Best Ever You - The Best Ever You Network - Helping People Be Their Best Since 2008

How Much is Enough? A Simple Formula for Success

Mark Van Mourick — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:14:37 +0000

What’s your number? It seems that we all have a number in mind, whether realistic or not, that if we get there, our financial future would be secure and we could retire without worry. For many this “number” keeps growing and forever seems out of reach. For some this number is “a little bit more,” even though they have long passed their requirements for a comfortable retirement.

After more than 30 years of working with investors and retirees, I have perfected a formula that works for families looking into the future. As you approach retirement and you are taking care of only you and a spouse (children raised and parents are not a financial burden) then the following formula is a realistic target:

· If you have a mortgage free residence that reflects your lifestyle, and you have similar spending and vacation expenses as your neighbors…

· You will need two to three times the value of your paid off home in a balanced and diversified portfolio. That is enough!

I have seen this work well with $200,000, $2,000,000 or $20,000,000 homes. Let’s use a $2,000,000 paid for home as an example. The cost for a debt free home is about two percent per year, so this home might still cost $40,000 per year to occupy including taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance. Furthermore, in Southern California at least, the average household spends about 8 to 12 percent of their home’s value a year in lifestyle and tax obligations. You may be living above or below your neighbor’s average lifestyle, but if you had income of 10 to 15 percent of your home’s value every year, it would be sufficient.

That’s where your savings comes in. In this example, if you had a $4 - $6 million investment portfolio earning 5 percent per year, you would have a gross income of $200,000 to $300,000, satisfying your spending requirements and probably a little room to spare. Yes, you will have future inflation, but it will not greatly affect your housing expenses and you have a substantial principal balance to use as well.

Unfortunately, we find many people are in need of lowering their retirement housing/lifestyle expectations and saving more. For those, here are some creative ways you can reach your number. One option is to compress and amortize your mortgage over the years you have left to work so you can have a paid for home at retirement. In instances when accelerating mortgage pay down won’t work, we suggest you consider right-sizing your home at retirement. Right-sizing would mean moving to a less expensive home and adding the sales proceeds from the home sale to savings to reach the two – three times savings/home value ratio. A savvy financial advisor can help with decisions and directions on investments to help you attain steady returns for income.

The formula works equally well for families that have passed this mark, yet are still unsure about their financial future. At some point, your wealth accumulation crosses this line and becomes more about your heirs and charities than your lifestyle. If you are fortunate enough to find yourself on the excess side of this formula, I suggest you consider gifting the extra soon. Dying with your estate at its maximum value makes little sense with today’s estate taxes, which are likely to rise in the future. A good estate planning attorney can help you transfer future growth of your assets to your heirs and/or charities. You can even maintain some control and possibly continue receiving income. The real blessing will be the pleasure of watching your gifts being put to use while you are still alive.

Mark Van Mourick, president of Optivest, Inc., is a money manager and Registered Investment Advisor with nearly 35 years of professional experience. Optivest, Inc. is a full-service investment management firm that provides portfolio management, investment supervisory services, investment advice, tax or financial planning, tax reporting and compliance, business exit and estate planning. Van Mourick has grown the firm's managed portfolios to 70 wealthy families through building strategic, diversified portfolios for his clients targeting less volatility, more stability and referrals. Prior to opening his own firm, he was one of the leading retail stockbrokers for Smith Barney/Orange County, Calif. He is a substantial investor himself; Van Mourick invests frequently with his clients in a wide variety of investments including stocks, real estate and venture capital. For more information, please visit www.optivestinc.com.

Have You Put Yourself in the Vision?

Dr. David Fraser — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:38:48 +0000

Have you put yourself in your vision?
Before we can create something in reality, we must create it in our mind. So developing a personal vision is a vital step in achieving something that didn’t exist before.
How clear and detailed does our vision need to be? Clear and detailed enough that if it showed up, we’d recognise it. Without that clarity, it won’t have the necessary guiding effect on our actions. Without that clarity, we won’t notice the relevant opportunities that come our way; we won’t see that they fit; in fact, we won’t see them at all.

That’s all very important.
But here’s the key...

We need to place ourselves in our vision. We need to see where we fit in the end result, and in turn, the journey to get there. Otherwise we won’t truly step into the dream. We won’t connect it with our life. And we won’t take the actions we need to take to make the vision a reality.
It feels safer to see a future state that doesn’t include our role in it. But then we disconnect ourselves from the journey to get there. And so we don’t take the right actions. And our vision doesn’t become a reality.

It takes courage to see yourself in your vision, taking the lead you know you can take.
But that’s what you need to do (if you want to change anything anyway).

Vision comes before purpose in theory but because the whole process is iterative, that’s a bit of a pedantic distinction. Having a vision is important because it opens us up to noticing opportunities that will help us move toward where we want to go. Before we can create something in reality, we have to create it in our heads first. Why is that? Well, I think it’s like this: Our brains are primarily pattern recognizers. They draw our conscious attention to external sensory input that matches in some way with patterns we already have inside. So, if we want to notice those pieces passing by in the external world that relate to what we want, then we want to set up the necessary internal patterns first. We do that by developing a vision.

We need include ourselves in our vision for it to be fully effective. If we create a vision of some improved external state of our organization or the world at large, then, sure, we’ll recognize steps along the way of that development when they happen in the external world, and we’ll be a well-informed spectator, but our connection with and involvement in the development won’t be there, because we haven’t set ourselves up to recognize parts of the pattern that have something to do with us.

Holding a vision that doesn’t include ourselves is a mistake to which we are liable to be particularly prone the more ambitious the vision is. If we set out some change in the world that we know is possible, that we can play a part in leading even, one way of keeping ourselves safe (apparently) is not to write ourselves into the vision. The problem then is that we won’t recognize the opportunities that come our way to play our part in achieving the vision. We haven’t set up our internal patterns correctly. We’ve programmed ourselves to be an observant spectator rather than an effective contributor. Active participation is liable, therefore, to pass us by, as will remunerative reward for contributing.

Writing ourselves into our vision makes the difference between being a spectator in the stand at the games and being actively involved on the field below. On some issues, we might be quite happy to be in the stand, but if we want to play our full role in the world, we need to pick our event and write ourselves into the story.

David Fraser, PhD, is a leading authority on relationship skills in professional and personal life and author of the well-regarded and award-winning book “Relationship Mastery: A Business Professional’s Guide”. He is an international speaker with a senior professional background and deep insight into the human side of life gathered from a wealth of sources.

David has a track record of pioneering new approaches. He has delivered major projects for government and private sector clients in challenging situations and set up a number of entrepreneurial ventures. He is a business owner, and a Chartered Engineer with a First Class Honours degree and a PhD from Glasgow University and an MBA from Strathclyde University. He is a qualified commercial mediator and a NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Trainer and has studied with leading proponents of these disciplines.

David applies his unusual blend of expertise to supporting disparate groups working together in complex circumstances. He also runs workshop and coaching programs on personal mastery and relationship skills for both organizations and individuals, focusing on the potential to leverage results. The effects are profound—quite simply life-changing for the individuals and their organisations. David also finds the approach set out in his book to be extremely helpful in the home and family environment.

David lives with his wife and three children in Glasgow, Scotland and sails on the West Coast of Scotland when time permits. Visit: http://www.drdavidfraser.com for more information.

How Badly Do You Want It?

Elinor Stutz — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:33:53 +0000

How Badly Do You Want It?

We have all heard people say, “I want…” but they never take action. So the question is do you have merely a fleeting thought or a particular recurring thought?

After having interviewed highly successful others, they all had the following in common:

-     Continually focused on and envisioned their dream come true.
Going to sleep and waking up each day, their dream was on their mind. Every working moment was spent putting baby steps of action into place toward that distant vision.

-     Persevered to make it happen no matter the obstacles
Every single one faced severe obstacles but these just made the person more determined than ever to succeed. Their creative approaches to overcome made them stronger as they faced each new hurdle.

-     Found success and moved far beyond what was previously thought possible
The initial glory was heartwarming but from the achievements, they were able to help others following in their footsteps, and this is what they found most powerful.

It takes a mindset that regardless of what others say, you will ignore negative comments in order to pursue. It takes a strong-willed mindset to ignore past statistics believing that somehow you will succeed. It also takes a mindset to be flexible; to be willing to learn from errors tin order to find what will work best.

But most importantly, it takes a mindset to be focused on who you are, what your principles are, and what you want in life. It then takes full focus, dedication and continual perseverance to attain what it is you desire.

To get what you want requires a plan with flexibility in place because sometimes not everything works out according to plan, as we have all learned. Creativity is many times also a requirement. How can you maneuver around what is already in place to get to your desired goal?

Take quiet time away from all distraction to contemplate what holds most importance for you. The question of whether it is doable is not up to your friends, associates or anyone else; instead, it is up to you to determine. Many times the factors of time and money play a significant part.

As you consider your dream, think about the pluses and minuses, and how you may realistically bring your vision into reality. The first time you are able to achieve this, it makes the second time a bit easier, and the third and succeeding times a natural course of events.

Reading the above may scare you a bit. But as leaders will tell you, if you aren’t scared just a bit, your vision isn’t grand enough. The question goes back to, “How badly do you want it?”

Should yours fall into the category of recurring dream, and you feel the motivation to persevere no matter what, your statistics for success will rise dramatically. The determination and focus will help define your personal brand.

While it is hard work upfront, when you look back to see what you have achieved, it will all seem as if it were a Smooth Sale!

_____
Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, (800) 704-1499; just released “INSPIRED Business A New View for Building Business and Communities”. Other titles: “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, and “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews“. Elinor was designated as a “Top 25 Sales Influencer for 2012.”

Elinor Stutz - Inspired Business

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Thu, 30 May 2013 15:38:28 +0000

I am very proud to award Elinor Stutz our Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award for her new book,Inspired Business. Elinor continues to inspire us all with her wisdom and never give up attitude.

While on a stretcher with a broken neck, Elinor Stutz heard her family sobbing upon their hearing the surgeon’s prediction of paralysis. BUT at that very moment, Stutz experienced two visions asking, “Are you ready for the fight of your life?” and, “Will you learn how to Believe, Become and Empower others?” Her story is compelling, inspiring, and leads others directly into knowing how to build a successful and inspired heart-based business.

The spiritual and business world are not that different. But only INSPIRED Business dares to make the connection. Filled with remarkable stories of overcoming the bleakest circumstances, coupled with proven magnetic communication techniques, you'll gain the motivation and skill set required to develop your personal brand, attract clients, and increase sales. Based on the true - yet seemingly impossible story of the author, INSPIRED Business is provocative, compelling, and gives a whole new take on the business world.

Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC was honored by OpenView Labs listing her in their “Top 25 Sales Influencers in 2012”. Her 20-year career is a unique combination of top producer status in the corporate sales environment plus that of inspirational speaker and business development trainer in the entrepreneurial world.

Elinor authored INSPIRED Business A New Vision for Building Business and Communities, and the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results.” Community Service led to her writing, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews.”

Elinor is available for consultation.

Call: 800-704-1499.

Peaceful

Gary Kobat — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:45:00 +0000

Free from anxiety, depression, anger, and stress.

Peace is where disease cannot thrive, blood pressure and heart
rates are reduced, our immune system is boosted - where mind,
body, and spirit are one - integrated in a state of harmony,
where our true and real self can be known.

Peace is not being numb from substances, including food and drink,
or asleep and unconscious. It's the opposite.

Peace comes from a heighten state of awareness - more
consciousness rather than less.

But remember, happiness is not peace.
Peace is deeper.

We probably can't feel happy when someone dies, but we can
feel peace - an inner calm, acceptance, and understanding
about what happens in the world.

Peace is not turmoil, where we can't see the present, too busy being
in the past or desiring to get to the future.

Peace does not judge, does not come from a story, resist
what is happening right now.

With peace we begin to trust.

We begin to feel at ease, a peaceful feeling of faith
in what underlies all life, when we're aligned with
the present moment, and feel that it's okay.

A feeling of home where ever we are.

Where the possibilities are infinite.

Gary

5 Minutes to Stress Relief - Lauren E Miller

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:36:51 +0000

My good friend Lauren E Miller went through two of life’s top stressors at the same time and she is committed to equipping people with the tools and techniques needed to expand their experience of inner faith, purpose-driven living and inner peace. Too often people don’t deal with their unease until it becomes a disease, as was the case for Lauren.

One week prior to her final divorce court date, my friend Lauren Miller was diagnosed with advanced cancer and told she had a 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SURVIVAL.

How’s THAT for some good training in stress management?

STRESS has three main fuels.

What if you could identify these three fuels and learn how to eliminate them in your life?

Too often these three fuels are like little serpents that crawl up into the lap of your life and create havoc emotionally, spiritually and physically.

Stress has the tendency to settle in your biology and pop up as disease. Did you know that recent studies show that stress can actually shrink your brain?

In Lauren’s New Release: 5 Minutes to Stress Relief you will learn how to resurrect your ability to identify and dismiss the 3 serpents behind stress and drop back into your God given natural state of being which is: inner calm, clarity of focus and a motivated response to all of life.

