Gratitdue Unlocks The Fullness Of Life

November 24, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

 Melody Beattie

 

Gratitude

                                                       (photo credit: The awesome Anne Slattery)

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

As we enter upon the annual week of giving thanks, I could not pass up this opportunity to share my thoughts on gratitude, again.

Why do I share so often about gratitude? Simple. It saved my life.

The quote above, gracefully crafted by Melody Beattie, author of several books such as Codependent No More, spoke to my soul when I was at my darkest time, fighting for my life in rehab. So much so, that it is tattooed on the left arm. The whole quote, for those moments, I just may forget.

Recently I have received several questions about “my story”, how did I do it; you know, survive and thrive. Walk away from all the safety, security and notoriety of my career. How did I build Passion Squared? All awesome questions, many of them, being answered in my new group coaching program A(awesome) School, launching in January 2015.

But before anything else, the road to living an authentically awesome life is paved with gratitude.

OMG. So simple. Yet so very difficult for many to grasp.

A UMass Dartmouth study says “There is a complex relationship between thoughts, moods, brain chemistry, endocrine function, and functioning of other physiological systems in our bodies. Daily discussion of gratitude results in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy, and sleep duration and quality. Grateful people also report lower levels of depression and stress, although they do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.”

I can attest to this. Living a grateful life does not mean we avoid conflict, issues, pain, or troubles in the world. No, we address those, and work through those. But at the same time, we make a choice, to practice gratitude 365 days a year.

Here are just two examples of how I shift to gratitude in what could be a defeating or stressful situation…

Traffic
People get so stressed out about traffic. Like you have any control over the road conditions or all of those cars on the freeway. When I get stuck in traffic, I focus on being grateful for the time to catch up on an audio book, catch up with an old friend on the phone, or simply sit in peaceful silence.

Delays
This could be a delay of a project, a relationship, a vacation, whatever. I see delays not as denials, but as gifts and messages from the Universe, telling me, slow down, think this through a bit more, it’s not the right time. Thank you Universe.

As I was writing this post, my ADD brain jumped over to Facebook, and then this awesome status update appeared by the beautiful Ginger Boyle…

“Reality is things to do not manifest instantly, there is a wonderful buffer of time that gives us opportunity to redirect our attention to what we want to experience. Have a beautiful Sunday! Start by being grateful.”

You see, we all have choices. I choose gratitude. Not just on the last Thursday in November, but every single day of the year.

With love + gratitude-

Nina

4 Tools For Replenishing Our Soul

November 2, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.  -Patti Digh

 

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

We all have those days or weeks, or maybe even months. Our to-do list is totally out of control. Literally. We have somehow become sucked into the vortex, the habitrail of life, and find ourselves feeling like “I can’t even”! And then the victim mentality begins to sink in, the why me dialogue begins in our head. #ugh

Have you been there? I have. And it’s one of my least favorite places to be. It feels like failure. It feels like I have let myself down. I know better.

So, what do we do when this happens? Here are some of the tools I use, and a list that I must revisit more often than not, with the help of my therapist most times. Love her. Thank GOD for her.

1. The Stop Doing List
Now this can be in your head, or written down, whatever your style is. Truth is, there are a few things you are doing right now that do not add value to your life or your business, but it’s many times hard to be objective, until you are desperately burnt out.

Instead of waiting til burnout sets in, set a day each month, to focus on your stop doing list.

2. Just Say No
Ugh. I know. We live in a “Yes I Can” society. And most times, that is awesome, until it depletes your soul. Than it’s not so awesome. When we slow down enough, we can be more mindful of what to say yes to and what to say no to.

3. Step Away From The Car
Metaphorically speaking, of course. But truly, we must from time to time remove ourselves from life. Whether that means taking a long weekend, a day at the beach, a personal development workshop that is not related to our work, turning the phone off for an hour, whatever it is that will allow you to disengage to gain clarity.

4. The Gratitude List
Of course you knew this would be on the list. Why? Gratitude helps our minds gain perspective. We so often lose perspective when we get so hyper focused on our own “problems”.

When we shift our mind into gratitude, things change. They can change our thoughts, our mood and our actions. And even more awesome, studies show a grateful brain can positively affect insomnia, anxiety and even depression. Sign me up!!

So, go ahead and cry. Throw yourself on the couch. Do whatever you need to. But then, pull yourself together by practicing some of the tools above, and get back to creating awesome in your business and your life.

A big shout out of love & gratitude goes to my therapist Nancy who inspired this post. And yes Nancy, I feel better already. Thank you.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

Follow Your HEART

Why I Wrote Follow Your HEART

July 7, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

“Follow your heart but take your brain with you.”

Alfred Adler

 

Follow Your HEART

 Here is the audio of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

After recording the Masters Series interview with Winn Claybaugh, a question he asked has been heavy on my mind. The question was “Who did I write my book for?” In between all the laughs, and tears of that interview, it really made me think.

Winn and Nina

While that would seem like such a simple question, it made me think about why I felt compelled to write the book in the first place, and what I was hoping the book would be in the hearts and minds of those who read it.

The message I was trying to communication was that the world wants us to live our purpose. And to me, that means following our heart. By writing down my journey and sharing it, it helped me get more honest  and clear about what it takes to live an authentic life.

But the simplicity of that is what many times gets people confused. It is not an easy path to take; it’s actually the most difficult. Because in following our heart, we live on the edges of the society, we seek meaningful relationships and projects, we care deeply, and almost so much it hurts at times. We are seen many times as crazy, which you know, we are. We get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We embrace uncertainly. We are driven by our passions.

