Life Made Simple

You love the idea of reinventing yourself or making a change to an area of your life. Maybe you want to get healthy, change jobs, make new friends. Maybe you would want a complete over-haul. But making changes can be hard. Maybe you've even tried before and failed. Maybe you don't know how to begin, where to start. Here are 9 Steps to get you where you want to be. Download the Ideal Day worksheet below to really hone in on the change you desire and learn how to live into the change. CLICK HERE -> Ideal Day Worksheet

“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing”. ~George Bernard Shaw

If you are wallowing in a life you don't love, hoping to be rescued by your knight in shining armor, it's time you stop playing the victim and become the hero of your life. Because no one is coming to save you. You have to save yourself. You have to take your power back; you are your priority.

So many situations require difficult conversations. In our personal lives, between partners, parents, children, and other family members. At work, we may have to ask for a raise or promotion, or maybe we are the boss having to give feedback to an employee. Difficult conversations are required if you are determined to build a life that ideal for you.

Having reached a low point in my life, I knew something that really added to my unhappiness, was not having the group of intimate friends I desired. When I decided to change my life, I knew an important part of that process would be meeting people and making some new connections.

Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This isn't just common sense, it's backed up by science. You are in charge of who you spend your time with even when it feels like that's not true. Try this 5 Step Journal Exercise to discover your five people and learn how to cultivate the five you really need.

Through regular practice and rituals we are reminded often of our beliefs and that helps to keep us grounded. The more we practice the better we develop our spiritual habits and the better we are able to maintain a healthy perspective throughout our everyday lives. Spirituality Tool-Kit https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/features/view/27713/spiritual-practice-toolkit "Awakening is not changing who you are, but discarding who you are not." – Deepak Chopra "The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper." – W.B. Yeats "The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you really are." – Carl Jung “The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware; joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” – Henry Miller “Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives.” – Brené Brown “We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically.”– Neil DeGrasse Tyson “You do not need to work to become spiritual. You are spiritual; you need only to remember that fact. Spirit is within you. God is within you.” – Julia Cameron "The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves." – Alan Watts "Happy people build their inner world; unhappy people blame their outer world." –Dalai Lama “When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don't seem to matter very much, do they?” – Virginia Woolf “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the now the primary focus of your life.” – Eckhart Tolle

Do you find yourself constantly searching? I suffered from a near constant feeling of being unsatisfied. It was like an annoying itch I tried to scratch but never seemed to eradicate. I used to think that I was cursed with an inherent discontent, that I was a person who would never be content. Free download. Values Document

I'm traveling to Iceland in a week for a vacation with a couple of my girlfriends. I decided to share 3 tips for those of you who dream of traveling but always relegate those dreams to someday…meaning you never actually make it happen. CLICK HERE to get a simple Bucket List Template.

This time of year here in Michigan we begin to spend more and more time indoors. After the rapid pace of the summer season I find my life cluttered, messy, and in need of a thorough reset. From my skincare routine to my kitchen cabinets I'm in need of a shuffle, purge, and reorganization. Nothing feels as good as a fresh start if you ask me. For a room by room checklist to help you purge and tidy up get my 30 Day Edit Checklist. https://www.lifewithshanna.com/30dayedit ...and if you could use a seasonal mindset reset check out podcast Episode 48: From Procrastination to Motivation. https://www.lifewithshanna.com/podcasts/revolution-lifestyle/episodes/2147793913

Here are 16 tips to having your own back. When we have low self-esteem we don't trust ourselves. We don't trust our judgment, ideas, opinions, and abilities. We don't live lives that are authentic and true to who we are. We don't get to feel our full range of emotions and we certainly don't get to feel good about ourselves and live our best life.

9 Common Traits of People Pleasers I didn't realize I was a people pleaser. In fact, I would have argued that I was very confident, bold even. I don't fawn over people or seem overly compassionate, outwardly. Most people assume I am confident and autonomous. I probably learned this behavior to compensate for my low self-esteem. People pleasing detracts from our happiness because we spend so much time worrying about everyone else. I wish I had been aware of my people pleasing tendencies much sooner; I would have saved myself so much suffering.

Recently I have been feeling burnt out. It's the end of summer and this time of year I always find myself totally spent and in need of a reset. Heck…every season I need a reset! In summer I want to absorb every ray of sunlight, attend all the social interactions, do all the traveling, eat all the yummy bbq, and drink all the cocktails. I burn my candle at both ends because it's also a very busy season for me in my career and in the volunteer work I do as well. My overdoing and over indulging have depleted me, mind, body, and soul and it's time for me to get motivated to do something about it.

