habit

5 Ways to Start the Year off Right

January 4, 2021 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

Now that the new year is here, let’s knock this year out the right way. Let’s stay on top of our goals, learn new things, get assistance if we need it, and rock out. There may be quite a few things that aren’t in our control, but there are a lot of things that are.

With that being said, let’s get into a few things that will help set the tone of the year the right way.

1. Create a Vision Board: Vision boards are

What you make it. They can be put together on a big project board, a canvas, or even a typical sheet of notebook paper. They can include images from the internet or a magazine, words, or pictures. My son and I do our vision boards separately and then we make one together. We hang them up in the house where we can see them daily. This allows us to make sure we know exactly what we need to accomplish this year. You can have fun with these. Be sure to have a variety of specified goals as well as motivation words and phrases to keep you going.

2. Evaluate Yourself: it’s imperative to take a look at last year, where you ended, and how you got there. Literally taking a piece of paper, writing down your thoughts on your failures and successes. What did and didn’t you get accomplished? Who did you spend the most time with? What did you do? Are you currently in position to win or are you falling short? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What did you learn from last year?

3. Stay Connected to the Right People: Who did you spend your time with last year? Where did that get you? What did you do what the people you spend the most time with? Did you work with them? Go out and party with them? Network with them? Attend church with them? Did you have drinks with them? Was there any progress? Did they keep you on your toes? Do they inspire you? Do they allow you to be mediocre? Are they supportive of your dreams? Were they toxic? What did they do for you? Staying connected with the right people matters.

4. Habit Check: We all have habits. The question is are they good or bad? Make a list of your habits on a piece of paper. Be honest. Write them all out. At the end of each habit, write (G) for good habits and (B) for bad habits. Do your good habits outweigh your bad ones? Ask yourself which habits you would like to change. Habits shape the trajectory or your life. What you do determines the direction of your life’s focus. Figure out what habits you’re going to keep and what habits you need to swap out for something better. Don’t just try to remove a bad habit. Replace it.

5. Consume Good Stuff: Oftentimes when our life isn’t going too good we get upset and sad and mad. We feel powerless as we accept the many things that are in and out of our control. This year, if we want to ensure a positive mind space it’s going to take some intentional gestures. This year a great idea to keep yourself in positive spirits is to be aware and intentional about what we consume. What are we allowing to breathe through our ear gates as minds. What tv shows do you watch faithfully? What do you watch on social media? Who are you receiving advice from? What kind of advice is it? This year flood your ear gates with positivity. Everyday you wake up, listen to something inspirational. Whether you find it on YouTube or in a book, keep positive things deposited into your mind. Hang around people who believe in you and encourage you. Hang around positive influences, people who are in a higher place than you who can motivate and help you get where you want to be. Pay attention to who and what deposits positivity into your life and who doesn’t. Stay focused stay encouraged.

Let’s dominate this year!

-LaShawnda S. Wilkins (@speaklifeshawnie)

Give up smoking and vaping in the new year

January 21, 2020 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

One of the more challenging New Year’s resolutions is to quit smoking, and because of recent research, to give up vaping. Although e-cigarettes became a popular method to help people quit smoking, they are no longer considered the healthiest alternative to cigarettes.

Dr. Nicola Hanania, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Baylor College of Medicine, said that while e-cigarettes benefited some heavy smokers who were addicted for years to cigarettes, it is best to avoid them since they can reinforce a smoking habit and cause additional health issues.

“As doctors, we don’t like anything that is inhaled other than medicine,” Hanania said. “Vaping is now a concern because it has shown to cause some structure damage to the lungs. Because of the additional chemicals in the vaping solution, it is no longer just a way of delivering nicotine.”

If quitting smoking – or vaping – is on your New Year’s resolutions list, Hanania offers ways to give up smoking without the use of an e-cigarette:

Set a date

Before breaking any habit it is essential to assign a fixed date or an approximate date that you plan to quit. Hanania recommends choosing a memorable date such as the beginning of the new year or an anniversary.

Find support

On average, people quit cigarettes four to six times before giving them up completely, Hanania said. Because relapse is common, it is essential to find people who can help support your decision and keep you on track.

Hanania recommends finding a counselor or getting involved in support groups. There also are online and telephone resources that can be found on the CDC website, he said.

