DianaHale

BLOG

Toastmasters International

| |

ToastmastersI have been a member of Toastmasters International for several years.

If you have a mission or a message that you want to share with others, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to develop public speaking skills.

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs.

Joining Toastmasters has several benefits:

You Will Become a Better Public Speaker
Club members work through a series of educational programs designed to improve their ability to write speeches, design presentations, and deliver them effectively.

You Will Overcome Public Speaking Fears
Speaking regularly in front of a group helps you calm your nerves and communicate effectively. Toastmasters club audiences are positive and supportive.

You Can Practice Presentations for Other Audiences
Club members have different reasons for improving their speaking skills. You may want to sharpen your presentation skills for your career. You may want to promote yourself as an author, business owner, or other professional. You may have a spiritual message to share. One of the members of my Toastmasters club has a strong desire to start a youth ministry at his church. Toastmasters is a great place to practice your presentations and get valuable feedback.

You Will Gain Valuable Leadership Skills
Leadership and communication go hand in hand. As your communication skills improve, your ability to lead will improve as well.

You can learn more at the Toastmasters International website.

There is almost certainly a Toastmasters Club that meets near you. I encourage you to visit your local club as a guest, and find out if Toastmasters is right for you!

The Unconventional Concert Pianist – Nicholas McCarthy

| |

Nicholas McCarthyNicholas McCarthy was 14 years old when he heard one of his friends play a Beethoven sonata for the school assembly. He was mesmerized by the performance. Right then and there he decided that he would earn his living as a concert pianist.

The decision was remarkable, not only because Nicholas had never learned to play the piano, but also because he was born without a right hand.

Nicholas was told he would never succeed as a concert pianist, and was not accepted to the local music college. He did not give up.

In 2012, Nicholas became the only one-handed pianist to graduate from the prestigious Royal College of Music in London in its entire 130-year history. He went on to a successful career as a concert pianist.

Nicholas has now performed extensively throughout the world. His debut album, Solo, was released in 2015 to critical acclaim.

I love his story of passion and persistence!

You can learn more about Nicholas McCarthy at his website.

The Miracle Morning Routine

| |

Miracle MorningYesterday I talked about Hal Elrod, author of the Miracle Morning. Today, I will tell you what the Miracle Morning routine is.

The Miracle Morning routine consists of six daily practices, which Hal Elrod refers to as Life SAVERS. This is an acronym for Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing.

Silence
Some of my favorite activities for this practice are meditation, prayer, deep breathing, and gratitude. If you have trouble meditating, you can try using a guided meditation. Kelly Howell has produced a wide assortment of guided meditation MP3s. You can also use one of the meditation Apps. I have heard good things about the Headspace App, but have not used it personally.

Affirmations
Affirmations are powerful tools, if they are phrased correctly. Lying to yourself doesn’t work, so repeating affirmations like “I am a billionaire” or “I have the perfect body” generally fail. Instead, try affirmations about actions you can control, such as “I am committed to running three miles every morning” or “I am committed to writing a blog post by the end of the day.”

Visualization
I like to visualize my day, seeing myself doing the activities I have scheduled on my calendar, and getting good results! I have used vision boards in the past, but seem to lose interest in them pretty quickly. However, I know that many people have great success with that technique, and there are several free Apps for creating virtual vision boards.

Exercise
The important thing is to get moving and raise your energy level. You can even do something as simple as a few push-ups or yoga stretches when you get out of bed in the morning. Sometimes I will drive to the gym at 5:00 a.m., but it is usually more efficient for me to do a short workout at home in the morning, and save the gym for the evening.

Reading
Hal’s recommendation is to read personal growth books. It has never been easier, since so many books are available in audio format. Often I will listen to a motivational speaker, like Joel Osteen. I also love business podcasts, and my favorite one is the Tim Ferriss Show. I get lots of great ideas from TED talks, which you can download from ITunes.

Scribing
Writing or journaling is a way to process thoughts or reflect on your life. The Five Minute Journal is a good option because it keeps you focused on the positive and it only takes a few minutes.

I really believe that focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days. The Miracle Morning routine is a big part of that. Give it a try!

Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning

| |

Hal ElrodHal Elrod, author of the best-selling book The Miracle Morning, says that he created the Miracle Morning routine after hitting “rock bottom” for the second time in his life.

The first “rock bottom” experience happened when Hal was only 20 years old. He was working in sales, and became one of the top sales reps in the history of his company.

