including lottery wins, elections, income, job loss, socioeconomic inequality, divorce, illness, bereavement, and genes.”

In this study, happiness consisted of positive emotions. The final summation of the study indicates that happy people tend to be connected to one another:

• spouses who become happy increase the chances that their spouse becomes happy by 8%;

• siblings who live nearby and become happy increase their sibling’s change in happiness by 14%;

• next door neighbours who become happy increase happiness by 34%, while neighbours who live on the same block have no significant effect;

• happy people tend to be located in the centre of their local social networks and in large clusters of other happy people.

 The Results

“Remember happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.” (Dale Carnegie)

Our Survey Says…

Weighing in on happiness.

When asked if their own happiness is more impacted by happy or unhappy people, 59% said that happy folks had a greater effect on their own disposition. 35% felt unhappy individuals impacted them most, and the remaining 5% felt that others had no effect. 72% of respondents believe that happiness is a choice, while 14% feel it’s primarily genetic, and the rest thought both choice, genes and other factors have an effect. When asked to identify the one person that impacts their happiness most, the top pick was spouse/partner at 41%. Another 28% feel their children bring them the most happiness, 17% named their best friend, and 7% chose a sibling or parent.

In order of what respondents named as the things that affect their own happiness most: health was named first by 36 respondents, family was named as often; however always second to health, next came friends (14), job/career (12) and money (11). Other areas included: sleep,romance and leisure time.

After reading countless books and articles, our revelation may seem obvious: happiness is not a pursuit — it’s a state of being. Happiness is not time, money, who our parents are, what job we have. It’s an inner state. We may not be able to chase it, but we can build on what we have, and pursue happiness through the choices we make. This is an element where we have control. We choose our friends. We can remove ourselves from, or diminish contact with, negative people. Negative people will eventually cluster together, why get caught up? The happiness study showed that “the mood of one evolves to match the mood of the other”. Don’t give power to negative thoughts by giving them time and energy. By changing our thoughts, we can change our experience. “If we are not happy with the outcome so far, the choice to have a happier life is ours. You see, our lives match our thoughts. We are in charge of our thoughts as well as their creation. Whatever thought we are harboring, whatever perception we are nurturing, was handpicked.

That’s the bad news. But any thought that troubles us can be discarded. It’s our choice. That’s the good news. And how refreshing.” (Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow, Karen Casey)

Being “busy” is not an excuse for not being happy. Everyone is busy all the time;we fill the time we have. What matters is how we enjoy the moments we’re living while being busy. “It takes as much time to be happy as it does to be depressed or resentful.” (Happiness Now!)

Human contact contributes to happiness. Texting, email, voicemail, teleconferencing — fantastic technological progression but sometimes at the expense of our relationships. In the happiness study, two elements were essential to allowing a happy person to have a positive effect on others: frequency (having regular contact in person) and proximity (living within 1.6 km). Find opportunities to visit, connect in person. Money does support happiness by reducing stress and offering choices.However, everyone knows happy people with economic struggles and unhappy people who seem to have it all. A quote that resonated: “Unless you’re happy with who you are, you won’t be happy with what you have.” (Happiness Now!)

Be joyful, get silly. Our culture may emphasize image, popularity and perfection. Once you let go of these concepts, and be yourself/act yourself, you can have real fun.

Laughter is medicine. Just be you, don’t worry about what others think. “I must learn to love the fool in me – the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries.” (author unknown)

Kindness goes a long way to living a happy life, both giving and receiving. “Kindness? It may strike us as absurd to even approach the subject: Our world is full of violence, war, terrorism, and devastation.

And yet life goes on precisely because we are kind to one another. No newspaper tomorrow will tell of a mother who read a bedtime story to her child, or a father who prepared breakfast for his children, of someone who listened with attention, of a friend who cheered us up. Many of us are kind without even knowing it. We do what we do simply because it is right.” (The Power of Kindness)

Use your creativity to expand your existing talents. We can find simple moments of happiness when we create — cooking, writing, taking photographs, singing, renovating, gardening.

Refreshing a past interest, exploring a new one can lead to greater confidence and fulfillment. “Significant creativity is within everyone’s reach–no exceptions. What’s more, greater creativity breeds greater happiness. The creative process is itself a source of joy for most people. And with new creative powers we’re also better able to solve the little problems that beset us daily.” (Robert Epstein)

Happiness is a state of mind, and comes more naturally to some people than others. Humans are born with a higher propensity to be positive or to be negative — but that doesn’t stop each of us from trying to feel happiness, to experience joy. “The primary cause of unhappiness is never your situation but your thoughts about it.” (‘A Happier You’, Eckhart Tolle, Oprah magazine, January 2009)

Have a great week!

Linda Edgecombe

www.lindaedgecombe.com

First….. here is Maxine Cartoon.

Ya Ya Sisters

I spent the last weekend with my 2 sisters, my mom and a few girlfriends.  They all came with me to Jasper Alberta where I was speaking for a Real Estate association.  We did as most women would do; we bought several bottles of good wine, massive amounts of great appetizers and of course a margarita machine.  I was laughing and noted, when we arrived at our destination cabins, that if we were men, there would be lots of good cold beer,  perhaps a bottle of Rum or Rye and a chunk of salami,  and a frozen shrimp ring that someone’s wife would have thrown in.  Put a jar of seafood dip in the middle of it and you’ve got a party.  We (us YaYa Sisters) had to heat ovens, chop veggies, bake a few dishes, get that Margarita machine just humming and we were away to accomplish basically the same and final purpose.  Solving the world’s problems and if the world was not enough, then at least we would solve our own problems.

It is funny how we gather our friends, nurture our friends and keep our friends.  At Christmas this year I made all “DW40” Friends. (Desperate women over 40) a painting that said.  “We gather our friends because they will always support our case.  But our Best Friends will also tell us when we are no longer cute after too much wine!” 

So I did a bit of research and found some great points on why and how we gather, nurture and keep our friends.

[a] Look for people who share the same basic values that you do.. Honesty, respect, individuality – these are all good qualities that a lot of people share. Having friends with these qualities will make it a lot easier for you to feel relaxed and at ease when you’re with them. You want to develop friendships that will be fun and rewarding – mutually beneficial to all parties involved. One person should never carry the burden of trying to make a relationship “work.”

[b] Look for people who respect your decisions. Your friends will have different tastes than you do. They should respect your freedom of choice, just as you should respect theirs. Sometimes you may feel that a friend is not making a positive choice. Discuss these issues. Nothing is more important to friendship than communication and honesty

 [c] Look for people who are real team players. You know what that means: people who are willing to stick by you through thick and thin, who will be there when you need them, and will show you the understanding that you in turn give back. A friend you know you can depend on is one you will probably have for life.

There will be times when you feel that a friend of yours is consistently making bad choices, or is not treating you with respect… There are very few things as precious as having good friends, and you should not let them go easily. Hold onto your friendships; let them know you value them and do your best to solve problems as quickly as they arise. Trust your instincts and follow your heart!  So even if a good friend is pointing out some issues that you don’t appreciate at the time, take it in stride, examine it for what it is, and take it from there.

Here’s to a great summer with your friends.

Linda Edgecombe

Re-Energize, Re-Engage and Re-Inspire

www.lindaedgecombe.com

1-888-868-9601