Wildly Successful Lifestyle: Recent Episodes

Heidi Dawson

If you love all things Health and Wellness and style of ANY kind.....you're gonna want to hang out here! I am obsessed with constant never ending improvement and all the things that can help us do that....but also Im just curious about all the cool things that make us better! This is all in an effort to help each one of us live a WILDLY successful lifestyle!

When you were a kid did you ever have your sister or your brother or maybe a best friend say something mean to you and instead of taking it to heart you said “I’m rubber, you’re glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you”. And with that whatever name they called you or whatever mean thing they said that you didn’t like, you were letting them know that it wasn’t affecting you, in fact it bounced off them and was stuck to them now like glue. It was very effective, if you remember. They would get so mad and often say “No, I’m Rubber! Or some silly comeback like that. But they knew you had already won the day because their mean words weren’t going to affect you because you wouldn’t allow it, in fact they only now affecting them even more because now it was stuck to them like glue! But have you ever really given that little saying some thought as an adult? I mean we were pretty ahead of our time by using that. We were letting someone else know that their words can’t affect us at all, in fact their words affect them way worse because now they’re stuck with them. Really genius. When did we stop that? Check out Episode 457! I love you guys!

Have you ever done anything you’re not proud of? Come on be honest. It’s ok I’m not gonna make us dig it all up….But, I’m guessing..there have been times in all of our lives where we have done things we weren’t proud of. Maybe it was something embarrassing or maybe it was something that was painful for someone else as well as you. It’s so tempting to look back at those things and say man I wish that hadn’t happened or man I wish I hadn’t done that. Maybe you pray no one ever finds out and maybe they never do. But here’s what I want you to know and always remember. Without that thing that you did or that thing you went through or that embarrassing phase of life…without that you wouldn’t be who you are today. Check out Episode 456 for how to move forward! I love you guys!

How many times have you seen something in the news and innately felt it was "off" but just shook your head and went on your way...or maybe you just accepted it as the new norm for "other people". But those "other people" may be your kids. Is it time we stop glorifying unhealthy norms and start being honest? I think so. I love you guys! Check out Episode 455!

If you opened this episode because you’re TIRED. Then regardless of what you hope I’m talking about or what you want me to talk about in regards to being TIRED..I promise you this episode is for you regardless of what it is you’re tired of. Listen to Episode 454! I love you guys!

Have you ever wanted to make a change in something either big or small, but never followed through because it was just too hard or uncomfortable? You deserve better than settling! Check out Episode 453! I love you guys!

When my sister was young if she got a cut or a scrape, she would always pick the scab off. My mom would tell her "it's not going to heal, if you keep picking at it". How true that is. Find out how we can stop doing that with our emotional wounds. Check out episode 452!

How are the thoughts in our head affecting our day to day decisions? They affect more than you ever realize! We treat people differently, we avoid people, we avoid places...a lot of times because of thoughts that aren't true! Listen to Episode 451 to find out how! I love you guys!

When life gets hard because something stressful has happened like a diagnosis or a death in the family it's really easy to pick a fight with those around you because your tolerance level is much lower than it normally would be. So, You turn on those that are the closest to you instead of turning towards them. Find out what really is the problem and how to fight that instead! Check out Episode 450!

I love you guys!

My trainer, Kevin, told me this week that I couldn't see "past my own nose". What he meant was at the moment, I was making everything about me and I couldn't see anything that wasn't. It stung a little when he said it, but truth hurts. Are you able to see past your own nose? Find out in Episode 449! I love you guys!

I put a smiley face after the title because I wanted to soften it a bit. I hope it worked. lol. How many times have you been in a conversation with someone and you're telling a story and they take over the conversation with their much better story....how did that make you feel? It's so normal you may not have thought about it that much...but I bet you didn't feel seen and heard. there's a way to make people feel seen and heard by taking a blast into the past with "Delilah"! Check out episode 448! I love you guys!

Have you ever driven somewhere only to get there and not know how you made it having been totally lost in your thoughts? Yeah, me too! We spend a lot of our time lost in our heads either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. But the PRESENT is where all the good stuff is. It's the only reality we have, so why not be there for it more often? Check out Episode 447 to find out how! I love you guys!

It’s not enough anymore to leave our mindset to chance. The mental health of a lot of people is declining. There’s a million reasons I could give for that, but victim hood is not a game I’m interested in. I work really hard to maintain my mental health and I know you’re doing the same, you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t. Just always remember that You are the power behind your thoughts, you are not your thoughts. Sometimes having a power question helps us intentionally guide our brain to think thoughts that serve us. Check out episode 446! I love you guys!

How many of you guys have something in your life that you once thought was really stable and now you are worried that it’s not as stable as you once hoped? When we were kids, for fortunate kids anyway, our parents were a stabling factor for us. We never even considered that there might be a day where we might not have that stability. Or we buy a new car and when you buy it, they offer a warranty…why? Because they know things can go wrong….. If you really think about it, what is there that we can rely on to always be stable or to always be completely reliable? Find out in Episode 445! I love you guys!

Sometimes we get stuck and even though we put tons of effort there seems to be that one area where you just can't seem to move the needle very much. Does that sound familiar? You may have a world view problem! It's ok, I have one too! In fact we all do....check out Episode 444 to find out how to fix it. I love you guys!

Have you ever noticed all the commentary in your head when you are trying to make a decision? Whether it’s big or small, we often have thoughts about what everyone will think, or how they will respond, or if they will like it or not.

Are the opinions of others getting in the way of your happiness? Check out Episode 443!

I love you guys!

If you’re like me, sometimes you get into the habit of your routines and they become such a part of your life that you don’t even consider changing because it’s comfortable. It’s better than most, or its good enough…have you ever thought that? Well I hope my experience this week nudges you to maybe rethink that…….

Check out Episode 442

Do you ever get a new car and then 3 months later you want a newer car? How about you buy a new outfit but then the next time you go out you need another new outfit? Are you relying on external things to make you feel good? That's a recipe for disaster. Check out episode 441! I love you guys!

Have you ever noticed that often times people that win a lot usually keep winning and they a lot of times make it look so easy? They may just know the secret of "letting go".

Check out Episode 440! I love you guys!

Sometimes we think we aren’t happy, so maybe we need to change something externally.... it may lead you to even think your partner is the problem…you think “Oh I’m not happy with him.” Maybe, maybe not. Maybe you’re just not happy, full stop. Until you can firmly say with no hesitation that I am happy with myself AND I don’t think he is who I am meant to be with, you don’t need to go anywhere. Fix what’s wrong inside before you ever try to fix what you think is wrong outside. I beg you.

I read a post once though that has stuck with me for years. And it simply said “Forgive yourself for what you did while you were in survival mode”

The problem isn’t that we have problems. The problem is that we think we shouldn’t have problems.

Check out Episode 438! I love you guys!

Sometimes our brain gives us uncomfortable emotions and they are useful. And those we want to listen to and do something with, But what happens when our brain causes us to have big emotions and they aren’t useful? Like when it tells us we looked fat in the dress we wore yesterday, there’s nothing I can do about that, that’s not useful at all. My niece and I were joking around and I said something that was kind of true about her and also kind of funny. We laughed and when she got done laughing, she said that was a little more hurtful than it was funny. Which made us laugh all over again. But you see our brain gives us hurtful thoughts all the time that are not useful and we never correct it.

Have you ever felt yourself spiraling into an ocean of anxiety or anger or fear or whatever strong stubborn go-to emotion gets you worked up the most? And now you’re lost in it and everything in your world is now seen through the lens of that emotion? Yeah, me too. Ignoring it could lead to bigger problems later...what is it trying to tell you? Find out! Check out Episode 436. I love you gusy!

If the answer to that question isn't immediate, if it's challenging to answer, you definitely want to check out episode 435! We are put her to do more than survive, we are meant to THRIVE! I love you guys!

When bad things happen, being sad or upset is normal but do you pile on yourself? How about when something inconvenient happens? Do you go "high and right"? How's that working out for you? haha.

Going with the flow of life smoothes everything out. Check out Episode 434! I love you guys!

Have you ever had a fight with your spouse and you just really can’t stand them at the moment and your mind just keeps playing over and over all the bad things they have ever said or done to the point where you just make things worse than they are? I have, well I used to anyway, before I realized what I was doing. I was actually making a situation that wasn’t that bad waaaay worse by creating scenarios in my head. The thought pattern I was allowing in my head would make me feel way worse than the actual argument I had. Are you creating your misery? Find out in Episode 433! I love you guys!

Have you ever told yourself you are definitely going to the gym tomorrow morning and then when tomorrow morning comes you find every reason to skip the gym? How about telling yourself you’re going to eat a salad for dinner only to get to dinner and order a hamburger and fries? Or maybe you have plans that you are excited about but something else comes up that you feel obligated to do so you cancel your exciting plans…..Have any of those things happened to you? Are these just little harmless things that happen or are they doing more damage than we think?

Check out episode 432! I love you guys!

Doing new things often come with failure and sometimes embarrassment. This is why, as adults, we are ok with staying in our comfort zone, who wants to fail or be embarrassed? But living life to the fullest means getting on the other side of our comfort zone as much as we can...Check out Episode 431! I love you guys!

Do you preplan for how you're gonna show up to meetings or events or even family dinners, especially if there's going to be a possible challenging moment? If you don't decide in advance what you're bringing to the table, you're left to the whims of the people around you....Listen to episode 430! I love you guys!

Our fur babies for most of us are where we are the most comfortable and they bring us such great joy. Sometimes we wish we could just hang with them instead of other humans.....but would that be enough? I'm here to tell you why they are both super valuable to our life..... Check out Episode 429! I love you guys!

Growing up religion to me was trying to follow somebody else’s strict rules or else you would be expelled from everything you know and love. In religion often People are ruled by fear. God’s love and willingness to hear our prayers is conditional based on if you follow the rules that men created. Something felt really off about that from a very young age. So as I got older I wanted nothing to do with any religion. I know enough about life to know not to push against religion but to simply acknowledge how I feel about it without judgement. Maybe you have similar thoughts about religion. maybe you don’t think about it at all or maybe you are part of a religion and love it. If you grew up in the America especially in the south, you probably have been involved or around some sort of religion and like me you may be a little confused as to the role it should play in your life. Check out Episode 428

I love you guys!

We often think the circumstances of our life is what is making us unhappy, when in reality it's something else....Check out Episode 427! I love you guys!

Do you feel like you have this voice in the back of your head that's always kind of guiding you towards the things that are good for you but at the same time, you have a voice that wants you to do whatever you want, whenever you want it? I do!

We can override that voice that seems to sabotage us..check out episode 426! I love you guys!

When one door closes, it opens us up to the possibility of another door opening...and it's often in the places we least expect it. Life is working in our favor, we just have to look for it. I love you guys!

Have you ever had a thought that you would love to try something or take a new class and then you let the idea fade and keep scrolling on instagram or X? What if the Universe was desperately trying to help you reach your own path to a super joyful life? Check out Episode 424! I love you guys!

How many times have you heard someone say the best is in the past? Or maybe you've wished for happier times.... Change is inevitable for us all...how we adapt to change will determine the amount of joy we have...Check out episode 423! I love you guys!

I'm not gonna give away the thing that totally creates our moods, but let's just say, you can choose them just like you choose your clothes and no-one has ever told us! Check out Episode 422!

I love you guys!

Do you ever roll your eyes when you hear a self help guru or you cringe when you hear a motivational video? Maybe you think it's a fleeting momentary good feeling that doesn't help long term? I'm here to tell you it's more than that!

Check out Episode 421...I love you guys

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Sometimes we expect the people in our life to act a certain way and when they don't, we take it personally or make it mean something about us. It doesn't have to be that way....Check out Episode 420!

I love you guys...

When did being able to listen to opposing ideas without having a come apart stop being a thing? I was talking to a friend the other day and she said when she was younger democrats and republicans were friends and you just had different ideas of how to make things better. That sounds nice and I think we can get back to that. We just have to stop listening to unreliable, sources whose main goal is to sow division and chaos for money. We are going to have differences but that doesn’t mean we have to hate them. Heck we have differences with our own self! Check out Episode 419 to find out why free thinking is so hard.. I love you guys!

Have you ever glamorized a different life only to find out the one you have isn't so bad? Our brains will have us feeling like we aren't good enough, but we don't have to believe everything our brains tell us. Check out Episode 418!

Have you ever kept something you didn't love around because you were afraid of what would happen if you let it go? Check out Episode 417!

I love you guys!

Are there little things that have snuck into or out of your daily routine that is veering you away from the life you want to live? It’s ok if there are, you’re a work in progress, we all are, but progress is the goal, not regression so what are you doing to make yourself better? Check out Episode 415!

I love you guys!

Have you ever felt so loved by your partner and then at other times...not so much? It helps to know what makes you feel loved and it helps to know what makes your partner feel loved too...Check out Episode 415 to find out how!

I love you guys!

Do you always do what's expected? Do you only do what's allowed? Do you follow the rules to the "t"? You may need a little "rebellious" in your life! Check out Episode 414!

I love you guys!

My whole life I’ve had this dilemma. I wonder if you feel the same….So Ive always seemed to have two parts of me…one part that wants to do something and the other part that says let’s not. You know the one that wants to eat the healthy food only and the other part that thinks that sounds terrible. The one that wants to conform to get along and the other part that wants to do life on my terms. Do you find this to be true for you too?

Have you ever been hyper focused on some problem but you know it shouldn't be that big of a deal? A lot of times the problem we are dealing with isn't the real problem, and sometimes we wreak havoc on our lives because of it! Check out Episode 412! I love you guys!

It’s refreshing for someone to be honest and vulnerable because it lets you know they are comfortable with who they are which in a way gives you permission to be comfortable with who you are.

Not that you need permission but some of us me included may just need to be reminded that we are worthy and loved just as we are, flaws and all. I bet most of us at some point or another growing up had someone judge us or withhold love from us if we weren’t exactly what they wanted us to be and if that happens too much you start hiding who you are. You start morphing your outer shell into something that’s acceptable to every single person you come in contact with for fear you’ll be rejected. And in the meantime you get so far detached from who you really are that you have no idea anymore so you look to others to help you decide. That’s an awful lot of responsibility for someone else and a lot of uncertainty and confusion for you.

We live in a time where comfort has never been easier to attain. We don’t have to leave our home if we don’t want to because someone will deliver whatever you need with the click of a button. We don’t have to interact with real humans if we don’t want to, because humans aren’t easy. It’s never been easier to just live in our comfort zone and that’s why people are increasingly lonely, increasingly depressed, and increasingly frankly suicidal. It’s because living isolated, technology run lives is not how we were designed.

We were designed to grow and thrive and reach new heights but in an effort at progress we’ve made ourselves soft. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to just survive, I want to thrive. And that takes doing hard things.

If you are searching for how to be the best version of you; the universe or God or intuition whatever you want to call it, is guiding you, hinting to you, nudging you towards things that will delight you and inspire you and encourage you and put you on the path that you know deep down you were meant to live. The thing is, you gotta listen. You gotta be open and you have to take action...

Listen in to Episode 409!

I love you guys!

Do you ever find yourself wishing you were already there? Wishing to be on to the next thing? Wishing Monday was over and it was Friday already, Wishing the traffic would move already, Wishing your baby could walk already or your teen could drive already. I feel you. I am you. And I know very well that the sayings “be present, be in the moment, appreciate what is” They are really valuable but they mean nothing if they are just words on a coffee cup someone gave you or a meme your sister sends you when you don’t get the promotion. I know how empty those words can sound but I also know how empty jumping from one moment to the next without taking it all in can be, I know how unsettling it feels to always feel like you should be somewhere else and that happiness and worthiness is just around the corner when I reach this goal or accomplish this thing. In other words, I know it’s easier said than done to be in the moment and be present and enjoy the journey…but what if you could? Listen to Ep 408 to find out how!

In a society where we tell everyone they should be accepted as they are, why do we shame masculine traits and masculine men? I think we should be thanking them...so I do, in this episode... I love you guys!

Have you ever been in the middle of an event maybe a work event or a party and you step outside for a little breather just to clear you head and have a little silence before you head back in? It’s not that you aren’t enjoying yourself, it’s just that we all need a little break in the middle. And then when we go back in we are refreshed. Maybe you get that when you’re leaving work, you’ve had a chaotic day and you’re looking forward to the drive home all alone, that’s your pause before you get home and you know that the “notes” so to speak will start again because you have family waiting for you! How you handle that car ride can be all the difference in the world, if you listen to chaotic music or get an earful of on the phone with someone going through drama….or worse you listen to talk radio or the news….you aren’t allowing yourself that space to just be. To have that much needed silence.

Listen to Episode 406 to hear the entire episode! I love you guys!

Have you ever woke up on the wrong side of the bed or maybe your spouse did and now you're grumpy and making decisions that just make you grumpier? Why do we do that? Here's how to stop...check out episode 405...I love you guys!

Have you ever had a goal that seemed super important and then something pivotal happened in your life that made it not seem so important anymore? Were you able to pivot or did you stay the course, clinging awkwardly to the idea that you should still reach that goal no matter what? Should you pivot or stay the course?

That's our topic for Episode 404!

I love you guys!

When you were growing up did you ever do something that ended up not being a good idea and your mom would say “well I hope you’re proud of yourself”. Not really meaning that you should be really…she’s just mad and thinks you should be ashamed of yourself.

I want us all to be really proud of ourselves at least once a day!

Listen in to Episode 403 to find out how.....

Want to know if you're showing up for yourself? I show you how to find out in Episode 402. I also talk about a question that you can use that will help you be more loving in the way you treat yourself. Check out Episode 402!

The past is over. The future is uncertain. The present is all you have.

We can literally make ourselves crazy simply by the way we frame in our head what life offers up. So, How do we maneuver those things without losing our sanity? That’s the magic question.

Have you ever been really really mad and you lash out and now you're having to repair things? How about you feel hurt and now you turn around and hurt someone else...Are you ever justified? Find out! Episode 400!

I love you guys!

In this day and age of social media people are cemented to their beliefs because of algorithms, we are only seeing more of what we already like and believe which just keeps confirming that belief making it very difficult to even be able to tolerate a different viewpoint.

I feel like there’s a lot of that going around right now. I don’t have to have an opinion about everything, but human nature is to have an opinion. It’s hard not to have an opinion in fact, am I right? But when did someone else’s opinion become such a problem for us?

If I met me, would I like me?

I Saw this question today and it made me think.

It really made me think. Who am I really? Who are you really? That’s what we all would like to know about ourselves and it would also be nice to know that about the people we interact with. So when I think about who am I. What do I have to go off?

Am I my body? Am I my mind? Are we just a collection of decisions that have been made from birth to who we are today? But if we are just a collection of decisions, who’s making the decisions? See I believe we are not our body and we are not our mind.

Episode

Have you ever had a strong feeling about something and there’s nothing in the world that can make you waver? You just know in your heart you’re right about it? Of course you have. That’s your intuition. Maybe you followed it, maybe you didn’t. Maybe you keep saying one day you will follow it but that one day keeps getting pushed back because of your thoughts which remember are swayed easily by your environment. Find out the power intuition has in your life in episode 397!

I love you guys!

Have you ever found yourself spiraling with thoughts that are not serving you? To the point where you get yourself so worked up and it's all in your head? I have but there's something you can do that helps...check out Episode 396 to find out.... I love you guys!

Have you ever felt sad and you tell yourself "I'll never NOT be sad".

That statement almost guarantees you will always be sad because you're programming yourself to believe that. Find out how to flip the script on negative emotions! Listen to Episode 395.... I love you guys!

Do you guys ever do this?

The person you love is having a bad day, which in turn makes you have a bad day? And now it feels like a war zone with land mines everywhere you step? Why do we do that?

So you got any problems that need to be solved? Haha. That’s a loaded question, right? How about a person that you think is the problem?

What if you could find a way to see the problem as something separate from the person?

Check out episode 393! I love you guys!

There’s an ideology that is being pushed that seems absurd to me and If it seems absurd to me, I assume it probably seems absurd to you too. So you’re not crazy if you think what some teachers are teaching in school about being able to choose your gender or men being able to compete with women in sports or you don’t get to defend yourself if you’re attacked or that any group as a whole is less than any other group as a whole….or that obesity is normal and healthy….there are lots and lots of things that seem to be off the charts ridiculous at the moment. You are not crazy for being confused and wondering if the world is collectively losing it’s mind. Listen to Episode 392!

I love you guys!

We are living in a moment right now where I think we unknowingly teach our girls they need to be tough and take care of themselves. That women are just as capable as men to take on stress, that we should be ruling the world. We should be dominating the workplace. We should be just as powerful and successful just like men.

To that I say men have their strengths and women have theirs. And they are equally powerful and equally necessary. Women build babies with their bodies for goodness sake, there’s nothing more powerful than that. We would cease to exist without it.

We may be the sum of the 5 people we are around but are we raising the standard or lowering it? Someone recently said you’re now the sum of the 5 podcasts you consume. Are you listening to things that make you better? That uplift? That raise your standards? Do you listen to anything that raises your standards?

When you trust someone, are you able to let go and not need to micromanage? If you don't think you can trust someone, it's your job to make that decision up front. Check out Episode 389!

I love you guys!

If you had a friend that always committed to do something with you but never followed through, you would quickly lose faith in them. But we do it to ourselves all the time! Check out Episode 388 to see how to trust yourself!

I love you guys!

Heidi

You can't make sense of the whole world but you can make sense of your own world. I show you how in Episode 387.

I love you guys!

There is craziness in the world right now, and guess what your life doesn't stop just because bad things happen around the world. And sometimes it feels like it's piling on and there is a voice in your head that says "I can't handle this" or "It's too much".

Listen to Episode 386 "Keep your s@&t together".

You'll be glad you did. I love you guys!

Have you ever interacted with someone and then replayed that interaction over and over in your head, thinking

how it could have gone better? How about letting what someone else said in passing really wreck your day? We don't have to let it. Check out episode 385!

I love you guys!

A lot of times we judge ourselves by the projections of other people. How often are you living for the eyes of other people? How often does what you do change based on what others say? How often does your perception of yourself change because someone else suggested you were a certain way. Opinions of others can be powerful influencers. That’s why we have to be strong and aware of who we are deep in our core. We have to have no doubt that we are powerful and strong just as we are. Never allow anyone to suffocate your light!

Find out why it's important to question things........Listen to Episode 384!

I love you guys!

How often do you spend time fighting with someone in your head? How about beating yourself up for something? How many problems do you create in your head that never ever happen?

Are you a problem to be solved? Is it solvable? Listen to Episode 383 to find out.

I love you guys!

Do you have this strong, innate feeling that you are meant for more? How do we find out what we are doing here? Are Distractions keeping you from your purpose?

We answer these questions in Episode 382

I love you guys!

news addiction #distractions #books #reading #higher calling #meant for more

Is it possible to go through life and feel no pain? Is there something wrong with me that I have bad things happen? Am I being punished? What can I do to feel better? Let's tackle all these hard questions...check out Episode 382 I love you guys!

Emotional #Pain #Painful Experiences #overcome grief

Do you ever find yourself thinking I should have made a different decision? Or it would have been so much better if I had chosen to do this instead of what I did. Or being torn between two decisions to the point that you’re paralyzed? How about beating yourself up for a decision that got you in a mess? There’s actually a way to make all of those decisions right. Listen to Episode 380 to find out how.

I love you guys!

How often do we unintentionally hurt ourselves in an effort to be something to someone else or be seen as something even though it’s not in our best interests?

I should go to this church because my family does, Im scared to lose weight because it might alienate my overweight friends. I should buy this new car because my clients will think I’m more successful. I should raise my kids this way because that’s what society says.

Living untethered by other people's demands or opinions is not selfish.....it's freeing and actually makes you better for those that are the closest to you!

I love you guys! Check out the entire episode 379.....:)

How do you act when your ego is in control?

How do you know when you're making decisions from your ego vs your true self?

Our ego is our personal identity. How we identify. When we look at the world through the filter of that identity….the world becomes quite small. We want to reinforce that identity, we don’t want it questioned or challenged. The ego isn’t necessarily our true self, it’s usually the messages we’ve picked up along the way from our parents, our teachers, our religion, our personal likes and dislikes, our friends….so much goes into our personal identity or our ego. And so many of our decisions are based on that identity. Big and small.

Check out Episode 378! I love you guys!

How many of you have heard someone say “well that’s just me.” That’s just how I am. Or Im not dressing up that’s not me. When I hear that, I think but there are so many layers to you and embracing those layers and expanding the way you view yourself allows for so much growth and so much fun and new experiences if you let it. Sometimes people identify with being one way and only one way but in my opinion…..they are really selling themselves short because they are so much more than one way. Every single one of us is multifaceted and embracing that allows you to be the best version of you in every single scenario.

One of my favorite things to read when Im on social media is a post about a list of things that if you do them, you’re going to change your life. Especially when that list is put out by someone I trust or admire. If someone has a system that’s working, why reinvent the wheel? So I put together a list that have undeniably changed my life and as long as I follow these systems, my life just keeps improving. I have a list of 8 that are important to me and close to my heart.

love

Do you ever find yourself making decisions from a place of fear or anger? Do you find that sometimes you are super rational and other times you are super irrational? There's a reason and there's also a way to make more rational decisions which benefits us greatly long term! Listen to Episode 375 to see how!

I love you guys!

Have you ever really sat down and thought about what the word “friend” means to you? What does someone need to do to be considered a friend to you? Have you ever given that thought? How about what it looks like for you to be a good friend to someone else? That’s equally as important. Because In order to have a friend you’ve gotta be a friend. Some people really don’t know how to be a friend. Would you consider yourself a good friend? How does that even look? Do you know?

don't

Is your relationship on Autopilot? Just like a Tesla still needs human intervention not to crash, so do our relationships... What phase is your relationship in right now? Do you know? Are you on the verge of throwing in the towel? Find out how to fix it in Episode 373!

I love you guys!

relationships

If you’re like me and you don’t love structure but you also have high standards….figuring out a form of structure that works for you will benefit you short term and long term.

Think about the successes you’ve had in your life, I know you’ve had them, there was some sort of structure involved. Humans by nature are free spirits, but also by nature thrive on structure.

Think about it this way without any sort of structure, things are erratic, disorganized, some like to call it spontaneous…but without structure.. you use all your resources up by constantly having to make decisions.

Listen to Episode 372! I love you guys!

Suggested book: "The Creative Act: A way of being" by Rick Rubin

Why do we judge ourselves or our life by one moment in time or one thing that happened or maybe one aspect of ourselves we don’t like? That’s just one little ingredient to the overall big picture. So yeah we have that thing that ok we don’t love on it’s own but when it’s added to everything else it’s what makes things really work.

It would be like taking a piece of cake and instead of waiting until the cake is done you try each ingredient and judge the end product on the way each individual ingredient tastes so you wouldn’t eat the raw egg and say well that cake isn’t going to taste good because that’s gross or you try a taste of the vanilla that you add and by itself it doesn’t taste good but wow when you get the flavor it adds in the end product it wouldn’t be the same without it. That’s how we have to look at our life. There’s some ingredients that are so yummy and then there’s some that aren’t great but in the overall big picture it makes things work.

I love you guys!

Have you ever known deep in your gut that you shouldn't do something and then you do it anyway! Why do we do that? We have all done it, but some of us do it daily. Find out why we do it and how to stop...Listen to Episode 370!

Do you feel in a way like you are an old soul living in this foreign new world where up is down and right is wrong?

It’s easy to think you’re the crazy one. But what’s right doesn’t change simply because someone is screaming it at you from every direction. You aren’t crazy. You’re an old soul living in someone else’s vision of a new world. And the good news is. You don’t have to accept someone else’s altered reality. You don’t have to accept anything that feels wrong to you. And it isn’t our job to fix someone who has a different opinion and believes an altered reality but it also isn’t our job to cater to it.

Someone wants to believe something crazy. The consequences are for them not for me. But I won’t be a party to it. And we do have friends that have kids that are struggling with some of the latest fad altered reality and I do go out of my way not to offend but Im not gonna step on my old soul beliefs, the things I know to be true to cater to someone else’s insecurities.

And I know it seems like life has been really hard the last few years. Mainly since Covid. And it’s easy to just feel so negative and like things are so bad and it doesn’t seem like it’s getting better. But I believe things are getting better every single day. Now, Hear me out before you call me crazy for saying that. Think about it. Before Covid people blindly trusted that just every single medicine a dr prescribed is for our own good. They know better. We thought Drs were only looking out for our health but now we know that maybe that isn’t always the case. Maybe just maybe we ought to be taking a little more responsibility for our health and not handing that job over to a dr that is taught to prescribe medicine for a living not get to the root of the problem. Drs are not bad people but you aren’t sick because your body is deficient in the latest pharmaceutical. There’s a root problem that needs to be addressed. People are waking up to personal responsibility because of the monster that was Covid, it’s waking people up to maybe we should be looking at our health from a different perspective. I know for me it’s been a real eye opener. But you see that’s all good things, that awakening is going to make us healthier and less dependent on drugs. Covid did that. Seemed super bad on its face but that’s what it took to get people to be more responsible for their own health…and not leaving it to drugs and pharmaceutical companies that profit from it so something really good and life altering actually came from Covid. That’s why it so good to Always look at situations from the question ….How is this working in my favor?

It also opened the eyes of parents to what their kids are being taught in school. Some of this altered reality is being Force fed our kids from kindergarten. To what end I don’t know but it can’t be good. But you see you don’t have to accept that. Your child is your child. Your child is not the governments child. You get to instill the values you want, and look if someone else wants their child to have an altered reality, it’s not our job to change that. Leave it alone. You being an old soul means you rise above it. You raise your kids with your values and if you see someone trying to influence them intentionally in a way that will hurt them you remove them from that influence. In whatever way you can. It may mean homeschooling, a private school or moving school districts. I don’t know but you don’t have to accept an altered reality. We don’t have to accept someone else’s vision of a new world where wrong is right and right is wrong.

You have just as much right to your belief as anyone else does. You are not less than because of your values and beliefs but remember someone else is just as entitled to their values and beliefs as you are. And it’s not our job to change someone else’s values and beliefs. It’s only our job to live true to ours.

Have you ever watched a movie where you’re so frustrated because it seems like your favorite star just keeps getting kicked in the teeth and you know deep down something good happens in the end but it just seems like they can’t catch a break, sometimes because of their own mistakes and sometimes because of circumstances out of their control and then it makes it all so much more delicious when the happy ending does come because anyone watching knows they deserve it?

We wouldn’t get up and leave before the movie ends and say well that was a horrible movie the star keeps getting their teeth kicked in but everyone else that stayed to the end is raving at how wonderful it was to see the end and how good it felt when things finally ended beautifully for the star of the movie and how glorious it was. Leaving before you see the end or judging the movie without seeing the whole thing makes no sense.

But we do that in our own lives all the time. Find out how to stop replaying all the bad stuff over and over and move forward in episode 368!

I love you guys!

Are you finding it hard to maintain a positive attitude? Are you hoping someone will come along and do something that makes a change in your life? Do you feel like you're on a life raft drifting in the ocean at the whim of every wave or storm with no end in site? Life doesn't have to be that way. Check out Episode 267 to find out how to change it. We need positive podcasts to remind us life is better than we think....:)

Have you ever experienced a big unwanted change in a relationship? Maybe a divorce but you have kids so you still have to deal with your ex? Or maybe a betrayal in your relationship but you chose to stay together? This episode helps navigate that with a little mental work...Listen to Episode 366 to hear the whole episode!

I love you guys!

Want to feel like you're in the know but aren't necessarily a "techie"? I think you're going to love ChatGpt! You could become an instant hit at your next party......I'll show you why.... Don't miss Episode 365!

Find ChatGPT here

👇🏽

OpenAI.com

Have you ever been doing something when you had a subtle feeling inside you that “if you do that, it’s not gonna end well” but then there was a louder thought that says just do it. For example, Maybe you’re carrying your coffee to the table and in order to not have to make two trips you want to take your plate, your phone, your glasses, and your fork along with your full cup of coffee…there’s a voice in your head that says “you’re gonna spill something if you do that” but then another one that says, “it will be fine”. And so you try to carry it all at once and. You spill it. And you say now I knew that was gonna happen. And you absolutely did know it but that other thought of just do it, won out and because of your rushed plan you ended up with coffee all over the floor or worse, your entire breakfast and the coffee on the floor. You might have guessed I had this experience just this week.

