Nanci J. Zehner Health & Wellness Coaching

02/05/2020

Knowing what you want starts with knowing what you DON'T want...

We are always in the process of evolution, and every day we make decisions that impacts that evolution. The question is, are you evolving with intention? Try this little exercise to find out...

STEP 1️⃣ On the left side of a sheet of paper, list three things that are no longer working in your life. Examples might be stuck in a boring, dead-end job; using food to cope with feelings; or allowing others to walk all over you.

STEP 2️⃣ On the right side of the same sheet of paper write down what you want instead. Be as specific as possible. For example, "I want to use healthy coping behaviors like deep breathing, taking a walk, stretching, and meditation rather than food to deal with the discomforts of life."

STEP 3️⃣ Look for a common thread. What is the one thing that holds you back from having what you want? Letting go of that one thing is your evolution.

STEP 4️⃣ Make it into a statement. "My Evolution is.......

When I did this exercise, I discovered it was Trust. Or rather lack of trust that was holding me back. My statement: "My Evolution is trusting myself, the universe, and God."

This exercise moves you into intentional growth. To move from what's NOT working to what you want instead requires action. Once you understand what is holding you back, you can begin taking the actions that will move you to where you want to be.

I guide people through this exercise and many others in my 90 day Health Transformation Program. If you are interested in a free introductory session, let me know in the comments below or via personal message. I'd love to talk! 😊

01/05/2020

I'm so excited to be attending the Online Health Coach Institute's (HCI) Evolve Summit over the next two days!! And the cool thing is I will be sharing what I'm learning with YOU! 😊

Here's my reflection on a statement from the opening session given by Eric Neuner the CEO of HCI:

✨ Eric quoted someone who essentially said that the answer to the question of "when will this end" is simple but terrifying. The answer is Never. The impact of this pandemic, of COVID-19, will live with us forever.
✨ My question as your online coach is ... how will YOU allow this to change you for the better? At any given point, we have a choice to go in one direction or another. Will your choice make you better or bitter?
✨ I encourage you to take this time to reflect on what it is you want for your life? In my next post, I'll share a little exercise that will help you do just that.

29/04/2020

Today's Guiding Thought...

🔸 Pause...
🔸 Pray...
🔸 Proceed

Do you react or respond to life? For me, reaction is an unconscious, automatic behavior and comes from a place of insecurity, fear, and lack of trust. Responding, on the other hand, is conscious and intentional. Responding comes from a place of confidence and trust in yourself and the universe.

Try it today. Use these words as your mantra throughout the day. By doing so, chances are greater that when something unexpected and unpleasant comes up, you will respond rather than react. Pause. Take a moment to breathe and get still. Next, turn to your source of strength and wisdom. Lift up a prayer to your Higher Power, asking for guidance, wisdom, and strength. Then proceed with confidence knowing that you are acting out of your best and highest self.

I love this Sh*t! It really, really works!

Until next time, Namaste my friend. ❤️😊

12/04/2020

Oh so true!!!

06/04/2020

Good Morning, Peeps! I've been somewhat silent lately. Not that I haven't had things to say. I'm just trying to assimilate our current world affairs and make sure what I say is helpful.

Life has taken quite a turn for us all in the last month. Some are more impacted by others. No matter how big or little the impact is on your life, there' still going to be some level of stress associated with it. That's only normal.

Now more than ever, it's vital to acknowledge your feelings and process them appropriately. I'm saying this from first hand experience. The impact of all this has been fairly light for us. People around us are going through a whole lot more pain and suffering. So, I tend to trivialize my feelings, my anxiety, my fear, etc. But, in doing so they end up coming out in some form. Typically by snapping at a loved one, being impatient, eating too much chocolate, and tossing and turning at night.

One afternoon last week after a long day of being cooped up working while the sun was shining brightly outside, I just had to get out of the house. So, I went for a walk and called a friend. Just to say Hi. But what resulted was me breaking down in tears and sharing my fear, my grief, my anger, everything that had been building up inside. It was like a damn broke loose and it all spilled out. I felt immediate relief! The pressure, anxiety and depression that had been settling upon me lifted immediately. And, all my friend did was listen and tell me I was loved.

