Annette Savoie, Holistic therapist, Life Coach and Motivational Speaker.

Annette Savoie, owner of Annette`s Alternative Healing in Miramichi, started her business out of her own quest to create the life she always wanted. She is passionate about helping people be the best they can be!

Annette uses a holistic approach to revamping people`s lives by helping people heal from past traumas, identifying the emotional and energetic blockages in their body, helping them gain confidence and then motivating people to reach their highest potential.

“Find your passion and go for it!” she says. “Fear will get in your way at first but once you identify it and realize that fear is an illusion stopping you from getting what you want, you can go forward with it.”

Whether you see her in private coaching or as a motivational speaker you will quickly pick up on her energy. Annette uses her energy to get people to step out of their comfort zone and reach for the sky. Having triumphed over many challenges herself she is a prime example that when you own your power you can do anything no matter what your challenges are in life.

“You have the power within yourself to have the life you always dreamt about. Many people think that this unrealistic thinking because most have been told settle for less,” she says. “Did you know that at least 70% of people are unhappy in their workplace?”

With statistics like this Annette is determined to help employers realize that it is in their benefit for their business growth to have their employees happy and motivated.

“If you look at the most succesful companies in the world you will notice that they make it their duty to have employees who are recognized for their work, happy, and motivated which greatly increases productivity, creativity, profit and people want to come to work,” Annette says. “As a leader you have a responsibility to them! Survey after survey shows that employees dont need more pay, they need a positive atmosphere that will help them grow as individuals and also help them create a balance in their life.”

Annette can help with her energy by giving a motivational speaking that is bound to motivate your employees to give their best and to learn to deal with stress.

“Stress is a daily part of life but it doesn’t have to affect people negatively. There are techniques to deal with it effectively and that is what I do in my individual sessions or in conference,” she says. “I help take away your stress.”

Annette offers a variety of conferences that will touch leadership, energy, motivation, wellness, women and adolescents. If you have any questions please email her at annette@annetteshealing.com or phone 506-625-2240.

“The journey of life is sometimes challenging but I will teach you to take the challenges you have and make a difference in this world. That`s what we’re all here to do:  is be the best we can be!”

For more information visit Annette’s Alternative Healing website.

There is a great French song called “Noel N’est Pas Au Magasin”. “Christmas is not found in the stores” but in our hearts and in our hands. I find myself humming that song this time of the year and thinking about the words. I love Christmas and I would like for other people to love it as well.

However, for many people Christmas is a time of fear, loneliness and stress when it should be a time of peace, love and happiness. How do we change this? Are we over doing it when we try to please other people? Does our ego sometimes get in our way and we end up over spending?

We tend to get caught up in the commercial side of trying to please others and sometimes over spend, buying things that most people never use or at least only use for a short period of time.

We tend to look for happiness on the outside, as the song suggests, instead of in our hearts and in our minds.

There are so many ways to enjoy Christmas without going through all the hassle. As this holiday season comes to a close, I suggest that you take a few minutes to sit down and write up what you would really like Christmas to feel like for you next year. What do you want out of the Christmas Holidays? How much money do you want to spend? Don’t be afraid to tell people that you are cutting back on the material side of giving. You will find that people will respect and understand your decision.

Telling someone that you love them and appreciate them is a much more valuable gift than trying to please them with material gifts that you cannot afford. Personally, I love getting al nice note from people wishing me, my wife and family a Merry Christmas.

It doesn’t cost anything to compliment people. If you can sing and you have the time, join a Christmas choir and make use of the gifts that you have been given. Volunteer to take someone who doesn’t have a car grocery shopping, offer to spend time with your grandchildren. This will give their parents much needed time to spend together without having to worry about finding a babysitter. Not only will this be a great gift, but there is nothing better to put you in the Christmas spirit than spending time with children.

For those of you who know someone who is particularly down this holiday season, maybe they have lost a loved one or perhaps a job or they just won’t be able to get home for Christmas to be with their families. You could offer to take them out for a coffee or help them decorate for Christmas, perhaps just go for a drive and look at Christmas lights.