I highly recommend her New Book: 5 Minutes to Stress Relief, it’s preventative medicine. Lauren is an expert on stress… and HOW TO RELEASE IT. Check out the AMAZING interview she did with Les Brown, who is also a cancer conqueror:

http://5minutestoStressRelief.com

Best Ever You welcomes Sri Pranaji, Master Raj - Pranashakty International

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:46:41 +0000

The Best Ever You Show welcomes Sri Pranaji. To listen and share click: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2013/04/21/sri-pranaji-and-master-raj

Sri Pranaji & Master Raj, two Siddha Masters from Malaysia who are bringing the secrets of the ancient lineage of 18 siddha tradition (Spiritual, energy medicine,Varmam,) to the Western world.

Please note that they will be arriving in the USA on next Friday, April 27th. They will conduct three days retreat Upstate NY.

This system was developed more than 10,000 years ago, well known as Tradition of 18 Siddha lineage and now, this system has arrived in the USA.

Where modern medicine has failed in creating whole wellness for humanity, the masters of the ancient Siddhars have once again harnessed profound spiritual and healing wisdom to return the human form to its natural fully healed state.

They are founders of Pranashakty International http://www.pranashakty.org and Siddha Applied Sciense institute http://www.siddhainstitute.com

Pranashakty and Siddha Institute has developed a program of total human transformation that is beyond what the world has witnessed to date.

ANCIENT SIDDHA KNOWLEDGE IS COMING TO USA TO HELP AUTISTIC CHILDREN!

ST. MARY'S VILLA 150 Sisters Servants Lane Sloatsburg, NY 10974, 1PM

PARENTS OF AUTISTIC CHILDREN YOUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED! A FREE Training is being offered to parents of Autistic children on Sunday, April 28th by Malaysian Yoga Masters. These Masters are from the ancestry of the Siddhas who wrote their powerful healing remedies on palm leaves that were preserved throughout the ages. The Masters are sharing the secrets of their ancient Varmam tradition with the world and currently their research is focused on the Autistic population.
For details: http://varmamkalai.org/special-children/

Masters will be teaching parents how to activate varmam points which are energy centers in the body that become blocked. When these energy blockages are released, the neurological pathways become open creating energetic balance within the system. Masters anticipate a 40-70% improvement in neurological functioning. Parents will be able to treat their child on their own, using simple technique.

The best educators are the parents who love their children unconditionally. We know you have had many challenging situations regarding your child’s development. Let’s work in partnership to help your child show his/her talents to the world. You know what your child is capable of and now it’s time to show society.

WE can accept about 20-30 parents for this class. This is the only class which will be available in US this year. However, Masters can perform one more training on Monday 4/29/13, if any organizations or institutions are willing to host it. Please contact us, if you are interested.

To sign up for this amazing opportunity and for more details, please email: team-us@pranashakty.org

We also present US Siddha Science Center, which was inspired by Masters a year ago.

Our goal to spread Siddha teaching here in US. We do regular classes, workshops, and we organize visit of Sri Pranaji and Master Raj here every year.

for more info: www.ussiddhacenter.com

http://www.facebook.com/groups/317946441613058/

Meet Susan Braun and The V Foundation

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:34:29 +0000

Click to listen to The V Foundation on The Best Ever You Show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2013/04/18/the-v-foundation-for-cancer-research

Please welcome Susan Braun, CEO of The V Foundation to The Best Ever You Show. Jim Valvano's dream of finding a cure for cancer is one shared by millions. Although we have not yet achieved this goal, every day we get a little bit closer and will continue to honor his inspiring words, “Don’t Give Up . . . Don’t Ever Give Up!” ®

Serving as the heartbeat of The V Foundation for Cancer Research, formed by ESPN and Jim in 1993, his words throughout the ESPY speech have never been more meaningful. After being diagnosed with cancer at the young age of 46, Jim dreamed of finding cures for cancer. Passionate and committed, he wanted to see his fight through to victory. As a former coach, he began to recruit his team of family and friends to lead the Foundation in his quest to eradicate the disease. Fore more information visit: http://www.JimmyV.org

Serving as the heartbeat of The V Foundation for Cancer Research, formed by ESPN and Jim in 1993, his words throughout the ESPY speech have never been more meaningful. After being diagnosed with cancer at the young age of 46, Jim dreamed of finding cures for cancer. Passionate and committed, he wanted to see his fight through to victory. As a former coach, he began to recruit his team of family and friends to lead the Foundation in his quest to eradicate the disease.

As a cancer patient, Jim recognized the need to invest in young physician/scientists to help establish their careers—after all, someone had invested in him early in his career! Addressing the need to help early-career cancer investigators develop into promising future research talents was the first goal of the Foundation. The V Scholar concept was developed in 1994 to address that need. Today, this highly respected award is eagerly sought by young physician/scientists at the nation’s leading cancer centers.

As with any patient, Jim discovered first-hand how slowly science progresses from the lab to the patient’s bedside. He wanted faster solutions, more progress and better answers. Eight years after his death, The V Foundation announced its Translational Research Grants, designed to accelerate laboratory findings with the goal of benefiting patients more quickly.

Although Jim lost his battle with cancer less than two months after delivering the ESPY speech, his dream of a cure lives on through research grants bestowed in his name. The V Foundation has awarded more than $100 million to more than 100 facilities nationwide and proudly awards 100% of direct donations and net event proceeds to cancer research.

A relatively young organization, The V Foundation has a strong presence in the scientific community. The Foundation is guided by an elite, all-volunteer Scientific Advisory Board who recommends the research projects funded. This Board is comprised of top physicians and research scientists from prominent universities and cancer centers throughout the country. Working with this team of talented professionals, we are proud to carry out Jim’s vision for the future.

Jim’s dream of finding a cure for cancer is one shared by millions. Although we have not yet achieved this goal, every day we get a little bit closer and will continue to honor his inspiring words, “Don’t Give Up . . . Don’t Ever Give Up!” ®

We ask you to join us. Make a donation. Get involved.

The Shorty Awards are The Best Ever!

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:59:56 +0000

Listen to The Shorty Awards with CEO Greg Galant on
The Best Ever You Show here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2013/04/19/the-shorty-awards

The fifth annual Shorty Awards was held Monday night at the Times Center in New York. Hosted by actress and Internet celebrity Felicia Day, the event has been called the Oscars of social media.

It was an honor to attend and Best Ever You was chosen as a finalist in the Small Business category.

The winner was Jawbreaking (@shopjawbreaking)
Congratulations Aly Silverio!

The fifth annual Shorty Awards was held Monday night at the Times Center in New York. Hosted by actress and Internet celebrity Felicia Day, the event has been called the Oscars of social media.

The show recognizes the best of social media, with an emphasis on Twitter. Award finalists were determined by most votes via Twitter and winners are chosen by a group called The Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences. Winners are even asked to limit their acceptance speeches to 140 characters.

This year's highlights include Jimmy Kimmel's video acceptance speech, which featured children crying at the news of his award. The spoof was in reference to his highly popular video segment of children reacting to having their Halloween candy stolen. Kimmel was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Michelle Obama was also honored with a #GIFStar Special Shorty Award for appearing in several viral GIFs. The first lady tweeted her acceptance speechsaying, ""Thank you @shortyawards! Being a #GIFStar is about getting active. Hula hoop, #momdance & @letsmove to help our kids grow up healthy! -mo."

Other notable winners include the Mars rover Curiosity as Foursquare Mayor of the Year, Texts from Hillary for Tumblr of the Year and pop star Justin Bieber for the Celebrity category.

More details of the event can be found at ShortyAwards.com

Here's a complete list of Shorty Award winners (alphabetically by category):

#Activism: AgainstSuicide (@AgainstSuicide)

#Actor: Misha Collins (@MishaCollins)

#Actress (tie): Tara Strong (@TaraStrong); Selena Gomez (@SelenaGomez)

Animated GIF of the Year presented by A&E's Duck Dynasty: Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg: Kiss Me in Paris - Source: Ann Street Studio

#Apps: Twitter (@Twitter)

#Author: John Green (@RealJohnGreen)

#Band: One Direction (@OneDirection)

#BNCollege Award presented by Barnes & Noble College: WVU Mountaineers (@WestVirginiaU)

#Brazil: Dilma Bolada (@Dilmabr)

#Canada: MattG124 (@MattG124)

#Celebrity: Justin Bieber (@JustinBieber)

#CelebrityFashion (tie): Sophia Abrahao (@SophiaAbrahao); Selena Gomez (@SelenaGomez)

Charity presented by New York Life: Random Acts (@TheRandomActOrg)

#Comedian: Rafinha Bastos (@RafinhaBastos)

#FakeAccount: Prince Charles (@Charles_HRH)

#Fansite: Sherlockology (@Sherlockology) and 1D Updates (@1Dneews)

#Food (tie): Rosanna Pansino (@RosannaPansino); The Kitchenista (@MissAngelaDavis)

#Foursquare Mayor of the Year: Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity)

#Gaming (tie): Monark (@RandonsPlays); PieDiePew (@PewDiePie)

#GIF Maker (tie): T. Kyle MacMahon (@TKyleMac); Ryan Broderick (@RyanPBroderick)

#Government: NASA (@NASA)

#Ireland (tie): Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial); BriBry (@BriBryOnTour)

#Journalist Award presented by Muck Rack: Tim Pool (@Timcast)

#Museum: Emily Graslie (@Ehmee)

#Music (tie): Demetria Lovato (@DDLovato); aoi (@Official_aoi)

#NonHuman: SarcasticRover (@SarcasticRover)

#Photography (tie): Mike Lerner (@MikeTakesStills); Jenna Pope (@BatmanWI)

Quora Answer of the Year: Kenyatta Leal

Real-Time Photo of the Year: Hurricane Sandy - Benjamin Lowy

#Science (tie): Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield); AsapSCIENCE (@AsapSCIENCE)

#Singer: Greyson Chance (@GreysonChance)

#WebShow: Bravest Warriors (@BravestWarriors)

#SocialFitness Award presented by Health. Join In.: Cassey Ho (@Blogilates)

#SportsTeam: Pittsburgh Steelers (@Steelers)

#KeepGoodGoing Award presented by New York Life: Kathy Zucker (@KathyZucker)

#Parenting: Carlos Pena (@CarlosPenaSr)

#SmallBusiness Award presented by Cox BLUE: Jawbreaking (@ShopJawbreaking)

Tumblr of the Year: Texts from Hillary

#TVShow: Pretty Little Liars (@ABCFpll)

#UK: Charlie McDonnell (@coollike)

#VideoBlogger: PC Siqueira (@pecesiqueira)

#YouTubeStar: Caue Moura (@CaueMoura)

Industry Winners (alphabetically by category):

Best Use of Social Media for News: CNN Worldwide - Election 2012: CNN Worldwide Won the Social Media Battle

Best Overall Brand Presence on Instagram: National Geographic - In the Field with National Geographic

Best Viral Campaign: Old Spice - Old Spice Muscle Music

Best Branded YouTube Channel: TED - TED Conferences LLC

Best Use of Video in a Social Media Campaign: Maybelline - TopChicret - Announcing Charlotte Free as New Face of #1 Cosmetic Brand in the World

Best Overall Brand Presence on Twitter: Comedy Central - @TheDailyShow

Best Overall Brand Presence on Tumblr: Comedy Central - The Daily Show Election Center on Tumblr

Best Use of Social Media for Auto Industry: Dodge - Dodge Dart Registry

Best Use of Animated GIFs: Wilson Sporting Goods Co. - Where Football is Born

Best Use of Social Media In Real Life (IRL): Temple University - "Temple Made" Campaign

Best Social Media Agency - Large (over 100): 360i

Best Overall Brand Presence on Facebook: Maybelline - New York Digital Strategy 2012

Best Use of Social Media for Customer Service: SquareTrade, Inc

Best Use of Game Mechanics (Gamification) in a Social Media Campaign: USA Network - Suits Recruits

Best Use of Facebook Advertising: Chengdu Municipal Government and Chengdu Panda Base - PandaQuest: Be the Next Chengdu Pambassador

Best Use of a Mobile App in a Campaign: Turner Entertainment Networks - CONAN Sync App - it's techno-magic

Best Overall Brand Presence on Pinterest: Birchbox

Best Use of Social Media for Financial Services: Citi - Citi's Connect: Professional Women's Network on LinkedIn

Best Use of Social Media for a Consumer Brand: Food Lion - Food Lion's Operation Grocery Drop

Best Use of Twitter in a Campaign: The CW - Live Twitter Feed in a Magazine

Best Use of Facebook in a Campaign: Chengdu Municipal Government and Chengdu Panda Base - PandaQuest: Be the Next Chengdu Pambassador

Best Use of Social Media for Fashion: Banana Republic - Banana Republic In Flight Fashion Show

Best Use of Social Media for Sports: Nike - Nike #maketherules

Best Fortune 500 Brand on Social Media: Pepsi - Pepsi: Live For Now

Best Location-Based Marketing: VH1 - Save The Music Foursquare Partnership

Best Use of a Hashtag on Twitter: Nike - CountonKobe

Best Social Media Campaign for Film: Universal Pictures - Ted

Best Social Media Manager Award presented by Unmetric: Bravo - Andy Cohen for WWHL

Best Use of a Promoted Tweet, Promoted Trend, or Promoted Account: Maker's Mark - #CocktailParty2012

Best Use of Social Media for Retail or E-Commerce: Chobani - Nothing But Good, One Fan at a Time

Best Social Media Agency - Small (1 -20): neoco

Best Social Media Agency - Mid-Sized (21 - 100) (three-way tie): Deep Focus; Suite Spot - JetBlue Getaways Presents, "Get Away With It!"; Carrot Creative

Best Celebrity Campaign on Social Media: Intel - David Blaine's ELECTRIFIED

Best Social Media Presence of a CEO: Deep Focus - Ian Schafer

Best Use of Social Media for Television: Beam Inc. - Skinnygirl Cocktails #WinningTheOscars

Best Use of Social Media for Television: ABC Family - Pretty Little Liars #TheBetrAyal campaign

Best Integration of Social Media with Live Television: Fox News Digital - Fox News Election Night 2012

Best Integration of Social Media with Live Television: Bravo - Play Live on Watch What Happens Live

Best Use of Social Media for Video Games: neoco / 2K - Borderlands 2: A Work Of Art

Best Use of Social Media for the London 2012 Olympics: Nike - Nike Greatness

Best Use of Social Media For Music: Intel and MTV Iggy - Intel Presents The Music Experiment Powered By MTV Iggy

Best Use of Social Media For Music: Spotify and OMD - Music Apps Hack Weekend

The Shorty Awards honor the best in social media; recognizing the people and organizations producing real-time short content across Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Foursquare and the rest of the social web.

