Vlog: Nature As Inspiration For Change

Hello!  I hope your week is starting out well.

Nature is always changing.  It's growing, it's alive.

Sometimes this happens very subtly so we can't even tell it's happening, while other times, such as in the case of tornadoes, earthquakes, wild fires, and hurricanes, it happens suddenly and violently.

That's us, too.  Sometimes we fight change and other times it comes easier.

You can go out in nature and find a quiet spot and think and heal and grow and have a-ha moments.

You can meditate, pain, draw, dance, laugh, cry, scream.

It can revitalize you.

The fresh air, the movement of your physical body, your heart and soul awakening.

It can energize you--give you the energy and the knowledge, and the self-awareness to make meaningful changes to your life.

What is your experience with nature?  Is it healing for you or do you have another way of tackling tough decisions, solving problems, and finding peace?

All the best!

I'm Back!: An Introduction

Hi everyone!  I'm back!  I'm so excited to start blogging again!  

First of all, thank you to my followers who stuck with me during the break even though I didn't post anything new.

And, thank you and welcome to those of you who recently started following my blog.  I'm glad you're here and hope you find my posts valuable.

I plan to write on a variety of topics related to confidence building, and also how the arts can serve as valuable tools to help bring about meaningful change in our lives.

Feel free to join in on the conversation, ask questions, and suggest topics for future posts.  I'd love to hear from you!

Okay, that's it for this time.  I hope you're having an amazing weekend.  I'll be posting again in the next couple of days.  Take care!

Last Post

Hi.  This is my last vlog post.  I have decided to end my blog and concentrate on YiuTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and my Facebook Lives on my group Dream. Imagine. Believe. Achieve.  I will keep my blog up so you can have access to past posts.  Email me anytime with questions regarding posts or my coaching services.  amy@acnlifecoach.com.  My website is www.acnlifecoach.com.  You can find all the links to social media accounts there.  Best wishes.

Vlog: When Someone Believes In You

When someone believes in you:  What does that do for you?

• Helps you believe in yourself
• Fosters confidence building
• Builds self-respect
• Offers you hope
• Spurs you to seek out opportunities of self-fulfillment
• Gives you energy

Maybe you feel different, angry, nervous, or insecure.  Can you imagine what someone's belief in you would do for you?  Wow!  It could be life-changing.

But also, dig deep to find belief in yourself.

• You have to believe in yourself in order for your dreams to come true and your life to be fulfilling.
• Nobody can give that to you.  They can believe in you, but if that belief doesn't transfer to you, it won't do you any good.
• And you need to be ready to receive that belief and run with it and use it for good.

Do you have someone in your life who believes in you?  What has that done for your confidence, your self-respect, your productivity?

Who has believed in you?  A teacher, a parent, a spouse?  Maybe a friend, a member of the clergy, a boss?  Could be a doctor, nurse, therapist, a coach.  Who was it in your case?  I'd love to hear about them.

Vlog: Exercising With Chronic Health Issues

Hi there!  I got up early to exercise this morning.  I got a great workout exercising along to Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds 3-Mile DVD.  Yay!  When the alarm went off, I thought, oh no, but I got up, got going and was glad I did.  Her DVD's are adaptable, fun, and offer up a really good workout.  And, I'm being paid to say that!  I've been using her videos for years. 

Do you have chronic health issues?  If so, do you exercise?  Whether you can walk or not, in most cases there are exercises you can do.  Don't listen to the naysayers that discourage you because they think you're unable to exercise or that you'll just make a mistake and get hurt.  Please, you're not a two year old.  You know your body and that it's important to take care of it.   Listen to it and exercise!  But, please, the first thing you need to do is check with your doctor to see what exercises you can and cannot do relative to your chronic health issues.  Then pick exercises that are fun for you to do and take it slow.  You want to challenge yourself, yes, but you don't want to hurt yourself.  You may even want to talk with a personal trainer, exercise scientist, fitness coach, or physical therapist to get tips on where to start, what exercises to do, and so on.  You can also ask me questions if you like since I was a fitness coach for eight years.  I still know a thing or two about fitness.  And if I don't know the answer, I can refer you to someone who may be able to help you.  

Exercise doesn't just help you lose weight, it can reduce the risk of certain diseases, boost your mood, improve your sleep, and much more.  So, get out there, find out what you can and cannot do, and have fun--for life!

Vlog: Yes, You Can Work With Chronic Health Issues

Hey there!  I'm back after taking Fourth of July week off from vlogging.  Hope everyone celebrating it had a great time.

