Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

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Let’s talk about habits…Atomic Habits.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is a phenomenal book that came out in 2018.

Have you read it?

I’m sorry to say, I put off reading it.

Even though I kept seeing and hearing comments about how great it is, I still put it off.

Even though I purchased it, and it was on my audible app, I still put it off.

WHY?
I thought it would be like so many other similar books I’ve read:
The Slight Edge
The Compound Effect
The Power of Habit
High Performance Habits

Also great books, so I didn’t feel any hurry to read one more book in that genre for awhile.

But then…last month I did it. I began listening to Atomic Habits and couldn’t stop. In fact, I ordered the physical book, because I knew I wanted to highlight and underline so much of what I was hearing!

You may know, along with my SimplyAlign energy work, I’ve also been a Certified High Performance Coach for the past three years. I love helping my coaching clients set up habits that are doable and will help them become who they wish to become. To get clarity, I’ll often have them write a list of: “I’m the type of person who __________.”

Going along with that, author James Clear says, “The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.” He says identity, or the type of person we think we are, is what sustains a habit, good or bad. It’s who we think we are -the best version of ourselves that we’re stepping into.

He teaches that the four laws of behavior change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits and include: 1) make it obvious, 2) make it attractive, 3) make it easy, 4) make it satisfying.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.”
“Your identity emerges out of your habits.”
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
“You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it.”
“With outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. With identity-based habits, the focus is on who you wish to become.”
“Incentives can start a habit, identity sustains a habit.”

Needless to say, I highly recommend Atomic Habits. If you haven’t read it yet, I hope you do, I think you’ll love it. And if you’ve already read it, I hope it helped you create some new habits as it did for me.

Much Love,
Carolyn


PS: In a few weeks my new Coaching Website will launch. If private or group coaching with me is something you may be interested in, then stay tuned, more information is coming soon!

Laughter

Summer Goals: More Laughter!

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Happy June! It’s summer here in the big city, and the humidity has begun!
Dean the dream and I had company most of the month of May and it’s been such a treat. Touring the monuments and museums here in DC never gets old for me, I love it!

I hope you have some fun summer plans, and I’m here to add one more thing to your summer agenda.

But don’t worry, it’s fun and free! I’m talking about making a conscious effort to laugh more.

We all love to laugh, right?

But every so often, I realize I haven’t had a big, fat, tear-streaming belly laugh for FAR TOO LONG.

Have you ever done that? Realized it’s been awhile since your last hearty belly laugh?

Laughter is a natural part of life. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born.
Sometimes we as adults get so busy with the ‘important’ things on our to do list, we neglect the LEVITY that is so much needed in our lives.
Laughter is vital because it triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.

One minute of laughing burns the same number of calories as 6-10 minutes on a treadmill.

And did you know, a good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension, and leaves your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after?

Yep, it’s true. So I say…hey, it’s summer -what a great time to add more laughter to our lives!

Laughter

So how do we go about doing that?

Here are some ways to start:

  • Bring humor into conversations. I love to ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?” I’ve heard some really hilarious stories just by asking this. Try it, ask someone that question today.
  • Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious.
  • Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter and like laughter, it’s contagious. A fun way to remember to smile more is to set up for yourself ‘smiling cues’ during your day. For example,
    • smile as you step out of the shower
    • smile every time you walk past a mirror
    • smile every time you pour yourself a glass of water (hopefully that’s a lot)
  • Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the good things in your life will distance you from negative thoughts that are a barrier to humor and laughter. When in a state of sadness, we have further to travel to get to humor and laughter.
  • Watch your favorite funny movie or search YouTube for Funny videos or Dry Bar comedy. And don’t forget funny cat videos, they’re great for a quick pick-me-up! (oh gosh, does that mean I’m an old cat lady now?)

Anyone can join the laughter movement. All it takes is a willingness to see the humor in things. And of course I’m talking about good, wholesome humor, not sarcasm that is funny to only some and hurtful to others. There’s more than enough negativity in our world. But laughter is contagious and something we want to catch and spread!

So this summer, keep it front of mind to look for opportunities to find humor instead of annoyance in daily situations because humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and even keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

Shine on my friend,
Carolyn

Consent

Don’t Consent to This!

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I’m here with a quick message today from my friend, Eleanor Roosevelt –

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”

I love this statement and have referred to it many times over the years.

Consent

(And isn’t it cool that our shoe color matches?)


The definition of consent is: permission, approval, or agreement.

We can’t control what anyone else says or does, but we can always choose how we’ll respond. We can let it roll off our back, or give those words and actions permission/approval to settle in.

