“I cannot have another stressful day next week. My schedule is already full!” – A woman I accidentally overheard talking to a friend.

Let’s face it! She is right! We do not have time for stress, anxiety and busywork. We are too busy already having to deal with all the work projects, important meetings, constant phone calls, and “urgent” emails. And when we finally get home, there is just enough time to do the grocery shopping, cooking, doing homework with our kids and maybe if we are lucky watching a little bit of TV.

It is easy to get carried away by an ambitious desire to “get IT done today!” (IT stands for “Infinite Task list”)

I have noticed that as soon as I get hit with an over-achiever adrenaline rush, I start to use the phrase “I have no time for it!” more than it is really needed! This is how I know that it is time to slow down and relax.

Do you often feel stressed out or overwhelmed at work or at home? What do you do to relax and cope with a busy life when pressure builds up? Do you take a hot bath? Or go for a walk? Or do you hit straight for the fridge to melt your stress with chocolate-chip ice-cream?

What is it that helps you to respond with calmness and confidence to most life situations, instead of reacting with agitation and fear?

(more…)

I have a dark secret that I have never shared with anyone. I am not a picture perfect woman! I suck at cooking. It does not help that everyone else in my family (including my best friends) love to cook, while my two “gourmet specialties” have always been spaghetti and French toast.

For someone, who teaches others that human potential is limitless I could not just accept this failure.

Yesterday I decided to make Zucchini Curried Cream Soup and try the new blender that I bought just a few weeks ago. This was the first time in my life that I have used a blender for something other than making cocktails.

I discovered that you should not try to blend something that is still hot. As soon as I pressed the “start” button, the steam burnt my hand and I let go of the lid. Big Mistake! Half a second later me and my whole kitchen (including closets, shelves with clean dishes, and even the walls) was covered with a dark yellow liquid that was leaving dark marks as it slowly dripped down.

I felt like crying.  I probably would have, if I was not so angry. Soup preparation time – 20 minutes. Kitchen cleaning – an hour and a half! I was really close to accepting defeat and never setting foot in the kitchen again (this seemed like a good idea, especially after what had just happened there).

I called my mom to share my distress with her, but instead of showing any compassion she kept on laughing. And that is when it hit me – even tiny failures can seem like the end of the world if taken too seriously!

The best way for me to overcome my mistakes and keep my spirits high is to look at them as something that I can later laugh at.

What do you do when you fail at little things that you are “supposed” to be good at? What helps you to stay on track? (more…)