O.K. Let’s Talk About 2012 and the Mayan Calendar

By Irene Conlan -

This morning I decided that it’s time to start talking about the new year. I began my search for an article that did that and after slogging through pages and pages of the predictions of doom finally found something worth posting.  (see the featured article)

Are we going to do the moaning and worrying, the fretting and the scare mongering that we did for Y2K? Give me a break.

Yes, I’ve read the predictions. I know that an extinct group of people predicted  that the world as we know it is ending on December 21, 2012.

We have had quite a number of predictions for the end of the world since I’ve been on planet Earth and, guess what? We’re still here.

I figure that if the world is ending there isn’t a whole lot we can do to stop it but there are two ways to react – two ways to live before that last day arrives.

You can join in the frenzy of negativity and let your negative thinking infect the Universe along with the others who live in fear and cringing. You can spend your days in fearful worrying if you choose to do so. If you believe that your thoughts create then you won’t want to do that. Will your doomsday thinking change anything for the better? Most likely not. The inevitable fact is that someday you are going to die. You know that already. Whether it’s in December 2012 or in April of 2042, it’s still going to happen. The question is, how do you intend to live your life before that day arrives? Do you know what you believe about death and life after death? Maybe it’s time to think it through.

Your other option is to live life as usual with an unusual attitude of love and caring for your fellow human beings. If you think it is the end time, then how do you want to end it? I prefer to think that sending out love, positive thoughts and good deeds would benefit you and others far more than getting caught up in the “Oh, my God, we’re doomed” mentality.

Look around. Who can you help? Who can you comfort? Who needs a friend? Who needs someone to sit and listen.? Who needs an arm around the shoulder? What child needs something to eat, someone to dry her tears, someone to see that she’s safe, warm and clean?  What older person, alone and lonely, needs a visit, a hug, a kind word? Who needs a smile, a greeting a pat on the back? You can do any of those things, can’t you?

So if you believe the world is ending, shouldn’t you use that time living? Dance more. Laugh more, Help more, Sing more?

T.S. Elliott in “The Hollow Men” writes, “This is the way the world ends: This is the way the world ends: This is the way the world ends: Not with a bang but a whimper.” I’m sure you’ll hear that a lot this year.

But how you end your sojourn here is your choice. I don’t mean when and I don’t mean by what means. But you have a choice of how you live – with a positive attitude and a loving spirit helping others or hiding in your room under the blankets in fear and whimpering. I don’t live that way now and I don’t intend to live that way in 2012.

We don’t know for sure what will happen within the next five minutes so why should you start worrying about what’s going to happen next December? Is that your idea of living?

It’s not mine. I’m going to get some breakfast and plan some yummy new year’s resolutions to break.

Hey, 2012. Let’s go!

 

Some Self Improvement Thoughts Now That the Holidays Go Into Full Gear

Christmas giftOne more day of November and the holdiay season is moving into high gear.

Every TV commercial says “Buy, Buy, Buy.” Some even suggest that you get a loan so you can buy those expensive gifts you think each member of your family wants (and needs?) After all, will 5 year old Tommy ever respect you again if you don’t give him his own cell phone with music, video and text messaging? (of course he can’t read or spell but so what?) Will 13 year old Jessica forgive you if she doesn’t receive those $120 designer jeans? Does your wife expect diamonds or your husband expect a Rolex even though you’re on a tight budget? Or, hey, how about having twin Mercedes sitting in the driveway on Christmas morning like the commercials instruct?

Get real.

[Read more...]

This is a week of Thanksgiving – so what does that mean to you?

By Irene Conlan -

How many times have you heard on radio or TV lately that Thanksgiving is a day of celebrating having enough  – food, clothing, shelter, safety? Have you heard that it is a family time, a time of gratitude and appreciation for the bounty we have received during the year?

I can’t remember hearing it even one time. NOT ONCE!

