by Linda-Ann Stewart

Recently, Jeff and I worked to consolidate my two storage units into one. The unit I was cleaning out was created when I sold my mother’s house, the other one was inherited from my mother. I brought several boxes home, went through some of them, and have a small hill of items to be donated to Goodwill.

Organizers say eliminating clutter and outdated things helps to lighten the mental load and clear the mind. According to them, you take less time to look through the clutter for things you want. I did find several items that I’ve spent hours looking for in the house. I didn’t realize they were in boxes in storage.

A feng shui practitioner once told me that going through piles of stuff released stuck energy. She said this stagnant energy could create difficulty in life, obstruct advancement in your career, and block money flow. Releasing that energy creates more of a flow in your life.

In spiritual circles, it’s said that if you want more good in your life, go through your attic, basement and closets and eliminate what you don’t use anymore. By releasing possessions you no longer need or want, you create a vacuum to draw more of what you want to you.

Whatever the reason, I’m glad to have been able to eliminate one storage unit. I still have a lot to go through in the unit I still have. But one great advantage of doing this is that it will definitely be nice to have a smaller payment each month.

abundance · inspiration · motivation · productivity

Jeff and I made our annual pilgrimage to the 16th century at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. We spent our time visiting the artisan shoppes, watching shows, and throwing pointy things (axes and stars).

Many years ago, I took lessons in bellydancing. I loved it and love to watch it. Ladies, if you want to tone up your abdomen and lose weight a fun way, take up this energetic activity!

Sigh. It’s the close of the day. Everyone gathers to dance to the beating of the drums, until the cannon fires to signal sunset.

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National Speaker’s Association – Arizona Chapter November 2010 meeting’s Keynote Speaker was Laura Stack of The Productivity Pro. I was thrilled to actually meet and talk with her for a couple of minutes, because she was the presenter at the very first NSA-Arizona meeting I ever attended in 2004. She made a huge impression then, and did so again this month.

I’d known of NSA’s existence for about fifteen years, but didn’t know that there were local chapter meetings until May 2004. Since I don’t believe in coincidences, there must have been some reason I hadn’t been able to attend until that June.

Through NSA-Arizona, I’ve made such great friends, and learned more than I ever could have on my own. It’s given me resources and knowledge of other ideas that I didn’t even know existed. I’ve made contacts and expanded so much personally.

So, meeting NSA’s 2011-2012 president, who was there at the beginning of my association with NSA-Arizona and in the same year I finally joined as a professional, brought things around full circle. And, for me, it was significant that it was at the beginning of our season of gratitude and thanksgiving. It’s one of the things I’m grateful for, that I finally found NSA-Arizona in 2004.

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Jeff and I visited the Grand Canyon on my 28th anniversary of moving to Sedona, AZ. I always try to do a little something to celebrate this day. This year’s activity went above and beyond anything I’ve done before.

The Grand Canyon is about three hours travel from our home, so it’s not just around the corner. I haven’t visited it very many times since I’ve lived here, and this year, we’ve been there twice.

We rode the shuttle out to the western point of Grand Canyon Village, Hermit’s Rest. We began walking the eight miles to the village along the rim. Since it was a brisk day, there were very few other hikers. There was still some snow on portions of the trail, generally in the shade, and on the very edge of the cliff. I traversed those very slowly and carefully.

We stopped every so often to take photos and enjoy how the change of lighting could change the entire vista. The views were magnificent, and the peace overwhelming. As usual, I felt a sense of awe looking out over the Canyon.

Unfortunately, we got a late start and only made it about halfway to the Village before dusk. We hopped on one of the last shuttles back, and discussed how we were just going to have to return to hike the other 4 miles. Well, if we must, we must.

Every so often, it’s good to get in touch with nature. It’s healing, inspiring, grounding and helps to open up channels of creativity and problem solving. So, even when I have a backlog of work, I find it helpful to take the time out to reconnect with our natural world. I always come back re-energized.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed, go outside and enjoy a sunset or take a walk in the park. You’ll discover how you can unwind and have more resources to deal with your life.

