elaine shannon » family

Law of Attraction in Action

Elaine — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:08:13 +0000

Don’t hurt yourself on the ski hill…

Famous last words

After an advanced workshop last week with Law of Attraction Book author Michael Losier you would think I would know better. Not! Some lessons are learned through trial and error.

I think I am getting the evil eye

On our long drive ( long if you live in rural New Brunswick) to the Sussex Hospital I was wondering how my words may have impacted my sons night on the ski hill, and his broken collarbone.

In the advanced class with Michael we learned that;

Words…become Thoughts..which then become a Vibe + or – then a match happens

The words that Michael emphasized in the class were; don’t, not and no.

When we add these words to any sentence we attract that thing that we are actually not wanting. When I said to my son don’t get hurt on the ski hill…what I actually vibrated was ‘get hurt on the ski hill’.

The Law of Attraction works

Whether you believe that this works or not is irrelevant…have a look at the areas of your life that are working and not working. Stop and be aware of the words you are using, you may be surprised at what you are attracting…positive and negative.

Instead of;

don’t run through the house, say…walk please
my client is not going to cancel, say…my clients keep all their scheduled appointments
No one books business in January, say January can be a busy time of year.

Just for fun, over the next few days take note of the words you are using. When you start using these techniques you can become the ‘Master Manifester’ in your own life.

Decluttering and the Wheel of Life

Elaine — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:12:00 +0000

The Wheel of Life

It is all about the light bulb moments.

Recently I helped facilitate a de-cluttering workshop. Specifically de-cluttering is the process of eliminating the obstacles that prevent us from moving forward.

Imagine, you are driving down a road and there is a road block…you have many options. You can sit and wait until someone else move the obstacle on the road, you can turn around and go back, you can find an alternate route or you can move the obstacle that is in your way.

Some of the options mentioned are easy, some are difficult and some are just annoying.

Here is the thing, what if what you really want is on the other end of that road…you will do pretty much anything to get there.
Now think of that road as your life. How many times have you been stopped by a road block or an obstacle? What did you do? Give up and turn back, adjust the direction and try another route, or did you eliminate the obstacle.

Now you may be saying how does all this relate to organizing…organizing cannot happen until the de-cluttering process happens. The de-cluttering process cannot happen until the true reason for the obstacle is identified…this may all sound a bit foreign to you however at this moment if you are struggling with any part of your life it would help you on your journey if you identified the obstacles.

One of the exercises we used during the workshop was the Wheel of Life exercise; if you Google image the term you can find a few examples of the wheel of life. Take a few minutes to print one off or draw your own.

The circle is cut into pie shapes. At the end of each pie piece there are areas of life such as; health, wealth, family and friends, playtime-hobbies-fun, relationships, career-job, physical space, contribution-spirituality. There are ones that are common but if you have another area in your life that needs addressing then add it please.

The next thing we did was to have a look at each area of the wheel and on the spoke made a mark relative to the contentment or discontentment that is happening in that area. Closest to the inside would be a ’0′ for that area and on the outside it would be a 10 meaning that area of your life is perfect and there is nothing you would change. So for example if you are very happy with your family and friends make a mark at the outside of the circle because you feel good about this area and it does not need changing.

Now that you have an indicator of the separate areas of your life attach the marks on the inside of the circle…now you can see the areas of your life that are working and those that aren’t.

This is where you can see the imbalances.

Next question is how you improve how you are feeling about for example the area of physical space. Let’s say you rated this area low and are very unhappy with the clutter in your home. What is one thing that you can do today to improve this piece of your life? It could be as simple as asking the family to pick up after themselves (I did not say it was easy…just a simple question), perhaps it is time to let go of things that have accumulated and you feel guilt or shame for the things that you have and no longer use.

Back to the road example…that guilt or shame associated with the stuff is the road block! Until you address the cause of the guilt and shame the clutter or obstacle is not going to go anywhere. For some it could be an event from childhood that triggers the guilt, for others it could be ego or loss of face about the stuff , for some it may be fear. Fear of the unknown and what is really on the other side of that road block.

I love this exercise and I can honestly say when I do this myself I have many light bulb moments that help me to see where I am stuck and what I need to work on to move forward. The participants of these sessions always have them too…the aha’s and the nods…a knowing of why and now a process of what to do next.

Please take some time and if nothing else do the wheel and honestly rate how you are feeling in each area of your life…you won’t regret the valuable time you will spend on YOU!

