Awareness Addicts Show

AwarenessAddicts.com/Episodes As I’ve challenged you to make some changes in your life, you may have found yourself asking, “How am I going to fit that in?” You’re already juggling too many balls. Something will have to go … but what? We have to choose our battles. Where will we reap the most benefit from applying our resources? There is a key that we can use to help us sort this out. We’re going to apply the Pareto principle as we consider the changes we want to make. We need to identify the actions to take so that we can re-prioritize our life for big results. In this episode, you will: Learn about and understand the 80/20 principle Identify aspects of their lives that require the most dedication and effort to make way for change Set priorities and stick to them Time Stamped Show Notes: 02:12 This article from Fast Company talks about the 80-20 Rule. It says to go beyond the 80-20 rule and talking about time management. 04:59 Aware Appreciation. 07:17 As I’ve challenged you to make some changes in your life, you may have found yourself asking, “How am I going to fit that in?” You’re already juggling too many balls. 07:52 I want to start by helping you understand this 80-20 principle. As I’ve mentioned earlier, my husband is a mental health counselor. 14:54 It is a bit of a conundrum. We can’t just ignore the 80 percent. In fact, as you can see how I demonstrated this, the 80 percent has to be addressed. 17:35 In Episode 16, I talked about Divine Decongestion. Something may have to go to make room in your life for a new and improved experience. 18:25 I'm wondering whether my boyfriend really cares about me. Even when I am crying, he is emotionless. And, when I mirror his behavior back to him, he tells me that I’m not being nice.

AwarenessAddicts.com/Episodes

As I’ve challenged you to make some changes in your life, you may have found yourself asking, “How am I going to fit that in?” You’re already juggling too many balls. Something will have to go … but what? We have to choose our battles. Where will we reap the most benefit from applying our resources? There is a key that we can use to help us sort this out. We’re going to apply the Pareto principle as we consider the changes we want to make. We need to identify the actions to take so that we can re-prioritize our life for big results.

In this episode, you will:

• Learn about and understand the 80/20 principle
• Identify aspects of their lives that require the most dedication and effort to make way for change
• Set priorities and stick to them

Time Stamped Show Notes:

02:12 This article from Fast Company talks about the 80-20 Rule. It says to go beyond the 80-20 rule and talking about time management.

04:59 Aware Appreciation.

07:17 As I’ve challenged you to make some changes in your life, you may have found yourself asking, “How am I going to fit that in?” You’re already juggling too many balls.

07:52 I want to start by helping you understand this 80-20 principle. As I’ve mentioned earlier, my husband is a mental health counselor.

14:54 It is a bit of a conundrum. We can’t just ignore the 80 percent. In fact, as you can see how I demonstrated this, the 80 percent has to be addressed.

17:35 In Episode 16, I talked about Divine Decongestion. Something may have to go to make room in your life for a new and improved experience.

18:25 I'm wondering whether my boyfriend really cares about me. Even when I am crying, he is emotionless. And, when I mirror his behavior back to him, he tells me that I’m not being nice.

AwarenessAddicts.com/Episodes

Goals can be tricky. There’s a reason why so many abandon their New Year’s resolutions within a few days of the start of the new year. Do you have trouble setting goals and staying motivated all the way to achieving them? As we become aware of the sources of divine discontent in our lives, we may feel compelled to set goals to get the change process started. Effective goals have a comprehensive plan and typically quite a bit of preparation … but they also have another component, which is the driving force. Goals need a big why!

In this episode, you will:

• Learn some of the reasons why goals don’t stick
• Consider the motivation and drive for achieving goals
• Anticipate some of the obstacles that may prevent achieving a goal

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:14 This article that I found to work with today was on the Huffington Post. It was titled, “10 Reasons Why We Fail to Achieve Whatever It Is that We’re Trying to Achieve”

04:32 Aware Appreciation.

06:50 Do you have trouble setting goals? And, if you do set goals, is it a challenge to stay motivated all the way to achieving them? As we become aware of the sources of divine discontent in our lives, we may feel compelled to set goals to get the change process started.

07:26 I’m calling this episode “Divine Devotion - Proving Your Commitment.” We talked in episode 10 about failure and how important it is to allow ourselves to fail.

08:43 The really important point that I want to make in this episode is how important it is that you have a clear and big WHY for any change that you are making in your life. You are going to need to refine what you really want.

14:47 Everyone seems to have an opinion about goals. Do they or don’t they work? Should you or shouldn’t you set them? Is there a better alternative?