Every year, millions of people visit the Shorty Awards site to support their favorite social media content creators by tweeting nominations. All those tweets culminate in a highly anticipated awards ceremony that celebrates the winners as chosen by categories. The Shorty Awards also honors the industry's best agencies, brands, and social media professionals.

The Shorty Awards ceremony was held on April 8, 2013 at the TimesCenter in New York City.
Visit http://www.shortyawards.com

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, Hay House author and founder and CEO of the Best Ever You Network, understands firsthand the challenges life can bring and has worked with thousands across the globe to illuminate their light within and help them live their best life. She has a degree in communications and broadcasting; is a life coach, food-allergy expert, and anaphylaxis survivor; and is the host of The Best Ever You Show. Elizabeth lives with her husband and four boys in Maine. She has tried tea, but is a bit more philosophical when she drinks coffee.

Elizabeth is the author of Percolate - Let Your Best Self Filter Through (Hay House, 2013)

What to Say to Your Kids and Each Other About Terror

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:13:40 +0000

What do we say about the terrorist attack in Boston? We are as a nation, and a world, once again shaken by an act of terror.

A day of celebration becomes a day of fear and we are all asking: WHY?

What do we say to each other and our children?

How can we help?

With, these events happening in our world, what does it mean for us as individuals and collectively?

How do we live our best life in the midst of this new reality?

Katie and I decided to host a radio show to share our thoughts and hope you will join in our conversation as a Best Ever You community to make sense of this issue.

Click to listen: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2013/04/16/what-to-say-to-kids-and-each-other-about-terror

RE - Elizabeth's Best Blue Ribbon Award

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:09:00 +0000

The Best Ever You Network is proud to issue RE our Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award for excellence.

Step into spring with our pals at Rushmore Essentials (www.drinkRE.com) want you to have a healthy and happy heart and life. They are the makers of REvive and REvitalize, two brand-new vitality drinks that are made from 100% pure juice & puree from 21 fruits & super fruits from around the world.

They are packed with super heart-healthy antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, flavonoids, phytochemicals, vitamins & minerals to keep your heart going pitter-pat and your body feeling GOOD. I know you got to listen to Rushmore's fab Tom Morse on The Best Ever You Show ; he told us all about the benefits of getting fruits and berries into our everyday diets; REvive and REvitalize make it simple, easy, convenient and DELICIOUS!

Please Like RE on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/drinkRE) and follow them on Twitter (https://twitter.com/drinkre)

A Recipe for Being Your Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino & Dr. Katie Eastman — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:35:25 +0000

A Recipe for Being Your Best Ever You
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino & Dr. Katie Eastman

This recipe has been passed from generation to generation and is one of our world favorites. You may not need all of the ingredients to make this recipe, so mix up some of the items on a daily basis and follow the instructions below.

Items Needed:
You
20 Cups of Laughter
15 Cups of Grace
10 Cups of Peace
10 Cups of Love
7 Cups of Elegance
5 Cups of Courage
3 Cups of Patience
1 1/2 Cups of Determination
1 1/2 Cups of Acceptance
1 Cup of Humility
1 Cup of Confidence
1 tsp. of wisdom
1 pinch of reality

Allergy Alert: This product was not manufactured in a facility with any fear, jealousy or doubt.

Step 1. Stop thinking everyone else has it better.
You know it when you think it: "They drive a cleaner car, have more cash in the bank, have a bigger shoe collection, a better job, a book deal, a better body, a new baby," or whatever else you may appear to see or think you see or assume is true of someone else's life. Everyone’s life around the world appears to be perfect with the exception of yours. There are days when you might catch yourself glancing at the marks on your walls thinking the house across the street is perfectly unscathed. But whose reality are you really seeing? Upon closer inspection, you will likely discover that no one's life is perfect and for every cleanest, best waxed car ever there is a crumb somewhere else. So it is important to focus on yourself and only yourself with respect to your own life and world and to evaluate ONLY how you are doing in this life of yours. We keep the word perfect out of our vocabulary here at Best Ever You. It says Best Ever You, not Perfect Ever You.

Step 2. Moments Matter
How are you using your precious time? Are you living a life awake, aware and with purpose and intention or are you just moseying along? Are you in the present moment or are you in some future moment of worry or some past moment of regret or trying to reclaim a past glory moment. Nothing is worse than missing a moment. Think of the parent on the ever so important phone call or sitting at the computer as their child is trying desperately in any way to grab a moment of their real presence and attention, but the parent just nods and barely acknowledges the child or worse gets angry at the child. Think of the moments you wish you could steal back and replay with your parent or parents who have now passed. Think of the moments you wish you could bring back when your kids were younger. Life is a priority.

3. Find Your Why.
It takes a look within to learn and practice and be your Best Ever You. It is important to understand that it is a continuous process. There is always a moment to be your best or help someone be their best. When we become engaged, consumed or perhaps overwhelmed with life's responsibilities it is easy to let ourselves slip into the behaviors or habits that are less than our best. We live our daily lives facing a continuum between best and stressed. Our environment can become cluttered, we may not sleep as well, we may make choices that reduce our positive energy and generates more of a stress based response to our daily life. These are all clues that something needs to shift. If we took a minute to write out what our life looks and feels like when we are feeling our best we would find there are indicators that we can follow to monitor our well-being.

Stop and think. What is your reason? What is your why?   What inspires and motivates you?

4. Examine Your Positive Self
When you look in the mirror, what do you say? When you are in a room are full of people, what are you thinking or how do you behave? Are you spewing venom on yourself and killing your self-esteem. Quick. Find the antidote. It's the power of positive thinking. Inject yourself with powerful positive language and live on. Say positive thoughts and words like "I am beautiful." "I am loved." "I am capable." "I accept myself." and “I am worthy.”

5.  Create Your Best Life
Each day, each hour, and each moment we have the opportunity to stop and to reassess how we are feeling and start over. Examine the areas of your life that you wish were different and begin each moment to be your best. Sign up for our monthly newsletter and receive our free Create Your Best Life Coaching tool. Visit this link to get started. http://www.besteveryou.com/get-started-create-your-best-life.htm This will help you identify those key areas that create stress versus joy. What changes are you going to focus on? Here are some clues that some specific areas of your life need attention:
-Physical environment: Is it cluttered or neat and organized?
-Physical health: Are we eating, sleeping, and exercising?
-Emotional reactivity: Do we have the ability to calmly respond versus react? What is the status of relationships? What’s you fun factor?
-Spiritual energy: Is there something meaningful and purposeful in our lives? Are we inspired?
-Social: Are we engaging with others? Do we have a sense of community?

6.  Discover Your Values and Create a Value System for Yourself
This can be tricky as we age, as the values that we were raised with may not be the values we grow into. Our lives and our value systems are dynamic and change. What values do you have that direct your big picture decisions? If someone gave you a limited life expectancy would you be able to say you are living today, the way you would want to for the remainder of your life? What would change? What do you want your children to understand as most important or what do you want people to remember most about you? These questions alert us to whether or not our values are aligned with our actions and lifestyle. If values aren't aligned, asking ourselves what is true to who we are, can redirect us and bring new awareness to what we seek to change.

7. Practice Wellness
How well are you taking care of yourself? Are you treating yourself well? What is wellness to you? Do you feel fit? Are you satisfied with how you feel? Are you eating well? Are you exercising? Are you stepping into your closet and having a cringe-factor moment where nothing fits? Practice wellness. It may be part of a new value system you implement for yourself. Practicing overall wellness has more components that just your jeans fitting on any given day. Wellness is an overall way of choosing to live. It's eating healthier, mindset, exercise, and finding a way for yourself where the internal critical and worrying voice(s) quiet. It's being ready for the big event now, for example, instead of seeing the event six months down the road and going on a crash diet for it. It's a way of always being. It’s practicing wellness habits that help you feel your best each day.

8. Discover the Power of We and Us
The power of we begins with you. We think you are amazing and awesome in every way, but life is not all about you. It's about us - together. Ask someone today, "How can I help you?" You'll be amazed at the responses.

-What have you done for the world lately?
-Are you showing up when you are needed?
-How often do you do something for others just because you want to – not because it’s expected?
-Do you do things for others and expect nothing in return?
-Do you turn off that voice that nags at you when you can’t believe you did something for someone, but they did nothing for you in return?

9. Manage your behavior(s)
Who we truly are at our best is often reflected in how we behave. Does our behavior match our values? Do we respond to situations versus react? Are we generous and understanding versus critical and judgmental? We usually operate somewhere on a continuum each day depending on how calm and aware we are of what our wise inner voice is saying. When we aren't able to hear that highest self-talk, we often neglect our self-care and turn to external calming sources. When we have tendency towards over-indulging it is usually triggered by this imbalance and not hearing our wisest messages coming from within. Quiet awareness and examination of our daily circumstances and their influence on our behavior can help us get back into focus of our best self.

10. Failure & Pain are Teaching Moments
How many times have you stopped yourself from trying something because you were afraid you wouldn't be good enough? How many times have you hit your thigh on the corner of a drawer before you walk a different route or stop, pause and shut the drawer first in awareness that it is open and you've been through this before? We learn from failure or disappointment. Moments can be wake up calls and it is important to tune in, listen and adjust your life and behavior accordingly.

On a deeper level, when we pass through a crisis that brings fear and anxiety and sadness or whatever strong emotions that come, eventually, the realization that we can learn something and be a better us from the experience comes to us. The sooner we quietly assess a situation from a place of strength, the sooner we make the best choices for our lives.

11. Laugh at Yourself
Have you laughed at yourself today? We are each our own stand-up comedian routine if you stop and think about how funny life can be. Sometimes there is even humor in the darkest of moments and sometimes that humor guides us to see the brightest days. Laugh at yourself. We all do some of the silliest things.

12. Surround Yourself with Love
Side step naysayers. With even the slightest of change, comes a force around you trying to help you stay your very best same as always person. You may think to yourself one day, “Self, I just don’t want to be this way anymore.” As a result, you start to make changes.

Naysayers are people who make fun of you or try to stop you from making changes or who want you to give up. They may not even know how they are as sabotaging your efforts because they are out of touch with their own struggles. They’re often people who are trying to break the cycle themselves or have yet to acknowledge their habits. They aren't wrong to think the way they do, but their thoughts just don't fit yours anymore. Breaking free from their influence can be difficult. The only cook that needs to be in the kitchen is you.

13. Make Small Lasting Changes
Take one thing – a thought, an idea, a value, or a belief – and make that one thing a focus point. Allow yourself ten minutes each day in silence to write, think, or ponder whatever thoughts come up around this one thought or idea. It’s amazing how just one small change can have an everlasting ripple effect leading to bigger changes. Many people make repeated attempts, create resolutions, and demonstrate efforts to try to bring themselves to center. This generally doesn’t work well and usually the opposite effect occurs. In order to create lasting, transformative change, usually you must find your center and then adjust your lifestyle.

14. Find Your Best, Most Peaceful You
Peace rests within your heart. When your heart speaks, it is very important to tune in and listen. It’s your own internal peace guidance system. Find what makes you peaceful. Just be YOU. No one can take you away from you. You are you. We are each unique with our own special talents and gifts. Who are you? What is your: Who? What? Where? When? and Why?

15. Figure out What Money Can and Can’t Buy
Money can’t keep you alive forever. Money has a deceiving way of appearing to make our time here easier. Does money buy love? Money buys things, but do things matter? Are you better than someone else or is someone better than you because of their things and money? Does money buy better behavior and peace within? Truly, does the person with the most toys win? Does the lack of money cause you to not get the attention or recognition you need as a person?

Just what is the point of money?

It's a discussion with ourselves that not many of us have and yet it remains one of the most argued about topics around us. From governments to your own home, money is a battle ground topic. Are we here today to help make the world a little bit better than when we leave it or are we here to just take, take, take and never give?

For many people, money is a source of always wanting more. You can always hear folks saying, "If only I had $450,000, I could...... If only I had $1,000,000 I would..."