Three Tips for a Relaxing Sunday Dinner

Elaine — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:05:41 +0000

Plan, Share and Tidy as you go

I am excited to have a Guest blogger today. Enjoy Eliza’s tips on the Sunday Dinner.

Like Elaine, Sunday Dinner is an important event in our household. It provides everything Elaine says it does. However … yes, there is a however … it can also be a lot of work and stressful, especially if you are the Chief Cook & Bottle Washer.

In our home, this role falls to my husband. To be honest he has had a couple of meltdowns following a Sunday Dinner standing in the kitchen staring at the mess. Trust me, a grown man throwing a temper tantrum is not a pretty sight. But, he should not be that stressed out in the first place. We knew we had to make some tweaks to the process so that Sunday Dinner is enjoyable for all.

Here are three tips for making your Sunday Dinner relaxing and fun:

1. Everyone pitches in. This truly is Number 1 in the list. Everyone comes with the expectation that they will help with the cooking and cleaning. This means the chores do not fall to one poor family member. It speeds up the work part so we can all get to the play part. It is also part of the bonding aspect to Sunday Dinners.

2. Clean up as you go. Our dinners are a bit more elaborate than boiled hot dogs since Hubby is a chef. Our meals are always a taste sensation, but they do involve a lot of dirty pots and pans. We clean up as we go so that we are not left with a kitchen wasteland at the end of the day.

3. Plan an earlier dinner. Remember, this is Sunday and we all have work the next day. We plan for a 4 p.m. mealtime, which generally means we manage to sit down by 5. With everyone showing up around 2 p.m. this allows plenty of time for meal preparation and clean up. We also get in lots of game playing as the meal is cooking and after we have eaten.

Implement these three organizational tips and everyone, including the Chief Cook & Bottle Washer, can look forward to and enjoy Sunday Dinner.

Eliza Fayle is an international intuitive mentor and custom jewelry designer. She is also the driving force behind Silver & Grace, a community of fun, sexy, intelligent and real women over forty supporting each other in our wisdom phase of life. To be part of this vibrant group of women join in on Facebook and sign up for the weekly ezine A Touch of Wisdom by visiting the Silver & Grace website.

The Art of the Sunday Dinner

Elaine — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:43:59 +0000

Want to Connect with People…Have Sunday Dinner

When was the last time you had the classic Big Sunday Dinner?

Did you invite anyone?

I hope you did.

This weekly activity is an important thing for us this year on our journey to Simplicity…

It help us to focus on Relationships!

This Sunday Dinner is a great opportunity for you to;

connect with parents and other family members
a time for your children to get to know the grandparents and visa versa
an excuse to invite friends that you may not see often enough
an awesome opportunity to nurture new friendships

If you are quite brilliant you will make Alot of food and have leftovers for Monday…for us the busiest day of the week so leftovers are really Life savers.

Time to break out the cookbooks for next Sunday…who will you be inviting?

Simplicity is for Me!

Elaine — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:45:05 +0000

A life Simplified

Over the next 12 months Elaine and her family are going on a journey to Simplify and Enjoy life to the fullest!

They are not waiting until the children leave to ‘Right Size’ their home, they are doing it now. So the process of selling the beloved family home of 14 years is now in process and when the sold sign hits the lawn the search will start for the ‘Right Size’ home for this family of five. A home with just enough space to live in but not so much that it can’t be cleaned in less than 1 hour!

They are not waiting for retirement to travel, who knows what life will look like in 20 years. Right now life looks great and with good health and the children still home they are going to travel to as many amazing places possible. With awesome friends all over this amazing planet and they want our kids to enjoy meeting them too!

They are not waiting for some tragic news to hit so they can live each day like it is their last…they are doing it now. Living each delicious moment of life like it is their last, too many people they love have had the bad news so they thought they would learn from their lessons.

Meal Planning a Sure System for Saving TIME and Money

Elaine — Mon, 16 May 2011 11:40:24 +0000

Meal Planning works for everyone….

This past week has been a bad week for meal planning in our home. I am not sure if it was Mothers Day last weekend or the endless rain. Never the less my meal planning went off the rails and it has been a week of lunches that were very creative to say the least and some meals that were nothing short of a miracle to pull together…from a few loaves and yes some fish.

I can’t over stress the importance of Meal Planning for your HEALTH, your pocketbook and your time.

