New Year … New Mojo

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Karri Bruntz

shutterstock_16387027Every January, I am filled with a natural sense of excitement, anticipation, and motivation. As we celebrate a fresh start to the year, we each have the opportunity to create the life we want. And basically, it boils down to two things: 1) Releasing old habits that are not serving you, and 2) Having the intention to develop and foster new habits to expand your awareness. Each has the ability to completely change your life and allow you to tap into your own Mojo.

Releasing Old Habits can be a hard pattern to break. To do it effectively, you have to understand what the habit is, have a desire to release it, and come up with an action-oriented plan to accomplish it. Most importantly, remember to accept yourself just as you are, and understand that guilt should not be part of the release process.

Creating New Habits may or may not be easy. I believe the key to creating a new habit is attaching a value to it. Not a monetary value or a reward when you achieve it, but a personal core value. For example, if you are exhausted after working all day, a core value would be having enough energy to enjoy your family after a long day at work. When an intention like this fuels your decisions about exercise and healthy eating, you are more likely to make choices in the moment that will help you achieve the energy you desire.

STEP ONE

Awareness is the first step to breaking any habit or behavior that is not serving your best interest. Once you are aware of the pattern or behavior, you are able to think about what you can do to change or eliminate it.

How do you become aware? Just ask. You may know exactly what you are doing that is holding you back in the area of health, production, or happiness. On the other hand, you may be focused on what’s not working—physical ailments, lack of motivation, or frustrating relationships—and not even realize your part in developing a solution.

So, just ask. Just ask who? You. We all have an internal knowing. Whether you call it Intuition, Spirit, God, Universe, Source, or something else, we each have the ability to access “Wisdom” that will give us answers when we pose a question. Pay Attention. It may come to you right away, or it may be a gentle whisper that taps on your shoulder when you least expect it. The saying, “Trust your gut” is just one other way people describe this phenomenon.

STEP TWO

Intention is the second step. Once you are aware of what you don’t want (releasing the old), or what you do want (fostering the new), you are ready to start using the laws of the Universe to your advantage. Being clear about your own desires and intentions, and focusing your attention on how you can achieve them, is the key to using your intentions effectively.

GETTING CLEAR + FOCUSED ATTENTION = EFFECTIVE INTENTIONS

Intentions are very powerful tools everyone can use every day and in all kinds of situations. Your thoughts become feelings, your feelings become energetic frequencies, and those frequencies create the world around you. You truly have unlimited power to make things happen in your life. Trust that.

STEP THREE

Creating an Action-Oriented Plan is the final step to making lasting changes in your life. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  If you truly want to make lasting changes in your life, you have to take actions to support those changes. If you are not sure what you can do, ask for help. Read a book, go online, reach out to someone who is already successfully doing what you desire. Write down the action items that resonate with your personal situation, and put your attention on them each and every day. Remembering once again, to accept yourself just as you are and, understand that guilt should not be part of the process.

Life is a journey, and the process of releasing old habits and creating new ones is how we grow as individuals. Your own personal evolution to becoming the best person you can be is not measured by a checklist. It is measured by the decisions and choices you make every day with the understanding that tomorrow, there will be another opportunity waiting for you.

What are your intentions for 2013? I’d love to hear your goals and dreams for this year! Please share.

Happy New Year~

Karri

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Just Move

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Karri Bruntz

After a long 4 months of really not exercising, I made the decision a week ago to start moving! It hasn’t been easy. I haven’t been extremely motivated to jump on the treadmill or put in an exercise DVD, but I’ve done it 4 times in the last 10 days. It reminds me…Life is a constant journey of ebb and flow.

For me, the beginning of this year started with exercise at least 5 days a week. A melody of different workouts that I enjoyed most of the time. And then, toward the end of the summer, I began to lose interest. I got involved in other activities or work, and just put off the workouts. For the most part I felt okay, but I felt the guilt that many of us feel when the little voice in our head says, “I should really workout today.”

I reasoned that I was needing a break and I would get back on the horse again soon.  Then…October hit and my 3-year-old son got sick. Not just a cold for a few days. It turned into what has now been 10 weeks with a 17-day hospital stay, blood pressure medication, and an intense experience where we almost lost our little boy. Needless to say, I continued to put off my exercise as all of my time, attention, and energy went to supporting my little one through his ordeal.

Don’t Let Guilt Slow Your Mojo~Thankfully, we are now home with everything returning to normal and as I am getting back to business as usual, I have recommitted to my desire to move. I have realized through it all that there are some things in life that just come first. And when those times come, don’t let the guilt of what you think you “should” be doing get to you. Give yourself the space to go with the ebbs and the flows. If you don’t, you will burnout or blow up, which doesn’t end up helping anyone in the end. (My husband will attest to this one!)

Use Intention to Keep Your Desires in Your Awareness~Trust me, from someone who really does understand the benefits of exercise and a healthy lifestyle, I also have experienced that sometimes…life happens. When it does, we must keep the important activities at the front of our awareness. Even when life throws you a curve ball, you can continue setting your intentions to incorporate exercise, healthy eating, sleep, prayer/meditation, better work habits, or any other lifestyle goals into your life. The key is to keep them in your awareness.  Remember, don’t coat them with guilt, just keep bringing them to the surface.