The emotions we choose to “feel” about another’s comments are created within us because of our own thoughts about what they said.

I know that can sometimes seem like a hard concept, but it’s really so empowering to realize that it’s our own inner thoughts that create our emotions, because words spoken by someone outside of us (an external circumstance) can’t do that.

Keeping our inner thoughts positive lessens the chance of us “consenting” to feel inferior over someone else’s words or actions.

Here are 10 tools to positively fortify your thoughts:

*Limit time with negative people

*Set and keep healthy boundaries

*Always assume good intent

*Do more of what lights you up

*Create a list of personal affirmations -and declare them daily

*Keep a gratitude journal

*Live in alignment with your values

*Keep your word to yourself and to others

*Create good self-care habits

*Practice Self-Compassion

In today’s world we may not always find compassion, tenderness, and empathy, but we can be willing to give it to ourselves.

Pick one thing from this list that you can do more of this coming week.


Much love,

Carolyn Cooper
Peak Bloom - Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossom Photos @ Peak Bloom

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Happy Spring! (or Autumn for my readers down unda’ and thereabouts).

I want to talk to you today about “Peak Bloom” – what is it? And why should you care?

Here are a couple of the pics I recently posted on my Instagram (SimplyCari).

They’re from the Cherry Blossom Festival, on the day designated as “peak bloom”.

Peak Bloom - Cherry Blossoms

I love this huge MLK Memorial. It’s especially stunning when the blossoms are at peak!

Peak Bloom - Cherry Blossoms

Peak Bloom is defined as the point that 70% of the blossoms are open.

Not 90%, not 100%.

Only 70%…and as you can see these trees look exquisite!

Because 70% can be good.

 

I’m not one to tell you to lower your standards, or your expectations.

And as a Certified High Performance Coach I’d never tell you to stop striving for progress.

But I will remind you of two phrases I have to remind myself of often:

 

Progress over Perfection
and
Done is better than perfect.

 

This is where 70% can come in helpful.

Not everything needs to be perfect, or even 90%.

I know, I know it goes against the old saying: “a job worth doing is worth doing right.”

But let’s be real, some jobs really are worth doing at 70%.

Going in at 70% helps you overcome perfectionism, over-thinking, indecision, self doubt, and procrastination.

Because simply being in action brings clarity, which brings creativity, energy, momentum and growth.

Think of something you’ve been putting off for far too long – I’ll wait…got it?

Now give yourself permission to do it 70%. Remembering, done is better than perfect.

That allows you to just get started on it without worrying about the end result.

Peak Bloom for the Cherry Blossoms isn’t 100%, it’s beauty at 70%.

What’s your Peak Bloom?

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”.
Arthur Ashe

Have a fabulous weekend~

Carolyn Cooper

PS: I normally post my fun photos on my Instagram – including a lot of Washington, DC this past year -whee! I’d love it if you follow me there, and I’ll also try to remember to add more fun “sightseeing” pics to my emails, since that’s been requested by many of you!

Green Drink Smoothie

Drink Up for St. Paddy’s Day! [Green Drink that is]

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Top O’the Mornin’ To Ya!

So last week I was sucking down a Green Smoothie (as usual) while on my mastermind Zoom call.

When one of the gals on the call sends me a private chat message that asks:

What’s in your Green Drink?

Since I was trying to be attentive to the class, I just quickly replied: Spinach & Banana

Truth is…some days it’s much more than that, and some days that all I want or need in in it.

But since I often get asked that question…and, since it’s St. Patrick’s Day (oh, I love my Irish ancestors!)

I think a Green Smoothie is the perfect way to Celebrate this holiday…

or any holiday…

or any day at all.

For many years I’ve been drinking a green smoothie every day. Have there been times I got lazy and fell off the wagon for a month or so? Yes, – and those times I just never feel as good, vibrant, or mentally clear. I can definitely feel a difference in my overall well-being from this one powerful daily habit!

Green Smoothies get more greens in your body than you’d normally eat if you were chewing all that food. So all that goodness takes up a lot of room in your gut and provides fiber, nutrients, vitamins, and yes, protein.

Adding in all the right ingredients, green smoothies can help with weight loss, increased energy, mental clarity, better digestion, improved immunity, improved skin, less cravings, and have been found to reduce many common health complaints.

A few years ago, one of my friends thought it was a great idea to start having a daily green smoothie, so she jumped right in. And after a week, she called me saying, “I don’t know how you do this. I’m literally standing over the sink gagging every morning to get these smoothies down.”

After asking her a few questions I knew exactly what the problem was. Too bitter, too thick, too chunky – too much pressure to swig it down and not waste it! Ugh, that’s miserable…drinking a daily smoothie should be joyful!