I opted to go with the louder voice and it didn’t end well. Deep down though I knew I didn’t need to be trying to carry it all at once.

If I told you that Big Pharma was coming out with a new pill that helped you live longer, was proven to make you feel happier, helped you maintain a healthy weight, and gave you an overall better outlook on life, possibly even including being more successful…….you only had to take this pill once a day and there were no downsides to it…..would you take it? We already have it, find out what it is in episode 363!

Do you ever feel like you have a split personality because part of you wants to just veg out and take the easy road but the other part wants you to excel? And almost every situation we have to decide what we are going to do. Go to the gym or skip it? Give up or keep going? It's normal to have conflicting thoughts, but which one do we listen to the most? Listen to Episode 362 to find out how to tell. I love you guys!

Have you ever driven to work and don’t have any idea how you actually got there because you’re on autopilot you were so in your head. So lost in your thoughts? It’s scary isn’t it? How about having full conversations with someone in your head arguments and conflicts that are made up or maybe subtle unconscious thoughts about your weight or your hair or your looks in general…all without really being aware of those thoughts they are just looming all the time.

We do it a lot. Get so lost in our thoughts that we are completely in our head and on autopilot in the outside world.

That’s why I think it’s a really really good idea to be able to know what’s going on in your head. When studies show that we have 70,000 thoughts a day 80% of which are negative… I think that’s good to know. No wonder we walk around mad, or hurt, disgusted with ourself or scared all the time. Our brain is literally doing that to us and we don’t even know it. Why am I having an argument in my head with someone over something they did 5 years ago or why am I having negative thoughts about someone I love and what is that doing to my life?

We have thoughts about our partner. We have thoughts about ourself. We have thoughts about our job or our friend or our family ALL THE TIME. And if 80% of them are negative it’s no wonder we feel miserable more often than not. It’s because our thoughts are affecting every single thing we do.

That’s why we have to become a watcher. Listen to Episode 361 to find out how....love you guys!

How many of you have ever justified your way out of doing something you told yourself you were gonna do? Maybe you want something really bad but you don’t do what it takes to get it, even though you tell yourself you will. So you make this goal like going to the gym for instance but then when it comes time to do it your brain gives you 10 different reasons why it’s ok that you don’t and so you don’t. We’re masters at that aren’t we? We will do it for anything..big things and small things….

Our brain wants to take the easy route…that’s just how it is. But you control your brain…the easy route is not where the good stuff is

You aren’t your thoughts. If you were, you’d never leave the bed. You know Im right. You have to take charge of where you’re life is going and it all starts with your mindset.

If your mindset gets better your life will get so much better. Everything you do will get better.. and that starts with trusting you and you can’t do that if you tell yourself you will do something and then don’t do it.

Listen
episode

If you’re willing to sacrifice your values and your integrity for short term gain you will always regret it. Nothing and no one is worth you losing your integrity with yourself. Listen in to Episode 359! I love you guys!

How many times have you said yes when you really wanted to say no? How many times have you had a dinner date that you really didn't want to have? How many times do you say "I don't care" when you really do care.....I have been there too but we should all be the leading lady of our own lives and gumption will get us there.....listen to Episode 358 to find out how....

I love you guys!

Are there things you do in private that you would never do if you knew someone was watching you? I’m not talking about sex or anything like that comes with that, that is meant to be private. I’m talking about things like the way you treat people, the way you eat, the way you carry yourself, the way you care for your home, the things you watch, the way you talk….do you put your grocery cart back? You know the things you do daily. How different are you when you think no one is watching?

It’s a fascinating question to me because we all have a side we show to the public, an image we want to keep and then there’s a side that the public doesn’t see. My question to you is…how different are the two? Listen to Episode 357! I love you guys!

Living beautifully doesn’t mean perfection, it means being intentional in the way you care for your surroundings, your body and your life. When you’re trying to be too perfect in any one of those areas, it feels so forced and difficult because you’re trying to be something you’re not….you’re not perfect and when you try to be, life will show you over and over it’s not possible which will be so frustrating until you realize it’s asking you to embrace your imperfection. But the flip side is when you aren’t trying at all. You’re so busy that your bed is a mess when you leave for the day, your car is full of yesterdays McDonald wrappers and Starbucks cups. Your body is clogged from eating for convenience instead of eating for energy and your home is just a place you land to eat and sleep. Embracing imperfection allows us to find a balance between those two. Its a balance between trying to reach perfection and not trying at all. Living beautifully and living a wildly successful life does not mean perfection but it does mean excellence. Excellence is a good goal. Perfection is an impossible goal.

Have you ever started a new thing and at first you were gung-ho, you were all in but after a while, you got a little comfortable and things started slacking a bit. Whether it was a new relationship, a sport, or maybe your nutrition and working out. But after a while, you get comfortable or maybe a little bored and you stop doing the things that you first did.

Sometimes it’s so gradual that you don’t even realize it’s happening.

People
don't
don't

you

How many of you are overwhelmed by the amount of information at our fingertips on any given subject? Now nutrition and exercise is something I love to talk about and it seems Im not alone because there are a gazillion podcasts, videos, courses, tv shows about nutrition and fitness. And a lot of the information completely contradicts the other information. It can be maddening to try to decide what’s right and what’s not. There is a way to figure it out...check out episode 354 to find out how!

I’m not sure how many of you are like me in that if something goes wrong or someone has a problem with you or something you’ve done, you want to fix it immediately. If you’re in an argument or there’s a problem, you want to just stay in it until there’s a resolution.

Now on the flip side, how many of you are like my husband Eric who when something goes wrong or there’s an argument he likes to step back and think on it. he likes to evaluate the situation so he’ll sit on it before making a decision or speaking up. He gives it thought and then after all of that he will calmly have a well thought out solution. Now he’s not always perfect at that but that’s his normal, preferred way of handling things.

For me, sometimes, it’s maddening because I want a resolution immediately but I have learned over 15 years of marriage that Eric has saved me from lots of heartache and problems because he takes time to think things through and has many times encouraged me to do the same.

Just this last week.. listen to the entire episode to hear live examples of how stepping back can move you forward..

I heard a Jim Rohn video on YouTube this week where he said You don’t get in life what you want, you get in life what you are.

I had to really think about that statement because it sounded a little off to me but once you think about it a minute it’s totally true. I may WANT to be healthy but if I consistently eat foods that are unhealthy, then I am going to be unhealthy.

I may want to be super fit but if I never exercise I’m not going to be super fit.

I may WANT to be financially secure but if I don’t plan for the future and save for the future, I will not be financially secure.

And we have good intentions. We will tell ourselves this is the year I get healthy. Or this is the year I’m going to get my spending under control. Or whatever it is you want. But then we turn around and do the opposite.

We make life hard because we let ourselves down every time we turn around. We say things like…

I’m going to the gym tomorrow. And you don’t go

I’m only drinking two days this week and you drink 5 days.

Im going to start saving 10% of my income for my future but you never end up doing it.

These may seem subtle but it’s death by a thousand cuts all those little lies we tell ourselves add up. What you tell yourself matters. What you say to yourself MATTERS. The promises you make to yourself matter as much as a promise you make to someone else. Honestly it’s better to be honest with yourself than say something you know you don’t mean. I used to say Im not going to eat one bite of sugar at this party or Im eating nothing tonight because I ate so bad this morning. At the time I felt like it was true but when it came time and I was at the party or it was dinner time and I was hungry, I disregarded what I had said earlier and ate anyway or ate the sugar and more of it than I probably would have. I acted like it was no big deal but I realized that I was lying to myself and part of the reason was because I was being unreasonable. I know now if Im going to trust myself, I have to be reasonable Because If I make a promise to myself, Im gonna keep it. No use in being miserable while I do it.

We are powerful beings. And that power that you have when you follow your own path scares people because they cannot control you. Religion can’t control you. When you dance to the beat of your own drum. Politicians cant control you when you dance to the beat of your own drum. Family can’t control you when you dance to the beat of your own drum. But you know what dancing to the best of your own drum means? It means you have to hear it. It means you have to listen to it. It means you have to follow your gut even when it means getting off that easy well worn path that everyone else is on and seem to be attached by a rope keeping you tied to it. Cut that rope that’s tying you to what everyone else is doing or what everyone else wants you to do. That’s the easy path but it’s not the one that leads to you living your truth. It doesn’t mean you have to immediately jump off that path, but it does mean that you can. Listen to the entire episode 351!

Have you ever been unhappy? OF COURSE YOU HAVE! We are human! But most of the time there is a common thread to our unhappiness. It usually involves focusing on what someone didn't do instead of all the good things they DO do. Our happiness is within more of our control than we have ever been taught...Check out Episode 350 to find out how that is...I love you guys!

Have you ever had a choice to make and your inner guidance system is telling you whats right for you…but maybe someone else wants you to do something different, or maybe it might make someone else uncomfortable if you do it even though it feels right for your life? It seems like this is something that I happen upon fairly frequently. Not all the time but enough to talk about it. It does seem that we make it harder on ourselves than necessary by getting the input of everyone around us about choices we’re making. Your opinion matters a lot more than you think.

I love you guys!

Sometimes in life we make a big decision and then we want to confirm that we made the right decision so we go to the internet and we google other people who made that same decision just to get support. Now here’s the funny thing. Once we have made a decision, or if we know the decision we really want to make, we generally are going to only search out articles that are favorable to that decision because we want confirmation that we are right. Sometimes we do it so much that we even get to the point where we are uncomfortable even reading what the other side of the story is, we like our viewpoint thank you very much, we almost become intolerant to other ideas about it. But what’s that doing to us? In episode 346 I told you I was going to be talking again about being a free thinker. It’s so important!

guys!

Everything we do in life needs refuel in some way or another. Our phones, our watches, our cars. But we often forget that so do we.

Don't quit, REST or pivot on pace. I love you guys!

Yes I think the world changed. But I told her there is something that hasn’t changed and will never change. It’s that the people who manage their mindset around whatever is going on will always be ok. the people who think for themselves and manage to break out of the fear, and find a way to get back on track fairly quickly when possible, there will always be those people and those people will always be ok. You see fear is a powerful tool that some will use to gain and hold onto power. But those that think for themselves and step away from the narrative and the group think, those are the ones that make decisions based on their own inner guidance system.

I love you guys!

I love this episode because it gives such beautiful perspective on our life and where we are and how it’s going. It’s not meant to be judgey. It’s meant to be a mirror for all of us. I first considered the title being “Would your partner ask you out today?”

But I wanted it to be inclusive to everyone including single people. So it does apply to all of us because we are all working to be the best version of ourselves that’s possible and that of course includes feeling and being attractive.

We all want to be attractive! Continuous growth is one of the most attractive things you can do...:)

I love you guys!

My beautiful railing lights aren't working and I don't know how to fix them. Things like this used to cause me anxiety, now I know things don't need to be different for me to be at peace.

If something is happening in your life and you don’t want that to happen…so you scream and fight and cry because you want it to be the way you want it to be or expected it to be but that’s not how it is. What is is what is. We can’t fight that and win, we can fight it and be in misery. We can fight it and dwell on it and scream at it but now we’re just bringing more of that into our life. Where focus goes energy flows, right? And like it or not, believe it or not, we live in a world of vibration and energy. We attract what we think about. We attract what we give most of our attention to. I love you guys!

Ok, have you ever agonized over a decision to the point of paralyzation? I have an idea that can help you move forward with your decision without freaking out....check out Episode 343! I love you guys!

Email me how swayed you are by titles and also if there are specific topics you love to hear. heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever been totally enjoying your wonderful vanilla ice cream and someone suggest you should try chocolate ice cream because they love it so much surely you would to? But you love your vanilla? This happens all the time with just about every scenario in the world. Religion, exercise, nutrition, careers, movies, so many opinions.......but is what right for you right for everyone? Probably not. Check out episode 342! I love you guys!

Jordan Peterson Book: "The 12 Rules of Life"

It’s not too late for you to live the life you want, it could be that you’ve taken a detour and you just need a little sign to get back at it. Like Jeff Foxworthy used to say…Here’s your sign. But really. I think we give up too soon. When you see success stories, most of them have some sort of hardship or detour they had to overcome or find a way around. That’s why we love those movies where someone even though the odds were against them, they succeeded. It gives us hope. But you don’t have to settle for watching someone else succeed on tv. Check out episode 341!

I love you guys!

Have you ever had a situation where you were unsure but someone confidently told you what to do and so now you feel confident too? Confidence is contagious! But we also have to be careful not to follow every confident person we run into, we have to make sure to do a gut check to make sure it feels right. We talk about confidence and gut feelings in this episode and how you can affect change confidently!

Love you guys!

Heidi

Do you ever feel left out even though you're surrounded by people you love? Do you ever feel lonely even though

you have lots of friends? Why is that? We figure it out in this episode so listen in!

I love you guys!

We all have things we want that sometimes they don’t work out, right. But why? And how do we make sure we ultimately get the things in life we truly want? That’s what we are going to talk about in this episode…..

We are conditioned to have a certain mindset through all of our experiences and the way we were raised. Changing the outcome of your life involves

changing your conditioning. That doesn't happen by chance. If you have a dream that's calling you, what's stopping you? Listen to Episode 337! I love you guys!

Deep down do you KNOW you're meant for more? Do you have this burning feeling that your worthy of so much more? If so, what are you doing to get there? There are things that got you where you are now and things that will get you where you want to be...it's your job to make that happen and I can help. Listen to episode 336! I love you guys!

Are you easily frustrated? Do you NEED certain things or for people to act a certain way for you to be happy? Then your happiness may be on fragile ground...Don't worry! We can fix it...check out Episode 335 to find out how! Love you guys!

Have you ever started the day off on the wrong foot and it just kept getting worse from there? I have! Getting out ahead of the little frustrations helps us be more resilient when the big things happen. I give some tips on how to do just that. Love you guys!

Relationships are a hot topic....WHY? Because we NEED relationships to thrive. But why are they sometimes so hard and is there

anything I can do to make them better? They are hard because humans are complicated and YES you can absolutely do things to make them better. (One thing in particular).

I hope you enjoy the episode!

The book I mentioned is: "Outlive" by Dr. Peter Attia

Love you guys...

In a world where we are constantly busy, there are things that are taking up head space that probably shouldn't be. In this episode I talk about a quick technique to lighten your load without sacrificing any "to do's"

Love you guys!

We have a home showcase locally called the Vesta home show if you’re local you probably know it, it’s basically a parade of homes where designers and builder get together to showcase their product, A few years ago there was one where there was a designer who was an up and coming designer, whose work I had seen before and LOVED, so I was excited to go to this particular Vesta home show because I am a fan of his design. He was just sort of coming into his own when he did this home show. Anyway, I just knew he was going to blow every other house out of the water and win all of the awards because he really is that good. So when it comes time to go through the homes, I was not disappointed it was spectacular in every way. Every single room looked like it was carefully curated and no detail left to chance. It blew me away, BUT it had not blown the judges away, He didn’t win best design, I don’t know if they won best anything and I had thought they would win best everything! As I was walking through I was thinking man he got ripped this could be in any magazine in New York, LA, Europe, I ran into the designer at the show and I told him “you and I both know how good your design is, you are just ahead of Memphis by several years.” And of course he was humble but he was really proud of his final product and he knew it was great and he knew it was forward thinking and of course it would have been nice to win but he wasn’t phased, fast forward 4 years and he is on tv as a design expert, he has been in Architectural digest, Milieu magazine, won award after award, been spotlighted by prestigious magazines all over the world. His design at the Vesta was by far more forward thinking and fresh than any other design in my humble opinion but that’s not how the judges in Memphis saw it. The house that won best design was underwhelming, but it was a very southern and safe style and not to take anything from their hard work, but he knew his design was ahead of it’s time and if he had tried to fit into what he thought everyone would like, he may have won a local award but he wouldn’t have been true to himself and he wouldn’t have gotten noticed by clients and magazines around the world. Just like the pottery….just like anything in this world, if you try to fit into what someone else wants from you, you may win short term in their eyes, but you also may lose long term in yours.

People who listen to their gut and follow their own heart very often times have to buck the system which can lead to short term pain but what you gain long term is far better.

So how does this help us in day to day life? There have been many times where one of my subcontractors for my contractor tell me they don’t think the design I have planned is going to look right, but guess what, my job is for the design, if I changed my mind every time someone doubted me I would never get anything done. Now, If they say it’s not safe or technically impossible, well now we have to have a conversation, but If they are just doubting how it’s going to look and I’m 100% it’s going to look great, I’m going for it and the full responsibility will be on me if it doesn’t and that’s a risk I’ll take. Everyone is going to have an opinion and remember they are all going to be different. So if you’re certain something is right for you, then you gotta have the balls to go for it otherwise you may end up with regret. When people are on their deathbed, they don’t regret their mistakes the most, they regret the missed opportunities, the risks they wish they had of taken, that’s what they regret the most. And look it doesn’t even have to be that serious…..Our friends and family, coworkers, all have opinions on what we should or should not be doing. I mean I have opinions about other people too, it’s human nature, no problem with that. But do we lean into what they want more, ignoring our own thoughts and wishes?

Listen for the entire episode! I love you guys!

Supplement from Dr. Andrew Huberman: Inositol

One of the biggest things I can tell you that has been so valuable over the years to my making progress is when I’m able to measure. Being able to know where you are and where you want to go. To be able to measure though, you have to have information. Technology is making that so much easier. At the tap of your phone you can know so much about your body. Simply by wearing something on your wrist. A lot of people have all kinds of information through the apple watch or even just having a mattress that tells you sleep patterns. Now, The Apple Watch didn’t work for me because I’m easily distracted and I felt too accessible and too beholden to answering things immediately. But this whoop strap. That’s a different deal. It measures your sleep, your strain, your recovery and now it even measures your stress level. It tells you your heart rate variability which happens to be very important to everything you do especially recovery and sleep. It lets you know how much deep and rem sleep you get and how much time you need to be in bed to get the amount you need. And you keep a daily journal of what you did that day so it shows you patterns of what happens to your sleep when you drink alcohol or eat late at night or spend lots of time outside. There’s so much valuable information and I am kind of obsessed. So many people talk about their sleep habits now because they have access to that information.

I really do feel very personally empowered by having this kind of information at my fingertips because it lets me know the areas where I can improve, which I LOVE to know.

Hydration, sleep and exercise are cornerstones for increasing health span which is basically maintaining health as we age and a lot of that has to do with measuring…measuring how much water you drink, how much sleep and what kind of sleep you get and what kind. Im getting all of that information thru my whoop app. But that still doesn’t answer the question is information really power?

My answer to that is NO. Information isn’t powerful unless you put it to work. Information is just information until you do something with it. You see if I had all of the information from my whoop strap but didn’t research ways to improve it, it would be just that….information.

So, Information is NOT power, it’s POTENTIAL power. What you do with it is what makes it powerful!

Recommended Book: "The Good Life" by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schultzs

There are lots of things I do every single day that make me feel the way I want to feel. Not only on the outside but on the inside too. And when I don’t do them I notice. Someone else may not. But I do. That’s the thing that matters the most. How do I feel about the way I’m going about my day to day life?

When we show up in a way that makes us feel beautiful and graceful, when we have thoughts about ourself that are loving and encouraging, when we take the time to be intentional about things it makes everything else a little easier and life can be hard so anything we can do to give ourselves a leg up is valuable.

It’s so important every single day to give yourself the chance to feel graceful and beautiful. How you feel on the inside is indicative of how you present yourself on the outside.

Each one of us has a certain standard we set for ourself. I know I have high standards and that’s how I like it. And I’m constantly finding new ways to be even better tomorrow. That’s how I’ve always been and how I hope I always will be.

I don’t buy into the “it’s normal to put on weight and feel like crap and be on 10 medications as you get older” crowd. That isn’t the outlook I have for myself. And I look for ways to prove it doesn’t have to be that way, Im not looking for ways to show me that it’s normal to put on weight and feel bad as you age because there’s plenty of that out there but the outliers that look and feel amazing over 50. Those are the ones I want to listen to and learn about.

I was in the sauna the other day talking about nutrition with my friend Lena and this lady who I’ve seen in the sauna a few times chimes in and said I’m eves-dropping on your conversation because it’s interesting. Now she is definitely an outlier. Once we got to taking I started asking her a million questions because she said she is 66 and let me tell you. Her muscle tone was amazing. Her eyes were bright and her hair was healthy and she just had this bright and happy energy. And it wasn’t by accident. She moves. She eats incredibly healthy but not perfect. She saunas and cold showers. She is constantly learning and growing. I could have talked to her for an hour but now I’ve been in the sauna 40 min which is 20 too long so I had to stop the conversation or die. It was a hard choice. Lol. we will continue the conversation again I just know it. But you see I just got a quick snapshot of her life and I could have told you by looking at her that she had consistently good habits. You don’t look and feel like that at her age without them. She had figured out that for her moving every day, exercising 6 times per week, eating Whole Foods that you make at home a majority of the time and continuous growth. Those are the standards she lives by. They are high standards and she’s thriving at 66 because of it. I want to be thriving at 66 and I’m learning more every day of what it takes to do that.

What we do know is it doesn’t happen by accident. And as we also know, it takes us putting ourselves as a priority. And it may sound selfish to say that. But I’m a much better lover to my husband when I feel beautiful. I’m a much better sister when I am healthy and have high standards. I’m a much better friend when I love myself.

Every one of us has an ongoing inner dialogue in our head that starts the second we are conscious in the morning, to the last second before we go to sleep.

For some of us that looks like looking in the mirror and shredding ourselves because we have age spots, or our body isn’t exactly the way we want it. For others it may be ruminating over that thing someone said or did yesterday. And for a lot of us it’s just simply “holy crap, Ive got a lot to do today and not enough time to do it in no wonder Im such a stressed mess” something like that.

Now. These are the kind of thoughts that come from our brain when it is left to it’s own negative proclivity. Kind of like that Taylor Swift song…where she says Left to my own devices, I comes with crisis… You know I’m right. It’s so important to be aware and get out in front of it. It’s important not only for ourselves but for everyone else in our world too. I’ll give you a good example of how that worked for me in a minute.

During on of my guided meditations last week Jeff Warren was talking about thoughts popping up like a mushroom and then it sprouts and now it’s full blown and you’re lost in a spiral of thought after thought about that one thought that popped up. I could relate so well to that. I used to be totally unaware that I could control those thoughts, since Ive been doing a lot of thought work though I realize I totally control what my thoughts are and I get to choose if Im going to allow them or not and SO DO YOU. And this is a super power because given the chance any number of thoughts that pop up in a day could wreck my day if I go all in on it. Jeff was asking us to consider what thoughts feel like in our brain, because his feel like mushrooms but mine don’t feel like that, mine are more like waves. Have you ever been in the ocean on a clear beautiful day and the waves are really big? And maybe you have a boogie board or surf board maybe you don’t, but with every wave, you decide whether you are going to ride that wave to shore or if you’re going to duck under it and let the wave smoothly pass you by. That’s how thoughts are for me anymore. And the more aware I am of them, the more I realize I get to decide whether I am going to ride that wave of thought or if Im going to duck it like you would when you’re playing in the ocean. Listen to the entire episode to hear my personal example of how our inner dialogue also affects our closest relationships! Love you guys!

I have been thinking a lot about health lately because I know for me how much I’ve struggled to be the size I want to be, how hard I work to maintain and optimize my health and so much of that has to do with weight.

I also see so many other women struggling the same but it always seems like an uphill battle. Like my sweet yoga instructor who is giving herself grace because the baby weight is not coming off as fast as she would like or an acquaintance who at 55 just can’t stop gaining weight and it’s really destroying her confidence.

I understand the feeling of not wanting to look in the mirror with no clothes on. I used to turn away from the mirror so I didn’t have to look. I don’t have to do that anymore and I turn 50 in June. Yes I work out but I always have. I had a lot more fat on my body at 30 then I do now. I worked out then and I work out now. It’s all about the food I’m choosing.

And let me just say before I get into my rant here. I love you guys. I see you I am you. honestly I never used to be I never used to think I could be a person that was super disciplined about what I eat and drink. I would say I’m not that person. I don’t want to be that disciplined, and then I realized I am that person I am disciplined I just had to shed the part of me that wasn’t. Deep down inside I believe you are too and maybe you can shed the part of you that isn’t. Food is a struggle for most people I know. It’s either what the heck do I eat or I don’t even eat that much and Im still gaining weight. It’s a common problem. Like I said on Fridays episode 70% of Americans are overweight. And it has everything to do with our food.

And everyone has an opinion on food. Some will tell you this diet works best or you should eat this way or that way or for only this long. There’s so much information out there, it’s almost impossible to decipher what’s true and what isn’t.

But there is one thing that I think is especially damaging to us and it’s said in a well meaning way. But its damage goes beyond word value. And look I could get on board with that statement that it’s not our own fault if we are overweight because the food industry has manipulated our food into something that is no longer food. It looks like it and tastes like it but there’s no nutrition so it simply isn’t food. And then on top of that they add ingredients that make you addicted so you want more and more. So yes, if I didn’t know the deeper consequences of believing its not my fault then I would agree with it. But I can’t do that. You know why?

Because by saying it’s not my fault, it takes the power completely out of my hands to do anything about it. When it’s not your fault then you are powerless to change it. That makes you a victim of an unseen monster that isn’t going away. I don’t want to be a victim and I don’t think you do either. And people will say well it’s kind to say it isn’t their fault because the big bad food companies have made it impossible to be healthy. No! The big bad food companies what they have done is create options that if we choose them make it impossible for us to be healthy. But as long as we get to decide what we buy at the grocery store or what we eat at a restaurant, all the still power lies in our hands. That’s the ugly truth. That’s the truth no one wants to hear or say. Listen in to hear the entire manifesto!

Ive been doing a lot of design work lately and it’s been fun! The world feels right when I’m helping people create an environment that brings them joy whether it’s in their head space like I do with my podcast or their literal space like I do with design. And both have a lot to do with each other.

Your literal space is a good indicator of where your heads at and your head space is deeply affected by your literal space, like if you have a lot of clutter in your environment, its probably pretty hard for you to relax. Or if you have a lot of negative self talk, and feelings of low self worth, that’s more than likely portrayed in your environment as well, especially in your health and the way you present yourself. It’s all tied together.

I’ve talked about that before in episodes but it never hurts to remember that. If you want to see where you’re head is, take a look around at your environment and the way you present yourself. Not always 100% accurate of course, but it’s a good place to start. Your environment matters and so does the way you present yourself.

OK, there’s a different mindset when you’re in it for the long game. We take our time and we plan it out and we stick to the plan regardless.

There are times where a quick fix makes sense, But for most of us in our day to day lives, we have to be in it for the long term gains. Be in it for the long game. If you’re always looking at things from a quick fix, you’re going to constantly struggle with long term gains.

There have been times when Ive been at the gym and my workout was sub par because I was tired but that didn’t stop me from showing up the next day to work out because I know my long term gains are more important than one bad workout. Think about that the next time you’re workout isn’t so great, just tell yourself, Im in it for the long game and I know tomorrow will be better. Keep going.

Same thing for nutrition! Ive been going to my sisters once a week. I was there this week and my mom had made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and her cinnamon rolls are out of this world yummy, she had half a pan left over just sitting there in front of me. I hadn’t had lunch and they had this big late breakfast so no-one was in a hurry to eat but me. So you can probably guess what happened. I ate a cinnamon roll. I don’t eat bread anymore and I try not to eat butter and sugar which those rolls were full of. But I ate it and I enjoyed it, my hands were itching like crazy later and I still say it was worth it. My functional dr would be appalled. Now I know one cinnamon roll isn’t going to kill my goals, but continuing to eat like that all day might, so I didn’t continue eating everything in sight which is what the old me would do, I would have said well Ive...listen to the entire episode to hear the rest!

Have you ever been in the car and someone is on your tail driving fast and they zoom around you in a hurry only to get to the stop light and there they are. Right beside you? Happens a lot. Or maybe you speed to work trying to take shortcuts or detours and it just takes longer?

Statistics show speeding if your on short trips like to work or school or grocery store isn’t very effective due to traffic lights and stops. We are talking like 10 seconds here. and when you consider the risks of accident and cost of a ticket the benefit of those 10 seconds disappears. I think it’s the same way for life.

I was rushing the other day to leave the house and I got in my car to see I had forgotten my phone in the house and my water bottle. So back up the drive I go into the house to find it. All my time saved rushing gone. And I was stressing myself on top of that. And we do this a lot. Whenever you rush something or take shortcuts it seems like it takes longer. How about when you’re speeding on a project and you make tons of mistakes so now you have to take the time to fix them? If you just slowed down and were intentional about what you’re doing, you would actually be ahead. Seems like the same goes for life.

I was busier than usual this week with design clients and visiting My sister Heather so a couple days I didn’t get in my morning routine of meditation and journaling. I just hit the ground running without doing it because my busy mind didn’t want me to slow down and take the time.

I’m actually glad it happened though because it taught me a valuable lesson. I get less done and distract myself so much more when I tell myself I’m too busy and I don’t do the things that take care of my mind. So, I allowed meditation and journaling to slack for a few days in a row.

Here’s what I found. I was less productive and had more moments of feeling a little down or just lethargic because I was being lazy with my mental space. I scrolled a little more on Instagram which is so interesting to me because if I start, it can be so addictive that I know it’s making me feel unproductive and not great but I can’t seem to stop. Kind of like if you’re not disciplined with chips or sugar. There have been times where I wasn’t even hungry but I just kept eating those cookies or chips because it tasted so good knowing I was going to feel bad later. That’s how I feel when I consume too much social media. That’s also why I try not to get on much anymore. It’s a time killer. My point is my brain said I was too busy to meditate and journal which I just went along with, but in return it was also very distracted and unfocused and a little overwhelmed and I realized it’s because I let my brain run me when I usually tell my brain how the day is going to go. when I meditate that’s me letting my brain know I’m in control. It starts the day with me being aware and in control of my thoughts. When I journal I always journal what I’m grateful for but also how I’m going to show up that day. So that starts my day looking for what’s good in my life and also being intentional about how I’m going to show up. When I didn’t do those things, I was just left to whatever my primitive brain wanted to do and it wants to be distracted and worry and think negative thoughts about pretty much everything, the Primitive brain is also looking for danger, not for what’s good. So when you live from that space, you’re looking out for how people are out to get you or in what ways you need to protect yourself from feeling pain of any sort which causes you to want to distract yourself by eating too much of the wrong things, drinking too much, scrolling, consuming. And these things slow us down in every way. Find out what to do by listening to the entire episode! I love you guys!

I was with a design client yesterday. This is one where we have worked together before so he knows he likes what I do and we have a common trust as far as our design client relationship goes. Now. We had attempted to start this project before the holidays but it sort of stalled for a few reasons, many of them being me. and it’s now March and we are picking it back up because he reached back out and asked if we could get together to move forward on it. I was relieved to get his message because I had been a little embarrassed that I had kind of dropped the ball there and was avoiding reaching back out thinking maybe he had finished it with someone else or even just done it himself. And it had been on my mind and kind of bothering me too. So why didn’t I just reach out instead of allowing it to be an unfinished, loose end hanging out in my brain that was giving me a low level of anxiety? After analyzing it, the project is a 30 min drive there and 30 min drive back. So it’s a little more inconvenient than most of my regular clients who are within a 10 or 15 minute drive.

So we finally set an appointment to meet and I confessed to him that I was glad he reached out because I was embarrassed so much time had gone by without my following up.

What I heard myself using as an excuse with him was the holidays, and that my brother in law had died suddenly and I’ve been very focused on my older sister, Heather.

But as I was saying it. It felt like an excuse. And it’s a good excuse. It’s very very true. But my gut feeling is that I was using that excuse because it wasn’t the most convenient job I have. I have been spending a day a week with Heather just helping her with life in general and that’s a big change But that’s one day out of my week. I had the time, it was just more convenient to not pick that project back up.

This last week my husband Eric asked me about Toastmasters. I again heard myself say well when Steve (that’s my brother in law) died toastmasters just fell off my radar.