What I have heard is about:

  • Turkeys are cheaper at X store than Y store
  • Black Friday is almost here – a time when we turn the red ink of the merchants to black and our own bank statements from black ink  to red
  • The stores are opening even earlier than before. Workers are upset and shoppers can’t wait to get in line.
  • Christmas is coming so buy, buy. buy.
  • The same old news fills up the rest of the air space – war, kidnappings, protests, murders, celebrity debacles/debauches  and our regular diet of mayhem around the country.

Thanksgiving is for – well, it’s for giving thanks. How hard is that? (The only one not thankful is the turkey).

What do you have to be thankful for? Think about it.  I mean REALLY think about it.

Take a moment to imagine that you have been homeless for the year. Day after day of living on the street or in your car you have wondered how you would feed your children, how you would keep them safe, how you could get back on your feet. And now you have been restored to life as you once knew it. You would most likely be aware of how grateful you are for:

  • a safe place to live
  • good food on the table on a consistent basis
  • new clean clothes and a place to was them
  • good shoes
  • your own bed with clean sheets
  • air conditioning and heat so you aren’t at the mercy of the elements
  • transportation
  • people who love you

Notice I didn’t say a big screen TV, a Wii or Playstation, diamond earrings or  an iPad. I didn’t mention a Gucci handbag or a little gift in a pale blue box from Tiffanys.  There’s nothing wrong with having these but do you give a thought of gratitude for being able to have them or is your mind on the next thing you want?

Most of us have so much. Are we grateful? Do we appreciate it?

Use this week to think about these things and put things back in proper perspective.

We are grateful for the bounty!

 

 

 

 

It is a day to celebrate survival in harsh land. It is a day to celebrate family, food and fortune. It is a day to be grateful for what we have.

 

This is the week we celebrate Thanksgiving – a day set aside to celebrate the harvest, to rejoice in the fact that we survived another year, to acknowledge all the good things we have received from the bounty of the land and the kindnesses of each other.

The Smart Phone Gets Smarter About Health

By Irene Conlan -

The other day I received an email that seemed especially interesting. I didn’t have time to respond at that moment and it slipped my mind until this morning. I read it again and followed the link to their website. After reading the descriptions on their website, I think this is something everyone should know about so I’m breaking some of my own rules: 1) never endorse a product (well, I’m not actually endorsing it but letting you know about it; 2) always try it before you introduce it. (I have not tried this).

Here’s the email:

I totally agree with your tips on healthy living. I’m training for a full marathon in May and I keep having to remind myself to drink more water because I live in Colorado and it’s SO dry up here with the altitude! When you’re hydrated you are able to operate normally and think clearer. And it is very true that H20 flushes out the toxins from your system. I work for a biotechnology company in Lakewood, CO called Aegis Creative Communications, and I’m working on marketing this personal health record app for iPhones and iPads called CladeHealth Tracker. This innovative app tracks all aspects of your health, including information on healthcare providers, health conditions, lab results, medications, surgeries, upcoming tests, and emergency contact info. It is a very helpful way to keep you more organized so that you have the information with you 24/7 in case of any medical related emergencies. It also encourages independence by helping you take your health into your own hands. If you could check out our website and maybe mention us in a blog it would be much appreciated. We have a blog on our website as well. The URL is http://www.cladehealth.com. We are also on Facebook and Twitter so “like” us and spread the word. Thank you!

This is definitely worth checking out. Let me know how you like it. My cell phone is old and not so smart and this makes me think I need a new phone.

Those who enjoy learning about nutrition may look for the top online nutrition schools via www.GuidetoOnlineSchools.com.
 

 

One year old this week

By Irene Conlan -

On Thursday The Self Improvement Show will start  its second year on VoiceAmerica/World Talk Radio.  It’s hard to believe that we’ve done a radio show every week for a year but it’s true. When I started, I was skeptical but I agreed to do it for three months and figured that at the end of the first quarter we would all decide that we’d done enough.

I was wrong.