So here are my 8 helpful tips I shared with her, and maybe something here is helpful for you too:

1. It shouldn’t be chunky! Ugh. Keep blending, a bit longer!

If you have a great blender – Blendtec, VitaMix (I have years of experience with both) you still need to whip it and whip it good (oh man, I just had a flashback of a dance team performance from my college days).

My point is, even with the expensive blenders, you still need to let it blend long enough to get the chunks out.

And you don’t have to have one of those expensive blenders. We just recently got a little Ninja ($69.) and we love it! Oh my gosh, it blends really well and is fast and easy! It’s what I use every day now.

2. Unless you love the taste of bitter greens, don’t use too much of swiss chard, arugula, chicory, kale etc. Yes, those are all super healthy for you, so FOR SURE use some. But I’ve found I won’t make and drink smoothies consistently if I don’t love the taste.

I use a lot of spinach (it’s mildest), then add in a little of other greens – depending on what I have: beet greens, chard, any left over greens – throw them in…just not so much that the bitterness overpowers the taste.

3. Keep your greens in the freezer. That way you’re not wasting money on greens that have gone bad and you end up throwing out. And it’s so easy to grab handfuls of the frozen greens to put in your blender. And no, you can’t use those in a salad, but the frozen greens are handy-dandy to add to soups, pasta dishes, etc.

4. Smoothies are great with plain WATER. Yep, that’s all I ever use for my liquid. I know many people use nut milk or juice but for me that’s not necessary, I don’t want to add extra, unneeded calories by adding those. And…be sure to add enough water so it’s not super thick -ugh that was my friend’s problem, and yes that’s hard to drink down. I like my smoothies on the thinner side, do what you prefer but don’t be afraid to water it down a bit.
AND…speaking of liquid, I usually squeeze 1/2 lemon in mine as well.

5. A little squirt of liquid Stevia can make a big difference, that’s what I use, but if you don’t want to use Stevia, go to tip #6….

6. A great natural sweetener is dates. Ahh, my love for dates knows no bounds! If you like a little sweetness in your green smoothies throw in a date or two (make sure the pit is out!). Deglet dates are firmer than Medjool dates, so if you use deglet just be prepared for some little chewy nuggets at the bottom of your glass – it’s a delightful treat when you get to the end of your smoothie.

Pro tip: I keep some medjool dates in my fridge…if I ever just need “a little something sweet”, one of those is the perfect snack. It’s like eating a little piece of caramel *wink*

7. Frozen fruit adds flavor, variety, nutrition, AND a bonus I’ve found is, those frozen berries, etc. spinning around in the blender, really help to smooth out any remaining chunks of green, so I usually throw a little in. Personally, I’m not one who needs/likes lots of other frozen fruits in my smoothie because I’d rather eat fruits in their whole form during the day, instead of all blended up in my smoothie where I can’t really taste their deliciousness anyway. But yes, I usually do add 1/2-1 cup of frozen fruit. (Except pineapple – it can have a “stringy-ness” that’s weird for me.)

A few ice cubes kicking around in your blender will do the same – help break up the green pieces.

8. It’s ok to make earlier and keep in fridge until you’re ready to drink it. I’ve heard people say you must blend and drink your smoothie as FRESH as possible. Umm…ok, but that makes it tough for anyone who has…you know…a life.

Dean the Dream makes a big blender full every evening, and puts in his glass jars in the fridge to take to work with him the following day. If I know my morning will be busy I also make mine the night before. I personally don’t think they taste as great longer than 36 hours after blending, but if I know I’ll be drinking it within a day, I don’t mind making it ahead.

(And we are both a little picky about exactly how we like our own smoothies…so we each like to make our own separately. And that’s how we’ve stayed married 40+ years, hahaha!)

9. BONUS tip: Anytime you have fruits/veggies that are still good, but not for long, put them in the freezer now and use them in an upcoming smoothie. This is a great way to use up those grapes, bananas, celery, spring mix…anything! Anything that, if not eaten, you’d end up throwing out in another day or two, unless…you save it by putting in a baggie in the freezer. Those items will add variety to your smoothies and make you feel warm and fuzzy because you didn’t waste it that food, you still got good use out of it. You’re welcome!

These are some things that I’ve discovered over the years work for me, but a lot is personal preference -you do you!

I’d love to hear what smoothies tips you’ve discovered and love. Really…let me know! Also, I’ve had a few requests to shoot a video showing how I quickly make my smoothies, so if you want me to do that, reply to this email and let me know.

And really, make sure you eat (or drink) something HEALTHY and GREEN today!

