By Nancy Stampahar

It’s time for fresh beginnings. Ask yourself, “What is it like to work around here?” or “What is it like to live my life?” Your answers will help you understand how you are viewing the worlds around you. Do you like what you see? If not, what would you like your environments to look and feel like? Paint yourself a picture and imagine how fulfilled, productive and happy you would be. Now for the tough question, what does it take to make your vision come to fruition? There is a one word answer – motivation.

Where does motivation come from? Motivation comes from within an individual. No one can motivate anyone to do anything they do not want to do. If someone truly wants to make changes in their life, they will do what it takes to make them. They get and stay motivated. This is where the phrase, “If there is a will, there is a way” derived. You have to want something strongly enough before you are willing to make a change. If you wait for someone or something to change, you may never get the results you want and need. It is up to you to do something different, to make something different happen.

 When you are fulfilled professionally and personally, your customers, co-workers, friends and family become a part of the ripple effect. Your environments become healthy and positive. Negative energy is reduced, and morale, productivity, improved relationships and a better quality of life are increased. You will have less stress and drama when you choose to make healthier and wiser choices. Work and life become fun and more rewarding for you, and everyone around you. 

If you, your organization or home are experiencing negative energy, complacency or burnout, attitudes and performances can be reignited by addressing the following seven questions:

1. How open-minded is each individual to self-awareness and personal growth?
2. What best practices are in place to empower self-directed teams and individual growth?
3. How effective are front-line supervisors and managers as coaches and team leaders?
4. What communication strategies are in place?
5. What goals, accountability and performance measurements are implemented?
6. What customer, employee and personal growth feedback and support mechanisms are utilized?
7. At the end of the day, does each individual feel appreciated and valued?

There are many effective strategies that can encourage motivating and fulfilling environments. If someone is motivated, they will embrace the strategies and take action. When you take the initiative to make positive changes in your work or personal life, you will get motivated, do better and achieve success. If you let life control you and become complacent, you will not grow and prosper. Ask yourself, “Do I consistently get out of bed each morning looking forward to work and my life?” This is your life to control and enjoy; live it in a way that will keep you from having regrets. It’s never too late to get happy!

Nancy Stampahar’s energetic, engaging personality and work initiatives are packed with real-life how to’s and solutions that help you succeed at both work and home. A skilled consultant and the award-winning author of Peace, Love, and Lemonade: A recipe to Make Your Life Sweeter, Nancy’s heartfelt words, expertise and enthusiasm will ignite your power within to succeed, and her famed “Silver Lining Solutions” will have you making lemonade out of lemons in no time at all! Visit: www.silverliningsolutions.com.

By Ellie

Breaking old patterns has been a lifelong journey for me. When I was 23-years-old, I was divorced and raising three children on my own. Life was painful. My body was unhealthy. I was smoking, weighed 100 pounds and thought I was fat, and watched television incessantly. My spiritual-being suffered the most. Fear, self-pity, anger, and guilt were my constant companions, and I thought I was so worthless that I did not deserve to be here. Ironically, my mind was constantly focusing on what other people should change in their lives so I could be happier.

At that time, I was unaware of the impact that my thoughts were having on my current life situation. I did not understand that my repeated, destructive self-talk was causing an overall unhealthy state of being in me. Because I internally repeated, accepted, and identified with toxic thoughts like “I am useless, I am not good enough, and I am a failure,” I was essentially destroying myself.

The first step in my healing journey began when I started listening to and owning my own thoughts. As I began to learn about my personal power of choice, I realized that my mind, body, and being were all affected by my limiting, negative beliefs and self-talk. I had been using words like have to, never, always, should, and not good enough. I also was not able to separate who I was from who I thought others wanted me to be.

At that time, I also learned that positive affirmations, whether repeating them out loud or silently, have a healing effect on the mind. The subconscious mind stores our thoughts and experiences. It doesn’t differentiate between thoughts that are good for us and those not so good for us.

