Epic Exchanges

In Episode 74, we talked about the dangers of being a people pleaser and letting that get in the way of taking care of ourselves.  The importance of this subject cannot be minimized so, in this week’s exchange, we welcome Dianne Maldonado Hill to talk about her experience with ignoring self-care and how it changed her life.  Exchange Quotes: "We must be willing to get rid of the life we had planned, so as to have the life that is waiting." — Joseph Campbell "Change your energy, change your life" - Unknown Exchange Links: Your Story Your Strength on Facebook Women Wellness Warriors on Facebook Dianne’s Website

When is the last time that you made yourself and your needs – or even your wants and desires – a priority?  How about the last time you took a break from what everyone else needed – your kids, your partner, your family, your boss, your clients, your community, the world? How often do you find your day is more about keeping up with the demands of everyone and everything than it is about truly connecting with your self?  Let’s explore that today. Exchange Quotes: “Breathe.  Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” – Oprah Winfrey “Self care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you.” – Katie Reed Exchange Links: Your Story Your Strength on Facebook

When something difficult happens in your life, or in the life of a friend or loved one, what do you tell yourself about it?  What meaning do you give that event?  Do you label it as good or bad?  A blessing or a punishment? Or somewhere in between?  We are constantly ascribing meaning to the people and events in our lives – and that’s what we’re going to dig into more today. Exchange Quotes: “The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be.  Being alive is the meaning.” – Joseph Campbell “If you can take your worst day and find something to turn it into your best day then life is always a gift.” – Tony Robbins “Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.  It’s up to you to decide what you are worth, how you matter, and how you make meaning in the world.” – Regina Brett Exchange Links: Your Story Your Strength on Facebook

How do you choose a book?  Or a movie?  Do you just go by what catches your eye?  What you see on the cover?  Or do you take some time to find out more than that?  Exchange Quotes: “We jump at the chance to judge strangers.  We would never do that to ourselves of course.  We are nuanced and complex and enigmatic.  But the stranger is easy.” – Malcolm Gladwell “She was always told that she was pretty, but it never really meant anything to her.  That’s just something people say who have never read the book, but look at the cover and like to think they have.” – Jm Storm Exchange Links: Your Story Your Strength on Facebook

Do you remember what you wanted to ‘be’ or ‘become’ when you grew up?  Was it a character or image of something you saw on tv?  Was it something a parent, grandparent or other significant adult in your life did?  How often did you use that phrase, “when I grow up…”?  Exchange Quotes: “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E.E. Cummings “When you know yourself, you are empowered.  When you accept yourself, you are invincible.” – Tina Lifford Exchange Links: Your Story Your Strength on Facebook Email us!

Remember being a child and being fascinated by fairytales?  Wanting that happily ever after?  Did you ever take a moment to look at the life BEFORE the happy ending and decide if you wanted that?  Exchange Quotes: “Love your whole story, even if it hasn’t been the perfect fairytale.” – Melanie Koulouris “Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale.” – Hans Christian Andersen Exchange Links: Your Story Your Strength on Facebook Email us!  

Have you ever noticed that the words we choose to use - and the words that others use in conversations with us - actually create our reality?  It's time to be more aware of how we talk to ourselves and others if we want to fully enjoy life. Exchange Quotes: "Language creates reality.  Words have power.  Speak always to create joy." - Deepak Chopra "Language is power...language can be used as a means of changing reality." - Adrienne Rich Exchange Links: Your Story Your Strength on Facebook Email us!

Have you noticed it too?  The way our world is becoming less and less kind?  How, more often than not we are surrounded by complainers and thinly-disguised anger rather than compassion, kindness and understanding?  Do we realize just how much this is effecting our greater health?  Not just individually, but as a society as a whole?  This is what we’re talking about this week. Exchange Quotes: “We think too much and feel too little.  More than machinery, we need humanity.  More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.”  Charlie Chaplin “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

This past weekend, basketball great Kobe Bryant and eight others died in a helicopter crash.  It’s a great reminder that nobody is promised another day.  We can’t guarantee that we will wake up tomorrow and still be able to work on our to-do or bucket lists.  What things are we putting off until the timing is right?  That’s what we are talking about this week. Exchange Quotes: “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” – Kobe Bryant “If not now, then when?  If not me, then who?” – Malcolm X “You can’t always wait for the perfect time.  Sometimes, you have to dare to do it because life is too short to wonder what could have been.” – Joel Osteen   Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

We’ve all experienced it – that suffocating feeling of overwhelm.  Perhaps it’s our never-ending to-do list.  Or all the emotions around a serious illness in yourself or a loved one.  Or the result of days, weeks or months of burning the candle at both ends.  Not one of us is immune in our modern world – and that’s why it’s become such an important topic.  One that we will discuss in this week’s podcast. Exchange Quotes: “Overwhelm occurs because of exceedingly high demand coupled with a sense of uncertainty.” – Sarah Boyd “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – St. Francis of Assisi Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Being Present The Stress Epidemic Email us!

