Nike Was Right! Just Do It! It Works!

Most people decide to lose weight, exercise, write a book, or anything else, and then they spend many hours, sometimes days, weeks, months and even years getting ready to start!

The result is often a garage filled with unused equipment, unread books, money wasted on workshops and dreams gone down the drain, plus a huge feeling of failure.

I suggest doing just the opposite. It´s always worked for me.

I make a note of my goal, and then I start taking steps to accomplish it. Once I´ve hit the road running, I search the resources available out there to improve my style, my output or my technique or whatever I need to work on. That´s how I approach the arts, sports, writing, work and more.

I don´t need the perfect running shorts to start running. I don´t need to have the perfect office space to write. I don´t even need to have money! I don´t need to know the perfect sketching technique to enjoy doing it.

If you don´t exercise, there is no style to improve or no routine to add on to. You can spend a lifetime talking about the book you will write and take a gazillion workshops. But you will have no craft to hone if you don´t well … write!

In a nutshell, this is the Just Do It tagline that Nike made so popular, but heck, it works!

So … Just Do It!

Do it imperfectly, do it little by little, do it when and how you can, but Do It!

Do it, and in one month, please check back and let me know what happened!

www.lorrainecladish.com

How to Find Time to Pursue your Dreams!

“I don´t have the time” is the most frequent excuse for not pursuing a dream. You can turn a dream into a goal by putting it on paper and then give it a deadline.

But, how do you find the time to devote to your dream, whether it be writing a novel, learning how to crochet, beading, running a marathon, going back to school or taking tap-dance classes?

I´m going to be very simplistic about it, because it really is simple. I also won´t concentrate on the money part, which I promise to discuss in another entry.

1.- Make a list of all the things you do on any given day that you really DON´T NEED to do, but that you do anyway. Some have become habits and may be so ingrained that you hardly notice. Here go a few common ones:

            - Surfing the Internet

            - Playing video-games

            - Indulging in social sites

            - Chatting

            - Watching TV

            - Gossiping

2.- Now make a list of the things you WANT to do but don´t because you think you don´t have time for them. They could be anything, but here are some examples.

            - Write a book

            - Train for a 5k, a half marathon or a marathon

            - Take beading classes

            - Start a home-based business

            - Take belly-dancing lessons

            - Swim laps

 3.- Now vow to stop, COLD-TURKEY, doing the things in LIST 1 and presto, you have time to do the things in LIST 2.

It´s not rocket science, but it works. I pared down my already pared-down life and in the past three weeks managed to rack up 175 pages of my next book so far. And I thought I didn´t have the time! Well, I proved myself wrong, didn´t I?

Well, so can you!

www.lorrainecladish.com

BlackPata - Body Sculptures

When something inspires me, I like to share.

A few days ago, my eldest brought me a set of rings and bracelets made of aluminum and various stones and shells. They were original and surprising.

The designer is Enrique Recio and the brand of jewelry, which is in fact composed of sculptures that mold to the user’s body is BlackPata. 

For me, one of the descriptions of success is to make real something that started out as the seed of an idea or a moment of inspiration. If besides that it penetrates the market, then it is an even greater success. 

That other people read your books or wear your jewelry thus affecting their lives in one way or another, is success.

If you are daring, if you are different, if you like to admire art and especially wear it, I suggest you visit the website www.blackpata.com to see this particular jewelry collection, the design of which does not finish until you wear it and mold the pieces to you. Especially the bracelets and necklaces. 

The other day I was writing the novel I have underway now and admiring the BlackPata Collection inspired me to go forward and break through writer’s block.

Get inspired!

www.blackpata.com

www.lorrainecladish.com

Bootcamp - Training for Stamina on the Field and in LIfe

I started running with my dad for fun when I was 12. I got shin splints so painful that I could hardly walk, but that didn’t stop me. I also did yoga, biked and swam. I’m 47 and I still do all of those things (not all at once, mind you!). I like sports where I depend on myself only to move forward and I believe that mindset is what’s given me a life-long career as a free-lance translator, interpreter and writer. 

I learned early on to be my own cheerleader.

Recently one of my best friends suggested I try a new approach to exercise: Bootcamp! At first I balked at the notion of having to stick to a schedule or get up early to work out with other people! 