Because the subconscious mind creates exactly what you tell it, replacing the damaging and untrue thoughts with positive, core value affirmations began a powerful healing process in me. Phrases like “I am unloved” became “I am loved”; and I replaced “I am worthless” with “I am good enough.” I wasn’t waiting for someone else to love me; I was going to love myself. Gradually, I felt my personal power and place in the world change.

One goal I had was to quit smoking. I had tried quitting multiple times in several different ways and had been unsuccessful. But once I began to apply affirmations like “I can” and “I am successful” while visualizing my life without cigarettes, I was able to break the smoking habit permanently! Unfortunately, I also began gaining a couple of pounds a week. Being reasonably good at math, I knew if I continued this habit, I would be sixty pounds heavier by the end of the year. I was determined not to start smoking again to avoid the weight gain, so I combined core value affirmations with an exercise movement program. It worked and I’ve been using this tool to help me make phenomenal life changes.

Here’s what I do:

1. Take time to listen to my own thoughts through meditation and journaling.

2. Choose what affirmations I need for the day. My favorite affirmations are: “I can,” “I am good enough” and “I release fear.”

3. Decide what movements to perform for that day: yoga, cardio or strengthening.

4. Enjoy moving my body while affirming my true self.

I am so grateful to have an easy to use, fun workout routine that supports who I am becoming.

See how Ellie answers our Identity Five Questions: 

1. What have you accepted within yourself and/or within your life? Is there anything you are working on accepting?

Accepting that I’m unable to give away something that I personally don’t have has been another motivating factor for me to change. Letting go of the childhood messages about being selfish, I realize that I need to love and respect myself first before I can treat others that way.

2. What do you appreciate about yourself or your life?

I appreciate my ability to see life’s possibilities. When I was resisting life, my thoughts were limiting because I was afraid. Listening intently to my inner dialog and spoken words, I can replace any limiting thoughts with possibility thinking.

3. What have you achieved, or what are you working to achieve personally, physically, or mentally?

Heightening my awareness about myself is a lifelong process. To live in the present moment is truly a gift.

4. What is your no-so-perfect way? We are all unique with quirks and imperfections, so why not flaunt them and embrace them!

My not so perfect way is that I like to be right. I have my perspective to offer and it is right for me yet if you think differently from me doesn’t mean you are wrong.

5. How would you complete this sentence, “I Love My…” This has to be about you, physically or mentally.

I Love My Creative Mind. I am fully present in the moment when I am creating.

By Debbie

Every woman goes through menopause.  My menopause, though, consisted of torturous hot flashes.  Finally, a friend of mine from India said she didn’t have any hot flashes once she eliminated sugar from her diet completely. I was all ears! I wasn’t able to sleep through the night, as I kept waking up every two hours or so with the intense hot flashes. After following her advice, my menopausal symptoms improved.

I was desperate after trying every herb and potion on the market, going to every doctor, whether conventional or alternative, and I was eating fruits and grains, knowing that they did not agree with my body.  Where did that leave me?

I love cooking for special diets, so I went back to the kitchen and started experimenting. What I came up with actually launched a restaurant and everyone else felt great! But I still had some hot flashes. I did a book-signing in Canada, and the woman who was my local contact told me she had hot flashes, as well as joint pain, whenever she ate nightshade vegetables, such as potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers.

After hearing her story, I wanted to make sure I was getting enough healthy oils and fats for optimal nervous system function. Since I tend to get stressed easily, it helped to keep me calm. And that, my friends, is the real secret. The source of most illness is stress. So whatever you can eat to lower your stress level for your body type is key for you.

The following recipe is a gift for you from my cookbook, based on my gluten-free, low-glycemic, allergy-friendly, nightshade free (mostly), vegan to meat restaurant:

Golden Chalice PESTO UN-PASTA

I used to love pasta, but since eating “un-pasta” for so long, it doesn’t even appeal to me anymore! Now I love vegetables in their most flavorful outfits. Our guests at The Golden Chalice loved this dish, too. Serves: 3 – 4 people.

