Your Monday Minute - The 2nd Step of the Formula

Welcome to another edition of Your Monday Minute! Last week we discussed the first step in the Passion Test Process to create a life that you LOVE (click here for a refresher)! This week we're moving on to the second step: Attention. 

What you put your attention on grows stronger in your life. Watch this week's Your Monday Minute to learn more and then, reader, read on!

Make sense? How about a real life example to clarify? Since many of my readers and viewers are parents and nearly everyone else has some experience with children, I'll share with you the story of when I decided to stop yelling at my children. 

I was a big, serious yeller. You wouldn't think it of me, would you? But I'm a passionate person and that translates into every area of my life. I had been on this personal growth and development path for several years (well, a lifetime, really, but that's another topic) when I realized that the old excuses no longer jibed with me. I was at the point where I had become my own coach, calling myself out on any crap I was still throwing out there, like, "What else can I do?" "They only listen when I yell," and other such things you may have spewed a time or two yourself. I felt like a great mom most of the time, but man did I lose my temper a lot. 3 kids + a (kid-like) husband + the stress of life. Good excuses, right? Excuses keep us stuck and I was (and am) on the fast-track of growth. 

As it does, the Universe put a post in my path by a woman who was calling herself The Orange Rhino. There was a 30-day challenge to "yell less and love more." It was just what I needed! I felt so relieved that I wasn't the only one out there struggling with this issue. 

So, I began the challenge and set my INTENTION (remember, part 1 of the formula?) to STOP YELLING. I managed to get a few days under my belt before snapping again and becoming a thunderstorm over my children. Then a few more and eventually almost two whole weeks! Confession: the last 5 of those days were spent in Oslo completing my Passion Test Facilitator training. I slipped just a day or two after getting home. 

I was yelling less and I could see a definite affect on my children, which was great! But I was still yelling far too often to feel good about it. Then, everything that I had learned in Norway clicked into place. What was I putting my attention on again? To "stop yelling." 

My attention was on yelling! When that became clear in my heart and mind I immediately rephrased my intention to "speak with loving kindness to my children." Now, all of my attention was focused on speaking with loving kindness. That's a big difference. Can you see and feel the change in your own physiology when you read those two phrases? 

"Stop yelling" vs. "Speak with loving kindness"

You get more of whatever it is that you are putting your attention on in your life. Set a positive intention, give it positive attention and you'll get positive results. It worked wonders. I still yell once in a while, but there is such a dramatic shift in the energy of my relationship with my children and therefore with myself. I broke the guilt and drama cycle by setting a very positive, loving intention and we have all bloomed because of it. I stepped more profoundly into integrity, as well, which enabled me to love myself more and fully embrace that I really do matter. 

Attention: You Matter!! Now go and act like it and I'll see you next week with the 3rd step in the formula to create a life you LOVE! 

Do you have any examples of how this has worked in your life? We'd love to read them! Please, share below! If this post resonates with you, I welcome you to do that other kind of sharing, too! Share buttons below! 

*** Photo Credit to Harold.Lloyd via Flickr.com

Your Monday Minute - The Formula for Creating a Life You Love!

I made a beautiful meal the other night. I had an idea that I wanted Beef Stir-fry, so in my mind I created the recipe. I need a recipe for basically anything I cook, even if the recipe is very basic. The more detailed the recipe, the more likely it is to turn out just the way that I want in the end. 

The Passion Test Formula is a recipe for life - the recipe for a life you love living; meaningful, fulfilling and joyful. Today, in Your Monday Minute, I'm telling you all about the first step of that formula: Intention. Watch the video and then read on to learn more!

Now you know the first step! You might think it sounds easy. I say that people are always surprised at what ends up in their list of top 5 Passions because it's true. You may have an idea of what is important to you and that's good! It's the process of the "test" that gets you crystal clear on what matters the most, or defines your "ingredients" to keep with my recipe metaphor.

Once we have our top 5 Passions, or "Intentions," (the ingredients!) then we can move on to the next step, which we'll do next week. In the meantime, would you like to know a few of my current top 5? They involve you! 

My current #1 Passion is to feel fully, freely and authentically me! Through the use of "markers" I delve deeper and more specifically into what that means to me. Clarity is vital to making this recipe work. After all, if we don't know what ginger looks like, how can we put it in the pot? 

My current #3 Passion is to be enjoying uplifting, open and joyful relationships! This Passion is scoring very high at the moment. I have the most beautiful, amazing, incredible friends and family. My heart soars frequently. 

Passion #4 is to impact and inspire massive numbers of others to live a passionate, authentic life. Living this way is such a gift that I want to give it away to everyone! 

Come back next week to learn the second step to creating a life that you absolutely love to live. I am walking, talking proof that it works. I love you! You matter!!! 

Your Monday Minute - Courageous New Year

Happy New Year and welcome to the first edition of Your Monday Minute for 2015! This year I've decided to completely throw out resolutions and go with a theme for my new year instead. My theme is Courageous Rebirth! 

So much has changed for me over the last couple of years and dramatically this past year as I fully embraced loving myself and boldly embraced my passions - the things (material or non-material) that matter the most to me. I feel like a butterfly emerging from the Chrysalis. All of this transformation can be a little scary and a lot of stuff comes up each time I move forward along my path. 

As I tell my kids, fear is a product of our imaginations and we can choose to use it for good or for bad (evil sounds far too dramatic)! Which supports you? If we use it for good, we are courageous. Having courage or being courageous doesn't mean we have erased the fear, it simply means we power through it! We do "it" anyway. 

I'm scared of a whole bunch of things - what if I fail as a coach, what if I can't support my kids, what if I'm not really good at this? All of those fears, or limiting beliefs, come from old stories and old programming. Courage is required to bust through those blocks and be who I truly am and do what I'm here on this earth to do!!! Which is to help you to do the same.