At the end of the first quarter we were having too much fun to quit and I was just beginning to feel comfortable with it.  I was just beginning to realize that I loved doing it and so we continued. My big concerns in the beginning were:

  • How can I ever talk for an hour? (people who know me will smile at that question)
  • Can I find people who want to be guests on the show?
  • What if I mess up?
  • What if nobody listens?
  • The list goes on but now I have answers -

Yes, I can talk for an hour. However, I have not needed to do that. I have had wonderful guests who loved to talk about their work and sometimes it was hard to get time long enough for a commercial break. I love people who are passionate about what they do and this year I met a new one every week. How great is that?

In the beginning it was hard to find guests because I didn’t know where to look and I was nervous about asking.  At the end of my first quarter, I looked at the schedule to see that I only had two guests scheduled in the weeks to come. PANIC. I put a brief notice on LinkedIn and in two days I had scheduled six shows – and they were great guests. Since that time, I have publishers, publicists, authors, speakers, leaders in the field of self improvement and more contacting me. At this point, I am booked up until February, 2012. That is exciting to me.

What if I mess up? I do and we all get over it. It doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m human. I mess up. In the beginning it was hard for me to listen to the show – I was a harsh critic of myself but there is no way I can improve if I don’t listen.  Now on Friday morning I listen to Thursday’s show and  send a link to the guest. Chad the engineer magically removes the really bad gaffs and I find that I actually enjoy listening. My guests are “the best.”

What if nobody listens? I can’t really control that but I know someone is listening because there are many who download the program from World Talk Radio. My job is simply to do the best I can and leave it at that.

The surprise to me is that I absolutely love doing it. It feels like something that is “natural.” From the “Blast Off” of the first show with Allison Maslan to last week’s talk about the Human Hologram with Dr. Robin Kelly it has been one week after another of wonderment and wonderfulness for me. I do the show because I want to help people and this is a way to have a greater outreach and bring in people who have helpful programs and a depth of wisdom.  What I didn’t anticipate was that I would have so much fun. Cyndi Lauper would be proud.

I’ll admit that it’s a lot of work. Finding people, getting them scheduled, writing up the bios and show descriptions, writing questions so the  show has some reliable structure and no dead air, writing press releases – all are part of it. Sometimes I long for the days in the past when I had a secretary but most of the guests make it easy and enjoyable. The guests are fantastic and if I had to pick a favorite, I couldn’t. Each week is special and each guest is magnificent.

The exciting thing for me is to talk to people all over the world. I think the most interesting to me was last week’s show when we called New Zealand on Thursday but for them it was Friday. I’d never talked to someone “tomorrow” when it was actually “today.” Don’t think about it – it will make you dizzy.

Starting year two, we’re looking for interesting guests and we’re seeking sponsors and believe we gave a lot to offer in the way of positive reinforcement for anyone who backs us. I believe in “shameless promotion” of my guest and certainly of a sponsor and we are no ready.

It’s been a wonderful year and I’m looking forward with excited anticipation to year two.

Want to be on a radio show? It doesn’t matter where on the planet you are, we can talk.

Mars? I’m not sure about that.

 

Irene Conlan asks “How Can I Help You?”

By Irene Conlan -

Sometimes we make decisions that we have to rescind down the road. Several years ago I retired from my therapy practice although  I still see some of my “old” clients now and then – not old in years but those I have helped over a period of time. When I closed my practice, I started this blog because of my continuing concern for people and my desire to help them help themselves. The blog has developed a greater reach than I ever anticipated and led to the radio show – The Self Improvement Show.

Because of the blog and the radio show I have been receiving requests to “come out of retirement” and make myself available again for one-one-one sessions. I have given it serious consideration and have decided to give it a go – this time we will work via Skype, Skype Video or phone. Getting an office again is out of the question and with the advent of such amazing technology, there is no need to do so.

I am holistic in scope and am not tied to any single modality. We will talk, perhaps use hypnosis, may do creative visualization, journal – whatever it takes to help you help yourself. The change comes from within you and is brought about by you – I am simply your assistant, coach, helper – whatever you choose to term it.

