Archive for the ‘Inspirational’ Category

Iron(Wo)Man Challenge

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

One of the most important lessons I learned as a world class swimmer is that IF YOU BELIVE IT, YOU CAN BECOME IT.  It’s great when I see my clients learning this same lesson.  Sometimes however, there is a need for a change or for a few changes in order for us to become the person we want to become.  That’s when the rubber hits the road.

Change is a process and, many times, it is not an easy one.  In order to change and to make that change long lasting, we need to recruit help.  It’s easy to say that the only reason why we don’t follow through with change is because we don’t have enough willpower or because we are lazy.  This is a simplistic assumption and it is a wrong one.  When you believe that your ability to change comes only from your willpower – and that willpower is a quality that we are either born with or not – you eventually stop trying all together.  This mindset keeps people in a trap that leads to depression and eventually into the relapse of the old habits one is trying to change.

Fortunately, there are studies that proved that willpower is not simply an innate ability but a skill we can learn.  There are many other sources of help that we can recruit to help us change.  Let’s take the example of a person who became overweight and one day decided  he wanted to become and ironman contestant.  Now, this fellow, let’s call him Mike, used to be an athlete.  He got married, got a corporate job and doesn’t know how 10 years later he was 30 kilos overweight.  He felt bored and stuck in a routine, unfulfilled, and he began to blame it all on the people he loved the most – his wife and children – which led to many fights.  The picture was not a pretty one.  The one day, while watching an ironman race on TV he began to remember his days as an athlete.  He made a decision right there that he would be in that same ironman in a year’s time.  

Now Mike needed to come up with a plan.  He realized a few things.  He had his personal motivation but he knew he could not do it by himself so he recruited help by hiring a coach.  He also signed up for a team that would train together for the same ironman.  He also got educated about what would be the best fuel for his body and changed his diet.  He distanced himself from his “happy hour” buddies who refused to respect his decision not to drink and kept inviting him for drinks.  He began to hang out with his team mates who had the same goal in mind.  He also knew that he was doing all of this to avoid the consequences of being overweight so he created a story about what would happen if he did not follow through with his goals.  When he didn’t feel like going to practice, he would tell himself the story of what would happen if he neglected his health.  His story was graphic and detailed enough to kick him out of the couch and into the pool.  The thought of not seeing his daughter getting married or graduating because of his early death – like that of his father – did it every time.

Mike created a smart plan of change.  Let’s recap what he did:

1.  He was clear about his personal motivation and he knew that it was not enough to make him achieve his goal.  So, he recruited help both from inside himself and from outside.

2.  He joined a team and got a coach.  By doing that he made sure that he had support from people who had the tools to train him and that were literally swimming/biking/running in the same direction that he was.

3.  He educated himself on the best fuel for his body and followed a diet plan.

4.  He made a clear assessment of the people around him who could help him or hurt him on his quest.  He then eliminated the not so helpful influences and hang out with the others who were on the same path that he was.

5.  Finally, he created a powerful story about what could actually happen if he didn’t follow through with his plans to become a healthier person.  He didn’t sugar coat it or lied to himself.  He looked at the facts that were against him – like the early death of his father because he was overweight and diabetic  - and decided that the story would give him a powerful push whenever he was tempted with missing practice.

Mike realized that blaming or crediting his willpower is a major trap.  One that people fall for every time.  An athlete knows that s/he cannot do it by her/himself.  An athlete has a plan just like Mike had and follows it.  An athlete recruits help and uses strategies to succeed.  An athlete is not born an athlete; s/he needs to practice and learn the skill before becoming a good swimmer, runner or whatever.

You also can change!  Dig deep and find your personal motivation, get help, design a plan and get the systems in place.  We can all do it because it is a skill we can learn and not an innate ability.  Now, what’s your iron(wo)man challenge?

Happy change!

With energy,

Ana

Eyes of Curiosity

Monday, June 13th, 2011

A new week, a new day, a new beginning.  Life starts anew every day and it gives us an opportunity to look at things differently and start fresh.  But that only happens if we see life with eyes of curiosity.

Have you ever payed attention to a child looking at an animal or at a new toy?  She approaches the experience with such wonder and amazement that it is hard to look away.  There is no fear, only excitement as she is eager to touch, feel and play with the new object of amazement.

What if we approached each day in such way?  Engulfed in amazement and awe at being alive and able to experience the new and let go of the old…  Wondering what lies ahead with enthusiasm and eagerness… Not a concern in the world about what we left behind and simply trusting that the future is shaped by what we commit to do today…  Sounds great doesn’t it?

This week look at life with your “eyes of curiosity” and let your heart and your mind wonder as you approach a new experience.  Trust that the work has been done, that you are where you are because that’s the best place you could be.  Let go of the past experiences that somehow left you bruised and skeptical and welcome the possibilities a brand new day offers to you.

The Infinite One got you covered!

With energy,

Ana

Celebrating Israel!