However, that does not mean that we are not thinking. We are thinking, actually more in many cases than those who choose to walk through life following someone else’s heart. We are strategic. We crystal clear in what feels awesome and what does not.

So why did I write my book? To challenge the seekers like myself, to open up a dialogue about living our purpose, to push those on the edge, and to share the experience and tools of my journey, in hopes of helping others live an awesomely authentic life.

Following our hearts is simple, but it requires we bring our brains with us, and that my friends, is the most awesome combination of all.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

PS: A big shout out of thanks to my friend Winn for the opportunity to share my story. And to all who have invested in my book and are on the path to authentic awesomeness, thank you, I am so grateful for you.

Click here to hear my interview with Winn Claybaugh. To purchase my book, in either ebook, audio book or a printed and signed copy, click here.

Sad Face

It’s Just A Bad Day

June 2, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

“Its just a bad day, not a bad life.”

Unknown

Sad Face

 (image via Google)

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

Some days SUCK! They just do, and in the moment, it seems like our entire life will suck too. But I am here to tell you it won’t, as long as we don’t let it.

For those who have read my book, Follow Your HEART, thank you so much BTW, you know that I struggle with depression and anxiety, and yes, I have a ton of bad days. So I speak from a little bit of experience as I share my thoughts.

What I have learned is that they do not last. But we have to do our part to ensure they don’t. How do I pick myself up? Here are some ways…

1. Be kind and gentle to myself.
2. Accept the reality that sometimes life sucks.
3. Create a gratitude list and try to focus on what’s good, even though I don’t want to.
4. Connect with friends.
5. Cuddle with my dogs.
6. Do something for others.
7. Sleep.
8. Create some kind of art.
9. Watch meaningless TV.
10. Clean the loft.
11. Remind myself it won’t last forever.
12. Take a walk around my neighborhood (which sadly has a large homeless population mostly due to mental illness and addiction) and witness firsthand the reality of what a bad day really looks like.

One of the biggest challenges I see with having a bad day is that we give it so much energy it becomes more than it is. It’s only a bad day. Not a bad life. Remember that.

Love + awesomeness-
Nina

PS: This applies to our businesses too. We can throw our hands up in the air and decide one bad day or week will become a bad month or year. Or we can dig in and determine what needs to be changed, to create more good days than bad. It’s a choice.

Are you looking to create more awesome in your biz + life? Subscribe (directly to the right of this post) to The Weekly Dose of Awesome , my weekly newsletter loaded with love + goodness, delivered to your inbox, every Monday morning.

Three Gifts from Calliote Canyon

April 7, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

Sunrise at Calliote Canyon on the Whole Body Method Bliss Retreat

Silence is a source of great strength.  -Laozi

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy.

Gifts are everywhere. Gifts can be found in the smallest things, and the grandest of experiences. I experienced some amazing gifts this past weekend as I set out on a Retreat with my friends and client Whole Body Method, a Pilates, Fitness and Wellness Studio in Los Angeles. While there are probably a gazilllion things I could share about the specialness of our time together, there were three gifts that really stood out to me.

Gift #1
Shattering The Routine
A break in routine is good for the soul but even better for the mind. Can you relate to the term auto-pilot? I know I sure can. Routine to me feels natural, but also can be so limiting and keep us from new experiences. So when I realized that the Friday night Breath Workshop was going to begin right at my bedtime, I had a dilemma and a choice. Do I break my routine and be present, or fall back into the OMG I am so tired I have to go to bed? Well, I made the right choice for me, attended the Workshop, had some insane breakthroughs, and slept like a baby. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Upon arrival, it was evident we would not have any cell reception. None, zero. Hmmmmm. We had spotty wireless but in order to get it you would have to sit inside the main house, which while it was absolutely gorgeous, why in the world would I go on a Retreat and sit inside a house just to stay connected online? I actually loved to be unavailable via my phone because it helped me be completely available to the beauty and people around me.

Gift #2
Sights and Sounds of Silence
I live in a very noisy world today, DTLA. I love noise, life happening. Energy. People creating. People suffering. All of it. I dig it. But there is something about absolute silence that is so healing. On the first day, I spotted the cutest lizard who brought me immediately back to childhood which inspired me to begin and almost finish the first draft of Chapter 1 in my next book, Untitled.

As evening fell and I was walking to my room, in the dark, I heard the loudest frog, which actually scared the crap out of me but also reminded me to surrender to my fears. Along with the frog was the most beautiful creek that created the most peaceful music and was a gentle reminder for me to go with the flow and surrender.

Gift #3
Look Up and Look Around
It seems like many of us move through our days and lives so quickly and almost unconsciously. It’s amazing what there is to see when we stop, look up and look around; the stars, the birds, the flowers, you know, nature. Even in the city, there’s a beautiful sky, buildings, people, art. Beauty is everywhere. If we just slow down long enough to look up and look around.

I was so inspired by not only the beauty around me but the possibility of sharing this experience with the Passion Squared community. My mind is racing and my soul is stirring with possibilities for a Whole Body +  Whole Business Retreat in partnership with Whole Body Method in 2015. If that sounds as awesome to you as it does to me, click here and let me know you are interested. My dream is to have you to discover your own gifts of Calliote Canyon, just like I did. They will live in my heart forever. And for that, I am grateful.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)