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by Linda-Ann Stewart

There’s a saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Well, Jeff and I had a hiking experience recently that certainly reinforced that statement. And what I learned from it applies to other areas of life.

It started out innocently enough. An acquaintance, who does a lot of hiking in the area, wanted to get a group together to go hiking. This weekend, he wanted to take us on a trail I’ve never been on. It’s in a deep canyon with a creek running through it and I’d heard it could be a bit challenging.

I thought, “Great! We can go with someone who’s been there many times before and knows the best ways to go.” Jeff and I were the only ones to sign up, and Jeff brought his camera bag along.

On the hike, our guide took off like dogs were nipping at his heels. No time to enjoy the views or really take photographs. I lagged quite a ways behind he and Jeff simply because I would stop periodically to look around.

The trail crosses the creek several times. The first crossing, Jeff and I hopped on rocks successfully without incident or getting wet. The second one, I barely made it without dunking, and Jeff elected to wade across the creek.

On the third crossing, my luck ran out. I fell into the creek, and got my backpack and myself soaked. Fortunately, I’d put everything in zip top bags and everything was dry. I had some dry socks, put them on, and hiked on with wet jeans.

At this point, it was after noon, and Jeff and I indicated that we should start back. We did, but not on the trail. Jeff and I had no idea where it was. Our guide went off the trail and then couldn’t find it.

We spent the next hour and a half following our guide bushwhacking through the brush and walking on river rocks. Not the best of footing, especially when you’re tired. It would be easy to twist an ankle or fall and break some bone on that terrain. We clambered up hills and scooted down hills.

On our fourth creek crossing, I chose to wade, rather than hop across on rocks. This time, I slipped as I stepped into the water. I fell on my side, scratching and bruising my arm on branches. But miraculously, I survived relatively unharmed.

You know how it is when you “Hit the wall?” I hit mine when the guide had us rock climbing several feet above the water, on a ledge not an inch wide. I can’t remember when I’ve been so scared or so ready to be done with a hike.

As Jeff jumped three feet down onto a two-foot wide ledge, he lost his balance and slid   into the water. As he was trying to climb out, his camera bag fell into the water. Water is not good for camera equipment. Fortunately, it looks like it’s all okay. Again, a miracle.

We finally got back to the cars just before 5pm (the hike was supposed to be done by 3pm). And our guide had a flat tire. After he got his spare on, we finally left the parking lot at almost 6pm.

Some angel was watching over us and kept us from major catastrophe. There were so many times when disaster could have (and should have) happened.

I learned several valuable lessons that are relevant to both personal and professional areas of life. Whether you’re planning to partner with someone for a project, write a paper, a business or in a relationship, keep these ideas in mind.

1. Get to know the person you’re planning to collaborate with.

Jeff and I had just talked with our guide a couple of times and didn’t know him well. When you’re going to work with someone, especially in a situation that could affect your well-being, finances, reputation or life, find out if they’re trustworthy, will do what they say, and what their values are.

2. Make sure you have the same expectations, reasons, motivations, agendas, or goals.

Or that they’re at least complimentary. From things our guide said during our trek, his motivation for hiking was to challenge himself, to push his limits. Ours was to enjoy nature and the scenery. These two reasons for hiking are not compatible.

If you’re partnering for a business, the other person could want it for a tax write-off, while you want to make a lucrative income. On a project or paper, the other person could want it for glory or to promote their career at your expense. In a relationship, make sure that what you find important is important to the other person, and that you have similar values.

3. Set boundaries and be clear about them.

Establish at the beginning what you will and won’t do, and will or won’t accept from the other person. Jeff and I should have stated that we wanted to head back before that third crossing and the bushwhacking. And when we saw the rock ledge, we should have said, “Uh-uh” at the beginning.