Maybe you are the one who just can’t seem to pull yourself up this holiday season. Take a moment to call someone who makes you smile. Fill your home with the sounds and smells of Christmas; this might help you get into the spirit of the season.

It is my hope that you all take the time to count your blessings this holiday season and embrace all the possibilities that are on the horizon for the New Year. Wishing you all a very happy Holiday Season from my family to yours.

Conrad Toner

Conrad Toner is a certified Law of Attraction Facilitator & Trainer who owns and operates Conrad Toner Coaching. He lives in Grand Falls, NB, with his wife Linda. Together they have raised four children and now have 10 grandchildren. For more information about Conrad’s coaching services and seminars visit his website at www.ConradToner.com.

Leave a comment on this post and you’ll be entered to win a signed copy of Miramichi author, Doug Underhill’s latest book entitled Salmon Country. We’ll draw one winner from everyone who comments on any of our special holiday themed posts for our annual Twelve Days of Christmas event!

I got thinking about this as I sat parked in front of the building that once housed our flooring business. It’s slated for demolition. It looks broken, used up, nothing like it once was.

I thought I might get a sense of soul if I went there just once more. I was mistaken. Gone is the laughter, the blood, sweat and tears. It used to vibrate with our passion and dreams.

I now get to view it all through rose-coloured glasses. I can let go of the struggles and remember the success. Brian and I would often look at one another and say, “We have the best customers!” It was a zoo in there. One former employee said, “It was a fun place to work.”

The ambiance was such that our customers would come and linger: perhaps on the showroom couch, sipping fresh coffee, meeting their friends and sharing their news. Come, sit awhile. Times have changed.

It’s important to begin again. With each passing, we must create a new adventure. There is no failure in life other than doing nothing.

It’s all too easy to charge through life, breathless, numb and missing the meaning, the beauty and the possibilities for rebirth.

Entrepreneurs have an opportunity to truly express who they are and create a great experience for both staff and customers. Don’t miss that! And, if you are in a job or career you hate, one that violates your deepest values, move on.

Begin again – because you can.

Feeling stuck? Call me.

Warmest regards,
Sharon

www.Uturnwarrior.com

This post was submitted by Sharon Cowan.

“New Year’s resolutions are made with the best intentions and are often broken unconsciously,” says Tom Wellings, Clinical Social Worker with Fredericton’s Addictions and Mental Health Services.  He says a number of factors influences why they are broken and include resolutions that are vague, unrealistic, and made without a plan.

He suggests one or two specific realistic resolutions be made with a written action plan.

A sample action plan for more exercise could include the determination of:

1.      A form of exercise that you enjoy such as cross-country skiing.

2.      The location and any equipment and fees required.

3.      The time and duration of the activity.

4.      A support system such as a co-worker who will meet you after work and join you for the activity.

It is also important that the resolution be integrated into a daily routine as it will become part of a lifestyle. On average it takes a person 21 days to form a habit and six months for it to become an automatic behaviour.

“To be accountable, ask family and friends to motivate you and support your intention to improve yourself. Even better, find someone who shares your resolution and provide motivation for one another.”

Wellings says that it is important to reward yourself for successes achieved. “To change yourself for the better is hard work. Set short-term goals and celebrate your successes with something you enjoy. It is most important to remain positive and not to be hard on yourself over the occasional slip. Take a day at a time and do the best you can. A positive attitude can mean the difference between success and failure.”

Pegine

Be Bold – Have Faith
by Pegine Echevarria

To be BOLD you have to have faith:

Faith is built on experiences, perception of self and optimism about your future. Faith is driven by what you tell yourself about yourself. For instance, if you focus, even for a short time, on your missteps or negative experiences your faith in yourself, your abilities and the concept that you have the power to receive what you desire will be limited.

This article will describe strategies to build your faith in these four areas to be bold in your life.