Ingredients:

One medium organic Spaghetti Squash

½ cup thinly sliced organic Red Onion

2 Tblsps. of Unsalted Ghee or virgin Coconut Oil

1 cup Organic Zucchini slices, julienne (cut lengthwise in thin strips)

3 tablespoons Organic Classic Pesto Sauce (recipe follows this one)

1. Cut Spaghetti Squash in half and clean out seeds. (If you don’t have a sharp enough knife to do this, simply bake whole and clean out seeds after baking.

2. Drizzle one tablespoon of Unsalted Ghee on each half (or Grapeseed Oil, if Vegan) cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or more, depending on whether or not you like your un-pasta “al dente” — a little more chewy. Scoop out two cups of squash, which should now look somewhat like spaghetti. It’s easier to keep in strands using fork to take out.

3. Sautee Onion and Pepper in Grapeseed Oil or organic Unsalted Ghee.

4. Add Zucchini to above and continue to sauté.

5. Add Spaghetti Squash and Pesto Sauce and Blend in well.

Success Secret: On all amounts and measurements in this or any recipe, please adjust to your personal taste.

The key to different eating needs is in variety.

Variations:

1. Top with toasted or sprouted Pine Nuts (Soak for at least four hours, then rinse) and grated Pecorino Romano Cheese (from Sheep) or organic Goat Feta Cheese, if you desire, just before serving.

2. For meat or seafood lovers you may want to add sliced grilled or sautéed organic chicken or shrimp. Have cayenne or crushed red peppers available as condiments for certain friends who love it hot!

3. If you are in a hurry or do not like squash, feel free to use exclusively julienne vegetables such as Zucchini, Red and Yellow Bell Peppers, Onions, etc. for base instead of spaghetti.

Vegans and Dairy-free: Add sprouted Nuts and Seeds or other protein of choice. Nutritional yeast in place of cheese, or almond –cheese, available in health stores.

See how Debbie answers our Identity Five Questions:

1. What have you accepted within yourself and/or within your life? Is there anything you are working on accepting?

Accepting the fact that health and life are never perfect, but I’m learning more compassion with every turn of events, every discomfort.

2. What do you appreciate about yourself or your life?

I love that I can be a loving vehicle for Divine Spirit even more as I experience the challenges life brings and can laugh at myself more!

3. What have you achieved, or what are you working to achieve personally, physically, or mentally?

I’ve achieved peace of mind, mostly, and a wonderful life that is exactly what I’ve created: working part-time at home in a beautiful log cabin on a river, staying young at heart and even physically, compared to most, still being creative in my career and opening my heart more and more to the lovely gifts life brings daily, from the deer outside to the great food in my kitchen!

4. What is your no-so-perfect way? We are all unique with quirks and imperfections, so why not flaunt them and embrace them!

I’m prone to being hard on myself and pushing myself too hard, not trusting life to work as it should at times, but thinking it’s up to me alone!

5. How would you complete this sentence, “I Love My…” This has to be about you, physically or mentally.

I love my way of being mentally positive in the most dire of situations.

Debbie Johnson is author of Fun with GF/LG Food and former executive chef/owner of The Golden Chalice Restaurant and Gallery (GF/LG, allergy-friendly establishment). Visit http://glutenfreefun.com for more information.

By Ellen G. Goldman, M.Ed.

Did you ever notice that when life is going along smoothly, we feel accomplished and pleased at the end of the day?  We are taking care of all that needs to be done, and moving forward towards our goals.  Whether it’s career advancement, weight loss, or building a new home, as long as there are no huge bumps in the road, we easily stay on track.

I took a break from writing articles during the past few months, lightened my client load and truly enjoyed the extra free time.  I was gearing up for the fall, excited to get working on some business and personal goals, when those unexpected bumps occurred.

Discomfort from a pinched nerve caused me to feel distracted and unfocused.  Visits to the chiropractor and rehab were time consuming. Just when I began feeling better, Hurricane Irene paid us an uninvited visit and flooded my basement.  Our basement housed my exercise studio, a home office, family room and guest room. The loss of it left us feeling displaced and overwhelmed.

Recovery, construction workers, insurance adjusters, clean up crews and contractors were demanding of my time and attention.  We had months of rebuilding in front of us and I had an unexpected job on my hands.