Today I will be getting back to Meal Planning and the comfort I feel from having this important plan in place.

To help you with your meal planning I am going to share my most recent article from my Organize series for the the ST Croix Courier paper based in St Stephen NB, Canada.

The subject of meals and meal planning is a constant source of conversation and anxiety for most families. Mainly because the thought of making a decision every night about what to eat can make you want to reach for the phone and call for take out.

How do you get out of this expensive, unhealthy cycle of meals on the run?

With a weekly meal menu! The Meal Plan is the ultimate solution to make life run smoothly.

The few hours spent making up a menu plan will save hours of time and frustration, money and loads of calories. The time spent will also pay of in the long run; imagine coming home every evening knowing what is on the menu for that day!

The menu’s can be as simple or as complex as you want; including only suppers or adding in lunches as well as morning and afternoon snacks. A menu reduces the end of the day stress of trying to figure out what you’re going to eat and it makes grocery shopping so much easier. One trip a week with a list in hand can save lots of money as well. If you are a parent, a menu is also a great way to get the rest of the family involved too. Older children can begin preparations before parents get home at the end of the day and enlisting their help with making school lunches helps this chore become a breeze.

SIMPLE steps to successful Meal Planning:

Involve all family members, set aside some time, and brainstorm.
To help in the brainstorm process, make a list of common foods and favorite family meals. If you want to change your eating habits get some cook books or look online for ideas and commit to being adventurous with something new each week.
Take the time to make a master list of all the types of food, and then you can mix and match and change things up by changing how it is prepared. For example- hamburger can be made into spaghetti sauce, Sheppard’s pie, tacos, lasagna or just plain hamburgers. Pork can mean pork chops, tenderloins, ham or bacon.

Make the Main Dish…the Main Dish:

Start with main dishes and then add side dishes, remember to use leftovers in your plan for lunches and quick meals. If you have meetings, events or kids activities that limit your meal time note them in your plan and add quick meals on those days.

Once you have an idea of the meals you want to include in your menu use a menu template and fill it in. Here is a simple plan that you can copy and use over and over, just follow this link to get the Menu Plan Template

Side dishes can add spice to your menus:

When planning side dishes think variety. Rice dishes, potatoes dishes, vegetables, salads and pastas. Change it up during the week and enjoy new things.

As you create new weekly plans save then and once you have 6 weeks of menu planning you can reuse, recycle and revamp so you are not starting from scratch each time. You can also have season specific menus as summer and winter eating does differ.

Sometimes you need to use time to save time. By spending a little time every six weeks planning your menu you will save hours of time, tons of cash , frustrations and possibly some calories too.

Here’s to a happy healthy menu!

Earth Day : Activities to HELP Your Community

Elaine — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:38:25 +0000

Although Earth Day is officially April 22 every year you can participate and make every day EARTH DAY.

The premise of Earth Day is to participate and work together to Safe Guard our Planet.

On a recent trip to San Diego I visited Seal beach where a controversy is continuing over who has the right to use the beach. I wonder who has the best interests of the planet and its precious creatures in mind here!

Watch this video about Seal beach.

In our home we recycle and compost and are proud that on garbage day we have very little at the curb that will be sent to the local landfill. By using some basic organizing and a bit of creativity we have created a Home Recycling System that works for our family.

We are reducing our carbon footprint, for example…It takes 70% less energy to recycle plastic than it does to make it from raw materials.

In my business I am proud to say that by decluttering in a ethical manner we have reduced our carbon footprint on a community level. Working with clients and tossing what is truly garbage and recycling things that still have a life.

These items are reintroduced back into the community through a Donation program that I spearheaded with the Saint John Boys and Girls Club back in 2005 and since then my clients have diverted several tons of items that would have been sent to the local landfill.

On this day of EARTH awareness I am asking you what you are doing at home, at work and in your community to be a POSITIVE Steward of the earth.

How to Stay out of the Doghouse this Christmas!

Elaine — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:18:43 +0000

I am still laughing as I write this post….the Skipper(hubby) shared this video with me, and he is still laughing…not that HE is guilty of ever making a REALLY bad gift purchase….check out the Sixth Day of bad gift giving…he is very familiar with the DOGHOUSE…read all about it here

Want to stay out of the Doghouse this Christmas?

This is the funniest video I have seen in a long time…watch and learn!