We’re in the midst of the holiday season – what better time to remind ourselves of the amazing power of wonder and awe?  That’s what we’re talking about on this week’s podcast. Exchange Quotes: “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead. His eyes are closed.” – Albert Einstein “It’s simple things, like a glowing sunset, the sound of a running stream or the fresh smell in a meadow, that cause us to pause and marvel at the wonder of life, to contemplate its meaning and significance.” – Wendy Moore Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

I’ve always believed that people come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.  And sometimes the most difficult part of this is letting go of those relationships that no longer serve you in a positive way.  That’s the topic of this week’s podcast. Exchange Quotes: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too?  I thought I was the only one.’” – C.S. Lewis “A true friend accepts who you are but also helps you become who you should be.” - Unknown Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

When people’s words or actions hurt us, it’s natural to want to strike back, both offensively and defensively.  However, when we can remove ourselves from the emotional sting, we often discover that their attack came from a place of their own deep hurt.  We will explore this more in today’s podcast. Exchange Quotes: “Keep in mind, hurting people often hurt other people as a result of their own pain.”  Joel S. Osteen “The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back.” – Ryron Gracie Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

Today, November 11, Canadians and many others around the world – generally those countries that are members of the British Commonwealth, but others as well – observe Remembrance Day.  At its core, this is a memorial day to remember the members of the country’s armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Exchange Quotes: "In Flanders Fields" - John McCrae "Ode to Remembrance" - Laurence Binyon Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

We, as a society, tend to put a lot of labels and expectations on others based on a small piece of information we may have about someone.  That small bit of knowledge can change how we feel in an instant. However, it’s only a label.  A small piece of the whole.  Like chocolate chips alone don’t make a cookie.  When we buy into these labels, we can create a significant disconnect between our expectations and the reality.  Learn how to change that in this week’s podcast. Exchange Quotes: “Labels are for filing.  Labels are for clothing.  Labels are not for people.” – Martina Navratilova “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin “Replace labeling others by discovering who they are.” – Robert V. Taylor Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

One of the greatest ways we can experience self-discovery and find out more about ourselves is to travel alone.  We need to free ourselves of the constant bombardment of outside influences that make up our day-to-day life.  And staying at home and turning off the computer or phone won’t do it.  Because all we have to do is look around and see the laundry or the cleaning or any number of those things on our ‘to do’ lists.  Find out more on this week’s podcast.  Exchange Quotes: “Solo travel not only pushes you out of your comfort zone, it also pushes you out of the zone of others’ expectations.” – Suzy Strutner “I don’t travel alone to get away from anyone, I travel alone to restore my equilibrium” – Anonymous Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

Milestones are markers of significant events or stages in our lives, development or progress.  Today we take it for granted much of the time that we can see history being made in real time thanks to the internet.  But 50 years ago it was a big deal when the Apollo 11 moon landing was being reported live on television as it happened.  People around the world remember where they were when they heard the announcements or saw the footage cross their screens.  Why should we celebrate milestones of any kind? Exchange Quotes: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong “Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.” – Nelson Mandela Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

This week we continue our discussion from the last episode about the importance of real connecting – and how we’re missing so many opportunities because of our attachment to technology – in particular our smartphones.  One of the problems we face is that the phones and apps that are created for them (and for our tablets and laptops and computers) – all that technology – are actually created to facilitate addiction.  Making us dependent on that digital world, and in effect, making us tune out from the world right in front of us.  So what can we do about it?  We can unplug or disconnect.  Here’s how. Exchange Quotes: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, even you.” – Anne Lamott “Sometimes we need to disconnect in order to reconnect with what matters.” - Unknown Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

This week we look once again at the growing epidemic of loneliness and how creating moments of connection are becoming more and more important - often even the moments we don't expect.  Too often we look for these connections to be life-changing 'A-HA' moments as Oprah coined, rather than recognizing that sometimes even the simplest of interactions can  make a difference. Exchange Quotes: “I would rather have one small weird moment of real connection than hours of polite conversation.” – Nanee Hoffman “Connection and connectedness are other words for community and communion.”  Parker J Palmer Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!

An Epic Exchange is any interaction where one or more people come away feeling inspired, encouraged, motivated or even transformed and healed in some way.  This could include a conversation with a friend or relative, learning from a speaker on stage, in a podcast or a teacher in a class or workshop, or even something you take away from watching a documentary, movie or other program. It can also be found in music.  And that’s what we’re going to talk about this week – how music matters not only in conveying our stories, but in connecting with them in ways that inspire, encourage, motivate and yes, even heal each one of us.  Exchange Quotes: “Like jazz, stories are meant to be heard, to strike resonant chords in our hearts or rumble down deep in our gut.  Soul music.  Melodies and words about what matters.” – Martta Karol “Music is what feelings sound like out loud.  I sing songs that speak from my heart.  They tell my story, how I feel.” – Georgia Cates Exchange Links: Epic Exchanges on Facebook Email us!