One night, after giving a motivational speech to his fellow sales reps, he was struck head-on by a drunk driver going the wrong direction on the freeway at 70 miles an hour. The left side of his body was crushed and his heart stopped beating. However, his life was saved and he was rushed to the hospital, where he remained in a coma for six days.

When Hal woke up, doctors told his family that he had permanent brain damage and would never walk again. But Hal proved them wrong! Not only did he learn to walk again, but he went on to become an ultra-marathon runner. He also went back to work. His experience led to a successful career as a life coach, a motivational speaker, and a best-selling author.

Hal’s second “rock bottom” experience happened when the economy crashed. He slowly lost his business and his house, and accumulated $50,000 worth of credit card debt. For the first time in his life, he was depressed.

One day, Hal heard a quote by the late motivational speaker Jim Rohn: “Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of self-development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.”

Hearing that quote became the catalyst that turned Hal’s life around. He realized that if he wanted to reach a high level of success, he would need to devote time each day to becoming the person capable of that level of success.

Hal developed the Miracle Morning routine that he still practices today. He believes that it sets your mindset for the rest of the day. It is all about getting up early and starting your day in a focused, goal-oriented, and productive manner. It is about self-discipline.

I started the Miracle Morning routine several months ago, and it is the best thing you can do for yourself! Give it a try!

Mini Habits: Small Habits, Big Results

| |

Mini HabitsI bought this self-published book on Amazon last year, and it is one of the best purchases I have ever made!

If you have ever tried to make a big change in your life, you know how hard it is.

The reason why most people fail in their attempt to create a new habit is because they try to do too much at once. If your new habit requires more willpower than you can muster, you will fail. If your new habit requires less willpower than you can muster, you will succeed!

A mini habit is a very small positive behavior that you force yourself to do every day. It is a habit so small that it is practically impossible to fail. But that is what makes this strategy so powerful!

Here is how you do it: First choose a desired habit or change you would like to make. (For example, the author wanted to do 50 push-ups a day.) Then, shrink the habit down until it seems stupidly small. (In the author’s case, it was to do one push up a day.)

You can guess what happened. After the author did his one push-up for the day, he decided to do a few more since he was already in position. The next day he did a few more. Before he knew it, he had the new habit of doing 50 push-ups a day!

You can learn more about Mini Habits in this video.

Try it! You will love the results!

How The Make-A-Wish Foundation Was Born

| |

Christopher James GreiciusIn the spring of 1980, 7-year-old Chris Greicius dreamed of becoming a highway patrol motorcycle officer like his heroes, Ponch and John from the television show, “CHiPS”. His dream was not likely to become a reality. Chris was being treated for leukemia, and he was only expected to live a few more days.
 
U.S. Customs Officer, Tommy Austin, befriended Chris and worked with officers at the Arizona Department of Public Safety to make Chris’s dream come true. One of the motorcycle officers who was asked to participate was Officer Frank Shankwitz.
 
Chris spent the day as a police officer, rode in a police helicopter, received a custom-tailored police uniform, and was sworn in as the first honorary Public Safety patrolman in state history. He died a few days later.
 
Officer Frank Shankwitz was so moved by the experience of granting the child’s wish that he was inspired to create the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
 
You can learn more about Frank Shankwitz in this video.
 
Do you have an idea for a foundation that could uplift others?
 

Face it, Embrace it, Defy it, and Conquer it!

| |

Victoria ArlenThis morning, Pastor Joel Osteen told the most amazing story! It was the story of Victoria Arlen.
 
Victoria was active and healthy until she was eleven years old, when she developed a pain in her side. Her doctors removed her appendix, but that didn’t help.
 
Victoria’s health continued to deteriorate. She lost 30 pounds in just three weeks. Her arms and legs stopped working. She lost the ability to speak, eat, and walk. Eventually she became unable to move at all, and slipped into a vegetative state.
 
Victoria was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder that was causing pressure on her brain and spinal cord. Victoria’s doctors told her parents that she was unlikely to survive. If she did survive, they believed that she would live her life in a vegetative state.
 
Two years later, Victoria “woke up” and became aware of what was going on around her, although she remained unable to speak or move. Eventually she was able to open her eyes, and began to recover.
 
In 2010, four years after her diagnosis, Victoria returned to school. She was paralyzed from the waist down, but grateful for her recovery. She was told that she would never walk again.
 
In March 2016, Victoria defied the odds again, and took her first steps. She can now walk normally, and no longer needs a wheelchair or even crutches.
 
