Five Freedoms

I stumbled upon the five freedoms by Virginia Satir. 

For those of you that don't know, these are words to live by. 

For those of you that do know, it's a nice reminder. 

The five freedoms: 

1. To see and to hear - what is here, instead of what should be, was, or will be. 

2. To say - what one feels and thinks instead of what should.

3.  To feel - what one feels, instead of what one ought. 

4. To ask - for what one wants, instead of always waiting for permission. 

5. To take risks - in one's behalf, instead of choosing to be only 'secure' and not rocking the boat. 

Be present, tell people how you feel, express yourself, ask for what you want, and take a risk. Sounds fairly simple. If only people actually lived by these sayings. If only we could sustain a healthy balance between the five freedoms. 

Satir, author and psychotherapist known as the pioneer of family therapy, has created the five freedoms to help us connect with ourselves. Life is really really hard. Be true to yourself and don't expect people to be mind readers. Communicate better and other things in life will fall into place. 'If you never try you'll never know' right? So take some calculated risks while your at it.

STUDY! Tips and Tricks

It's exam time once again. It can be terribly stressful. I've felt its wrath and I'm sure many people out there have too. Many people can multitask during exam time but others can't. Everyone studies differently. Some need solitude for hours on end, others need music, and I need stickies and highlighters. Time to share my studying tactics:

BREATHE 
Having trouble focusing? Breathe. Take it one step at a time. Remember there is a lot to cover and it will all get done. Have faith. You can do it.

STAY HYDRATED
Being dizzy and unfocused can be a result of dehydration. Fill up your water bottle and have it in reach. Often I don't even realize how much time has passed by without getting up and drinking some water.

PLAN IT OUT
It's all about time management. Set out start times and end times. This way you have acheivable goals. (You can also plan in naps!) Make sure you stick to the schedule though. If you planned for a 15 minute break be sure it doesn't turn into an hour.

READ OUT LOUD
If the material is going through one ear and out the other read it out loud. I can memorize my work better when I talk it out. Even reciting the notes out to my mom or sister makes a huge difference. This way I'm not only educating them, I'm educating myself.

MAKE LISTS
If there's multiple points or different processes to remember, make a list, better yet - figure out an acronym. It works for me. I simplify what I need to know and set it up as a list to make it more memorable.

REWARDS - SNACK BREAK
After an hour of studying my brain can wander. I find myself on Facebook or Pintrest. Uh oh. No. The best way for me to stay on track is rewards. Study hard for an hour then take a snack break or a movie break. (no longer than a half hour though - in CreComm I've learned to watch my movies in bite size chunks) Work hard. Play hard. Right?

GET MOVING
Best for last. Bored? Brain wandering yet again? Change your environment. Move to the kitchen, living room, or basement. A change in location can help when studying hour after hour. You can even get moving by doing some crunches, push ups, or going for a walk. Get some fresh air and start studying fresh once again.

Good luck to all my readers enduring exam time right now. Keep calm and study on. :)

Jillian Michaels - Maximize your life!

Jillian Michaels is my inspiration when I'm at the gym. Whenever I feel like stopping I can picture her yelling at me from across the treadmill saying DON'T STOP RUN FASTER (probably because I have the Biggest loser show on my TV when running). I really want "RUN YOUR ASS OFF" pants now.

Convention Centre. Last night. At 7:30pm Jillian Michaels was welcomed by Winnipeggers of all sizes with a standing ovation onto the stage. For her first stop on her tour she came out in hight heels smiling.  Then promptly she took off her shoes and changed into her flip-flops adding to her down to earth persona. The first half of her show was about science: the nutrition and the exercise of weight loss. The second half was about WHY. Why are you the way you are and what is your vision.

--> I'm going to make it really simple for you. Eat less than you burn! It's that easy. And I've made a living telling people that! Over and over again! <--

Michaels got nothing but laughs as she confessed to how much she hates exercising and how much she wants a talk show instead of Kris Jenner getting one. Michaels explained her story of childhood obesity, divorce, a dead end job, and a lousy relationship to help us relate to how she gained success.

Simple tricks and tips I learned last night:

• Choose quality foods. Michaels pointed out how many chemicals we put into our bodies. I was shocked. Organic it is. Don't eat ingredients you can't pronounce. 
• We are like a car - we need both healthy foods and exercise to loose weight - we cannot just work with one side of weight loss - otherwise we remain in neutral.
• Move your body as often as possible - no more isolated weights - move your whole body for maximum results. 
• Let go. Be the best you and stop eating the responsibility sandwich.
• Ask for what you want. You have nothing to loose. 

My favourite line from Jillian Michaels is from her 30-day shred video: Put stress on the system and it will adapt. The situation you are in right now is your fault. You made choices to get you there. It is up to you to be proactive and change the cycle if you want different results. I highly recommend checking out Michael's website, her books, her videos, or tuning into her podcast on iTunes. Set yourself up for success.