Excellence or Perfection?

 So what is your preference?

Positano Restaurant on Mt. Pleasant Ave.
in Toronto knows all about excellence.
They live and breath it in every thing they do.

 I've had some very interesting conversations over the years about this. Excellence to many of us is a continuous quest to raise standards, through process, experiences and outcomes. In part to me it is about a state of mind and values that over time can lead to some very successful outcomes. Not every day, yet a continuous process that helps us improve the experience and the outcome(s).

Michael Ballard

Perfection to many of us is a slave like commitment to perfection in all places and times. Impossible to live up to every day, yet  to some it is an attempt they make every day. People by design cannot be perfect. Nor can they act perfectly.

So, what is your choice? Excellence or Perfection? I'm not here to judge. Just have you consider which one is easier on your heart and head as you travel your path through life.

Until next time, Imagine Yourself with more Resiliency for Life.

Michael
https://about.me/ResilientmMichael
www.ResiliencyforLife.com

Self Discovery

Look for Opportunities for Self-Exploration. 

People often learn something about themselves and may find that they have grown in some respect as a result of their struggle with loss and grief. People who have experienced BIGStuff loss and grief often have reported better relationships, a greater sense of self confidence even while feeling vulnerable, an increased sense of self-worth, a more developed spirituality and a heightened appreciation for life.

I meet Elmo after a meeting
at a children's hospital.

So as you go through life's ups and downs and some of the ultimate hardships don't forget that:

 - Our point of view is a choice

 - Asking for help is building a team 

 - Sleep is not optional We all need at least 7 / 9 hrs a day

 - Food is fuel for our mind and body Quality of food impacts our health in all categories

 - Exercise can be worked into our day 

 - Honour, laughter, joy, and happiness can be planned. 

       

Why wait?

These basic have made a very amazing difference to me. It's up to you to ensure you follow through on them every day.

Life is too important to take it so seriously.

So until next time, Imagine Yourself with more Resiliency for Life.

Michael Ballard specializes in helping people, schools, organizations and communities learn how to become more resilient.

To book Michael for your next event, interview him or to consult contact him at: Inquiry@MichaelHBallard.com

www.MichaelHBallard.com

Michael's online programming can be taken at: Udemy.com

Michael’s Background and Social Media pages include:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/resiliency-for-life/

https://twitter.com/ResilientMichae

https://about.me/resilientmichael
www.ResiliencyforLife.com

The Power of Prayer and of Asking for Group Prayer

Prayer is a very powerful way to be in touch with our creator and those that have gone before us. We can pray alone, pray in small and large groups and as I've learned to ask for; prayer for us or a vital cause near and dear to us. 

There are often no shortcuts.
Sometimes we have to take the stairs

At 27 I was challenged by my cancer. I learned days after surgery that I had cancer in four locations I felt several emotions. Anger was there at first very briefly. I did then soon feel afraid, alone at 3:30 am some mornings and in part hopeless that I had to depend on others to help me get through this fight for my life.
Then in conversations with my Mom and Dad ~ Dad asked So what else can I do son?
Well Dad how about you ask your friends via your work intranet service to put me in their faith prayer groups. I can remember that like yesterday.
Within a few days he called back and told me I was in prayer groups around the world. By end of the week he announced I was in over 60 prayer groups. Dad and Mom where very pleased and amazed.
Dad shared with me "Son you're being prayed for in Temples, Mosques, Synagogues, Revival Halls, Gospel Halls, Churches  and on every continent expect Antartica. India, Australia, Japan, England, New Zealand, France, Canada, and all over the USA and Canada including Texas, Michigan, Georgia, New York, Colorado, British Columbia, and many many other locations in North America.

I quickly started to feel uplifted. What an incredible life altering experience to have. 60+ prayer groups all asking for me to gain some wisdom from my journey and if possible a healing. So here I am 25 years later. Surprised and delighted and humbled to still be here. Three near death experiences during that 7 year battle with 2 bouts of cancer and one emergency surgery due to a failed medical procedure.

Never ever doubt that prayer can assist guide you and alter the quality of your journey and experience. Just remember what will you ask for you when you pray?
So, until next time, Imagine Yourself with more Resiliency forLife.


Hiring and Contacting Michael
To interview Michael, book him for your
next event or to contact him you can do that at:
Inquiry@MichaelHBallard.com
www.MichaelHBallard.com
You can purchase Michael's programming on:
Udemy.com video programs at:
https://www.udemy.com/u/michaelhballard/
 iTunes.com audio programs at:
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id997763796?ls=1&app=itunes
Michael’s Social Media includes:
https://twitter.com/ResilientMichae
https://about.me/resilientmichael
https://www.linkedin.com/company/resiliency-for-life/
https://soundcloud.com/michael-h-ballard
http://www.resiliencyforlife.com


I very soon started to feel uplifted. Very very uplifted. Statistically I'm 

So the next time you feel challenged and or threatened by one of life's bumps in the road don't forget the power of prayer and the power of asking others to assist with that prayer.

Michael

Nurture a Positive Mindset of Yourself

Developing confidence in your ability to solve problems and trusting your instincts helps build your resilience.

