You Can Create Any Outcome You Want

                                                    "You are responsible for your life. 
                         You can't keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction.
                                                Life is really about moving on."
                                                           - Oprah Winfrey

You can create any outcome you want, if you just start taking 100% responsibility for your own life.

Are you taking 100% responsibility for your life?
Think about this question for a while and examine your life. Are you?

Are you complaining and blaming Burger King, Donald Trump, the health care policy, your parents, your neighbor, the economy, your boss, your kids, your spouse, the traffic and let's don't forget the weather?

I have news for you, it's not their fault. None of the above are going to change the potential of your future. These people can't be held accountable for the reason that you are the way you are, right now.

The only person responsible for every single outcome and every single circumstance is YOU.
You are 100% responsible, all the time.


                                              "You and only you are responsible for your 
                                                       life choices and decisions."
                                                            - Robert T. Kiyosaki


Here are three ways you are always  100% responsible for your outcomes.

1. What you do.
This is pretty obvious.

2. What do don't do.
You choose to not do the thing you know you should have done, but didn't.

3. How you respond to what is done to you.
I know bad things and accidents happen to all of us, but it is how we respond to what happened to us, that matters.

In the end you are still the owner of responsibility, all the time.

It doesn't matter your family background, the financial situation you are in, your education, the economy, your friends, where you live, the politicians in Washington.

If it's going to happen.....it's up to YOU!!!


You Can Create Any Outcome You Want.

                                                            www.karinglannstam.com

Do It Afraid

                                                  "Too many of us are not living our dreams
                                                        because we are living our fears."
                                                                     - Les Brown

Have you ever heard the saying..... when you fall off a horse you get back on it as quickly as possible?

In other words, it doesn't matter what you do in life, but when you fall you must get up and go again. And make sure that you do it as quickly as possible.

About two months ago, I got the opportunity to do a very small presentation. Well, it didn't go as I had planned. In other words I was nervous and I didn't do a very good job. I felt that I had failed and I was disappointed. And as we know, public speaking is a lot of times a very scary thing to do for many people. I have to admit that I need to practice a lot more to get comfortable with speaking in public.

This incident happened on a Friday and for the rest of the day and the weekend I could not stop thinking about this presentation that went wrong. I could not let it go. Of course I was beating myself up too. I knew that I could do better if I got another chance.
This little incident has been stuck in the back of my mind for over two months. And every time I thought about it, it made me feel anything but great.

But the other day I got a chance to do another presentation and I took the chance. I am happy to let you know that this time I did a lot better. It wasn't perfect, but I was happy with my own performance and best thing of all was that I have now erased the old memory of the presentation where I felt I had failed, with a brand new presentation, where I felt that I succeeded.

The presentation was a success but the bigger success was that I did it again despite feeling fear and being terribly nervous during the hours leading up to the presentation. But I did it and now..... I can't wait to do it again.

Unfortunately some people don't try again after they feel that they have failed at something. It can be a lot of different things like in my case, public speaking. Or after a failed marriage they never want to be in a relationship again. Maybe someone tried a new job and it didn't work out, and they will never apply and try another  job ever again. People hate the feeling of being rejected, so they will not try much in life. A lot of people settle for something far less that what are truly capable of doing. The only thing that they had to do was to get up and back on the horse again after they had fallen off.

But instead many people think about all the pain involved. They don't want to feel uncomfortable, criticized and rejected so they crawl back into their comfort zone, where everything is familiar and they don't have to learn anything new or do anything different and slightly more difficult.
But this is no way to live.

I could easily have told myself not to ever do a presentation again. But I also know that if I want to move ahead to the next level of my life, I just need to learn to do these things.
In the end, I won't die.

A great question to ask yourself is.....
What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this? Will I die?
If not, I suggest that you do it.

There is a fantastic book written by Susan Jeffers, called Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway.
I recommend reading this book. One thing that you will understand by reading this book is that we all feel fear in our lives, but some people will not allow it to stop them from going where they want to go. In other words, they will do it afraid.

If you start to back away when you will feel fear the next time you will feel fear, you will automatically back off. This has now become a habit. Feel the fear and back off.

But if you instead of backing off, you move through the fear and do it, the next time you will once again move through the fear. This also become a habit of not allowing the fear to stop you.
Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Do what I did.....Do It Afraid!

The choice is completely up to you.

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

                                                             www.karinglannstam.com

7 Tips For Successful Goal Setting

                                             "Setting goals is the first step in turning the
                                                           invisible into the visible."
                                                               -  Tony Robbins

Dreams and goals can become like magnets. The stronger the goal, the higher the purpose, the stronger this magnet is, that pulls you forward. In other words, it pulls you in the right direction, which is forward.

Goals can pull you through all kinds of days. They pull you through a difficult time. It will pull you through some winters of your life. Some people will get lost in the confusion of the day simply because their goals are not bright and strong enough to pull them through. One way to feel good about the future is to have it well planned and well designed. Have your dreams and goals well set.

