What’s Your Default Stress Trigger Hot Button?

If you stop and think about it for a moment, my guess is that you’ll recognize a pattern to the stress you commonly experience. Just as we have individual thumbprints, we also have stress-prints that seem to stay with us year after year. After all, most of us learned how to react to life in childhood and we picked up various coping tools along the way — some of these tools remain useful to us (for example, if you gained a habit of taking time for quiet prayer and reflection when feeling stressed and anxious) but many of the tools actually harm us rather than helping!  You know what some of those harmful things are:  eating to try to relieve the knot in your stomach, smoking, drinking to excess, shopping for that high feeling that seems to chase the blues momentarily.

So let’s take a look at what your Stress Triggers are!  When we take time to identify what we’re doing instead of mindlessly reacting in a knee-jerk automatic response to life’s events, we have a much better chance to make conscious decisions and better choices. And that’s the key to getting on the path of happiness, success, prosperity and wellness!

Leave a comment below and let’s see what the most common Stress Triggers are. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Bills need to be paid
• It’s time for in-laws to visit
• Neighbors are complaining again about something they want you to fix/repair/paint
• Boss demands overtime or extra work — again
• A friend seems to get everything you want, and it’s hard not to be envious and grudging about their good luck
• You’ve been invited to a special event but your special occasion clothes don’t fit and/or are hopelessly out-of-date, yet you don’t have money freedom to buy new… and you’re stressing how to turn down the invitation without admitting the truth
• Yet another argument about the same old thing with your spouse/mate/kids
• Health problems that keep popping up as soon — as you feel you deal with one, there’s something new to plague you
• Your doctor said you need to quit smoking, go on a diet, exercise more — and you feel like a scolded child
• Each morning, you wake up feeling more tired and drained than when you went to bed
• You don’t want to label it “depression” but you’ve lost your enthusiasm for life and can’t help wondering if this is as good as it gets

All stress triggers have something in common — it’s a situation we don’t want! Leave your comments below.

to your health and happiness,

Evelyn

Free Coaching This Month – Happy Valentine’s Day!

“It’s All about the Money, Honey!”

A gift for you:  4 complimentary coaching calls

with Life Mastery Consultant Evelyn Brooks

Welcome – I’m so glad you made it! You’re here by special invitation…

If you’ve been curious about life coaching, this is your chance to experience 4 real coaching calls LIVE and get your coaching questions answered.

There’s absolutely no cost involved. It’s my gift to you, because I know that many people would like to try coaching but hesitate to invest in themselves without knowing what it’s all about. So, here’s your great opportunity to do just that, at no risk.

When you sign up below, you’ll instantly be sent an email with the number to call and the web page to access the replays if you can’t be on the live calls.

Replays will be at the private class page, along with your downloadable copy of “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles. We’ll be studying the book during this free program.

NOTE – You do not need to read the book before getting on the calls. You’ll enjoy the coaching calls even if you haven’t read any of it, or it’s been a long time since you read it.

By the way, this book is the “little green book” mentioned several times in the hit film “The Secret” – it’s considered a milestone in personal development. If you want a firm understanding of how to build wealth, studying this short book is a “must.”

Even if you’re familiar with the book, and believe you already “know” all about it … if you don’t absolutely love all the current results in your life, then I can help you unpack the powerful lessons in this book so you can start seeing change where you want it.

See you on the calls!

Funny Things Grandkids Say about Life

It’s been said many times for many years, that laughter is the best medicine. I prescribe some light-hearted anecdotes (below) to help in your ongoing stress management – enjoy!
By the way, if you know the source of this list which I saw online, please let me know and I’ll give proper credit to the author! Meanwhile, take a deep breath or two each time you feel tense, and give yourself permission to laugh and have fun. That’s what life is all about.
To your happiness,
Evelyn

How children perceive their Grandparents……

1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she’d done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, “But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!” I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye….

2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, 80. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, “Did you start at 1?”

3. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. “We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.”

The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, “I sure wish I’d gotten to know you sooner!”

4. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, “It’s no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.”

5. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, “Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today.” The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. “That’s interesting.” she said… “How do you make babies?”

“It’s simple,” replied the girl. “You just change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.”

6. Children’s Logic: “Give me a sentence about a public servant,” said a teacher. The small boy wrote: “The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.” The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. “Don’t you know what pregnant means?” she asked.

“Sure,” said the young boy confidently. ‘It means carrying a child.”

7. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog’s duties.

“They use him to keep crowds back,” said one child.

“No,” said another. “He’s just for good luck..”

A third child brought the argument to a close. “They use the dogs,” she said firmly, “to find the fire hydrants.”

8. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. “Oh,” he said, “she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we’re done having her visit, we take her back to the airport.”

9. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don’t get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

10. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse, took her teeth out and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice,
“Who was THAT?”

Get Unstoppable Confidence In Your Life Now

What would you do if you KNEW you could not fail?

Did you know that the #1 reason for all our failures can be traced right to the front door of a place in our minds with a sign that reads: “Lack of Confidence”?

When you bounce back and forth between optimism and fear, you get:

• Depression, worry and uncertainty
• Anxiety about what tomorrow will bring
• Looking to others for approval, and feeling unsure of yourself
• Self-talk that’s more critical and negative than it used to be
• Difficulty in achieving your important goals
• An overriding sense of failure and discouragement
• The sinking feeling that life won’t get any better, and you’ll have to suck it up
• and even more stuff you can add yourself to this list!

A lot of people have asked me to create a coaching program that is short, to the point, and priced to be very affordable. Often, when you’re in the grip of fear, you just can’t let your grip on your wallet loosen, even when you know it’s for your greater good.

So… hop on over to my newest course called “UNSTOPPABLE CONFIDENCE”  and sign up now.  It’s a 5-week program with weekly coaching calls, and it starts Thurs. Jan 31st!

By the way, all classes will be recorded and you’ll have full access to the replays to download and listen to again and again – so don’t claim “I don’t have time” — you can find time if your own level of confidence is truly important to you! Make it a priority to get 2013 off to a fantastic start with a new, more confident YOU!

How would you like to enjoy all the benefits of fabulous self-confidence, such as…

• freedom to choose what you’d really love to do
• an easy way of approaching life
• happiness and satisfaction with the informed decisions you make each day at work and at home
• an unshakable sense that you are finally living your true purpose in life
• a clear action plan — written and ready to put into effect
• … and a whole lot more — again, I’m sure you already know how different your life would be if only you weren’t fearful, uncertain and anxious.

With greater confidence comes all kinds of other goodies like healthy self-esteem and feeling right-sized and comfortable in your own world.

The universe rewards people who make decisions quickly — so go now and register:  UNSTOPPABLE  CONFIDENCE Coaching Program

to your success and tons of confidence!

Evelyn

Do You Need a Mental Mechanic?

When our car needs repair and maintenance to keep it running smoothly, we usually don’t try to do it all ourselves — instead, we go to experts… mechanics. Let me know if you like my new video, and stop by AllYourDreamsFulfilled.com to learn more – new group starting now! Don’t miss out on transforming your results so that 2013 can be filled with all the joy, success and happiness you’ve ever dreamed of.

Does Popcorn Make You Happier?

Have you ever wondered about the relationship between stress and popcorn?

… No?

Gee, I didn’t think so. I know I’m kind of a nerd, but I think all the time about why we get stressed out and what we can do about it. And there’s something cheap and easy that I’ve discovered:  if you make popcorn in your own kitchen, the sound of the popping is a happy sound… the smell of it is happy, and so is the actual eating of it.

Therefore… ta da!  My prescription for your happiness this weekend is to MAKE POPCORN!

No, it doesn’t count if you buy a plastic bag of the ready-made popped corn. We need to involve as many of your senses as possible, and making it by popping the kernels really does become a whole-body sensory activity.

You can either buy the bags of ready-to-pop corn at your grocery or convenience store, or… even cheaper and healthier… you can do what I do and airpop it in your microwave.  This is lower calorie than popping on the stove top in oil, plus you don’t have a pan to wash which makes it very ecologically friendly.

My recipe for fabulous stress-reducing popcorn:

1 paper lunch bag

1/3 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Pour the kernels into the bag. Fold the top of the bag over about an inch, crease the fold and then fold it one more time, again about an inch, so you are closing the bag without tape, glue or staples (don’t use any of those!)

Lay the bag flat on the turntable of your microwave.

Cook approximately 3 minutes on high. Listen for the popping noise to slow down, and stop the cooking process when there are more than 3-4 seconds between pops, to avoid scorching the cooked popcorn.

Carefully remove the bag from the microwave — it won’t be as hot as those commercial bags that have a heat element embedded in the paper bag, but still– be careful!  The fold may have opened at the top of the bag, so take out the bag without spilling the popped corn.

Empty the bag into a big bowl.

Season as desired.

I like to drizzle olive oil all over it, then sprinkle on sea salt — yummy and healthy!

I hope you enjoy a fun way to manage your stress… while smelling, seeing, tasting, touching and hearing the adventure of corn popping in your own kitchen.

Comments? What are your fave popcorn toppings?

Lighten Up and Release Your Inner Power–Global Teleclass Tonight!