I've heard lots of people with spina bifida and other chronic health issues say they can't work, don't work because of their health.  This is surprising and discouraging.  I realize that your ability to work depends on the severity of your health problems, but in many cases, as long as you check with your doctor about what you can and cannot do, you should be able to work at some type of job.

Where can you work?

Home

• I've tutored English as a second language
• I had a typing and design business
• I wrote articles for Spina Bifida Association of America's magazine
• Fitness coach
• Life coach

All from home!

Office in town

Temp agency

• I spent about two years working at various businesses as a temp employee

In a coffee shop

• Take your laptop along and work from there.

In the park

At the library

• Take your laptop or Ipad along.  Maybe even reserve conference or meeting room there.

At a community center

• You can reserve a meeting room there to hold a workshop or other type of work-related event

At the kitchen table

• I tutor ESL students at my kitchen table!

On the phone

• Telemarketing
• Scheduling
• Life coaching
• Conducting polls and surveys
• Customer service
• Tech support

What can you do?  (Hint:  Pretty much anything!)

• Writing
• Blogging
• Billing
• Appointment scheduling
• Customer service
• Making crafts to sell on Etsy
• Coaching
• Bookkeeping
• Conducting surveys
• Mystery shopping
• Search engine evaluator
• Researching
• Photo editing 
• Copy editing
• Tutoring
• Mentoring
• See if your current boss will allow you to telecommute instead of traveling to the office every day.
• Virtual assistant
• Personal training/fitness coaching
• Tech support
• Quality control
• Social media manager

For more information, contact the following:

• Your state's vocational rehab agency for help   
• Your local job service or check out their website for job leads
• LinkedIn
• Monster.com
• National Telecommuting Institute (www.ntiathome.org/work-at-home-jobs-disabled.shtm
• LandaJob.org
• My Employment Options (https://www.myemploymentoptions.com
• FlexJobs.com:  https://www.FlexJobs.com/?sub=1037
• Freelancer.com
• Hubpages.com/eHow.com

A cautionary note:

• Look out for scams:  Avoid anything that seems fishy, have your lawyer look over contracts.
• Go with your gut when deciding which organizations you want to work for and jobs you want to do
• Get references before committing to anything
• Be careful when meeting prospective employers, contractors, clients in person.  Choose a public place.  Bring along a trusted friend or colleague to sit nearby in the park, restaurant or another meeting place of your choice just in case there is trouble and you need help.  At least tell someone close to you where you will be meeting this prospective client and when you plan to return.

Are you working?  Are you not?  What are your thoughts on working/not working with chronic health issues?

Vlog: Believe

I've been discussing my motto:  Dream.  Imagine.  Believe.  Achieve.  I've talked about dream and imagine.  Today, it's believe.  

The definition of "believe" is "to accept or regard as something that's true."  

So, how can believing help you get unstuck and go for your goals?

Well, you can start acting as if you already have it, made it, did it.  Your dream has come true.  Don't throw your money around just because you imagine yourself as a millionaire or successful businessperson.  That could get you into a lot of trouble.  You need to pay the rent, you need to act responsibly.  But you can visualize yourself as being successful.  You can believe that it will happen.  

Why is belief important?

• If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will.  And you may need people's help to follow your dreams.
• Belief breeds confidence that you need when t  The road gets rough.  You'll most likely face barriers along the way toward your dreams, but with confidence, you can overcome them.  You need belief for that.
• If you've seen others do something you know it can be done.  To believe that you can do it is key to doing it yourself.
• Belief inspires you to take action.  You know you can do it so let's get going.  And you won't give up until you succeed.
• It helps you form a positive attitude.  Attitude is everything when going for your goals.  You need to have a positive attitude to accomplish anything.  To achieve anything.  

Achieve is the final portion of my motto.  Dreaming, imagining, and believing can lead to achievement.  

• You may fail repeatedly but belief keeps you going, trying again.  You know this is what you are meant to do.  Help people, for example.  That was me.  I've tried lots of stuff--I wanted to be a psychologist and play therapist.  I didn't do it.  But, years later, I've found coaching.  I've always wanted to help people, ever since I was very young.  Nothing else clicked, but coaching did.  And tutoring English as well as an off-shoot.  I am helping people.  It doesn't matter that I didn't go for the masters and doctorate.  It matters that I kept looking for what was right for me; the way in which I could help people best.   And, I've found it.  It took awhile, but I found it.  And that's okay.  Your true self--your true calling--may take awhile to come forth, but it will.  Give it time.  Then work for it, embrace it, love it, enjoy it.

What are your dreams?  Do you believe in yourself and your ability to achieve them?