People usually give up on their goals because, the goal wasn't a great one and most people give up too soon before reaping the reward of their efforts. The number one reason people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go, instead of how far they have come.

A goal is something that is very clear. You have a blueprint. You design it, and then you take action.

Here are 7 steps to successful goal setting.

1. Decide exactly what you want. Be very specific. Think of every detail.

2. Write it down on a piece of paper. Get the dream out of your head and onto a piece of paper.

3. Set a deadline. Set a date when you want to achieve your goal. When you have a deadline it activated your subconscious mind to help you look for ways to help you achieve your goal, on your deadline.

4. Make a list of everything that you can do to achieve your goal. Write it down on a piece of paper.

5. Organize your list. What should you do first? What should you do second? What is more important and what is less important? Make out your plan. Now you have a GOAL + PLAN. 

6. Take action. Nothing happens until you move. What do you do after your plan is ready? You take action. It doesn't matter what you do, but make sure that you do something. Do something that will move you ahead and towards your goal.

7. Do something every day, to achieve your goals.


Remember, a goal without a plan, is just a wish.

                                                            www.karinglannstam.com

Your Body Is A Reflection Of Your Lifestyle

                                                        "Take care of your body.
                                               It's the only place you have to live."
                                                               - Jim Rohn


A little over a month a go I decided to do something that I have been wanted to do for a while.
I went up to Curves in Conroe and had a BioAge test done.

What is a BioAge test?

It is a health assessment tool using a series of metabolic, physical and behavioral evaluations.
We all have a chronological age. We can never get away from that number, even if we sometimes want to lie about our age.
But we can't change the year that we were born, and how old we are today.

But there is also a BioAge. Your actual body age.

In this test they will look at your blood pressure, nutrition, smoking/day, your alcohol intake/week, stress level. Your waist/height ratio.

You also have to do 4 physical tests.

One legged balance

Sit and reach

Core endurance 

Chair squats

Then they will take the results of all the answers and tests and put it together to figure out your BioAge.
Hopefully it will come out lower than your chronological age.

My good friend Melanie Michaelchuk did the test.
Melanie is a fitness specialist at Curves and she put me through this tough testing procedure.
It wasn't that bad at all, and we had a lot of fun.

Since today is my 57th birthday, I thought it was a great time to share my experience and my results with you.
When the test was done my chronological age was 56 and my BioAge was 47....WOW!!!!

Thanks Melanie.....I had so much fun! 

www.karinglannstam.com

Dress for Success

                                                   "You cannot climb the ladder of success
                                                        dressed in the costume of failure."
                                                                      - Zig Ziglar

I have said for a long time....take me inside your house and show me your kitchen, and I can pretty much figure out what kind of person you are.

If your kitchen is messy and unorganized with the sink full of empty dishes, and your refrigerator is dirty, chances are that you are also that way.
Messy and unorganized.

Yes, our own environment will tell other people who we are.
Of course there are always exceptions to every rule, but overall I believe this is true.

Your level of self-esteem, in other words how much you like yourself and how much you respect yourself is largely determined by your self-image.

Self-image is the set of ideas you have about your own qualities and abilities. Self-image is how you perceive yourself.

Our kitchen in our house is a way of telling others who we are. How we see ourselves. Our character.
Almost forgot.....how about your car? What does it look like?
And your desk?


                                                 "You can have anything you want in life
                                                                     if you dress for it."
                                                                       - Edith Head


Now, another way of finding out who someone is, finding our about their character, is to look at the way they dress.

They way we dress, is a way of telling people who we are.
If you dress like a bum, you are in fact saying to the world....."This is who I am. I am a bum."
If you dress like a successful person, you are saying to the world....."I am successful."

You see, human beings are very visual and the way we groom and dress, tells the world, who we are.

How you dress and groom is a statement to others about the person that you are, on the inside.
Now, the good thing is that we all have control of our dress and grooming.

Successful people look like they are doing well.


What are you telling the world and other people about you, by the way you dress?

                                                              www.karinglannstam.com

Getting Through The Fence Of Fear

                                                     "Fear is the highest fence."
                                                             - Dudley Nichols

My first dog was a Labrador retriever named Holly. It was in the early nineties and I absolutely loved that dog. But when she was a young dog she loved to dig in the yard. Looking back on it now I believe that she was just bored and that she just wanted something to do. On one side of the fence lived another dog and they both dug from each side of the fence to try to meet each other. After a while we finally had to put up an electric fence at the bottom of the tall wood fence to keep Holly from digging and trying to get out of the yard. It helped and she learned quickly to stay away from the electric wire because it would give her an electric chock and that would give her some pain. Holly learned that to avoid the pain she needed to stay on a certain distance from the fence and don't try to get to close to it ever again. Because if she did it would certainly give her pain and make her feel uncomfortable.