How would you like 2013 to be the year you finally put to rest all the “junk” that’s been on your back year after year, so that you can move ahead with ease and all the power you need to achieve your goals? Register now for the free one-hour training I’m doing tonight at 7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern at Global Teleclass

Here’s what I’ll be covering in the one-hour free training session…

Teleclass Description:

Ever wish someone would swoop in and transform your results in romance, family relationships, the work you’re doing at home and in the world, and the amount of money freedom and fun you have?

Evelyn would like to help you start off the New Year with shiny new techniques for your Life Toolbox to replace the rusty tools you’ve been using out of habit: the Complaining Chisel, the Worrying Wrench, the Shifting-Blame Screwdriver, the Regrets Ratchet, the Heartache Hammer and the Dream-Destroying Drill.

During this class, you’ll enjoy playing five games that invite you to:

 Lighten up and stop dragging around that old ball-and-chain of worry and indecision that holds you back from a full, rich and satisfying life

 Learn how to shift your mood from sad to happy in twelve seconds or less  as you say the right kind of farewell to the year that just ended and then welcome the new year with a clear mind and heart

 Forgive yourself and others, no matter how long you’ve been holding a grudge, resentment or shame mentality

 Stop mirroring the upset you feel inside over all the things you don’t want in your life, and access the hidden power of your energy tractor-beam to manifest what you do want
 Generate all the energy you need to bring your biggest dreams down from those castles in the sky and into the life you are experiencing

…and much, much more

Once you register, you’ll be emailed the number to call and the pin code to access my conference line tonight.  Sign up even if you cannot attend the live event tonight — because that way you’ll be emailed a link for the replay! And it is also going to be available at no charge to you.

This is my special Happy New Year offer to you, to help you start manifesting the results you want to see. I hope you’ll join the hundreds of people who’ve already signed up. Here’s that link again, to register for free access to the coaching tonight:  Global Teleclass

all the best,

Evelyn

PS Here’s the link to my 28-day e-course “Healing Your Broken Dreams” 

Big Gift Giveaway Event Is On Now

Stop what you are doing right now and read EVERY word in this post VERY carefully…

Because you REALLY don’t want to miss this!

My friends Stephanie Mulac, Carolyn Hansen and Dr. Joe Rubino have teamed up to bring you a MASSIVE collection of FREE Self Improvement and Personal Growth products and services… from self help gurus like me!

GO NOW–CLICK HERE

You’ll have instant access to HUNDREDS of powerful, top quality, self improvement ebooks, videos, audios, memberships, software, e-courses and much more worth $1000′s of dollars! And it gets even better because each and every one of these gifts is capable of improving your life, wealth, health and business!

So what are you waiting for? Download your free gifts TODAY 

Here’s just a taste of the gifts being offered:

* Material Manifestation Frequencies Download – Geoff Wilkins
* Time Management Secrets (for the procrastinator!) – Chantal Beaupre
* Awakened Life Expo – Telesummit – Kerri Kannan
* The Three Insights Into Your Amazing Life – Tim Pond
* Powerful Seraphim Angel Blessing – Awaken to Love – Saxon Knight
* 5 Steps to Financial Freedom & Success – Zoe Routh
* Learn Creative Visualization – Julian Freeman
* 3 Daily Practices Guaranteed to Double Your Happiness – Arzu
* Dr. Erica’s Complete Relationship System Audio – Dr. Erica Goodstone
* Financial Freedom Series – Alun Davies
* 5 Insider Secrets To Eliminate Fatigue & Unleash Your Inner Superhero – Laurie Erdman
* And Much Much More! INCLUDING 2 GREAT GIFTS FROM ME, Your Happiness Guru!

The event will only be around for a few weeks, so don’t delay, go get your gifts while you still can. CLICK HERE

To Your Success In 2013!

Evelyn

P.S. Make the most of your free membership and be sure to login on a daily basis. New gifts are being added all the time and I would hate for you to miss out.

Sandy Hook Shooting Victims Memorial Tribute

In my opinion, serial killers get way too much attention in the press, while the victims’ names go unnoticed and remembered by only their immediate family and friends. Let’s change that by honoring those who lost their lives… and let’s rally around the victims and honor them, so that their deaths are not in vain. We can change how this society views and glorifies violence and spraying bullets, but we have to pull together to do this, and not slide into apathy or helplessness.

As Abraham-Hicks says, “Anything you are giving your attention to is an invitation to the essence of it.”  In this case, it means when we say “I want common sense gun rules, safe school environments for our children and help for the mentally ill, but it’ll never happen” — that is the same as saying, “Come to us, violence, fear and grief, even though we don’t want it!”