Handling and dealing with money issues starts with a belief that it can be better, no matter what is happening in your life such as job promotions, inheritance, job loss, wage cuts, downsizing or ill health.

Regardless of financial situation or circumstances there are many different ways to find happiness.

Giving away our power to be happy based on any one thing only defeats us. It's not about our money. It's about how we make meaning from our circumstances and how we direct our energy. Some of the most generous people in the world barely have enough to eat, but they share what they have.

Money is really a compound issue of wants combined with reality combined with circumstances all mixing together to make you a manager of money whether you like it or not.

How are your money managing skills?
Think about your real life needs for a moment.
Today I have ____________.
I'd like to set a goal of earning ________________.
Specifically, I am going to do that by doing _________________.

Then each year, these sentences grow, change and alter with another set of circumstances invading those sentences called LIFE.

My reality today is that I got promoted at work and I can _______________.
My reality today is that I received an unexpected bonus and I can ____________.
My reality today is that I am in the hospital and actually spending ____________ rather than me earning ___________.
My reality today is that my septic tank broke resulting in a bill of ____________.
My reality today is that my child is going to college next year, resulting in a bill of ________________________________________. (Notice that line is longer than the others!!)

You can see how complicated money is and how we use it. Think about your life with respect to money, what you dream, what you need, what you want and what you actually have and how you manage that and find happiness within.

RECIPE NOTES:
Your favorite family recipes are passed from generation to generation.
The recipe cards are tattered, torn or sometimes so secret they are memorized.
Excellent recipes remain with us and feed our mind, body and spirit, creating our best.

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, Hay House author, founder and CEO of the Best Ever You Network, understands firsthand the challenges life can bring and has worked with thousands across the globe to illuminate their light within and help them live their best life. She has a degree in communications and broadcasting; is a life coach, food-allergy expert, and anaphylaxis survivor; and is the host of The Best Ever You Show. Elizabeth lives with her husband and four boys in Maine. She has tried tea, but is a bit more philosophical when she drinks coffee. Her book Percolate - Let Your Best Self Filter Through is being released in August 2012 (Hay House). Visit her websites: www.ElizabethHamiltonGuarino.com and www.BestEverYou.com

Dr. Katie Eastman, the co-owner of Recreate Counseling, has been a change agent from a very young age. Listening to friends who seemed to always use her shoulder became a natural way of being. She was the "Dear Abby" of the 5th grade and learned to listen and value who and what others were trying to be.

It was natural for Katie to choose a profession where she would help people become their best by listening and reflecting back what they wished to become and it was even more natural to work with children. Children have been Katie's greatest teachers. Marveling at their ability to be present, joyful and grateful in some of the most challenging circumstances, Dr. Katie (her nickname given by a child patient) shares with Elizabeth the value of bringing childlike simplicity together with complex human issues.

To maximize her skills, gifts and talents, she acquired a Doctorate in Clinical Child Psychology, a Masters in Social Work, and did extensive study in Theology. Directing these skills to work in Hospice and Palliative Care, Katie has become a tireless advocate for valuing quality of life throughout the lifespan and is the Founder of Children’s Palliative Care Community.

Combining her skills, gifts, and talents as a clinician and business leader, Katie offers her expertise to support the Best Ever You network and as a contributor to Percolate.

Visit www.katieeastman.com and www.recreatecounseling.com for more information

(August 2013, Hay House)

Pre-Order: Percolate

Do you have a voice inside you saying that you want something different?

Do you feel like you’re searching for something better, even if you don’t know exactly what it is?

When you hear words like consciousness, purpose, light, and awaken, do you wonder how they apply to your life? If you answered yes to any of these questions, have no fear—this book is here to help! It provides simple, clear, and understandable thoughts for a growing consciousness, even in a time when people are questioning everything from guiding principles to social structures. In our fast-paced world,

Percolate stands as a metaphor for how to move forward with growing awareness:

• To wake up to what is possible without losing sight of the simple and practical things that already exist

• To let your heart and mind brew powerful ideas, and your spirit float to the top like foam

• To live your best life and thrive

• Most important, to never give up

Grab a cup of joe, put your feet up, allow the steam to rise, and let your heart’s desire surface.

Once You Know

Gary Kobat — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:02:20 +0000

The truth is, we are pure love.

And at any moment we are giving love, or calling for love.

We are giving love when we know who we are.

We are calling for love when we forget who we are.

Simple.

When we feel happy, abundant, and peaceful, we are giving love
and in our natural state.

When we feel fear, anxiety, resentment, and or anger we are calling
for love because we have forgotten who we are.

Love.

In relationship, when both are giving love, it's powerful and divine.

When both are calling for love, drama, co-dependency, and conflict arise.

Once we know this, once we understand this, and once we stop and listen
to the other, relationship can be peaceful and effortless
- where the possibilities are Infinite.

World Class Athlete and Olympic "Mentalist," Gary Kobat, is quickly becoming the world's authority on mind, body, spirit, and sport. Gary is on a heart-felt mission to inspire millions of people to reveal their vibrational highest best self: mentally, physically, andspiritually. The author, international speaker, and Integrative Performance Coach mixes ancient wisdom with cutting-edge trends in human performance to focus his teachings and practiceon the importance of self-love and self-worth. Gary's client list is a who's who in film, business, and sport. For the past decade he has quietly assisted the spiritually, health, wellness, and longevity of Jim Carrey, Mariska Hargitay, Will Ferrell, and countless others.

Visit http://www.garykobat.com

The Bliss Point - Best Ever You

Mira and Jayson Calton - Calton Nutrition — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 14:30:00 +0000

On February 24, 2013, just a few days ago, the New York Times published an extremely disturbing article written by Michael Moss, titled The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food. If you have read it, then you know what we are talking about. If you haven’t, we urge you to do so now. The article takes the reader inside the rarely disclosed underworld of food manufacturing and exposes the ugly truth about food science and the deliberate intentions of big food conglomerates to create unhealthy, addictive foods in the name of greater financial gain regardless of the health consequences to us - their consumers. It explains how armies of food scientists are instructed to get as close as possible to what is considered to be the “Holy Grail” of addictive junk food, something industry insiders refer to as “the bliss point.” By dialing in the exact flavor, color and texture that creates the greatest amount of crave, food scientists work to push consumers to ingest as much of their franken-food as humanlypossible, by making it nearly impossible for them to put it down. The article directly reveals that these well known manufacturers are not only guilty of producing these addictive junk foods, but also knowledgeable as to how these foods are adding to the health conditions and obesity epidemic that is limiting the lifespan of our youth, and yet still relentlessly press their companies toward increased profits and market share no matter the human price.
One of the main ingredients the article points out as a commonly used tool of crave manipulation, is sugar. In Rich Food, Poor Food we identify sugar as one of our Poor Food ingredients—and explain to the reader its health depleting effects and addictive properties. The great effort required fight off a craving for sugars’ sweet taste is well documented; In fact, according to researchers out of the University of Bordeaux, refined sugar, the same ingredient added to many processed foods, is far more addictive than cocaine. This is one of the many reasons why we recommend removing it from your daily diet. It is time that we, as consumers, break free of the sugarcoated chains these contriving companies try to bind and control us with.
Additionally, when these companies want to reduce costs, and squeeze out higher profits, they often throw high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) into the mix. What they don’t want you to know is that HFCS, unlike sugar, does not trigger the secretion of leptin, a hormone that tells your brain when you are full. Because of this, eating foods that contain HFCS can lead to increased caloric consumption and obesity. HFCS consumption may also lead to an increased risk of heart disease because it has been shown to cause elevated triglyceride levels. The ramifications of a diet filled with HFCS are well documented and yet, products containing this Poor Food ingredient fill nearly every aisle in the grocery store. According to the USDA, greedy manufacturers are now filling the average American with sixty-three pounds of HFCS a year. We wonder how they can sleep at night knowing that they are profiting by selling this potentially genetically modified, corn-based inducer of obesity and heart disease to an unsuspecting public who has placed their misguided trust in them.

The deception of food science doesn't end there. There is an additional ingredient not discussed in the article, but widely used by U.S. food manufactures, which scientists worldwide recognize as an obesity inducer – Monosodium Glutamate (aka. MSG). MSG has long been used by food scientists to trick us into thinking a food tastes better than it really does. In fact, this flavor enhancer, found in nearly all processed foods in one form or another, has been shown to increase food consumption in animals by 40% and evidence suggests that it may produce similar responses in humans. MSG works so well that it is used to rapidly increase the weight of lab rats when overweight or obese rats are needed for various experiments. The food scientists hired by these unscrupulous monsters of manufacturing are well aware that like HFCS, MSG also works to induce obesity because it seems to make us leptin resistant. Recall that leptin is the hormone that makes us feel satiated. Why would you ever put down the bag of MSG-laden chips if your brain never actually receives the message to stop eating them?

The New York Times article also made it clear that the CEOs of America’s largest food companies are well aware of the fact, that the bagged, boxed and bottled products they are feverishly pushing onto society, are not only contributing to our obesity epidemic, but to the increase in diabetes and heart disease as well. In addition to everything else, MSG also causes the pancreas to secrete insulin, which drops your blood sugar quickly and makes you hungrier faster. When the body over-releases insulin, it can lead to insulin resistance, which food scientists are well aware can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and many other health problems.

Sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and MSG are all Poor Food ingredients that these companies are choosing, no, demanding be added into their products with the express intent of increasing what is known as their products “stomach share”- the amount of digestive space any one company’s brand can grab from the competition. That’s right, these manufacturers are vying for digestive space in your stomach. By following the Grocery Purchasing System (GPS) we give you in Rich Food, Poor Food you can exponentially increases food safety down every aisle of the grocery store by steering your cart towards food products that do not include these sneaky, sinister, crave-inducing ingredients. We also help you identify the numerous aliases these Poor Food ingredients are frequently hiding behind on the ingredient list.

These “Kings of Conventional Packaged Foods” need us to purchase their products in order to fill the bank accounts that supply the funds necessary to pay the food scientist to build their addictive consumer mousetraps. But we have news for them; their addictive foods cannot trap us, cause our obesity and decrease our life spans if we are educated enough not to purchase them in the first place. There is a war going on right now, and we, as a nation, need to take a stand against this type of disgusting and moralless behavior. We need to hit these manufactures where it hurts— in their bank accounts. By following the Rich Food, Poor Food Grocery Purchasing System and avoiding Poor Food ingredients and manipulative advertising you send a clear message to the food manufactures and grocery stores that they will not make money off of your ill-health. We need to cut the industry giants down to size and show them that they must be responsible for the products that they sell. As consumers we want to know that we are buying the safest, healthiest products that we can. Not products that these companies have manipulated to the point that we can’t stop eating them, but Rich Food products that add to our health in a meaningful way. While many of these “Grocery Store Gods,” like Frito-Lay, Yoplait, and Coco-Cola named in the New York Times article, feel that conning consumers with drug-like addictive foods is the way to go to increase profits, selling more with every obesity-inducing fix, are there other companies out there finding new ways to increase profits without jeopardizing the health of the American public? Is it even possible?

The answer is yes, and the good news is that food quality is now a trend that some conscientious companies are starting to pay close attention to. In 2011, the Hudson Institute, a think tank on public policy, reported that healthier foods have generated more than 70% of the growth in sales for consumer packaged-goods. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Michelle Obama brought to our attention the fact that the mega-store Walmart, has actually increased profits by recognizing this trend and listening to consumer cravings - not for sugary fixes - but for healthier produce and packaged products. Political viewpoints and methodology aside, she has attempted to keep a focus on food quality and childhood obesity throughout her time in the White House. The article reports that over the past two years Walmart reduced the cost of fresh produce to consumers by 2.3 million dollars and cut back the sugar content in the stores by 10%. This is by no means saying that they have eliminated sugar the way we do in Rich Food, Poor Food. However, it is a definite step in the right direction. Because of this first step, Walmart has seen stronger sales in their produce departments and consumers are feeling more confident in the fact that Walmart has honest concern for their wellbeing. Disney and Walgreens are also responding to this trend. Disney has eliminated ads for junk food from its children's programming and is improving the food served in Disney theme parks and Walgreens is adding fresh fruits and vegetables to its stores in underserved communities. Using these companies as examples we can clearly see that improving the health of the public, and supplying individuals with what they need to achieve good health, rather than what they crave due to health depleting, chemical influencers, can result in increased profitability and consumer confidence for a company. This is a lesson that the sly CEOs of America’s food manufacturers should pay attention to and stop disregarding people for profits.

And it is not just large companies that can benefit from this food quality trend. Smaller companies are popping up everywhere eager to manufacture health conscious products to fill the void in the current marketplace. You will find many of these smaller food manufacturers highlighted in Rich Food, Poor Food. These companies are producing products that leave out Poor Food ingredients and instead fill their bags, boxes and bottles with high quality, health-enhancing ingredients. We are thrilled to find that as consumers are made aware of these smaller companies, grocery stores begin to offer their brands as well. It is time for a RICH FOOD REVOLUTION, a grassroots movement that puts the power of choice back in our hands, the hands of the consumers. We feel we can literally change the landscape of the current grocery stores, crowding “the bliss point” filled packages right off the shelves and replacing them with safe, healthy options for our families to enjoy.