This will pass. Life events do that. How we respond to it and how well we take care of ourselves it is what has lasting impact. Be gentle with yourself. Be gentle with others. Practice kindness, generosity, and extend grace to yourself and those around you. Find a trusted friend and process your feelings. Then have that piece of chocolate not because you are pushing down feelings but because you want it and it's yummy! ☺️

02/04/2020

The quarantine countdown.

16/01/2020

What is life without a little humor? Find yourself in a tough spot? Look for something to laugh about. Whenever Pat and I start getting a little tense with each other, one of us invariably says something that just cracks us up. And we realize that life is just not that serious. Seriously. So, next time you're feeling tense, upset, stressed, frustrated, and ready to scream -- find something funny and LAUGH!

02/11/2019

Today was absolutely beautiful outside. Sunny and crisp. And, in my usual way, I continued putting off going for my walk. I just needed to do one more thing, one more call, one more email. Finally, I took my headsets off, put my phone on unavailable, and went for a walk. It was awesome! Day two in the books.

Do you struggle with procrastination like I do? Especially when it comes to self-care? Then you might be interested in this video featuring Mel Robbins. She wrote a book called the 5 Second Rule that really helps conquer procrastination. I urge you ... don't procrastinate! Watch it now. :)

We love Mel Robbins - totally no bs - just great practical advice that she tried herself - check out her page at https://melrobbins.com/the-5-second-rule/

01/11/2019

How’d you do today? Did you take the challenge? I’ll tell you, there’s nothing like committing to a large group of friends that you’ll do something! How can you NOT?

So I did it! Couldn’t believe I did. I was out walking in the rain and cold at about 12:30 this afternoon. I couldn’t help but laugh. It felt crazy and exhilarating, and hard! But there’s nothing like the feeling you get when you say you’ll do something and you do it! 😊

Anyone care to share their challenge?

30/10/2019

I made a commitment to myself when I wrote the post on getting unstuck that I would not go weeks again without posting something on my page. I am developing the habit of consistency.

Consistency is KEY to making positive change in our lives. So even if I check in and just say "Hi Gang! How goes it?" I'll post regularly. Now, I'm not sure yet what "regularly" looks like. But, if I don't remember the last time I posted something, then that's probably NOT it! 😉

I like challenges. So I'm throwing you a challenge...

Choose something in your life that you wish you were more consistent with. It could be drinking water, walking, deep breathing, meditation, hugging a loved one, anything. Feel free to share it in the group. At any rate, WRITE IT DOWN. Now for the next three days ... yep, just three days ... DO IT! That's all. Just do it.

I find it's not the action that is so tough. It's THINKING 🤔about the action. So, just for the next three days, when your thing comes to your mind, JUST DO IT.

Here's my public commitment ... for the next three days, I will get up from my desk around mid-day and taking a 5-10 minute walk OUTSIDE. I'll breathe in the fresh air. Appreciate the coolness against my skin. Smile at the sky. This is a stretch for me. There are many days I never leave the office until the end of the day. I think getting some fresh air will do my mental state some good!

Your turn ... share with the group your challenge for the next three days. Be sure to write it down and post where you can see it first thing in the morning. I'll check back tomorrow and tell you how I did. Will you? ☺️👍

28/10/2019

Have you ever felt STUCK in some area of your life? Well, that's where I've been lately -- just feeling like I can't move forward. Every time I start to write a post, I feel my energy drain and my mind go blank. It has been SO frustrating. And, the more I stress about it, the worse it becomes.

I know I need to take action, but the only action I've been able to take is talking about it, which feels like whining to me. My self-talk hasn't been so nice either😏. I've been saying unkind things to myself.

Then finally... finally tonight I got unstuck. I had a wonderful talk with a fellow coach who took me through a couple exercises designed to find the source of the "stuck-ness." And, just like that, I felt energized, released, unstuck. BUT ... I knew I had to take action immediately or fall back into the stuck.

So writing this post is my action. Another fellow coach always talks about "small hinges swing big doors." She reminds me that all it takes is one small step. So this is my one small step.

Now, a couple things I want to point out here. Tonight's session with Laura wasn't the sole reason I feel unstuck now. It's taken all the work I've done up to this point: talking about it, writing about it, praying about it, attending in person and online coach meetings. Talking about it some more. I've done parts work, timeline work, visioning and affirmative statements. I've just kept at it until the dam broke loose.