However, I like to say I’m open minded, so I gave it a try. 

The personal trainer and founder of West Coast Bootcamp, Stacey Sargood asked me if I was used to exercising.

“I’m a runner,” I said proudly. 

“Let’s go then!” she replied, and in five seconds she was a mile ahead of me. The other participants passed me as soon as they laced up their shoes and I came in last. That run (at a much faster pace than I’m used to), followed by running up and down stairs, sprinting, doing push-ups, curls, jumps, circuit-training and a lot of input from Stacey, was exactly what I needed to get out of my training rut. I admit I felt like throwing up after my first session - some people actually do - but the discomfort was worth the burst of energy that resulted after that day. I also enjoyed the camaraderie and the feeling of being surrounded by women and men who are also trying to go the distance. 

Stacey’s input, corrections, her cheerleading and even her concern when I tripped and fell during a run were the fuel I needed to push my limits and feel empowered, not only on the training field but in my field of work - writing - and in life.

A sports coach will help you do what you would not push yourself to do.  A good sports coach will not let you overdo it either and will help you pace your workout. You will see and feel results very fast. 

Bootcamp has a lot in common with pursuing your goals. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes you fall, sometimes you think you can’t keep on going, but then your coach tells you that you can. She pushes you to do five seconds more, to run a little faster, to stretch a little farther.

And when you do, it spills into the rest of your life. 


Since I enrolled in Bootcamp, the book I had started writing has taken off. I thrive on less hours of sleep and I feel renewed and more enthusiastic in many ways. Even my kids are doing Bootcamp for children!

Try it, you may like it!

www.westcoastbootcamp.net

In the picture, Stacey Sargood, personal trainer and founder of West Coast Bootcamp.  Read her story on her website. 

www.lorrainecladish.com

You are a Success When ...

When you are clear about your life-purpose, when you are on track and have fulfilling relationships, goals and you do what it takes to achieve them, you are a success.

When you stop blaming others, stop hanging on to the past and stop reveling in your misery, you are a success.

When you recognize that you need professional help in some area of your life and take full responsibility for it, you are a success.

When your life is so full that you have no time for pettiness, you are a success. 

We are not victims of our circumstances or even of other people. We are successful when we are able to rise from adversity, when we are able to stop pointing fingers and stop hoping that others will change.

Be the change you want to see. 

In the end, life is what you make of it.

Are you a success?

www.lorrainecladish.com

Belacrema OneCreme, for simple and effective skincare

If you take care of your body and the skin you´re in, you will most likely feel better about yourself and therefore have more energy for taking care of those you love and for doing what it takes to achieve your goals. Sounds good, right?

I´m a busy mom and I don´t have time or the money to be spending lavishly on skin-care products that promise to make me look like I´m 20 when I´m in in fact, well past 40. They also require, by the way, that I use 5 or 6 different products both in the morning and at night. No can do!

A couple of years ago, I found the solution to my needs. It´s called Belacrema, OneCreme, and it´s the answer to any woman who thrives on lavish simplicity and glowing skin at any age. 

Belacrema OneCreme is a synergistic blend of natural ingredients that targets mature skin, but that can be used as an eye cream on younger skin too. 

While I´m a regular user of Retin-A, which requires me to slather on sunscreen daily (I live in Florida), I found that Belacrema OneCreme enhanced the results I obtained with the prescription cream. I didn´t have to give it up and I also didn´t have to subscribe to complicated or expensive beauty routines to look and feel good. 

Helen Noble, the creator of Belacrema and author of the book Being Simply Beautiful, believes that skin care need not be complicated and that´s why she formulated her product, based on her European family recipe. 

Noble is the perfect example of the inner and outer radiance you can achieve through a proper diet and moderate exercise and simple but age-appropriate skin-care. 

A 1.7 oz jar of Belacrema OneCreme is $100, but each jar has lasted me two or three months, since I use it sparingly and where I most need it: the eye area, around my lips and in the frown-line. I also use just that. No more buying two or three products, sometimes more, that eventually add up to more than the cost of Belacrema OneCreme.