This post is a tribute to those who were murdered in the shooting spree on Friday December 15, 2012 on the campus of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The victims are 12 girls, 8 boys and 6 adult women. Police reported that they were shot up close, multiple times. Following is an alphabetical list (as released by police) of the victims:

Charlotte Bacon (girl) born Feb. 22, 2006

Daniel Barden (boy)born Sept. 25, 2005

Rachel Davino (woman) born July 17, 1983

Olivia Engel (girl) born July 18, 2006

Josephine Gay (girl) born Dec. 11, 2005

Ana M. Marquez-Greene (girl) born April 4, 2006

Dylan Hockley (boy) born March 8, 2006

Dawn Hochsprung (woman) born June 28, 1965

Madeleine F. Hsu (girl) born July 10, 2006

Catherine V. Hubbard (girl) born June 8, 2006

Chase Kowalski (boy) born Oct. 31, 2005

Jesse Lewis (boy) born June 30, 2006

James Mattioli (boy) born Mar. 22, 2006

Grace McDonnell (girl) born Dec. 4, 2005

Anne Marie Murphy (woman) born July 25, 1960

Emilie Parker (girl) born May 12, 2006

Jack Pinto (boy) born May 6, 2006

Noah Pozner (boy) born Nov. 20, 2006

Caroline Previdi (girl) born Sept. 7, 2006

Jessica Rekos  (girl) born May 10, 2006

Avielle Richman (girl) born Oct. 7, 2006

Lauren Rousseau (woman) born June, 1982

Mary Sherlach (woman) born Feb. 11, 1956

Victoria Soto (woman) born Nov. 4, 1985

Benjamin Wheeler (boy) born Sept. 12, 2006

Allison N. Wyatt (girl) born July 3, 2006

The list I found was one of raw stats — a name with the birth date and the word “male” or “female” after each name (example: 5/10/06, female). As I re-typed the information to bring these names into focus as boys and girls, and adult women who lived and breathed, and had plans for their lives, I sent out blessings for the comfort of each family, and the whole community to find peace and serenity.

with love and warmth,

Evelyn

Why You Aren’t Getting Everything You Desire

   Do you have a goal list? Even if it’s not formally written down, most of us have dreams and desires for what we want to experience in life. You’ve probably heard about the Law of Attraction, and know that the basic concept is to ask for what you want and then allow it to manifest into your life.  But there are vital steps in between that we never learned as kids, and that make all the difference in the world between wishing & hoping… and actually GETTING!

Imagine that you are in a restaurant and you’ve placed your order with the server. You see him or her go into the kitchen to place the order, and you glance around, confident that soon you, too, will be eating a nice meal — just like the others in the room.  But as time passes, and you don’t get your food right away, you start to feel irritated. You call out to the server but they seem to ignore you.  Maybe you notice other people who have come in after you did — and they are already eating a big meal! It’s so totally unfair. Now you’re feeling angry, and discouraged. It’s depressing to see others enjoying what YOU want to have. You worry that your meal will never come. Maybe they’ve run out of food in the kitchen and you’ll never get to eat anything but the leftovers.

Now, if you really were in a restaurant, there are various steps you’d take to make sure you do get the meal you ordered, right? You’d go to the manager, or you’d take some action. You wouldn’t sit there fretting.

But how often in life do we wish for more financial abundance, a love relationship or success in our career, and when it doesn’t come to us immediately, we start worrying and getting upset?

Here’s another thing we didn’t learn about as kids, which we should have:  those upset feelings are actually like a big thick wall preventing our desired results from reaching us.

I’d love to teach you the right way to start manifesting all that you desire. My 6-month transformational coaching program “All Your Dreams Fulfilled” has ongoing enrollment and the class starting Wed. Jan. 3rd will launch the January curriculum of “Master of Manifestation.”  Join in any time and you always get the full 6 month program.  Learn more at AllYourDreamsFulfilled

to your success - and happy manifesting!

Evelyn

Comfort for Newtown Families and Those Who Care [Podcast 006]

The shootings in Newtown, CT last Friday are on the minds of many people, and I know that as we watch the news even from afar, all of us are affected by the tragedy.

Please listen to my special podcast that offers comfort and stress relief for everyone in Newtown as well as those who care deeply about this event, and would like to know how to start making some sense out of what really appears to be “sense-less” in nature.

wishing you all the best and Happy Holidays as well,

Evelyn

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

End Your World on 12-12-12 at 12:12 [Podcast 005]

You are invited… to END the world as you know it… and begin creating the one you truly want to live in. Here’s how to get started:

Listen to my special broadcast here (below in the player) or on iTunes!

Please give me a 5-star rating on iTunes so people can find my free series–and subscribe to get automatic updates of all the episodes as they launch.

Find out WHY you should be interested in the 12-12-12 happenings — and what you can do to make it shake up your own world in a great way!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Replay for How to Manage Holiday Stress

Free Teleclass:  Use the Power of ‘YES’ To Manage Your Holiday Stress

click here for the replay page

Who Wants More Abundance? [Podcast #003]

Would you like more abundance in your life? What would that look like to you? How would it feel? Do you want more love, more money, more happiness?