You can read more about the process by clicking on “Helping You Self Improve – Private Sessions” at the bottom of the page or by Clicking Here.  Know this: it will be fun, it will be work. And yes, there WILL be work you do on your own (homework, actually).  Exciting changes can take place and only you can make those changes happen. I am always delighted to be a “travel companion” on this self improvement journey, helping you help yourself, and celebrating your successes with you.

I will begin booking a limited number of appointments in November.  All you need to do is  contact me using the contact form you can find in “Contact” at the bottom of the home page.  Or Click Here.

A “party line” and “progress”

By Irene Conlan -

Thursday on the radio show I interviewed a woman in Bath, England via Skype. How far we’ve come! I was in Scottsdale, Arizona, she was in England and the broadcasting company (VoiceAmerica) was in Phoenix.

It reminded me of the time in my childhood when we  lived in a small town in West Texas and had a crank telephone on a party line. Now that’s an experience in living! For those of you who have only had fancy cell phones or smart phones, a party line meant you shared the line with a number of other families and we could all listen in on each other’s conversations. If we wanted to call someone on the line, we simply cranked their ring – two longs and a short for example or a short, a long and a short – all kinds of combinations. If we wanted the operator because we needed someone not on our line or wanted to make a long distance call, we cranked the ring for the operator who had a switchboard in her home. If we were calling a  person in town and they didn’t answer, we could ask her if she knew where they were. Sometimes she did and sometimes she did not but it was always worth a try. Do I need to tell you that everyone in town knew everyone else’s business?

I remember a number of different phones as I was growing up. I loved this one because as a little girl I could wrap my small hand around it while I held the receiver to my ear. I felt big and important when I was allowed to use it. As a teen I had a baby blue princess phone in my own room – not my own line but my own phone. I was limited on the amount of time I could spend on it but I could hold private conversations about those things teen girls talk about – boys, boys, boys – without being heard by my parents.

I owned a business when I got my first cell phone. The phone was huge but allowed me to represent my company even if I wasn’t in my office. I thought that was the greatest invention and there was no place to go from there. But now we’ve come to smart phones that let you talk, play music , compete in games, take pictures, film videos and upload to YouTube or Facebook, find a restaurant in your area and dial a number at your voice command – plus more.

In terms of self improvement it is important to acknowledge that things change and people change. In relation to phones like many other things I think of the trite saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”While the phone has become feature-rich and much more complex to use it is still a means to communicate. We need to exchange information and the phone lets us do that whether it is by a land-line phone, a cell phone, or one of the Internet applications. We still need to talk, listen and be listened to.

People have changed as well. We seem to be more open to new ideas, more accepting of change, more accepting of differences but we still have a long way to go. There is no limit to how high we can go, how much we can discover, how “new and improved” can continue to become  even more “new and improved.”

We haven’t seen the end to how much phones can and most likely will change. And, as human beings, we have just scratched the surface of what we can learn and how much we can accomplish. It is up to us to see that future change includes greater understanding of ourselves and others and that we make progress in the things that truly matter and that contribute to the betterment of humanity.

Fasten your seat belt because it’s going to be a fun and wild ride.

A Very True Story of My Visit to the Doctor’s Office

By Irene Conlan -

Last week I had an appointment with a hematologist to review my lab results. It seems that I have developed a high level of iron that borders on “dangerous” and they wanted to know if I have blood disorder called  hemochromatosis  and if it’s genetic. Well, I don’t have it and I’m grateful for that, but it’s the visit to the doctor’s office that I found interesting – and in the long run quite amusing.