In that famous quote by Stephen Covey  he asked: 

At home after a media interview

 "What have you done to sharpen Saw? He meant how have you developed your problem solving skills? Have you read a book? Taken a course? Watched a video? Improved your fitness?

What problem solving books have you read? I'm a big fan of each of these four books. All of them have added to my problem solving and creativity skill set.

Six Thinking Hats and the follow up Six Action Shoes are written by Edward de Bono. In Six Thinking Hats de Bono shares six ways to consider each and every problem that we face. In Six Action Shoes he shares six ways to consider implementing each of the potential solutions we are faced with.

My next two favourite books on problem solving and creativity are:

 - A Wack on the Side of the Head and a Kick in the Seat of the Pants are two books on creativity by Roger von Oeck.

In each he offers a process to help us widen and deepen our creativity to maximize our potential solutions.

In a A Kick in the Seat of the Pants he want you to tap into and use: 

Your Explorer, Artist, Judge, and Warrior to Be More Creative

In his book A Wack in the Side of the Head Roger takes you through:

One of my ready to present looks!

Ten mental locks that block our creativity he tells us they are:

1. The Right Answer 2. That's Not Logical 3. Follow the Rules 4. Be Practical 5. Play is Frivolous 6. That's Not My Area 7. Don't Be Foolish 8. Avoid Ambiguity 9. To Err Is Wrong 10. I'm Not Creative

So I've enjoyed each of these books several times over. Each have helped me and clients many many times over.

So until next time Imagine Yourself with more Resiliency for LIfe.

Michael Ballard specializes in helping people, schools, teams

organizations and communities learn how to become more resilient.

Hiring and Contacting Michael

To book Michael for your next event or to contact him you can do that at:

Inquiry@MichaelHBallard.com

www.MichaelHBallard.com

You can purchase Michael's programming on:

Udemy.com at:

https://www.udemy.com/u/michaelhballard/

 iTunes.com audio programs at:

https://itunes.apple.com/album/id997763796?ls=1&app=itunes

Michael’s Social Media includes:

https://twitter.com/ResilientMichae

https://about.me/resilientmichael

https://www.linkedin.com/company/resiliency-for-life/

http://www.resiliencyforlife.com

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When BIGStuff Happens to you, what do you do?

What do you do when you hit a wall with one of life's BIG Stuff events?
What could you do, when you feel over whelmed? Who do you connect with? When? 

Trigger Warning: For some this column could contain trigger words or phrases.
  First there is no wrong answer(s), feelings or thoughts unless self harm or harm of others is a potential.

Second each of us use language differently. So words and phrases that I find easy to use  and 100% acceptable you might not enjoy or find mildly to very disrespectful. I look forward to a respectful discussion if any of the content you find here you disagree with.

So, all words and phrases used here have been used with respect by others in conversation with me as their coach, trainer, friend and or neighbour.  Do let me know what you think.

Many of them I've heard many times and a few are relatively new to me 
So what do you do ... what have you done, what should you do to support yourself when life's   BIGStuff challenges strike? That could be personal, relationship, family, friend, classmate, or a current or past neighbour.

So it happens to all of us. Something BIG happens and hurts. What do you do?

Create space that is ours and use quiet time for
  - read a book
 - watch a movie
 - take a soak in the tub
 - call a friend
 - write a letter
 - write in your journal
 - visit a friend
 - go to a special spot for reflection 
 - calming through steady movement or stillness via music, sounds of nature, a mediation practise

Create and use active time for
 - energizing through activity and or conversation and or observation
 - go to a special spot to burn off some energy and unwind 

Get out and about 
 - a walk Around your floor, your building, your block, to the park, around the office
 - a walk and a talk  A good business friend Gail taught me this 
 - Meditative walk No talking 
     You practise walking with slow to mid range speed with a  steady pace & steady breaths
 - Yoga
 - Martial Arts
 - Hiking
 - Biking

 - Swimming

 - Hobbie

Going to the:
 - Therapist,
 - The Mental Health Expert,  
 - The Crazy Doctor,
 - The Stretch Coach as in stretch thinking and feeling into better patterns 
 - A Wellness Coach
 - Mental Health Tune Up Coach
- Volunteering 

Going in for a:
 - Check up from the Neck Up! 
 - A Mental Health Tune UP,  
 - A Good Old Fashion Check Up
 - A Rant and Rave!!

Here I'm at a favourite spot enjoying the coffee.

After a time of reflection
 - make a list 
 - a call to action lets get the feelings acknowledged and thought out next steps to move forward

This is not supposed to be an exhaustive list.

However it is to get you thinking and moving into action for your sake.

When should you start? 
Why not right now?
I have a gift for you. No strings attached.
At this link you can down load a 30 minute progressive muscle relaxation exercise. 
Practise it gently, for at least 21days in a row then 3 or 4 days a week for another tow or three weeks. Then once or twice a week for maintenance. I had a coaching client (Who I only took on after I knew she was under a doctors care and had had recent CT Scan and blood work to ensure this was not a medically caused migraine) who had had 5 - 7 migraines a month and many many serious head aches each month. This was one of the main exercises she did to break the cycle of those darn migraines. Within about four  months she had them down to 0 - zero every month! She helped her mind/body create added ways to cope and an outlet to release stress on a regular basis. Plus her headaches reduced in frequency and intensity and they also disappeared by the fifth month. Exciting news for someone who had had migraines for 15+ years. 