If you’re opening a business, how much time and money do you plan to put into it, and how much do you expect the other person to contribute. The same applies to a project or paper, or any other professional collaboration. And it’s especially true in personal relationships.

4. Protect your assets.

I thought ahead to what could happen, and put everything I carried in zip top bags. As a result, even with two dunkings, everything stayed dry.

In any personal or professional relationship, you don’t know what unexpected event could happen. So take preventative action, talk to professionals to see how your assets need to be separated from the other person’s, and plan for the unexpected.

If something bad doesn’t happen, great. But if it does, you’ve done what you could to minimize the damage.

Challenging experiences make you stronger, and give you wisdom so you can (hopefully) make better decisions in the future. But when you learn from someone else’s experiences, you can become wiser by proxy. As far as I’m concerned, learning from others’ life-events is the best way to go.

Copyright 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

self improvement, self help, personal growth, personal development

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I’ve been afraid of tornadoes all of my life. That’s what happens when you grow up in tornado alley and have them swoop low over your house when you’re young. As a matter of fact, that’s one reason why I now live west of the Rocky Mountains. We don’t have to worry about them as much.

That was the case until October 6, 2010. Then we had 8 tornadoes in Northern Arizona. I kept an eye on the Weather Channel as it tracked the circulation of one as it passed over my area. It made me very nervous, but I handled it better than I expected, and just went about my business.

When Jeff and I visited Flagstaff’s Snowbowl, we discovered downed trees from those EF-1 and EF-2 tornadoes. Two of them crossed Hwy. 180, and the damage track from the one near Kendrick’s Park was about a half-mile wide.

When I got home, I did some research to confirm that’s where the tornadoes hit. I found a NOAA website that shows weather maps of that day, lists where and when the tornadoes hit, size of hail in various locations, and even has a Google maps page of their trajectories. One of these tornadoes had a thirty-mile long path.

This was the most tornadoes that Arizona has ever had in one day. So I still feel better about living in the west, rather than in the Midwest or east. Hopefully, we’ll never have that kind of system through here again.

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This is my fifth year having a table at the annual Cliff Castle Casino Health Fair in Camp Verde, AZ to promote my hypnotherapy and life coaching business. I really enjoy this fair, talking with the people, meeting and networking with the other vendors.

As a service, I provided handouts on how to deal with stress and also a recommended reading list. Whenever anyone would approach my table, I asked, “Got stress?” Almost everyone started laughing, thinking of the stress they’re under.

I’d then invite them to enter my free raffle with my “Stress Management Through Self-Hypnosis” CD as the prize. Most were more than willing to do so.

Probably the only downside to this “Health Fair” is the cigarette smoke that pervades the building. Since the casino is on the Yavapai-Apache Nation’s Reservation, they can allow smoking. Because of that, at the end of the day my eyes burned, my throat felt raw, and my clothes reeked.

Even with the disadvantage of the smoke, I won’t hesitate to attend this Fair again next year.

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Jeff and I went up to the ski area at Flagstaff’s Snowbowl to view the Aspens turning their fall colors. We try to go every year, because the Aspens on the road to Snowbowl are spectacular.

We’d planned a picnic, but the weather was a bit unusual. We had a little bit of drizzle and sleet with the sun shining. So we ate in the car, just enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Just above us, it was snowing. In the snowfall, there was a rainbow in front of the mountain. It was absolutely amazing!

Copyright 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

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by Linda-Ann Stewart

Sometimes, it’s good to take some time away from your work.  I’ve had a very busy month, and haven’t been getting as much done as I’d planned. My schedule would change, shifting priorities down the list as more immediate projects and events shoved into the time allotted. A couple of items that I expected to take a few minutes ended up taking hours.

Last week, I had a day that I spent running from errands to appointments. There was no time to work on any projects, but I was able to listen to a business audio CD as I drove around. It sparked an idea that opened a door for me and relieved some pressure I was feeling.

