Spring time makes me think of growth and renewal. Flowers and leaves are blooming making the landscape more colorful and energized from the dark and dreary winter months. Of course, I am speaking metaphorically here, considering I reside in Florida where it actually is colorful with flowers and leaves all year long. ;)

Spring is a re-birthing of sorts. It is a time to start fresh, to start anew. At the very least it is a time to get re-energized or recharged from the long months of winter. The timing is perfect considering we are usually so focused on other things that we tend to forget ourselves. Too often, we put ourselves last on the list of “To-do’s” leaving us as a low priority. We deprive ourselves of rest or exercise because “there are just too many other things that need to be done.”  This is very sad because it shows the lack of importance we place on our well-being. Logic tells us that if we aren’t good for ourselves, we won’t be good for anyone else. Unfortunately, we aren’t always logical, are we?

Okay, so here we are. It is Spring and we have the opportunity for a fresh start. New beginnings.

Ask yourself, “What can I do today to give me some peace and positive energy?” Your answer will differ among other people. For someone, it might mean taking a relaxing hot bath for 20 minutes while reading a light-hearted magazine. For someone else, it might be to walk around the block in the evening when everything is still and quiet. Here are some more ideas:

• Meditate for 15-20 minutes and zone out
• Meet up with a friend for dinner or a drink
• Walk the dog and take notice of the beautiful landscape around you
• Take a nap (my favorite)
• Run at sunset or sunrise
• Curl up with a good book
• Listen to some relaxing music and simply chill
• Exercise in any format: tennis, yoga, weights, etc.

These are just some small ways to recharge yourself while making a big impact on your overall well-being. The point is to do these things consistently so that you are less inclined to feel burned out, tired and worn-out. When you recharge yourself each day, you feel lighter and brighter. Things tend to bother you less, and people feel more comfortable being near you because you ARE taking care of yourself. This leads to a Domino effect that brings more positive things to you and around you.

Happy Spring!

Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS    President/Executive Coach

Coaching 4 Success, Inc.

Looking back at this napping rule, I wonder why we don’t have this as adults? It makes more sense for the older people to take mandatory naps rather than the young ones. Younger people have more energy so they can move through a day with ease. Anyone over the age of 15 can usually benefit from a nap. It’s about at that age when your energy level starts depleting. Usually, at this young age it is due to staying up too late the night before. Either way, the older we get, the less energy we tend to have.

I respect the companies that promote power naps throughout the day. I think it is beneficial to the business because it promotes fresh thinking and well-being. Check out the facts listed below. It includes major companies that actually promote their employees to snooze so they can recharge themselves.

Staying on track with your goals is never easy. By now, any type of resolution you made in the New Year has been tested. Some of you may be going strong in sticking to your 2012 goals as we move into the latter part of 1st quarter. Others may feel discouraged as life has become busy and goals for the New Year may have fallen to the wayside.

Listen to my advice in creating and maintaining your goals and resolutions on Health and Wellness Radio with Dr. Harold Shinitzky and Dr. Christopher Cortman. Click here to listen now.

Networking….It’s a necessity these days in the job market. Whether you are self-employed, working for someone else or  unemployed – we all need to be getting out there meeting colleagues and spreading the word about our services and our skills. However, most people shy away from attending such functions because it can be very anxiety provoking.

Check out my business networking tips in my interview with Nanci Theoret from Florida Weekly here

Get out there and make it happen!

Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS   Executive Coach  – Coaching 4 Success, Inc. www.LeadMeToSucceed.com

What do you wear around your partner? When we are in a relationship long-term, we tend to get, well, let’s say we get comfortable…often way too comfortable. Is your underwear sagging? T-shirts yellowing? How about those nice comfy baggy pants? We tend to get so comfortable around our partner, we forget how unbecoming it can look. While there is nothing wrong with being comfortable, you cross the line when you look sloppy or frumpy. Would you really wear those old unflattering pants if you were just dating your partner? Dress as if you are dating when you go out with your significant other – even if you’ve been together for a very long time.

When is the last time you surprised your partner? One of the problems in longer term relationships is it can get routine once the newness of a relationship wears off. However, if you each take turns planning “date night” you can get creative and add some newness to your relationship. It doesn’t have to be extravagant to be a surprise either. Whether it is taking her to a new restaurant or taking him to his favorite theater, you are making the time to plan a special night that is catered to the interest of your partner. A simple picnic in the park or bringing home her favorite dessert are small simple ways to keep your relationship interesting.

You can also check out this article I tweeted the other day from Psych Central that details other tips to enhance your relationship for the New year (click here.)

Keep it exciting!

Renee Kennedy-Edwards

President / Executive Coach  Coaching 4 Success, Inc.

Symptoms of boredom include feeling antsy, fidgety, having a lack of energy and/or motivation and lacking focus. You may have difficulty sleeping or wanting to sleep too much. Your eating habits may include craving carbohydrates and chocolate. You also may notice you are drinking alcohol more frequently. A recent study in the UK found office workers who are bored with their work often turn to these types of foods to self-soothe (Read article here.) The study found that one of the culprits of office boredom is the lack of a demanding workload.

This makes me realize it could be the same culprit for overall boredom in life. If there aren’t enough challenges to keep you engaged in life, you may be more susceptible to boredom. As I said earlier, it is difficult to find that healthy balance though without feeling overwhelmed with too many things going on at once.