15:30 When I wake up in the morning, I have really low energy. It’s hard to motivate myself to get out of bed. I find it difficult to express myself freely with the people in my life …

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Do you find yourself complaining regularly about some condition in your life? This may require a bit of internal investigation … also known as applied awareness. When we are repeatedly dealing with a situation that causes us to express dissatisfaction, there is something at work in our subconscious. We are committed to something that we are not consciously aware of. Why would we commit ourselves to something that doesn’t make us happy?

In this episode, you will:

• Make a commitment to changing thought processes that perpetuate negativity
• Understand the effect that negative thinking has on the mental state
• Learn new ways to recognize and control thoughts before they wreak havoc

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:40 This particular article I found was on PsychCentral. It talks about the link between negative thinking and depression.

04:37 Aware Appreciation.

06:55 Do you find yourself complaining regularly about some condition in your life? This may require a bit of internal investigation … also known as applied awareness.

07:23 I’m calling this education segment in this episode “Divine Devotion” … proving your commitment. In this case, devotion is what we are devoted to or committed to …

14:16 The next thing then, once we’ve started to examine our own relationship to the experience, is to accept that when these sorts of experiences persist, in essence we’re committed to exactly that.

16:59 This is a concept that separates the wheat from the chaff. It requires a paradigm shift. We must accept that some of the ways we act and react are what we refer to as “trans-rational.”

17:37 Since I was a child, I have felt less than … unimportant. Even when people tell me I'm beautiful, I still find myself thinking of all my “flaws.”

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What happens when we know we need to let go of something and we resist? We may be able to get away with it for a while. But eventually, the consequences will mount. Taken to the extreme, this demonstrates itself as hoarding. You probably don’t have a diagnosable hoarding problem, but it can still be causing you stress or harm. We’re going to look for ways that hoarding shows up in our lives that we may not initially recognize. It makes developing awareness much more challenging.

In this episode, you will:

• Recognize the ways hoarding affects everyone
• Learn how to let go of the things that might be holding them back
• Understand why people tend to accumulate possessions and hold onto unnecessary things

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:48 This article from ABC7 in New York talks about the fact that the New York firefighters have been trained to battle not only dangerous fires, but hoarding conditions as well.

04:13 Aware Appreciation.

06:30 What happens when we know we need to let go of something … you name it … and we resist? We may be able to get away with it for a while. But eventually, the consequences will mount.

07:01 As I’ve mentioned previously, hoarding is a real disorder. You may have seen programs on TV where they highlighted somebody who was a hoarder …

11:30 We might call this laziness or procrastination but it can just be a lack of vision. “What am I going to do with it?”

15:05 We all have that drawer or closet (most likely both) that has become a Pandora’s Box of stagnant energy. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Not really.

16:00 I live with my family and have been working nonstop to save for my future. They are always asking for money and I don’t feel like I can say, “No.”

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Are you thinking about making a change in your life? Or, maybe a change was thrust on you … without asking your permission, like the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or a relationship coming to an end. For anyone dealing with change in their life … whether the change you’re dealing with is proactive or reactive, you are going to deal with many of the same issues. When confronted with change, resistance shows up in all sorts of ways. We need to have some tools handy so we can let go gracefully.

In this episode, you will:

• Learn how to handle changes with grace and ease
• Explore why people resist making changes, especially important ones
• Identify the thoughts that sabotage the change process

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:48 I found this article on News-Medical.net. It talks about how women experience higher stress levels from major life events than men.

06:15 Aware Appreciation.

08:33 Are you thinking about making a change in your life? Or, maybe a change was thrust on you … without asking your permission.

09:04 When life presents us with an opportunity to let go, what does it look like when we are in resistance to that?

16:05 How do we let go gracefully? What does this look like? Here’s my ideas that you might apply to help you move through some sort of transition that you are needing to go through.

19:08 Even wanted change is stressful. Most of us lead busy and full lives. Change requires that we add activities and decisions to an already full plate. No wonder we resist!

19:59 I have a habit of making enemies out of people in my mind. I make up stories of what they are thinking about me … especially when I put myself out there publicly.

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Are you ready to release attachments that are not serving you? There is an element of chaos that accompanies change. But even chaos has structure to it. It is orderly in its own way. Our work is to find easy and practical ways to create order … even in the midst of chaos. It will make a difference and soothe the chaotic feeling that accompanies change. Let’s explore some easy and practical ways to create order in the midst of chaos.

In this episode, you will:

• Find ways to better organize their lives
• Utilize routine and discipline to help create order amid everyday chaos
• Consider what it means to live an orderly life

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:46 This particular article was in Forbes. It is titled, “Ten Habits of Incredibly Happy People.” It was the result of a study from Northwestern University that measured the happiness levels of regular people …

04:50 Aware Appreciation.