So there I was again, using that same excuse for the reason I dropped off going to Toastmasters. Something that really brought me joy but also a lot of discomfort. Toastmasters is on Friday mornings at 7am. Zero reason for me not to be picking that back up. Of course missing a few when my brother in law died was a must. At this point the excuse is no longer valid. I’m using it for convenience.

And look. I know some of you right now are thinking lighten up. Thats hard when you lose a family member. And it is. But it makes it a lot harder when you stop the things that bring you joy and fulfillment and make your life better. I think we have forgotten that there are always going to be hard things that happen in life. Life will be hard And then it’s going to be fun and easy and then it’s going to be hard again. That’s just what 100% of humans go through. So, If we drop good habits every time something hard happens in life, we will have no good habits left. And we will constantly feel like we are fighting an uphill battle because we stop and start good habits so they feel hard all the time.

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Maybe you do this with the gym. Going to the gym used to be a chore for me. Now it’s just part of my life that I cannot live without because I’ve done it so consistently without stopping. Even through the hard times I don’t stop exercising, it’s a part of my life. A lot of times it still feels like a chore but it’s nonnegotiable for me. Sometimes we drop things when life gets hard because it’s convenient. Like me dropping toastmasters or a project that’s a little farther away then I prefer.

So I’m calling myself out for using an excuse, no matter how justifiable it is....don't forget to listen to hear the entire episode...love you guys!

Have you ever had something coming up, maybe a family dinner or a dinner with friends and there’s something that has been bothering you about someone that’s going to be there or maybe a bunch of someones that are going to be there and you create all this mind drama about this person or people only to get to the dinner and have a great time and maybe you find out the thing you were upset about was all created in your head? Maybe you thought they were all in on something and you were left out only to find out that wasn’t the case? I have, in fact I used to do it a lot. I thought my thoughts were just happening and I had no control of them, or rather I never even really thought about control, I just that that’s what made me “me”. So I didn’t think I could change it.

I remember I would have these periods of feeling really bad and being really bitter about things and I just thought that was life. I can’t control the way I feel. I guess I’m just destined to be on this roller coaster because I can’t control other people obviously and sometimes the decisions they make or things that happen in this world affects me and it makes me feel a certain way and that’s just life.

Ok. Sounds reasonable. Reasonable maybe but….is that how it has to be? Are we just a victim to any reaction we have to the things that go on around us that we can’t control? Listen to find out how to show your brain who's boss....

Physician Payments Sunshine act (the law that lets you see how cozy your DR is with the pharmaceutical companies)

Let’s just face the facts here. I’m an American. This country is amazing and the people are just the best. I truly believe that. But right now, we are in this really weird zone where the health of the people in this country has been hijacked. The people we trusted the most are literally killing us. Doctors prescribe medication like its candy, telling us our lack of health isn’t our fault it’s our genes. There’s nothing we can do. We are a victim to our hereditary genes. The politicians and the media are also controlled by companies like Pfizer. Literally we have the fox watching the hen house. And the result is what you see right now….66% of Americans are on one prescribed medication or another as opposed to 26% in the UK or 35% in Australia. I had trouble finding other numbers for Europe but I did find that European Drs said the US overprescribes drugs like statins when they should be prescribing a Mediterranean style diet. If a mediterranean style diet works, why wouldn’t they tell us that?

But we are each responsible for our own health and delegating it to someone who doesn't have your same agenda is not what we want to be doing..... Listen to the entire episode!

Measuring device I wear: #Whoop StrapExtraordinary results require extraordinary effort. It’s that way with anything we do. Not just our workouts and our nutrition. When you see someone with an extraordinary relationship, they are putting a lot of effort to be there. And just like working out and nutrition. “There” is not a destination. It’s a continuous, consistent journey. They aren’t just going through the motions. You don’t have extreme heath and fitness by just going through the motions. You aren’t the number one sales person in your company by just going through the motions. Your consistency may have gotten you where you are which is really really good you’re already ahead of the average crowd. but when that consistency feels comfortable, and you start wondering why you’re not making gains, you have to push a little harder to get to the next level.I believe you attract what you’re thinking about. I’ve been wanting to uplevel my workout game for a while and I also believe you can’t improve what you don’t measure. So for the last few months I’ve been hearing about the whoop strap. It measures your strain, your recovery and your sleep. It actually tells you where you are and what you’re capable of any given day. Some days it will tell me I’m fully recovered and I can put in a full strain day. And it actually tells me how hard I should work to get that strain in. And it isn’t a walk in the park and it certainly doesn’t get there by going through the motions. I have to work. It’s fascinating to me to be able to measure all that. And it helps me work harder. That’s why I think I’m pushing myself because I know what I CAN do that day. And I also know what I need to do to get there.

36% of Americans feel lonely when they were surveyed. That’s a lot of people. Why do you think that is?

Maybe you’ve experienced being with a group of friends you love, but you still feel lonely…. It’s the way you’re thinking about it. Maybe you’ve just had a breakup and that is where your head is. Our thoughts actually cause us to feel lonely even though we are surrounded by friends that are having a good time. Now there are other times where you are all alone and you are completely happy with that, like me when I got home from my client meeting to a perfectly quiet beautiful home. I could have had the thought, “Here I am again, at this house where I spend a lot of time just by myself”. But instead my thoughts were “ahhh I love my house and I love this quiet time where I can just think and create and enjoy my surroundings”. I view that alone time as solitude, not loneliness. If your solitude starts feeling like loneliness, ask yourself why, do you need more connection or are you thinking about it in a way that causes you to feel lonely, is there a way you can reframe it.

We make choices every day of whether or not to be social. Sometimes we think we are connecting by scrolling on our phone watching what our friends are doing but studies have shown that’s not enough for connection. Now it’s better if you truly are engaging with people online but it still doesn’t come near the benefits of human to human interaction.

I’m going to lunch today with a friend. I reached out last week and she wasn’t available so she reached out this week and we set a lunch date.

You see in order to have a lunch date I had to reach out. And in order for her to have a lunch date, she had to reach out in return. I forget that sometimes. We all want and need connection. That’s part of the human experience. We are social creatures. So why then, don’t we reach out? For me, I used to say “ I’m not a connector”. I will say yes if someone reaches out because I love being social. But now I realize that me not reaching out could be laziness on my part but also a little deeper down if I’m being honest a bit of fear of rejection which I want to write off as silly but it’s not. It’s real. Check out the entire episode to hear the rest.. Love you guys!

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I have heard so many people say well Im just getting old, putting on weight, being on all this medication, or being in pain every day is just normal, that’s just how it is. But does it have to be? Or is that just the path that of least resistance? Has it become so normal to be overweight and on at least one medication that we don’t even think the alternative is an option. Commercials and corporations feed into that, it's how they make money.

A majority of what we consume on tv and social media regularly tells us that life is short live how you want. Being overweight is healthy. Everyone watches tv a lot chill out. If you don’t pay attention to Washington you’re sticking your head in the sand. You see ads for food as being healthy, when they simply aren’t. Orange juice, yogurt, white bread, diet coke. I mean at least with McDonalds and Dunkin donuts you know you’re eating something that’s not good for you but when you drink Orange juice they tell you it’s healthy, what they don’t tell you that one 12 oz glass comes with 9 teaspoons of sugar, as much as a coke.

They know we’re busy. They know we’re tired. They know we are stressed and they are targeting us for that. They have the shortcut to good sleep, you can still drink and eat whatever you want and this will get you to sleep anyway, never mind the side effects and here’s the shortcut to losing weight, but wait, being obese is healthy so you shouldn’t even want to lose weight, you’re healthy too. In the name of not hurting anyones feelings they are doing huge damage to the American public even though we all know the truth, it’s sad.

They want you to think destructive behavior like overeating and over drinking alcohol is normal. And maybe it is. In fact I know it is. It is normal to be overweight. Almost 75% of Americans are overweight and it’s getting worse. Listen to the episode to hear the solution....:)

Why can't we just be happy however we are? Why are we constantly trying to distract ourselves? The answer is in this episode!

Are you thriving? Are you consistently growing? And do you have close meaningful relationships?

Check out episode 318 to find out how you can create your own version of a wildly successful life....

I love you guys!

www.heididawson.com

Have you ever felt like your life is so hard and everyone else is just flowing through life happily with no rough patches? In the past, when I was younger, I would look at some peoples lives and just think wow, they have a perfect family, perfect job, perfect life, things just seem to always go well for them. And as Ive grown, I realize no-one gets through life without the natural ebbs and flows, the ups and downs, the good and the not so good. If you’re human, sometimes life is good and sometimes its not so good. If you’re human, sometimes, life is really really good and sometimes its really really bad. All of us experience that ebb and flow. Sometimes we think somethings wrong with us for having rough patches. There’s nothing wrong with you. That’s part of life. But why does it seem some just always seem to land directly on their feet and just keep getting better in spite of rough patches and some just go into despair and can’t seem to recover? There are things that will help you land on your feet and there are things that will dig a deeper hole for yourself and you have to know the difference. And side note….I believe it’s never too late to turn things around.

I was doing yoga the other day.....Listen to the episode to hear the rest of the story.....love you guys!

As I’ve grown and worked on myself I realize I’m not and cannot be responsible for anyone else’s feelings but my own. This trait though has made me very considerate of other people almost to the point where it doesn’t make sense. Like I’ll be laying down in the sauna and someone will come in, and it’s a big sauna but someone will come in and I will sit up to give them more room or even consider leaving early if it starts filling up so that someone else can have my spot. But here’s the thing. I’m just as worthy of that spot in the sauna as anyone else. And if I say I’m going to sit in there for twenty minutes, then I’m going to sit in there for 20 minutes regardless of how many people want to come in and that is perfectly ok.

Doctors have an oath they take that is to “do no harm”. And that’s my oath too. Do no harm. I have worked really hard to do no harm to anyone my whole life. Dating was awful because I never wanted to hurt anyone. But that’s unavoidable if you are being honest and authentic. If I had stayed with someone because I didn’t want to hurt them but I didn’t love them that’s kind of lying. I may not hurt them short term but their life will be miserable eventually and so would mine. That’s why included in that oath of “do no harm” Ive had to make sure to include myself. I have just as much right to the sauna as anyone else and I am not responsible for anyone’s feelings but my own.

I used to think of myself as a people pleaser but I realized I’m not that. People pleasers according to Websters dictionary have an emotional need to please others often at the expense of his or her own desires. That is not me, if I was a people pleaser I’d probably still be married to my first husband, I would never have left the religion of my parents, my life would look very different and it would be very inauthentic because I’d be living a life on someone else’s terms. Brooke Castillo likes to say people pleasers are liars. Which is kind of harsh but true because you have something you want to do, but you don’t do it because someone else wants you to do what they want. So you aren’t being honest when you disregard your own wishes. You matter in this world and you’re worthy of living the life you want even if it’s not what someone else wants. Just food for thought.

None of us wake up and say I want to hurt someone’s feelings today. I just don’t believe that we do. Not anyone listening to this podcast anyway. But I think we hurt our own feelings all the time. We lie to ourselves a lot. We don’t do the things we tell ourself we are gonna do. We beat ourselves up for things we had nothing to do with. We take on too much because we are afraid to say no.

What would happen if you said no and meant it? The world isn’t going to end I assure you. What would happen if you prioritized yourself? How would life change if you stopped feeling responsible for other people’s feelings? I can tell you from my experience it’s super freeing. Living your best life of course involves you doing no harm to others but that has to include you too. setting boundaries, prioritizing yourself and not tolerating anything less than you deserve, that’s your job. That’s the role you’re supposed to play. Listen to hear the entire episode! I love you guys!

www.heididawson.com

I love to get up early. 5 am is my favorite. So it’s dark and it’s quiet and I turn my lights on just the way I want them so that the back yard is lit up and my back deck lights are on and it all looks like a beautiful 5 star resort. It really does and I appreciate every moment of early mornings, I look around and was just so grateful. So this morning i sit down to have my coffee in my favorite spot overlooking the back and there’s a light shining in my eye not just one but two blue white spot lights coming from the neighbors house. We have lots of trees but they can’t possibly block these lights. So now I’m like what in the world. And I can feel myself getting irritated because of these lights. So now I sit up a little bit because I’m wondering what I’m going to do about those lights ruining my morning as I sit up a little straighter I realize now I don’t see them so much because my line of sight is different. And I also realized hey. You’re ruining your own morning. Because there may not be anything you can do about those lights but if something as simple as sitting up a little straighter makes it better, why not just do that? You see the more I focused on the lights the worse they got. Not literally they weren’t getting brighter but I was making it worse in my head. So I asked myself how do I give myself peace right now? For starters just sit up a bit so it’s not in your eyes and second stop focusing on it.

There’s always going to be things like that in life. There will always be things we can focus on that upset us and the more we focus on it the more upset we get and the bigger the thing gets. I was literally walking through scenarios where I somehow sneak on their property and aim them down so they aren’t shining so straight out or is there an ordinance or something about lights maybe the city could do something about it. That’s neighborly isn’t it? Both of those ideas were really bad. But once I sat up and it wasn’t directly in my eye I realized I was making it a lot worse because I just kept dragging on about it. It’s there. There’s nothing going to change that those lights are there. So how do I find peace right now? I sit up straighter and I change my focus. The lights are still there but I’m not focusing on them anymore so I’m just not letting it bother me. It’s part of my day today. We actually had the same problem on the front of the house when we first moved in. Our bedroom faces the front and our other neighbor installed the brightest spotlight ever and even with our woven shades down it would light up our room quite a bit. I thought about asking them to change the direction of their light back then too but we fixed the problem on our end. So I simply designed a Roman shade with blackout lining and wala problem fixed. That was 15 years ago. The light is still there too, we just took things into our own hands and now it doesn’t bother us at all.

We live in a world with other people. As long as that is the case which I hope is forever because it would be a lonely place, have you ever seen that movie with Will Smith where he’s the only human left alive in all of New York? He would have paid money to have a neighbor shining lights into his eyes.

And it may seem like I’m asking for us all to settle for less than we want. But that’s not what I’m saying at all. I couldn’t do anything about my neighbors lights at 5 in the morning but I was wrecking my own morning by focusing on them. By changing my focus I was able to remember that I’ve had this problem before and we overcame it, I can do it again. I also realized that just changing how I was sitting made it where I didn’t really see them. That was super easy to do.

I had this weird thing when I was a kid where I wouldn’t let my hand hang over the edge of my bed in case something was under there and grabbed it.

When you were a kid, did you ever worry about some kind of something being in the closet or under your bed?

But here’s the thing. I never had any reason to think something was under my bed. I didn’t have ptsd from something being in my past that had happened so it was something completely made up.

Once the morning came, it was clear there was nothing under there, and my fear was for nothing.

I still do that sometimes, but now I do it with grown up things.

Whether it’s with having a hard conversation with someone or finding a weird looking mole on your chest. We have a tendency to create things in our head of what bad things could possibly happen only to find out that well, they aren’t so bad at all, at least not as bad as we created in our head. Listen to the entire episode~ I love you guys!

Everything I do matters and it matters a lot TO ME. What this means is that my time matters. The amount of time I a lot to different activities matters. The amount of time I spend with my friends and family, the amount of time I allow for exercise, for meditation, for creating content for my podcast. The amount of time I allow myself to be distracted by other peoples content. I have become pretty strategic about that especially. Because some of it can really move you forward. But in order for it to move you forward you have to not only consume, you have to put it to action. I’ll give you an example for me where I read something, put it to good use and something cool came from it. I read where walking without music gives your brain time to come up with it’s own ideas and I thought that is so true, some of my best ideas have come from just allowing myself to think instead of listen. So I decided to put the idea to intentional use.

Now let me just say real quick…sometimes I NEED the music to run and on those days I jam to whatever my mood needs but I have been really working lately on just using my brain energy as much as music to fuel my runs. And it does allow you to create your own things. I have a long way to go but I came up with a poem the first day I did it intentionally. I have talked about struggling with phone addiction, to which I have made huge strides. I often times don’t even know where my phone is, it’s been freeing and Im present when Im with someone else, Im not wishing I could be on my phone instead. But as I was walking I came up with this poem.

We become the least interesting person in the room

When we’re constantly scrolling on our phone.

Our heads filled with other peoples ideas.

None of them being our own.

I also came up with a limerick so listen to the episode to hear that silly little poem...it's fun! Love you guys!

If I told you to think of a leaf. You would all picture a leaf. If you lived in the south you might think of a magnolia leaf if you lived in California you may think of a palm leaf. Both of you would be perfectly correct. Same question, totally different answer, but both correct. Your brain uses your point of reference to come to an idea of a leaf.

That’s what we do with everything. We use our point of reference to attach meaning to anything going on around us.

We bring meaning to things based on what’s going on in our world. If I asked 5 people to describe a leaf I would get 5 totally different answers even if two of those people were from the south, one might not have a magnolia tree in their yard, so that’s not their immediate point of reference, they might only have oak trees, so they think of an oak leaf. The point is we attach meaning to things based on what we know, or what we’ve experienced usually most recently.

I always say every single one of us came out of the womb with an agenda. And some will ignore that agenda to please others and some won’t. Those that won’t walk and create their own path which leads to the life you were meant for, it’s not easy to do but the other option of following someone else’s path for you isn’t easy either for a lot of different reasons. Stop trying to fit yourself into someone else’s dream for you. It’s not your job to fulfill someone else’s dream, it’s their job. Love them where they are and don’t require them to have to return that favor. They may not be able to.

I read a post by Lindsay Mango the other day that said “what if YOUR happiness is more important than THEIR approval?” And it hit me that my happiness IS more important than other people’s approval. And society wants to tell you that’s selfish. You should put yourself last, the ones that only think of others are praised, oh she’s so giving. Oh she never thinks about herself, only others. But if that’s true for someone, I’ll show you someone whose internal light has burned out or is close to burning out and they are trying to get light externally which will have them burning the candle at both ends just to feel loved, which only happens when other people need them, but what happens when other people stop needing them? there’s a darkness again because you’ve never tended to your own internal light. That’s a tiresome, dangerous game. Because you’re at the mercy of other people for how you feel. You have to tend to your own light and let it shine so brightly, you do that, and it will attract others with that same light and the good just keeps getting gooder. Not a word, but I liked saying it. And look, your light may be too bright for some people, it may confront them that they’ve allowed their own light to be dimmed or to go out all together. When you follow your own heart, there will be those that don't approve and it may sting and you may wonder if it would just be easier to just do the thing and get the approval, but if you’ve ever tried that you know it’s a never ending gig and you’ll end up resentful and bitter, that in my opinion is so much harder than forging your own path. Listen to the entire episode....I love you guys!

Our body is quite manipulative when it is in a craving mode. Which if your diet consists of mainly processed foods That’s a lot of the time. Those foods are addictive by design. They want you to keep eating it, how better than to make it addictive. So when this is happening, your body will scream out for sugar bad fats and salt in whatever form that looks like for you. So we think we are hungry when it’s really our body craving and slipping a note to our brain to get us to think we MUST have this thing or we will die, or get a headache or be cranky, whatever. And this cycle will continue as long as your body is addicted to sugar, bad fats, and salt which is what a majority of processed foods are made of. I know because I lived for years like that. Listen to the entire episode!

I love you guys!

Good food follows: Instagram @drcaseyskitchen, @drosborne @drmarkhyman

We love to think about food, talk about food, smell food, eat food. Food is kind of an addiction. Especially if you live in America. No snarky comments if you don’t live in America. We know we love food. And we also know it has become a HUGE problem in more than one way. We’re bigger than ever. We’re unhealthier than ever. Our food in a lot of cases doesn’t even constitute as food, it’s designed to look and taste like food but it is not giving any nutrition to our body whatsoever. Some of the ingredients we use are illegal in other countries. Literally illegal. So yeah. The so called “food” that makes up about 60% of the American diet isn’t even food at all.

I can say this without a doubt because I looked up the definition of food. Here it is: any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.

So if you eat something that is causing your body harm and has no nutritious value at all, it isn’t food. It’s something else. We think that just because the food industry wraps it up and puts it into a grocery store, well it’s food. But food in order to be food has to have nutritious value, ok so then it’s not actually food. And studies show that’s If it’s not actually food, and that’s the majority of what we are eating, how are we still functioning? Well I’m gonna just say it. Barely. Most of us are not even close to functioning at our best, not even close and we don’t realize it because that’s just become the norm.

When I was eating the way I talked about in the beginning of this episode, I can tell you I had headaches all the time, which I would take ibuprofen for a lot. Sometimes I would have a headache because I hadn’t had sugar for an hour or so and my body was craving it and I knew more sugar would fix that headache but only temporarily, so I’d grab a Twix bar to fix it and it would! My body was literally demanding certain foods or it would revolt. I had created a monster that was always hungry. And I didn’t know why when I exercised I was still putting on weight. So I started cutting out things little by little No more pizza, no more regular margaritas no more frozen yogurt no more blueberry pancakes and mimosas. I started cutting things out and it helped a bit but I still felt tired.

And when I had finally had enough I decided to get my bloodwork done with a functional nutritionist Dr Osborne and wow when he came back and told me “You are basically malnourished”. Your cells are not getting nutrition. I realized taking things out that were hurting me was only part of the equation. I had to add whole foods, foods with actual nutrients, actual food back into my diet.

And it’s super confusing if you listen to people who are supposed to be in the know as far as food goes, because they don’t know either.

When you hear trainers tell you that you don’t eat enough. I think that is one of the most confusing things. I used to be super frustrated when I heard that. Eat enough what? They are not saying you don’t eat enough bread or pasta or cheese or energy drinks or protein shakes. But if that’s what you want to hear then you start eating more and we know where that ends up. And look they may have heard that or read it somewhere and they may not even know exactly what that means. They just know, same as you know that something isn’t working. You’re not getting enough something to build muscle or feel good or balance out your weight. Listen in to the episode to hear the entire episode. Love you guys!

Have you ever noticed for all practical purposes, there are really 2 versions of you. One that really wants to do the things that you know will make your life better and one that really wants to just say “life is short”, “I’m going to do whatever I want, eat whatever I want, drink whatever I want, be a hermit, avoid family gatherings, you know all the things that just seem to put you on easy street.

I have struggled with this a lot. I talked in Episode 307 about exercise. I used to battle just giving it up because I was using it to make me skinny but I realized that I had to use other tools like nutrition for that, Exercise helped keep me sane, healthy and happy which helped me make way better choices in every other area of my life. That’s how it goes though……Once you get the momentum heading in a good direction, it will build upon itself and that works in both directions.

You see for me, in the past, when I let the version of me that wants to say life is short, do as you please, win out, it usually has me feeling bloated and full or hungover or lethargic, maybe even lonely because Ive isolated myself. When Ive done that it seems like I would be mad at the world, or wanting to eat greasy food to fix a hangover, or wanting to hide in my house because I feel fat or so disconnected from my family that it’s weird to reach out, it would have me buying things I didn’t need to fill a void. I don’t know about you, but I say Life IS too short. It’s WAY too short to live like that!

But when I am really working on being the best version of me which is pretty consistent now, the momentum is heading in the direction of decisions that make me feel really good. It’s not 100% of the time. I think I am on the 80/20 plan. There are times when I drink more than twice a week and there are times when I drink less. There are times when I eat 5 chocolate oatmeal cookies too but that isn’t my habit. But the part of me that wants to eat chocolate oatmeal cookies every day is still there, I just tell it no. The part of me will always be there that would like to have a drink on a Tuesday when I said I wouldn’t drink during the week. She isn’t going anywhere, Im not a robot. Im a human. But Im a human that knows life is too short to waste time trying 15 outfits on trying to find one that hides my thighs, I used to do that or spending so much money on new clothes hoping that would make me feel pretty when it wasn’t going to work, life is too short to wonder if you did or said anything crazy when you drank too much.

I think one of the biggest struggles we all deal with is keeping ourself in check. Telling ourselves no and keeping the promises we make to ourselves. It’s not easy but neither is the other option. We all have that version of us that still wants to act like a 3 year old where we do whatever we want. But what do we do with 3 year olds? We tell them no.. All THE TIME.

“The heaviest weight at the gym is the front door.” Ed Latimore. When I first heard Ed say that, it had a huge impact on me.

The reason why is because it resonates. It resonates and it’s true still even after years and years of consistent working out. The front door is still the heaviest weight for me.

I mean I have exercised my whole life, I was teaching high impact step aerobics at 18. I was thin, could eat what I wanted..without worry. I continued to exercise but around 27 I started putting on weight. My vanity wouldn’t allow me to continue down that path. So I thought well maybe I can fix it if I start running, ok that worked a little but then my body adapted and eventually back up goes the scale, so I thought ok, maybe if I do Bikram Yoga, a 90 minute, in my opinion, military style yoga 4 times a week, which I did, it helped but again, I wasn’t getting back to the size I knew was best for me and how I wanted to look and feel, exercise had stopped being useful in the way in which I was using it. Isn’t that interesting? I was working out to be thin, and it wasn’t working. So now why in the world would I want to continue something that wasn’t working? That’s the million dollar question.

It has taken a while for me to realize the role exercise plays in my life. I used to think and I would even say this “I exercise so I can eat what I want”. And I would make myself exercise and then go to Huey’s and eat a chicken sandwich with fries because I earned it. Eric and I used to do a 5 mile run every Sunday so we could go have brunch which meant blueberry pancakes and mimosas. I laughed out loud when he reminded me of that as we were talking about this episode. But you see, I was super frustrated because my jeans were getting tighter and tighter. It felt like I was working out for nothing. But there was this feeling of sort of a mixture of euphoria and pride the rest of the day after I had a great workout so it couldn’t be for nothing, right? I probably lived in that world for 6 or 7 years until I realized that there was also another sentence that I didn’t want to be true but was becoming more and more apparent. You can’t out train a bad diet, especially after 35. That’s when I realized working out was making me feel amazing but it wasn’t making me lose weight, not as long as my nutrition was where it was. So exercise for me was improving my sanity but food I realized was hurting my vanity, and my health of course but let’s be real…. I wish it weren’t so, but it is.

So I exercise because I feel amazing. Now, exercise alone wasn’t going to reach my body goals. I had to get honest with myself about food. And if you’re being honest with yourself you do too. But that doesn’t need to discourage us from working out because the benefits are worth it. Trust me. I’m just like you. It’s not getting easier, but every single time you do it anyway, you win. We have to stop wishing it would get easier and we have to get real about our exercise and nutrition. You can get benefits from one or the other, but you cannot outrain a bad diet and there’s no way to eat so healthy that you have to exercise or move.

www.heididawson.com

Every single time I go into a public bathroom my thought is to leave it better than I found it. It doesn’t matter that they have people cleaning, I personally want to leave it better for the next person because what’s the alternative? You just leave it a mess for the next person to deal with? I’ve had that thought and that’s not how I want to live my life. When I’m going into a public bathroom and it’s packed and you’re waiting for the next stall, I don’t want to go in after someone who looks slovenly or dirty because I imagine that’s how they left it, do you ever do that? You imagine if someone is neat and clean, that’s probably how they left the bathroom, neat and clean.

How you do one thing is how you do everything. Remember? That’s why the little things matter. Yeah, it may be somebody else’s job but how much better do you feel when you’ve left it better than it was for the next person?

I’m not a person who wants to live in a mess so I better become a person who takes action when there is a mess regardless of who made it. Now I certainly don’t seek these types of things out where Im cleaning up messes all the time but if I notice something, and it’s within my power to do something about it, I do.

It’s been quite windy in the last week or so and last week my neighbors recycle bin blew over with bottles and boxes just everywhere. I had a choice. It wasn’t my job to clean it up, nobody else was around to see me not clean it up but it’s a lot easier for me to clean it up than for my 70 year old neighbor to do it. And I want to be a person that leaves things better than they found it. So I cleaned it up and it felt good, for the rest of the day, it felt good. It took me 3 minutes, literally, but the benefits lasted all day.

I was getting a handful of walnuts in our pantry and one fell somewhere not easily found, my initial reaction was to leave it because it would be a hassle to pull everything out to find one walnut, but that’s not how I want to show up so I pull out the waters and the waffle iron and the toaster, oh wait, the toaster, yep, there it was in the toaster, now had I just left it, the next time we put something in the toaster, we would have had a roasted walnut, not a big problem by itself, but is that me leaving things in a better place? Nope. Im happy I found it. I tore a paper towel off the roll and a little corner came off and flew on the floor, Mayra is coming later, I’ll just let her get it, no, it’s my mess, I noticed it, so I’m gonna clean it up. The little things we do matter.

And it doesn’t end there. How about the people you come in contact with every single day? From your partner to the cashier at the gas station. Are you leaving them better than before they encountered you? That’s really something to think about. Did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed and make my husband wish I had stayed in bed? Good question. Becca taught everyone in that yoga class a valuable lesson, welcoming a guy in 20 minutes late, before she ever knew he was her big boss. That’s how she treats everyone, she leaves them better for having encountered her. How about you? Have you ever been having a bad day and someone made your day just by smiling at you? I have. Have you ever been having a bad day and in turn made sure someone else was just as miserable? Ive done that too.

But on a regular general basis, are people better off for having run into you? I hope so. Check out the full episode to hear a cool story! I love you guys!

I feel like we’ve been having some come to Jesus episodes lately but I just really feel like the thing that helps me the most is when someone simply tells me with love of course, the truth. When someone tells me like it is. When you have things going on in your life that you know don’t feel good or you know you want to improve and you hear someone that is well meaning say “you’re perfect just the way you are” they mean well but you know that’s not true because you can tell by the way you feel that something needs to change. Jordan Peterson says no-one wants to hear someone say “you’re perfect just the way you are” especially when you’re having a rough patch, because you know you don’t want to stay there so of course it’s not perfect and you know it deep down. So I love you and you should love yourself as you are but also know that the ability for you to grow and improve lies with one person…YOU

We each have something very very unique from the rest of the billions of people on earth. Unique only to us. And that is that our world revolves completely around us. No one else has your exact experience. No one. Not even your twin sister because one of you was the one that came out first or the funny one or the favorite. Theirs always something that differentiates you and develops your uniqueness.

You might be thinking this is quite different from the title where I said it’s not all about you. But here’s the thing. Because we each take us with us every where we go, we have a tendency to shape every experience into being something about us. Someone is having a bad day and is grumpy, we wonder if we did something to them. Someone is casually talking about their experience and we inject our same experience into the conversation. Someone has something really good happen to them and you wonder why those things never happen to you. Your friends or family are going on vacation together and you feel left out that you weren’t invited. Whatever it is, there we are subconsciously or even consciously factoring in what this means about you or how it affects you.

Now this is human tendency, I just want us to start realizing we are doing it because it often leads to hurt feelings, comparisons, anger even in some cases. To continue, listen to episode 305! Love you guys!

Toughening up doesn’t mean you aren’t gonna get your feelings hurt, it means when you get your feelings hurt you remind yourself you get to control how long you’re going to give this power over you. If you’re like me, I don’t like feeling sorry for myself. No one has time for that. I like to quote that song by Ariana grande. “Thank you, next”. Thank them and move forward don’t waste time playing the victim, because you’re not one unless you give your mind to it endlessly replaying it over and over, imagining that everyone else is talking about it. No they are not. And if they are it will be temporary and they too will be on to the next. That’s life. So toughen up. Have your own back.

Have integrity and always do what’s right and what’s right for you may be different than what’s right for someone else and that’s ok.

Listen to the entire episode for the whole story....love you guys!

Heidi

When we are working on updating ourselves, sometimes there’s parts of us that someone else likes but that don’t serve us anymore. It’s ok to let that go. Nothing would make my parents happier than if I went back to being in their religion, but that thought never even occurs to me anymore because that wouldn’t serve me. I’ve let that go. Sometimes we will be with friends and everyone’s having a drink and they ask me what I want to drink and I say I’ll just have a water, and I know they might like it if I drink too but I don’t want it so I let that go. That doesn’t fit into my new house so to speak. Not on a Tuesday anyway. And guess what? They really don’t care if I drink or not, maybe for a minute and then we move on and everyone has an amazing time and everyone gets to do exactly what they want.

You don’t have to keep that grandfather clock you don’t like simply because your mother loved it. And you don’t have to keep that old habit or belief simply because your friends or parents or teacher still want you to have it.

We worry so much about what other people think when what we truly should be the most worried about is what we think.