It’s important that we each find the balance that works for us – afterall, each of us has our own level of tolerance. Taking classes to learn a new language or a new skill can off-set some of the doldrums of daily life while keeping you from feeling too over-worked. Adding social activities to the calendar is another way to add some fun without necessarily adding too much effort. Really, the key is adding something new to experience or to learn to keep yourself interested and engaged. If it is a social activity, try to do something you have never tried before – or haven’t done in a long time. When you do this, you will experience life with a fresh perspective opening yourself up to new opportunities. You will not only learn something new, you may attract others in the process because they in turn, may learn something from you.

Make it fun!

Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS

www.LeadMeToSucceed.com rke@leadmetosucceed.com    239.948.8080

This is an important time to evaluate where you are with the goals you set out for yourself for the New Year. Are you on track?

If you have fallen behind on your goals, no worries. If you catch yourself now, you still have time to get back on track and get focused for the next quarter. The point is to not give up or get discouraged.

Please read the article below to get more ideas on strategically moving ahead with your goals and your life:

Are You About Quality or Quantity?

Happy New Year to all of you!

Please watch my video (approximately 2 minutes) to make sure you are on track in creating successful resolutions this year. More specific information will be sent through my newsletter in the week to come.

Click Here for Video

All the best to you in 2012!

Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS

Coaching 4 Success, Inc.      www.LeadMeToSucceed.com   239-948-8080

Here we are, another year closing while a new one offers us a fresh start. Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? If you have, good for you! *You are among the 48% of Americans who are doing the same thing. Here is the Top 10 list of Resolutions for the New Year. Is yours on the list?

10. Spend more time with family – Average time spent with family is 60 minutes per day

9.   Fall in love – You must first love yourself before you can love another

8.   Help others to reach their dreams – Focusing on others (to a healthy degree) promotes positivity for them and for you

7.   Quit smoking – Aside from the rising cost to smoke, smokers are dying 14 years earlier than their non-smoking counterparts

6.   Learn something exciting – People spend approximately 1000 hrs watching TV per year

5.   Stay fit and healthy – Being healthy combats disease, improves your mood, heightens your energy and helps you sleep better

4.  Enjoy life to the fullest – Staying in your comfort zone or secluded from others won’t help you feel fulfilled. Stretching yourself, trying new

things and enjoying a social support network help you to grow yourself and help you to experience a robust life.

3.   Spend less, save more – Watch out for emotional spending. Money doesn’t buy happiness or confidence.

2.  Get organized – Get proactive versus reactive with your life and surroundings. Knowing where you have placed items can save you valuable

time and will prevent you from feeling scattered.

1.   Lose weight – 1 in 3 people in the U.S. are overweight. The time is now to live a healthy lifestyle. Dieting is temporary and short-term.

Living a healthy lifestyle is the overall goal.

Remember when formulating your resolutions for the year, to keep it positive and motivating. Some people frame their goals to sound negative and depriving. If your goal is to be healthy and you want to lose weight, you want to say, “I will eat fish 3 times per day and work out 3 days a week for 30 minutes to promote my healthy lifestyle.” You can include a target weight if you want but the main thing to remember is to frame your thoughts into a positive way of being instead of a punishment (“I won’t eat candy, cookies or cake for 3 months straight.”)

Here is to a New Year! May yours be fulfilling and motivating every step of the way!

-Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS

*Journal of Clinical Psychology, University of Scranton

Do you find yourself wanting something more from your life? I would imagine there are many people who would agree to this question. It’s good to strive for something better, whether it is something within yourself or something more outside of yourself.This is what keeps us motivated to work harder, be stronger and do our best. This is what also keeps life exciting by setting goals and challenges to keep ourselves focused and inspired.

Yet, there is another side to this process of wanting. You may find yourself stuck or stalled. We often know what we want but our actions can fail to make it happen. This can be called, procrastination, laziness, unfocused, or unmotivated. We’ve all been at this stage before. For whatever reason, we spin our wheels trying to make things happen but quickly burn out in the process. Other times, we are all excited with our idea to improve but then we get scattered and fail to follow through.

It finally reaches a point when you have to stare at yourself in the mirror and say, “What the heck?” (or some other choice of words) You realize you only have yourself to blame – and there is only so many excuses you can give yourself before you simply run out. I’ve experienced this recently with a book I had been wanting to write. I kept on saying, “I’ll write tomorrow” but somehow, I’d end up having an excuse. Finally, I woke up one day and had run out of excuses and I literally looked at myself in the mirror in disgust thinking I have no where to run. I knew I’d have sit with the feeling of not following through with my goal and feeling like a flop unless I took some action – immediately (before I found another excuse.)

My point to all of you is this: It is great to have goals and to want something more. But that is only the first in a series of steps towards achieving it. The next step is planning it out. While the third step is to me, the hardest of all. It is here where you begin working towards your goal. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to get to this point. When you have reached this stage, there is really no turning back. You either finish or you don’t. That is a hard pill to swallow if you are afraid of failure.

So, what are you waiting for in achieving your goals? Are you following through with what you say you want? Whether your goal is to lose weight, find a better job, eat healthier or learn a new skill – It’s never to late to get back on track and to make it happen!

To your success!

Renee Kennedy-Edwards, MS Executive Coach/President

COACHING 4 SUCCESS, INC      www.Coaching4SuccessInc.com