After weeks of attending to all of this, my business was being neglected, and I was lacking the motivation to get back to the things I normally do to keep it thriving. I didn’t like that feeling!

So I took some time and went through the steps I use to help my clients when they lose focus and desire.  It feels really good to be back on track, and I’m excited to share some ideas to recharge your motivation the next time you see it wavering.

    1.     Self-care first.  When life throws you a curveball, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, stressed and unfocused, don’t let self care slip.  Getting the sleep you need, eating healthily and exercising regularly will keep you feeling strong and in control.  No matter what was going on, my doctor’s appointments and daily exercise were planned first in my schedule.  A few lunch dates out with my girlfriends lifted my mood and kept my spirits high.

    2.     Look for the silver lining.  What is the lesson to be learned from your current situation?  What possibilities and promises might lie ahead?  The flood in our basement will mean a new paint job, something I’ve been procrastinating for a long time.  It feels good to clean out items that we no longer need.  And finding things long forgotten, such as my kid’s old camp letters, left us rolling in laughter.

    3.     Adopt an attitude of gratitude.  When my pinched nerve had me uncomfortable and frustrated, I reminded myself to be grateful that this is an acute injury, not a permanent disability, and it will eventually get better.  Overall, I am healthy and well. The flood in the basement was upsetting, but I am keenly aware of how many others suffered much worse damage. In nearby towns, people lost their homes and precious mementos. Many businesses had to shut down, and were subjected to a loss of income.  We are actually one of the lucky ones.

 4.     Wherever possible, simplify.  Ask yourself what must get done, and let go, even if only temporarily, of the rest of your to-do’s.  Meeting with my clients and showing up for speaking obligations was non-negotiable (and actually helped keep my sanity).  Waiting one more month to publish any new articles and delaying the promotion of a new group program wasn’t a big deal for my business.

    5.     Reexamine your visions and motivators.  Ask yourself why you set your goals in the first place.  What is the meaning and purpose behind them?  What will it mean to you to accomplish them?  Reviewing my business mission and goals reignited my passion and excitement.

    6.     Take one small step at a time.  Once you begin to feel the desire to get back on track, ask yourself what is the one small step you can take right now to begin the process.  Schedule it and commit to it.  Getting back to writing was my first step.  I planned time to create an outline, then my intro, and then another time to write the tips.  And here you go; I’m back on track and I hope it will help you the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed and derailed.

By Michele

At the age of 13 I survived an enormous trauma that left me feeling changed, as if I was an entirely different person. Once a happy girl, I now saw myself as a vulnerable, weak, frightened survivor. In order to cope with this identity shift, I put in place several patterns that negatively impacted my life.

By 2005 my unhealthy patterns of post-traumatic stress had brought me to the brink of destruction. Nightmares, insomnia, traumatic memories and depression forced me to function through a fog of emotional distress. Over 20 years of anorexia, anxiety and fear reduced my body to a slew of health problems. Finally, circumstances forced me to take a good look at my stress patterns. When I did, I discovered that the root of my problems lay in the fact that since my illness I very deeply hated who I was: a woman driven by fear. In order to resolve this inner conflict I decided to commit identity suicide.

The idea was to dismantle who I’d become piece by piece, eliminating all of the qualities I hated about myself, thus getting rid of patterns I didn’t want. Then, I would rebuild myself with traits and characteristics I admired. For the first time in over two decades I felt no fear. Instead, I felt excitement, control and anticipation.

My identity-reset quest began with a focused examination of who I was and what I liked and didn’t like about myself. For example, I hated that I was always looking at life in terms of what bad thing was about to happen. The beginning of my journey began, then, with a long hard look at why I was always so fearful. I worked hard to develop a conscious mindfulness of my thoughts, ideas, attitudes and perceptions. In addition to this, I studied the base of my fears. As an adult it was time to assess what was true, what was false, and what were outdated perceptions. By changing things at such a core level, I began to change who I was, too. With new beliefs, came a new strength that altered my behavior.

