It's so easy to get caught up puttering around the house with no real plans for the weekend and before you know it the weekend is over. You don't feel rejuvenated or recharged from that time off because you didn't make a conscious effort to do fun and relaxing things. You were caught up with errands, laundry, yard work and kids activities and you forgot to make time for yourself. 

How can I write about this? Because I know it, I was in that rat race of working all the time without any time off. Then when I did have time off I never made plans to do things so I never felt that sense of relaxation or fun. However when I did make plans for a true weekend I found myself so much more productive and happier during the week and during the weekend. I wish someone had reminded me to take real time off to enjoy myself so I am here to remind you to take time for yourself.

Now imagine going back to work on Monday after a fabulous weekend of fun times and relaxation. All of your chores were done ahead of time and you are ready to great the week with enthusiasm and vigor. When your colleagues ask you how your weekend was you are glowing and recounting the laughs and the relaxation. Each time you are talking about your fabulous weekend they are feeling envious and sad that their weekend was blah and you are reliving the joy over and over.

We are so much more productive and happier when our free time is filled with laughter and joy. Our stress level decreases, we feel invigorated, and our lives are better over all. When was the last time you spent your time off doing what you wanted to do without being a slave to house work, technology or kids activities? Enjoying a full weekend of fun does not mean chores are neglected and you have a pile of work to do on Monday. When we make that conscious effort to have time off that is truly free time then we also make our work time more productive.

Think back to the time when you had a vacation planned and your excitement and enthusiasm about it as it got closer each day. Imagine feeling that sense of joy each week as you get closer to your free time each week. Freeing yourself from that weekly stress will make you healthier and happier. 

When you manage your household chores during the week they can be done in less time than giving those chores to the entire weekend. For instance doing a load of laundry each day only takes a few minutes of dedicated time for folding without the piles getting overwhelming. Keeping the house picked up with just a few minutes each day, keeps away the overwhelming clutter. Plan ahead with a menu each week of your meals and shop accordingly instead of spinning your wheels with what to make each day. Knowing in advance the menu will make meal preparing much easier and more efficient.

The good news is that with all kinds of newfound free time you can do things you never thought you would have time for. It might include going to new places or it might include spending quality time with friends and family. You might decide to take a weekend class, go on a weekend retreat or you could learn a new sport or improve on one. Maybe you will use this time to challenge yourself to try something or do things to move you closer to a goal.

Begin today to make that intention for free time you can fill with fun. Whatever your plans taking time for yourself will improve your life exponentially. Give yourself that extra time and have fun!

What happens when you hear the word goal? Is your first thought  "ugh" or do you think about goals you were once successful at? I'm guessing most people, myself included, say "ugh" when they hear the word goal. It means committing to something or maybe even following through with something that feels scary. It might even mean I have to push myself out of my comfort zone and that really feels uncomfortable!

I looked the word goal up in my trusty thesaurus (remember when that was an actual book?!) and found many other words that don't feel so hard or scary as the word goal. The word intention is a synonym and I hear that word used a lot these days. Just yesterday I was in yoga and we were setting our intention for the results from our class. Now that was easy, my intention was to find the joy in moving my body through yoga. Had the instructor said  "set your goal for the class" I might have come up with the same thing or quite possibly made a different goal. I like the word intention, the dictionary says it is: an aim or plan. That feels much safer and gentler than the word goal. I looked the word goal up and came up with this for a definition: an aim or desired result. Isn't that interesting that they both mean very much the same thing (and why they are synonyms!). Isn't it funny how 2 words with the same definition can feel so different?

I often hear people talking about "setting their intention" for the short term, like a yoga class or listening to a lecture and fewer people talking about setting goals. I've been told that only 3% of people actually write down and set goals for themselves. And the act of writing down a goal leads to a much better chance of actually accomplishing that goal. 

I did write down my goals at the beginning of the year and I have accomplished some of them, some I have changed and others I am working towards. Yes it means stepping out of my comfort zone and yes sometimes it feels scary but on the other hand there is tremendous joy in the accomplishment. 

A good way to begin with your goal or intention is to start small and simple.

"My goal for this week is to exercise 6 days."

Then at the end of the week when you write down all your successes you can begin with: "I successfully completed my goal for the week." Or "I did not meet my goal this week and am reevaluating to create a new goal."  This gives us an opportunity to look at the resistance to doing something we really want to do and set a new goal about it.

My point here is that goals do not have to be big scary plans that we can't achieve, instead they can be small, productive goals that make our lives better. It's what we are aiming for and striving towards in our lives. 

If you are ready to set some goals and would like a place to share your goals and more importantly to share your successes then join the small, safe accountability group I am starting. Click here

You have the choice to accept your life script you’ve written thus far or edit it so you can create a life that fulfills you. ~ Madisyn Taylor

Editing your life can be as simple as creating one new daily habit or it can be as grand as recreating yourself. 

When I attempt to develope a new daily habit or create a goal that I want in my life I use a 'daily action guide' that I developed to track my progress. It is a useful and productive tool but without any accountability I easily slip out of the habit or get stuck and forget about the goal. I am tired of wanting to make changes but not following through and giving up. Can you relate to that? How many times do you say in the morning "I'm going to (eat healthy, exercise, work on that book I'm writing, make that doctors appointment etc) only to find at the end of the day you haven't done it? I'm not looking for a nag as I am sure you aren't either but when we make a public statement of our intention it is so much easier to follow through.

