August 2016 – Nicole Reichert

Why I started Eating Sweet Potatoes for Breakfast

On a cold winter’s day, when you turn on the engine of your car it takes a little while for the motor to warm up so that it operates at its best. This same principle applies to your body. When it is cold outside your body may benefit from something to warm up its engine and get it going.

I love the warm summer weather. Over time I have figured out that I can no longer do a big cold smoothie in the morning when I get up and am already feeling cold. I get irritated and I struggle to show my happy self. I need delicious food that warms me up such as soups and stews.

A couple of weeks ago I read about traditional Chinese medicine and how it is recommended to have ginger tea and warm food for breakfast. So I have started enjoying steamed sweet potato with coconut yoghurt and fresh herbs from the garden as my first meal of the day.

I am always a bit suspicious whether too much cooked food will make me feel less energetic however I have felt more constant energy and more balance overall since changing my breakfast.

It is sad when you realise that so many of us have lost touch to our bodies and spirits. We have all the answers inside of us but we can only uncover them if we allow ourselves to connect and explore. Our needs are different and therefore we all need to figure out what is right for us at the time.

Is Balance in Life Really Possible?

In the media as well as in the personal development industry we are continually bombarded that all areas in life should be balanced. But is this really possible? Is this really achievable? In the past I certainly have aimed for life balance but it seems I never find myself in this perfect balance of life so many talk about.

I have adopted a slightly different approach that seems to work well for me at the moment. I focus on what is important to me in life and write the main areas down. Next I rate them according to importance. I aim to prioritise these areas as best as I can.

In order to find the things that are important to you, you can also ask yourself this question “what would I regret if I never ever got to do this again?”. Now this might be spending time with your spouse, spending time with your kids or spending time on something that you are super passionate about.

Make sure though that you don’t end up with a never ending list of important things in your life and aim to stay under about 5 items on this list. You want this to be realistic and achievable so that the whole process doesn’t become overwhelming.

Have you found any other strategies that work for you to create more balance in life? Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments below.

People Spend Their Health to Gain Wealth and then have to Spend Their Wealth to regain Their Health.

This is certainly one of the places where I took the wrong turn. I honestly believe and know that there is a better way out there then to work the normal system called 9-5. If you need proof then look at all those people out there that are already doing it. And don’t even start with that general excuse “Oh they are just lucky”. It is certainly possible.

However for a second or a bit longer I got carried away there where I was building multiple businesses without even leaving time for myself or time for my health. You are facing a problem once the $ becomes your main decision making tool. I wouldn’t allow myself much that wasn’t productive and would contribute to becoming financially independent. While that is highly productive it does not help you once you burn out.

After I burned out last year I would get up in the morning and wasn’t sure how I would even make the drive to work. When I was in meetings or even just standing at a morning tea at work I would feel so dizzy that I would hope I wouldn’t collapse. It was a scary place. My stress levels were at their maximum. You don’t realise how important health is until you literally loose it.

Now I aim for consistency and sustainabiliy rather than doing a sprint. Did you know it takes 10,000 hours to master any skill? Now put that into perspective. That means 193 hours every week if you want to master a skill in the 52 weeks in a year. Now that would mean that you would need to work 27 hours a day on your skill. We have a problem here. The day only has 24 hours (!) and that doesn’t take into account any time for eating and sleeping or perhaps a shower in between so you feel refreshed.

What I have learned it that there is no get rich quick scheme, every business requires time and consistency to achieve success. I have also learned that it is very important to do something that aligns with your values otherwise it will drain you. Focus on one thing that makes you feel good or brings out the best in you and aim to be consistent and sustainable in your actions.