Once I became proficient at changing the things I didn’t like, I began a process of developing qualities I wanted to possess. Foremost in this, I wanted to be a woman deeply connected to a source of joy. I knew that when I danced I felt transcendent and free. I decided to dance – a lot. I signed up for dance classes every day of the week. A fun thing happened: The more I danced, the more I felt joy, the more I felt connected to my true authentic self, the more I released the patterns that coping with trauma had instilled. I began to like myself more and more.

It took three years to eradicate the things I didn’t like about who I’d become, salvage the things I did, and install aspects of the new identity I desired. Today, I know myself deeply, am connected permanently and love myself unconditionally. Most importantly, I’ve learned how fluid identity can be. Despite circumstance, in every moment we have the option to choose who we are. It’s up to us to choose wisely.

 See how Michele answers our Identity Five Questions:

1. What have you accepted within yourself and/or within your life? Is there anything you are working on accepting?

In the past I had to accept that in response to experience you can lose a significant portion of your identity.  Today, I’m working on accepting that there are only 24 hours in a day — I have a lot to do to fully (re)claim who I am and enjoy who that is!

2. What do you appreciate about yourself or your life?

I appreciate my enormous connection to the part of myself that feels incredible joy. For so long I thought that part of my identity had been permanently lost. What I appreciate about my life now is how often I specifically make time to deepen and develop that joyful connection in more than one way.

3. What have you achieved, or what are you working to achieve personally, physically, or mentally?

I have achieved something that very often I didn’t think was possible: I have rebuilt my identity. I have deliberately chosen and crafted who I am with meaning and purpose. This means that physically and emotionally I am no longer tied to the past. It also means that mentally I am, in every present moment, creating myself and my life in ways that access and evolve my creativity, passion and desire to help others.

4. What is your not-so-perfect way? We are all unique with quirks and imperfections, so why not flaunt them and embrace them!

A large part of my identity is driven by my passion for helping others not suffer the way I did. My not-so-perfect way of doing this is being all-consumed by it! My biggest goal now is committing to balance in my life so that I feel solid in my identity as an advocate for improved mental health while also scheduling time for my own personal relaxation and recreation.

5. How would you complete this sentence, “I Love My…” This has to be about you, physically or mentally.

I love my ability to feel joy. To me, joy represents all that’s best about us: our ability to feel, experience, create, collaborate and connect. I love, too, my newfound ability to share that feeling of joy with friends, family, colleagues and other survivors. There’s hope in joy and hope, to me, is the beginning of all change.

Michele Rosenthal is the author of Before the World Intruded: Conquering the Past and Creating the Future, A Memoir. A speaker, award-winning blogger and Certified Professional Coach, she is also the host of Your Life After Trauma on Seaview Radio. To connect with Michele visit, www.yourlifeaftertrauma.com.

By Jane Atkinson

Both women and men are waiting longer and longer to get married for the first time, according to the Census Bureau, and fewer women are having babies before their 40th birthdays, the Centers for Disease Control reports. Interestingly, more and more women are having babies well into their forties. Could it be that it has become more difficult for couples to connect romantically?

“Women are likely to be more independent and professionally successful than they were a generation or two ago, and that’s wonderful, but it can come with baggage,” says Jane Atkinson, author of The Frog Whisperer: A Three-Step Approach to Finding Lasting Love (www.frogwhisperer.com). “We’re less likely to think about the energy we’re putting out to others, particularly the opposite sex, and that energy has a lot to do with how people react to us.”

Atkinson says finding Mr. or Ms. Right requires taking your eyes off of work and focusing on yourself more. What can you do to become the person you would want to date? She offers some tips for finding “the one.”

Figure out what you’re looking for. Have you thought hard about what kind of person you’re looking for? One trick is to visualize your perfect day. Are you at the beach? Traveling? Is the man with you quiet or chatty? Is the woman serious or funny? Does he want children? Does she go to church? This will help you identify the characteristics and values of your Mr. or Ms. Right so you can recognize them when he or she comes along.

Get happy in your own head. Once again, it’s all about attraction. Putting out positive, confident energy will attract the same. Besides, it’s never a good idea to rely on other people to make us happy. If you need to recover from old hurts, lose weight or find a job, take care of that business first.