In this age of technology we can easily search any topic and find it. When you search for something…you expect for that to be what you come up with right?

When you search on Spotify for country music, are you surprised when you get country music options? No. Cause that’s what you’re looking for, that’s what you put out there that you wanted and that’s what you got. You put in a google search for something and you’re going to start seeing that everywhere. It almost seems like technology can even read our minds anymore.

Life works kind of the way a google search or a Spotify search works. What you think about or what you put out there is what you get back.

If you think that people are out to get you at work, that’s what you’re unintentionally searching for. If you think that your family doesn’t love you, you unintentionally search for evidence of that. If you constantly think negative thoughts about you’re partner, that’s what you’re unintentionally searching for. And guess what,…Don’t be surprised when you get back what your searching for.

We create our life in our head, every single one of us do it. All day long. We have 60,000 thoughts a day if you don’t think that’s true then you’re creating a lot that you’re not aware of. It’s crucial that we start becoming aware of what our thoughts are having us look for and be intentional of what we want to think about. That’s how we create the life we want rather than accepting a life by default.

This podcast or any other podcast won’t change your life unless it changes the actions you take. If you listen for 10 minutes and say oh that was great but you don’t think how am I going to apply that today, how am I going to use that in my life this week? Listening to the podcast is like going to the gym. Listening to the podcast and applying what you learn in your life right away is like going to the gym and actually working out.

Ive listened and consumed enough to know that no matter what you take in if you don’t take action, if you don’t do the work, your life is not going to change.

But when you do do the work, it isn’t going to change overnight, it’s a gradual change, one that maybe you don’t even realize until one day someone that hasn’t seen you for 2 years looks at you and says “Wow, you look amazing” or maybe “You seem so much calmer than you used to”. These are things that you may not notice but the things you do consistently that make you better ARE working. It’s great to surround yourself with positive information, but It’s the consistency of action that changes your life.

How many of us know someone or maybe you’re that someone..that blames other people for all of their problems. So and so made me lose my temper. My mother has me so stressed. My husband always brings home treats so I will never lose weight. The kids take up all my time so I can’t go to the gym. Ive got news for you and for me too. As long as you don’t have control of your temper, there will be someone that will set it off. As long as you don’t have control of your eating, there will be food available to overeat, as long as you don’t make working out a priority, there will be something that can get in the way.

I work on this every single day. I try to take responsibility for every single outcome I have anymore. You know why? Because it is my responsibility.

Im the only constant in my life and everything around me is changing. That means the only thing I can rely on 100% is myself. Me being stable and reliable to myself is a must and that cannot fluctuate with what’s going on around me because if I wake up and say I hope I work out today, I hope nothing gets in the way of that, odds are that you won’t. If you say “I hope I don’t lose my temper today”, odds are you will. If you HOPE you eat healthy today, of course the odds are you wont. The definition of hope is the “desire for a certain thing to happen”. Having A desire means a strong feeling of wishing for something to happen. Wishing means to want something that cannot or probably will not happen. There it is. If you dig hard enough, you’ll always come to the crux of the issue. When you hope for something to happen. It probably will not. We have to be more reliable to ourselves than we are being.

Every single one of us. We are all navigating this new way of being in the world. 24 hour made to make us anxious news, so left alone our brain will have us hiding in the house afraid of our neighbors, food literally staring us in the face 24/7, so left without direction our brain will tell us we are always hungry. Doctors telling us the answer to everything is medication, it’s not your fault just take this and you’ll be better. You see we used to think the news keeps us informed, but now it just keeps us angry and terrified so they can make money. We used to think the government was looking out for us with the food pyramid, now we see if we eat that way, we are going to be sick and overweight. We used to think Doctors looked out for us, but now they really do seem to just be pushers of medication that keeps us dependent and makes us sicker. I have a friend who is healthy went to a cardiologist who literally said “changing your diet won’t help, you have to stop lifting weights and take this medication for the rest of your life.” True story. Listen in for the rest of the episode! Love you guys!

www.heididawson.com

decide #wishes #positivepodcasts

We all go through different seasons of life, sometimes we are sailing through and sometimes we are slogging it out. No matter where you are right now whether you’re sailing or slogging, 100% of us have two things in common. You might not think that’s possible but I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. The first this is this: You take you with you into every season. No matter where I go in life there I am. And the same is true for each one of you. No matter where you go, there you are. You are the only 100% constant in your life.

Have you ever thought about that? Your family will transition. You went from living with your parents and siblings to maybe living on your own for a while, maybe you had a few different roommates, maybe even a few different spouses. But one thing that has always been a constant is YOU. And that is not going to change.

It’s eye opening when you think about it.

The second thing 100% of us have in common is everything outside of us is constantly changing. You can take that to the bank and cash it.

Everywhere you go, there you are AND everything around you is constantly changing.

We all have injuries at different times in our life, maybe it’s physical, maybe it’s mental but at some point or another something happens and we have to decide if we are going to throw in the towel, go out to pasture so to speak or if we are going to get back on the race track again. We are built to sustain so much and we are also built to thrive. But being built for something doesn’t mean though you’re going to see it through automatically. It takes work, just like with that racehorse. There was a lot of work and conditioning that had to happen for her to be able to win races again. So what are you built for? Have you ever thought about that?

Jordan Peterson says that we are built to have a noble goal and to work towards it.

I’ve been in this world long enough to know that when I’m the happiest is when my mind is set on working towards a goal. Like having an end result that I know I want and working towards it continuously until I reach it.

You might have had an experience where you have a 20 year reunion coming up and you want to be this certain weight or size when you go, awesome. But What happens the day after the reunion? You felt the high and now what? You need another goal. Just know and be prepared that every time you have a goal and you reach it you’re gonna be happy and then you’re gonna feel a tugging maybe a little sadness because you accomplished that goal and now what? We are built for more. You see sometimes people accomplish something big and they let their brain tell them that’s it. That’s the culmination. Nothing can get better than that. You graduate college. You get your dream job. You get married. You have a baby. Whatever it is. You are built to keep going. We are built To have something to work for.

And We are built to withstand much more than we think we can.

If we weren’t built for that. We would cease to exist because life can be so hard. But here’s the thing it’s hard then it’s good, then its hard, then it’s good and that cycle will forever be the same. We are built for that. Listen to the episode to hear the rest! Love you guys

www.heididawson.com

Have you ever heard someone maybe a historian or someone who studies human nature say “the only way to bring the country together is we have to have something big happen like a war”

Like when 9/11 happened our country came together in a big way because we realized what’s important, what really matters and for a moment we through away our built in prejudices and just loved. It didn’t matter your political party, your race, your religion, or where you lived in the country. We were all Americans and we had been attacked. Life got REAL real fast. And when life gets REAL the facades are dropped, the curtains are opened, the hard outer shell is cracked and there we are just raw, true, authentic emotion.

Who hasn’t felt that?

When crisis happen it can cut pretty deep. It can be scary, and shocking, it can make us reevaluate what am I doing? What in the world really matters? But eventually we go back to that identity we created. After 9:11 things gradually calmed down and we started living in our new normal, we slowly built the facades back up, we eased the curtains closed, we reinforced that hard shell and went back to living life slowly separating ourselves from each other in a way.

Now this kind of thing happens on a small scale in communities that have tragedy. Even one step further… families that go through tragedy. It’s a time when people come together and the little quarrels, the differences they don’t matter for those brief moments we allow ourselves raw, true authentic emotion. Because deep down that’s who we are. Deep down we want connection, we want authenticity, we want realness not this facade that religion puts up, not this divide that politics puts up, not this shell that people put up.

Your Raw true authentic self doesn’t care what religion people are, it doesn’t care what political party people affiliate with, it doesn’t care what color people are or where they’re from. It just wants to love. All you have to do is look at little kids to know that. They don’t care until they are conditioned to care. Check out the episode to hear the rest! I love you guys...:)

Family can be such a source of joy and also a source of pain. Don’t we all know it? Regardless of the size of your family. In the book Ive been reading, Awareness I talked about it in episode 295 but in it the author talks about being so awake and alive that no one has the power to make you feel good or bad, you give no one that power. Your happiness lives and dies with you. Ok, that is very enticing but it also seems a little far off for me. I would love to get there. A good place to start and the place Im starting is just recognizing when I have thoughts that don’t serve me. About anything and everything.

This has been kind of a topic for me lately because Ive been confronted head on with everything family for reasons I have talked about in my latest episodes. I have really had to manage my mind and 90% of the time, Ive done really well. I still have moments but Im aware of them, and they ability to get on the other side of them has to completely lie with me, even if and when I feel as if Im wronged. It doesn’t matter, and I will show you why and how I know that in this episode. When we spend more time with friends and family… it’s more important than ever for us to realize we have the power inside us to change how we look at anything. That old wonderful saying from Wayne Dyer “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” Im knowing that more and more every single day. My happiness and my sanity lies with me and your happiness and your sanity lies with you. Sometimes someone does something and you feel you would be justified to be angry and resentful, we are humans not robots. But never forget the saying. Resentment is like swallowing poison expecting the other person to die. You’re hurting yourself. The damage is done to you, by you so you’re the only one that fix it also.

heididawson.com

Book I referenced in show: Awareness by Anthony Di Mello

We all do it. Sometimes it’s worse than other times but we generally have preconceived ideas and lenses from which we view the world and they can be very very hard to overcome if we are living on autopilot especially.

So we have this lens and it’s clouding our vision. When we realize this it’s extremely eye opening. If you’re awake you might ask where else am I allowing this lens to cloud my judgement? But that gets too murky. It sends you down a different rabbit hole of trying to identify all of your preconceived notions. And Unfortunately there are a lot. So I propose simply being aware when something makes you uncomfortable, notice the thoughts that come with it. You don’t have to be a prisoner of your conditioning.

I have touched on this before but I believe we can circumvent a lot of these preset lenses by being aware that we have these filters in the first place. Whether it be a filter of past events, a filter of labels we have for ourself or others. A filter of stereo types. We like to put things in boxes. This means that. But does it? When you see a priest with his black coat and white collar, does that bring you comfort? You may say of course, it would bring anyone comfort, my husband was born and raised a catholic so when he sees a priest, he feels a level of respect. Well I grew up with religious literature showing a person wearing a priest outfit as evil and it usually included fire and tortured souls along with it. It was associated with something scary. So when I see a priest I still even after 25 years of not believing that way, I still want to steer away from him. That’s because I was conditioned for 30 years. There’s a big difference in how my husband and I were conditioned. I now notice it and my thoughts that come with it. Just noticing it and being aware of it gives me the chance to be open to change.

Have you ever thought, man, Im not sure how I have made so many mistakes and have managed to stay out of too much trouble, or have managed to not totally derail your entire life? When you’re inspired to do something or you have a strong desire to call someone do it. It may not always turn out the way you want it to but at least you aren’t the reason things aren’t mended.

Man, relationships are complicated aren’t they? The number one thing you can do to have better relationships in every single area of your life is to get on board with who you are. To become so in tune with your inner self that you can see when you are doing something from your ego or when you’re doing something from love. Love doesn’t isolate. Love isn’t a tightening it’s a releasing. Love isn’t closed its wide open. Love doesn’t come from a place of pride it comes from a place of humility.

When you’re inspired to do something or you have a strong desire to call someone do it. It may not always turn out the way you want it to but at least you aren’t the reason things aren’t mended.

Lover her or hate her, Taylor Swift has a real talent for creating songs that people connect with very strongly. I love her music, very often I run to it, so it inspires me very much. One of her latest songs that is a viral hit has the chorus that says “It’s me, Hi, Im the problem, it’s me. I hope this does what I think she intended and that is wake a lot of people up to the fact that we create so many of our own problems for ourselves. Sometimes we realize it while we are doing it and are able to pivot but sometimes we realize it way after we have created more trouble for ourselves.

There’s this saying “It’s the fog of war”. This saying is basically the uncertainty you deal with in the midst of full on war, it’s hard to see and understand everything going on because you’re in the midst of turmoil. And once the fog of war lifts, you can look back and see where you made mistakes and which decisions were good or bad and so forth.

I noticed something about myself in the last couple of weeks going through the tragedy of suddenly losing a family member. I noticed that sometimes when things get hard I want to run. I want to hide from it, to distract myself. I also create problems in my head that aren’t there and thoughts that aren’t true. But, when I am thinking those thoughts of wanting to run or hide, or Im having thoughts that don’t serve me, Im making it about me. Im focusing on me.

Instead of focusing on what I can do to help, Im creating this loop in my head likes this is too hard, I can’t handle this, I can’t handle seeing and feeling all this sadness, I want to go home. These are all fog of war thoughts and what I realized was these thoughts weren’t helping anyone, most importantly me. So I literally stopped and I thought “What’s true?”

What’s true is yes, this is hard, but it’s not too hard because it’s feelings and emotions and feelings and emotions are not going to kill me. Im not dealing with something trying to kill me, Im dealing with emotions and while they are extremely uncomfortable they are not going to kill me. They can’t. And as long as I acknowledge that this is difficult and I’m gonna be ok, I am letting my brain know it’s ok to feel the feeling because ultimately we are going to get on the other side of it and we are going to be ok. What else is true? I can handle this, and so can my sister and my parents. By design we are capable of handling much worse than we even know. When we constantly tell ourselves, this is too much, it’s too hard, I can’t handle this, Im losing my mind, we are actually weakening ourselves without realizing it.

Life is a series of happy times and also not so happy times. It’s that way for everyone. We all have both if we allow it. I say if we allow it because sometimes something happens and we let it suck us into a hole that we just cannot seem to climb out. If you’re stuck in a hole, don’t give up. It's ok to be sad, life can sometimes feel very unfair. Life can sometimes seem almost unbearable, I know.

Life is completely unpredictable. We believe that someone will be around forever. And when they aren’t it’s shocking for us. But understanding that life is unpredictable. Any one of us could be gone in an instant. That’s hard for us to think about, I know. But knowing that helps us embrace each moment and embrace those that we love as much as we can. Enjoy each moment because now is not forever and that applies to both good moments and bad moments. This too shall pass.

Having confidence, feeling certain and being decisive are valuable traits and they are learnable. In fact there are ways even just in the way we carry ourselves that add to whether we feel confident or not.

So, How about you?

If you don’t feel confidence very often, could it be that your mind is telling you things aren’t going to end well so it holds you back from trying new things?

Here’s the thing, we are creatures of habits, whatever we do regularly, become our habits. So if you consistently hold yourself back, that becomes a habit, if you consistently have a hard time making decisions, that also becomes a habit, a sort of way of life. How many times have you heard someone describe someone as “they couldn’t make a decision to save their life. We can simply fall into the habit of that, but we can also learn how to be better at it.

If you don’t feel confident, or certain or you have trouble making decisions, You may constantly seek other peoples opinions or look to someone else for advice because you aren’t in touch with what you really want or you are afraid to admit to what you really want because it probably won’t happen anyway. And you can’t be certain about anything because there is no plan, there’s no scheduling out your week, life is just sort of happening as it comes to you so you aren’t really making decisions they’re sort of made for you by life just happening.

But you see when I say each of those words confidence certainty and decisiveness. They generate inside of me an inspiration to want to feel them more. Because when you feel confident, and you’re able to make decisions, and you are certain that no matter what happens in life you aren’t gonna quit, that’s a winning formula for success because you can’t lose when you are certain you’ll never quit and you aren’t afraid to make decisions when you know that even if it wasn’t the right one, you learned something and you are one step closer to the right decision, which gives you the confidence to try again.

If you don’t want to do something. Why are you doing it? I’m asking that because It’s really helpful to know your why. And if you decide to do something you don’t want to do, is there a way you can line up with that decision and actually embrace it and find a way to enjoy it?

We live in a world that completely revolves around us. My world revolves around me and your world revolves around you. But there’s a little kink here because I live in a world where there are other people that live there too. And that’s where it gets messy. Doesn’t it? Because sometimes we end up doing things that someone else would like for us to do even though we don’t want to.

Ultimately though. We do choose. And when we choose, it’s really helpful to get behind that choice. There’s no use resenting or blaming or guilting because we had a choice. We love having other people in our lives but We all have to remember that every single decision We make is our own responsibility. No one can make me do something I don’t want to do and when I do it, that’s my choice and I’ve learned to find someway to line up with it. You have to focus more on why you’re doing it instead of why you didn’t want to in the first place.

So my first question to you is this. Do you feel beautiful? Really think about that. Do you think of yourself as beautiful? Because if you don’t then keep listening and if you do also keep listening because you’re going to find new ways to up level and make yourself feel even better.

Do you realize that from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed, everything you think, do or say plays a role in how beautiful you feel or not?

How often do you leave the house looking a mess? Praying you don’t see someone. Don’t treat yourself like that. I saw a sign once at a boutique that said dress like you’re going to run into your ex. I love it, because that's a mindset, you know you would want to be looking amazing. So why not just make that a standard for yourself?

The thoughts we have and the decisions we make subtly tell us how to dress, what to eat, how we show up and it will even dictate what we tolerate from other people.

So if you look in the mirror and you think thoughts like, ugh you’re so fat, you’re skin looks awful, I hate my hair, Im so frumpy. Those thoughts they carry through in what you allow yourself to wear, how you fix your hair, how you do your makeup. For instance, When you have a thought like “I’m fat” then you go into your closet to get dressed…what are you motivated to put on? Something that makes you hide, or at the very least something that hides the parts you don’t like about yourself. Maybe you throw on an oversized t shirt and jeans because “who cares right?” Well you care, and you matter. And it all starts with your thoughts about you.

Every woman should feel beautiful. And a lot of the times the reasons we don’t is because of the thoughts we have. And this is not going to be something you wake up one day and you never have a bad thought, no this is consistent work. I work on it every single day. Listen in for the rest......LOVE YOU GUYS!

www.heididawson.com

I’ve heard this statement “How we do one thing is how we do most things.” several times in the past year and when I first heard it I wanted to disagree but the more Ive thought about it, it’s true.

For example, how the outside of your home looks, is probably pretty indicative of how the inside looks. If someone doesn’t cut their grass or make the outside of their home look beautiful, they are not doing it on the inside either. Just like if someone goes out looking like they just rolled out of bed, clothes are wrinkled, or dirty, their hair looks dirty , I find myself often imagining subconsciously how their bedroom must look or the state of their home must be a wreck.

But does our environment only include our home? No of course not, Realistically our environment can include every single place we go, the people we surround ourselves with, the things we allow into our mind. But for this episode I simply want to talk about our home. The bare minimum of our environment, the part of our life that undoubtedly display how we are doing in life, the way we care for our home will tell you a lot about how you view yourself.

How often do you leave your house with dishes left in the sink? Your bed is unmade, there’s clutter all over the island, maybe your front porch plants gave up a while ago, there are so many things that bother us but we just can’t seem to find time to change it. And listen there is no judgment here, I’m going to be pretty vulnerable with you guys about this. I used to be pretty messy. And looking back at my life, I understand why. I was a wreck on the inside, and it was showing up on the outside. When I was about 25 going through a divorce from my first husband, we had two dogs which I got to keep thank goodness but I was also working and look those dogs would sometimes go to the bathroom in my house and I would try to clean it up, I remember one time sitting on my living room floor, it was carpet, and just crying uncontrollably because of the state of my house, my life, my ability to care for my dogs, it was not good. So if this is you, or some version of that is you, there’s hope. You don’t have to settle for that. I look back at that girl crying on the floor and send her so much love and you know why? Because she didn’t accept that as her lot in life, she slowly but surely started getting it together. She got help through coaching, she read books and went to seminars and surrounded herself with people that raised her standards. She was doing the best she could at the time, while knowing she deserved better and actively worked towards it. No one was going to knock on my door and offer to help clean or care for the dogs, or get my mindset right, I had to do that and I did and I still work on it every single day. And if that sounds tiresome to you, imagine the weight of staying in the misery of being a wreck, that’s a whole heck of a lot more tiresome, I can say that from experience. Her house mirrored her life…and at the time, it was a wreck.

Our emotions are run by our primitive brain and if we are living on autopilot, a lot of our decisions are made from our primitive brain as well. You will know how often you hang out there by the habits in your life. Do you avoid going to the gym when you don’t feel like it? Do you reach for comfort food when you’re sad? Do you hide in your house when you’re feeling anxious? It’s ok if you notice you’re doing some of these things, in fact it’s great that you are aware of it. But here’s the thing. That mood wants to be fed and the more you feed it the hungrier it gets.

Let's get on the other side of it instead of feeding it!

www.heididawson.com

I have noticed a trend in our society, especially in America where some are trying to celebrate an “anything goes” lifestyle. Some people say “you can just show up however you want, wherever you want”. They say “people shouldn’t judge you on how you dress or how you present yourself’. And I gotta tell you, I just don’t buy into that and if you are really honest with yourself you know it’s not true, we love to make assumptions based on what people are wearing, the analalytics of my show tells me my listeners are about 85 percent women, which I love that I have all these friends out there, I wish I could meet each one of you, but you guys know Im right, because we are the worst about it, we check out other women all the time, especially if they are looking amazing and let’s be honest an atrocious outfit will get a sideways glance too. We all notice and respect when someone makes an extra effort to look amazing. I love to see it, it is so inspiring to me! When I see someone looking so good, It makes me want to step up my game too!

www.heididawson.com

Your life is created by the decisions you make every single day. What you eat, what you read, what you watch, who you hang with, and the biggest thing of all is how you decide to manage your thoughts. I say “decided to manage your thoughts” because it truly is a decision. This isn’t something we were taught in school, that we have to manage our thoughts, most of us for most of our life really never gave much thought to our thoughts, we just assumed we are our thoughts and our thoughts are us. Couldn’t be further from the truth. We aren’t our thoughts, and thank goodness because think about how many of your thoughts were put there by someone else…you’re not smart enough to do that, you should be further along, your body should look like this, we are told how and what to think our whole life. But what resonates with YOU? What feels right to YOU? Those are the only thoughts you should keep. And that’s for you to decide. You get to decide how long you’re going to let the same old habits and thoughts keep holding you back.

www.heididawson.com

There’s a big mind shift between expecting something good to happen verses praying something doesn’t go wrong. There’s a big energy difference between those two and when I say energy what I mean is your attitude and your mindset… from here on out when I say energy that’s what Im talking about your attitude and your mindset. And everyone can feel the difference

Do you expect for this new diet to work or do you just hope you get past the first day?

Do you expect for this new business to flourish or are you just hoping it doesn’t flop?

Do you expect a fabulous relationship or do you think all the good ones are taken?

How are you showing up?

www.heididawson.com

Have you ever been talking to someone and they say something and you immediately think you know what they mean because you have been through the same thing, or you have experienced something similar only to find out it didn’t mean the same thing to them that it did to you? Or maybe something happens and you jump to conclusions about what it means or what’s going on only to find out you’re wrong?

We jump to conclusions about everything…what it means when someone doesn’t immediately text us back, what it means when someone doesn’t return a smile at us when we smile at them, assuming someone is a certain way because of how they look, thinking we know what someone is thinking about anything ever…you know mind reading.

These habits are causing us all unnecessary problems.....

I talk about some things we can do to avoid them...check out this episode!

I love you guys!

Ok, have you ever started something with the full intent on seeing it through but it quickly was forgotten to a shiny new object?

Being able to stick with something is powerful.....but not always easy..

It’s so easy to just eat the cake, to just have the drink, to just skip the workout because it doesn’t seem like that one thing makes a difference but it does. It’s not about that one workout, or the one drink or the one dessert, it can’t be because that one workout isn’t going to show up immediately in the mirror, it’s not going to show up as 1 lb lighter on the scale that afternoon. But it will show up in the way you feel, in the way you wear your clothes, in the way you interact with your family and anyone you run into. It will show up in the way you talk to yourself. So it does show up immediately just not in the way you think.

Want to try a new belief?

my suggestion is to use this one. “Im a person who never quits.” According to Ed Mylet that’s the number one skill we need to be successful.

I love you guys!

We don’t allow ourselves to be bored anymore. Did you know that when you are bored, it allows your brain to actually have the freedom to think and create from your own personal set of life experiences rather than what you are currently reading on social media or watching on Netflix? It also gives your brain a break. I liken it to sitting in a beautiful, minimalistic space that has only natural colors and no clutter, just very serene, my brain rests so well in a space like that, however I have a friend that loves lots and lots of color and finds it very boring and uninspiring to be in a space like that, she would prefer to have lots of colors and pattern all in the same space which feels chaotic to me. That’s how I feel when Im constantly taking in social media, or constantly distracted, my brain can’t rest. For me, that’s like constant distraction, I cannot be creative in a space like that because it doesn’t allow my brain to rest.

Maybe we made a big mistake or a few big mistakes and now we are having to deal with the consequences. Ok well…. Welcome to the world of being human.

Your past doesn’t have to predict your future unless you live there, unless you dwell on it because it’s happened. It’s done. The only place the past lives is in your mind. And I know some of you will say well it lives in other peoples minds as well…..but I gotta tell you…Not really….not as much as you would think. They’re more worried about their past than yours And anyway, that’s their issue, not yours, lets not even go there. Your job is you. And You’ve got a life to create. I don’t care what your past consists of. Let it go. And I always add this but if you have unhealed trauma that you haven’t gotten therapy for that’s different but if you are still dragging yourself through the mud because you slept with a married man 20 years ago, or you went bankrupt or you went through a tough divorce years ago you cannot continue to drag that stuff forward. Beating yourself up like that is the easy thing to do, it doesn’t take self discipline because it’s just so easy to think that way because that’s what your human brain does, if you haven’t noticed. It’s your job to notice these thoughts and use discipline by saying “That’s just a thought and I don’t have to believe it” Discipline allows you to say “I know who I am today and I am not my past mistakes”. That takes courage and you have that courage inside you, will you let yourself find it? And look it can be anything. Don’t use your past to destroy your future, because now that you have heard this you know you don’t have to, so it will be a choice.

You are not your past.

www.heididawson.com

When you’re struggling with something, The first think I would want to know is it just your primitive brain trying to keep you in your comfort zone? Be prepared for that, it’s sneaky. If it really is a struggle….is why you’re doing it worth it? Maybe you know it will make you a better mom or wife or it makes you better as a person. That WHY will help you overcome struggle every time if it’s big enough. Finally How can you look at that struggle in a different way, knowing when you get on the other side of the struggle and you will, you know life didn’t easier, you just got stronger……stronger in a way that will help you in every single area of your life.

www.heididawson.com

You’ve had a long day, you deserve that drink

Just skip working out today, you’ve got too much going on

Don’t apologize in person, just shoot ‘em a text

Do you feel like you fight these internal thoughts all day long?

So does everyone else.

The difference between people who succeed and those who don’t really boils down to how well they manage these “well meaning” thoughts are brain likes to send us. You do control your brain and it will fight you every time you try to step out of your comfort zone. That explains a lot doesn’t it?

Are your workouts helping your longevity or just the way you look in your clothes? As we get older, we want them to do both!

That requires us being open to learning new things, which means we are constantly having to step up our game.

Our life is being created as we grow and pivoting when you learn something new is part of that process, there’s no shame in realizing the course you are on isn’t the best for you long term, so you change it.

Have you ever told someone they did a great job, but in the back of your mind, there were some things you could have helped them improve?

Most of us want to feel good and we want other people to feel good too. So they will often only give you positive feedback and leave off the things that could make you better. It makes everyone feel good, but it’s not making you better.

That’s why it’s important when you’re trying to improve, to ask for honest feedback with what you did well and what you can improve upon.

I love to be inspired. Don’t you? We all like to be inspired. But have you ever given any thought to the idea that not only can you be inspired, you can also be the source of inspiration for others and probably are.

Have you ever thought about the people you inspire? It’s kind of funny to think that way, because most of us don’t think of ourselves as “inspiring”. But what if you are? What could you be inspiring people to do? Maybe you’re at the gym every day before work and you inspire others to do the same, maybe you cook delicious dinners at home and you inspire others to do the same. Maybe you are always dressed impeccably and you inspire others to do the same…. Sometimes you don’t know how much you inspire other people. That’s just something to think about. I bet you’re inspiring someone and you don’t even know it. And if your first thought is Im not inspiring anyone. Why would you say that about yourself? The thing that inspires others about you may come so naturally to you that you just brush it off as “oh that’s not anything special”. But it is, we each have our unique thing we are good at, and you may be discounting that thing, but someone else may look at it and be inspired by it. Don’t underestimate the power of that thing you do that comes naturally to you. There’s a clue in that and if you follow that clue, it could lead you down a path to new doors that are opening.

www.heididawson.com

Have you ever had a professional tell you something couldn’t be done, and you felt like it should be able to be done, so you were skeptical? How about having someone tell you something isn’t available only to find out that it is in fact available, for whatever reason, they didn’t have the correct information. This happened to me 3 times this week. Just this week! I feel like it’s something that just can’t be ignored. Covid restructured things in our world where it seems like it’s harder to get great customer service. I know it will rectify itself, the markets always do. If someone is doing the bare minimum, someone else will come along and do it better. It’s just how it works. So Im not being negative Nancy when I say that about our world, I actually think Covid’s shakeup of the world has opened up so many new doors, which I know is an optimists way to look at things. But Im an optimist, how else am I gonna look at it.

But I do really have a problem with just taking a “No, it can’t be done” at face value because I have pushed back on that and found that actually it can be done enough to be very skeptical when I hear it, even from a professional.

We beat ourselves up, thinking we have no willpower, when really we just have some emotions we are afraid to feel. You don’t have a willpower problem, you have a brain that is constantly wanting to protect you with comfort and distraction. Awareness of that fact of your brain is powerful. Because guess who is in charge of that brain as soon as you are aware of what’s going on? You are!

So I think we should all stop telling ourselves we have a willpower problem. I think we should all realize it’s not a trust issue with ourself, it boils down to our brain and how it was designed to work. It was designed to protect us from life threatening situations. That’s why it is so tempting to head towards comfort. Our brains are actually hardwired to protect us from bad things. These days, most of the bad things are feelings.

Email me with comments! heidi@heididawson.com

Life is full of difficult times. How we navigate those difficult times determines our future. Everyone has them regardless of who you are. Everyone. And just like anything, there will be varying levels of difficulty. Hopefully none of us will have to experience the pain that Eliza’s family has experienced. Or the families of the victims of the shooting what they are experiencing. That’s, in my opinion, as bad as it gets. The families in these tragedies will have to heal and it’s going to take time. Lots of it. They will find a way to do that. The other option is not to heal and let it break you and people would understand if that happened as well. But we are so resilient. Think about how many things you have survived and here you are listening to a podcast still wanting to be the best version of yourself. I bet there have been moments that you didn’t think you’d make it through and you did.

But we have to determine what we are going to make the tragedy mean for us.

Are we going to let the bad guys win and curl up in a ball and hide?

I hope not.

heidi@heididawson.com

Is there someone trying to hold you back either intentionally or unintentionally?

It could be a well meaning parent, like mine. a not so well meaning boss, like Erika Royal’s. It could be advice from someone who has no idea what they are talking about like what happened in my husband’s story.

When you are trying to do big things, when you’re trying to better your own life… You have to remember to rely on your own gut, your own intuition. Sometimes people simply don’t want to change and you’re changing scares them.

You may want to change, and they may want to stay exactly where they are so you can see why they may want to hold you back a bit, that’s their issue……but are you gonna let them?

The only way someone can clip your wings is if you let them. The stronger you are internally, the less likely you are to let them.

My challenge to you this week.

Never doubt yourself, even when others do.

Never play small to fit in

Always continue to work on your internal strength and develop a strong compass for what you know is right for you.

And if someone is attempting to clip your wings, Find a way to fly anyway.

Relationships are the best aren’t they? And sometimes they are also the worst…and most of the time, the ones we have are both. Come on, you know it’s true because we’re human and we have natural human reactions and varying ideas of how things should be. A lot of that has to do with how we are brought up. Out of all the people in the world, outside of our blood relatives, we pick a few that we’re like “I like you” “let’s hang out”. And if it’s your partner then you even decide you’re gonna live in the same house and sleep in the same bed every night, it’s kind of interesting if you think about it. I love being married and I love my friends and my family as well. It brings joy to our life and sometimes it brings us pain. Maybe someone hurts your feelings or forgets your birthday, or does something terrible and now you carry around this grudge that never feels very far from the surface.