Today, at age 21, Victoria Arlen is one of ESPN’s youngest on-air personalities! She is also an actress, a model, and a motivational speaker!
 
You can learn more about Victoria Arlen on her website at VictoriaArlen.com

9 Reminders That Humans Are Inherently Good

| |

LoveIt is easy to feel discouraged by the current events unfolding around the world right now. However, research shows it helps to focus on a positive perspective in order to maintain feelings of well-being.
 
Below are nine science-backed reminders that humans are inherently good!
 
1. Human beings are hardwired for friendship.
We crave connection as a species. Research shows that human beings are biologically programmed to seek friendship or companionship. Spending time with our loved ones helps us beat stress and improves our mood.
 
2. Human beings are naturally empathetic.
A 2013 study from the University of Virginia found that human beings are hardwired for empathy. When we relate to another human being and their experience, we feel real pain over what they’re going through. That could inspire us to take action to help out in any way that we can.
 
3. Kindness makes us feel happy.
Research shows that kindness makes people happier and in turn that happiness makes us kind. It is a positive cycle.
 
4. Our first instinct is to act selflessly.
Comprehensive research on human behavior suggests that we’re instinctively cooperative and willing to act out the good of our social groups, Scientific American reported. In other words, we initially feel compelled in a situation to put others before ourselves.
 
5. A human’s ability to fall in love is biological.
Research shows there are reactions in the brain when we fall in love ― either romantically or as a caregiver ― making it likely that we’re naturally wired to do so. Not only that, body releases feel-good chemicals that trigger physical reactions when we’re with someone we adore, a response that’s entirely automatic and out of our control.
 
6. Holding hands with someone alleviates fear.
Human connection is a powerful thing. Studies suggest that holding hands with another person can immediately reduce stress and fear.
 
7. Our bodies physically change when we hug someone.
A warm embrace is one of our greatest stress relievers, which is a pretty great characteristic of being human. Research shows hugging can release feel-good hormones like oxytocin in the body and lower blood pressure. Perhaps that’s why it’s so natural to reach out to those closest to us for a comforting hug during periods of grief and tragedy.
 
8. Human beings are programmed to recover from bad events.
We are an incredibly resilient species. According to research, we are naturally wired to move on from most challenges and pain either on our own or with help.
 
9. Dogs are hardwired to love us.
Studies show that not only do dogs care about their human owners, they see us as part of their family. We must be doing something right as a species to receive that kind of unconditional love.
 
Reference: 9 Much-Needed Reminders That Humans Are Inherently Good, Lindsay Holmes, Huffington Post, July 15, 2016.

Adaptive Action Sports

| |

Amy Purdy3Earlier this week I talked about Amy Purdy, and how she overcame the loss of her legs, and a critical illness that nearly took her life, to become one of the one of the top ranked adaptive snowboarders in the world.
 
After the loss of her legs, Amy made three decisions: (1) She would snowboard again. (2) She would not feel sorry for herself. (3) She would help other people.
 
Amy did exactly what she set out to do. By trial and error, Amy learned to snowboard with her prosthetic legs. And she got good at it. Really good.
 
Amy co-founded Adaptive Action Sports in 2005, which is a non-profit with the goal of growing the sport of adaptive snowboarding. You can learn more about her mission in this video.
 
I love the way Amy Purdy used her passion for snowboarding to inspire and uplift so many people, and to make the world a better place.
 
Do you have a passion that you can use to make the world a better place? Consider starting your own non-profit!
 

Tragedy to Triumph

| |

Amy PurdyAmy Purdy was 19 years old when she started having flu-like symptoms one day. The following day she was in the hospital on life support with a 2% chance of survival.
 
Amy had contracted bacterial meningitis. She went into septic shock less than 24 hours later. Both of her legs had to be amputated below the knee. She lost both kidneys, and her spleen had to be removed. She also lost all of the hearing of her left ear.
 
Amy beat the odds and recovered. She challenged herself to move on with her life, and to reach goals that anyone would struggle to achieve. She became one of the top ranked adaptive snowboarders in the world.
 
In the spring of 2014, Amy inspired millions of fans with her performances on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. During the 2015 Super Bowl, she was featured in a commercial for Toyota. Later in 2015, her book “On My Own Two Feet” became a New York Times best-seller. Currently, she is a motivational speaker who is invited to share her wisdom with audiences around the world.
 
I love Amy Purdy’s story! We never know what the future holds for us. How we prepare for it, and respond to it, is up to us.
 

TwitterGoogle +LinkedinInstagram