Think you’re ready? Test yourself with this quick quiz.

1. Are you happy with yourself? (Or are you miserable because you’ve put on 50 pounds since your divorce?)

2. Are you looking for someone to rescue you or take care of you? (If you answer “yes” to this one, you may not be ready.)

3. Is there room in your life for a relationship? (Or do you have three kids and work a 60-hour week?)

4. Has enough time passed since your last relationship? (Or are you still wounded?)

Now, get yourself fabulous. Rather than, “Why can’t I find a good man?” ask yourself, “Who do I need to become to attract the man (or woman) who is perfect for me?” It’s not about changing you; it’s about being your best you. Part of that is your mojo – your self-esteem. If your mojo is slipping, you’ll attract control freaks, players and jerks. Pump it up with a makeover, a workout, a sincere inventory of your attributes. (Find more mojo-boosters at www.selfmotivationresources.com/selfesteemboosters.php.)

Get out there! Put on your sexy jeans get yourself out the door. Where to start looking? If you enjoy working with your hands, volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity project. If you’ve always wanted to learn Italian, take a class. If you love to do yoga, check out a new studio (ladies, you’ll find a surprising number of guys there.) Perhaps you find a new church or take a class on Buddhism. The list of meeting spots for singles is a long one: bookstores, dance clubs, supper clubs, book clubs, gyms, golf courses, rowing clubs, dog parks.

Atkinson’s tips come from real-life experience. At 40, she realized she’d been kissing a lot of frogs and found not one prince. She applied the model she developed for her business, tweaked it and came up with “Frog Whisperer” – and a prince of a husband.

Jane Atkinson is the author of The Frog Whisperer and The Frog Whisperer Journal as well as a positive practice audio CD to help women (and men) get mentally ready for meeting their perfect mate. She lives in London, Ontario, with her husband of four years, John.

By Laura

My husband’s diagnosis a couple years ago with late onset Type 1 diabetes made me take a good look at not just my eating habits, but the whole family’s. Since my dad was also diabetic, I’m very concerned that my daughters learn to eat right. We adopted the following changes, which are still a work in progress:

1. Cut way back on refined sugar-the girls only get dessert a couple nights a week now (usually ice cream) and Tom and I switched to a single square of gourmet chocolate with a high -70% or better-cocoa content.

2. Cut out white rice and refined pastas (mostly-I still get complaints from Tom and the girls).

3. Started experimenting with quinoa, barley, brown rice and other complex carbohydrates.

4. Gave up our evening glass of wine or beer. Now, we save it for Friday nights and stop at one (usually). Great weight loss help!

5. Switched from “normal” peanut butter which has an insanely high sugar content, to natural peanut butter which has a much lower sugar content.

By Elizabeth Yarnell, ND

It all changed after that night in 1998, when I went to bed as usual and awoke blind in my right eye. Until this point I was happy just to pay my bills and enjoy life in the process. It was two weeks before my thirtieth birthday and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

It’s a terrifying experience to see images showing damage in your brain and learning that 80-percent of MS patients end up significantly disabled. As much as I may have wanted to curl up into a ball of self-pity, I instead looked for ways to improve this picture of my future.

I began researching health and nutrition, and studying the link between what you eat and how you feel. I began taking cooking classes and watching the Food Network. Then one night I was inspired to layer whole foods into my Dutch oven and flash-cook it for a one-pot meal. The results were delicious, and that became the default way we cooked and ate. After staying with us for a week, my college roommate asked me to teach her how to cook the way I did. So I sat down and wrote a cookbook.

For the next five years I submitted the manuscript to publishers and agents to no avail. In the meantime, I joined a Toastmasters club to become a better public speaker. I began teaching cooking classes at cooking schools, health fairs, corporate wellness events, to community groups, and wherever else they would let me teach. I started studying for nutrition degrees, becoming a Certified Nutritional Consultant (CNC) and Certified Natural Health Professional (CNHP), and finally, a Naturopathic Doctor (ND). I also applied for and was granted a patent from the US and Canadian patent offices for the unique cooking process I had invented.