As the Irish saying goes….May the wind always be at your back,

Much Love,

Your Future is calling

Your future is calling…

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I’m glad you’re reading this…

Because I know I’ve been talking a lot about the SimplyAlign Training the past few weeks.

I always get so excited leading up to a training because I love putting these tools in people’s hands.

And I love knowing that what my students learn goes into the world in the form of improving lives (theirs and the people they will work with).

And because this is the only SimplyAlign Training/Certification I’ll be teaching this entire year,

and because doors are only open for 1 more week…

I did this FB Live to answer some great questions that have come in:

And hey, this is only 12 minutes, so if you’re curious BUT short on time, go ahead and use the little GEAR on the bottom right to speed it up to 1.5. That’s such a great little techie tool, amiright?

I answer these in a bit more detail in the video, but for a quick overview here’s what’s covered:

1) What is included in the SA course tuition?

OH, it’s not only a 4-day training! You also get:

  • Energy Healing Jumpstart online course
  • SimplyAlign online Business Course
  • SimplyAlign Practitioner Community (SAPC) Membership for a full year
    (In the video I explain what’s included in our awesome community)
  • Personal Session with a Seasoned Practitioner
  • 2-day Refresher Course (choose from 3x each year)

  • BONUS (2 additional online training courses to help you AFTER you get certified)

2) Can I take the training to help heal myself and my family, without having to get Certified and start a business?

Yes, a lot of our students just want the info and community for their own personal development. Certification is only required if you’re using SA as a business. (In the above video I also mention a few of the Certification Requirements).

3) What is taught and how does it differ from other modalities?

The video will fill you in on this, and for a listing of what’s included go here:
https://simplyalign.com/certify/

And in case you missed it, more questions are answered by some of our Practitioners in this fun video.

I’d love to have you in our 2022 class, and in our larger SA community, if it feels like the right fit for you.

I want to make sure you’ve got ALL the scoop to make an informed decision, so for any other questions you can reply to this email.

Whatever you choose, I’m grateful for you, SimplyAlign.

Much Love,
Carolyn

Indecision

Indecision Steals Time, Don’t be a Squirrel!

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Today I’m on day 22 of my 26-day Detox. My body is happy, my head is clear….in fact, my head is buzzing with ideas! Gosh, it’s amazing how much space gets freed up in my noggin’ when I eat super clean, add tons of greens, and skip the salt and sugar for a few weeks!

I especially love that when my body is clean, I find it much easier to make decisions!

“Decisions.

We can think about things,
turn them over in our minds a million times,
play out possible scenarios,
but really when it comes down to it,
you have to go with your heart and move forward.
Maybe things will go well.
Maybe they’ll turn out poorly.
Every decision brings with it
some good, some bad, some lessons, and some luck.

The only thing that’s for sure is that indecision
steals many years from many people who wind up
wishing they’d just had the courage to leap.”

I didn’t write that, it’s a quote from author Doe Zantamata and I wanted to share it with you because I love the truths in it.

Every decision brings good and bad, or like I always say, “Every road has rocks in it.”

Just because you find your road rocky, doesn’t necessarily mean it was the wrong decision, just that rocks are on any road you would have chosen. Every decision has some lessons and some luck.

It’s a New Year, a new start for you. This is the year you get to leap! What is YOUR leap?
What’s that decision you’ve been sitting on, waiting for the right time?
What’s your next best step today toward that leap big or small?

We all know when you fail to make a decision…that IS your decision. To stay put or to stay stuck in the indecision. Like the quote says, “Indecision steals many years from many people.” Don’t let it steal from you.
Get the info, weigh your options, be still and listen, and go forward in faith.

In the words of Nelson Mandela, “May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.”

Because, when it really comes down to it, you have to go with your heart and move forward.

Much love,
Carolyn

PS – If you want to clear brain fog, lose weight, and be obnoxiously excited about it (like my first paragraph-haha!) Go here to watch a short video about the DETOX I love enough to do twice a year. (I’m very picky what I’ll promote, and yes I’m an affiliate for this program.)

This has never happened to me before…

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So this is how it feels, eh?

In all my life I have NEVER been ready for Christmas a full 10 days ahead!

I mean, this is highly unusual…and I love it!

Many of my gifts needed to be mailed, so I had a deadline to get them sent so they’ll arrive in time for Christmas.

You see, because Dean the dream and I moved across the country earlier this year, we are celebrating Christmas by ourselves for the first time ever. Even before we had babies, we were either with his family or my family, never all on our own.

But don’t feel bad for us, we’re really looking forward to it! This has been a year of new adventures, so it’s all good.