Your helping develop and deepen your ability to notice stress and learn how to relax sooner and more completely. You'll be surprised at how effective it is. Click on The Chair a Relaxation Exercise and you can listen to the audio there and follow the link to download.  The Chair a relaxation exercise  It has helped me change how I now respond to stress and anxiety. I had a seven year battle with 2 bouts of cancer and a failed medical procedure that ended up with me having emergency surgery at midnight. This exercise can help you make a significant different in your life.

Here is another way to help you practise calmness. the exercise is called a:
Quick Tension Scan or a QTS 
This is another one to do for 28 days I suggest before every meal and about 10 - 20 minutes before bedtime. Then three or four times a week for maintenance. 

So this article was not intended to be a through list. It's meant to stimulate a conversation with yourself. With someone you can trust. Stuck. Not fun. Ask for help. 
So let me leave you with a  couple of question.
 - How do you see life's stressful situations?
A time to learn lessons or an ultimatum? For those of us who work towards seeing each stressful situation as a lesson to be learned it can be much less stressful. 
 - Who do you have on your support team We all need and deserve one. The time to build one is now.

So until next time, Imagine Yourself with more Resiliency for Life.

Michael

Michael Ballard specializes in helping people, schools, teams

organizations and communities learn how to become more resilient.

Hiring and Contacting Michael

To book Michael for your next event or to contact him you can do that at:

Inquiry@MichaelHBallard.com

www.MichaelHBallard.com

You can purchase Michael's programming on:

Udemy.com video programs at:

https://www.udemy.com/u/michaelhballard/

 iTunes.com audio programs at:

https://itunes.apple.com/album/id997763796?ls=1&app=itunes

Michael’s Social Media includes:

https://twitter.com/ResilientMichae

https://about.me/resilientmichael

https://www.linkedin.com/company/resiliency-for-life/

http://www.resiliencyforlife.com

    

But... But... BUT I CAN'T!!! Really? Who Said So?

Hello and welcome back.  

Thank you for joining me here again. In this column I'm sharing and challenging you to consider how does stress and anxiety impact you? 

For some of us it breaks our concentration, for some it makes us grumpy, it can impact our health and for some it interrupts our sleep and for some it does all of that and more in negative ways.

Well, one of the keys I've learned is to live with and make friends with stress and anxiety  So I now have it as my desire to learn and practise the powerful skills that help me with calming, focus and sleep. I've had brain injury - concussion, 2 types of chronic illness, 2 major challenges with cancer (and way more surgery and treatments than I have space to go into here) and so much more. You get the drift.

However the one thing I am amazed at is the medical, mental, educational and social work model that seldom recognize the value and the power of learning skills that have been research proven to help us "rewire" our brains. Rewire them to help use be calmer, more engaged and in the moment.

So my challenge to you is about taking the time to learn and practise these powerful skills  several times a week. They work fast and are more effective the more you practise them. 

What are they?

- Relaxation Response

- Mindfulness

- Meditation

- Breathing

Each of these stills adds value in that it helps calm and centres our mind and in turn our body. The more we practise them, the longer you practise them the more opportunity you develop yourself to be calmer, more focused and gain the ability to have a better quality sleep and often a longer sleep.

So why are these skills vital? Well a good night sleeps changes everything. Plus happiness, calmness, concentration all depend in part on a good nights sleep. 

Here is were you can find free access to two audio stories that if used regularly have helped many children, youth and adults with anger, frustration, brain injury, concussion, ADD, ADHD, ODD, PTSD,  and many other issues gain a greater ability for self regulation and sleep. 

https://soundcloud.com/michael-h-ballard  

Here is where you can purchase some programming to assist you practise and learn these key skills to develop and deepen your ability to be calmer more often. Some call it self regulation, some call it self control, I don't care what you call it. I wish for you peace inner peace. Life is far easier when you have inner peace and a good night's sleep.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/imagine-yourself-rollerblading/id1021357458

So until next time, Imagine Yourself with more Resiliency for Life.

Michael

Michael Ballard specializes in helping people, schools, teams

organizations and communities learn how to become more resilient.

Hiring and Contacting Michael

To interview Michael, book him for your 

next event or to contact him you can do that at:

Inquiry@MichaelHBallard.com

www.MichaelHBallard.com

You can purchase Michael's programming on:

Udemy.com video programs at:

https://www.udemy.com/u/michaelhballard/

 iTunes.com audio programs at:

https://itunes.apple.com/album/id997763796?ls=1&app=itunes

Michael’s Social Media includes:

https://twitter.com/ResilientMichae

https://about.me/resilientmichael

https://www.linkedin.com/company/resiliency-for-life/

https://soundcloud.com/michael-h-ballard

http://www.resiliencyforlife.com