And if that wasn’t funny enough…here is the follow up video.

You may get out of the Doghouse but for how long?

This is a brilliant use of Social Media for JC Penney. It draws you into the story and until the very end you have no idea who sponsored it. If we lived near a JC Penney I am sure the skipper would be purchasing something lovely and sparkly for me for Christmas…at least, thanks to this brilliant video, he knows what NOT to purchase.

Let GO and Move ON…Strategies for Downsizing Success

Elaine — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:44:32 +0000

This past weekend I had the honor of speaking at the Boomer Revolution Show in Moncton NB , this was the inspiration for my presentation. It was a well attended session with lots of lively discussion around downsizing. A few of the attendees expressed that they had so much stuf and eventually their children would deal with it…I expressed that this was not a legacy that anyone wants to have. So be kind to your children and deal with it before they have to.

Are you tired of searching for things in your home?

Are you spending more time with your stuff than you are with your golf clubs, friends and family?

Are you ready to downsize but not sure how to let go…of the stuff?

Before we get to the part where you learn how to Downsize, there is a burning question that you must ask yourself first.

Why do I want to Downsize?

The answer to this question will help you move towards the right solution for you.

As the 8.5 million Canadian and the 72 million American Baby Boomers near the golden years of their life there are many concerns that haunt this massive group of people.

The main issues are Health, Money and Retirement.

The need and desire to downsize can be related to all of these issues.

Health issues and Downsizing

That lovely 2 story home that was the perfect place to raise your family may not be so perfect anymore when climbing the staircases begins to feel like a daily climb up Mount Everest. How about cleaning all those bathrooms? Let’s not get started on the vacuuming…perhaps they can design a vacuum model that you can strap to your back so you can lug it all up and down…those staircases.

If you are an empty nester, then perhaps it is time to rethink the benefits of living in the big family home and look at an easier living arrangement. It could mean the difference between years of health and well being and years of pain and frustration. Perhaps you could consider moving to a smaller home, getting into a condominium with little or no maintenance or apartment living.

Money and Downsizing

Are you sitting on a gold mine? If your home is paid off then you just might be. People who have paid off their homes years ago may not realize the equity that is sitting right under them.

With a fixed income and cash flow being an issue for many retired boomers then selling and moving to a less expensive living arrangement is the answer. Smaller homes have reduced costs in many ways…one of them being lower energy costs. This would reduce the amount that is needed monthly to pay for expenses.

Retirement and Downsizing

The freedom of leisurely Golf games, hanging out with the Quilters and getting involved in the community are a few of the obvious benefits of Retirement.

Now that you have all the time in the world to do what you want to do why aren’t you?

The reasons for this can vary from lack of funds, not enough time or perhaps disorganization is the real culprit.

Cleaning professionals say that 80% of household congestion – whether in a drawer or closet, on the counter, table or desk, or even the whole room – is the result of disorganization rather than insufficient space. Cleaning professionals say that getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40% of the housework in an average home.

How do I get organized and let go so I can downsize and live comfortably in my smaller space?

Here is a great decision making tool to help you with your Downsizing efforts.

The Quick Quiz

Ask yourself the following questions:

Have I or anyone in my home used this item in the past year? Yes/No
Will it be needed on a definite date in the future? Yes/No
Do I love it or does someone in the household love it? Yes/No
Do I need to keep it for legal or tax purposes? Yes/No
Is it more important to me to keep this item than to have the space it occupies? Yes/No
Would it be difficult or expensive for me to get another one? Yes/No
Does this item serve a worthwhile purpose in my life? Yes/No

There are no right or wrong answers, but a “Yes” answer to any one of the above questions provides a sound reason to keep that item. If you answer “No” to every question then it is time to let go.

At the end of the day…I am sure you can agree…you just want to make life easier.

Take the time, eliminate the things that no longer serve a purpose in your life and enjoy the benefits of Downsizing.

We are not in this ALONE, Elaine gets on her soapbox

Elaine — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:47:33 +0000

I got this question the other day on my Youtube channel.…Yes I have my own channel…yes with videos…and yes I am in them…Enough with the sarcasm please!

Anyhow this is how it went.

…”you have a lot of great ideas…can you do a video on maybe getting your kids (and husband lol) to help around the house more? I am always looking for ideas on that”

I had to bring my soap box out for this one…enjoy my response…remember my clients all say that I am Firm but Loving!