You also see the same type of fencing when it comes to cattle. They put up electric wire fencing to keep the cattle inside the designated area. If they get too close to the fence it will  most certainty give them a chock. Animals learn quickly that they don't want to experience pain and learn not to attempt to get out into the other side of the fence. In other words they are staying inside their comfort zone. They know if they remain where they are they won't get hurt and experience pain. Even if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence and there might be some other cows on the other side of the fence that they might want to meet. They learn quickly to remain where they are.


                                   Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear


This is also true for us humans. As long as we stay within our comfort zone, we usually won't feel any pain or get hurt. But remaining in our comfort zone will eventually choke the life out of our souls. We want to try new things, grow, learn, meet new people, take on new jobs, start new businesses, meet new life partners, make new friends. But we know that this will involve certain risks and also taking a chance that it might not work out. In other words, getting chocked by the electric fence.

Instead we remain at a safe distance from the electric wire, just like the animals do. We continue to dream of bigger and better things, but actually getting to those things means having to go up against the electric wire, feel and endure the pain for a while in order to get to the next level of our lives.
You know if you just walk up to the fence, feel the discomfort and then continue to move on, the pain and the uncomfortable feelings will soon dissipate.


                                          Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will


This past month I have been dealing with a somewhat painful situation. I have been unloading a lot of things in my life in order to be able to move on and get to where I want to go. By now I have done this many times and you think that it would have gotten a little easier. But NO, it hadn't.
Even through it was change that I, myself chose, it was very painful, sad and downright uncomfortable. But stepping out into the unknown is seldom easy and it requires a lot of courage.

It's mentioned a lot that courageous people somehow don't feel fear. Not true. They feel the fear but they decide do go ahead and do what they want to do anyway, despite the fear. They know that they just have to get passed the electric wire for a little bit. Feel the pain for a while. And they also know once they have endured the pain for a little while, they will be on the other side of the fence and there anything is possible.

So, I did what I had planned to do for a while. In order to get to the next level I had to unload some things that were weighing me down. I was excited to do this because I knew it would help to get to the next level.
Sometimes we have to unload things, people, an old job, a relationship that we have outgrown. Maybe we need to move away from the town or the city that we live in for a while to get to start a new more exciting chapter in our lives. Or maybe even move to another country.


                                             To escape fear you have to go through it


During this past month I was brushing up against this electric fence many times. Yes, it was painful. And yes, it was uncomfortable. But I also knew if I persisted, I would be able to push on through the fence and the pain and eventually get to the other side. And I am happy to announce that I did.
But towards the end I really felt that my own mind was playing a trick on me. It felt like my brain got hijacked by all the fears and all the "stinking thinking" of all the things that could go wrong and why I just needed to remain where I was and play it safe. But I knew that it was my brain trying to protect me from danger and letting me know that I better not try to get to this new level.

I kept on pushing and I am happy to announce that even though the pain was uncomfortable, it didn't last too long. I got up to the fence and then I pushed through.
Now I am on the side of the fence and when I reflect back on the experience I am so excited and proud of myself for sticking to my vision and my goals and for enduring the pain while getting to get to the other side of the fence.


                           You gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side.

               
                                                             www.karinglannstam.com

Create Balance In Your Life

                                                             "Take care of your body.
                                                It's the only place you have got to live."
                                                                - Jim Rohn


It is extremely important that we all take excellent care of our physical health.
We have to make sure that we eat healthy and nutritious food. Make sure that we don't overeat and that we have the proper balance in our diet.
An excellent and well balanced diet will have an immediate effect on our thought and our feelings.
What we put in your mouth will make a huge difference in how we think.
What we think we can feel in our bodies. But what we eat will also effect the way we think. It's a two-way street.

                                         "Those who think they have no time to exercise,
                                          will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
                                                           - Edward Stanley

Resolve to get regular exercise. At least 30 minutes per day or around 200 minutes per week. Choose an exercise that you enjoy doing and you will be more likely to do it. Walking, running, cycling, hiking, swimming or working on equipment in the gym are all excellent choices of movement.
When you exercise on a daily basis, you will feel happier, healthier and you will also experience lower levels of stress, anxiety and fatigue compared to someone who spends their entire evening on the couch glued to the TV, day in and day out.

Make sure that you get plenty of rest and relaxation. Make sure that you will recharge your batteries on a regular basis. If you are going through periods of stress and difficulties in your life, it is even more important that you take time to recharge your batteries. Fatigue doesn't lead to anything good in our lives.

                                                      "Fatigue is different than being tired.
                 When you are tired, you know that if you can just get some rest you will feel better,
                                 but fatigue is still there when you wake up, it stays with you all day.
                    It is a lack of energy, a feeling of mental, emotional and physical exhaustion."


There are a few factors that will predispose us to negative emotions of all kinds and they are... not taking excellent care of our health, not exercising, non-stop working without proper rest and also fatigue.

In in the end we must all create a balance in our lives.

                                                             www.karinglannstam.com