My appointment was made three weeks before as I completed my first visit there. I had my schedule book with me and not only entered the time and date of the next appointment but read it back to the scheduler to be sure I had it correct. I did. (sometimes I don’t so I’m extra cautious)

My appointment was for 11:45 a.m and I arrived a few minutes early and went to the receptionist to check in. “You don’t have an appointment today,” she said with a look and tone that asked, “How stupid can you be?” I told her I had scheduled it when I left my last appointment on September 6th and asked her what my appointment time and date was supposed to be. She saw that I had been there on September 6th but could not find an appointment scheduled at all. She acknowledged that the mistake was on their end and asked me to come back the next day – Thursday. “I can’t I said, “I have a radio show at that  time.” She rolled her eyes and asked me to wait. Coming back she told me to have a seat and that the doctor would see me while I was there. Remember, I just had to get lab results – no long  exam, etc.

The large waiting room was full so I took one of the two seats available and got out my book – I always travel with a book. A few minutes later a delivery person came in with an armload of bags of food from Chilis and the aroma filled the waiting room. They had her go back out and come in through a side door but by then everyone in the waiting room looked like they could grab a bag of food and run to the nearest place to scarf it down.

All of the employees disappeared except the  receptionist. The patients and family members in the waiting room grumbled. Some of them had been there well over an hour already.

An hour and a half later I was called to go to the exam room. And after ten or fifteen minutes the doctor came in. He called up my record on the computer and proceeded to tell me that I did not have hemochromatosis but that I still had a dangerous level of ferrite (iron) in my blood and we would initially treat it with diet. He emphasized the importance of diet, telling me that the person scheduling my next appointment would give me a copy of a diet and I must follow it strictly. “If it doesn’t come down,” he announced, “you will have to have a phlebotomy” and explained phlebotomy to me like I was in the first grade. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I had a master’s degree in Nursing. No harm, no foul on that one, but I thought his explanation was funny. It took all of three minutes to get the news and be told to follow the strict diet that they were going to give me.

I was quickly back to the reception desk and in front of the woman who had botched the schedule the visit before. I whipped out my trusty schedule book thinking that perhaps I ought to get the new appointment witnessed and notarized. She gave me a date and time for the follow up appointment acting like I was interfering with her life. She handed me an appointment card but no diet. “Excuse me,” I said trying to get her attention again. “The doctor said you would give me a copy of a diet that I need to follow.” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we’ve been asked for that before but we don’t have any.” “But he said I have to have it,” I replied. She got up saying she was going to go ask the nurses but she knew they didn’t have a copy of the diet I needed. She returned to tell me she was right – no copy of the diet. “I guess I could find one on the Internet” she said, obviously annoyed. I told her I could do that when I got home, and looking relieved, she told me she thought that was a good idea.

Coming home, I spent the next hour on the Internet looking for a diet that would lower the iron level in my blood. I found several but they were conflicting and I’m still unclear on precisely what I should and should not eat. I’ll give it my best shot. Monday I’ll call my cardiologist and my PCP to see if they have any advice.

So let’s recap. I spent a half an hour driving to get to an appointment that they hadn’t entered into the database. I waited over an hour and a half to see a doctor who took three minutes to tell me I needed to follow a diet they can’t give me. I was treated like I was an imposition on their day and my insurance had to pay big money for the visit.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Fortunately, I don’t have a medical emergency. But I DO need to take steps to reduce the iron level in my blood. I won’t get  the help I need from this doctor’s office even though he is a “renowned” physician.

Unfortunately for us all, this was not a unique experience. I’m sure you have your own story to tell. Do you think these kinds of experiences have anything to do with the fact that people are turning to alternative and complementary medicine?

I’m glad I had a book and my sense of humor along for the visit.

How’s Your Self Esteem These Days?

By Irene Conlan -

We read a lot about self esteem these days and many people struggle with it on a daily basis. They don’t like to see themselves in a mirror, have little self confidence, and dream about being someone else. The media is quick to point out that we need to be a tiny size, dress this way for success, use this product to look better, act this way to be popular and on and on. Most of us can’t meet their standards no matter how hard we try. And their standards keep changing so it’s hard to keep up (or buy enough stuff fast enough).