You can go around like that for a while, but eventually it either goes away because you’ve decided to let it go or it grows but you keep ruminating about it.

I’ve read that it’s better to be alone than in a toxic relationship. I don’t know if there’s a truer statement out there, there may be an equally true statement, but not more true. When you’re in a relationship whether it’s with a friend or partner or family member even, if it’s toxic and it’s constantly weighing on you, constantly the source of anxiety or drama or sadness, what’s that doing to you long term? You’re picking up fleas. And What is allowing yourself to be around someone like that all the time telling you? You’re not worthy of better treatment. You don’t matter enough to change things. Or worse yet, you’re subconsciously saying you aren’t capable of changing things, you’re stuck and its not your fault. That feels victimy to me and we don’t allow ourselves to play the victim, never a cool role. Sometimes in order to have your own back, you have to distance yourself from relationships that are dragging you down.

We don’t need everyone else’s eyes on us to feel seen. Everyone else is worrying about their own life. Look around…it’s true and that’s ok and that’s how it’s meant to be. It’s my job to take care of my own thoughts and my own internal world. No one can do that for me. I just have to acknowledge that what I’m doing is my best and make sure every day that that’s what I’m putting forward. My best. Give these two a follow on Instagram. They put out a great message......

Dr. Amen Instagram handle: @doc_amen

Tonya Leigh Instagram handle: @tonyaleigh

5 things to tell yourself every morning:

I am good enough just as I am.

I matter

I am exactly where I’m supposed to be

life is always working in my favor

Today is going to be a good day.

We worry so much about what other people think when what we truly should be the most worried about is what we think.

If I keep living my life trying to fit into everyone else’s I may seem happy to them but inside I’m slowly losing myself. If I drink because other people will have more fun if I do, but I don’t want it, what am I telling myself? I’m saying to myself you don’t matter. And let me say this harsh truth…if I do that and I resent my friends now because I drink even though I don’t want to, who’s fault is that? My friends? Nope. It’s mine.

It’s just like being irritated that you’re keeping a piece of art you don’t like and the only reason you keep it is because great grandma painted it. Either find something you love about it or let it find its way to a home that will love it. That is something I learned in my FENG SHUI course. Only things you love should have a place in your home. Just because someone else loved it once doesn’t mean it’s right for you.

The same goes for your habits and beliefs.

It’s not my job to keep being the same person someone else wants me to be. It’s my job to be the person I want to be and the right people will stay and the others will drop off and that’s ok.

It’s ok to be afraid. If you’re not doing something that scares you, you’re not growing. So when you’re working on a big life, You’re gonna be afraid. It’s what you do when you’re afraid that matters. The best speakers in the world still get nervous but they do it anyway. Your fears don’t go away, you just face them. You learn to dance with them, so to speak. We think something is wrong if we are afraid, but no, I think something is wrong if you’re never afraid, because that means you’re taking easy street. Tony Robbins says the big problem most people have is they think they should have no problems. You’re going to have them, you just get better at dealing with them.

When you plan and have forethought, you control the voice in your head. When you don’t, that’s when anything goes and you start heading back to your comfort zone. And I know it feels so temporarily good when you cave and just eat that cake or just decide to skip the gym, but you know and I know you’re going to feel that desire again. The one that wants to be healthy and fit. The one that wants to follow through with that new business idea. The one that goes the extra mile in your relationships. We want to be the best version of ourself, we really do. The only thing standing in my way is me and the only thing standing in your way is you. That’s the first thing you have to know. You control that little guy in your head. He’s super powerful but you’re more powerful.

You don’t have to adapt to a life you don’t like simply because it’s what you’ve always done. Next year is going to happen whether you’re happy or not. Whether your living life on your terms or not. So why not go for it. Stop acting and start living the life you know deep down you’re meant to live. Most people have adapted to mediocrity because that’s the norm. But your not normal. You’re not average. Stop acting like you are.

You deserve to be happy and you deserve to live life on your terms. Society will tell you it’s selfish, but society will criticize you for everything so you may as well do what’s right for you and you’re the only one that knows what that means, not your mom, not your professor, not your friends, YOU.

I love you

Drama leads us to create a lot of unnecessary stress for ourselves, most of which will only ever happen inside of our own head. In fact a lot of the drama, I used to have only ever happened inside of my own head.

For Tips to minimizing drama, listen to episode 264!

I love you guys!

When we have these limiting beliefs they subconsciously make us powerless in that area. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to feel powerless. I want to feel empowered. I can empower myself.

So what limiting ideas or thoughts do you have about yourself?

I’m destined to be overweight

I don’t like working out

I don’t like people or

People don’t like me

I’m not good with money

I just can’t get ahead

I don’t have enough time

These are all very common and very limiting.

Noone is motivated 100% of the time. That’s not reality. But that doesn’t mean you just lay down and throw in the towel. No way, The name of this podcast is not Mildly successful Lifestyle, it’s WILDLY successful Lifestyle for a reason. We do hard things. We find a way around the obstacle. We find a way past the limitations we have placed on ourselves. That’s what success is all about. Having a goal and working towards it in spite of the doubts, in spite of the obstacles.

I love you guys!

motivation #Success #inspiration

Are you thriving? Do you know how thriving looks for you? We often put our needs behind the needs of everyone else.

Sometimes we don’t even acknowledge we are an individual with individual needs. We identify as one of the roles we’ve taken on such as mom or wife or daughter to the point to we don’t know who we are without that role.

You are here to thrive not just survive.

I love you guys!

Just because the technology is there, is it in our best interest to use it? Does it make us better? Instant gratification and comfort are promoted, but our daily habits matter...in fact they are EVERYTHING because they create our future.

I love you guys!

When life pulls the rug out from under you....you are strong enough to get back up. You are built to withstand. You are built to thrive, not simply survive.

I love you guys!

Have you ever been in a situation where you’re annoyed by something someone did but on a different day that same thing made you laugh?

What's the difference? There are lots of reasons we can be annoyed easily and there are some ways to combat that too. Check out this episode to figure out how to be less annoyed!

Love you guys!

How often is your perception off from actual reality? How often have you created an alternate reality from your perception? How often does your perception include thinking you can read someone’s mind? How often does your perception influence your actions?

Find out in episode 257!

love you guys!

How often do you hear the phrase "She's ALWAYS happy" or "He's ALWAYS successful?" Those kind of statements can make those things seem possible, when in reality, we ALL have a range of human emotions. No one is happy all the time. So what do you do when you have these other emotions that aren't serving you?

You think on purpose and I tell you all about it in this episode!

I love you guys!

www.heididawson.com

Has social media give us a warped view of success? Are we defining success by someone else's standards? This is a recipe for disaster. I give you the recipe for fulfillment in your life and how to feel authentically you, without wishing you were somewhere or someone else.

I love you guys!

www.heididawson.com

How many times have you expected a situation to go a certain way only for it to go a different way? Did you get upset? Can you manage those expectations to minimize the upset? YES you can...listen to episode 254!

I love you guys!

heididawson.com

Most of us have a daily "to do" list, but not all of us have a goal of how we are going to show up for the day. Episode 253 can change your relationships, your body and your happiness!! Don't miss it!

Love you guys!

Heidi Dawson

No matter how many good habits you have, you're still going to have bad things happen. That doesn't mean you throw all your good habits out the window! Check out Episode 252!

www.heididawson.com

Our brain offers thoughts all the time that don't serve us. Here's the thing, you get to decide what serves you long term. Your brain can tell you that you want something, and you can tell it no. Check out this episode for real world examples of how that works!

Love you guys!

www.heididawson.com

Depression is the number one reason for mental illness in America right now and the root of it is often self worth. Don't wait until it's unbearable, lets shake things up now!

www.Heididawson.com

I love you guys!

We want to be liked, right? It feels so good! But what happens when someone doesn’t like us? We don’t have to make it mean anything about us..because it doesn’t. Listen now! Www.heididawson.com

Have you ever been laying in bed at night and started freaking out over something that didn't even matter the next morning? How about all the imagined arguments you've had in your head with other people...why do we do that and how do we stop?

Listen to Episode 248 to get the answer!

heididawson.com

Have you ever been in a rut? Literally driving in a rut? Getting out of it can be uncomfortable because you have to swerve and bounce out of it but if you stay in it, you can only go in whatever direction that rut is heading.... if you get out of it, you can go smoothly in any direction you want! Easy street isn't always better.

Episode 247 has a fun shark story and some really great reasons to get uncomfortable.

I love you guys!

www.heididawson.com

Why do we put so much more trust in what we tell others we will do than what we tell ourselves we will do? Learning to trust yourself is a super power. You can learn to do it! I tell you how in episode 246.....

No-one but you knows what's truly right for you. You don't have to follow the well beaten path, you get to decide what's right for you! But will you?

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Technology is here to stay. We never have to be bored ever again if we don't want to. But did you know boredom actually plays a role in creativity? Listen now to find out how!

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

How many of us have a behavior we wish we could change? Maybe to drink less or lose weight? We have tried and tried only to fall back into our same old habits! I talk about a cool new way to change and it's FUN! Listen now...

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

We all have a backpack we are carrying around and every time we have a hurt, an argument, a mean comment, we add a rock to that backpack. That backpack just gets heavier and heavier until you do something about it. Until you let things go.....

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

When we were kids, we would do things even though they scared us..riding a bike, driving a car for the first time. When did fear start stopping us?

Woah. Wait a minute. Ive been working out every day...why am I not exactly where I want to be? And I have these degrees, why am I not successful?

We sometimes think effort equals results but that is not necessarily true...Listen now!

heidi@heididawson.com

“The law of conformity is the the 95 percent law. If you hang out with nine motivated, go-getting, positive individuals you’re going to become the tenth. If you hang out with nine people who use recreational drugs, sit on the couch and eat Haagen Dazs and KFC, you’re going to become the tenth.” This is a quote by Peter Sage.

You're being programmed so why not be intentional about it?

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever felt like you were super busy busy busy but never really getting anywhere? This episode is for you!!

Email me heidi@heididawson.com

Love you guys!

When you think of being hard on yourself, you probably have thoughts of beating yourself up for a mistake or a bad grade or something else you've done that you aren't proud of...and while I do think we do that, there's something else we do that makes life harder than it needs to be....

I tell you what it is and how to overcome it in this episode!

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever watched a basketball game and one team looks like they’re gonna win but then the momentum shifts? Me too!!! It’s undeniable. What momentum do have going in your life? Is it forward? Maybe it’s stagnant? Or worse is it going backwards? You control that!

Is there something you've been wanting but you still don't have? Maybe a certain goal weight or a certain partner? I show you how to find out why you don't have it in this episode. It's powerful stuff!

I love you guys!

Want to work with me on thought downloads? Email me at heidi@heididawson.com

Are there things you want that you haven't been able to do? Maybe you gave up trying or maybe you never even tried at all? This episode is for you! It's never too late and you're never too old to do AMAZING things!

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Hi guys! We've all become Hyper sensitive to not going out when we are sick. It's a traumatic experience to have to cough or sneeze in public anymore! 😊 But, are you just as aware of what else you are spreading?

Your attitude and standards are rubbing off on others and likewise theirs are rubbing off on you.... What exactly are you spreading?

I love you guys! heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever been in a situation where there are no great options of what to do? Maybe you're there right now! I have 3 things in this episode that will help you get through your next tough situation and even help you give yourself great advice! I love you guys!

Life can be hard, but it also can be AMAZING... Have a great week!

www.heididawson.com

Are you like every other person on the planet and you have a past? Do you ever tell a story from said past? Of course you do! Well, how you tell it and how you frame yourself in that story matters more than you know. I give you an example from my life....my story....listen now to see why it matters.

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you drink alcohol and wish you drank less or maybe you wish you didn't drink at all? I think we should all be able to have the life we want and that includes how much alcohol we drink.....

This will be different than you think.. and NO judgements, I promise!

I love you guys!

Do you always feel like you're different even in a group of people you connect with? I have good new and bad news...The bad news is YOU ARE! The good news is so is everyone else and that's what make us special...I explain in this episode....:)

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you have something or someone that hurt you and it feels soooo justified to be angry and everyone agrees??? I get it..Let's talk about it....

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

We don't have to have a million followers or 100,000 downloads to make an impact on the world. There is a very simple way to make an impact and I talk about it this week!

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever been around someone that makes you feel bad when you're with them or after they leave? We talk about that in this episode but we also talk about what we can do more of to feel good.

Love you guys!

Heidi Dawson

Have you ever reached an accomplishment you yearned for only to find that you're left wanting?

Maybe your life doesn't look like you thought it would at this point?

There is an art of it! Listen now!

heidi@heididawson.com

Did you know it's ok to eat non-breakfast foods for breakfast? Who decides what's breakfast food anyway?

Our brain likes familiarity and patterns...but it will limit you if you're not careful!

heidi@heididawson.com

Sometimes we think if we aren't perfect or we don't have a great workout or eat perfectly, that we have failed or it doesn't count. But give yourself credit for showing up! Sometimes simply showing up is the best we have and that's ok!

Heidi@heididawson.com

You know those bumps on the side of the interstate? The ones that wake you up if you veer off the road? Those are called rumble strips and We have those for life too!

Are you ignoring them? Sometimes life gives us subtle hints and we ignore them until it's so bad we HAVE to make a change. Life doesn't have to be

that hard, I promise.

heidi@heididawson.com

Have the rose colored glasses come off?

Are your thoughts more focused on the negative aspects of your partner? How about yourself?

Your relationship with yourself affects your relationships with everyone else...and your thoughts affect both!

heidi@heididawson.com

Distractions come in MANY different forms but they all have something in common....SOMEONE ELSE'S AGENDA

What's the WORKING formula for you? How do you set and keep YOUR agenda?

I love you guys! heidi@heididawson.com

Carrying around baggage of the past eventually gets so heavy, we feel we can't handle it.

Anger, jealousy, and bitterness hurt us WAY more than anyone else.

How can we let go of it?

heidi@heididawson.com

Be one of the first 5 people to email me about a free 45 minute Coaching session and I will send you a Calendly link to set up a time. Let's do this!

heidi@heididawson.com

Are you feeling bored?

Are you feeling stuck?

Are you feeling too comfortable?

It's time to up your game!

Tony Robbins says progress is the key to happiness...I totally agree~

heidi@heididawson.com

Would you let your 4 year old make all of his own decisions? Of course not!

Then why do we so often let our inner child run amok? Maybe it's because we've never told it NO!

I love you. It's time for us all to get our life back together after the last two years. I know it's still crazy town, but individually, we can make a difference in OUR OWN LIFE.....

Heidi@heididawson.com

Are you uncertain?

Are you not sure of the next step?

Maybe you feel like you're behind or it's too late....

These are all thoughts we tell ourselves...it doesn't make it true.

I love you guys! heidi@heididawson.com

How many times have you seen a tree stand tall even when part of it has been damaged? We get damaged too and we can be resilient. Did you know trees live longer in a community of trees?

The resilience of a tree is available in each one of us but it's easier when we have community.

Let me know what you think of this episode at heidi@heididawson.com

Are you chasing happiness externally? Do you know people that jump from job to job or relationship to relationship only to always end up with the same problems?

What is the common denominator and what does that have to do with anything?

heidi@heididawson.com

Love you guys!

Are you making things worse than they are?

Are you aware of the thoughts that aren't serving you?

It's more important than ever for us to be noticing how our thoughts are affecting us...

heidi@heiddawson.com

Just because it's true doesn't mean we have to dwell on it. Thinking the same thing over and over will create more of the same feelings.

Leaders make it better.....and I know you're a leader! Don't compound your anxiety or your anger or your fear....whatever emotion you're fighting right now.....:)

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you just blindly believe everything your brain throws at you as hard truth?

Big mistake....your brain believes it but you don't have to and you control your brain.

What lies does your brain tell you?

Just because you think it, doesn't make it true...

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

How good are you at resisting the urges that pop up regularly for most of us?

How many times have you fallen prey to the chocolate near the front register?

Urges aren't going away, advertisers are too good at forcing them....so what do we do about them?

Listen in!

I Love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you look forward to going to your bedroom at night?

Is it a space that makes you feel welcomed and nurtured?

These are my top 5 things to do to turn your bedroom back into respite...

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

How to head off getting into a rut and what to do if you're already there!

It's so hard to give it our best when we aren't feeling our best..... Here are some ways to work around it.

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

How many times have we left a party or left a lunch where someone said something and you replay that conversation over and over in your head, making it mean something about you?

Have you been playing the victim? Is it possible it wasn't about you at all? Sometimes getting clarity on what actually was said helps us to realize it's our brain that is creating the problem.

Let me know what you think by emailing me at heidi@heididawson.com

I love you guys!

Who can relate to family issues? 100% of us, if I had to guess.....:).

Does it have to be a constant battle? A battle we continually fight?

Is there something we can do to gain peace of mind? I think so..and I talk about it in this episode!

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you know what stops you from being the best version of yourself? In this episode I talk about two things you have to do to be the best version of you!

Shoot me an email and let me know what you think!

heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever looked at someone that was super successful and thought "I could never do that" or "They must have things I don't have"?

There is one simple thing that separates successful from unsuccessful and I talk about it in this episode!

You've got this!

heidi@heididawson.com

This last year I made a very conscious effort to stay off Twitter, instagram and Facebook. It was just too distracting. I was successful but I simply switched it to positive influences like podcasts and YouTube videos of Eckart Tolle and Abraham Hicks. So I was still consuming, still distracting... which defeated my purpose to create.... This year will be a whole new ball game...how about for you?

Do you know how long the average New Year's Resolution lasts? About 2 weeks......:(

There's a reason and it's pretty obvious once we see it.

In this episode I propose we look at the New Year in a new way...I think you'll like it...:)

heidi@heididawson.com

If someone turned your thoughts into a movie..would it be a horror show or a sequel to mean girls....Maybe it would be a Porn flick?

My point is...our thoughts shape our reality and we spend A LOT of time lost in our thoughts so being aware of them is super helpful.

In this episode we dive into what influences us and how our thoughts affect everything....

Heidi@heididawson.com

Is your idea of self care causing you to think it's unattainable?

Your thoughts about it could be the reason you're not doing it....but we can change that today!!

Asking the right questions about what we CAN do changes everything!

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

How many times have you avoided having a hard conversation only to realize it wasn't that hard after all? So many times the weight of avoidance is worse than the actual thing you're avoiding....

Heidi@heididawson

I’m convinced we have a growing problem not only in America but everywhere. We have to get control of it now so we don’t ruin our relationships, our self confidence and our way of life. In this episode You find how to know if you’re addicted and 5 things you can do today to flip it. Love you guys!

How often do you find yourself talking yourself out of doing something because you think it will be hard or take forever?

How about being worried what others thinK

The fun parts of life is the triumph of figuring out hard things....

What are you going to do this week that's hard? Email me and let me know!

heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever walked into a restaurant, not feeling hungry only to discover your ravenous once you sit down? You're gonna know why after this episode!

How little decisions add up...

That one hour you spent on social media? Adds up to 9 full days of wasted time if you do it every day.....

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you ever feel overwhelmed?

Do you cancel one appointment because another one came up?

Why do we say yes to some and no to others?

The answer is in this episode!

heidi@heididawson.com

Can you look in the mirror and say "I love you"?

Do you beat yourself up when you look in the mirror?

Our happiness is in our control...what are you doing to encourage it?.

heidi@heididawson.com

Are you on a trajectory that will have you traveling, dancing and enjoying life at 85?

Does time seem to be speeding by?

How many new things have you tried this month?

Email me! Heidi@heididawson.com

Don't wish struggle away...it makes us stronger

Advancement comes from those that found a way around their fear and pressed forward

You can be that person!

heidi@heididawson.com

The holiday season can be tough for many people...but it doesn't have to be

Learn how to harness the power of the word "AND" and the power of your thoughts to be present and joyful right now.

You don't need anyone to be different for you to be happy!

heidi@heididawson.com

In this episode I give a couple brain hacks I use regularly to get the momentum headed in the right direction!

Your mind is the most powerful tool you have...use it!

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

What does your inner warrior need to stay active and alive?

How can you feel "in control" of yourself at all times?

If you need a little boost for the week....this is it!

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

My older sister sent me a text this last Friday, I could have let it ruin my weekend....but did I?

How do the seemingly little decisions we make every day add up to momentum towards what we want or what we don't want?

Are you unknowingly creating drama in your life?

We make hundreds of decisions every day, how are they adding up for you?

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you look at "disciplined" people and think you'll never be one?

Do you want to know the secret to having self control?

Are you sabotaging your success at creating a new habit?

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you ever find yourself blaming others for your problems?

Do you judge people too harshly?

We are all human and blame feels good...temporarily. But our power lies in the ability to take responsibility for our actions.

I love you guys! Be force for good and share this episode with 2 people....😊💌

Heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever been to a HUGE buffet? One that has 1000 things to choose from? There will be so many things you love and so many things you don’t love. It can be overwhelming. But you get to choose what to focus on. Life is kind of like a huge buffet and you get to choose what to focus on. In this episode I talk about having to manage my thoughts a lot in-spite of being naturally optimistic. Our consistent thoughts matter so much..:)

Do you ever feel lonely?

Do you ever wish someone would come along and make something happen for you?

Do you wish things were different?

This episode is for YOU...

I love you guys, I really do.

heidi@heididawson.com

OK..let's give ourselves some grace..Covid caused us to constantly pay attention to our screens because that kept us connected, but I don't think it's useful anymore...:)

Can we overcome negative bias?

Why is it sooooo hard to focus on positive events and ignore negative events?

heidi@heididawson.com

I don't know about you but I love to hear the best advice people have taken because a lot of times, I think "Wow, I can apply that too!"

So I gathered 8 different pieces of advice that stand out for me and I give a quick take on how Ive applied it!

Email me your thoughts at heidi@heididawson.com

Anyone else finding yourself hugely distracted right now?

The things we are focused on can make us crazy and worried and cause us to lose focus of what we really want for our life.

Why does it matter? Listen to episode 180!

Email me at Heidi@heididawson.com

Are there things that are bothering you but it doesn't occur to you they are easy to fix?

Are you letting yourself be pulled in 100 different directions?

Are you frustrated and not sure why?

heidi@heididawson.com

Who do you tell yourself you are? How does that affect you?

What role does that play in the actions you take every single day?

Most people are living a version of life that someone else expects of them....it's not too late to change that.

Heidi@heididawson.com

Email me and let me know what you think of this episode or if you have suggestions for future episodes! I love hearing from you...:)

Do you ever feel yourself starting to FREAK out?

Does your brain throw you thoughts that make it worse? (Of course it does)

Listen for 5 top things to do when you are starting to spiral...

Love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you use this phrase to subtly pass the buck?

How about to end the possibility all together?

I have a solution to fix it in this episode!!

heidi@heididawson.com

Have you ever wanted to quit something you started?

A workout? A relationship? A work project?

This episode is for you!

heidi@heididawson.com

Are you constantly scrolling hoping to get answers?

Maybe you're looking for someone to confirm that you're not crazy?

I've got answers for you in this short and sweet episode!

Heidi@heididawson.com

Would you be willing to give 8 minutes of your time to repair an important relationship? This episode could do it for you!

Do you have subtle thoughts roaming around in your head doing damage to you and the people around you?

Could you be sabotaging yourself without even realizing why?

Email me at heidi@heididawson.com. Love you guys!

Do you have beliefs and thoughts that are holding you back?

Maybe you aren't even aware of them! This quick under 8 minute listen could get you on the right track....

Love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Let me know what you think of the episodes and also what you would like to hear more of! 👆👆Email me....I'd love to hear from you!

Have there been things in your life that didn't go the way you wanted? Maybe you're in the middle of something right now...this episode is for you!

We literally went through a hurricane this week and I learned something really new too...

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you have big expectations from your long term relationships? Are your most important relationships on autopilot? What can you do to make them better?

Are you waiting to feel good until you reach that goal weight or get that partner?

Are there dreams you've suppressed because you're afraid you won't succeed?

Are you giving your dreams a chance to become reality?

Heidi@heididawson.com

Are you addicted to your phone?

Do you ever ignore the people in front of you to scroll on social media?

Is your phone adding value to you?

Heidi@heididawson.com

Are your daily actions bringing you closer to the person you want to be or further away?

Do you need to constantly grow in the important areas?

Can growth be happening even if it's not measurable?

heidi@heididawson.com

It's been a crazy couple of years.... Have you had major disappointments because of Covid? My guess would be you have....

I know it's hard to hear someone tell you to look on the bright side....but maybe there's something to it

Be sure to email me with topics you'd love to hear!

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you know what a powerful creator you are?

Do you know how to line up with everything you want?

What are you doing today that puts you on the path of the thing you want?

www.heididawson.com

heidi@heididawson.com

Can you really change the way your brain thinks?

Have your negative thoughts ever won out?

Are you focusing on things that affect you in a negative way?

heidi@heididawson.com

I have a new definition for "Sticking your head in the sand"

I also talk about "reality" and how to figure out what's real in this crazy world!

How do you get your head in the game to create value?

Heidi@heididawson.com

I love you guys!

Will you future self look back and wanna hit you over the head or give you a high five??? :)

How your choices can be reframed to make you feel better

Even in the chaos you still have so many choices, can you see that?

Instagram: @theheididawson

heidi@heididawson.com

What a title, right? If your answer is yes, you definitely want to listen to this episode.

I want to challenge your thoughts a bit.

Did you know the definition of Insanity is "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"

You guys. We can do this. We can beat the machine. We just have to know how to work it!

I love you...email me at heidi@heididawson.com and let me know what you think! I seriously want to hear from you.

Noise and chaos is everywhere but so is goodness...

Is there a better feeling thought you can have about what's going on?

Are you building a life that empowers you and builds your immunity?

Things we all need to hear....:)

heidi@heididawson.com

Why do we start things and can't seem to keep it up?

Why do we sometimes cave to our friends?

People take their cues from you on how to treat you, so set yourself up for success....

Heidi@heididawson.com

Do you spend too much time worrying what others thinK?

Do you give yourself a chance to make good habits instead of bad ones?

Do you pay attention to what YOU think?

This is one for the books...

love you guys

heidi@heididawson.com

Three big things that affect your tiredness...

Sometimes we actually choose to be tired...

5 things to do to prevent the feeling of being tired...

Love you guys!

Instagram: @theheididawson

heidi@heididawson.com

Are you playing the lead role or treating yourself like an extra?

Are you a people pleaser?

Are you bending into a pretzel for other people?

You make you happy, are you doing the things that allows that?

luke@truecomparepeo.com

Truecomparepeo.com

"The Network Table" Podcast

"In this Together" Roundtable

Want to know 3 strengths that make him successful?

Challenges he had and how he adapted with Covid.

Why networking is so important....

Do you have behaviors that aren't serving you?

Do you have an identity standing in the way of your Wildly Successful life?

Are you letting others influence your thoughts?

You can change all of that......

Instagram: @theheididawson

heidi@heididawson.com

Are you showing your brain who's boss?

Did you know you can do that?

Are you creating a life that excites you or letting life happen to you?

Let's do this!

Instagram: @theheididawson

heidi@heididawson.com

We each have the same amount of time in the day..

We each have to eat

We each decide whether to exercise or not

We each choose what we fill our minds with.....

Are you making decisions that make you stronger or weaker?

Instagram: @theheididawson

Email me if there are topics you would love for me to cover in an upcoming episode! heidi@heididawson.com

Don't be bullied.

Are you pulling the strings?

Are you caving to groupthink?

Are you in control of YOU?

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Are you giving yourself a chance to have more good days than bad?

Our thoughts are so important to our happiness, but they can also be detrimental....

I have talked about it before that I have a generally happy demeanor. I’ve always just been optimistic. It’s kind of my go to state, which I know is really good. But with that comes the thought that I think I should never be unhappy or anxious or worried and And you know what? Life IS supposed to feel good and you ARE supposed to be happy, but you aren’t AWAYS going to be happy. It isn’t realistic. It’s ok to have a not so great day, we are all going to have those, but are you giving yourself a chance to have more good, happy days then bad? Are you aware enough of your thoughts that you can tell when you’re starting down a path that isn’t serving you? I haven’t always been but I with all the thought work Im doing. Im getting pretty good at identifying thoughts that aren’t serving me and changing them.

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Do you know the difference between wanting and deciding?

Do you knock your discipline?

How to use the areas in your life where you do have discipline to your advantage!

@theheididawson

How many of our habits come because of the "I AM" statements we use?

How are you holding back because of your "I can't" statements?

How to use your discipline!

@theheididawson

Hi guys! In this episode, I share my top 10 tips with you for renovating, especially if you are not using a professional interior designer!

The apps I discussed in this episode for mood boards: Pinterest and Houzz

From budget to sub contractors, having a process and knowing what you want in advance can save a lot of pain...:)

@theheididawson

Life should be fun....are you having fun?

Do you have thoughts that are limiting you?

Are you aware of the thoughts you have that give you grief?

How our thoughts are holding us back....

Change is constant but our thoughts can evolve

heidi@heididawson.com

@theheididawson

Did you know our home can influence our habits?

Want to know how to help our home support us?

Want to know the main thing you should focus on with your home?

I also give a quick window cleaning tip...it's all there!

@theheididawson

heidi@heididawson.com

What are you doing with the opportunities you have been given?

What is your unique talent?

Can you go through life without struggles?

Is life supposed to be easier?

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Can we make time to listen to our OWN thoughts as well as be inspired by others?

Are we letting our own brilliance shine through?

Do we ever give our brain a break from consuming?

Email me heidi@heididawson.com

I love you guys!

Are distractions ruining your creativity?

Do you feel addicted to social media?

You aren't alone! It seems to be more and more of a problem, but we CAN fix it!

Getting inspired is easier than you think.....

Email episode requests to heidi@heididawson.com

Is the momentum of your life headed in the right direction?

Have you ever had a really inspired moment and then nothing changed?

Are you hoping things change but you're scared to take the first step?

Get the ball rolling!

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Are your distractions keeping you from your calling?

Is there a way to quiet the noise around you?

Are you managing your technology time?

We have to be intentional in order to live a meaningful life!

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram@theheididawson

Do your thoughts about your potential make you feel bad?

Do you feel stuck and think your potential is fading?

Are you constantly comparing your life to others?

Do you wish something would change but it just isn't happening?

Episode 139 is all you.....:)

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Did you know we can actually deactivate our intellectual brain by focusing on drama?

Living on autopilot can actually make us unmotivated and less likely to change.

You deserve an exciting life and it's not as hard as you think....

Mindfulness is crucial to our future self

heididawson.com

Are you stuck in the same routines?

Do you have to live the life of your parents?

How to live a life that excites you!

Does your DNA have to dictate how your life turns out?

Do you have a baseline for your day?

All this and more....Listen now!

Join my email list at www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson on Instagram for cartoons and videos correlating to this episode

Do you binge eat and wish you could stop?

How about mindless eating?

Weight loss is a HUGE topic that people are constantly asking about...but what is right for you?

Tired of dieting, but afraid to stop?

We talk about these things and so much more on this episode!

So many great tools and quizzes 👇🏽

www.karidahlgren.net

We all know drugs that are not good for us and can derail our life, but are we addicted to the latest drug of choice?

You probably are and it is keeping you from so many things that create a life of joy.

We talk about that and also possible cures in episode 135...

We also get some concrete things we can do to avoid it.

I give an embarrassing confession about myself....

So much in one little under 8 minute episode!

@theheididawson on Instagram

heididawson.com

Listen to this before you make a major change in your life....

When we were young, our parents conditioned our brain, but as an adult, we condition it...yikes

What are you believing about yourself?

Would you tell your 5 year old self some of the things you say now?

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Setbacks can be big or small and different people respond in different ways.

Some bounce right back and some it seems to derail.

What's the difference?

I talk about that and also how to be one of those people that seem to bounce right back.

Love you guys!

Are you an avoider?

I list 5 things you are probably avoiding that really affect you.

I talk about how they affect you and what you can do about it...:)

I also give some great ideas of how to stop avoiding...:)

I love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

The top things people look for when buying a home are location, curb appeal, condition of the home and the surrounding homes and neighborhoods.

How would you stack up?

Where are you mentally?

How's your curb appeal? 😁

Have you kept up your maintenance?