So, if you are in a place of "stuck-ness", don't give up and don't give in. Keep talking, trusting, and doin' the work. The change you are seeking is right around the corner.

In the comments below, share with us one action you take when you are feeling stuck.

16/09/2019

Weekly Paradigm Shift....⬅️➡️

This is kind of a tough one. But, I think it explains why people get stuck in certain patterns.

"THE EXPERIENCES WE LEARN TO SURVIVE BECOME THE CONDITIONS UPON WHICH OUR CONTINUED SURVIVAL DEPENDS."

As I personally explored this truism, I clearly saw how it played out in my life. Growing up, I learned to adapt to certainly unhealthy patterns in order to feel safe and accepted. You see, for a child, being accepted means being safe. Being safe means survival. Since I knew I could survive in those conditions, I continued to look for similar patterns.

They may not have been pleasant, produced good results, or effective in any way, but they were the devil I knew. Change meant risk. So, I continued to live with the devil I knew rather than risk change that MIGHT make my life better, but was totally unknown.

We are complex creatures with amazing brains. That is a gift from our God. Our gift in return is to trust, let go, take risks, and become the absolute BEST that we can be. Sometimes that means letting go of the known and risking the unknown.

So, definitely honor all those past experiences. Thank them for helping you to survive. And, then look forward to the life you can create as you let go, trust, and take a risk.

Mull it over a bit and let me know what you think.

10/09/2019

A definition for the word "Paradigm" is: "A Way of Looking at Things. A Perspective."

All personal growth requires us to step back and question our perspectives and be open to new ones.

I want to run some Paradigms by you to consider. I'd love your thoughts on them. Here's the first one...

BIG ISSUES REQUIRE LITTLE CHANGES. Little changes will take care of big issues.

This paradigm suggests that change doesn't happen overnight. In this world of instantaneous-ness, "I want it and I want it now!", and promises to "lose 10 lbs in 5 days effortlessly!", we don't want to hear, "it takes time. One small change at a time."

So, let's try to step back and take a different look at it...My coach, Tracy, is fond of saying, "Small Hinges swing Big Doors." Hearing that makes me slow down, step back, and carefully consider what I'm doing and where I'm going. I get a sense of release, freedom, and possibility.

So, what do you think? Do you believe this? Is this something you live by? Is it something you'd LIKE to live by? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

03/09/2019

My heart is on fire today. I learned a few days ago that one of my great mentors -- Sean Stephenson -- passed away yesterday.

I met Sean at a conference in Phoenix in April 2017. He was a keynote speaker. Imagine my surprise when this little guy in a wheel chair rolled out on the stage. I wasn't sure what to expect! But, Sean's face said it all! His eyes shined, his smile went deep to his heart, and when he spoke, I felt like I could listen to him FOREVER!

He was a great story teller -- funny, soft, captivating, and tough. His immense love shone through his face and his words. His words put a fire in my belly and purpose in my heart.

At one point in his talk, he challenged us to discover what we are here for; to ask ourselves, "what is my purpose." The exercise we did together was to discover what we stood against. When you know what it is you stand against, then you know what it is you stand for. Then, you know your purpose -- to start a revolution to rid the world of what we stand against.

What I stand against is hatred, prejudice, judgement, exclusivity, and intolerance. So my revolution is for peace, acceptance, and love towards your fellow human beings who are just doing the best they can at the moment.

What's your revolution? What are you here to fight for in the world? Find it and you find your purpose. We are on a great journey together. Let's make it a meaningful one!!

https://seanstephenson.com
Sean Stephenson passed away on August 28, 2019, but his legacy lives on.

01/08/2019

This is AWESOME! Watch it to the end. Embrace the words and USE them. What is it you want in your life? Do you believe you can have it? Have you given up? Given in? Stopped before the miracle? You CAN have the life you want. It does take persistence. It does take hard work. It does take tears and frustration and bumps and bruises. But, as I was told many, many times when I wanted to just give up and sink into my misery -- DON'T QUIT BEFORE THE MIRACLE!!

Contact me to learn more about the coaching programs I offer that can help you FINALLY achieve the life you desire but can't seem to find.

I help women break free from that which holds them back from the life they so deeply desire. I help them discard old beliefs that no longer serve a purpose in their lives so they can step forward boldly into the best version of themselves with Peace, Love & Joy!☮️💟🎶