I think the best advice comes from people with experience in the things we are struggling with in our life, people who have been there and lived it. But sometimes we aren't aware of what we are creating in our lives while we are in the thick of it, we don't have the big picture view that can shine a light on where we might be on the wrong path. It's very much like the expression we can't see the forest through the trees. We have our heads down and we're plugging away at life and sometimes we lose sight of the point of it.

I get one life, so of course I want to make it the absolutely best life that I can and for me that includes luxury and comfort. Sometimes I forget to make the best of my everyday life. I get busy and run from thing to thing without stopping to smell the roses. So I compiled this list of 50 Simple Luxuries to inspire me to enjoy the moments, big and small, I hope it inspires you too.

While going to work may not be our ideal activity, most of us do want to earn money to pay for housing, food, and the other necessities of modern life. I'm going to go a step further here and say I want to enjoy my work and to be engaged. I want my work and my life to balance and compliment each other.

When it comes to work we can sometimes get into a negative mindset. Because when we believe we have to do something, like it's against our will, we rebel against it. The reality is, we work because we want to. Gasp!! Yes, I said we want to. If you truly don't want to work, then don't. Now I'm not saying you should quit your job and live on the generosity of others. I do believe we should take care of ourselves and live within our own means. But the work you do and how you choose to feel about that work are both 100 percent up to you. I want to support the life I choose to live and enjoy the work I do while I'm at it.

Over and over I experimented and learned new things about health and wellness. I created my own healthy lifestyle by taking what served me and leaving what didn't. This is what I've learned.

This is a list is simply what I have noted about my summer skincare, what I'm doing well, where I need work, and what I'd like to do differently. It's in no particular order just as things came to mind. My goal here is to get myself back on track and in the process maybe you can find inspiration and motivation for your own skincare routine. If you are nailing it already then yay you!

I love the idea of hitting the reset button in January and again in July, about six months apart because I believe it will keep my weight and fitness steady and strong.

Self-confidence is a feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities, and judgment. You may have heard me discuss before that we are in charge of how we feel. Self-confidence is a feeling and it's totally within our control to create it. Self-confidence can be cultivated with our thoughts.

Are you running mindlessly from task to task, not taking a moment to breathe or stop and smell the roses? Wouldn't you like to have breathing room in your schedule? Remember who is in charge of not only your time…but your mind. It was these three areas of focus that changed my life and they can change yours too. When we begin to manage our mind, focus on growth, and practice enjoying our lives we develop the habit of making things better instead of waiting, blaming, and complaining.

Of course it's a good idea to plan for our future, to set goals, and to dream, but we want to be careful not to spend our lives chasing a carrot either. We want to be present in our lives right now. Life is never better later or when we finally arrive somewhere. The best moment is always the one you're in.

Most of us think about how we look, what we would should wear, and how we are being perceived by others many times a day. Often this includes some pretty harsh judgements, here's how to be more attractive to others but more importantly, how to be more attractive to yourself. Citations Jeanne J. Carter, Lenny R. Vartanian, (2022) Self-concept clarity and appearance-based social comparison to idealized bodies. Body Image, (40), 124-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.12.001. 
 Taylah M. Manning, Kate E. Mulgrew, Broad conceptualisations of beauty do not moderate women's responses to body positive content on instagram. Body Image, (40), 12-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.10.009.

Do You Have a Bucket List? Tips to write one and actually start crossing things off. I think everyone should have a bucket list because letting yourself think of all the possibilities available to you in life helps you stretch yourself and get the most out of your life. If you never consider the possibilities you won't even have them on your radar, which means you most likely won't achieve them.

You may think you don't have many but I bet you at least have a couple. Sometimes we tell ourselves lies to make ourselves feel better. I'm glad I never kissed so and so. I'm so relieved I never went to art school…you can say it but you aren't kidding anyone and especially not yourself my friend.

What to do when you feel like running away and why escaping probably isn't the answer. Being stuck in limbo between the life we have and the life we fantasize about is a miserable purgatory of discontent and no place to live.

Limiting beliefs are the thoughts holding us back from living our best life and from achieving our dreams. Beliefs are the thoughts we have that are so ingrained we don't realize they are thoughts at all, we simply believe them as truth. These thoughts are so sticky, so deep inside us, that often we don't see or hear them. That is why coaching is so valuable.

We've all heard Jim Rohn's famous quote, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If you haven't heard this quote let it sink in…because I believe it's so true. But you have to put sage advice into action or it's useless...so I've created a simple action plan for you to get started.