Compared to La Mer moisturizing cream which is $230 for 2 oz. or La Prairie Anti Aging Complex Cellular Intervention Cream that is $220 for 1.7 oz, Belacrema is a steal. Especially since La Mer and La Prairie, as so many other brands do, advocate for the use of eye-creams and serums, day and night lotions and more, that add up to a small fortune and many hours spent applying all those products.

When I have the $100 to spend, I still buy Belacrema OneCreme and I get more compliments from women than when I sleep 10 hours straight! 

To read more about Helen Noble, her book Being Simply Beautiful or to buy OneCreme, click here. 

www.lorrainecladish.com

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Tips to weave exercise into your life and be fit no matter what!

If you are a woman, I’m sure that you find countless roadblocks every day that prevent you from keeping in shape and eating healthy. If you are a mom, even more so!

It is important, however, to weave exercise into your lifestyle because, besides making you look grand, it also improves your mood and increases your self-esteem.

Consider that every time you set impossible goals regarding exercise and you fail to accomplish them, you feel worse than before you even started. That’s why I believe in setting reasonable goals and making exercise organic, adaptable but ever-present in your life, instead of something you do frantically after Christmas and before the summer.

In order to be successful in this area, you must think less and act more and make it a habit, just like brushing your teeth.

When I was very young, I had an eating disorder that turned eating, not eating and exercising into an obsession. Fortunately with the passage of time I was able to make it a pleasure and also be creative when it comes to keeping in shape during the demands of life, work, pregnancies, post-partum, motherhood and a lot more.

What helps me:

- I set reasonable goals. I practice some form of exercise three times a week, whenever possible. The key is to make it a lifestyle. Three times a week for my whole life is not bad. It’s a lot better than hitting the gym daily for two months and then not moving a muscle for two years.

- I adapt to my circumstances. I’ve always been a runner at the core, but when I became pregnant with my firstborn, I took up swimming. When she was born, I pushed her stroller all around the city during her naps. And when I had my second, I rode my bike, pulling them both on a trailer, while they slept!

- I know that the main piece of equipment to keep in shape is the commitment to do it. Walking, swimming, running, Pilates, yoga and a lot of other sports require no equipment. The only requirement is to do it.

- When I lived in a city, I walked everywhere, either alone or pushing my kids’ stroller. Now that I live close to the ocean, I drive there and then I walk on the Beach. It’s free!

- Now that my kids are 9 and 6, I play racquetball with them or swim or even play on the Wii-Fit, which is a lot of fun when the weather is not so good.

If you have any other tips, please share!

www.lorrainecladish.com

5 Tips to Improve Productivity and Motivation in Your Workspace, by Michael Schnippering

Are you as the owner of a business looking for new ways to improve employee morale and boost creativity? Do you ever wonder if adding features like Jacuzzi tubs and tennis courts will help?

When it comes to improving the productivity of employees there is no right answer. The key is great leadership! Management needs to constantly find new approaches to motivate employees with what they say and do - furniture and decor is just one part of it.

Many company owners have asked us if redesigning an office in a more unconventional way will improve results. Managers believe that productivity will increase just by adding entertainment areas, just like Google did in their main offices. This is not so.

Recently we designed a sales department in Dallas, Texas according to the principles of Feng Shui for offices. After we did the complete Feng Shui consultation based on the Sitting and the Facing of the space we knew which Feng Shui colors and materials to introduce, and even more important those we need to avoid, in order to create an environment conducive to success.

Based on a variety of energy-enhancing aspects, we had individual conversations with each top producer of the organization. We used their input to create a customized workplace for each of them.

If you want to create a productive environment, it is far more important to involve each individual employee and ask them for input and ideas to create a sense of 'ownership' for best results. When you hire a Feng Shui Consultant you are not just hiring an interior designer to turn an office into a game park - though interior design based on Feng Shui Principles definitely works!

5 simple tips on how to make Feng Shui work for you at the office:

1. De-Clutter: Cleanliness is very important. Any space you are spending the majority of time in has to be clean of dust. Of course, you do not have to be the perfect office organizer to achieve these tasks, yet you do need to create some sort of order. Clear our all things in your workspace that serve as distractions. Keep around you only those items you need to get your work done in an orderly manner.

2. Adjust Lighting: When you have enough natural light it will lift your spirits and help you become more productive. If your office has a window, try to keep the shades up to let natural light in. However, keep in mind that too much light can have the opposite effect. Find the right lighting balance.