Have courage!!! What is it you're afraid of? I've got your back. 

I've shared my theme for 2015, now it's your turn! What is your theme? Please share it in the comments below so that everyone who reads it can support you. You matter!!! 

Your Monday Minute - Limiting Language

Do you know how much you matter? I do and I'm here almost every week to tell you about it and to teach you simple steps that make a big difference in your level of self-love and care. 

The last Monday Minute failed to make it into a blog post due to the busy holiday season, so you have two videos to watch today if you aren't following me on Facebook or YouTube (now would be a good time to click over and like and subscribe). 

One of the most common ways we sabotage ourselves is through the language we use. We call ourselves "stupid" and other horrible names and then wonder why we lack in confidence and self-love (which are two very different things, by the way, but that's a topic for another Monday).

In the first video you'll learn how to recognize your limiting language and in the second, you'll learn what to do about it! Let's bring 2014 to a close by committing to treating ourselves better! 

Got it? Spend a couple of days at least noticing your language, then view the next video. 

Remember how much you matter! If you are ready to get to work and really change your life, email me to set-up your complimentary introduction to the process that is transforming my life and the lives of thousands of others, The Passion Test: tamaravellozzo(at)gmail.com 

Tell us about your limiting language! What is something you've noticed that you say to yourself and what's your new turnaround? I can't wait to hear (read) all about it! 

Your Monday Minute - Stop Sabotaging Your Joy!

Welcome back to another edition of Your Monday Minute! Do you ever find that you second-guess your choices when it comes to enjoying yourself? You take time out for self-care, but then you "should" on yourself? I shouldn't have ordered this, I should have ordered that! I shouldn't be having that second glass of wine or I should really be paying more attention to the kids/partner/boss/friends... the list seems endless! 

This week, I'm encouraging you to knock it off! Commit fully to the choice you make with your joy in mind and then... enjoy! Watch and learn, my dear friends! And remember how much you matter! 

Practice immersing yourself in the joy of the moment this week and share your thoughts! 

Your Monday Minute - Say It Out Loud

Over the past several days, two men that I went to high school with have taken leave of their Earthly bodies. Both were far too young to die, both leave behind wives and young children. These are the moments that I was talking about last time, in Look for the Gift. 

The gifts that come from loss are plentiful, though often hard to see through the haze of pain and grief. Situations like these, however, connect near and perfect strangers together. Compassion pours from our hearts for those left behind. Compassion and connection... those are gifts. 

This months' Monday Minutes have been all about gratitude and Thanksgiving is just days away. This week, just a few miles down the road, there will be funerals one day and holiday celebrations the next. This is life. The sad, the joy, the ebb and flow of life. And with it the reminder that it's about more than just knowing what matters, it's about saying it out loud. 

Say it out loud. What is gratitude if kept inside and private? I'm here each week, reminding you how much you matter. Loving you with the intention of you knowing your beautiful worth.  Love and gratitude spread like wild fires and only when we love ourselves enough to share that love and our thoughts and feelings with others. 

So, today, I ask you to be courageous and say it out loud. Tell the people you love how you feel. Show appreciation and say it out loud to the stranger who holds the door for you. Call someone up and tell them you're grateful for them. Give a genuine wave of courtesy and a smile to the driver who lets you go first. Look around you and thank the screen in front of you, the shelter you reside in and the people and animals that share your space. Say it out loud. Spread not only the words of gratitude, but the energy of it. 

You matter. Let others know that they do, too. 

I love you! 

Day 5 - The Gratitude Spiral

Day 5! What are you grateful today? 

Getting into an "attitude of gratitude" is fun! Challenge yourself to be grateful at unexpected times, especially when something is starting to get on your nerves. Take that thing (or person!) that is annoying you and flip-it! Start thinking of ways that irritant is actually such a blessing. 

Example: I was on hold for AGES today, working out new medical plans for my kids and me. The kind of 'on-hold' that lasts so long your ear begins to ache and itch. I noticed the urge to start complaining about it. Fortunately, my intended rant to the only other person around was interrupted by being taken off hold. After I was put back on (a much briefer) hold, I started thinking about how grateful that I was for this phone that makes my 'to-do' list get knocked down in minutes or hours, instead of the weeks it used to take to send a form or drive back and forth to an office somewhere. 

When you start doing that, gratitude begins to spiral. Suddenly, I was grateful for the customer service agents taking care of things for me, the pen that allowed me to jot down their names and the details they gave to me, the fact that waiting on hold allowed me to just sit and be still for a few minutes and sip on my afternoon cuppa... I'm even feeling grateful just to have so much to be grateful for! 

Now it's your turn! Go on and let gratitude spiral... what comes out? Share it with us! 

Your Monday Minute - Get into Gratitude

It's November! The holiday season is officially on its way with Thanksgiving as the kick-off! You might be surprised to learn that November 1st is actually the first day of the Celtic New Year. To me, it is the perfect time to begin a practice of gratitude and start your 'new year' off right! 

By the time the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us, we'll already be basking in the glow of gratitude and thanks-giving. But why is Gratitude so important? Because when we live in a state of gratitude we are happier and healthier. It's a fact. Even Web M.D. says so!

Watch this week's Your Monday Minute for more on the power of gratitude. Then, join in on my 30-day Gratitude Challenge on Facebook or right here on the blog. Just post what you're grateful for each day! 

A weekly series reminding you how much you matter! This week, hear how practicing gratitude makes you a happier person, plain and simple! Learn more and join in on 30-days of gratitude!

But don't take it from me. Try it for yourself and come back and tell us about it. Joining in? I invite you to leave a commit by leaving a comment below! I love you!