07:07 Are you ready to release attachments that are not serving you? There is an element of chaos that accompanies change. But even chaos has structure to it.

07:40 If we start to consider what it means to live an orderly life, one of the things that comes into my mind is this idea that order equates to almost a military attention to detail …

09:25 This is a great observation that we need to apply in every area of our lives. Routine and discipline do what I like to call “freeing-up mindshare.”

19:01 This is a wonderful opportunity to practice awareness. Are you the type of person who lives a structured life? Or, do you prefer to take things as they come?

19:42 My life consists of always looking over my shoulder. I worry about everything. When the phone rings, I think, “Who died? Or, what’s wrong?”

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If you are feeling like it’s time to make a change, you may be feeling some fear. One of the big reasons we resist change is fear of the unknown. By proactively cutting ties to something we’ve been attached to, we create space for something new to come in. This is sometimes referred to as a vacuum that the universe is on a mission to fill for you. What if the new isn’t an improvement? It’s a valid fear, but we can meet it head on and redirect it … if we don’t allow it to control us.

In this episode, you will:

• Learn to make change to create space for new in their lives
• Confront the fear of change
• Become aware of ways life gets cluttered and learn what to do about it

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:47 The article came from a website called Sparefoot.com and it was titled, “How to Get Your Spouse to Get Organized.” Hopefully, you see the problem with this …

08:20 Aware Appreciation.

10:37 Should you proactively cut ties to something you’ve become attached to? If so, it’s going to create space for something new to come in.

11:00 I am going to refer to a concept in this episode called “divine decongestion.” If you look to the definition of congested, it means not breathing easily.

12:05 Sources of clutter don’t have to be just stuff. We can clutter our minds with thoughts or distract ourselves with clutter in the form of …

17:44 Many years ago, I was contemplating leaving the field of professional accounting. In case you didn’t know, I am a CPA and built a successful financial services firm with a partner …

19:18 I have expectations for what my partner should give me. When it doesn’t happen, I am disappointed and blame them for not giving me what I want.

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Are you content with your life just the way it is? What does it mean to be content? The definition of contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied. Discontent would then be unhappy and unsatisfied. It’s not really black and white though. We never are really content or completely discontent. Certainly, we can be content in some areas and discontent in other areas simultaneously. Rather than buying into the concept of contentment, we’re going to consider an alternate viewpoint. What if contentment is the trap? Freedom lies in our discontent … or what I like to refer to as Divine Discontent.

In this episode, you will:

• Learn what it means to be divinely discontent
• Consider what’s missing in their lives that would result in more happiness
• Appreciate the good in their lives and think about how to grow, improve, and expand those positive aspects

Time Stamped Show Notes:

01:41 his particular article that I’m sharing with you today is talking about Hoda, who is on the Today show with Kathie Lee Gifford.

05:28 Aware Appreciation.

07:45 Are you content with your life just the way it is? If your response is, “Sure, but there’s always room for improvement,” you’re human.

08:10 What does it mean to be content? The definition of contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied. Discontent would then be unhappy and unsatisfied.

12:14 One of the ways that we start to be open to those potential experiences is to allow ourselves to dream of what we might be, do, or have if we knew we couldn’t fail?

13:48 Developing awareness is the key to accessing divinity. Divine discontent isn’t just avoiding what we don’t want to deal with.

14:43 I was told my job position was eliminated. Then someone from the night shift was given a permanent position on the same shift I was terminated from.

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If the objective of good planning is to avoid failure, why bother? Should we just skip the planning and take things as they come? I think we can agree that failure can be quite painful. While you can’t plan for every possibility, planning IS critical to get the most out of every failure. This can be applied to any sort of change of habit that we want to make.

In this episode, you will:

• Learn why planning is important for making changes
• Prepare for failures and unexpected outcomes
• Identify the obstacles we anticipate and envision a successful outcome

Time Stamped Show Notes:

02:25 I pulled something up from Pyschecentral on the stages of change. I wanted to just talk to you a little bit today about how change happens

06:45 Aware Appreciation.

09:03 One of the reasons we avoid making any significant change in our lives is the fear of failure. Failure can be quite painful. Since it is inevitable . . .

09:33 We often say that this is the most important stage of change, this planning and preparation or determination stage. You may have heard the phrase, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

15:00 The problem is if we go into it with half-baked plan as enough of those reasons why we can’t do it presents themselves.

18:13 I personally thought it was interesting to couple determination with planning and preparation. That was a new discovery for me

20:00 How do I set goals that actually motivate me to do things I want to do but wouldn’t necessarily focus on otherwise?