Life gets extremely busy, doesn't it? Do you often feel like you have a lot more to do than time permits? How about that feeling of overwhelm and exhaustion? You're not alone. I'm in the same boat!
Staying strong and healthy is crucial to performing effectively and efficiently. It's important to do things daily to refuel and regain our energy.
To revive, I eat one serving of antioxidants and drink 3 litres of water everyday. Each day, I eat one cup of either blueberries, blackberries, raspeberries or pomegranate on an empty stomach. (I heard that eating healthy foods on an empty stomach absorbs nutrients faster).
In addition to 3 litres of water, I also add a cup of green, white or black tea to the mix. This gives me the energy I need to think through problems clearly and multitask effectively. I've learned that dehydration can cause a drop in blood pressure, which results in dizziness and weakness. So staying fully hydrated really helps keep me vibrant and alert.
How about you? What do you do to stay healthy and strong to efficiently multitask? Please share your tips with us. It will help me, and other readers, to vary what we are already doing.
I found these words of wisdom from Brian Tracy particularly powerful, and wanted to share them with you. He said:
You have within you, right now, everything you could ever need or want to be a great success in every area of your life.
Whether you're aware of it or not, you have deep reserves of potential and ability that, properly harnessed and channeled, will enable you to accomplish extraordinary things with your life.
The only real limits on what you can be, have, or do are self-imposed. They don't exist outside of you.
Once you make a clear, unequivocal decision to cast off all your mental limitations and throw yourself whole-heartedly into the accomplishment of a great goal, your ultimate success is virtually guaranteed...
... as long as you don’t stop.
The truth is, you learn most of your important lessons in life from experience, by looking back at what happened to you.
You evaluate those experiences and ideally, extract ideas and insights from them that you can then apply to the future.
The turning point in my life came many years ago, although I did not recognize it at the time.
Afterwards, however, I felt that I could accomplish just about anything if I wanted it badly enough and was willing to work for it long and hard enough.
I share this story in the hope that someone might benefit from it. It is not medical advice, nor is it meant to help you diagnose a condition. Please see your doctor if you experience any abnormality in your bodily functions. The story is also not meant to discourage the consumption of any one food. Knowledge is power!
Have you ever had an unusual health problem and could not figure out what it was, or what was causing it? Perhaps you've even gone to your doctor several times and the doctor can't identify what is causing the problem or that the problem is symptomatic of something? Well, it could be what you're eating!
I've had two nagging problems and for years the doctor could not tell me what was causing them.
The first is Anemia: My haemoglobin read at a low of 8.9. The normal range is 12-16. To determine what was causing the anemia, the doctor ordered me to take 3 tests and a range of blood tests. He ordered a small bowel series, a colonoscopy, an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and a stool test to determine if there was blood loss internally. All tests came back negative. I feel very grateful for this!
After carefully reading through my blood test results, I did a Google search to determine why I was not absorbing iron despite the fact that I ate a heavily iron-rich diet every day. The Google search results alarmed me. It pointed to green tea as a culprit in the poor absorption of iron. Whoa! I drank one litre of green tea everyday. Duh! After this discovery, I stopped drinking green tea competely. It worked! My iron level is normal again!
The second is pepper: I've had sharp shooting pains on my right side for several years. After seeing my doctor on several occasions, he dismissed it as gas. When the pain persisted and showed no signs of going away, I decided once again to look into my diet. I started by removing pepper from my diet. The day after I stopped eating pepper, the pain completely disappeared!
Ladies and gentlemen, the phrase is absolutely true - YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. If you have unexplained health discomforts that your doctor can't identify a cause after several tests and checkups, check what you're eating - it very well could be your favorite food!
I just want to thank God and exalt Him for the wisdom and revelation!
Raising well-mannered, academically successful, and emotionally grounded children can certainly take an emotional and physical toll on a parent. In some people, it's sufficient to cause them to lose touch with who they are in ways that can put their overall health and well-being in jeopardy.
Here are 5 ways to be a parent and still be YOU:
1. Avoid Distractions: The world is too distracting. Much so. Online connections, internet browsing and TV watching conspire to sap hours and hours of your day without adding any real value to your life. Turn them off. You'll catch up with all the gossip later. Use that time to nap, prepare a healthy meal for you and your family, clean up your house, think through your life, or just take a mental break.