1. Your Abilities You have unique strengths and a work ethic that enables you to be where you are right now. Often we are so busy “doing” that we don’t stop to applaud how well we do what we do. Stop taking the red marking pencil to correct what is wrong. Instead take out the gold star and highlight what you do great!

In my program “Communicate Your V.A.L.U.E.!(tm)” I educate participants about the value each individual brings to the workplace. One value is calculating the impact your work has on others. How many calls do you answer in a day, and of those calls, how many people compliment you on your ability to resolve their problems? How many meetings do you attend and how does your presence make a difference? How do you positively impact your home, work, or volunteering environment?

Write a positive assessment of your abilities and the positive impact your actions have on others. You have to know your impact in order to tell yourself how amazing you are. Once you are over 18 it is up to you to cheer yourself on.

I didn’t know this when I was younger. I was so focused on what others thought that it never occurred to me that my power and my potential was determined by what I thought about myself. I knew I could change my life and circumstance (because I had), but it didn’t dawn on me that my power was determined by what I thought about myself and that I had the power to think what I wanted to think. Back then I never knew I could think “I’m the greatest Pegine in the world! I am a gift to this world!” I thought thinking that was was wrong, egotistical and self serving. I am here to tell you that you have to talk to yourself that way, because you are the greatest you and you are a gift to this world. Really, think what you want to think and think positively, boldly and know you are brilliant.

2. Your Purpose Have faith that you have a phenomenal, wonderful purposeful life and the journey to discover that purpose can be exciting, harrowing or boring, it’s your choice. Your purpose is determined by you and only you. Sometimes people think that their parents, their culture, or something outside of themselves chooses their purpose, however, it is always up to you.

You get to choose the kind of person you want to be, what values you hold dear and the rules you choose to live by. Sometimes those values are imposed on us by the groups we belong to, however, you chose to belong to those groups.

Secondly, you get to choose who you want to serve. Everyone serves people in a group, good or evil, positive or negative. Think about the people you know, or have met and analyze who they serve. Scientists, peace keepers, prisoners,’losers’, who do they serve? Who serves them? How do they impact the lives of others?

No matter who you serve, your power lies in making a clear, personal, thoughtful decision about who you want to serve and then focusing on accomplishing that goal.

3. Confidence That You Receive What You Desire You have to be childlike, expecting miracles to happen in your life. You have to know that you will receive what you desire and that by taking action you will accomplish your goals. This absolute belief is built by focusing on your successes and having a list that you review regularly of all the things that have come your way, just as you expected. Most people focus on what they did not receive and minimize the times when they received what they expected. I can point out to people that they receive what they desire. They think their life is awful and it becomes awful. They just knew they wouldn’t get the job they wanted and they were right! However, they will twist their perception of their outcomes to say to me and others “See I didn’t get it. I told you so”, as though they are disproving my point. I say “you proved my point, you said you wouldn’t get it and you didn’t.” You may not like what you have, however, you have what you hoped for and thought about. Are you willing to embrace that fact with confidence that you receive what you desire?

The focus then has to be on what you really want, truly embracing what you positively powerfully desire. I say “be careful what you think about because you’ll get it!”

4. Know You Are Favored The Queen of England knows, inside, that she is Queen. She knows that she will be favored and welcomed. If she wore different clothes and walked through Texas without her entourage would she interact with the world differently? My guess is she would still walk with the confident air that she is favored, her belief of who she is wouldn’t change.

How about you? Do you walk confidently knowing that you are favored? That you are blessed? That the world is looking out for your best interests? Do you walk confidently knowing that all the best opportunities for you are there for the taking? If not, why not start?

You have as much right to received good outcomes, blessings and opportunities as the next person. You are no less worthy than anyone else, however, do you know that is true? When you wake up in the morning are you excited because today is the day, your day, to receive surprises and gifts? When you write your reports do you imagine someone reading them and learning something?

Be BOLD and Have Faith!

You are worth it.