Just Do It…Now~The key to breaking through the procrastination paralysis is to do what Nike coined years ago, Just Do It. The challenge is discovering what triggers you can use to help you do it now. It may be jumping in feet first and seeing what happens. It may be asking someone to be your accountability partner to help you get started and keep going. It may be learning how and why so you can 1) understand what the benefits are, and 2) improve your life by doing it. Whatever your trigger my be to help motivate you to start moving, take the first step. The Chinese Philosopher, Lao-Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” It rings true today just as it did when he lived more than 2500 years ago.

As this year comes to an end, don’t wait until after January to start moving. Eat the treats you want during the Holidays, but keep moving. It will not only help you manage your calories, it will motivate you to make better decisions about what you eat…and it will help alleviate the guilt!

Cheers~

Posted in Health | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Got Mojo? Finding Your Groove.

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Karri Bruntz

mojo, balance, productivity, health, happiness, effective,

Mojo. We all have our own flavor, and when we are in our groove we feel vibrant, energetic, and alive. Understanding how to access this innate inner pizazz is the million dollar question.

The answer … it all depends on who you are.

Not who you are, meaning: you may be one of the lucky few, but who you are, meaning: it is different for each of us. Which leads me to ask the question … What creates the perfect combination to unlock the door to a healthy, productive, and happy you waiting inside?

For you, it might mean you need to set boundaries to gain more respect from people in your life. You might have to create a better system for managing your responsibilities so you don’t end each day feeling completely exhausted—or worse—spend your entire day feeling exhausted! It might be discovering an outlet to satisfy your desire to express your creative side. Bottom line, finding your own Mojo is a combination of learning more about who you are, what you need in your life, and then taking actions to live your life in a way that honors those needs.

Throughout my journey, I’ve discovered a few practices that help with the process.

  1. Listen and Learn … Then Make Adjustments: When you learn a new concept that resonates with you, sit with it. Understand what you are connecting with and why it feels valuable to you. Is it something that fills a void in your life? Is it something that you believe will bridge a gap to get you to where you want to be? Is it a total “aha-moment” that is going to rock your world? Whatever it may be, really figure out the what and why. Then, you can start to think about the how. How can you use this new idea to enhance your life? Will it give you more confidence? Will it help you be more effective in your job? Will it make you a better parent or spouse? Figure out what you can do to use this new found idea in your life.
  2. Be Open and Pay Attention: Mojo is all about looking for opportunities—every day—to better understand who you are, what you want, and what makes you tick. Align yourself with those understandings. That alignment will allow you to tap into your energy, your passions, and your strengths. When you focus your attention, and remain open to a new way of being, you give yourself the chance to grow. For example, if you find yourself feeling frustrated every time you spend a day in meetings, maybe you draw strength from a more active approach to your day. Try exercising in the middle of the day. Build time in between meetings for stretching. Get up and stand in the room during the meeting. Or, consider a job where you have more flexibility in your schedule and you don’t have to be in back-to-back meetings every day. Whatever the best solution is for you, be open to thinking outside the box. You will likely find a solution that really works for you.
  3. It’s Okay to Just Be You: You will never find your Mojo when you are trying to be like someone else. You have to be willing to believe that you are right where you need to be, and accept yourself just as you are. When you are comfortable with who you are, accept yourself for who you are, and love yourself for who you are, you unlock the combination and unleash your Mojo on the world! I remember being in business meetings, when I was first building my financial advisory business, listening to other successful advisors talk about what works for them. I often thought, “Wow, he has it so together.” Or “She is such a natural.” Along with those thoughts, I also remember wishing that I could be just like them. What I found over the years, is that I am both of those things. I just do it differently than they do. I do have it together, and I am a natural … at being me. Now, when I hear other successful people share their ideas, I don’t think about how I can be like them, I think about what I can take away and how to make it my own.

Having Mojo is something we each possess. Discovering how to live your life, so you can continuously express it, is the fun and challenging part. Take a few minutes to think about what you need in your life—or what you no longer need in your life—that will help you thrive rather than just survive? Send me your stories. Share your aha’s. Go out and rock your world!

Cheers~

Posted in Being Authentic, Mojo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Journey Begins…

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Karri Bruntz

Today, I begin a new journey with a blog. Over the past 10 years I’ve been on an amazing ride to find health and happiness. It’s been exciting, enlightening, and at times…sobering. Through it all, there has been a driving force within me. A drive to feel peaceful and happy. A drive to fully understand and live by my core values. A drive to live to my fullest potential and share it with the world.

This blog is one of the ways I want to share with you. I LOVE sharing what I have learned! I’ve come to a place of understanding that there are certain Foundations, as I like to call them, necessary in life to unlock a magic inside each of us. I call that magic…Mojo.

A Daily Cup of Mojo (although I really won’t be posting every day) is my way of sharing something I’ve learned with you. I hope it will be something that inspires you to think differently, or helps you understand what Foundations are important to you.

While the combination to unlock your own Mojo is unique—just like you—I believe these Foundations give us the ability to grow as a person.  To become more connected to who we are, why we are here, and what we want to achieve.

Please share your thoughts and moments of awareness with me as we travel along. Just as it is more fun to ride a wild and crazy roller coaster with a friend, I believe the same is true as we experience this wild and crazy ride we call Life.

Cheers!

Posted in Welcome | Tagged , , | Leave a comment