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

This post is personal and close to my heart.  It’s about my wonderful trip to Israel, my spiritual homeland.  My time here has been spent between learning and sightseeing.  The first part of the trip was made up of twenty wonderful days with my husband driving all over the Central and Northern parts of the Land.  We discovered amazing places, inspiring people and amazing food, of course!  The magical sounds, sights and smells of Israel made us dream of ancient times where people worshiped at the Temple, walked the same streets we were walking on and fought for what they believed in.  Israel amazed us at every corner…

This week has been all about learning.  My teachers showered me with amazing lessons and meditations that made my head spin and my heart sing with joy.  Learning for its own sake elevates the spirit and heightens our awareness.  I have a feeling that this trip will bring me many fruits and I hope to share them with you soon enough.  It suffices to say that my notes filled up a notebook and that I am buying a new suitcase tomorrow to carry all the new books I bought!

I also had the opportunity to do my favorite thing while traveling:  Talk to locals and listen to their stories.  The feeling of connecting to others always makes me smile.  Isn’t that what life is all about anyway?  I met an amazing silversmith designer named Sari Srulovitch (www.sarisrulovitch.com) and spent almost two hours listening to her telling me about her gorgeous pieces and her inspirations for making them.  She showed me her studio and her tools and I was amazed at her humble demeanor considering that Sari won many international prizes and has some of her pieces in permanent exhibition at The Israel Museum and the New York Jewish Museum, not to mention private collections all around the world.  I met a lovely cab driver named Yakov who told me about his travels around the world and his love for South America where he met a lovely lady named Ana in the summer of 1970 – the year I was born!  I also met chef Moshe Basson who was just in Brazil being part of the Israeli Food Festival in Sao Paulo.  He proudly showed me all the magazines and articles he was featured in while in Sao Paulo.  What is so special about Moshe is that he specializes in cooking “Biblical Food” – see his website at www.the-eucalyptus.com.  He reproduced many foods that are featured on the Tanach (The Jewish Bible), and in other sources of the Jewish tradition.  His cooking is exquisite and sophisticated precisely because of its simplicity.  I was delighted to experience a tasting menu with my friend Shani and her sister Avgal.  To top it off, the famous Israeli singer Gad Elbaz, was having dinner with friends and surprised all of us with a beautiful rendition of “Ana Bechoach”, an ancient Jewish prayer.  What an amazing night!

The informality, openness and generosity of Israelis touches my heart.  It makes me fall in love with the country all over again every time I go there.  I feel safe, at home and hopeful in spite of all that goes on around this tiny nation.  And I am so glad I got to share twenty wonderful days with my husband in this magical Land.  Israel is for lovers!

Shalom and blessings from the Land,

Ana

The Heroes Around Us

Monday, May 10th, 2010

maosLast week I’ve heard a very touching story.  As most of you know, there was a major earthquake in the north-west province of Qinghai.  In spite of all the progress and wealth China has been accumulating, the rural areas such as this province are extremely poor.  A friend told me that she knew of  a man, a truck driver from Hong Kong, who decided to go to this province and help.  When the earthquake hit, he was there.  He went inside a school and saved a few people before he succumbed to his death when another unexpected shock hit.  The Hong Kong government offered to bury him in the official plot with all the honors of a statesman.  His family refused.  They said that they are humble and want to be all buried in the same humble place together.  Besides, what he was doing, they said, was simply what their family did for generations.  They never had much and helped those who had even less.

Now, showing off is big in this town as it is in any other money driven place in the world.  Here is a family that said no to that; they didn’t want to show off their good deeds.  To me this man was a hero.  A quiet hero who drove a truck and moved vegetables from one place to another and who was moved by the suffering of other people he didn’t even know.  He did something about it and served others to the best of his abilities.

Like him, there are many others who go about their every day lives cleaning streets, selling pizzas, handing us our coffee, teaching, and taking the time to perform extraordinary acts of kindness.  They go by unacknowledged and uncelebrated.  Not that they seek that.  They are happy knowing that someone has something to eat, shelter for the night, clothes on their back because they followed their call to be of service.

Look for the heroes around you.  Get inspired by their stories and follow their example!  Make sure you help others when you have a chance without expecting anything back; recognition, fame, whatever.  Just follow your instincts and be fully engaged in the process of being of service.  I know you can!

With energy,

Ana

The “M” word

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

balaoThere will be times when we all make mistakes.  Sometimes big ones.  There will be times when we overreact, offend someone, slip up, overlook the obvious, and so forth.  The most important question isn’t so much whether or not we will mess up, but rather how quickly we can recover when we do mess up.  We can turn a relatively minor setback or mistake into a much bigger deal by over analyzing our actions (or someone else’s).  I can so relate to that!

See your mistakes, admit to them, and move on – in other words, recover quickly.  The trick seems to be a willingness to forgive yourself – and others – for being human and for making mistakes.  By recovering more quickly, you will learn from others as well as from your mistakes, and as a result, your life will become substantially less stressful.

This week bring more forgiveness into your life.  Firstly by forgiving yourself and then by forgiving others.  We all learn and grow precisely by making mistakes.  Learn to recognize that in your life and in the lives of others around you.

With energy,

Ana