2. Exercise often: Exercise helps you feel more energized and gives you mental clarity throughout the day. Exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes. Strive to maintain a healthy body weight, and groom yourself to look sharp and cute ;-)
3. Keep a schedule: Structure your life with a schedule. For some people, a to-do list works really well. Stick to the list, check off each completed task and dodge any demands that are not on your list. A schedule keeps you organized and helps you feel accomplished at the end of the day. It also helps you to pace yourself and avoid random tasks that lead to more confusion and feeling rushed during the day.
4. Get enough sleep: Getting enough sleep is key to your revival. Sleep at least 7 hours each night. If you're not on the internet, nobody will notice, or even miss you. So turn it off and go to bed, you have plenty of time to catch up with your online pals, if you must.
5. Do something You Love: What's your passion? What do you love to do? Take some time to think long and hard about what excites you, then begin engaging in it. Doing what you love brings emotional and intellectual fulfillment.
The irony of parenting is that it prevents you from doing the very things that you need to be doing in order to be a more effective parent. So focus on your personal growth and wellbeing because these are critical for enhancing and replenishing your parenting energy so that you're not exhausted and burnt out when you need to be giving genuine leadership to your children.
"Hi Nicole: This is to thank you for the marvelous speech you presented to my agency last week. You actually made me proud and lived by your word, “Patty I will not let you down”. Our staff gave you a very high mark for the speech while completing the surveys. Again thanks and I will recommend you anywhere any time."Patty, Options Conference Organizer
"You were phenomenal. One of the ladies told me you held the audience spell-bound, and they're usually a chatty crowd. I'm proud to know you."Judith Foyabo
I probably won't write about every keynote address I give in the future, but this was my first one, and I'd love to share the experience with you. :-)
The goal of every speaker is to deliver a powerful message that impacts and transforms the audience. On August 19, 2011 I was honored to give the keynote address at Options Childcare to an audience of over 500 teachers and staff on the occasion of their "back-to-school in-service program."
In the pre-event interview, I asked the organizer how she wanted the audience to feel and react after listening to my speech. She said she'd like them to feel "excited and motivated to produce their best work during the entire year." I wrote a speech to meet this very goal. It was titled "Ignite Your Career with the 3 Qs of Professionalism."
Every point in the speech was designed to make the audience feel passion and excitement for their jobs, and to see their jobs as an opportunity to influence change in their students, in their customers, in themselves, and in the broader community.
I'm extremely pleased with the reviews I received from audience members and the organizers, as indicated by their comments and book sales. As professionals, we must deliver when called upon to do so.
Options Childcare is a professional agency that provides a coordinated network of quality, professionally delivered early care and education services for children and families living in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles. I thank Options Childcare for the invitation and I look forward to a great working relationship in the future!
Here are a few pictures from the event!
Waiting to go on Stage!
My Powerpoint Intro Slide
Working the Mic!
An Audience of over 500!
My crew! My darling friend, Judith surprised me with a visit. My daughter Suzzy worked the powerpoint slides, my daughter Bi worked the book sales, and my DH Alfred worked the Camera!
Team work makes the dream work! Thanks, Team!!!
Book Signing!
Looking for an inspiring & dynamic speaker for your next event?
I had the privilege of speaking at the 2011 Cameroon Professional Society Annual Congress which held in Washington, DC from July 29-31. The topic of my speech was "Beyond Education and Specialization in Cameroon: Tapping the Pool of Existing Talent for the Public Good." My speech is available upon request. You may contact me at nicoline@nicolineambe.com
The Congress was a great networking event that brought together Cameroonian professionals from all over the world and all walks of life, including lawyers, doctors, philanthropists, Investment bankers, financial analysts, educators, media consultants, real estate agents, and so many more. The wealth of knowledge was transforming, humbling and inspiring.
The keynote speakers were Mr. Christopher Che, CEO of Hooven-Dayton Corp and Mr. Gerald Tanyi, Chief Counsel at the International Finance Corporation.
Here are two power quotes from them:
"We are a subsistence people by nature. In most cases, when we think, we still think subsistence. Grow out of your subsistence thinking." Mr. Che
In a conversation with Mr. Tanyi, I asked him where he gets his courage from. Here's what he said.