If you want to change your habits but never seem to be successful, what you need are non-negotiables. A non-negotiable is something in your life that is not open to discussion or modification. I find non-negotiables work especially well when we are trying to develop good self-care and health habits.

I want you to learn and live your best life. I know you've tried to change your life or your habits before but can't seem to stay on track so I'm going to share with you my secrets for keeping on track so you can finally be successful this time around.

Everything exists with its equal and its opposite, the whole has its pieces and nothing is missing, everything is as it should be. In the spring we are naturally in balance so we feel more alive. We feel more alive because we are experiencing life more fully.

I recently read a quote that said, “You will be exactly as happy as you decide to be.” It didn't say who said it, but it's so true. For example, I could be super rich, have a decent family, and all the trimmings and still be miserable. We see it all the time. Or, I could be a super poor orphan with bad health and be totally happy. Or we can just decide.

If you've ever wanted to run away and start over somewhere new, or if you simply want to have a fresh start in your life than this list for you. If you truly want a fresh start, this is exactly the work you need to be doing. Get rid of all the stuff that does not belong in your new life, slowly over time your life will truly transform. Get your checklist by clicking the link below. 30 Day Edit - Life Reset Checklist

We are feeling cooped up, ready to burst, and out of balance. We want outside and we're itching to move on to the next season. We sense a new beginning. We are well rested and full of energy. We can feel our batteries recharging and we can use this energy to enjoy improve our life.

What does an awesome day look like for you? Do you know? Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy your every-days so much you stop pining for the weekend or dreading Mondays? Here's how.

The definition of love according to the internet dictionary is - an intense feeling of deep affection. Who doesn't want more of that? Who doesn't want to feel more love? We can actually learn and train ourselves to feel more love.

We must remember to live our best life each day. Each moment adds up to our lives. We should be thinking how can we make today great. Because today is our life.

Growth is a good thing, you can be anyone you want so why not actively choose the type of person you will be? Going with the flow and just letting nature take its course is fine as long as you are perfectly happy with your life, health, connections, and contribution to the world. Knowing who you are, what's important to you, and who you want to be or become steers your every day decisions. When I wanted to get fit or to become a woman who lived a healthy lifestyle I started making choices a fit woman would make, living the lifestyle of a fit woman, and after embodying her for so long one day I realize I am her. I am a fit woman. I have become her.

I think everyone has dreams and desires that we think of and sometimes fantasize about. But we often don't even consider making these dreams a reality. Therefore we never get there, these dreams remain nothing more than wishes, and we don't even consider the possibility!

With deep self care you will be have the vitality, energy, and overall wellness to achieve what you want and support others at a higher level. To care for our health, welfare, maintenance, and protection, and in order to this, we must feel concern or interest and attach importance to ourselves.

Do you ever find yourself wanting more adventure or maybe more relaxation? Maybe you wish you lived a healthier lifestyle, dream of moving somewhere warm, or changing careers. You can have the life you want, the alternative is regret.

List of 10 things to look at when you need a fresh start. If you feel discontent and want to escape, the fresh start may not need be as dramatic as you think.

In this episode I help you identify when you are listening more to others than to yourself. Am I doing things - for me? Am I planning goals that make me truly happy? Or am I unknowingly doing things to impress others or fit it? Am I people pleasing? What would make me truly happy? Recommend the Article Taming the Mammoth on the website Wait but Why

Practicing mindfulness is step one in managing your mind or beginning a meditation practice.

Maintaining balance in our lives is a continuous practice because what we want and need in our lives is ever evolving. If you're feeling out of sorts, overwhelmed, or discontent, you could be out a balance. Take a look at what might be too much or not enough in the areas of your life and take action.

Do you want freedom and independence? It is available to you now if you will just stop giving it away to others. Through mindfulness, you can begin creating an authentic life one choice at a time. Independence and Freedom are Always Available

If you have areas of your life that bring constant frustration you are in need of boundaries. This episode gives you the tools. A super simple way to create boundaries and take charge of your life for good.

In this episode we look at our expectations and Ideal Blueprints for people and relationships. We see the suffering they cause and how to let go of them. This may be some of the most useful work I have done in my own life and hope you apply it to yours so you too can reap the benefits of having better relationships.

In this episode I give 10 thoughts about health. Super quick advice and a little ranty but good stuff.

In order to feel more freedom and abundance when it comes to money and finances, I am learning to create and follow a budget. I'm just starting and you can can too.