AMY HANSEN

Set an intention for how you want to feel this week.

My yoga teacher taught me this idea of setting a weekly intention.  Each week you choose a different aspect to focus on and bring more awareness to it.

This really aligned with my belief in focusing on how I want my life to feel and ways in which to make that happen on a daily basis.

The idea is to make a conscious effort to set an intention to focus on how you want your life to feel.  Then find ways to feel that way on a daily basis.  It may be something you’ve been neglecting in your life or something you feel is missing.

I’ve come to realize that happiness is essential to life feeling good for me.

Defining happiness can be different for everyone.  I will be truly happy when…

For some it’s when they have all the “things.”  Such as, unlimited income, a nice car, a fancy house, the perfect family, etc.  Essentially, having...

Finding your purpose is a major goal in life.  We often struggle to know what our main purpose in life is.  Today we are going to define your gift, passion, and purpose in life.

First, let’s start by defining your gift.

Gift

Your gift is your talent. It’s what you’re inherently good at. Your gift is your unique tool of choice to help someone.  It’s what you do naturally when someone comes to you for help.  Consider your gift to be a strength that you may have had since you were young.  You may have a few gifts.  Gifts can be the power of communication, time management, amazing vocals, etc.

Passion

Your passion is your outlet right now.  It’s your current choice of where you’re using your gift.  This can be on a blog, in video, on stage, etc.  Your passion can change over time.  It’s what you’re excited about right now in order to share your unique gift.

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We all have limiting beliefs that holds us back from stepping outside our comfort zone.  There is an inner critic inside that puts us down or tells us we can’t do something.

How do we change that voice inside our head?

Step 1

Notice negative patterns. If there is a phrase or belief that you keep using that is not benefiting you then take notice.  Make a mental note of these thought patterns and what they are causing you to miss out on.  If these beliefs are holding you back from going after something you want then it’s time we change that belief and the story we are telling ourselves.

Step 2

Acknowledge and decide you want to make a change.  Only you have the power to choose to change.  You have to decide you want this bad enough.  Usually life gets to a breaking point where it feels like there is no other option but to change.  Otherwise you keep living the same life over and over without any growth.  As...

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that in order for someone to love you have to love yourself first.

Growing up we all encounter some bullying and jokes or not nice words said about us.  In today’s day and age it seems to only be getting worse. Especially with social media and how easy it is to write hurtful things without seeing how it truly affects the other person.  As kids we are just learning how to be in this world.

The external environment is not the only battle we are fighting.  The internal one can be much more powerful.  Our inner critic can be so strong.  We often tell ourselves that we are not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough, etc.  We need to change the voice inside our head.  We have the power to choose the thoughts we think.  These can be negative and hateful or they can come from a place of positivity and love.

Watch what you are telling yourself this week.  When...

Many people find it easy to start journaling.  The difficult part is making it a habit.  After a couple of journal entries the pages go blank.

Here are the top five questions asked when you are considering to start journaling.

Why should I journal?

Journaling takes away the overwhelm of what you’ve been thinking about and actually addresses some of the difficult decisions you have been trying to make.  Get everything out of your mind and written down that you’ve been thinking about.  Use journaling as a stress reliever to organize your thoughts.  Journaling your thoughts on a topic can clear your mind and allow you to focus on what you need to accomplish.

What should I write about?

Start writing about what’s going on in your life.  Write down what you did that day, decisions you’re struggling with, things you’re grateful for, what you’re reading or listening to, and what you’ve...

Have you ever heard a song and all of a sudden you’re singing along, transported back in time to when you first heard that tune?  You can remember hearing Taylor Swift for the first time as you as you drive down the 101 on a hot, sunny day.  Soon you’ve got all her albums and memorized the lyrics to put on your best performance as you sing into your fist microphone.  It takes you back to when you were a child and dreamed of being a singer.  Where you were holding live concerts in your bedroom and honing your vocal skills.  That is the power of music.

Music is a transformational outlet.  Today I find myself singing along in the car or in a store when a tune comes on that I can’t resist lip syncing too.  Music holds a deep personal connection for all of us.

What you decide to listen to will often depend on your mood.  If you’re feeling nostalgic you may choose something from your younger years like a boy...

A successful day starts the night before!

A lot of us have a daily routine.  We wake up, have some coffee, get ready for work and then come home have dinner, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day.

But, is your routine setting you up for success?

A successful day starts the night before.  Prepare for tomorrow before you go to bed.  This will allow you to wake up with initiative and know exactly what you should be doing instead of sleepily muddling through a boring routine.

1. Water

The first thing I encourage you to do is to start your morning with at least 18 ounces of water.  I love Swell bottles.  I fill a 25 ounce water bottle up before I go to bed.  I keep that water bottle next to my bed at night so when I wake up I can easily rehydrate.  After hours sleeping we are extremely dehydrated when we wake up.  Start your day with fresh water to hydrate and wake you up.

2. Breakfast

A successful day...

Setting a goal and going for it is not enough.  You need a strong why behind achieving your goal.

Why is it important to achieve your goal?

If you were to keep going and doing the same thing right now with nothing changing in a year, would you be okay with that?

The thought of being in the same place next year is very scary for a high achiever.  You want to learn, grow, and improve your life.  This is why goals are so important to you.

You know why goals are important but of all the goals out there, why did you set this specific goal?

A goal with a low level of reasoning behind it is rarely achieved.  There has to be a meaning behind your goal.  It’s not enough to simply set a goal to lose weight or save money.  You need to have a strong why behind achieving your goal.

When you start working on a goal without a strong reason why, we often stop part way through to ask why am I even doing this in the first...

A question I am frequently asked is how do I stay motivated toward reaching my goal?

Here are the top 10 ways to stay motivated toward reaching your goal!

1. Have Goal Clarity

In order to stay motivated toward reaching your goal you must first have goal clarity to know exactly what is you want to accomplish.

Write down your goal where you can see it daily.  Use the home screen of your phone as a daily reminder of what you need to be focusing on.

Add measure to your goal, as in, an amount and complete date.  For example, lose 5 pounds in two weeks or graduate with my masters degree by June of next year.

Anyone will be able to tell when you’ve achieved your goal based on these parameters.

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2. Aim Big But Aim Small

A lot of times a big goal seems unachievable because it’s overwhelming.  There are so many steps and you aren’t sure where to...