Finally, I gave up waiting and plunged into self-publishing. It turned out to be a good decision as my cookbook sold 2,000 copies the first month it was released, spent 8 weeks on the local best sellers list, and came to the attention of Random House, who published the second edition in 2009. As of now, the Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook has sold more than 40,000 copies, and helped many people eat healthier meals more often.

For a long time, I thought the key to health lay in focusing on whole foods rather than processed foods. But, even though he had been fed whole, organic foods since birth, my son was sick. Finally, it came to a head when he was six and we found a blood test that could identify hidden food and chemical sensitivities. He tested reactive to 41 common foods and food additives. Once we eliminated these from his life, the turnaround was remarkable: in the first two months he grew 2.5 inches, gained 15 lbs., stopped having tantrums, and slept through the night.

I studied dietary management protocols and added Certified LEAP Therapist to my list of degrees (CLT).

While preparing for the CLT test, I had a “eureka moment” where I saw a clear link between the biological mechanisms at work in food sensitivities and those involved in multiple sclerosis. There is not much research done into this because there aren’t patentable pharmaceuticals involved. I thought it deserved further study, so I launched the Fight MS with Food project to look into it and help others suffering from MS find a way to manage their disease.

At this point, I have not had any MS symptoms since 2002 and I strongly believe the course of my disease is influenced by the way I now eat and live. At 42, I am healthier and in better shape physically and emotionally than I was at 22.

Now I get to speak to groups around the country about healthy eating. My virtual clinical practice, focused on helping people who are in chronic physical distress through state-of-the-art dietary therapies, is incredibly rewarding. And my son is happy, healthy, and thriving.

Getting diagnosed with MS inspired what has become my passion and purpose in life, changed my career, and shifted my focus from helping myself to helping others. While I never envisioned a future that looked like this, I can’t imagine it any other way.

See how Elizabeth answers our Identity Five Questions:

1. What have you accepted within yourself and/or within your life? Is there anything you are working on accepting?

I have accepted that my body is hypersensitive and as such I cannot afford to treat it casually and expect to feel good everyday. I am working on accepting that I cannot and will never be everything to everyone, and that not everyone will even like me. Most importantly, I have finally accepted and embraced my individuality and now accept that I don’t always fit into familiar molds or follow mainstream paths.

2. What do you appreciate about yourself or your life?

I feel blessed to have found my mate and to have relationships that keep growing and deepening. I appreciate that I’ve always given freely of my time and knowledge, and helped those I could whenever possible.

3. What have you achieved, or what are you working to achieve personally, physically, or mentally?

I have worked hard for my achievements in my career: award-winning author, patented inventor, professional speaker, respected naturopath. My most important achievement, however, is being able to help people feel better, and most particularly, in healing my son.

4. What is your not-so-perfect way? We are all unique with quirks and imperfections, so why not flaunt them and embrace them!

I am not a good employee; I’m bossy and opinionated, I don’t like managing people, and I chafe at being managed or monitored. I have difficulty navigating office politics. My mother says I’m “intense.”

I guess this is why I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was twelve – it’s hard to fight your inner nature.

5. How would you complete this sentence, “I Love My…” This has to be about you, physically or mentally.

I love my hazel eyes – they are emerald green with flecks of gold and orange – and I love my persistence and tenacity in the face of adversity. I also love my compassionate heart that brings me to tears during long distance commercials and makes me stop to rescue lost dogs. 

Elizabeth Yarnell, ND, is the author of Glorious One-Pot Meals: A Revolutionary New Quick and Healthy Approach to Dutch Oven Cooking (Clarkson-Potter, 2009). A naturopath, patented inventor, and Director of the “Fight MS with Food” project, Elizabeth runs a nationwide virtual clinical practice focused on helping people in chronic physical distress feel better. She blogs and speaks about healthy eating to groups around the country.

Depression can sneak up on us when we least expect it.  The secret is to not let it take over our lives.  For Shari, depression has been a life-long battle.  But after becoming dependent on medication, she chose to change her pattern of depression.  Shari realized that life is meant to be lived and each day is a choice that we should not pass up.