Who are you surrounding yourself with?

This is a good one....don't miss it...

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Are others to blame for the way you feel?

Do you feel out of control of your emotions?

Are you constantly hoping something or someone will change to make you feel better?

We got this! I let you in on some interactions I had this week that are going to make you laugh (I think...) but also make you think...

Our circumstances are sometimes out of our control but there is a way to still be in control...

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

heidi@heididawson.com

Do you cringe when you think about your past relationships?

Are you tolerating less than you deserve?

Are you expecting people to read your mind?

Do you account for technology errors? (Forgetting to press send on a text you think you sent😒)

Relationships can be the icing on the cake and should make you feel even happier, but are they?

We talk all things lighting... if you're planning a project, you don't want to miss this episode!

What are some of the most important aspects of a lighting plan?

Which LED bulb should we use for the prettiest light?

What are some of the pet peeves of lighting designers?

How to get a good lighting plan if you can't afford to hire a lighting designer?

www.designedillumination.com

David Schad

Heidi@heididawson.com. (Email me for a pdf with 18 power questions that could change the way you view your life!)

Monday question: "What is one thing I will do this week that pushes me out of my comfort zone?"

Friday question: "What is one are this week where I caught myself with a negative thought and turned it around?"

Do you get that worthiness is your baseline?

How to become a person of value........

Tony Robbins: "Everything you need is within you now"

How Covid has affected our mindset and what we can do about it

Tips on how to stay positive

Donny's experience with Earthing.com and how it has helped him truly stay grounded

Tips on how to stay grounded including "Earthing"

Naming your anxiety

Does your worthiness feel tied up with other people's validations?

Does your worthiness feel tied up with your accomplishments?

Have you made choices in life you aren't proud of?

Maybe you aren't where you thought you would be at this point?

Or maybe the things you are watching and reading are making you wonder if you are part of the problem. Just because someone tells you up is down and down is up, it doesn't make it so..... Listen in to start your week in the right frame of mind...Love you guys!

www.wildlysuccessfullifestyle.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

How can you get that extra little push?

Do you start the day giving yourself a head start?

How do I stop being so addicted to my phone?

Do you surround yourself with people that help you reach your fullest potential?

https://www.goodmanfactor.com/fridayswithgoodmanbook

http://www.goodmanfactor.com/

Are those thoughts you have really yours?

Do you wonder about the topics google pushes when you search?

Do you fall for the outrage agenda of the week?

Are you aware of the tactics being used to subtly manipulate your thoughts?

Listen now to see how to overcome manipulation by...well everyone....:)

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson

Is your body full of inflammation?

Are you in chronic pain?

Are you ready to hear the truth about artificial sweeteners?

The truth about "normal" test results from your Doctor

Dr. Osborne is passionate and gracious and he believes all progress starts with TRUTH, which he definitely shares with us today. I'm pretty sure you are going to be blown away by what he has to say, I know I was.....

www.drpeterosborne.com

www.nograinnopainbook.com

http://glutenfreesociety.org/

A $75.00 discount on Dr. Peter Osborne's Genetic Lab Testing For Gluten Sensitivity! Now available without a doctor's visit, and exclusive to this Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast brought to you by Heidi Dawson.

At checkout apply this coupon: wsldna75

https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/shop/memberships-products/gluten-sensitivity-genetic-test-kit/

Are you easily irritated by someone else?

Do you suffer from road rage?

Do you get super bummed when things don't go your way?

Do you let other people's behavior control your feelings?

Help is on the way in episode 121.....

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Do you wonder if you're drinking too much?

Do you wonder if you have a problem? How do we define a drinking "problem"?

Do you worry you will be considered "no fun"?

How to have fun without drinking...

Take the shame out of drinking

Take the 21 day drinking program to connect with others just like you.... New program starting 4/5!

Changing your life is so much easier when you have support 💌

www.soversavvytribe.com

Email: madera@sobersavvy.com

Do you have a dream calling you?

Are you settling in an area of your life?

Are you afraid to dream big for fear of what others think?

Are you hanging on the bench when you know you should be on the field?

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Nervous about your first dive? Think about doing it with no arms and no legs! That is exactly the opportunity Diveheart provides to veterans, children and people with disabilities..... Hear about a diver that is on a ventilator, or in a wheelchair.... Diveheart provides relief from pain but also a belief that anything is possible. Jim and Tina are truly making the world a better place!

Sign up to guest dive or be a support diver. Not a diver? You can donate to help someone else have the experience of a lifetime.....

Diveheart.org

Facebook: Diveheart

Is America really racist?

Are you being manipulated? (Hint: You probably are)

How do you stay positive without sticking your head in the sand?

How can we make sure our thoughts are truly ours?

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Do you have a fear that is setting you back?

Do you suffer from performance pressure?

What stories or beliefs did you learn in your formative years that could be holding you back now?

Monica@phobiahacker.com has tips and techniques to help empower you to thrive instead of just get by in spite of your fears

Listen to episode 116 for tips to overcome these and other problems that are caused from our belief systems......

Have you ever had a negative judgement about someone that turned out to be wrong?

How about judging others?

How many negative thoughts do you think we have a day? (Trust me. It's A LOT)

How much of your happiness is connected to your thoughts?

I confess a couple of my judgements (I'm not proud of them, but I learned) and how I turned them around....

Heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Getting a good night's sleep is one of the keys to happiness! Dr Dyan has been focused on helping clients get better sleep for years and has mastered it in many ways. Listen to today's episode for things you can do TODAY to help...:)

www.drydyan.com

Instagram: @drdyanhj

Youtube: @drdyanhj

www.selfhypnosisforhealing.com

Having trouble sleeping? How about feeling anxious? Dr Dyan has created programs designed to teach you ways to help yourself through self hypnosis. We talk about that today and also how she helped cure herself and has been helping others for years get better sleep and feel less anxious.

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with information that you end up paralyzed?

Are you addicted to instant gratification?

Can you reflect on one thing you learned from a relationship that is over?

Best 10 minutes of your week....:)

Love you guys!

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

www.pinkowlkitchen.com

Instagram: @thepinkowlkitchen

Ashley was on her way to a life with hard consequences but she turned it all around and boy did she pick a tough year for that!

Hear her story on how she completely changed her life by getting sober, and she started the month before Covid lockdowns....Her story is inspiring and will make you cheer, but also see what is possible when you decide enough is enough. Sobriety changed her life in unbelievable ways. I love her story and I LOVE her passion for her food blog, everything started falling in place when she made the decision to let it. 💌

It's been a rough year.

That's OK, because we are resilient.

YOU are going to be OK, in fact you are going to thrive, if YOU decide you will.

I love you guys!

Happiness is waiting for you, but you have to go and get it.... Let's do this!

heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Did you know your iPhone lowers your IQ? How about the reason multitasking isn't so great after all..... How she wrote her book and got it published and how it became a #1 best seller! .......We cover all of this and so much more in our episode....

Get her #1 best selling book:👇🏽

https://2possibilityandbeyond.com/my-book

Julie's podcast: "The Peace and Possibilities" Podcast

Julie's 5 free tips to creating joy at work: 👇🏽

https://2possibilityandbeyond.com/sign-up-for-inspiration

Robin Sharma: The Greatness Guide

Are you feeling overwhelmed because of crazy times? Are you wondering if life is ever going to get better? Have you been knocked back a few steps and wonder how you will recover? If you've had a rough year, join the crowd. What do wildly successful people do so they don't let a bad day turn into a bad week?

Resilience

Determination

Mental and Physical Strength

Why are these so necessary during hard times?

All this and so much more.....Listen now! Love you guys....

Don't forget to subscribe and give me a 5 star rating (if you love this episode, of course)

Love you guys!

Goodmanfactor.com

Yourgoodestlife.com

Want to know an affirmation to say every morning that basically guarantees something good will happen? We share it in this episode!

How these 3 steps will help you deal with an upside down world: Awareness, Acceptance, Appropriate action

Podcast: Fridays with Goodman

Watch Mel Robbins "5 second rule"👇🏽

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI2VQ-ZsNr0

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

How to know if a story is true or not

Who is to blame for you having to do things you don't want to do?

Who is to blame for the state of America?

Whose fault is anything really?

Join Tiffanie's online course here👇🏽

http://www.tiffanieteel.com/dlwe

www.tiffanieteel.com

Instagram: @Tiffanieteel

Want a new website but don't have the budget? Check out this episode! Tiffanie's passion comes through in helping you design your life and your website to create your own version of a Wildly Successful Lifestyle!

Wix #webdesign

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson on Instagram

I was having a conversation with my husband about feeling anxious about the state of the world. The state of politics. He asked me how it affected me personally. Like directly. How did the Capitol uprising affect me personally and directly. After thinking about it, I had to admit it was only in my mind. If I had never known about it, I wouldn’t have felt so anxious.

I have talked about your thoughts control everything and I fell into the trap of saying but it’s happening and shouldn’t we do something? There were times where I was reading something and I literally felt my pulse speed up it bothered me that much. But there’s something new every other day.

You see. It doesn’t matter what happens in Washington. It doesn’t matter what the media decides is the next crisis. It doesn’t matter unless you let it. The thing is. Can you change it? Are you going to do something to change it? If not, Then worrying about it isn’t going to help. Learning that has been the most refreshing thing. They want you outraged because then you’re going to check your phone every 3 min to see who owned someone else. You can be using that time to do something good for yourself. To spend quality time with your favorite people. Spend time on what makes you feel good. Your happiness really depends on you finding a way to feel good in spite of the external things. Notice I don’t say stick your head in the sand. I think we can all acknowledge we’ve had a challenging year but its being positive in spite of that, finding happiness in spite of that. Making continuous progress in spite of that.

Well…..How in the world do you do that?

Listen now!:)

eddie.scruggs@bhhstaliesyn.com

Lifetime member of the multi million dollar club

Real Trends top Realtor in the 1/2 of 1% for total transactions in 2018 and 2019

Ask to be put on the mail list!

Bergamot link

https://us.fullscript.com/u/catalog/product/U3ByZWU6OlByb2R1Y3QtODUzNTc=?variant=U3ByZWU6OlZhcmlhbnQtMTAxOTI5

Pine bark we discussed:

https://examine.com/supplements/pycnogenol/

Suggested reading: Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson on Instagram

SO we all have one main job in life and this goes for every single person. I’m going to tell you what that is at the end…..Don’t you love a good hook like that?

I was listening to a podcast this last week and I thought Wow, this is so good and so deep and the guest was talking about how many years it took him to research his book and my mind immediately went to the thought “is my podcast good? Do I go deep enough? Does my book need to be researched for years? But you know what? I caught myself and I turned it around. I realized I was comparing myself to someone who wasn’t me. That is a recipe for disaster, it is certainly is not going to increase my happiness. It could cause you to quit or not even start because you think you aren’t good enough because look at all that person has accomplished or all of their degrees or “years of research” right? But they had to start somewhere and that goes for every thing in life. If you think that person you see online got their success overnight, I would bet a lot of money that you don’t know the whole story.

Do you ever do this? Compare yourself to someone else? Am I the only one? Odds are you do. I read one study that said 88% of women compare themselves to other women in one way or the other and other 12% weren’t alive…just kidding about that last part. The 88% part is true though.. I would argue everyone does it because it’s hardwired into our species according to Leon Festinger who did a whole study on Social comparison. Check it out. I will put his name in the show notes…it’s pretty interesting. Did you know that comparison is one of the leading causes of unhappiness? And social media has just made it worse. We will compare ourselves to others in any area and we do this for different reasons but a major reason is self evaluation because you wonder how you stack up to others around you. But see this is where it gets tricky because when you compare to someone you don’t know on social media, you are comparing yourself to the idea they are presenting about themselves. We’ve all heard about the “highlight” reel of someone else’s life on social media.

Listen now....:)

www.Claudiasawaf.com

Instagram: claudia.sawaf

Podcast: Conversation with friends

Afflowent is an empowerment movement designed to take the anxiety out of money and wealth management. Claudia's passion is to help women realize that we can re-write our money story and move into financial abundance without all the confusion. Do you know your happiness curve? Budget doesn't have to be a bad word.

Pay yourself first

Money matters

Abundance mindset

Instagram: @theheididawson

www.heididawson.com

We are hardwired to want to steer own life, to want to have freedom of choice, to want to make our own decisions. That’s why America is so appealing, its the idea that the people are making their own choices. So if you feel like something is really off in your own life…maybe youre letting someone else drive. Maybe you’re letting the news dictate your mood starting first thing in the morning. Maybe you’re living the life your mom or dad wanted you to live, maybe your friends are influencing you to do things you wouldn’t normally want to do if left to your own choices.. and maybe social media is causing you to look at your life like it’s boring and non consequential. This IS where Im going to cut us all some slack. Some of these things are relatively new so we are just now learning the damage it can do. For some, social media makes them feel depressed or even worse makes them really dislike those that have different beliefs…I don’t remember a time politics has been so toxic. It’s to the point now that it is affecting friendships and families and not in a good way. We are better than that. For others the 24 hour news gives them so much anxiety they can barely function and have to turn to buffering like drinking, eating or drugs to make them feel like they can endure. If any of these things are you…Is it time for a reset?

Our brains will be addicted to drama if we let them. Hanging out on social media or watching the news may give us a temporary dopamine hit but what is it doing to us long term? Do we need to start viewing the internet like McDonald’s? Ok every once in a while but the food we really need is whole. The things we feed our mind is as important if not more than the food we feed our body.

I have some really good news for you though.

You have a choice but you aren't without tools to make that choice. you have helpers and they are helpers that you control but may not realize it or just maybe haven’t used them lately. What in the world am I talking about?

Here’s what I know and I was reminded this week by Tony Robbins.

Everything you need is inside you right now. Everything. You have to make the decisions though that create the life you want. No-one else is going to do it. Sometimes those decisions are hard to make but you can make them and you have the tools. A really strong tool we all have Im going to share with you now.

We all have 4 archetypes inside us. Every single one of us, so if you’re listening to this think about that for a minute. We all have these archetypes, now for those of you like me that have to look up that word, Im going to switch to using the word identity, it just makes it a little easier to understand. We have these 4 identities : warrior, a king or queen, a lover and a magician.

The Warrior gets things done no matter what and sometimes uses force to do it. The warrior takes action and desires clarity so that he knows exactly what needs to be done.

The Queen or king takes everything and everyone into consideration as a whole and makes decisions from that place. They lead by example and is clear and wise.

The magician is our place of creativity, problem solving, and thinking. The magician is finding our healing and our transformation. This type seeks to keep us safe and guide us especially as a child

Instagram: @johnoleary.inspires

"Live Inspired" with John O'Leary Podcast

Two-time #1 National Belling Author of "On Fire" and "In Awe"

READINAWE.com

In this episode, we talk about how John encourages his kids to look for kindness, how we can move past the current political divide, and the key to unifying as a country.

On a day (January 20th, Inauguration Day of a new president) when some feel ecstatic and others feel devastated, we are talking about the way forward. The best days are ahead!

John O’Leary, Two-Time #1 National Bestselling Author & Speaker

Expected to die. Now teaching others how to truly live.

Instagram: @theheididawson

www.heididawson.com

Hi guys! Welcome to the 99th episode of the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast! Oh man…..so you know what that means?? 100th episode is next and I have a super surprise for you guys! I have trouble believing it myself…. But for now…let’s bask in the sun of episode 99.

Ive been traveling a little lately and

People are so interesting…aren’t they? I met my friend Teresa in Atlanta for Atlanta’s Mart Market. Covid has changed our world so much in so many ways and it is never more obvious than when I travel.

I know some of you wouldn’t dream of traveling right now and some of you are like me and just not afraid to travel. I have personally known several people who have had Covid and some wouldn’t have even known but they chose to get tested because they were around someone that was positive. I have also had second hand knowledge of 2-3 people that have been relatively healthy as far as everyone can see but they had a really hard time with Covid which included being hospitalized . So, the cases vary greatly and that is confounding. Why does it ravage one and not the other?

Instagram: @theheididawson

www.heididawson.com

My challenge to you this week:

Be aware of each decisions you make. Is it empowering you or enslaving you?

Is it empowering you to remain calm or enslaving you to fear

Is it empowering you to vitality or enslaving you to cravings

Is it empowering you to think for yourself or enslaving you to the pack

Choose your hard:

It’s hard to be fit, but it’s also hard being overweight.

It’s hard to be financially disciplined but it’s also hard to be in debt

It’s hard to be consistent but it’s also hard to be uninspired

Protect your peace like your sanity depends on it

Protect your health like your life depends on it because it does

Protect your mind like your happiness depends on it because it does..

If you’re an adult, You’re the one forging your own path. Not your mom and dad. Not your spouse. You may be following a similar path but you don’t have to, not if that doesn’t work for you. Don’t be afraid to change directions, you’re worth it.

www.fitnessista.com

Instagram: @fitnessista

https://fitnessista.com/workoutfreebie/

Join the fitnessista fitness challenge starting January 18: Link Below!👇🏽

https://fitnessista.lpages.co/7-day-hww-challenge-2/

Meal Plans, Workouts, Hiit Training and so much more!

Perfect timing to start your new year off to a great start!

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

5 things we are working on this year:

The food you feed your body

The things you feed your mind

The amount of exercise you get

The thoughts you have about anything

And the people you surround yourself with

If you make it your goal to improve each one of these things this year, I think you will find you are empowering yourself and when you are empowered you’re free.

We were raised in a society where we are taught that we should put the needs and thoughts of others before our own, but if you aren’t concerned with your own feelings then who will be? Some of the strongest people I know, who also happen to be some of the most giving people I know have a strong sense of worthiness and value. They never sell themselves short.

I’m not encouraging you to be callous, I just simply want you to realize that you are worthy of a life that is good. You are worthy of being loved and you are worthy no matter what anyone else says. I believe God created you to be your very own Beautiful, unique self. Your self worth should not be tied to what other people believe of you. You’re worthy because you were born. Now each of us has a responsibility to make the most of that life…..

I love you guys and cant wait to talk to you in a few days....:)

Amanda Gibby Peters is a Feng Shui expert and author of "Simple Shui every day". Links to her site, her book and her services are below!

Our interview is full of great information for anyone who has a home....:). She understands the connection of our surroundings and our energy. There are small things we can do to make our home feel AMAZING and she is so graciously sharing those with us today!

https://simpleshui.com/

https://simpleshui.com/book/

https://www.smudged.co/products/thesun

https://www.instagram.com/amandagibbypeters/

https://simpleshui.com/services/

Instagram: @theheididawson

www.heididawson.com

My challenge to you this week. Take an inventory. Are the decisions you make every day adding to your COMFORT or are they adding to your TALENT STACK? Are you reading books that expand your mind or are you starting the latest Netflix series? Are you taking courses that exercises your brain or are you checking into social media for the 50th time? Are you doing something every day to make a life that excites you? Remember if you’re feeling depressed..you are focusing on the past and if you’re feeling anxious, youre focusing on the future. Finally, Everything begins moving in the effort of your attention. So find something that excites you, find something that lights you up, and if you already know what that is, don’t give up, move towards that dream like your life depends on it, You don’t have to be the smartest and you don’t have to be the best but you can always be the one that doesn’t give up.

I love this quote by Chinese philosopher Loa Tzu: He said:

“If you’re depressed, you’re living in the past.

If you’re anxious, you’re living in the future, and if you are at peace, you’re living in the present.”

How often do we waste being present because we are thinking about something that happened in the past or we are worried about something that may happen in the future? This has been especially hard this year. We are all having to learn to pivot, to adjust, and to adapt. We all have had things cancelled, we’ve all had to adjust to things we may not like, and we have had to adapt in order to feel a little bit of normalcy. But through all that… There are things that can’t be taken away from us. I get to choose how to look at something and no one can take that away from me. I get to choose to find the positive in even the most challenging times. And if you hear that and think…”year, right” well then what alternative are you leaving for yourself? Just give in to the hopelessness you feel in a situation? What good is that doing for you? We have to have our own backs oK? Your perception of things is everything. We all experience tough times that can be devastating, and often we have no control of circumstances like that….But we ALWAYS have control of how we choose to show up. How we choose to react. How we choose to think about something.

www.milayudinadesign.com

Instagram: @milayudinadesign

Book Suggestion: "The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell

Interior Design

Fashion Design

Jewelry Design

Dr. Gabor Mate: "The Roots of Healing"

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

www.betterhelp.co

2020 has taught me that nothing is permanent. Nothing bad is permanent, but then nothing good is permanent either. Why did I go and have to say that? It may seem a little bit negative, but that’s just because we do tend to like things to stay the same especially if they are good. We have been programmed to crave comfort and predictability. We were put on this earth to have new experiences though. We are here to create and enjoy life. We are here to grow and learn and inspire and be inspired. The events of this year and the things we are dealing with will pass. It may not seem like it but they will. But you know what? Sometimes a change up is good. It makes us either appreciate what we had or realize maybe we didn’t love that tradition so much anymore and so we are glad it changed. Maybe it makes us start a new tradition. If you dig deep, you can find something good that has come from the change up. Maybe your holiday is a little more intimate. maybe it REALLY makes you appreciate the traditions that you may have taken for granted.

Or maybe you’re lonely and you aren’t sure when that is going to end. Loneliness is an emotion that most people feel at one point or another, so if you are feeling lonely, you aren’t alone…. There have been times in my life when I have been in a group of people I enjoyed and still felt lonely. The reason? Because my thoughts were on something other than the present…something I was missing. Often it isn’t the lonely feeling that is so distressing, it is the thought that we are always going to be lonely that is the most distressing. But you know what? This too shall pass. You aren’t always going to have that emotion. And listen, if you are feeling loneliness that is devastating and feels like depression and you can’t kick it, ask for help. If you don’t feel comfortable talking with someone in person about your feelings, go online to www.betterhelp.com. They have been highly recommended by people for being an online option for mental health help and remember, this is a form of self love. There is no shame in needing a little help here and there. We all do and getting it is a sign of strength, not weakness. Another proven way to work through loneliness is to reach out and help someone less fortunate than you are, because more than likely there is someone who has it worse. Maybe an elderly neighbor…could you drop off fresh cookies or a plant? What about Fostering dog or cat that needs a home? Could you clean out your closet and drop clothes off at a homeless shelter? How about donating money to an abused women’s shelter? These are just a couple ideas… and another thing…It could also be a hormone imbalance, Ive been pretty open about my experience with hormone imbalance. I am so grateful to have realized that my feelings of unhappiness and loneliness were a hormone imbalance and now I don’t have that problem anymore because I regularly have bio-identical pellets to balance my hormones, if you think this may be a problem, listen to episode 63 with Dr. Richard Pearson. It feels really really good to know there are things you can do to make the emotion of loneliness or any negative emotion feel less powerful. Remember you control your thoughts, which control your emotions so becoming more aware of our thoughts is super helpful.

www.seanandersondesign.com

Instagram: seanandersondesign

Work featured in Elle Decor, Architectural Digest and Traditional Homes

We talk paint, lighting, tips on creating a beautiful space if you can't afford a designer, and Mistakes people make when designing on their own.

Interior Design Tips

Sean's favorite paint color: Benjamin Moore: Classic Gray 1548

My favorite white: Benjamin Moore: White Dove OC-17

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Personal Responsibility List:

-My physical health is a priority

-My mental health is an equal priority

-I nurture the relationships that are most important to me

-My home is clean and organized

-My finances are in order

I wrote a new mantra in my journal and I think I will keep writing it daily until it completely sinks in, you can borrow it if you want as well. I wrote that My life is the way it is because of the decisions I have made. The things I control are the only ones that matter in the long run. You know what the biggest thing I control is? It’s my thoughts. And that goes for you as well. If we start being aware of our thoughts, then we will have more control over our happiness.So the title….I’m not OK, You’re not OK and that’s OK, I wish I had created it but A dear friend of mine this week sent me an article with that title, and I loved it. Sometimes life is going to throw us curve balls. No-one is exempt. Things will be going along great and then bam something happens and we are left wondering what hit us. That’s life. The contrast of the bad makes the good so much better. So, if you are going through a hard time right now, Realize no matter how bad things seem, things will get better. It’s temporary. Just like stormy days don’t last forever, neither do bad times. The contrast of the clouds with the sun, makes the sun so much better!

We all experience situations that are challenging. IF you live in this world then you may experience discomfort weekly and maybe daily depending on your nature. But how much of your discomfort is self induced? How often do we relive past hurts? How often do we have arguments in our heads that we never will have in real life? How much are you worrying about things that will never happen? I know I experience this and sometimes it depends on what I’m reading or watching. Something I read can turn a perfectly good day bad and nothing in my environment changed except for my thoughts about what I just read. This reminds me of a story I heard this week. There were two monks that were walking through a forest and they came upon a river, there was a woman standing at the side and asked for help getting across. The first monk was a bit irritated and just kept walking but the second monk picked the woman up, carried her across the river and set her down on the other side safely. The monks then carried on with their journey, but the first monk was obviously upset and so after a couple hours, the second monk asked what was wrong. The monk said, brother, you know we are not supposed to touch a woman and yet you picked her up carried her across the river. The second monk, said brother, I dropped that woman at the side of the river hours ago, you’re still carrying her. You see his thoughts about the woman were unnecessarily weighing him down. How often do we do this to ourselves?

www.kristywoodsonharvey.com

Instagram: @KristyWHarvey

MyDesignChic.com (Fabulous Blog...you must follow!)

Bookshop.org for her books: (Also Target, Amazon, Barnes and Noble)

The PeachTree Bluff Series, "Dear Carolina", "Feels Like Falling" "Lies and Other Acts of Love"

She blogs 7 days a week and writes a book each year. Both ventures are extremely successful and super fun to be a part of!

Advice to aspiring writers: Show up at the page every day (consistently write) and FINISH THE BOOK!

Who would benefit from this episode? Anyone who loves to be entertained, but also writers, readers, and anyone looking for inspiration to just be better.....:)

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Are you comfortable hearing the other side of the story? Are you comfortable listening to someone you disagree with? Are you comfortable trying new things? Do you notice the older you get, the less tolerant you are to others, the less adventurous you are?

Do you hang only with people that agree with and think like you?

Do you watch only the news that tells you what you want to hear?

Is your social media filled with people that all feel the same as you?

A while back….Mine started to look a lot like that. I started wondering in advance if a person would feel the same way as I do or if they are on “the other team”.

How in the world did that happen? I am pretty open about the fact that I love people. I can stand in a room and find something I love about anyone in that room. Then all of a sudden I started wondering if that person believed this or that…or would that person dislike me because I look different from them? These were things that were actually going hrough my brain. This is not normal for me. I had allowed myself to fall into the trap of social media and bias.

I sometimes would justify it by saying, I don’t want to dislike that person because of the way they believe so I will unfriend them or unfollow them. When did that become OK????? Why was I afraid of someone that had a different idea of the world? Why does it even matter?

This is not a problem with the other person. This is a problem with me. We watched a documentary called “The Social Dilemma”. IF you want to freak yourself out, watch that documentary. It’s a big problem and more than likely you’re dealing with it too. So if everyone is having this problem how in the world do we fix a problem that big? One person at a time if you ask me. And it starts with each one of us. I believe strongly in personal responsibility. I am a product of my choices and only my choices and if you are older than say 18 you are as well. We can only blame our parents for so long. That may seem harsh but it’s true.

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

California surfer to FedEx Pilot!

Interview with my hubby....how we met and how he has become so successful!

Anthony Robbins: Date with Destiny seminar

"Pay yourself first"

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

There was a old farmer who had a horse. One day his horse ran away and his neighbors all said “oh what bad luck” the old farmer said “Maybe”. The next day the horse returned with 2 other wild horses and the neighbors all said “Wow, what good luck!” The old farmer said “maybe”. That day the farmers son tried to ride one of the wild horses and it threw him off and he broke his leg, the neighbors all cried “oh what bad luck” to which the old farmer said “Maybe”, but the next day the military started drafting healthy young boys for war and when they saw the boy and his broken leg, the passed him up…by now, I bet you know what the neighbors said and what the old farmer’s response would be. The point is, we like to label things good and bad. But how many times in your life have things that seemed bad at the time turn into something good or cause something good to happen?

I bet you can think of a time you had something happen that wasn’t great but good things came from it. Now when things are happening that don’t seem to be going my way, I look at the situation and ask “what good is going to come from this?’ Or maybe “What can I learn from this?”

So, my challenge to you this week is no matter what happens to you or what is going on, don’t label it just always expect something good to come from it and watch how it changes your life. I love you guys and I will talk to you in a few days!

Less than 1% of AIC's achieve the NVP title. The annual typical earnings of AICs can be found at earnings.arbonne.com

maryjanearcher@gmail,com

Instagram: fitbonnemom

Suggested book: The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

Arbonne International ENVP

Health, Nutrition, skin

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson

Can you leave us a 5 star review? (if you love this episode......:)

Our judgements of others do not reflect that other person, it reflects our life experience. In fact, It has nothing at all to do with the other person and everything to do with us. Now thoughts have energy so our actual thoughts can affect us and the other person, but we will talk about that in a minute.

My challenge to you this week, because as Im recording this it is Thanksgiving week and we may be seeing family we haven’t seen in a while and we all know that can be stressful. But this week work on noticing subtle negative thoughts you have about someone else and as soon as you do replace it with 3 things you love about them or three things that make you grateful for them. If it’s a stranger make something up about them that is nice…. Not only will you notice you are happier but my guess is you’ll notice your relationships will feel better as well. I love you guys and Ill talk to you in a few days.

Instagram: @lizagraves

www.styleblueprint.com

Suggested podcast: Donald Miller "Story Brand" and "Business Made Simple"

Style Blueprint is one of the coolest lifestyle publications in the South. 30,000 page views per day and 5.5 million readers in 2019. Connecting women to their community. They do it so well.....

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

LinkedIn: @theheididawson

To answer the self-grounding tips, I would suggest figuring out a way to take breaks to keep your focus at it’s best, also don’t just burn all day long without being thougthful. Every time you start a new task or a new meeting, thats a fresh start so treat it as one….tell yourself how you’re going to show up with this new task. So if youre getting in the car? Decide how you’re going to drive, what youre going to listen to, if you’re walking into work, decide how youre going to show up today, and when you are starting a new meeting decide what is the best way for you to serve those that your are meeting with. Also, to help you remain self aware…..Try to come up with a trigger that reminds you to ask “Am I being present right now? Or are my thoughts serving me? There are apps that help you be mindful….the calm app is my favorite, you could also set an alarm on your phone or maybe use some other trigger like your coffee cup or your water bottle, each time you take a drink ask yourself these questions. Ill tell you a story showing what I think is a great use of triggers. My husband and I were at dinner the other night and it was one of our favorite places..quiet, great food, good lighting…did I mention quiet??? Anyway you know Im setting the scene for you so Eric and I are enjoying our wonderful dinner with a glass of wine and the hostess seats a couple across from us which is fine you still have your own little booth but the lady from the moment she sat down kept getting those loud dings on her phone, the loud text dings…by the third one which happened very fast, Im getting a bit annoyed. My husband says “Dont let it irritate you remember we are working on our equanimity and I was like you’re right, Ok lets make a game of it. Every time the phone dings we say I love you. It got comical, because 10-12 times later and some were right in a row we were laughing and really kind of enjoying it, now they had no idea but it turned what could have been a dinner ruining moment into a fun one ally by changing the meaning of that loud ding…..It’s all about living intentionally and realizing that you control more about your life than you think you do.

Where you are right now is a product of your actions prior to today. What you do today decides where you are tomorrow. Every single day you wake up is a new day. Every single day you wake up you get to decide who you are going to be today. Just thinking this way helps me feel centered. I don’t know if you have started a morning journal yet, but when I write in my journal every morning that Im exactly where Im supposed to be and things are always working out in my favor. My brain sort of analyzes where I am right now and is thankful for that but it also analyzes anything that maybe hasn’t gone my way and it makes me think about what good is coming from that.

thesleepdoctor.com

Book: "The Power of When"

LinkedIn: thesleepdoctor

Instagram: thesleepdoctor

Twitter: thesleepdoctor

Tips on getting a good night's sleep!

Why you may be waking up in the middle of the night...

How does alcohol affect your sleep?

Magnesium and sleep

And soooooo much more!