Avoid smoke exposure, find new activities

It is important to avoid being around other smokers or visiting places with a smoking presence since it can reinforce the habit, Hanania said. He encourages his patients to involve themselves in new activities for distraction and stress management, such as exercise and spending time with non-smoking friends.

“We ask them to get involved in new activities so that they don’t associate smoking with their coffee in the morning or getting home from work in the afternoon,” Hanania said.

If someone in the house also smokes – like a partner or spouse – Hanania said that they can speak with their physician to figure out a solution.

More than health benefits

In addition to improving breathing and circulation and reducing the chances of heart disease and cancer, giving up smoking can impact appearance and finances.

“Smoking is a very common cause of premature aging and skin wrinkling,” Hanania said. “There are also financial savings because the cost of cigarette smoke is not small.”

Consider over-the-counter nicotine agents

Nicotine withdrawal is an issue when it comes to giving up cigarettes and vaping. While e-cigarettes used to be a popular way to deliver nicotine, there are medications that can help with nicotine withdrawal.

Hanania said over-the-counter nicotine agents like gum, patches and lozenges can offer relief from symptoms of withdrawal. There also are prescription oral inhalers and nasal sprays that can be prescribed by a physician, he said.

“We understand it’s hard because nicotine is very addictive, but not all smokers are addicted to nicotine,” he said. “Some people who smoke do it because of habit. Those who are addicted to nicotine tend to have smoked longer and tend to have cravings early in the morning when they wake up.”

Hanania adds that there also can be nicotine addiction from e-cigarettes, which is why they are not recommended for non-smokers or habitual smokers.

Be convinced that you want to quit

Before giving up cigarettes or even vaping, it’s important to convince yourself that you are ready to quit. Hanania explains that if there is no will to quit then it will be more difficult being successful at overcoming the habit.

“At the end of the day, the patient themselves have to make that big step,” Hanania said.

How to Change Your Mindset for the Win

January 13, 2020 By MKE Community Journal Leave a Comment

You may talk about the life you wish you had; you may have dreams of becoming great. You might even see yourself being successful but the truth of the matter is, unless you are willing and ready to work hard for your future, these dreams will only be mental notes or possibly just a good conversation.

The very thing that stops most people from becoming the person they were designed to be is fear and procrastination. Fear, alone, is the biggest dream killer alive. Out of fear, we will talk ourselves out of everything that we want. We will come up with excuse after excuse as to why we can’t accomplish something.

We develop negative self talk and before your know it, we start to believe the lies we tell ourselves. Whether we look in the mirror and say it to ourselves or if we entertain the negative thoughts in a conversation, the more we hear that negative talk the more we invite negativity to live with us. It’s often times the beginning of a depressing lifestyle and because of that it gets easier and easier to procrastinate.

Once we become overwhelmed with sad thoughts our body begins to react as such. We get lazy; don’t want to get dressed when we start our day— dreading for the day to begin initially.

Truth is in order to grow there’s some things you have to be willing to let go of. Sometimes that “thing” is habit or a hobby. Sometimes that “thing” is a relationship or friendship. Sometimes that “thing” is hours on a job. Sometimes it’s all the excuses you can think of. No matter what it is, something has to go.

Getting rid of negative thinking is a task but it’s not impossible. It’s simple but takes lots of work. Everything that you remove has to be replaced. For instance, if you need to get rid of negative self-talk, you may need to begin speaking positive affirmations into your life throughout your day. If you need let go of some friends that aren’t so good for you, you will need to find positive friends to pour into your life. If you’re trying to quit a bad habit, replace it with a healthy activity like writing or working out.

A lot of times in life you have to make room for the blessings you want. Many times you haven’t seen a change because you haven’t made the change. It’s easy to say you want a different life but in your reality, what are you willing to give up? What are you willing to change? What are you willing to do differently.

It’s all about perspective and eliminating fears. It takes courage to change. It takes strength to grow. Nothing worth having comes easy. Nonetheless you are worth a try. You deserve it. You owe it to yourself to chase every dream you desire. Besides you only live once. You’re only one person. You can’t please everyone but you can surely put yourself in a position to win. After all if you don’t, who will?