By Shari

I am breaking an unhealthy pattern of succumbing to depression that I can trace back to being a sophomore in high school. While neither my family nor I recognized it as depression back then I now know otherwise. My family had moved and I didn’t adapt to the change well because I missed my friends and struggled to make new friends in our new town. I can clearly remember what snapped me out of it — I was accepted to participate in a statewide pageant. I can still see myself opening the envelope and getting the news. That acceptance letter gave me the boost I needed to feel like the beautiful, gifted human being that I am.

Since then I’ve fallen into periods of depression several more times. The final diagnosis came in 2007 after the birth of my son and I came to be dependent, over time, on two depression medications. On days that I forgot to take my medicine, my husband would notice the cloud over my head and ask if I’d taken my medicine, that’s how dependent I was on the medicine.

Within the last year I realized that the depression medicine actually hindered my ability to be happy and go for what I want in life. Because of that I refused to believe that depression was going to be a “normal” part of the rest of my life. I just didn’t know the solution yet.

And then it hit me. This spring I grasped the concept that life is a choice – I can choose to be depressed or I can choose to embrace life and all the joys and struggles that come with it. At that moment I made a conscious choice to embrace life, the good times and the bad times, and began gradually weaning myself off the medicine. I was excited by the newfound power I had knowing and believing I could face whatever comes my way without a crutch (the medication).

Do I choose every day to live with upbeat and positive attitude? Not yet. I’m getting closer though and my days with a cloud over my head are farther and fewer between with a faster turn around to the sunbeam side of things.

The key to my success is that I’ve learned to recognize those times when a depressed mood sneaks into my conscious. I’ve become so conscious of the shift that I can even tell you the exact moment I feel it hit me. When a mood hits I choose not to go down that path. I call on tools I’ve put in place to help me shift back out of my depressed state quickly and easily. I want to add that I actually use these tools on sunny days too; I just find them particularly helpful when my mood is down.

Here’s what I do:

Ask myself, “are these thoughts helpful to me?” If not, I re-focus my attention on writing down the answer to these questions: What do I want? How do I want my life to look? What am I going to do to live that life/achieve that dream? And then I take action.

Surround myself with positive energy through listening to my favorite motivational speakers and listening to “self talk” CDs that pump positive messages into my head on self-esteem and other subjects.

Breathe through it. That may sound funny and yet I’ve found it to be therapeutic to allow myself to experience the feelings by breathing through them, thanking them for being there and moving on because I know “this too shall pass.”

I am so grateful to have kicked depression because the world is my stage and I’m ready to step on it.

See how Shari answers our Identity Five Questions:

1. What have you accepted within yourself and/or within your life? Is there anything you are working on accepting?

I’ve accepted that I cannot change others; I can only change myself. What’s amazing about living this way is that when I embrace a new way of being I attract more of the same into my life. For example, in my running days, I had a huge troupe of friends surrounding me who also were runners.

2. What do you appreciate about yourself or your life?

I appreciate my persistence to achieve my goals and live the life of my dreams.

3. What have you achieved, or what are you working to achieve personally, physically, or mentally?

My story above is about my mental achievements. Physically, I have completed a marathon – Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN to be exact. I highly recommend it for the satisfaction of demonstrating to yourself that you truly can do that which you think you cannot do.

Personally, I have achieved much success in the corporate world and I am thrilled to be achieving a 15+ year dream to becoming a successful entrepreneur. It’s been a tremendous journey and I look forward to what lies ahead.

4. What is your no-so-perfect way? We are all unique with quirks and imperfections, so why not flaunt them and embrace them!

I find it really hard to sit still and do nothing in the evening after my son goes to bed. It’s not that I fill my evenings with work, what I’m doing needs to feel productive such as reading.

5. How would you complete this sentence, “I Love My…” This has to be about you, physically or mentally.

I love my creativity – from creating scrapbooks, to creative problem solving, to creating my business from scratch.

To find out more about Shari, please visit www.ShrinkYourWorkWeek.com