So I am offering an opportunity for you to join me in an accountability group. This is a group that you can use to help you get special projects done or use it as it as a place to be accountable for your day-to-day activities meditating, exercise, eating healthy etc. The group will close once we have 10 members to allow a safe and supportive atmosphere. I'll create a second group of there is more interest so don't let that keep you from joining the group. 
I will set the group up so that we have a private Facebook page for daily communication and we will meet for one hour on a Google Hangout biweekly (the second and fourth Monday of each month at 1pm EST) beginning August 10, 2015. Let's use that time to share our successes or stumbling blocks that we need support with.

Last winter I dug out an old needlepoint that I had started over 30 years ago. I made the statement that I wanted to finish it and was looking for accountability. It was so much easier for me to work on the needlepoint and actually finish it once I had made known my intention. I finished the needlepoint part and then it sat in the bag just needing to be made into a pillow. So I mentioned on the accountability Facebook group that I began last week, I used it as something small to begin the group. Wouldn't you kow it when I was at yoga I was talking about the needlepoint and someone suggested getting it framed instead of making it into a pillow. I loved the idea and with in 20 minutes I had it at a local frame shop and now I am waiting for the framing to be completed. Phew that was easy! Actually it was much more stressful thinking about getting it done than actually doing it!

Are you ready to make those edits to your life, feel better about yourself and get closer to creating the life of your dreams?

Join me if you are ready to be accountable while getting support, giving support and celebrating all those successes! https://www.facebook.com/groups/786014708185441/

What is a gift? It's a present, it is something we give to another and something we receive from another.

The gifts of my life are so abundant they fill me with joy each day.

The greatest gift today is Chloe my little granddaughter who is now a toddler. She is on her feet moving and exploring her world all day everyday. I marvel at her experiences this Spring knowing that the world is all new to her from the flowers (dandelions) growing in the grass to the dirt and rocks outside. It is all so different from the snow covered world of winter to green grass, leaves and flowers. I always appreciate the difference of the seasons and the beauty of Spring but this year I am seeing it with much more awe and wonder thanks to her little eyes. For Chloe everyday is an adventure filled with new and wonderful things. It was hot last weekend and she was able to enjoy buckets of water and the fun of water play outside!

There are so many mysteries of her world that she is yet to experience and it is with delight I am able to watch her explore!

Then there is the gift of having had surgery on my foot, Achilles' tendon surgery that I just couldn't put off any longer. How interesting it is to be a bit "handicapped" only for a short time. First of all I get to experience the struggle of climbing and descending many stairs on one capable foot. I also get to experience the inability to get around without a great deal of effort as well as finding the places I can and can not get into with my knee scooter. I realize how fortunate I am to only be in this position for a short time and that I will have both legs working properly in no time.

I am humbled by accepting help and allowing others to be of service to me. I love to be independent so asking for and accepting help has been quite the lesson for me. I have so much more empathy for others who are more handicapped or just struggling to have a working body.

My mother had RA when I was growing up and I was often embarrassed that she couldn't get around easily like other Moms, now I have a little bit of understanding of her challenges with sore knees, ankles, wrists and elbows. How fortunate I feel to have a body that works with very few aches and pains. Another wonderful gift from this Achilles experience.


Life is full of gifts of wonder and joy if you look for them - please take a moment today and appreciate the gifts you get to experience each day, it makes the days so much better!

I know how easy it is to put the blinders on and just move forward each day doing what is in front of us with no regard for the future or our impact upon the world each day. I was reading a blog about someone that had experienced a near death experience and they were asking themselves the following questions.


Did I help anyone?

Have I been a loving person?

Is the world a better place because I was in it?


I stopped for a minute and asked myself the same questions about my daily life, am I moving through life with my blinders on automatic pilot? I know that many of us are just focusing on getting through each day without thinking baout making the world better. For me, I know currently I am focusing on making a difference through my counseling practise and as well Helen's Health Tips. Even though I am focusing on making a difference I can still very easily get in a place of doing the same kinds of things day in and day out without really being conscious of how I am making the world a better place. 

So now let me think of things I can do consciously on a daily basis that will make the world a better place:
 ~ choosing happiness and spreading the energy of joy to all I encounter in my day
 ~ planting flowers in my yard or others which is another way of spreading joy
 ~ helping someone - giving them a hand, a smile or being kind to them
 ~ sitting quietly in meditation to calm my mental gymnastics which in turn will help calm others
 ~ being an example, a role model of happiness and joy for others to be inspired
 ~ silently blessing those you encounter in your day (I ride my bike on a busy road and bless all that pass me in their cars - I feel better and I believe there is a subtle energetic shift that occurs for them too)

There are a zillion more things I could do to make the world a better place. I believe if we put out that intention through our awareness of being kind and doing good things this world will be a better place. In turn by setting the intention then I am also setting the intention to help others and to be a loving person as well.

Each night as I drift off to sleep and am making a gratitude list of all the goodness in my life I will also make note of the things I have done to make this world a better place. As we know what we focus on grows, I believe by focusing on making this world a better place it will become a better place for everyone.

So now do you want to wait until you are on your death bed to ask and answer these questions or wouldn't it be nicer if we spend each day asking, "Have I made the world a better place today?" and putting effort to making the answer "Yes!". Not only will you be happier but the world around you will be a better place as well.

Blessing to each one of you <3

Helen