It is also time to dispel the myth that organic food has to be more expensive and sound the alarm concerning pesticides and their new link to obesity. In a 2011 study conducted by the Mercer University School of Medicine, researchers examined whether pesticide exposure measured in the urine of subjects 6 to 19 years old played a role in global childhood obesity. Researchers found a higher prevalence of obesity in the youth with high urinary concentrations of a pesticide known as 2,5-dichlorophenol (2,5-DCP) - one of the most widely used pesticides on the globe. But, GMO-monger Monsanto and other opponents of organic farming scream that growing organically would increase cost and decrease production. To this we cry FOUL! Recently, the 30-yearcomparative study of organic and conventional growing methods, carried out by the Rodale Institute revealed that the yield on organic and conventional plots showed no difference whatsoever in overall corn, soy or wheat production per acre. And, in years of drought, yields in organic plots were 30% higher than those in conventional plots. Rodale’s study even indicates that organic produce is more cost effective for farmers to grow than conventional produce. That’s right. Buying organic produce should be saving you money! It turns out that organic farms are almost twice as profitable as conventional ones! According to Mark Smallwood, the executive director of Rodale, there simply are not enough organic farms yet to bring down the prices (simple supply and demand). As our awareness of the ramifications of conventional growing increase, the number of organic farms will grow as well, and the prices will drop (along with the pounds being added due to pesticide toxicity.)

Finally, to those critics who say producing and purchasing healthy food is just too expensive, we share Michelle Obama’s words, “We spend $190 billion a year treating obesity-related health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, and a significant portion of those costs are borne by America's businesses. That's on top of other health-related costs like higher absenteeism and lower worker productivity, costs that will continue to rise and threaten the vitality of American businesses until this problem is solved once and for all.” Shame on those food manufactures pointed out in the New York Times article and others like them for not caring about the injury they are inflicting on the health of humanity by pushing their additive drug–like food products on the global population. Your reckless pursuit of the almighty dollar and the abominations you call food, scientifically engineered to reach the maximum “bliss point,” making it so that a typical consumer is no longer able to control their own food choices, are exactly what has pushed the entire American population to it’s “breaking point!” We hope the food scientists who create these colossal cravings read this and recognize the disservice they are doing to their families, friends and the nation. We applaud the companies, like Walmart, Disney, and Walgreens who are striving to meet the desires of the consumer by implementing conscientious advertising and offering healthier options in their stores and theme parks. And leaders like Michelle Obama who are bringing the issue of food quality and childhood obesity to the forefront. But we must do more if we want to turn around the health crisis America currently faces.

There is a plague among us that must be eradicated; it is no longer lurking in the shadows behind closed doors. It has been exposed through the brave words of Michael Moss and it is up to us to do something about it. Real change will start with you. So get out your flag of personal responsibility and start waving it. Step up and join the Rich Food Revolution, educate yourself and take control of your health through calculated action. This will not be a battle easily won, but it is a battle that must be fought if we are to save ourselves, and our children from the health conditions and diseases inflicted by the extraordinary science of addictive junk food.

The Caltons are among the world's leading experts on the topics of weight management, lifestyle medicine and micronutrient deficiency. Their high success rate working with adults and children to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse health and disease conditions has made their consultancy highly sought after by celebrities, athletes and top corporate executives around the world. It is their belief that becoming micronutrient sufficient is the first step towards preventing and reversing many of today's most prevalent health conditions and diseases. Visit http://www.caltonnutrition.com

Love The Body You Have Today

MIchelle Phillips — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:56:11 +0000

I’ve been doing a little reading and I am sad to report that according to recent statistics more than 80% of women are dissatisfied with their bodies, 65% of young girls think they are fat and dieting. Ladies of all ages, this has got to change!

Believing in who you are, and in how you look... is the foundation to achieving what you truly want out of life. I know this isn't always an easy thing to do but freeing yourself of negative self-thoughts is a huge step on your path to living a truly beautiful life.

The first, and possibly the most crucial step on that path though, is that even if you feel you need to lose a few pounds or get in better shape, start by loving the body you have right now.

Here are some suggestions to do just that:

Create an "I love myself because..." list
First, write down 20 things that you love about yourself. Your list may include your personality, kind heart, your sense of humor, compassion, smile, elbows, feet, etc. Include your talents and achievements, or various ways you're proud of yourself. If you have trouble with this exercise think about what your best friend would say about you. It's time to be your own best friend!

Take notice of the beauty around you.
Take a deeper look at nature surrounding you. It may be a tree, mountains, clouds, the moon, butterfly, a flower...is it perfect? Does it have imperfections, maybe a few blemishes on a leaf? Start to notice the beauty around you. Train your mind to let go of the "imperfections"

Who are your beautiful people?
Who do you admire and love? What is it that you love about them? Is it a person that exudes happiness? Joy? Love? Enthusiasm? These qualities that you love in the people you admire are what make them truly beautiful. As you begin to notice those qualities understand that those qualities are in you too.

Delete Negative Self-Talk
Every time you hear yourself talking negatively about how you look,..STOP! Instead, turn the negative into positive self-talk. Who needs another critic? You have the power to focus on the positive and change your own state of mind by deleting the negative self-talk whenever it shows up.

Appreciate your beautiful body
Women are familiar with their face, but not necessarily their body. Start to look at your body in the mirror. Study your shape and find the beauty. Notice how your body supports you and your daily life. If you stand there and detest your thighs, you are resenting a part of your body that you would certainly miss should you not have that beautiful leg anymore. Our bodies are beautiful vessels that support our gorgeous souls.

Cut the tags out of your clothes!
Don't buy a closet full of clothes that are too tight for you to fit into hoping that you'll be in them soon – those are just guilt garments that don’t make you feel good when you open your closet. Buy and wear clothes that fit the body you have today. They call it a "fitting room" for a reason. Size doesn't matter; it is all about how you feel in your clothes. My experience working with clients has proven over and over again that dressing the body you have today will help increase your self-esteem and in-turn weight will begin to fall away. When you feel better about yourself, you take better care of yourself. It's that simple!

Bestselling Author, National TV and Radio Host, Self-Image & Empowerment Coach, and Keynote Speaker

From National TV appearances to college campuses, fortune 500 corporations, and some of the biggest motivational venues in the world, Michelle Phillips has inspired millions! In 2011 alone, she shared her message on stages in the US and Canada as part of the Power of Women Tour with Sigourney Weaver, Suzanne Somers and Barbara Corcoran, and at the “I Can Do It!” event with inspirational icons Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay.

Among the many reasons Michelle is such a sought after speaker and coach is that she knows in today’s challenging personal and professional environment, success starts with the abilities to adapt to change, overcome obstacles, and build the self-esteem to flourish and grow. Michelle believes those skills lie in each of us and provides a proven process to bring these “success tools” to life. Visit http://www.michellephillips.com

Daydreaming or Imagining?

Dr. Margaret Paul — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:11:47 +0000

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein

We are often told that in order to manifest our dreams, we need to be able to imagine them. I have personally found this to be true, and I've also discovered that there is a big difference between imagining and daydreaming.

Imagining

You are imagining when you are open and allowing creativity from Spirit to flow through you. The state of imagining comes from your soul, your essence – your inner child.

When you are imagining, there is a sense of aliveness and excitement about what you are imagining. You are not thinking about things that cannot be – such as being taller than you are, or a different race than you are, or a different age than you are. Your imagining has some basis in reality – even if it seems far-fetched at the moment. After all, someone imagined flying in planes and computers and cell phones way before anyone thought these things were possible. But being younger than you are is not possible – you are the age you are and you can't go back.

It is your imagination that allows you to move toward manifesting what excites you.

The definitions of imagining and daydreaming can overlap – the distinction really has to do with whether you are imagining from your loving Adult as a form of creativity, or whether you are daydreaming from your ego wounded self as a way to avoid feelings.

Daydreaming

We might be tempted to say that daydreaming is a form of imagination, but often it is from the wounded self, and is an addictive way to avoid feelings. This kind of daydreaming does not lead to creative manifestation. If you are a 50-year-old businessman and you are daydreaming about making a touchdown for a major league team, you are likely using daydreaming to avoid taking responsibility for some painful feelings. Perhaps you've been abandoning yourself and causing your inner child to feel empty and alone inside, but you don't want to know that you are the one causing these feelings. You might then daydream about the winning touchdown as an addictive way of avoiding responsibility for your feelings.

I have worked with numerous clients who used daydreaming as one of their major addictions. For example, Tyrone started to daydream as a child when his parents used to punish him by sending him to his room. He would feel so alone that he learned to use daydreaming as a way to cope with his feelings of abandonment. It worked well for him as a child, but now as an adult, daydreaming is keeping him from being present with himself. Now, he is the one causing his inner child to feel abandoned, by turning to daydreaming rather than attending to his feelings. It gets to be a vicious circle with Tyrone, because the more he daydreams, the more abandoned and empty he feels, and he then turns to more daydreaming to avoid the inner emptiness.

Until Tyrone has the courage to shift his intent from protecting against his feelings to loving himself by learning to take responsibility for his feelings, he will continue to cause his inner emptiness. Daydreaming is also cutting off his imagination, as his daydreams have become scripted. He resorts to three or four daydreams, over and over, rather than connecting with his inner child and his Guidance and moving into creative imagination. This kind of daydreaming is keeping Tyrone stuck in his life.

Our imagination is a great gift – a connection with our Divine Source - when we use it from an inwardly connected loving Adult to create the life we want.

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is a best-selling author of 8 books, relationship expert, and co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding® process - featured on Oprah. Are you are ready to heal your pain and discover your joy? Click here for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com/welcome and visit our website at http://www.innerbonding.com for more articles and help. Phone Sessions Available. Join the thousands we have already helped and visit us now!

Make a Choice to Meet Pina De Rosa

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:05:58 +0000

How did you get to be where you are today?
Oh goodness, that is a long road, considering it all started in Italy where I was born, then French-speaking Switzerland where I was raised, moving to the US at 18, with a few months of living in Mexico & London in between ~ how I got here is A) the books my parents gave me B) an open spirit to keep following the YESes in life C) learning to trust, even when I may not like it or feel uncomfortable…

Have you ever been fired?
Once I quit and once we had a mutual partying of the ways.

What are your real passions?
Human Potential, Story-telling that inspires action, and Wellington, my GoldenDoodle

If you won the lotto what would you do?
I’d keep my same job as a Mindset Effectiveness Expert / Speaker / Coach in my company with a simple twist: a bigger staff to be able to impact a bigger audience, pay off my mom’s house & fund my brother’s 2nd feature film (he’s the director of the soon to be released http://www.FindingJoyTheMovie.com), donate to two children’s charities that are near to my heart (one is in the US, one is in Tanzania), invest wisely, hire a vegan chef, develop the marketing for my “ByeByeJetLag” Process so as to transform the travel industry, take my close girlfriends on an all-expenses paid 3week adventure Bora-Bora..Maldives or somewhere heavenly like that and spoil them with gifts, adventure & spa treatments, book an even bigger venue for my annual “Gratitude Summit & Gratitude Awards: Women Honoring Women”, so as to honor even more amazing women.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
Impacting even more people to live their fullest potential, be it through my TEDxtalk (and these might be people I may never meet), or though my current Mindset Mastery Coaching, or the book(s) I will write & publish.

What do you like to do in your personal life?
I love to connect people, organize things, travel to a new country every year and yes, I admit it, I love my visits to the hair salon – my favorite is Jennifer J, owner of Juan Juan Salons, of Quality of life is key to me: I burned out 7 years ago when I was 34, while I was in a job I was very passionate about –speaking & coaching for a personal development company; so now that I’ve been a solo-preneur for several years now, I love that I get to choose how my days are spent and that I get to make my schedule now. I think balance with friends’ time, alone time, self-care/exercise, is an important key to business-expansion.

Please give us one or two shameless plugs.
A) Definitely watch my TEDxtalk And then share it with at least 3
http://www.JenniferJBeauty.com
women you care about – they will thank you!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdlzlBIiecQ It’s been labeled as “instant empowerment”

B) Apply to do a 1-1 phone Strategy Session with me – my gift to you: complimentary application with more info on http://wwwGratitudeInternational.com http://www.PinaDeRosa.info

Please give us one plug for someone else or your favorite cause or charity.
My friend Tori & her sister Betsi are in business together…sisterpreneurs…and they are like the ‘Tom’s shoes of baby blankets’, i.e. for every baby blanket they sell, they give one to a child in need: http://www.lovemywoobie.com

What do you do to help stay your best ever?
Living the ‘Carpe Diem’ and truly living for the moment…learning to trust each day a little deeper…

How do you help other people be their best?
I discovered I have an innate ability to not only be able to identify someone’s inner block, but also to release that obstacle in a deep and permanent way - so I use that gift in my coaching practice, which is solely designed to support and empower people to be their best.