We have so many fun activities planned, including late night Christmas Eve Mass at the Washington National Cathedral (we had to enter a lottery to even get tickets and we manifested it!). This will be another new experience for us!

And of course on Christmas day we’re having a family Zoom call (we’ve been having regular family zooms long before Covid). So, with our activities, our family on zoom, etc. we’ll be alone, but not lonely.

I was just in California visiting my son Sinjin, his darling wife Rochelle (for those who knew her leukemia story last year, update: she’s doing well- thank you for the prayers!) and my two adorable granddaughters. Nothing beats a few days of playing with play-doh and slime, and having deep conversations with a 5 year old and a 3 year old.

On the way home from Cali I stopped in Utah for a week to see my two kids there. They’re doing great, we had a fun week, and I enjoyed that southern Utah warm weather!

And get this…on my travels, I even met my other son in the Phoenix airport on Thanksgiving day for just long enough for a hug and a photo. He was flying from SLC to San Diego, and I was flying from DC to Ontario, Calif. We knew we’d be in the airport about the same time and it just so happened our gates were close, that was awesome!

So, I’ve seen all my kids very recently except my “diplo-daughter” in India – that wasn’t on my route this time. But we talk often even with the wacky time zones.

Wow, I hope this email isn’t sounding like an overly long family holiday newsletter, lol. My point is…

It feels SO great to be prepared, to meet a deadline and be ready early!

I hope with the holidays you’re also feeling that way now…or very soon!

Have a wonderful week of shopping, baking, wrapping, giving and whatever else is on your list.

And also remember to add in a little RELAXING!

Much Love,
Carolyn

monsters - halloween

Monsters Under Your Bed!

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As I was at the grocery store last week, I walked around a corner and GASP! These “dolls” took me by surprise! It brought back a memory from when I was 8 years old and my two sisters and I were having a sleep over with our two girl cousins.

halloween

We were in their basement bedroom, where the sliding closet doors were open revealing 2 dolls standing up, leaned against the back of the closet, eyes glaring at us.

These dolls were pretty, with sweet faces and beautiful dresses, but the way their big blue eyes seemed to look right at me gave me the creeps. In fact, in my mind they looked more like the Halloween dolls in this photo!

As fate would have it, I was the one whose sleeping bag was closest to the closet. I begged my sisters and cousins to trade places with me (after all, I was the youngest) but, unfortunately, I had already pointed out to them how scary the dolls looked. So my sisters said, “No way!” and my cousins loved their dolls, and thought I was just being silly.

That was a rough night for me. I didn’t get much sleep, because I was afraid to close my eyes for fear of what these monster-dolls might do! Once I got it in my head that they seemed a little too creepily life-like (yes, creepily is a real word), I could think of nothing else.

Although seeing the dolls last week in the grocery store brought back the memory, I didn’t experience any fearful emotion connected with it. I was surprised to see them, but there is no longer any residue of fear in my physical or energetic body.

That’s the power of SimplyAlign. It releases the emotional potency of past (and current) situations. The emotions from that experience got cleared from me years ago, so now I have the memory, but without any fearful emotions attached.

There are two lessons from this story:

1) You are in control of what thoughts you let in your mind

We often see a situation and in our mind we make it bigger and scarier than it actually is. Let the scary, negative thought pass (remember, not every thought that floats through your brain is truth) and bring up a positive and more empowering thought about this situation. In my case I could’ve had a restful night had I just told myself:

“Those dolls are not real and can’t hurt me.”

*What are the “dolls” in your life that you are imagining to be bigger and scarier than they really are?

Knock them back down to size by looking at them realistically (even spiritually to find the lesson) and give yourself some go-to positive affirmations to say to yourself instead.

2) It’s time to get rid of the monsters under your bed

You don’t need to carry your past monsters with you. You can release any past or present monsters whether they just rear their ugly heads occasionally, or consistently lurk near you. Those monsters may come as fear, regrets, anger, grief, betrayal, etc. We can learn from all of these, but once you’ve experienced it, you don’t need to carry that any longer.

SimplyAlign is the best tool I know for dissolving those ‘emotional monsters’.

If you’re ready, here’s how I can help:

I have some openings for private sessions

I’ve also trained these amazing Certified SA Practitioners

If you want to get trained in the SimplyAlign Method and become one of our awesome practitioners, click here to get on the Waitlist so you’ll receive info on the upcoming SimplyAlign cerTrac Training Course.

If you’ve ever attended one of my 4-day Trainings in the past, and haven’t registered for next week’s online Refresher Course do it now! We’d love to have you there, and our world needs your help. Registration Closes on Monday, November 1st!