Hi guys! Welcome to the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast and Wednesday Wisdom. Im over the moon about my next guest…he is the number one guy to talk to about sleep habits in my opinion and this interview is FULL of absolute gems for basically anyone that sleeps… Dr Michael J. Breus is a Clinical Psychologist and both a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He was one of the youngest people to have passed the Board at age 31 and, with a specialty in Sleep Disorders, is one of only 168 psychologists in the world with his credentials and distinction. Dr. Breus is on the clinical advisory board of The Dr. Oz Show and appears regularly on the show (39 times in 8 seasons).

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson

My challenge to you this week:

Notice or be aware of the amount of times you distract yourself by grabbing for your technology

Once this week, Turn your phone off or leave it in another room when you are meeting with another person

And finally avoid your phone for the first 30 minute when you wake up and instead grateful journal/ meditate. And then turn off all technology a minimum of one hour before you plan to go to sleep.

A lot of us grab our phone the first thing in the morning, carry it in our hand all day, and go to sleep with it at night. How many times are you at dinner with someone and they spend time looking at their apple watch or their phone the whole night? How about grab our phone to start scrolling immediately when we stop at a light or park the car? Is there ever a time you are sitting with nothing to do and don’t think about your phone? I regret to say the answer for me is probably not. Now I am working on that and I am gonna tell you about that in a minute.

www.edmundlowman.com

Instagram: @edmundlowman

Youtube: @edmundlowman

Recommended books: Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das

Essentialism by Greg Mckeown

Your Brain at Work by Dr. David Rock

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Awesome takeaway: Event + Reaction = OUTCOME (As opposed to Event = Outcome)

Business tips, life tips, happiness tips! Listen NOW 😊

Heididawson.com

heidi@heididawson.com

@theheididawson on Instagram and Facebook and LinkedIn

My challenge to you this week is to recognize that what meaning you assign to events has everything to do with the outcome. This applies to anything that happens. Traffic jam? You can get angry and make it worse or you can turn on a positive podcast or happy music and choose to decide you will make the best of it. Dog chews your rug? You wanted a new rug anyway or you can just flip the rug and maybe change the layout of your furniture which makes you love the room more…..election doesn’t go the way you want it? Maybe it drives you to talk to someone about your anxiety and you end up solving some long unaddressed issues that makes you an all around happier person. I know that may seem like a stretch but giving ourselves permission to feel better or feel ok regardless of what is going on is crucial to our overall happiness. Things aren’t always going to go your way but you can ALWAYS grow from it or gain from it if you ask the right question…how can this work out in my favor? That IS how the world works. If you believe it is working for you, it is. If you believe it is working against you, it is. So which would you rather have? Think about it and maybe listen to this a few times and Im sure I will get a few emails but I want to hear from you so email me at heidi@heididawson.com. In the mean time, soften your words, be aware of the meaning you are assigning to the events of your life and most of all….dont forget to decide to have a great week regardless of what is going on. I love you and Ill talk to you in a few days.

20twelvedesign.com

Instagram: @20twelvedesign

Ever wonder what it's like to own your own design/fashion boutique? We talk about fashion and trends and also the work that goes into owning your own store.

Buying at market in Paris and how Covid has affected retail and Shopping!

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

For your VISION board:

Relationships

Body

Finances

Mindset

Break those areas down. For example, when I first met my husband after we had talked for a little bit, he showed me a list he carried in his wallet of his perfect partner. He had written down all of the qualities he desired and would not settle for less than what he had on that list. If you are already in a relationship, how do you want to that relationship to look? How do you want your family and friend relationships to look and feel? Make a list, post pictures

How about your body? I write every day in my journal that I want to have 18% body fat. Im not there yet but Im close. Find pictures of the type of body you want and add those to your vision board! Write down your exact weight, the body fat percentage you want, the way you want your body to feel.

Finances: Want to be debt free? Want to have a certain amount in the bank? Want to make a certain amount per year? Write it all down. Post pictures of what that would look like.

Mindset: What is the main emotion you would like to feel? Is it calm? Happy? Joyous? Inspired? Loving? How do you want to feel daily? How do you want to show up in your interactions with others? What emotions do you want to have regularly? Write those words down and find images online of how that feeling would look!

The name of this podcast is one that everyone can understand, right. I mean, When you hear Wildly successful lifestyle you kinda know it means something good a life that is exceptional. Think about it for a minute……What does it mean to you? How does your version of a wildly successful life look? We can all come up with what our version looks like. But guess what? Everyone’s idea is different! There are some of you that may have thought of a penthouse in New York, working a job that you love, meeting friends for drinks and dinner twice a week. Others may have a vision of a small home in the country on a huge piece of land where you farm and raise your kids…….Maybe you are happy with your life but your version of a wildly successful life includes a fit, healthy version of yourself. Here’s the thing. It is critical that you know exactly what you want. It’s critical that that vision is so real you can taste it. If you hang out until the end I am going to tell you how to I create my vision boards! A life by design doesn’t just happen, it is intentionally created.

You have to know what you want or you will settle. You will follow what the crowd does. How many people do you know that live a life their parents designed for them and they feel unfulfilled or maybe they didn’t design anything and they are just going with the flow, hoping eventually they will fall into something they love? How many of you feel like you put your dreams on hold to do the things other people want you to do?

Tips for mastering negotiation!

Best tip for writing your first book!

Active listening, Ask better questions

Always sit in the front row!

Donhudson.com: "The One Minute Negotiator"

www.heididawson.com

Download the CALM app for meditation programs!

I wanted to just remind you today that you have the power inside you to not only inspire others but also inspire yourself. To be your own source of power and inspiration. I was having an entrepreneur club meeting on Saturday with my friend Brooke and we were talking about empowering thoughts and she said “I am my own power source” and I loved that so much I thought I would incorporate it into an episode!

What does that mean really? Being your own power source doesn’t mean doing everything on your own. In fact knowing that you need help and asking for it is a very powerful tool that so many women just don’t use.

Another tool that is super empowering is admitting you don’t know the answer when you don’t know the answer. There is power in saying “you know what? I don’t know, so let me do a little digging and I will get back with you.” That is perfectly ok and actually empowering to use.

Being your own power source also means knowing when it’s time to rest and not just knowing but then taking that time and actually resting. Even if it’s for a 20 minute reset. There is no badge of honor for running yourself into the ground.

Being your own power source means recognizing that self care is more important than anything else. Putting your self care first is a tool that so many women just neglect. Self care looks different for each of us and only you can define it. Do you know what that is for you? Do you have a set standard for yourself? Self care includes your mental and your physical health. It’s super empowering to set and keep a standard for self care. And this standard can be fluid, especially if you have neglected it.

When I started really deciding to get In Shape I was 30% body fat. My goal was just to get below 30%. Then as I exercised and started noticing how much better I felt and how much better my clothes looked, my standard kept getting higher. I’m working now in the 20% body fat range and that’s my standard. So meet yourself where you are right now and just say you know what? Where can I be this time next week? What can I do this week that casts a vote for who I want to be, who I identify as being?

www.Olesyawilson.com

www.mindoverbody.me

Embrace your feminine power! Keep your motivation! You are UNIQUE!

hydration #meditation #hormones #melatonin

leakygut #hypnosis #Bonebroth

Email me!: heidi@heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

heididawson.com

Have you been feeling stuck lately? Feeling like you do the same thing day in and day out? Maybe you wish something exciting would happen in your life? Has life become so routine you wish something would happen even if it’s bad just to give you a different pace or some new drama to talk about? Not wishing bad on anyone, just wanting something to CHANGE!

You’re too comfortable.

You feel like a rat in a wheel.

You wonder when or if life is going to get better for you.

You feel stuck in a life that isn’t making you feel ALIVE

OK ILL Stop!

Does this sound like something you feel?

Theres one thing I want you to consider Before we go any further, theres a question I want you to ponder……

Are you really stuck or is it simply the way you are perceiving your life right now. Thinking you should be further along than you are because you’re comparing yourself to other people that don’t have your unique life goals? Maybe your watching people on social media that are in the same age group as you and you think your life pales in comparison? Are you taking this into consideration when you label yourself as stuck? Seeing someone else’s highlight reel and saying your life sucks in comparison is not being fair to yourself. Maybe someone else is looking at your life and wishing they were where you are. Have you ever watched a preview of a comedy show and it was hilarious so you decide to watch it and then you realize the only funny parts were in the preview? Sometimes that is the case for life on social media as well. Not always, but often. So, take a really hard look at where you are in life right now and cut yourself a little slack. Only you know if you are playing full out or if you’re taking the comfortable path every single day……..So then. Let’s talk about that………..this is where we have to be real with ourself.

Because maybe you really are stuck and you have done nothing about changing it?

Well this episode is for you! This is your wake up call. Look it’s easy to fall into comfort and try to convince ourself that you’re happy where you are and say or “Im too young and I don’t have the experience”, or “I’m too old to do anything new” How about “My brain doesn’t work like it used to” or “You just gain weight as you get older” There are thousands of statements like these but like I always say “Im not going to depress us all by continuing in that line of thought. More than likely you know the statements you say to yourself and others that in your mind excuse you from making changes, from living that wildly successful life you thought you would be living. It’s easy to get into a groove or a rut and stay there because getting out of it would cause discomfort. Well…I believe we should be doing something every week if not every day that causes us some sort of discomfort. If you are not doing anything that challenges you or causes you a little bit of discomfort…you probably have stopped growing and more than likely you do feel stuck and you aren’t sure why.

Instagram: @thebraincoach

Psychoeducation and self help tools

Nawal and I discuss morning routines, sleep, social media, negative self talk, Mental health habits, and where to visit in Canada!

www.heididawson.com

instagram: @theheididawson

Favorite books: "Tools of Titans" by Tim Ferris

"Atomic Habits" by James Clear

"On Fire" by John O'Leary

Favorite podcasts: "School Of Greatness" Lewis Howse

"Life Coach School" Brooke Castillo

"Kwik Brain" Jim Kwik

The idea that your thoughts create your reality is Truer than any of us would like to realize until we recognize it is true and then you get excited and really really start watching what you allow into your brain because it affects us so much.

Now, If you’re like me sometimes you hear people say “it’s what your focusing on”. Just think about something else, focus on something else and you will change the way you feel. And in the middle of something hard that is frustating to hear, but sometimes it’s true. For example, We had our family down here with us all week and the house was full of laughter and joy and when they all left and it was just me and Eric….. I felt a little sad, the house felt a little empty but I know that the reason I was sad was because of the contrast of the house being full of people I love and now it’s quiet. I was focusing on what was instead of what is right in front of me. I was feeling the contrast….I let myself feel it for a little bit but then we got busy exercising, riding bikes, focusing on other things like reading, talking over lunch about what we would do for the day and dinner, enjoying each others company and suddenly I felt so much better….that is an easy scenario of how changing your focus can fix your feelings. Start being intentional and aware of the thoughts in your head because that will really help you be able to feel better when the situation just needs a focus change.

Scott Adams has a quote about our brain and how it isn’t designed to process everything in its environment, so it has to set up filters. And those filters are what you pay attention to, what you focus on. Think about that for a minute and maybe pause this for a second if you need to and really think about what it is you are paying attention to regularly. Is it the news? Social Media? Gossip? Are you filling your brain with enough positive input to outweigh the negative? When you focus on filling your brain with positive input, it creates filters for your mind that are positive and the more you do that, the better you are able to feel calm during the storm. At first, your brain is going to want to jump back to the drama, because if you have been used to drama your brain literally has created grooves/patterns that are comfortable for you. Drama can be a drug that you keep going back to. So at first avoiding it will be hard but eventually, you’ll want it less and less. Think of creating a new path through a forest…..at first it’s a lot of work, but once the path is taken a few times, it becomes way easier to use. That is how it is for your brain as well. These filters we create are how we look at the world.

Instagram: ilanamuhlsteinrd

www.ilanamuhlstein.com

www.2bmindset.com

Author of "You can drop it"! Order on Amazon...it's AMAZING!

Ilana and I discuss mindset tips for weight loss and also her amazing journey on Tik Tok, instagram and losing 100 lbs!

Join us for a fun episode..we also talk about water intake and tracking

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Facebook: @theheididawson

My challenge this week: Pick an area of your life where you are done settling and decide what it would look like if it was already wildly successful. What’s the ultimate outcome? 18% body fat? Having a successful business that you love? Clarity is the goal here. You don’t even have to know how it’s going to happen. Clarity of outcome is crucial. Know your outcome. Write it everywhere, create a digital vision board, put sticky notes on your mirror and your fridge and then watch your brain help you solve the puzzle of how you’re going to do it.You are worthy just for being human. You are worthy not because someone else tells you you are but because you were born, yeah it’s as simple as that. You are a gift from God or the Universe or whatever belief system you have. It is not an accident that you are here and that you are where you are. If you’re listening to this podcast this message is meant for you. What is your purpose, your passion, your dream? You are worthy of that dream and you are meant for it.

So now that that’s settled. What does feeling worthy look like? How does someone that feels worthy walk around this crazy fascinating world we live in? I am someone who knows what it feels like to feel worthy but also times in my life where I felt very unworthy. I can remember a time I had a minister once tell me that I was not worthy of having my prayer heard by God and that he would have to pray for me in order to have my prayers heard. I was probably 22 or so and I remember the feeling of hopelessness that came with that thinking I wasn’t even worthy to pray? I look back now of course and realize how ridiculous that was for him to say and also how it couldn’t further from the truth. You might be thinking to yourself well that’s just crazy and it is.

I bet though, you can think of things people said that may have shaped your own worthiness. You’ll never be successful, you aren’t good enough, you’re bad because you did this or that. I could go on but I don’t want to depress us.. And listen..everyone has a story and some are worse than others but if you’re listening right now..you are NOT your past. You are NOT what someone else decides you are and because I love you...and I only want what’s best for you.

I want you to know that your life is your own. No-one else can do it for you. Your life is going to be exactly what you make of it. We can hang onto the stories Of our life and all the reasons we can’t do something OR We can decide right now that enough is enough. And back to the question of what does feeling worthy look like? It looks like not settling. It looks like not tolerating toxic relationships. It looks like setting boundaries In the relationships you do have. It looks like having a healthy relationship with food. It looks like having an environment that you enjoy and is worthy of you. You guys I can continue all day on this But I know you have things you got to do so let me say this.

Instagram: @Chapman4019

Bodybuilding, Fitness competition

Curious about a day in the life of a fitness competitor? We talk about it in this episode! Also about the tan, the bathing suits and thriving in spite of health issues.

Food intolerances

Fructose, Dairy, Glucose

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

So many of us spend a lot of our life consuming whether that’s what we are watching, eating, reading, or buying. Often, We fill our heads with entertainment and distraction and we fill our closets and fill our homes with things when what we really want is to feel happy feel loved and fulfilled and especially we want to feel joyous and alive.

Alright, Hard question incoming…..When’s the last time scrolling on instagram or fb or tiktok made you feel alive? When’s the last time buying a new pair of shoes made you feel joyous for longer than a day? I’m a shoe and purse girl so I understand it can make you feel temporary joy. But seriously. When is the last time you really thought about what YOU want out of life? What is it that brings you joy? I want you to Think about just for a second when was the last time you really felt pure joy? Really think about that. NOw, if you did that... My guess is no one pictured themself scrolling Facebook or Instagram or tik tok.

More than likely it was a moment on the lake riding on a boat feeling the fresh air on your skin. It was the moment with your family or friends enjoying a nice bottle of wine over dinner maybe on the patio. It was experiences. It was time spent with people you love. It was time spent doing something new or learning something new. It was most certainly not scrolling away on your phone.

Why then is it that we are so hooked to our phones? Its kind of sadly normal anymore to see a group out to dinner and at least one is spending time on their phone, if not all. My husband and I were in Bora Bora in a restaurant on the water and there was a young couple seemingly on their honeymoon and honestly they were on their phone the entire night. I felt kind of sad for them. The person right next to you, the live one that you have chosen to spend time with and they have chosen to spend time with you... they are more important than anything someone has to say on social media. Im saying this because we all do it. We have all been guilty of it.

Phone addiction

www.drlangsdon.com

Instagram: @langsdonclinic

Shopify: Facemd.net

My interview with Carol Langsdon of The Langsdon Clinic answers all your questions about botox she gives us skincare tips!

Check out their site on Shopify to order their fabulous skin care line. (I LOVE it!)

We answer these questions:

You have run a successful facial business for over 30 years. Dr Langsdon your husband has been voted one of the top facial plastic surgeons in America and there have been so many awards you guys have won over the years. How did you get started and what do you think is the key to your success?
I personally LOVE botox. Can you explain how it works? How long does it last and also does it hurt? I can answer that because I get it!
Are there any services that you guys offer that are sort of hidden gems?
You have an exfoliator product that I love. Can you explain how that works?
OK, sometimes I see people and they have obviously had work done, or they have had too many fillers. You guys don’t let people do that and I love that. Everyone leaves looking natural. They look like themselves just a fresher, younger version. How do you keep it where people look natural?
So now you have been making women and men look younger for many years. Out of the non surgical services you offer, which ones give you the most bang for the buck so to speak? (lol)
What can someone do to make their skin look younger if they are not ready to have any of the services performed? Is there a skin care regimen you suggest?
What advice would you give to yourself back when you were just getting started?

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson

So this week: I challenge you to

Number 1: Set a very specific goal

Number 2: Write it down in your day planner or set alarms for it on your phone, put it on sticky notes on your mirror whatever it is you use to set intentions for your day.

Number 3: Put a meeting on your calendar with your coach to review your week and how you did on your goals.

Clarity is power. General goals aren’t going to cut it. You have to be specific. SO. What does a general goal do for you? Tony Robbins says if say “my goal is to lose weight”. Or my goal is “I wish I had more money”. Well then if you lose 1/2 lb and you make $1 then technically your brain will say you have reached your goal. That’s basically the outcome you asked for.you lost weight and you have more money…

So I talk so much about doing everything you can to be happy and also to have a good mindset. It really is the main ingredient to living a wildly successful life, regardless of what your version may be and we all have different versions which is what makes life so fascinating and interesting.

But how do we find the energy and the motivation to do it? Consistently? Well, it definitely helps to have a coach and I have had coaches my whole adult life at different times. But sometimes it just isn’t reasonable to have a coach for whatever reason whether its time or money so how do you stay motivated to be awesome day in and day out on your own?

For starters, let me start with you probably aren’t going to be awesome day in and day out, that was just me getting overly excited. I don’t want anyone to think that is reality. You are going to have periods of awesomeness along with other periods of normalness and probably one or two periods where it isn’t so great. That’s how life works. The more you practice being awesome or exceptional the more it will become routine. Why? Because you set higher standards and thats your new set point. That’s your new standard.

The question I want to ask you today is. What if and how could you….be your own life coach day to day. Periodically you will need to have a mentor but day to day how can you be your very own life coach?

You know how when you have an accountability partner and you don’t want to let them down or maybe you have a friendly competition going on? How can you create that for yourself?

For starters, you’d have to know what you want. What result do you want? Your brain wants clarity and will search for the answer without you even being aware of it as long as you have Clarity, or a specific goal or outcome.

Low mood? Weight gain? Trouble building muscle? Mood swings? Low Energy?

Dr. Pearson and I talk about women and men's hormones and how they affect us and how we can live optimally instead of just accepting what aging offers us! This is a must listen episode for anyone!

Be PROACTIVE on your hormone health!

Book suggestion: Suzanne Somers: Ageless

Women: Physician in Michigan: Pamela W. Smith (Women's Hormones)

Men: Abraham Morgenthaler (Testosterone For Life)

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson on Instagram

I am wondering how YOU are doing. How are you handling the changes we have been through? How are you handling 2020? It has been a year full of twists and turns for pretty much everyone. There are those that have been hit harder than others. For most, I think anxiety has been pretty high. If you already had stress in your life, 2020 probably isn’t helping with that.

Some of us are terrified of getting Covid and some of us are terrified of losing our job. Some are worried about how to manage the kids being home for school and others are trying to explain to our children why they have to wear a mask and can’t hug anyone. Im a hugger so I feel ya! Some are upset we are having to wear masks and others are upset because some aren’t taking things as serious as they are.

But you know what? Every single person including YOU is doing the very best with what they have been given.

I sometimes get upset over the thought of someone mandating I have to wear a mask. I had to do some soul searching as to why it bothered me so much. I realized that growing up in a religion that enforced strict rules where you were publicly shamed for not following them makes me a little sensitive to certain rules as an adult. But, You wouldn’t know that if you walked past me on the street. I can remember a time, when I was a young teenager I had a role in front of hundreds of people at a one of our church events, it was an all day event and my part was in the afternoon. At that time, girls would put gel in there hair to make it kind of curly so it had kind of a wet look. I thought it looked great and I was nervous and excited about my part. At lunch break my dad pulled me aside and said that the minister that was head of the event, didn’t like that my hair had the wet look so I needed to brush it out in order to still keep my part. If you are a girl you understand how awful that looked and how insecure I felt at that point. That was just one minor example of the strict rules I grew up with. So I carry beliefs from my past that make the mask mandate a little harder but you wouldn’t know that, if you past by me on the street. Another person has an elderly mother and father that lives with them and so wearing a mask to them is crucial and in their eyes means the difference between life and death for their parents…but, again, you wouldn’t know that either if you passed them on the street.

What I’m trying to say, we NEVER know what someone else is struggling with or why they are struggling. Especially strangers. We are all carrying a certain set of beliefs, certain ideas that have been wired into our brain depending on how and where we were raised.

www.joyousleader.com

@joyousleader on Instagram

Episode 61 is all about personal growth, Breathing techniques, Clarity, and GRATITUDE!

Find your inner joy!

Be Grateful!

Start your day in a way that serves YOU!

Love you guys!

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Society often tells us to stay in our lane. Follow the rules. This is the path you should take to be happy. Sometimes that comes from well meaning parents, teachers, ministers. Im just saying that today…..there is one person in this world….only one that knows exactly what is right for you and that is YOU. Your path is going to twist and turn. Thats how it is supposed to be! Sometimes you think..this is it. This is my path for the rest of my life….then guess what…something happens and that path all of a sudden takes a sharp turn.

Sometimes we feel stuck. We ask is this all their is? This is especially true For high achievers and ambitious people. I am telling you that if you are feeling that right now, its ok. All that means is that you are being called to your purpose. You haven’t missed anything. You are sorting things out. You are growing. Life is a journey of different paths. Your journey has lots of different paths. You aren’t wrong to choose any of them. You know why? Because lets say you choose one and you realize that isn’t right for you….You learned something and if you think about it, you gained wisdom and knowledge for the journey ahead. I interview successful people on the Wednesday wisdom series of this podcast and one thing I have found is that when they don’t like something about their life they change it.

Enjoy the journey

Atomic Habit book by James Clear summary

@theheididawson

www.heididawson.com

www.wildlysuccessfullifestyle.com

Habits

Creating good habits and quitting bad habits

How to create good habits!

@theheididawson on instagram

www.heididawson.com

CHALLENGE: pick 3 and tag me on instagram👆

Spending time with happy positive people/having good relationships (This does not mean depending on others for your happiness)
Exercise and eating healthy
Having goals you are working towards that are challenging but attainable
Living in a home that is clean and somewhat clutter free
Getting enough sleep
Having new experiences

7, Doing something that you love daily (for some people its their work)

Everyones version of a wildly successful life is going to be different. For me, it means being happy, feeling fulfilled and growing, not being stagnant. Now, being happy, I think, should be on the top of everyone’s list of a Wildly successful lifestyle, because if you aren’t happy it doesn’t matter how much money you have, how fit you are or what purse you carry. If you’re not happy, nothing else really matters.

Each of us has a baseline of happiness. There are some that are naturally happier people, but studies have shown that about 40% of our happiness is in our control. That’s a lot if you really think about it.

Being happy is sometimes really easy but sometimes it is going to take work. That is with anyone. To make the times when it takes work easier we need to give ourself every single advantage there is out there.

But, just like you, there are certain things I want to have in my life in order to be happy. NOW. This is where it can get tricky. Because sometimes we make the requirements so strict that its hard to meet them! Sometimes too we have requirements that include other people and we do not control anyone other than ourself. We don’t want to have our happiness hinge on expectations of other people is a recipe for failure. Having goals that are unrealistic also set you up for failure

Medical Device rep

Success, fitness, Relationships

Melatonin for sleep

Magnesium for sleep and migraines

www.heididawson.com

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson (Instagram)

One of the main things Ive found doing the Wednesday interviews is that when successful people feel they are on the wrong path or headed in the wrong direction…they change it! They don’t stay unhappy. They don’t stay miserable. They don’t stay stuck. Now, They GET stuck but they don’t STAY stuck.

Sometimes we feel stuck and we think it means everything is wrong in our life. We start generalizing and think that we need to change our partner, quit our job, move somewhere else. And that may be the case but sometimes we also just need to change our thoughts about things.

So how do you know the difference between when you are on the wrong path or when you are just having a bad day? How do you know if you really need to change something or maybe you just need to change the way you look at it?

You can be on the right path and feel discomfort. (sometimes that just means you’re growing)

You can be on the right path and feel sad at times. (Life can be messy and we are all going to have moments where we feel sad. But those are moments, and they’re hopefully temporary)

We have to be careful about making permanent solutions when its only a temporary problem.

Sometimes we look at a situation and think oh Im uncomfortable so I need to change it. When I first started doing my design work, I was uncomfortable all the time, it was scary…When I first started my podcast I was uncomfortable a lot of the time. Usually when you’re doing something new, or doing something hard, it can be uncomfortable. But I ultimately find joy in both of these things, my design and podcasting. so even though sometimes I feel discomfort maybe because Im trying a new edgy product or maybe Im worrying that nobody will listen or care about my latest episode. Ive had to learn to accept the discomfort because ultimately I know that this is what I am meant to be doing right now, so I don’t need to change it, I just need to be ok with the discomfort and know that means Im growing which ultimately brings me even more joy.

Another example is Before I met my husband, I was in a relationship with a really good, nice guy. He was successful, funny, nice looking and loyal. We had different goals though, we had different hobbies, we liked doing different things. I was uncomfortable a lot and ultimately I was not finding joy in that relationship.

Right about that time, when I was dating him but it was not going great…. I was scheduled to go to an Anthony Robbins seminar in California. So off I go. At this seminar, Tony had everyone, all 2300 people write a letter describing their perfect soulmate. He wanted you to specify Your very perfect version of who you wanted to be with whether you were in a relationship or not. I was pretty distraught and basically wanted to come home at that point. You see, I knew that if I wrote that letter, I would have to admit that I was settling with my then boyfriend and it would ultimately mean I would have to break it off. Long story short. I wrote the letter through tears knowing that with it was the end of my relationship. I broke up with him the day I got home and never looked back. I needed to change it because neither one of us was going to find long term joy in that relationship, we were too different.

Instagram: @tobifairley

www.tobifairley.com

Podcast: Design You on Apple and Spotify

Business, Entrepreneur, Women, Self improvement, introspection, Design you,

Whatever you are working towards, Tobi Fairley can help you get there! Listen in for some really great insight into business and Coaching!

www.heiddawson.com

@theheididawson on Instagram

Who knew cleaning your windows or opening the window treatments could have an impact on our happiness. Sometimes we get so stuck in routine mode, or work mode or busy mode that we stop noticing the things that are sort of stacking up around the house that can subtly affect our mood. So here are a few other things to be aware of that pretty much affects us all.

Clean Windows
Opening the window treatments every day so the natural light comes through
Making the bed every morning (my master bedroom is upstairs, if I didn’t make the bed and open the shades, I literally dread going up the stairs…)
Stacked anything….old mail, old magazines, old books. Ive started cutting my favorite picots out of my magazines and either putting them on a mood board or in a folder and then throw the magazine away. I used to keep them but they were stacking up so I came up with a solution!
Keeping things you don’t love out of obligation or because you spent money on it. If it doesn’t make you happy and you don’t love it, let it go…. You can donate it and it might bring joy to someone else! (Yep this includes things your mom gave you….If you don’t like it don’t have it around, it will mess with your head.
Have at least one space that is totally clutter free. Your brain wants a clear space to be able to relax and that is hard to do in a cluttered space.
Finally, fix the little things around the house that bother you but you just haven’t taken the time to do it. Things like crooked pictures, wonky lamp shades, burned out light bulbs…thats a big one….especially in the bathroom! (Ill put all of these in the show notes so you can read them again if you want)

So, You guys may laugh at this or you might relate, I don’t know I hope at least one person at least can relate…. Lately I kept seeing the letters WFH everywhere. I kept seeing articles like “With WFH becoming a big thing or one post said hit me up if you WFH…..Finally I was like ok I’m googling it…I felt a little silly once I saw what it was…Work From Home! Of course!!!

So Working from home is such a big thing now that it has its own acronym and my question for you whether you WFH or not….Do you find joy where you spend your time? Do you enjoy your home office? If you don’t work from home, Do you enjoy coming home? Does your home bring you joy?

Im an interior designer by trade so I appreciate very much how your home can make you feel a certain way. In fact, I get paid to create a certain feel. It is one of my joys in life to create a space that makes someone feel happy, calm, rested, inspired or whatever emotion someone wants to feel.

But is that the key to a home that makes you happy? Does your home have to be perfectly designed? Well just like everything in life it’s different for each one of us. I feel the happiest in an environment that is beautiful, but that isn’t just what it is all about for me and I bet it isn’t for you either. In fact studies prove there’s more to a happy home than just beautiful design and I personally have seen it so many times first hand.

I had a client that Id been working with a while. She and her husband bought an older home that was being renovated. We had done a lot of work but still had more to do. I came in one beautiful sunny day and I could not wrap my head around how good and beautiful the space felt! IT felt so different from the last week, which was odd…I kept saying that and then it hit me….and I said You had your windows cleaned! She laughed and said, its like a different house. That was something on the list but once it was completed, you guys the difference that it made..it was just astonishing. That space came alive with that one little move of having the windows professionally cleaned!

www.jacflash.net

Instagram: Jaclyn Genovese

Fashion! Design! Meditation and so much more!

www.heididawson.com

Instagram: @theheididawson

Why is Forgiveness sometimes so hard? I do not ever think I have all the answers but I do have some life experience to speak to when it comes to this topic. As Im sure you do as well. I don’t think any of us have made it through our whole life without have to forgive or be forgiven. But why is it so hard sometimes to forgive?

For one thing, I can say because often we think that by forgiving, we let this person off the hook, or maybe we feel if we forgive them than they will think what they did is ok and keep it up, or maybe you want to stay angry as a way to hurt this person that hurt you.

I sometimes talk about my personal life on this podcast. I have a really blessed life and I can’t complain about anything. Just like everyone, including you, I have experiences with people where sometimes I have to forgive or be forgiven.

I was raised in a religion that was pretty strict. There are some good people but some of their rules I simply don’t agree with. Long story short I am no longer a part of it and there are members of my family who are. One of them is my little sister. For the record, I have 2 little sisters, one you hear me talk about a lot, thats Molly, and we are very close. The other one not so much. It is not that I don’t love her but you see for religious reasons she has cut part of the family out of her life because she doesn’t want her kids to be around people who don’t believe like she does. We have been a very close family for my whole life and this was a new thing that happened in the last couple years because the kids are getting to an age where they can start thinking for themselves and that scares her. I’m not creating this, we had a lunch where she basically told me this.

Now, I don’t have children and have been very close to my niece and nephew whom I now have not been able to part of their life for almost 2 years. They are growing up and I am missing that. Now. I tell you this story because for a little while, I was really angry and wanted her to feel the same pain I felt. I quickly realized that was not going to change anything and in fact was only hurting me, no-one else. I had a decision to make, let the seed of anger grow and use the situation to create drama with other family or I could recognize that the only thing I control in life is my thoughts about anything. My thoughts were turning into things like “I hope she gets what is coming to her’, it even got so bad I felt sort of happy when I heard something didn’t go her way. This is not something that Im proud of or that is true to my nature.