3. Desk Position: Avoid positioning your desk so that you are sitting with your back towards the door. This will make you feel vulnerable and has a negative impact on your ability to concentrate. If you feel uncomfortable working while sitting facing a certain direction, do not hesitate to move your desk if possible. We all have four good supporting sitting directions. If you find your best direction you will quickly realize that your concentration level goes up which will make you more productive.

4. Avoid Sharp Angles: If you find yourself sitting at your desk and have the sharp angle of a wall or cabinet acting as a knife pointing at you - camouflage this angle by placing an indoor plant in front of it. Sharp angles are considered "Metal Sha" and these negative energies can have a piercing effect on you. A plant is a good way to soften the angle - again, you will be more productive and reduce the risk of restlessness.

5. Color: If you have the choice to paint your own office, choose a neutral color. Avoid extreme colors like red tones. The color red belongs to the Fire element, and without a complete Feng Shui Consultation you may do more harm than good for your office's Feng Shui energies. Play it safe!

Michael Schnippering is Chief Executive Officer of Feng Shui at Work. Feng Shui at Work is an international company that provides onsite and online Feng Shui Consultations worldwide.

Links:


• Feng Shui for offices:


• Feng Shui at work

www.lorrainecladish.com

Happy Birthday to me and Happy Life to You!

When I was a little girl I would calculate how old I would be in the year 2000. 37 sounded so old that I felt a pinch in my stomach.

Today I turn 47 and I don’t feel old at all. I feel, well – richer and fuller and, somehow, lighter than ever before. I am younger at heart than when I was in my 20`s. What dark days those were …

I recall older friends telling me how terrible it was to approach 50 and I feared it. Now that I’m almost there, I wonder why they were so upset.

I had my age-crisis when I turned 25 and felt that I was a quarter of a century old. Now I see I was but a child. I’m nearing half a century and I don’t give a damn. I know life is getting shorter, but today, now, this minute, I’m alive.

I no longer compare myself with Taylor Swift, but to Vanessa Redgrave. When I saw “Letters to Juliet”, I admired her in all her splendor.

There is something about certain older women that is not only beautiful, but grand, solemn and light all at once. I think of Katherine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn and today Diane Keaton, Catherine Deneuve and others like them. They become more striking, more elegant, more of a presence the older they get … I aspire to that. I will keep my hair long, even when it’s all grey. I will continue to grow as a person.

Instead of being angry about getting older, I am grateful that I am alive. A good friend who shared my birthday would have turned forty-some today, but he is dead. An extended-family member who was my age died of cancer two years ago. So, what is left but to celebrate life?

47 is just as good an age as any other. I hope to be able to say one day: "87 is just as good an age as any other" with the same energy of today. Then, my daughters - with me in the picture - will be the age I am now.

An age to keep on loving, laughing, writing, parenting, learning, dancing, running …. And living.

Happy Birthday to me and Happy Life to YOU!

http://www.lorrainecladish.com/

7 Tips to Create a Space of your Own

Everyone needs to have a room of one’s own, as V. Woolf said. Of course it doesn’t have to be a physical room. It can be a mental, emotional or spiritual room. It can be an apartment and it can be a house.

It can be a cabinet, a shrine, the bathroom, or a deep breath while you stand before the ocean.

In order to succeed at life, in order to find balance, to follow your calling, to step back when the moment so requires and reflect … you need your own space. Only by embracing solitude can we also fully embrace relationships and all their intricacies and nuances. And by relationships I mean professional, intimate, parent-child, love, friendship, family, casual and more …

7 tips to create that space:

- Set time aside daily or weekly at least to be alone with your own thoughts and feelings.

- Take yourself on a date. Nobody else should be with you. Go to a bookstore, a thrift store, a museum, the movies, whatever tickles you.

- Turn off your phone, computer, doorbell, and read a book for a half hour.

- Go for a long walk or a run, alone.

- Tell your children, your significant other and your family members that you need a few minutes of alone time.

- Take up a manual activity – carpentry, beading, knitting, drawing … This frees your mind.

- Write in your journal, or work on a vision board.

Solitude can be nurturing, replenishing, energizing, reflective and many more things. It soothes the soul.

www.lorrainecladish.com