Welcome to 2012! I was watching people mope around in the rainy Victoria sidewalks today and noticed that there is a definite “holiday-worn” look that many people are wearing. We ate our plum pudding, buried our mashed potatoes in gravy, and drank bubbly grape juice at the stroke of midnight, so it must mean the holidays are over. The beginning of the year is a great time to reflect on the previous year, take note of what we have learned, and plan the year ahead. While I don’t like the term “New Years Resolution” I think there is tremendous value in goal setting. We should be goal setting at least once a year. Highly productive people goal set and make a plan of action at least once a month. Studies show that by simply writing down your “intentions” for the year make you 70% more likely to achieve them, even if you put them in a drawer and never think about it until this time next year. So, if you could fast forward to December 31, 2012 and you could look back and say, “That was a great year!” what would have needed to happen? Do you need to stop smoking? Lose weight? Improve your diet? Start exercising? Manage stress? Sleep more? Do you need to change careers? Change your outlook? Change the people you surround yourself with? Do you need to travel? Take a vacation? Build that invention that you had stored in your mind? Learn French? I would encourage you to ask yourself that simple question. If nothing comes to mind, it’s OK, just wait. Often people...
It is a very busy time of year with parties, “must-do’s” and “should-do’s.” Having an acupuncture practice is a great opportunity to see how all sorts of different people from a variety of backgrounds respond to the holidays. Some have really busy schedules, others keep the season low key. For those who whip themselves up into a frenzy I offer this idea I heard from a lecture about being creative, and highly productive. There were 8 steps to follow to help free your energy to focus on being creative and innovative. The first and most important step is to “Terminate.” At first I thought I heard wrong, but the idea was to stop doing what you DON’T need to do. Many people give a whole lot of energy to tasks that won’t bring them any closer to their end goals. So you may be able to put that extra set of light on the 50ft tree in your front yard (makes me think of Clark Griswold!). Or you may be able to make a turkey, ham, salmon, roast beef, and lobster for dinner. You probably could make a four story gingerbread from fair trade ingredients from scratch! But, do you really need to? When you “Terminate” tasks that you don’t need to do you will free up energy to be fully present for what you really want to do- like visit with important people, enjoy traditions, or simply relax and rejuvenate during the holidays. ~Think...
I realize that it has been over a month since my last article. I have been distracted by Penny, our 16 week Lab/Poodle ball of furry fury! She is a bundle of energy, tons of fun, and a lot of work! She will be available to see patients in the near future when she stops viewing everyone as a chew toy.Her specialty is: lowering stress lowering blood pressure and making people talk in a high pitched voice Actually, it has been very interesting watching Penny’s development over the last couple months. We first saw her when she was 2 days old and literally fit in the palm of my hand. Everything was so new to her and it is amazing to see how her mind processes the world around her. What I have learned is that there are some similarities between humans and animals; we respond best to regular routine. Penny does really well when she wakes, eats, walks, plays, and rests at the same time everyday. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine we should also be following a very regular schedule as well. The ancient Taoists were very strict about their routine, as they believed that it preserved their “life energy” or jing. They would rise with the sun and retire at sunset, eat light meals, and meditate twice a day at the same time. Until next time, stay regular and… ~Think...