What is your favorite book to recommend to someone else to read?
“The Female Brain”, a classic, followed by one of my latest favorites is “Overcoming Underearning”

Tell us a secret ;)
I keep following the YESes and constantly stretch myself to trusting even deeper, even when I do not like it – but I do it anyway J

What is a favorite quote?
“You can be a leaf in the wind, or you can be the win” (by Pina De Rosa)

What is the way you recommend getting over an obstacle?
As I like to say, even if I were a brain surgeon, I could not perform brain surgery on myself ß--Get support, from either a professional like myself, or from one of your trusted friends – that’s what I did in order to overcome one of my biggest hurdles and trauma - you’ll know what I am referring to when you get to watch my TEDxtalk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdlzlBIiecQ Find a way to get over and past it in such a way that it becomes irrelevant, so you can soar!! The world needs you.

As a Mindset Effectiveness, a TEDxSpeaker, an Award Winning Producer and International & High Performance Results Coach, Pina De Rosa has been designing and leading live workshops, teleclasses and webinars for over 10 years now. She has been nominated for the Los Angeles Business Journal Woman Making A Difference 3 years in a row (2010, 2011 and 2012). She speaks 5 languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish and German) and holds 4 passports.

Pina has been nominated for the 2010, 2011 and the 2012 Los Angeles Business Journal Woman Making A Difference Award.

Besides keynote speaking at TEDx events, corporate events and leading her own events, she has shared the stage with Barbara De Angelis, Loral Langemeier, Michael Beckwith, Chris Howard, Alison Armstrong, Lisa Sasevich, Debbie Allen, Jill Lublin, Dr. Joanna Martin, Kerwin Rae, James Schramko, Lisa Haisha, Shellie Hunt, Chris Wise, Scott Martineau, Johnnie Cass, Sean Harris, Clinton Swaine, Benjamin Harvey, Todd Newton, Dave Vanhoose, Daven Michaels, Sean Bell, Larry Loik and Kelly O'Neil to name a few.

Pina has coached and trained thousands of people worldwide, from Los Angeles to London, from Sydney to Hong Kong and from Auckland to Kilimanjaro, with always the same commitment and results: empowering each client to live their fullest potential, delivering fast and lasting release of those internal blocks/fears/self-doubt that get in the way of us taking action & experiencing quality of life.

She is available to customize and lead workshops, and seminars for your private groups and organizations. Workshop length vary from 18minutes to a few hours, to 2-3 days, as well as powerful teleclasses.

Pina@GratitudeInternational.com call +1-310-625-7462

The Best Ever You Network was founded in 2008 by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content. We are dedicated to helping YOU and all people across the globe live life to the fullest by being their very best.

We provide unique content, creative insight and tools you can use in your everyday life through first hand experience with our collection of diverse experts and celebrities. We are a community of people making a difference all dedicated to helping you be your best and create and live your best life.

Our Mission Statement:
We're dedicated to helping you be your best! The Best Ever You Network is committed to giving you practical tips and tools you can use to be your very best. We feature Real People, Real Advice, Real Places, Real Products & Businesses, Real Life Stories, Real Celebrity Life and Real Change. We are dedicated to you.

Confident, Successful, Beautiful YOU, everyday.., the Best Ever You way!

True?

Gary Kobat — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:58:30 +0000

It's about time you know the truth.

None of your anxiety or fear-based emotions will ever bring you peace,
joy, love, and happiness,

The first step on the road to happiness is to embrace the infinite possibility and mindfulness of the present - where your light and enough-ness reside.

To release the information and judgments from your past - to mindfully come from
the no-thing-ness of the present - you get out of your head, and come
from your body: your breath, heart, unconditional love, and movement
which holds all the infinite wisdom of the universe in them.

Go ahead, go for it.

What do you have to lose except anxiety, guilt, shame, blame, turmoil, drama,
resentment, toxic energy, and fear?

Let them all go and get back to where you belong.

When you begin to concentrate on knowing your true self, and building a
new relationship with it, you stop focusing on and fixing others, and
realize you are the cause of our own distress and depression.

Remember, as long as your Ego looks outside of yourself -
peace and joy will not come.

Peace, joy, love, and happiness come only from knowing who you are -
not who someone else is.

Remember, when we're aware - mindful enough to be present: here,
now, worthy, willing, and ready - the possibilities are infinite.

Peace.

Gary

World Class Athlete and Olympic "Mentalist," Gary Kobat, is quickly becoming the world's authority on mind, body, spirit, and sport. Gary is on a heart-felt mission to inspire millions of people to reveal their vibrational highest best self: mentally, physically, andspiritually. The author, international speaker, and Integrative Performance Coach mixes ancient wisdom with cutting-edge trends in human performance to focus his teachings and practiceon the importance of self-love and self-worth. Gary's client list is a who's who in film, business, and sport. For the past decade he has quietly assisted the spiritually, health, wellness, and longevity of Jim Carrey, Mariska Hargitay, Will Ferrell, and countless others.

Visit http://www.garykobat.com

Love is Being There

Gary Kobat — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:53:00 +0000

Love Is: Being There.

You, as much as anybody in the entire universe,
deserves your love and affection.

There is only one of you.

No one sees the world exactly like you do.

No one else can nurture your dreams or feel your desires in your heart
like you can. You're the only one who has the exceptional opportunity
to truly know you and your path.

Loving yourself, being there for yourself is the greatest work you will do
in this life - it is your only work.

If you are not there, how can you love?

You are the bringer of love.

Without your presence, love cannot be.
Without your willingness to allow love to come through you, love cannot be.

Do you have enough time to love?

The most precious gift you can give to the one you love is your true
presence - to yourself, to those you love, to life.

If you feel lonely, unworthy of love, have pain, or no hope, no purpose,
or cannot trust - just know that that love is inside you, that you can
connect with it - accept yourself and life as it is, right now - that
every moment is a new opportunity.

Love is being there - for yourself.

Look yourself in the mirror today, and later, look across to your partner and say:
"I am here for you."

Go ahead - send yourself flowers - you deserve it.

Be the bringer of love - the possibilities are infinite.

Peace.

Gary

World Class Athlete and Olympic "Mentalist," Gary Kobat, is quickly becoming the world's authority on mind, body, spirit, and sport. Gary is on a heart-felt mission to inspire millions of people to reveal their vibrational highest best self: mentally, physically, and spiritually. The author, international speaker, and Integrative Performance Coach mixes ancient wisdom with cutting-edge trends in human performance to focus his teachings and practiceon the importance of self-love and self-worth. Gary's client list is a who's who in film, business, and sport. For the past decade he has quietly assisted the spiritually, health, wellness, and longevity of Jim Carrey, Mariska Hargitay, Will Ferrell, and countless others.

Visit http://www.garykobat.com

Nothing to Fear

Gary Kobat — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:21:10 +0000

Fear is Unreal.

Yeah, right you say - It sure feels real though.

Fear is an illusion.

It's unreal, created by forgetting, being detoured, getting off-course, forgetting who you really are as a powerful human being - by abandoning your true, powerful, loving self
- by not showing up for yourself and connecting to your amazing gifts .

The only difference between those with anxiety, stress, fear, and creations like being overweight and addicted or not - is that there are those that remember who they are.

They remember they are magnificent, lovable and loving human beings with tremendous amounts of worthiness and personal power that let go of the stories and drama so that peace, joy, and love can reveal themselves.

Love that is already there.

The only thing that is real - is Love.
It already exists, inside.
Inside you, inside me, inside them.

Our Essence is Love.

Who we are is Love.
Love without conditions - Unconditional Love.

And Love lives. Our Spirit lives, forever.

We have absolutely nothing to fear.

Remember who you are - the possibilities are infinite.

Peace.

Gary

World Class Athlete and Olympic "Mentalist," Gary Kobat, is quickly becoming the world's authority on mind, body, spirit, and sport. Gary is on a heart-felt mission to inspire millions of people to reveal their vibrational highest best self: mentally, physically, and spiritually. The author, international speaker, and Integrative Performance Coach mixes ancient wisdom with cutting-edge trends in human performance to focus his teachings and practiceon the importance of self-love and self-worth. Gary's client list is a who's who in film, business, and sport. For the past decade he has quietly assisted the spiritually, health, wellness, and longevity of Jim Carrey, Mariska Hargitay, Will Ferrell, and countless others.

Visit http://www.garykobat.com

Plank and Simple Way to Remove Belly Fat

Bonnie Pfiester — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:16:38 +0000

There is one common problem area on most women – the dreadful pooch. Even when a woman’s body fat is low, they can still have a rounded tummy. Why? Because their muscles aren’t strong enough to hold their tummy flat.

Picture the ab muscles acting like tie down straps. As you engage your core muscles and tighten your tummy, it’s like cranking on the ratchet to pull everything in. As your muscles get stronger, it is easier to hold your tummy flat. But, if your abdominal muscles are weak, you only can hold your stomach flat for a few seconds or minutes – and some people can’t even pull the tummy in at all.

The more you work your abdominals, and engage the core, the stronger and tighter those muscles will get, making it easier to hold your stomach. Sit ups and crunches are always the go-to exercise, but there is one exercise that is often left out of routines that trains your core to improve posture, tighten the waistline, and flatten the stomach all in one exercise – it’s called a plank.

You’ll never work so hard staying so still.

It’s funny how holding a position still is so much work. Your arms will tremble, your core will burn, your body will wobble around and your body will drip with sweat. You’ll grunt, moan and pant – and you’re eyes will be glued to the clock until it reaches 0 so you can have relief. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Give it a try today.

Try to do all three rounds with NO rest (don’t even let your knees or hips drop once). If you MUST rest, set rules, like only allow 5 seconds rest after round one. Set goals each time you do this workout. Slowly increase your time from 30 seconds each to 40 seconds each, etc until you reach 1 minute each for 3 rounds. This workout can always be amped up by increasing length of time, or number of rounds.

Bonnie Pfiester is a Fitness Columnist and Lifestyle Coach, Resident Trainer for Designer Whey, Fitness Advisor for FitStudio, powered by Sears, FitFluential Ambassador and Owner of Max Fitness Club, home of BCx Boot Camp in Vero Beach, Florida.

Scholarship Application Tips

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:08:08 +0000

The high cost of a college education means that a lot of students are looking for financial aid to help pay for it. But the competition can be stiff. According to the most recent National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, only 5.5 percent1 of undergraduate students received non-athletic scholarships. What can students do to give themselves the best chance of receiving some much-needed scholarship money?
"Start your search and application process as early as possible," says Tiffany Turner, Program Manager at International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc., who manages 30 scholarship programs including Foresters(tm) Competitive Scholarship Program2. "Give yourself plenty of time to find scholarships that fit your skills and needs. And most applications will require essays and letters of recommendation, so you want to make sure you have plenty of time to pull those together."
Turner also encourages students to apply for as many scholarships as they qualify for. "There aren't a lot of big, full-ride scholarships available, but many smaller scholarships can add up to a surprising amount."

The Scholarship Application
When applying for scholarships, attention to detail is an important step to success:
* Follow directions carefully. Make sure you have all the supporting materials required, but don't include anything that is not requested.
* Fill out the entire application. Don't skip any questions. If one doesn't apply to you, make a note of that on the application. If you're not sure how to answer, you can contact the scholarship coordinator.
* Proofread carefully. Typos and grammar errors can hurt your chances. Have a parent or teacher double-check your application.
* Watch all deadlines. Set up a calendar for application deadlines and make sure you meet them. If you miss one, your application won't be considered.

Many scholarship applications require some kind of written essay or letter.
* Be specific. Focus on the topics the application requires. Use concrete examples rather than vague, general statements.
* Be yourself. This is your chance to show scholarship providers what kind of person you are and why they should help pay for your education. Let your personality come through, and include details that reveal who you really are.
* Be honest. Never exaggerate grades, skills or experience. If you find yourself feeling the need to do so, you're probably not applying for the right scholarship.

Volunteering and community involvement plays a big role in awarding today's scholarships. "More and more scholarship providers are looking for well-rounded students who not only take their studies seriously, but also have a long-term commitment to their local communities," said Turner.

For example, Foresters, an international life insurance provider committed to family well-being, offers the Foresters Competitive Scholarship worth up to $8,000 for eligible customer members and their spouses, children and grandchildren. In addition to academic requirements, applicants must have performed a minimum of 40 hours of community service in the 24 months leading up to the application deadline.
"Do some research on the organization providing the scholarships," Turner said. "You may find that successful applicants have volunteered more than the minimum, and that can make a difference in their award decisions."
You can find local volunteer opportunities by searching www.volunteermatch.org, and find or create your own teen-specific charitable projects at www.dosomething.org. Foresters also provides volunteer opportunities for its customer members.
Finding and applying for scholarships is a big process. But, when done right, it can help you achieve your goal of going to college.

Learn more about Foresters scholarships at www.foresters.com.
Foresters(tm) is the trade name and a trademark of The Independent Order of Foresters, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9; its subsidiaries are licensed to use this mark.
1National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/awardcount.phtml#NPSAS
2This program is administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. Only eligible Foresters members and their families can apply for these scholarships. Foresters member benefits are non-contractual, subject to eligibility requirements and limitations and may changed or cancelled without notice. For details, visit foresters.com.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Founded 2008

The Best Ever You Network was founded in 2008 by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content. We are dedicated to helping YOU and all people across the globe live life to the fullest by being their very best.