"Gain control of yourself. Stay away from the noise and empty talk. Focus on yourself, your goals and your dreams. Create a bond with the Holy Spirit." Mr. Tanyi
Masterpiece! Masterclass!
I'd like to congratulate the CPS for putting together such a great event. I encourage you to maintain this level of professionalism. The Cameroonian community needs it.
I strongly encourage all serious-minded Cameroonians to obtain membership with the CPS, especially if you're aspiring to achieve something bigger in your life. Also, please make plans to attend the 2012 Congress. It will be well worth your time and money.
Here are a few pictures that I took with some CPS executives and friends during the gala, as well as a slideshow of the event.
Moi Yvonne Adamou, Author
Dr. Foretia, CPS President Dr. Karen Steanson, Speaker
Ms. Fombu, CPS Marketing Mr. Ousman, CPS Volunteer Coordinator
Mr. Tanyi, Keynote Speaker Ms. Fombu & Ms. Nkobena
Ms. Ebule, CPS Human Resources Mr. Bonito, CPS COO
Each time I have to travel, I'm reminded of just how much of a tight nutritional corner I've put myself in. I have a very strict nutritional regimen which doesn't permit me to eat just anything. I have specific foods that I eat daily. Unfortunately, my eating habits completely fall apart each time I travel, and have to lodge at a hotel.
To accommodate my eating habits, I've become a shameless bag lady, logging any kind of grocery that I can legally get on the plane. I just finished doing my traveling grocery for the CPS Congress in Washington, DC. I bagged:
- Oranges
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Avocado
- Green Tea
- Fish oil
- Raw Nuts (Walnuts, Almonds and Pecans)
One of the hardest things about traveling for me is not getting the amount of green vegetables I'm used to. So if the hotel has a salad bar, I'll usually be all over it (without shame).
I'd love to hear your own experiences about eating while traveling. Do you care about what you eat on the road, or are you a shameless bagger like me? What are your eating habits while traveling?
Buried deep, inside each of us, lies a potential so HUGE that we've not begun to scratch the surface of what we can truly accomplish. No one says this better than Les Brown, who has been a powerful influence on me this past week.
Watch the video below and be inspired, then block out the NOISE and begin tapping those resources buried deep within your gut...
Last week was a rough week for mental creativity. I ran into a writer's block. In the compendium of things to do - family, kids, friends, teaching, business and personal wellness - I could not generate a single thought to blog about. Not even an idea. A couple of times I went jogging in the hopes of being inspired with some ideas, as is often the case when I get stuck, but it was 45 minutes of great, refreshing workout. Still no idea. Zilch.
With no clear thought in mind to blog about, I decided to blog about having nothing to blog about. Hence, this post about nothing :-). It turns out that writing about having nothing to write about is a pretty cool topic, ain't it?
One thing seems certain, though. The noisier the world around us, the more thrown off our own ideas. The more our views and tendencies are impacted by what others say and do, the harder it is to find creativity of thought. It's so important to find moments of personal escape when we can connect with ourselves, and think about ideas of substance.
I'd love to hear about how you find inspiration for your own ideas, especially when you get stuck. At what moments in your life do your most inspirational thoughts and ideas surface? Please share!
Our bodies are not meant to sit. All kinds of problems start creeping in. I've learned this the hard way. In the last couple of years, I've been sitting long hours at my desktop, writing. This has definitely taken its toll. "Over-sitting" may be an issue for you too, either at work or watching TV. The results are:
1. Buldging stomach and weak stomach muscle: This is even worse when you eat, then sit in a slouching position. Try it. Your stomach just rolls up into a nice size ball and takes that shape.
2. Backache: Backache developed this way can become chronic and last your lifetime. It has ended up in surgery for many people. Protect your back by consciously sitting up right. Do not slouch.
3. Deformed butt: Have you seen people with butts facing up? That's from too much sitting!
Our bodies are definitely designed for motion. If you're sitting long hours, practice back-stretching often, sit up right, and do firming and tightening exercises like yoga! What ever the case, be aware of the potential and long-term harm this may cause you, and make little adjustments to your seating habits.
WELCOME TO REVIVE, an offspring of Growth Mentality! This blog offers tips on how parents can achieve wellness and balance in their own personal lives in order to be more effective and fulfilled as parents.