Whatever you have in mind, if you desire it, then you CAN acquire it.

The problem for most of us comes in between our ears… that’s right: our thinking messes things up. We make it all far more complicated than necessary because in general we never learned out to think! We learned how to solve problems in school. We learned how to memorize facts, figures and dates, and then repeat the correct answer on exams to move up to the next level of study.

But when it comes to our thinking, particularly around money, most of us have a lot of garbage messing up our results.

Learn some quick ways to shake up your limiting beliefs in this episode of my free iTunes podcast series “The Evelyn Brooks Born to Triumph Show”

I hope you enjoy this! I created it just for you, to help you get past the stumbling blocks and start enjoying more abundance in your life.

Listen below, or go to iTunes — while you’re there, please leave me a 5-star review so more people can find my podcast show. And subscribe — it’s free, and you’ll get automatic updates with my new episodes at no charge.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Register for Holiday Stressbuster Webcast on Dec 3

 It’s that time of year…

when everybody has the same happy little comment on their lips:

“It’s the holidays ALREADY???!!!!! Where the bleep did the whole year go?! December comes faster every year!”

Before you get caught up in the whirlwind of holiday shopping, decorating and travel plans… give yourself a break and join me for about an hour…

Monday December 3 at 5:00pm Pacific/ 8:00pm Eastern

for a free webcast

(the REPLAY will be available afterwards, if you can’t make it for the live call)

Free Teleclass:  ”Use the Power of ‘YES’ To Manage Your Holiday Stress”

Register now to get access to the webcast link — you can listen on your computer or dial in on your phone and listen on-the-go. There are no slides, so you won’t miss anything by dialing in!

The access info will be emailed to you promptly. Sign up here for the free teleseminar:

Stress Relief for Sandy Victims [Podcast #002]

Free teleclass to help victims of Hurricane Sandy (aka Tropical Storm Sandy) start recovering emotionally from all the stress, anxiety and devastation they’ve experienced. By the way, you can register on this page for the GIFT PACKAGE I promised during the teleclass – I had originally planned to have a special registration page for people to sign in for the free class, but decided right after recording it that I would make it a no-optin class! SO if you do want the stress reduction gifts, please sign in below and you’ll get the link right away.

Please help me spread the word so I can help thousands of people reduce the stress they’re going through.

This is for ANYONE who is going through a storm in your life — an exterior storm that has caused havoc and destruction in your life — or a storm of your heart such as divorce, a medical challenge, the loss of a loved one or any other catastrophe that you need help healing from

There are 2 ways to listen to the “Stress Relief for Sandy Victims” teleclass:

1.  Listen below at the media bar — you can also download the MP3 from this page to load onto your MP3 player

2. Go to my iTunes Podcast Show and listen in the iTunes store — you can download it free from iTunes!  And while you are there, please give me a 5-Star Rating! It will help other people find my “Born to Triumph Show.”

Subscribe to my podcast series and get instant updates whenever I post a new show episode. The topics change each time, but will always contain information and techniques you can put into practice today to help improve your life.

In my radio podcast show, the topics will be different in each episode, but the one thing they will always have in common is that I’ll be helping YOU start living your greatness in every area of your life – personal growth, relationships, attracting love, health, wealth, success and happiness!

Here are the points I cover in the 1-hour teleclass “Stress Relief for Sandy Victims”:

• Quick way to start celebrating your life again
• How to let go of the stress, anxiety and panic you are feeling (first thing: learn how to breathe in a way that calms your nervous system instead of agitating it even more)
• A new kind of gratitude list — designed for people who feel they have lost everything important to them
• “Visioneering” mini-workshop — I take you through an exercise to learn how to envision the life you’d love to be enjoying six months from now, in all areas: relationships, health, home, career or vocation, and money freedom.

In the class, I also offer a special 50% discount code on my 28-day ecourse “Healing Your Broken Dreams” — the coupon expires 12/31/12. I hope everyone who needs help handling any kind of devastation in their life will take advantage of this special offer.

Register here if you want to receive Instant Free Access to the stress relief gift package I promised during the teleclass:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

3 Ways to Reduce Your Stress [Podcast #001]

“The Evelyn Brooks Born to Triumph Show” — it’s officially launched!

See the link below to listen to the podcast, or find it on iTunes.  When you get to iTunes, please give me a 5-star rating. It will help other people find me so I can help them with information on how to lead a happier and less-stressed-out life.

On this free radio podcast show, the topics will be different in each episode, but the one thing they will always have in common is that I’ll be helping YOU to start living your greatness in every area of your life – personal growth, relationships, attracting love, health, wealth, success and happiness!