We provide unique content, creative insight and tools you can use in your everyday life through first hand experience with our collection of diverse experts and celebrities. We are a community of people making a difference all dedicated to helping you be your best and create and live your best life.
Our Mission Statement:
We're dedicated to helping you be your best! The Best Ever You Network is committed to giving you practical tips and tools you can use to be your very best. We feature Real People, Real Advice, Real Places, Real Products & Businesses, Real Life Stories, Real Celebrity Life and Real Change. We are dedicated to you.

Confident, Successful, Beautiful YOU, everyday.., the Best Ever You way!

Healthy Indulgences

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:35:18 +0000

Instead of cheating on your diet, start a love affair with foods that taste great and are packed with nutritional benefits.

“Eating healthy lets you look and feel your best, which is why I try to incorporate at least one of what I call ‘Foods with Benefits,’ such as eggs, into every meal of the day,” said Candice Kumai, chef and cookbook author. “Eggland’s Best is my choice of eggs because they contain double the amount of omega-3s, twice the amount of vitamin D, 10 times more vitamin E, 35 percent more lutein and 25 percent less saturated fat when compared to ordinary eggs.”
Candice’s Favorite Foods with Benefits

—Eggs — Better for you eggs, such as Eggland’s Best, are a lean protein source loaded with vital nutrients such as vitamin D, vitamin E, lutein, omega-3s, which are beneficial for heart health and healthy eyes.

—Potatoes — Filled with key nutrients such as fiber, iron and vitamins C and B6, which help regulate blood pressure and promote a healthy brain.

—Asparagus — A great source of fiber, iron, folate and vitamins A and K, which support the digestive system and fight inflammation.

—Peaches — Contain beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, fiber and antioxidants, which promote a healthy immune system and combat disease.

For more recipes like these, which are packed with nutritional benefits, visit www.egglandsbest.com.

Sweet Peach Custard Pie
Makes 12 servings
Recipe by Candice Kumai
Crust
            1/2       cup unsalted butter
            1 1/4    cup flour
            1          teaspoon sea salt
            2          tablespoons sugar
            3          tablespoons cold water
Custard
            3/4       cup almond milk
                                    (unsweetened)
            3/4       cup nonfat Greek yogurt
            1          cup sugar
            2          teaspoons cornstarch
            1          teaspoon vanilla
            2          tablespoons gluten-free flour
            2          Eggland’s Best large eggs
            2          cups sliced peaches, fresh
                                    or frozen
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add butter, flour, salt and sugar into food processor and pulse until mixture has a sandy texture.
Add water in slowly, and pulse until dough comes together. Remove and form into a disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Roll out dough and place in pie plate. Line crust with parchment paper and fill with dried beans.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool. Discard parchment and beans.
Whisk together milk, yogurt, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and flour in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until hot. Do not boil.
In separate bowl, whisk Eggland’s Best eggs until smooth and frothy. Slowly add warm liquid mixture into eggs, a little at a time, whisking constantly. Let mixture stand 3 to 5 minutes until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Add custard mixture to cooled crust and top with peaches. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until custard is set in the center. Chill before serving.

Sunny-Side Up Eggs Over Asparagus
Makes 2 servings
            1          bunch asparagus, woody ends
                                    trimmed
                        Cooking spray
            2          Eggland’s Best large eggs
            1          tablespoon olive oil (optional)
            1          teaspoon Parmesan cheese
                                    (optional)
            1          teaspoon breadcrumbs
                                    (optional)
            1/4       cup chopped red peppers
                                    (optional)
Fill medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Submerge asparagus and cook for approximately 2 minutes, maintaining a bright green color and slight crunch. Immediately remove asparagus and shock it in a bowl of ice water. Reserve.
Coat medium size skillet with cooking spray. Crack two Eggland’s Best eggs into pan and cook over medium heat until the whites set and the edges of the eggs are cooked.
Place asparagus on plate, making an even layer. Remove eggs from the pan using a slotted spatula and place on top of asparagus. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs or red peppers, if desired. Can also be served on two pieces of whole wheat toast.

Tortilla Española
Makes 6 servings
Recipe by Candice Kumai
            1/4       cup Spanish extra virgin olive
                                    oil, divided
            5          to 6 potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
            1          yellow onion, fine diced
            8          Eggland’s Best large eggs
            1          cup Spanish olives, pitted,
                                    chopped
            3/4       cup roasted red pepper,
                                    thinly sliced
                        Parsley, chopped
            1/2       teaspoon sea salt
In medium non-stick skillet, place 2 tablespoons olive oil in cold pan and add potato slices. Turn heat up to medium high. Sauté, covered, until potatoes are soft but not crispy, approximately 15 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil in a second sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, without any color, 5 to 7 minutes.
Once potatoes and onions are all golden and cooked through, set aside to cool.
In large mixing bowl, crack Eggland’s Best eggs and whisk well. Gently stir in cooled potatoes and onions. Add in chopped olives, roasted red peppers and chopped parsley. Season with sea salt.
Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. In hot pan, add potato and egg mixture. Reduce heat and cook until rim of eggs and center of tortilla is cooked through.
Place large plate over top of sauté pan and flip tortilla over. If needed, you can place tortilla back into pan with cooked side up and cook thru until yellow side cooks to a golden brown. Slice into pie pieces and serve warm.

The Best Ever You Network was founded in 2008 by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content. We are dedicated to helping YOU and all people across the globe live life to the fullest by being their very best.

We provide unique content, creative insight and tools you can use in your everyday life through first hand experience with our collection of diverse experts and celebrities. We are a community of people making a difference all dedicated to helping you be your best and create and live your best life.

Our Mission Statement:
We're dedicated to helping you be your best! The Best Ever You Network is committed to giving you practical tips and tools you can use to be your very best. We feature Real People, Real Advice, Real Places, Real Products & Businesses, Real Life Stories, Real Celebrity Life and Real Change. We are dedicated to you.

Confident, Successful, Beautiful YOU, everyday.., the Best Ever You way!

Be Your Best on Twitter

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:37:00 +0000

Join Elizabeth on February 26, 2013 at 1pm on BlogTalkRadio University Hosted by BlogTalkRadio's Chitra Agrawal. Elizabeth will be speaking for one hour about these and other tips for using Twitter. Call in for the show is (323) 843-6062 or the link is http://www.blogtalkradio.com/marketingclub/2013/02/26/top-10-tips-for-using-twitter

Avoiding Twitter? Baffled by Twitter? Do you think you're all set with just Facebook and that's plenty to keep up with?

Well, welcome to "Twitter Denial." That's my official diagnosis for what plagued me, until one day I heard the birds chirping.

I too, looked at it and thought “Why in the world would I ever use this?” Now here I am a few years later with over 100,000 followers. and was just named one of the Top 3 small businesses in social media from The Shorty Awards.

So Twitter has my attention and hopefully if it doesn't have yours, we can change that. I’ve used it to help my business and my radio show and will continue to use it to help others promote their endeavors as well.

I’d like to help you learn 10 ways you can improve your social media presence by using Twitter and be #awesome (pronounced: "hashtag awesome")

You Are Not Too Old
1.       Grab your bifocals and get on Twitter. Yes, I know you are "already on Facebook" and "that's plenty." Yes, I know the phone is too small to see. Yes, I know you miss books, magazines and the days when milk was delivered to your doorstep. I hear you. Minus the milk delivery, I said basically the same thing. I'm nearly 44 and I thought I was too old. Think again. The most common reason for not joining Twitter that I hear is "I am too old for that."

That, to me, is code for "I just don't understand how to use this." You are not alone. People say "I'm too old" and "What's the point" to me often. Get over it and try. I will show you how to comfortably connect with me and others and in no time, you'll be up chirping at the crack of dawn like the rest of us.

Oh, and I’m finally using Twitter on my new smart phone too. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you can find me perched behind my laptop/desktop too, I am over 40, you know.   My kids at first found it annoying and now they think it is cool. Just last night I heard that I have more followers than some popular TV show they watch. #awesome.

Lose the excuses and go to http://www.Twitter.com and join.

Learn New Concepts
2. It's hard for us, over a certain age to just dive right in a learn new things, but for this we need to teach you a few new things and you need to learn some new words.

#Getwithit
The first step is to go to http://www.twitter.com and join. You will create a name. So for example, mine is BestEverYou. On Twitter that makes me @BestEverYou or you can visit my page at http://www.twitter.com/BestEverYou.

Once you have your username all set, to use Twitter, look at the home page and Compose a tweet. The concept is much like texting only instead of using a phone number to deliver your message, you are going to type in, for example "Hello @BestEverYou"

You then check your @Connect for information coming to you from others.

From any tweet you can reply or retweet. Retweet means to share information to your followers that someone has sent you.

So Just try that and tweet me to learn.

#Hashtag
Let's go over "internet speak" too while we are at it. It's talking short, talking text, shortening words and using slang. #awesome for example, isn't "pound awesome" or "pound-sign awesome". It is "hashtag awesome". (I'll explain what I hashtag is shortly.)

A # (hashtag) is something fairly useful that helps you keep up what is popular or trending on Twitter.

Lose the Excuses
3. Why Not Give It a Try. “What’s the point of it?” or “I don’t get it” or “This is stupid” or “This is dumb” are the next reasons I run into for not being on Twitter. Remember, while learning this, your brain goes on hold and suspend your notions that this is for kids/texters. It's useful and a great free promotion tool! It's so easy that people try to over-complicate it, Usually people wind up saying, "That's It? This is so easy!!"

What's Your Why?
4. For Dell'Amore in Vermont, their "why" seemed clear. "We are a business and need to connect with more consumers via social media, It's a great way to expose our brand to an audience we might not reach otherwise. In addition, sharing company news, recipes, etc with our growing fan base is very rewarding," says Frank Dell'Amore, Owner.

For others, the point may be more blurry to just connect with others, find friends, etc... I'd encourage everyone to find their why. In other words, join, learn it and then discover why you are there. Usually the reasons you are there become more clear as time passes. I know one grandma, my mom, who loves connecting with her grandkids on social media and can really talk to them about what they are involved in because she is paying attention to their world.

It really can be whatever you want it to be or not be. The possibilities are never-ending.

Pay Attention and Be Present
5. The world around you right now is on social media. Be Present. This means to your children too. If you aren't connected with your friends, family, co-workers, children and others on Twitter, Facebook or other social media circles you could be missing out. Try to keep up. Technology is changing.

As far as your kids are concerned, as a mom of 4 teenage boys, I would caution that you are not fully present and submerged in their world for real if you are not connected with them on these mediums. Parent nods and 1/2 listening or partially paying attention don't work. Pay attention. Tweet, text, facebook, get on Xbox, etc...

It's also not totally safe to have them on the internet and not be paying attention to what they are doing. This includes video games as those are from the internet now also with headphones and live chats with others around the world.

The Biggest Mistake People Make on Twitter
6. The most common mistake I see being made is a ton of information being sent out by a user, but no retweets, replies or interactions. So let me teach you: Find me @BestEverYou. Go to Twitter and type hello @BestEverYou.   You have officially tweeted.    Here’s the thing: You aren’t done. Now go back on twitter and check your @Connect. You will see interactions and mentions.   These are the areas where people have tweeted about you or to you. You have some choices. Ignore it and keep using twitter wrong or reply or retweet. Information on Twitter flows in circles, not just in one way street fashion.

It's Not All About You
7.       Go back to Kindergarten and learn to share: Gone are the ME, ME, ME – I, I, I days. It’s us and we. Together.   A good rule of the twitter verse or any social media format is 1-2 things about you promoting you and 10-15 about others and get on the retweets!   Find your social media buddy and cross-promote, share, retweet and increase that circle to 10-15 people you know that you can count and and more importantly they can also count on you.

Connect with these Twitter Users.
Search on Twitter for what interests you. Don't be afraid to connect with new people. Here are some Twitter peeps I recommend: @FredCuellar @GreenSkyDeb @BlogTalkRadio @GabeBerman @DebraOakland @DrAlexConcorde @DrKatieE @HeshieSegal @Joe_Schoolcraft @KeithKeller @DabneyPorte @LisaTener @DrDavidFraser

Vote
8.       Get out there and VOTE! One of the nicest social media gestures just might be a vote or a retweet. You will see lots of people asking for you to vote and share. Do it. It helps another person.

Find Your Twitter Circle
9.         Find your social media buddy and cross-promote, share, retweet and increase that circle to 10-15 people you know that you can count and and more importantly they can also count on you. Share information. Pay attention to each other. These become people you can trust in a spam-filled environment.

Size Doesn't Matter
10.     Size doesn’t matter. Number crunchers will ask: How many followers? How many fans? Really?? Don’t compare and despair, just do your best. If you reach one person and treat them with kindness and respect, you are both better off as a result of connecting in social media. That is the goal. Treat others with kindness and respect.

Hay House author, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network and host of top-rated program The Best Ever You Show, on Blog Talk Radio. Elizabeth, a mom of four boys, has a degree in Mass Communications and Broadcasting, is a Certified Professional Life Coach and is a food allergy expert and survivor. The Best Ever You Network (www.besteveryou.com) is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content to help you be your best. Elizabeth's book Percolate - Let Your Best Self Filter Through is set to be released August 20, 2013 (Hay House)

Click here to follow me or find me on Twitter. @BestEverYou

ps- If you see a typo, just let me know ;)

Who? Me? Meditate?

Sherri Rosen — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:32:50 +0000

At the beginning of the New Year I had posted 10 Tips on Keeping Healthy in 2013 and one of my suggestions was meditation.