Small Business Administration Women in Business Champion and author Pegine (pronounced Peg-een) has a cause. Her cause is YOUR success. Feisty, brilliant and fun she is one of 58 inductees into the prestigious Motivational Speakers Hall of Fame. Subscribe to her free newsletter at www.pegine.com. (c)2010

Pegine

The Post-Gazette.com ran an article on Monday, October 19, 2009 by Ralph Bangs and Larry E. Davis called “Mentoring programs can build diversity in management”.

The article said mentoring is the #1 strategy for people to succeed. I agree, being mentored is critical in all areas and stages of our lives.

There are different kinds of mentoring: peer, group, one on one, online, in-person and over the phone.

Mentoring continues to play a huge role in my life. Without mentors in my life, I honestly don’t know where I´d be right now. As I continue to evolve, mentors play a powerful role in all areas in my life and career. I have also advised countless people at the same time, I had no clue they considered me their mentor. They asked questions and I just answered.

Professionally, I’ve written, lectured, taught and consulted regarding mentoring. Here is what I´ve learned.

Everyone needs mentors – including CEOs of Fortune 100 companies. The difference between CEOs of a corporation, middle managers and college graduates is in how one goes about getting mentors.

No one will raise their hand and say, “I want to be your mentor!” Many mentors don´t even realize that others consider them mentors. The term “mentor” can put a tremendous amount of pressure on the mentor because the mentee has expectations that often cannot reasonably be met.

So, if it is more comfortable, use the word “adviser” instead. Seek people who can advise you on a particular issue or tool that you need to master.

Listen carefully to the advice that is given. Often if it is from family and close friends. They may have your best intentions in mind, but often they don’t want you to be disappointed and hurt, so their advice may be subjective, focused on protecting you. Ask different people, people who look and think differently than you and know a lot more about the area that you need to master.

You need to be prepared before you ask for an adviser/mentor.

You have to:

• Acknowledge that you need and want help
• Know what kind of help you want (presence, technical assistance, leadership skills, or management skills)
• Identify people who have what you want
• Learn about those people
• Know that as you move up rank the more willing you will need to be to seek advice, identify mentors and be willing to be uncomfortable.
• Get comfortable being uncomfortable, this is the only way you can grow

You will need more than a mentor, you will need a sponsor. You will want someone to sponsor you into their network. To attract a sponsor you will have to do a lot of internal work on yourself and acknowledge your Connectors ^TM.

Connectors ^TM are those similarities that people have with each other that bind them together – industry, experience, family structure, etc. We have Connectors ^TM with everyone in our environment. We have to do some digging and find them.

Pegine´s Thought of the Month:

Be a mentor to someone else and find a mentor for yourself. To walk the path of success you need to do both actions.
~Pegine Echevarria

Quote of the Month:

“Mentor: Someone whose hindsight can become your foresight” ~ Anonymous

Try-it:

If you want to move into the upper echelons of your industry notice what those who currently occupy those jobs do effectively:

• What volunteer organizations do they belong to?
• What do they read?
• What do they listen to?
• What committees are they on?
• Read their speeches – what are they focusing on?
• Where do they do their clothing and food shopping?

Then assess yourself. What Connectors ^TM do you have that are similar to theirs? What interests you? Would you be willing to join one of their committees?

Check your own network.

• Who is in your network?
• Who is missing who you would like to have in your network?
• Are the people in your network a reflection of where you want to be? If not, why not?

This is a very important assessment.

Kick-butt action:

To grow to higher levels of corporate and entrepreneurial success there are major internal shifts you have to be willing to go through. If you aren´t willing, then you may not ever access the mentors you will need to grow to higher levels.

It is your choice.

Too often we focus on top down in diversity and not bottom up. Diversity and Inclusion is a two way street. It is important that we not only look at what they can do for us, but what we can do for ourselves. We can make ourselves very, very mentor friendly by taking actions and being responsible for our personal development.

Reprinted from “Pegine’s Motivational E-zine for Leaders in a Diverse World”. Subscribe at www.pegine.com. For information call 904-280-8806. (c)2009.