On today’s podcast, we are going to cover these three stress reduction techniques:

1. Pick one thing to let go of being right about
2. Do something nice for someone else, anonymously
3. Make a list of 12 things you are grateful for

I hope you enjoy my new podcast series. I think it’s a great way to serve you with information for improving your daily life, and you don’t have to go anywhere special at a certain time in order to listen in. The series is entirely without charge to you, and please let your friends know about it too!

to your happiness and success,

Evelyn Brooks

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Do You Have a Broken Picker?

As part of my “stress relief” blogging, I frequently address the topic of codependency — aka people pleasing.  Most people pleasers know who they are, and may even feel bitter about being this way. It can be a real drain on your energy to feel you have to juggle everyone’s needs at all times — while ignoring your own!

A prime place for people pleasing to cause problems is in romantic relationships. If you’re a people pleaser, you probably have a long history of ending up with guys who seemed sweet and fun at first, but quickly became very demanding and insistent on having their needs met at all times. On the surface, the match seems out of kilter, but when you look at the relationship dynamics in the engine of each person in the relationship, you see that both are no doubt acting out the same relationship they witnessed their parents struggling with when they were growing up. One person makes all the demands, the other mutters angrily but bows to the one who seems to wield all the power.

If you’re sick and tired of this old pattern of yours… if you are stuck in a crazy relationship right now and you’ve attempted to leave but always back down… I’ve got great news for you!

My newest coaching program is now up and ready for you. It’s called “Attract the Guy You WANT!”  It’s set up as an e-course that is fully downloadable. That means nothing is shipped to you that could tip off the guy you’re with that YOU are about to start making major changes in how you operate in the world and in the relationship. You’re gonna take back your rightful power as a loving woman, and I show you how step-by-step.  Although I call it a 14-week course, you get full access to all the audios (10 hours of coaching lessons) and the 50-page workbook as soon as you purchase the low-cost program, even if it’s midnight.  That means you can decide for yourself how quickly you want to progress through the lessons: week by week with the workbook assignments, or as fast as you can gulp it all down and hit the ground running.

If you have a friend who could use this information — do her a favor and share this link:  Attract the Guy You WANT!

See you there!

Evelyn

How To Change A Bad Day Midstream

I heard an ad on TV the other day while my back was turned doing kitchen chores, and a man’s voice said “There’s nothing worse than a dead battery.”  I glanced at the screen and was not surprised to see they were selling a product to jump start your car easily.  But what lingered in my mind was the thought that most if not all people could say, “That’s the worse thing? Oh, no, buddy, let me tell you about MY life!”  … and then rattle off a string of things far worse than a car battery that needs to be jumped.

If you are having that kind of day, what do you do? Do you simply feel stuck, waiting for something good to come along (represented in our example by the auto club or mechanic who would jump start your vehicle)?  If you’re tired of handling life that way, here’s some good news — you can start your day over, no matter what time it is.  Here’s how:

1. Recognize that your feelings are spiraling downwards.  This takes conscious awareness of your thoughts and state of mind.
2. Take a moment to calm yourself. Breathe slowly and deeply, counting your breaths a few times to help you focus on peace
3. Decide what you would like to feel, and move yourself toward that feeling by thinking of something pleasant or enjoyable, or by doing something you like such as taking a quick walk, playing with your kids or pets, or enjoying a nature vista

Next time your day starts going “wrong” you’ll catch yourself faster, and know what to do.  Some people will say things like “Oh, my day started off bad and just got worse and worse as it went on!”  but that is really an attitude problem!  And since YOU are 100% in control of your own attitude, take a few moments and give yourself an Attitude Adjustment — that’s a good kind of tool to have in your tool box.

to your happiness,

Evelyn Brooks

PS  To learn more  Forget Your Troubles: Enjoy Your Life Today

9 Quick Steps to Dump Your Stress

For long term relief, you need to look at WHY you are so stressed, harried, anxious and overwhelmed. But for FAST relief — do this:

1. Close your eyes
2. Exhale hard
3. Inhale slowly
4. Imagine that you have a “main drain” like a bathtub drain – an easy place to imagine is that it is your belly button and it’s plugged
5. Mentally pull the PLUG!
6. Visualize all your stress and upset pouring out your belly button and vanishing like bubbles in the air
7. Quietly breathe in… and out… keeping your thoughts still
8. Put the plug back in your belly button so your brains don’t end up falling out
9. SMILE!

The whole exercise takes only about 3 minutes – or less!  Get in the habit of doing this each time you feel stressed. Realize that you are the one in complete and ultimate control over your state of mind. You don’t have to be stressed. But it does happen, and now you have a secret way to dump that stressful feeling and get on with your life. You’ll feel refreshed after doing the exercise, and have more mental clarity to see the solutions available to you.