There are a lot of articles and books written about how you build good self esteem. Some have you saying a lot of affirmation, and some have you looking in the mirror a lot and telling yourself, “I love you just the way you are.”  Some have you doing different exercises daily. And these are all good.

The “Father of the Self Esteem Movement, ” Nathaniel Brandon said there are six pillars of self esteem:

  • Living consciously
  • Self acceptance
  • Self responsibility
  • Self assertiveness
  • Living purposefully
  • Personal integrity

Think about each one of those reflectively. Ask yourself questions about each one:  Do I live consciously or am I zoned out most of the time?  Do I accept myself as I am right now – “warts and all?”  Do I take responsibility for my own growth personally and professionally or do I expect someone else to tell me how to be and do? Do I speak up for myself when I need to?  Do I know where I want to go in life and have a plan on how to get there? Can other people trust me and do I trust myself? You don’t have to dwell too long on each question before you have a pretty clear answer.

“But, if I accept myself,” you ask, “why do I need to be concerned about self improvement?” Because it’s our nature to want to do better, be better, know more, pursue happiness. It’s part of the journey called, “Life.” Because we want to improve in an area doesn’t mean that we don’t find ourselves quite acceptable. Why does a billionaire want more money? He’s rich but he wants to be richer. We’re great just the way we are but we want to be greater. O.K.?

One of the questions I ask my clients who want to work on self esteem issues is, “Do you know what you believe that someone didn’t tell you you MUST believe?” I almost always see that deer in the headlights look that tells me thy don’t have a clue. Most of us learned what we are supposed to believe from our parents, teachers, siblings and best friends. For example, we accepted our parent’s religion and may never have give a thought to what they really believe. The whole family as far back as we can remember was that religion and we were expected to follow suit.  Our ancestors were Republicans or Democrats and God help us if we registered with the other party. We don’t know what they stand for really, but we aren’t going to change. You know what I mean. Access to wide areas of information was not readily available to us and we simply accepted what we were taught.

But times have changed and we have access to information about every facet of every issue and, while we generally don’t learn critical thinking in school, we are able to think for ourselves. When you have a solid foundation in your own personal beliefs it’s much easier to accept your uniqueness, like who you are and speak up for yourself. An old friend  used to say, “If you don’t know what you stand for, you’ll fall for anything.” That applies in the area of self esteem as well. When you know what you really believe about the important areas of life, it’s easier to stand firm when you self esteem is attacked.

Establishing your personal set of beliefs takes time, study and reflection. It isn’t carved in stone and changes as you learn more and gain new insights. But it gives you a sense of freedom that nothing else can and you will find that as you developed it and became more confident in your own ability to set your own standards, something interesting happened to your self esteem.

It soared.

Breathe and Grow Rich – A Review

By Irene Conlan -

Breathing is something we take for granted.  As an average adult we breathe approximately 21,600 times every day without giving a single thought to the process. And yet it is breathing that keeps us alive. When we stop breathing, we die. The quality of our breathing affects everything in our body because every cell requires oxygen..

While we realize the importance of oxygen to our health and well-being, many of us don’t know how to breathe to get the most oxygen into our system and our stressful lifestyles tend to make shallow breathers out of us all. Tom Goode’s book, Breathe and Grow Rich will teach you how to breathe in a way that fully oxygenates your system making you feel both rejuvenated and relaxed. Called Full-Wave® Breathing, it is a technique that, if practiced properly, will help your body heal, reduce stress, reduce the workload of the heart, help your lungs perform more efficiently, lower your blood pressure, aid digestion and improve your skin quality.

When I started using it, my blood pressure vacillated between 140/85 and 200/ 98. At my checkup this week it was a beautiful 122/80 – the lowest it has been in several years. The only thing I’ve done different is the Full-Wave® Breathing exercises. I definitely feel better and am looking forward to the other benefits of giving my body the oxygen it needs through proper breathing.

This book is rich in information that will help improve your quality of life and I highly recommend it.