A recent poll cited in Spirituality and Health magazine asked Americans to choose among the following activities if they had more time in a day: sleep, rest and relax, work, socialize or play. Now what activity would you choose?
If you responded like the majority of those asked, you'd head for bed. That's not surprising, given that over 60% of us are sleep deprived. Americans, overall, are sleeping one hour less per night than our parent's generation.
Many factors contribute to our inability to get enough zzz's—the availability of the internet has made work a 24/7 proposition and our attachment to the accumulation of "things" has kept most of us working to support our habit. Economist, Juliet Schor, writes about this increasing phenomenon in her book, Overspent American.
So, what is the impact of our lack of sleep? To quote Professor of Medicine, Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago, "Lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body". Lack of sleep has been linked at one extreme to driving accidents and fatalities to an inability to focus or develop clarity in solving any number of life's problems.
Everyone needs a certain number of hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. That number varies per individual, but the articles I've read indicate that the magic figure is between 7 and 9—or perhaps gauged by whatever time you would normally awake without an alarm clock. Erroneously, many Americans believe that if they can "make up" the lack of sleep in any given day or week, all will be fine.
But, that is not the case. Research shows that if you don't get the hours of sleep you need, you begin to create a "sleep debt". Lost sleep accumulates and you grow a larger sleep indebtedness that does not just go away with a good night's sleep. You can only reduce your sleep debt by sleeping over and above what you normally need.
Perhaps a way to sleep well at night is to slow down during the day, rather than expect your body to immediately doze off once you come to a screeching halt at bedtime. For more tips on increasing your sleep, read the article: The Top Ten Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep.
Good Night :)
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I'll be speaking at the following upcoming events and invite you to attend:
"Defining Your Edge: Key Elements To Increase Your Value in the Marketplace", eWomenNetwork Luncheon, Wednesday, May 30, 11am, Portland Country Club, Falmouth, Maine.
This year's Women's Retreat in Provence is full! Email me if you'd like to be notified about the 2008 trip.
A friend of mine recently shared the good news that she had realized several important goals in her life. Remembering a time not long ago when she felt frustrated and stuck, I asked her what she thought was key to the dramatic shift.
I could tell that she was not entirely clear about it, but that the concept of a key element intrigued her. In search of an answer, she began to relay the chronology of events. There came a point when it was evident to both of us that the shift from frustration to momentum occurred after she took action on one goal in particular.
That goal was significant because it was the one out of three over which she had entire control. Acting on her desire to reach a goal without having to wait for someone to act or something to happen was empowering and motivating. Her momentum increased and before she knew it, the other two goals started to come together to the point where she could step in and do what was needed to complete them.
Using my friend's success as a guide, here are a few simple, yet effective steps you can take to move closer to your goals:
1. Make a list of what you want and recognize what is actually in your control.
2. Focus your wholehearted attention and act on what you can do something about.
3. Take stock to determine whether or not progress has shifted around your other goals to the point where you can now take action.
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I'll be speaking at the following upcoming events and invite you to attend:
"Get Beyond the Midlife Crisis: Life and Work in the Second Half of Life" Saturday, May 19, 11:45am, Goodall Hospital's Annual Women's Expo.
"Defining Your Edge: Key Elements To Increase Your Value in the Marketplace", eWomenNetwork Luncheon, Wednesday, May 23, 11am, Portland Country Club, Falmouth, Maine.
This year's Women's Retreat in Provence is full! Email me if you'd like to be notified about the 2008 trip.
Thanks to The Secret, people are giving much attention these days to attracting what they want in their lives. Without going into detail about my opinion of the best selling book and DVD, I’ll share what I know about manifesting your desires. Let’s just say that it’s not quite as simple as the popular "wish for it and it’s yours" law of attraction.
First of all, clarity is key. But, that does not mean that you have to know specifically what you want. If that sounds like a contradiction, it's not necessarily so. You can recognize the essence of what you want without being able to describe all the details about it.
For example, many of my clients want a new job or career. Initially, they cannot name the job title, the prospective employer or, in some cases, even the skills they want to use in their new work. But, they are always able to identify the outcome they desire as a result of the change.
Whether it is increased compensation that includes a retirement plan, an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a cause, or an increased intellectual challenge, people know what they are looking for in the transition.
Not being able to identify the specifics often presents a roadblock to people desiring a change. They make assumptions about what they need to know in order to find it or move forward. I believe it is okay, and in many cases, the best strategy, to let go of the specifics of a desire and let possibilities flow. In doing just that, it is likely that options that you hadn’t imagined begin to present themselves. You can start talking about the outcome and see what happens.
In addition to clarity about the outcome you desire, it's important to be flexible around the timeframe by which you want it to happen. Most desires include a host of details that are not in our control. In order to be flexible, you may have to enact a "Plan B" while "Plan A" is germinating (e.g. taking a temporary job while you aim for the permanent one).
Perhaps the most important tip of all is to learn to have patience with the process and to trust in yourself. Both are difficult to sustain amid "get it quick" schemes that lack the discipline and personal challenge typically inherent in important life transitions.
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I'll be speaking at the following upcoming events and hope you might attend:
"Get Beyond the Midlife Crisis: Life and Work in the Second Half of Life" Saturday, May 19, 11:45am, Goodall Hospital's Annual Women's Expo.
"Defining Your Edge: Key Elements To Increase Your Value in the Marketplace", eWomenNetwork Luncheon, Wednesday, May 23, 11am, Portland Country Club, Falmouth, Maine.
This year's Women's Retreat in Provence is full! Email me if you'd like to be notified about the 2008 trip.
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