Pegine

To Play BIG you have to Be BOLD

Bold acts come from knowing deep within that you will be okay, no matter what. Bold acts draw on the experience and knowledge that you have the talents, capabilities and confidence to:

1. Survive whatever is handed to you. That you have the perseverance, tenacity and determination to LIVE WELL and SUCCEED!
2. Accomplish a task you may not know how, but in your heart you know that if you are given the knowledge, the guidance and teachers you can take the actions that lead to success.

I didn’t say you would be perfect. I wrote that you can take action. Each of us has experience taking bold actions. When we were toddlers we boldly stood up and took our first steps. It didn’t matter if we fell down. It didn’t matter if we were unbalanced, we took bold actions.

We took bold actions when we raised our hands in class and gave an answer, even if the answer was wrong we took action. We took bold action when we went for job interviews; showed up and presented ourselves.

Look back at your life and focus on the bold actions you have taken. If actions led you down the path of failure, be bold and stop going down that path. Instead, focus on the strengths you have gained.

I hear people say, “No I can’t do that I’ll lose everything,” yet when they find the courage to take action they didn’t die or lose everything. They may not have received what they were hoping but they survived. Some may have lost material possessions but, in time they gained so much more. I was there, I am there. Every day I put another foot in front of the other, I step out with faith. I expect big things and what I receive often is a string of little things. Good little things that are signals to me that I’m on the right path. I’ve laid everything on the line and with each step I get stronger, more confident and more focused. This is an ongoing process for you and for me.

You have to be bold and be willing to step up and take action.

B - Believe in yourself. Know that you are here to do something powerful. You have to look around and realize that you have talents, unique abilities and the creativity to decide what you want and what your life needs to look like for you. Have in your head a continued, persistent message that says, “You are here to create something and expand your reach. If not you, then who?” Remember, you are resilient.

O - Opportunities are given to those who are bold enough to go after them. If you can’t find a job, volunteer and share your brilliance, create something that will give value to others. Help someone grow their business, being active, creates energy. Share your work ethic and values with others so that people experience you. At work and in your business create opportunities, change your daily rituals. Walk the office and talk to people you don’t know, offer your insights or ideas in meetings. Call people in your network and build them up. Write your boss a note of appreciation (if they deserve it), we forget that our leaders also need our cheers.

L- Let other people know your talents, let them help you, let yourself out of your office and build leverage through relationships. Engage in conversations that build people up. Whining is not an option. Use your strengths to offer guidance, inspiration, and help. Let others know what you do and how you do what you do. Let your energy flow to others so they feel your energy. Leverage your connections, introduce people to each other. Share someone’s resume, enlarge your market.

D- Discipline and determination are key to being bold. It is the disciplined daily action of keeping on your mission or path that opens doors and opportunities. Time will come and time will go, just stick to your plan. Determine what industry you want to be in, what client you want to close, and who you want to meet. Plan your strategy and do it. You have control of your actions. You decide how determined you want to be, you decide on the disciplined action you will take. You decide, this is where your power lies.

Being bold is key to playing big. Being bold is what kids do every day when they are young.

Your life is yours and only you can decide where you will go. Live your life like the opening to Star Trek “boldly go where no man has gone before.” No one has lived your life and no one can.

Be BOLD, live your life.

Motivational Diversity Leadership Rebel Pegine (Peg-een) has a cause. Her cause is YOU. Feisty, brilliant and fun she is one of 58 inductees into the prestigious Motivational Speakers Hall of Fame. Subscribe to her free newsletter at www.pegine.com. Copyright (c) 2010 Pegine Echevarria,MSW- All rights reserved worldwide.

Pegine

Plan, action and results. Each and every day you read or hear about the power of plans. You think about your plans, and the organizational plans. You look at your to do sheets, squash the fires within your teams and make the calls you need to make, then you review the results. Did the plan work? Did the actions bring the results you hoped for? Without enthusiasm and infusing energy into your plan and actions the results will always be less than expected.