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So I am going to start off this episode with a little story. It is one I think of often and it helps me with perspective, I hope it will have the same affect on you. There was a man on a subway train in New York. He had 4 very young kids and they were running around that train like little crazy people and he seemed oblivious to it, like he didn’t even care. A woman sitting close finally had enough and let the dad have it, saying he needed to quiet down his children, the man, apologized profusely and said he would make sure to do it, they had just come from the hospital where their mom had died and so it was hard on them and he was trying to figure out what to do next. I think about this story whenever someone is having a bad day...maybe a waiter is a bit grumpy or the store clerk is slow, or someone is letting their baby just cry. I have no idea what’s going on in that persons life.

Life is so interesting isn’t it? And relationships with other people make it even more interesting.

Think about the relationships you have whether it’s with your mom and dad, your siblings, your friends, your coworkers.

These are the people that often shape our world. Do you understand that each one of these people has a life outside of you? And yep that includes your mom. I’ve seen those memes where the daughter is like what else does my mom have to do besides answer the phone when I call?? I mean seriously. How can you not answer? I find it funny and so true. We often think we are the center of the universe and we are but it’s only the center of our very own personal universe. Your mom, as long as she is healthy, has a whole other set of problems, friends and life outside of you. Same thing with your friends. Sometimes you think something another person does has something to do with you and often, it has nothing to do with you! That’s a good thing.

Our brain likes drama, it also is egocentric. It will try to make you think that everything going on around you has to do with you. That waiter doesn’t like you, the store clerk is lazy or deliberately being slow. Your coworker must be mad at you because they haven’t said good morning.

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Colonics!

Brendon Burchard: Motivation Manifesto

Do you struggle with going to the bathroom like you should? Gut health is crucial to a holistic approach to your body. I talk with Amber Thompson, the founder of RenewSpaMemphis all about the seriousness of gut health and the role Colonics can play.

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I used to have this human tendency and still struggle with at times, to think I’m the only one. I’m the only one that would buy a pack of cookie dough and eat half of it, I’m the only one that because I worked out decided I could eat a bowl of chips and salsa and drink 2 margaritas. I’m the only one that spends 3 hours on tik tok without being aware of it. I could keep going but I like to keep these short and sweet and nobody wants to air all their dirty laundry right???

But see that’s just it. The reason I thought I was the only one? Because for the most part we don’t want to talk about the things we do that make us disgusted with ourselves. That’s a strong word and I use it carefully and with love for me and for you because that’s exactly how it can feel. And I have come a long way with good habits but it isn’t something that one day you just magically aren’t going to have any bad habits or thoughts or feelings. I still have to fight my Twitter habit. The other day, I had so much I needed to do and here I was hitting refresh on Twitter to distract myself from thinking about all the things I had to do. As soon as I recognized that I was doing it, I had the same feeling I used to have when I would eat a bag of those white powdered donuts. I asked myself why can’t I stop? Why is it so hard to be disciplined all the time? Am I the only one?

I’ve created really really good habits for myself and I still have to continue to protect myself from myself. You see, we all have this magnificent thing in our head called a brain. It controls everything. The part of your brain that you have to watch is your primitive brain, that’s the one that wants instant gratification. ...the front of your brain, the neo cortex will be the one that stops you, that tells you that isn’t good for you and we aren’t going to do that. We all have that same brain. We just have to train it the same way we have to train our body if we want it to be fit and healthy. It is possible to do it, you just have to want it more than you want the thing.

And guess what? If you stop exercising your muscles get weaker and your body gets lethargic. The same thing goes for your brain. You see. You Aren’t the only one with that tendency you have. You aren’t the only one that overeats in your car so no one sees you or spends 3 hours on your phone with your distraction of choice, or fantasizes about someone that you shouldn’t be fantasizing about, You aren’t the only one staying in a bad relationship because you’re afraid to be alone, or whatever it is you struggle with, you aren’t the only one!

BUT YOU ARE the only one that is going to save yourself. You are it. You are the only one that will delete tik tok from your phone completely so it isn’t an option. You are the only one that will finally decide enough. I’ve had enough and today is the day I’m going to commit. Today is the day I’m going to hire the trainer, work with the mindset coach, Today is the day I’m going to block that website so I can’t get on it, block that person from my phone today is the day I’m going to tell my primitive brain that I’m in charge. I know who I am at my core and Im not accepting anything less anymore.

If you struggle with knowing who you are at your core go to my website and download the free tool Ive created for a fun easy first step to clarity and to help you decide and remind yourself who you are at your core.

Sometimes we think something or someone is going to knock on the door and say hello, I’m here to fix your problems and all will be well or that something is going to magically appear and save me. I have good news for you and if you’re listening to this it is your wake up call and I’m here to tell you right now that person, that white knight is YOU. You are are the one. The only one. I love you guys and I’ll talk to you in a few days.

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Podcast suggestion: Angie Lee Show podcast

Taking action is the key! Write more stories about your journey so you have your story to tell!

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If you are struggling and most people I have talked to are, then just know that you are not alone. We each are struggling in our own way. I have struggled lately because things are so up in the air of when we will go back to normal. Im ok when I know the timeframe but the idea of not knowing is tough and Im sure a lot of you feel the same. I love to be out and about and traveling and having dinner with friends and I also love for the people around me to be happy and thats kind of hard right now for a lot of people. so I have been really having to work on my mindset and not let myself get too down. I have been staying off social media and the news as much as possible because and I know I talk about it a lot but it can drain you! The reason it drains you is because you are allowing other people to control your emotions. The news gets paid to create drama. Social media is designed to create anxiety because how can you possibly keep up with the perfect lives that you see displayed? If you could see the back story on most posts you would be surprised. So Always be aware of how much time you spend letting others control your mindset.

Honestly I have found that focusing on what I do control and not only what I can do to make myself better but also how I can add value to others too has been a way of keeping my sanity. I can’t control what everyone else is doing and I certainly can’t control what the government decides is open or not open but one thing I know now is we don’t know how long things are going to be weird so we can use it as an excuse anymore. We cant say oh well “because Covid Im just going to eat whatever or not exercise, or watch 15 straight hours of Netflix”. We cant do that anymore if we want to be the best version of ourself. Right now is when you see what you are made of. Right now is when you show others what is possible! Right now is when you make a plan for what the rest of your week is going to look like regardless of what is going on externally. Prove to yourself you can do it.

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Artist.

Art. passion. beauty. adventure

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Right now is the perfect time to be able to really decide if what you are doing is being true to who you are. We are in the age where working from home and the internet allows for so many of us to design a life exactly the way we want it.

Sometimes we are afraid to show who we really are because what if people laugh? What if they make fun of us? Let me start first by saying that if you are past 6th grade and Im assuming you are because you’re listening to this podcast then you should not be worrying about others laughing at you, in fact I hope you surround yourself with people that support you and encourage you. They may not agree with you but making fun of you is a trick that 6 graders did because they weren’t taught better! Ok off that soapbox….sorry. so how do we show up as our true self? First of all. I believe you need to know your own worth, your own value and what you love doing and who you really are. Really dig deep and come up with who you are truly to your core. Just like I described myself earlier, how would you describe yourself to your core?

Make a list right now of who you feel you are at your core…I describe myself as feminine, loving, creative, fun and driven. Knowing this will help you decide if your living in a way that honors who you are.

Living congruently with who you are means your work lines up with the real you. I started my design career with my contractors license building homes with my dad. I found myself having to try to harness subcontractors, and if you have worked in that industry, you know that isn’t easy! Don’t get me wrong, I love them but very often squeaky wheel gets the grease if you know what I mean. I had to be pretty strong with them to make sure they finished my job before they ran off to start another job for someone that was yelling at them a little louder to get it done, I didn’t like who I had to be to be successful at that, it felt like work dealing with them but it showed me what I did love and that was the design. That is where I thrived. You know how you hear about the journey you’re on or the path that takes you where you need to be? So often what you are doing is the stepping stone to doing the thing you have always dreamed of doing if you are open and don’t get too comfortable!

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Books: Atomic Habit by James Clear and The confidence Code by Claire Shipman and Katty Kay

Podcast: Pain Free and Strong Radio with Dr. Tina Moore

Nutrition and Fitness viewed holistically

Coaching women to succeed in their goals!

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!. Expectations can wreak havoc on our happiness because if they aren’t met we are upset. Not everything in life goes as planned. There are setbacks. Things happen, we mess up. Basing our happiness on specific outcomes that are out of our control is a sure way to be miserable. I take on the belief that if were meant to be, it would be. If not something better is coming along. Didn’t get the job? A job that is more suited is around the corner. Didn’t get the second date? Thank goodness because someone better is coming up. I seriously write in my journal every single day that I am grateful that Im exactly where Im supposed to be right now and things are always working out in my favor. And you know what? It’s true. And it’s true for you. Always be looking for the light at the end of the tunnel or what you can learn from a situation that didn’t turn out the way you wanted it.

Never ever ever ever ever Compare yourself to others. Trust me. Its a dead end street. The next time you start to say well this person is doing this already or Im not as successful as her. Stop and think. That may be true but maybe you spend more time with your friends and family. You have more time with your dog (which is super awesome). Your version of success and happiness has to be defined by one person. Thats you. Whats meant for you will be yours. No-one else is going to get it. There is not a finite supply of success or happiness. It’s possible for everyone and it looks different for everyone. It comes in all different shapes and sizes. Keep working on a better version of you. You’re unique and beautiful and are exactly where you are supposed to be. OH and guess what? We are human beings and once we reach a goal? We want more so you’ll always be growing. You’ll always want more that is the joy of the journey!
Do more of the things you love. Think about the times that you are or were the happiest. My guess is it involves family and friends, relaxing, being in nature of some sort. Are you doing enough of the things that make you happy? Do you spend enough time actually enjoying life? That is what we are put here to do. Many times we think work can’t wait. I have to be on call at all times. If you’re an emergency room dr maybe but most of us aren’t that. Can we carve out time each day, yep, each day to do something we love. Something that makes us happy. I know its a Monday but go out to dinner with friends! Turn your thoughts around a bit about fun. Start doing things out of the ordinary Mix it up a little. Go for a walk in nature without being distracted by your phone, Invite friends over on a Tuesday for dinner and cards, Pick a day where when you come home you don’t worry about your to do list, you simply enjoy time with your family, friends or simply being alone without the thought of having to DO.

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I started thinking about how much we are influenced by what we see or hear or talk about. It made me think about a few questions. What is our addiction to our phone, social media, the news doing to us? How much is it influencing what we do or think? What is it doing to our brain? What is it doing to our relationships?

For instance. Call me naive but I believe most people are genuinely good. I choose to believe that we are all created equal. I choose to want everyone regardless of their skin color. I also recognize that we all have bias of sorts. I am choosing to recognize mine when it pops up and check myself. Racism exists. We know it does. You are either living proof through first hand experience or you have seen it occur. It may be that you only see subtle instances. But listen We are a point where just don’t be ok with that anymore. Don’t be ok with the subtle instances….don’t laugh it off. All you have to say is (in a very loving way) Thats not funny. Love and respect everyone regardless of their skin color. If we all did that, what a different world it would be. But think about this. How often do you go into a restaurant or grocery store and people are friendly and nice, it doesn’t matter what color you are, most people seem genuinely kind. I believe our natural instinct is to be loving and kind. Our influences are what change that.

Sometimes though if I listen to a news show and they are harping on one race or another then that would be on your mind. In your thoughts. If you see someone that is of that race, because of the influence of that news show, you might be thinking ….do they dislike me? Do they think I dislike them? Are they angry at me? Do I smile? Will they smile back? This isn’t a natural thing guys! Think about kids. It doesn’t matter AT ALL about the color of skin. They just want to play and if you like the same thing they like they want to play with you! That’s what comes naturally. The other stuff is taught or put into our brain by our surroundings, most often by the news or ignorance and it’s been permeating social media lately as well. It’s hard not to see it. I think long term, whats happening is a good thing. We are talking about it. We are having conversations. We just all have to work together to make it better. I choose to believe Im no better than any other human being. I have talents and skills that are mine, specific to me and you do too. I love that! Don’t be manipulated and influenced by negative media but also realize that there are other viewpoints then your own and sometimes they are a very different perspective. So always try to be open to other peoples feelings and opinions.

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Books: Simon Sinek "Start With Why" and Donald Miller "Story Brand"

Podcast: From the Center with John Hodges

Wonderful advice: Seek more mentors earlier

Ive started getting back with clients and working in design and I didn’t realize how much I missed it. I missed creating. I missed being inspired by products that people have designed. I missed the co creation I have with my clients and the friendship. It really does remind me though how much the processes of life duplicate each other. The process of design is so aligned with the process of creating the life we want. They are very similar. We have an inspiration, we define exactly what we want, then we create a mood board, put together a plan and schedule it. We schedule every single detail.

When I put a plan together for a client and we follow the plan…its no surprise to me when it turns out amazing and beautiful, it turns out exactly the way I thought it would because we followed the plan. It can be the Same thing for your life. If you follow your plan you won’t be surprised when you succeed because you knew you would. You planned it out.

For so many though, there is no plan for their life at all. And if that is you and you are here and listening, its ok. It is never too late to start. I don’t care where you are in life. Look, life happens and you get into routines and settle into mediocrity because you tell yourself you should just be happy you have a job. Or you settle for an average relationship because you’re just glad you aren’t alone. We don’t dream big because who are we to dream big? Who are you NOT to dream big? If you have a desire in your heart to do something bigger than what you are currently doing then that is the universe telling you to do it. That’s your inner guidance system drawing you towards the thing you are meant to do. Sometimes, we don’t even consider a life beyond what we know as possible. Because no-one we know has done it and it’s scary to dream that way. What if we fail? What if others laugh? What if you succeed? What if you feel more alive than you have ever felt before?

If you are someone who wants more from life and I bet you are because you are listening to this podcast then consider using the design process I talked about as a tool to get what you want. I have created a free pdf that you can download on my website at heididawson.com. It’s a simple form, but it tells you each step of the process and it can work for any area. So lets say you already have a plan but are struggling to succeed, maybe its in a certain area whether its trying to lose weight, trying to stop drinking so much, trying to get a better job. We have to beware of some of the tricks our brain will play on us. One of the biggest tricks and it is especially bad right now is distractions. Distraction is a choice. We choose to be distracted. Its easier to distract ourself than it is to follow the plan. It’s more comfortable. Especially when the life we want to create scares us. So we settle ourselves down and we ease back into our comfort zone.

Your Comfort zone is not your friend. Your comfort zone is the place your brain wants you to stay because it’s safe. It’s safe but it will make you soft.

@theMoniqueWalker joined me for a conversation on being a strong black woman in America right now. How do you gain perspective on something you cannot experience yourself? You listen. You learn. You grow. You communicate. We talk about racism in American and Monique answers questions that I have regarding current topics. You're going to love this episode!

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Just like being back in the gym working out! My body hasn’t felt this sore in a long time but it’s good because my muscles are growing! They are being recharged. Just like I feel my brain has been opening and expanding this week which I love. I love growing. I always say I love to learn. I hope to learn something new every single day. Growth and learning physically and mentally changes your world which changes THE world. We weren’t put on this earth to grind it out and then die. We were put on this earth to create, to grow, to expand and to love.

That is something else that changes the world. Being able to love one another. Another thing I like to say is that you can put me in a room with hundreds different people and I can find something I love about each one. Truly. Have you ever thought about that? Being able to look at someone that you don’t know and wonder what it would be that you’d love about them? I think we often let others affect us and trust me I work on this every single day. sometimes someone you’ve just met maybe rubbed you the wrong way or maybe you grabbed an opinion from your head because of the way they were dressed or how they carried themself. I was at a condo in Florida a few years back and Eric was sleeping so I thought oh I’ll go down to the pool while he naps and you could see the pool from our balcony I looked to see how crowded it was and I saw a big kind of gruff looking guy swimming and he had tattoos on his arms and I thought oh maybe I’ll wait. And then I caught myself and I said. You know what? That guy could be your brother. My brother is the sweetest most loving human being youll ever meet. He has tatoos and he can be a bit intimidating because he’s a big guy with tattoos. And I

Follow John on Instagram @JohnRoussot

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10 questions speed round style with Wildly Successful People from around the world!! Listen Now!

Love you guys! -Heidi

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This Wednesday we are starting our new Wednesday Wisdom series! I’m super excited! It’s the first in a series of interviews I’m doing with Wildly successful people from all over the world. We are getting an inside look into their day to day life and what makes them super successful so be sure to listen in on Wednesday!

Your being happy makes everyone around you feel happier just by being around you. Have you ever known someone that you know that every time your with them it just feels like the sun shines a little brighter? How can you be that person? I don’t mean you have to walk around with a silly grin on your face, I mean truly and authentically happy from the inside out. I know people like that and I want to be around them. And listen, life happens so there are always going to be times we have to struggle but having an optimistic outlook and a genuinely happy disposition can make those times much easier.

Let me also say there are different personality types and some are just predisposed to be happier. What if you aren’t? Well you can reach for the closest feeling you can that can get you closer to happy like maybe: Feeling Grateful, Calm, peaceful, hopeful, These can all be a bridge to happiness, if happiness feels a little far off.

I talk about this a lot I know but we have to be so aware of what we are feeding our mind. We have to be aware of how much negativity we allow in. This comes in forms of TV, News, Social media, toxic relationships. So being very aware of what we let in is important and a good way not to cultivate negative emotions but…..

How do we cultivate the positive emotions we want?

Just like training for physical strength, you have to train your mental strength as well.

Our brains are not made for happy thoughts, they are made for survival. We have to develop good habits to cultivate good emotions. Left to its own plan the brain will be drawn to drama, chaos and negativity. So how do we train for mental strength?

Well for sure we need to start our day by rewiring it for positivity by: Grateful journaling or just writing down 3 things we are grateful for. Also, quieting our mind for a few minutes per day through meditation. Finally allowing in good, positive information to counteract all the negative information we are dealing with right now. We do that through podcasts, or books, great conversations with friends, or just getting out in nature! Some of these things like Grateful journaling and meditation may seem hard at first just like working out but after you get into a habit, you become addicted! And that’s what I would call a good addiction! Thats An addiction that sets you up for success every single day! Ok guys I hope you enjoyed this episode! I love you all and will talk to you in a couple days when we have our first Wednesday Wisdom interview! Its with John Roussot and you don’t want to miss it! Bye guys!

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It's not easy is it? I share a few cringe stories of my experience with being wrong!

But for now, when you think someone else is wrong or someone else thinks you are wrong, maybe have an honest conversation with them about why they feel that way. I love this new question a friend and I came up with recently. “Help me understand, Im so curious because thats not my view, and I am interested in why it is yours.” It could be that their past is dictating their thoughts and feelings just like mine have been. It may not change your mind but now you can at least understand why they feel that way which makes it so much easier to have a conversation about it. And look. Maybe in cases like this, we just give up on the idea that someone has to be right and someone has to be wrong! Isn’t that a freeing thought?

My final point is that it is not a sign of weakness to admit when you are wrong. Quite the opposite in my opinion, its a sign of confidence and strentgh, showing you are open minded and flexible…two more key ingredients for a Wildly Successful Lifestyle! Love you guys and I will talk to you in a few days!

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What the heck is intentional living??

A good place to start in my opinion is the actual definition of Intentional living. The definition of Intentional is Done by design. Synonyms are conscious, deliberate, purposeful and willful.

So it’s living a life by design!

In my design world. When I’m working on a project, I have a process that works for getting a project from My clients desires into a space that is everything they dreamed it would be. This process is the exact same process that works for intentional living.

Picture what you want your life to look like

Visualize it with vision boards (digital or using magazines and glue)

Put a plan together for it

Schedule it by putting it on your calendar

Follow the plan (even if there are little hiccups here and there and there will be.

Now listen. I also know that sometimes we are living in survival mode. Survival mode means you are in a crisis or there is a current crisis relevant to you, like whats been going on with Corona virus. But realize that survival mode needs to be temporary. We need to move from survival mode as soon as we can. You can’t live in survival mode and thrive. Staying in survival mode too long can make you feel like a victim. Victimhood gives your power to someone other than yourself.

Living intentionally means taking responsibility for every aspect of our life.

It can be easy to follow the daily grind and think its going to get you somewhere awesome, maybe you’ll luck out or you get one big hit, maybe you’ll win the lottery to get where you want to be. Guys hoping to get lucky isn’t a plan.

Our brains are conditioned and wired to help us survive. It isn’t conditioned or wired to help us to thrive. The reason our brain is wired simply for survival is because our ancestors lived in constant survival mode….having to find food, find shelter and run from saber tooth tigers. We don’t have to do that anymore,. For most of us, Food is abundant, shelter is not an issue and I don’t even think saber tooth tigers are around anymore. Someone will factcheck me on that Im sure. But we can train our brain to help us thrive! How do we do that How do we train our brain to help us thrive?

One of the best and easiest things you can do:

Prioritize and schedule your day.

Every morning rewire your brain for positivity by grateful journaling

Give your brain a chance to be still by meditating for at least 5 minutes a day.

Pick up a practice of listening to a positive podcast Like mine….I do a new episode 3 times a week and they are usually under 10 minutes so you can listen while you’re making coffee, exercising, or driving to work!

finally, Download the “my three words” pdf on my website and come up with your very own 3 anchor words to guide your day! I put my website in the show notes but its heididawson.com, its new and its beautiful so go check it out!

Stop waiting for things to happen and go out and make them happen! Be intentional with everything you do!

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson on Instagram

Alright, We are in an election year in the US. If you don’t live here then just trust me, its a fun interesting time to be alive…..I say that laughing because this year has been crazy already and the thought of dealing with an election on top of it just is kind of surreal. But hey here we are and we are going to all be just fine and life is going to be ok regardless of what happens. We have to believe that.

Now, I know that these are pretty polarizing topics and I know that it isn’t always easy to have conversations because people have differing opinions and I love that. I love that in America we get to believe what we want and we get to debate it out loud if we want!

It started me thinking that we live in a time where we are just so bothered if someone has a different opinion on things. The media doesn’t help in this area because they have 24 hour news and are paid to keep us watching, which is why they love to keep us in fear or riled up or anxious by creating drama around something that some politician said that they disagree with. It really has become a very interesting time because its almost like having a different opinion with someone makes it hard to have a conversation with them. Why does it bother us so much that someone else disagrees or simply has a different opinion about something that you feel strongly about?

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Loving someone that has hurt you may seem hard, but you know what? Love is an act of giving. You go to relationships to give love not to get love. Loving and expecting nothing in return will never feel bad. Its easy to love when someone is super lovable, but The definition of unconditional love is loving without limitations or conditions. And sometimes that means loving from afar and that is OK.

www.heididawson.com

@theheididawson on Instagram

Resilience is a natural human trait. Happiness is not.

My husband sent me a quote this last week, it was from Eckhart Tolle where he said “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation, but your thoughts about it”.

Our thoughts are everything. Our thoughts affect everything. Our thoughts can change everything.

So, how can we set ourself up for having the kind of thoughts that empower us?

The first thing is to: Ask better questions in everything you do:

What am I grateful for right now?

How can I add value to myself and my family today?

How can I make this situation amazing? (like my friend with the parade)

What is something I can do for someone else today? (How many times have you done something kind for someone and it lifted your mood as well?)

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We hear a lot about developing good mindset habits but we also have to eliminate bad habits as well if we want to improve our mental strength. Here are a few bad habits that seem to be growing in popularity

Not having time limitations on energy vampires, we all have our own personal version of what that is (It could be social media, video games, news watching)

You let your brain control you rather than vise versa (your brain wants to keep you safely in your comfort zone, you build mental strength by stepping out of your comfort zone…besides, remember the earlier episode thats where the good stuff is!)

You compare yourself to others ((Maybe Resenting someone else’s success or life)

Did you know that envying your friends on facebook or Instagram actually can lead to depression?

Did you know that your brain actually likes the drama of it all? Thats why we have to tell our brain what to think. The output is only as good as the input. What we put in is what we put out. but we do need to figure out ways to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. This brings us mental strength in spades! I recently finished a book called “The art of Learning” by Jeff Waitzkin where he said

“The little moments where you can push yourself beyond your comfort zone and get uncomfortable, build tolerance and slowly expand your ability to get tougher and tougher”

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Kris Carr, "Crazy sexy cancer"

“Just a reminder, Everyone is going through quite a bit of anxiety and stress right now, so be gentle and maybe cut everyone some slack. And then in parenthesis he said (including yourself)

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I hope this finds you happy and feeling fulfilled in your life. Do you ever feel as if your dreams are elusive? Or maybe you landed your dream and now you are looking for more? Feeling fullfilled, having success…have you ever really thought about what this means to you? To be sure it means something different to each one of us.

I love the way that Maya Angelou defined success. She said success is “liking who you are, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

I had an epiphany when I heard her definition. I thought to myself, Wow, According to that definition, Im already successful and I wonder how many of you think that too?

Are you following my line of thought here?

Norman Vincent Peale says “if you shoot for the moon, Even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars….

He got it. Follow your passion and ultimately you’ll end up somewhere awesome!

Your personal version of a Wildly Successful Lifestyle! So go have the biggest dream you can think of, follow it relentlessly and you’re likely going to end up somewhere amazing!

Ok guys! As Maya Angelou said, I hope you like yourself, you like what you’re doing and you like how soured doing it! A beautiful definition of success.. I love you all and hope you enjoyed this episode! If you did, you could show it with a 5 star rating! And also follow me on Instagram @theheididawson for lots more inspiration and I will talk to you in a few days!

A very cool lady told me one time that each of us have to figure out who we are to our core, really KNOW who we are to our core because we are going to have thoughts, fantasies and cravings that are normal but are not going to serve us. This is why really knowing who you want to be is so important, so that you can compartmentalize those thoughts and say “OK, thats just a thought but doing that would not align with who I am at my core so I will leave it right there where it is.

I love this because sometimes well meaning people, your teachers, religious leaders, parents even will tell you that just having a thought makes you a bad person. I was raised in a pretty strict religion where even thinking about a thought was considered a sin. There were entire domains of things I wasn’t supposed to think about. Why then when I would try so hard did I still think about them? Truth be told every single person in every single religion has had some sort of forbidden thought of some sort. SO It doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you normal. Acting on the thought can have detrimental consequences, depending on what it is. Sometimes we feel so bad about these thoughts we try to use super force to not have them ever.

But Trying to force yourself to NOT think a thought doesn’t work either. Harvard University did a study on the topic, they asked people in the study to NOT think about something and they just couldn’t do it. For example, Right now I want you to think about anything but a White bear. Don’t you think about that white bear. More than likely you are thinking about a white bear. Trying to NOT think about it, actually made you think about it.

So to give you a few examples, have you ever thought about grabbing all the cash from a register and running? Or how about dropping your kids off at a friends house and just never picking them up. Maybe you have fantasies about someone other than your partner. Maybe you think about eating 5 cupcakes in a row because you’re on a diet! These are some of the common thoughts.

So we are programmed to like drama and negativity! That explains so much! So we know we have negative thoughts, these thoughts often stop us from moving forward, they paralyze us.

We have what Tony Robbins calls LIMITING beliefs. So my questions for you today is “Are you aware of them”. And are you able to turn them around as soon as you notice you’re doing it?

I work on these every single day. Im so serious when I say that… I love that I can now catch myself in the act of a limiting thought and turn it around immediately. I had an eye opening experience recently.

Some very common limiting beliefs that I hear a lot are:

Im too old

I just can’t lose weight

I can’t stop eating

I hate exercise

I’ll never lose the last 10 lbs

Im just stuck in my ways, thats just how I am

This crisis we have been in is a good experiment. It teaches us that we have to be conscious. We have to be aware of our thoughts. Being aware of why we do the things we do is so important. Because maybe what you think you’re wanting, isn’t what you’re wanting at all.

Becoming aware of our thoughts is the first step.

So what can you do to be more aware?

Our brain wants us comfortable. It will lead us down a familiar path. It will try to find similar thought patterns and experiences to make us feel comfortable. Our brain doesn’t control us unless we let it. We have to tell our brain what we want. We have to feed our brain with the type of results we want.

Want to feel less stressed? Watch less news

Want to eat less? Watch less tv, those commercials understand more bout your brain and cravings then you or I ever will.

Want to be more fit in general? Follow lots of people on social media with the body you want.

Listen to the type of podcasts that feed your mind with good information.

The brain is a computer that can only compute what it is given. OK, guys I hope this gave you a little insight in case you fell prey to the Corona 15…haha Im sure you didn’t but look Crisis and stress …thats part of life so start now training your brain to have the thoughts that empower you rather than leaving you powerless.

www.heididawson.com

Brendon Burchard says “You have the chance every single morning to make that change and be the person you want to be”

I love that because its so true. You get to decide. Theres no better time than NOW to decide NOT just to show up but HOW you intent to show up!

How many times have you heard that just Showing up is half the battle? Oh man, what kind of standard is that? You and me (meaning you guys listening), we aren’t those people just showing up. Im not and you’re not either if you’re here. So, what’s the other half of the battle?

Showing up PREPARED

Showing up POSITIVE

ENGAGED

OPEN MINDED

READY

ENERGIZED

www.heididawson.com

We each have our own version of what a wildly successful lifestyle is. That’s what makes the world go round. Are you living that right now? Are you on the path to living that? Do you even know what that looks like for you? I have created vision boards my whole adult life of what I want my life to look like. I create them for how I want my style to feel and look. I create them for my business and my body. Everything! Knowing what you want is the first step to having it. SO What DO you want? Do you want a body that lacks energy and vitality? Do you want to sit on the sidelines and watch other people play? Do you want to sit on the sofa and watch people live cool exciting lives on the tv? OR do you want to step out of your comfort zone and create a life you have always dreamed of, A “LIFE BY DESIGN”. Your version of a WILDLY Successful Lifestyle. This life is so possible for each of us! Maybe you’re living it and if you are I want to congratulate you! But if you aren’t and you are just getting started on the path to doing it. Really think about exactly what your ideal life would look like. How would you want to wake up feeling? How would your life look? How would you want your relationships to be? Are you in your perfect relationship or is that something you need to define

OK we’re going to church today cause Im preachin…..nah just kidding…..but seriously

Today is all about owning who you are. Empowering yourself. Being true to yourself. Living your version of YOUR wildly successful lifestyle! That looks different for each of us and that’s a beautiful thing.

I would love to start a mantra that we say every morning, here is what it would say:

I control my thoughts

I control my body

I control what I put into my body

I control what I feed my mind

I control who my friends are, what I wear and how I spend my time.

Every single one of these statements is true whether you like it or not. Whether you want to believe it or not. NEVER give this power to someone else. The people we surround ourselves with hopefully are good sounding boards for ideas or good sources of advice but listen

Did you know that every single decision you make about other people has to do with your own world view? You bring YOU into every interaction you have with other people and they do the same. Think about the relationships you have and the interactions you have. How does your world view play into these interactions? Do you notice any consistent patterns? Are you only looking at things through your world view or view point or are you able to step out of your world view to really connect and empathize with those closest to you.

It makes me think of a quote by Wayne Dyer: “When you change the way you see things, the things you see change”

It isn’t always easy to realize that the problem lies with us. It is much easier to blame the other person especially in our closest relationships. The more aware we are of our worldview, the easier it is to navigate our relationship with others.

I posted on Instagram yesterday an acronym for FEAR as I see it. I hope you saw it because I thought it was kind of clever. Ha. Here is what it said: Fear is just a Fabricated Emotion around an assumed reality. You see, Fear is a created emotion that assumes an outcome that we are unsure of.

To start off on a really positive note…..Did you know that studies have shown that OVER 90% of our fears never come to fruition? That rings true for me. There have been so so so many things that I have feared that never happened. I love this quote by Mark Twain:

“I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened”

Did you know that facing your fears actually makes you stronger? Every singe time you fear something but do it anyway your brain accepts that it wasn’t so bad and the next time it gets easier and easier. I have found this to be true so many times in my life…..I watched a TED talk about Fear and how an encouraging word from someone can sometimes be the little push we need to keep going. Consider this your push! I am here for you and would love to celebrate you and the successes you have by overcoming fear! Email me @ heidi@heididawson.com

Ok guys I hope you enjoyed this episode! Don’t forget to check out my website heididawson.com to download my free gift, the “my three words pdf” to you to help create your wildly successful lifestyle!

Loving yourself is the most important relationship you will ever have, and It's crucial for your other relationships to THRIVE!

It's not your job to make other people happy and it isn't other people's job to make you happy!

www.heididawson.com

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