Let me know how my 3-Minute Stress Buster exercise worked for you!

Do You Use Victim Language?

Have you ever noticed a friend who always seems to be blaming others for what’s going on in their life?  And maybe you’ve noticed that same tendency in yourself — it’s something you most likely picked up as a kid by modeling adults around you, and have been unconsciously using all your life.

What is “victim language” anyway? You don’t have to be in a blatantly abusive relationship to talk like a victim of circumstances. Victim language goes hand-in-hand with a pattern of thinking that revolves around looking outside of yourself for reasons why you feel the way you do.  This pattern invites reactions like blaming and pointing fingers at others, as well as making excuses for your own results by listing all the reasons you can’t do something you want to do. Those reasons might seem very logical — the economy, the housing market downturn, job unemployment rate, your personal level of education and experience — but looking “out there” actually puts you in a state of victimhood, because your belief system says that there’s nothing you can do. You’re helpless in the face of all “that” (whatever “that” might be at any time, including the actions of spouse or family members or your boss, etc.)

These are typical phrases that are victim-point-of-view:

• He makes me so mad!
• What can you expect in this economy?
• There’s nothing I can do about this — my boss is an idiot
• I can’t get a better job because I don’t have that kind of education
• If it wasn’t for (insert person’s name), I’d have a great life (or I’d be happy, etc.)

Make a quick shift in how you feel about yourself and gain control over your own destiny by doing this:

• Change your sentence structure from “He makes me mad…”  to “I feel mad when this happens.”
• Watch out for the temptation to blame conditions outside of you for the results you’re having, and take responsibility for your own work
• Look for ways that you can be accountable in your words for your own thoughts, feelings and actions
• Stop making excuses for yourself when you don’t get what you want
• Work out an action plan and move forward to your goals day by day

When we all work together to take responsibility for our own emotions and not blame others for how we are feeling inside, life runs much more smoothly and harmoniously.  Try it on, and let me know what happens!

to empowering language,

Evelyn Brooks

4 Ways To Shift Your Story of Sadness and Tragedy

   Today you’ll probably be reading lots of posts, shares, comments and recaps of the 9/11 tragedy that took place eleven years ago in New York City. You’ll see lots of footage on news channels. You’ll hear friends and family reliving how horrified and upset they were that day. What’s really going on here? Are we honoring anyone’s memory when we live in fear of a date? When we dredge up every iota of sorrow, guilt, horror and pain? Actually, no. And that’s why I’m writing this post, to help you shift your perception of 9/11 as well as any other events in your life that produce ongoing grief.

Someone I know lost her brother on that day — he was working in one of the WTC towers when they were hit.  She was telling friends recently about the event as if it had just happened, sobbing and saying she couldn’t move on, she knew she’d never be happy, that she felt guilty she had survived (although she was actually thousands of miles away in another city at the time and could not have physically saved him even if they were in the building together), that she could barely breathe each year when September 11th rolled around. She dreaded the date. She couldn’t work. Couldn’t be around friends. Didn’t want to live. She literally was making herself feel sick to her stomach…

About something she could not change.

Grief can keep us stuck. There’s no denying that. But it doesn’t have to.

Grief is meant to be a temporary state as we adjust to the physical absence of a loved one.  Since we don’t want to “lose” them, we cling to the idea that by reliving the day they died again and again, and beating ourselves with the agony of loss, that somehow we’ll change what happened.  What? Yes, it really is true — take a look at what you’re thinking. Don’t you have some shred of childish belief inside that if you go over every detail yet again, this time it won’t be real? This time it will just be a nightmare you’ll wake up from?

Once you grasp the concept that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience on this planet — that we all chose to come here and have adventures, learn how to love, learn how to create relationships and bring forth expressions of our creativity — then you can also understand the related concept: that when someone dies, they are NOT lost to you.  The analogy of a ship leaving the shore you are on and then “vanishing” over the horizon is very applicable to this. Someone of a limited understanding might think that ship fell off the edge of the world and those people were gone forever. We know from experience, and our greater awareness of the earth’s roundness and what the horizon is, that the ship is headed to another shore. There’s a beautiful poem about that very concept, and I’ll put it at the bottom of this post.

The people who leave this life are not gone.  But when we cling to the day they died, when we fret over their absence in our regular routine, and agonize that we cannot talk to them and touch them and enjoy their company, we are missing the big picture.