You have to bring your energy and life force to the game every day. Your work and life is a game and how much enthusiasm and energy you bring to your game will determine the results you achieve.

Here is a game I play with a friend and associate of mine. Brandon is a small business owner, a wonderful writer and a good friend. He has 3 teenagers and 3 children under the age of 5. He works from home, teaches at his house of worship on weekends and flies around the country working with authors and publishing houses.

We both have lives that are very full, very bountiful and at times can feel overwhelming. So that stress doesn’t overwhelm us we have developed a game. “How are you doing?” Brandon asks, and I reply, “I’m wearing a sequin gown, with false eye lashes out to here and tons of make up. I have fourteen plates spinning on sticks and I’m on national TV.” I laugh as I try to be as outlandish as possible. “How about you?” I ask. “I have all of that while teetering on heels which I’ve never worn in my life and being teased by all of my buddies, with a HUGE Smile on my face.” I burst out laughing at the image that was just created.

The power lies in the fact that I know Brandon and that is the last thing I would have expected from him.

Our game; create a funny visual that incorporates what we are feeling mixed with over the top crazy wardrobe and actions. One person starts and the other has to make it even more outlandish. The game is hysterical and immediately changes our mood and perception of the situation we may be in.

Ready to play GAME ON? This month I’ll share tips and kick butt actions that you can use to be passionate, energetic and enthusiastic about work and life.

Pegine’s Thought of the Month:

“Enthusiasm is contagious. Be a carrier.”
~ Susan Rabin

Try-it:

Before you walk out the door, go to a meeting, or make a call. STOP – Prepare to bring your game on!

• Tell yourself how great you are, how special you are and how you are ready to receive an amazing opportunity.
• STOP -if a word, statement or idea pops in your head that this is silly or ridiculous WARNING BELLS should go off. Take the time to evaluate what you are saying about yourself. Are you being negative about the opportunity before you, criticizing yourself or feeling fear? Are you saying this isn’t real? DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER until you can tell yourself how great you are, how special you are and how you are ready to receive an amazing opportunity.
• As you walk to your meeting, as you are dialing your call or driving to your appointment. Use all your power of choice, all your power as a human to choose your thoughts wisely. Think positive, enthusiastic and powerful thoughts. Remember the movie the Wizard of Oz? You can choose to walk and sound like the Wicked Witch soldiers (“All we owe, we owe her.”) or choose a different path. It is your choice choose wisely.
• SMILE… BIG

Take small actions and see BIG results!

Kick-butt action:
Are you running a meeting? Is everyone looking and acting like drones? Shake your meeting up, really.

Pass out Silly Putty or better yet go to the cafeteria or outdoors and have your team make Really Silly Putty (see below).

Use an interactive activity as a chance to be creative about solutions for your business. Ask your team to share ideas on ways you can reach out to past clients, new product ideas, or how to improve the presentations your team gives to others. Let them play, be creative and share new ideas.

If you are in a very staid, stiff, conservative environment breaking down barriers and building camaraderie is even more critical. You can be serious about your topic, your business and your work – however to keep your team engaged you need levity, enthusiastic engagement and mutually memorable experiences.

If you haven’t seen your team relaxed, enjoying each other and exhibiting a strong sense of camaraderie your team may be working on fumes…energize them, engage them and applaud them through actions.

Really Silly Putty Directions:

• Elmer’s Glue
• Liquid cornstarch (available in a grocery store)

Mix equal parts of starch and glue (5 teaspoons of each is generally a good amount to work with). If the mixture is too stiff, add more glue. If the mixture is too runny, add more starch. Wipe off any excess starch and you have silly putty! Try stretching it, pulling it apart sharply, or bouncing it on the floor. CAUTION: It sticks to rugs! (From the “Sticky Business” Room at The Children’s Discovery Museum, Acton, MA)

Reprinted from Pegine’s Motivational Ezine for Leaders. Subscribe at www.pegine.com. Pegine motivates leaders in a diverse world. (c)2009