When I start getting frustrated or feeling blocked, a friend counsels me to “Shift the energy. Go do something else.” She has a point. If you just keep hitting your head against that brick wall, all you’re going to get is a sore head.

By taking a few steps back, putting your attention on something else, it gives the subconscious some time and space to work through the issue and deliver some brilliant new concept. Well, maybe not brilliant, but certainly new, and one that will probably break through the block or solve the problem.

That’s what happened last week, and also at the Sedona Book Fest. Both times, I’d taken the day to do an activity that supported my goals, but was time away from intense mental effort. I heard an insight that sparked an idea that solved issues I’d been struggling with for months.

Try it next time you’ve been ramming against a wall. Take a deep breath, walk away, forget about it, and do something else for a while. At the very least, when you come back to the task, you’ll be calmer, with more resources to deal with the challenge. And it’s very likely that you’ll discover a solution that you’d never have considered.

Copyright 2010 Linda Ann Stewart
All Rights Reserved

self improvement, self help, personal growth, personal development, motivation, productivity, inspiration

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Sedona is still a small town. It’s not uncommon to bump into someone you know, whether it’s at the Post Office, grocery store, or an art opening. It’s especially true when you have interests in common and attend an event concerning that activity. This was especially true for me during the 2nd annual Sedona Book Fest.

On Friday, Jeff and I attended their afternoon workshops. The first one was on “It’s Easy To Publish Your Book” with Richard and Sharon Hooper of Sanctuary Publications and Wib and Jane Middleton of Thunder Mountain Design.

The only 2 chairs available when we got there just happened to be beside my original writing teacher, Bennie Blake. She’s no longer teaching, but is still editing manuscripts. It’s always such a joy to run into her. The last time was at a Jerome Art Walk a few months ago.

I greeted a couple of other people I knew. One of them had been a member of the writer’s group where Jeff and I met. It’s been a long time since I’d seen her. Jeff and I stopped attending the group over a decade ago.

The second workshop was on nonfiction, “What’s So Special About Nonfiction,” with three panelists: Maia Kincaid, Barbara Mayer, and Terri Marie. Maia’s a friend and author of four wonderful books about her communication with animals, plants, insects and the earth. I’ve reviewed two of her four books, and plan to review the third one soon.

The three panelists discussed their writing process and how writers must listen to their muse. One of them said something that sparked a solution to a problem I’ve been wrestling with for a while. It’s always inspiring to be around so much creativity.

On Saturday, Jeff and I went to the Bookfest, with over 60 exhibitors. Again, I saw Bennie, which really wasn’t a surprise. But I also ran into one of the students I knew from her class, Barb Hahn, who now conducts classes in creative writing. I haven’t seen Barb in almost two decades, so it was an unexpected pleasure to bump into her.

One of the exhibitors was the owner of Red Coyote Press and contributor to the anthology “How Not To Survive A Vacation,” Sue Flaig. I’d met her about 18 months ago, when I spoke to an association she belongs to in Tempe, AZ.

In another room, I spotted Ross Hawkins, of the Hummingbird Society. Ross is a professional member of the National Speaker’s Association and belongs to our Arizona Chapter as I do. I was surprised to see him there, but he was representing his wife’s book, “Word Pearls…Seeing Into Meaning.” We chatted about speaking and his favorite topic, hummingbirds. He has some wonderful stories about the antics of these magical creatures.

When I got to Maia’s table, I realized that I knew her editor, Debbie Dobson, who was sitting with Maia. As I said, it’s not unusual to see people you know in Sedona, even when you’re not aware of a close connection. This one was a 2nd “degree of separation” connection.

Over the years, so many people I’ve known have left the area. It was refreshing to reconnect with some of the folks I’ve known who are still here. And it was wonderful to immerse myself in one of the passions that I share with those friends. I look forward to attending the 3rd Annual Sedona Book Fest next year and seeing who else is there.

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