What if you did this instead, to shift into joy:

1. Honor what the person did in their life. The love they experienced, the love they wanted, even if they were not skilled in asking for it (for example if the person had a bad temper, you can let go of that and realize they were trying to ask for love but didn’t know how)
2. Ask yourself: what would I say to him or her, if they were right here, right now, and I could have a conversation to wrap things up for now?
3. Have the conversation. Sit down in a calm, quiet atmosphere. Imagine the person you are grieving is right there with you. Perhaps it will help you make a mental connection if you hold your hand out, palm up, resting on your thigh, and sense that the loved one is taking your hand during the conversation. Tell them what is on your mind. Ask them for help in moving on. Ask them what you can do in YOUR life to honor their memory at the highest level possible!
4. Listen for the answers. Stay still. Stay calm.  The answers will come to you — maybe not right then, but later that day, or even as you are falling asleep, you might feel the words coming to you, simple words, such as: Be love.  Be happy. We’ll be together again.

Although it might seem simplistic, try it! Be willing to move on from being stuck in a hole with old memories that are preventing you from fulfilling your own purpose for being here. The longer you stay stuck in grief and sorrow over the past, the longer you are withholding your “you-ness” from this world.

Let me know what happens when you do this exercise. I care. And I know what it’s like to let go of grief.

to your peace of mind,

Evelyn

Gone From My Sight

by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white
sails to the morning breeze and starts
for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says:
“There, she is gone!”

“Gone where?”
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull
and spar as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, “There, she is gone!”
There are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad
shout: “Here she comes!”
And that is dying.

What Does the Word “Care” Mean To You?

I think most of us would check off the word “caring” if we were given a list of adjectives and told to mark the ones that describe our own personality.

But what does it really mean to be a “caring” person? I know someone who can tell you a whole lot about this subject, because she created a web site that has over 20 million members and they care about a vast array of topics ranging from green living to supporting health and vitality causes, and animal rights. The list is a long one and I won’t take the time to tell you all about the different causes. You can probably fill in the list yourself because you are the kind of person who DOES care about the environment, about better health for kids and seniors, and a lot of other issues that are in the news and on our minds.

Tomorrow, I’m honored to be a special “luminary” at Gail Goodwin’s www.care2.com site.  She’s featuring me as an expert on green living!

Here’s the link to find me tomorrow, starting at 1:30pm Pacific Time (that’s Los Angeles Time):  Evelyn on care2.com

While you’re there, I hope you’ll take the time to become a member of the care2 community — it’s totally free to join and lots of fun to fill out your profile with all the details of what you enjoy in life, what causes you support, and even what kind of people inspire you!  I haven’t even finished filling out my entire profile yet, so this is a good reminder to me to get over to care2.com and do that!  It’s also a terrific place to make new friends (and they even have a singles section for those seeking romance!)

to your happiness… and extra caring,

Evelyn

5 Ways to Develop Persistence

Have you ever had a big goal, something really juicy that you wanted so much you could almost taste it? And yet, no matter how much you wished for different results, you kept ending up falling short of what you really desired?

That’s such a common problem, and one of the main reasons for it is that in school we really aren’t taught the skills we need for success. We’re taught a lot of things, and of course education is a valuable experience, but if you are sick and tired of not living the life you really want to be leading, take a look at these 5 tips for developing persistence:

The first four on the list come from Napoleon Hills’ famous book “Think and Grow Rich” which is considered by many people to be the landmark success handbook from which many of our most popular courses, books and programs sprung. He says the necessary steps are to have:

1. A definite purpose backed by burning desire for its fulfillment
2. A definite plan, expressed in continuous action
3. A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends and acquaintances
4. A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose… and that’s Mr. Hills’ advice for you. Here’s mine:
5. If you’re serious about converting intentions into actions, I personally suggest a fifth step, one that will help you immeasurably toward clarifying your goal and taking the necessary action steps to persist until you bring your dream into manifestation in the physical world, and that step is to look into the Dream Summit 2012 Gold Collection. For just $99 you’ll get an incredible summit download – essentially a guide to effective philosophies and concrete actions that create success.

ADD TO CART

to your success and happiness,

Evelyn

Plant a Healthy Dream Seed

During my 4-day free online event that ended last night — YOUR DREAM WORLD SUMMIT — the message we heard again and again from each of my 22 guest speakers was that is you want to live a better life, then you have to take action. You can’t just sit there on the couch or in the coffee house bemoaning “Fate” and the bad luck that you’ve got.  We create our own luck! It’s a matter of attitude, and most of us were never taught the power of focusing on our goals with steadfast determination.

Is it a challenge to keep positive and upbeat sometimes? You bet it is! It can be very easy to fall in with the life-choking conversations that are all around us.  That’s why I made a commitment to myself and to the people I want to serve with positive messages, that I will always bring quality messages of hope to you, along with advice, suggestions and proven techniques to help you finally live the life you’ve longed for, perhaps for many years, and didn’t know how to achieve.

Here’s a special message from Mister Rogers about how to tend that garden of our mind and plant healthy thought seeds.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.