When meditation was first suggested to me years ago my reaction was “Who? Me? Meditate?” The thought of sitting with myself; doing nothing was crazy making for me. So I decided to do it for at least 5 minutes a day. That was all I could tolerate. I slowly, very slowly from the 5 minutes began increasing the time. It got to a point that I could actually meditate for hours at a time.  I even lived at a Buddhist Retreat Center for 2 years, but that is a whole other story.

My mind was crazy with thoughts. So crazy that I thought I was hopeless when I first began meditating. I would wander, fantasize, fall asleep, criticize myself, until I began to realize that this is what we do to ourselves on a daily basis. We beat ourselves up. And I found that meditation isn’t something that would help calm me down immediately, but it began to give me an awareness of just how many crazy making thoughts we all have.  Some people refer to our craziness of our thoughts as “Monkey Minds.”

Our culture does not support contemplation.  The culture enforces us to go, go, go, watch a lot of TV, play video games, and wants to constantly keep us distracted from our day- to- day life.  So half the time we don’t even understand or care why we are doing the things we are doing.  We mindlessly say or do things that can hurt people, make decisions hastily, and never really sit with ourselves and understand why we do the things that we do.  When I get into a cab or an elevator in NYC, I don’t want to automatically have a TV screen go on and sell me things and keep talking to me.  I want quiet or I just want to talk to the cab driver.  But all of this noise comes at me.  Yuck!!!

I never gave up with the meditation, and began to see that my mind did become calmer, and it began to affect how I would live my daily life. Such as making more rational decisions, being in touch when I was fearful and realizing not making decisions coming from that fear based placed, how judgmental I was, and how I wasn’t being supportive to myself. This isn’t an overnight process, it takes a long time. I also began to learn about patience towards myself and others.

My life and decision making has changed dramatically since meditating, and I so urge you to begin and begin now, even if it’s for 5 minutes a day. You will slowly begin to see what kind of a “monkey mind” you have and learn about calming yourself down and relaxing and being in the moment.  I was also a chatterbox and we would have times when I would meditate with others and I always needed a reason to chat, and to ask someone “What time is it?”  Where is the bathroom?”  “When is lunch?” Find something to distract me within the silence, that at first was deafening to me. “ Me, coming from dynamic and energetic New York City and I am supposed to just sit and be quiet. Hell no!”

The Dalai Lama, is a high lama in the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism, and had once participated in a scientific experiment where they had some of his long practicing monks of meditation tested right after their sessions of meditation and the results showed remarkable and positive changes in one’s brain.And  you will also see changes in both of your personal and business decisions and you will see  your health improve. Who wouldn’t feel better feeling calmer, more relaxed, making decisions from a stable place rather than out of fear. It will open you up to many possibilities, and your creativity and innovativeness. Again, not immediately, but be patient with yourself and you will learn to be patient with others.

One more important point.  There are many Buddhist Centers in major cities that give free meditation classes usually on Sunday mornings, and you don’t have to be affiliated with the center in any way. You can go online and Google “Buddhist Centers” in your local area and you will find many giving the times that they give free meditation.

In 1991 while working for Naura Hayden on her self-published book How To Satisfy A Woman Every Time and Have Her Beg For More, Sherri Rosen helped make this book a bestseller within six months, and the book stayed on the NY Times Bestseller List for 63 weeks, making the author millions of dollars.

Sherri worked with sex therapist and author Dr. Barbara Keesling (How To Make Love All Night And Drive A Woman Wild In Bed) in nailing a 5-page spread in Playboy for Barbara and having her interviewed on The Howard Stern Show.

Sherri has done presentations on publicity at The Learning Annex, at their publishing convention, the prestigious NYU Summer Publishing Institute, and in literary agent Sheree Byofsky’s class at NYU. She is consistently interviewed on radio and television about her work. While in a 3-year course of study on healing trauma, she did publicity for the creator, Dr. Peter Levine, and after 9/11, obtained radio interviews for him throughout the country and assisted setting up a trauma hotline in New York City.

She also works with writers in manuscript development, book proposals, outreach to publishers and agents along with helping authors create their own eBooks.

Sherri worked at Tricycle Magazine for two years, working on publicity nationally for their event once a year in Central Park called “Change Your Mind Day.” The event began in NYC and spread to 40 cities throughout the country. While there, she did a successful publicity campaign for author Stephen Batchelor and his book Buddhism Without Belief. She met and worked alongside other such notables as Amy Gross, who was Editor-in-Chief of O Magazine; Joan Halifax, author and teacher; Mark Epstein, author; Jeff Zaleski, who was book review editor at Publisher’s Weekly; Helen Tworkov, past Editor in Chief of Tricycle Magazine.

Sherri uses the following tagline for her publicity company: “We Believe in Hard Work and Magic!” because the hard work and magic is inevitable whenever she’s working for a client. She has secured interviews on Oprah, Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS This Morning and was interviewed by Daisy Marlyes, Publishers’ Weekly, after Naura Hayden’s book went to the NY Times Bestseller List.

Before embarking on a publicity career, she was in live theatre in NYC from 1985-1990. She studied acting at HB School of Drama from 1975 to 1980. Sherri graduated from Empire State College, NYC, in l994, obtaining a degree in Theatre and Human Relationships. She is a published writer who has published two ebooks; the most recent, Give Me Your Truth has won two book awards. In addition to her ebooks, she writes articles for Examiner.com and for ElephantJournal.com,TheGoodmenProject.com, and for her own Redhead’s Rap Blog ; needless to say Sherri is a woman who knows how to live life to it’s fullest!

Banned Bad Boys - Rich Food - Poor Food

Mira and Jayson Calton — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:37:28 +0000

Banned Bad Boys Ingredient list and RICH FOOD, POOR FOOD update.

Well, it is really getting exciting here at Calton Nutrition.  We have been travelling back and forth to NYC to begin doing media for the launch of Rich Food, Poor Food (Feb 26th tell your friends!).  So many of you who saw the us on FOX and FRIENDS either during the week or on the weekend addition wrote us asking that we post the information here on our blog for you to print out and to share.

VIEW THE VIDEOS HERE

We apologize that it took us a couple of days, but travel tends to bury us for a day or two catching up on all of your emails. (You do still want us to answer each and every email, like we currently do, right?) But, we want to make sure this information is available and easy to find - so here you go.  Remember, as a consumer if you stop purchasing foods that contain these banned ingredients you are sending a clear message to manufacturers that they need to make changes, to increase food quality, before you spend you hard earned money on their products. Vote by spending that all mighty dollar only on products whose manufacturers are giving you safe, healthy ingredients.

“If the people let government decide what food they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.”
—Thomas Jefferson, 1781

Without further adieu here are a few excerpts from Rich Food, Poor Food describing the Banned Bad Boys:

Banned Ingredient #1: Counterfeit (Artificial) Colors

Aka Red 40, Blue #1, Blue #2, Yellow #5, Yellow #6

We eat with our eyes as much as we eat with our mouths . . . maybe more. Recent studies have shown that when food manufacturers left foods in their natural, (often beige-like) colors instead of coloring them, individuals thought they tasted bland and ate less, even when the recipes had not been altered.

Until the twentieth century, food coloring was obtained from natural sources. People gathered spices, like saffron and turmeric, to add rich hues to their otherwise bland colored foods. While this method may have been somewhat limiting in shades, at least it was safe. Today, most artificial colors are made from coal tar. Not familiar with this fine product? Coal tar is also used in sealcoating products to preserve and protect the shine of industrial floors. It also appears in head lice shampoos to kill off the small bugs. From your morning yogurt to your child’s cupcake sprinkles, most every food manufactured contains coal tar in the form of artificial colors. Here is why they are banned:

Blue #1 and #2 Banned in Norway, Finland, and France, studies have shown them to cause brain cancer and inhibit nerve-cell development.
Yellow #5 and yellow #6 Banned in Norway and Austria, it contains the cancer-causing compounds benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl. Six of the eleven studies on yellow #5 showed that it caused genotoxicity, a deterioration of the cell’s genetic material with potential to mutate healthy DNA.
Red 40 may contain the carcinogenic contaminant p-Cresidine and is thought to cause tumors of the immune system. In the UK, it is not recommended for children, and it is currently banned in many European nations.
FOUND IN: cake, candy, mac ‘n cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet food and cheese.

Banned ingredient #2 - Olestra

Aka Olean

It took Procter & Gamble Co. a quarter century and half a billion dollars to develop its Olestra fat substitute, but it didn’t take long for many countries, including the UK and Canada, to ban it. This fat substitute causes a dramatic depletion of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids. This makes Olestra an actual Everyday Micronutrient Depleter (EMD), robbing us of the vital micronutrients that our foods should be delivering. However, this bad boy takes it to the next level by actually causing severe gastrointestinal disturbances. While adding Olestra to the ingredients may make your chips “light”, it may also cause embarrassing bathroom fright.

Found in: Ruffles Light, Lay’s WOW, and Pringles Fat Free potato chips.

Banned ingredient #3 – Brominated Vegetable Oil

Aka BVO

BVO acts as an emulsifier in soda and sports beverages preventing the flavoring from separating and floating to the surface. BVO is an Everyday Micronutrient Depleter (EMD) due to its competition with iodine for receptor sites in the body, causing what is called a “brominated thyroid.” Elevated bromide levels have been implicated in every thyroid disease, from simple hypothyroidism to autoimmune diseases to thyroid cancer. However, simply stripping your body of an essential micronutrient that so many people are already deficient in isn’t BVO’s only sin.

This bad boy is composed mainly of bromine, a poisonous chemical whose vapors are considered both corrosive and toxic. BVO is banned in more than 100 countries. In the U.S. its use is regulated by the FDA to the extent that it is “PERMITTED IN FOOD OR IN CONTACT WITH FOOD ON AN INTERIM BASIS PENDING ADDITIONAL STUDY.”(its been 42 years – that’s some interim!) It doesn’t sound like our government is too sure of its safety either. This may be because BVO has been linked to major organ system damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss.

Found in: Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Crush, Sun Drop, Squirt and Fresca.

Banned ingredient #4: Potassium Bromate

Aka Brominated Flour

Do you notice anything familiar about the name potassium bromate? That’s right! It is made of the same toxic chemical bromine as brominated vegetable oil. This hazardous flour-bulking EMD strengthens dough, decreasing the time needed for baking and thereby reducing costs. This product is harmful because it may cause kidney or nervous system disorders and gastrointestinal discomfort. Additionally, it may be carcinogenic.

The good news is that American bread manufacturers tell us that it disappears from the product during baking, and deem that potassium bromate is safe as there is only negligible residue. However, the pastry chefs in Paris disagree. In fact, government regulatory bodies in Europe, Canada, China, and many other countries have banned the use of this additive. In California, if potassium bromate has been added, a product must carry a warning label. While the FDA has not banned the use of bromated flour, they do urge bakers to voluntarily leave it out.

Found in: Baja Burrito Wraps, Jason Bread Crumbs, Mastroianni Bros Rolls, and New York brand flatbreads and bagel chips.

Banned ingredient #5: Azodicarbonamide

This chemical, whose name just rolls right off the tongue, is banned in Australia, the UK, and in most European countries. In Singapore you can get up to fifteen years in prison and penalized nearly half a million dollars in fines for using it as an ingredient. But here, in the good old U S of A, we use this chemical that is primarily used in foamed plastics (think yoga matts and sneaker soles) to bleach flour. In other countries they have to wait a whole week for flour to naturally whiten. Not here! Instead, we add this asthma-causing allergen to numerous grocery store ingredient lists. Examine the labels closely on breads and baked goods before putting them in your cart.

Found in: Stroehmann’s Breads, Betty Crocker Suddenly Salads, Country Hearth Breads, Hungry Man Dinners, and Entenmann’s Baked Goods.



Banned ingredient #6: The Butylated Brothers

Aka BHA and BHT

Manufactured from petroleum (yummy!) these waxy solids act as preservatives to prevent food from becoming rancid and developing objectionable odors. The U.S. National Institute of Health reports that BHA is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on evidence of carcinogenicity in rats. The state of California lists this ingredient as a carcinogen. Banned in England, many other European countries, and Japan, BHA and BHT can be found in butter, meats, breakfast cereals, chewing gum, dehydrated potatoes, and beer sold in the United States.

Found in: Post, Kellogg’s and Quaker Cereals, Chex Mix, Diamond nuts; and Wrigley’s, Trident, Bazooka, and Bubble Yum gums.

NOTE:  In a 2006 study, the essential oils from natural rosemary and sage performed better at preventing oxidative decay and loss in meat than a combination of BHA and BHT. Perhaps manufacturers should be adding in organic herbs and spices instead of carcinogens to improve the shelf life of their products.

Remember, these are only 6 of the 150 Poor Food ingredients that RICH FOOD, POOR FOOD steers you clear of in the grocery store.  Make sure to order your copy today so that you can safely navigate your grocery cart and fill it with the most vitamin and mineral packed RICH FOODs available.

ALSO….Many of you also asked when the Rich Food Resource Center would launch.  The virtual doors swing open on February 26.  This is where you will find a slew of incredible and valuable resources such as exclusive Rich Food coupons, Rich Food locating tools, our FREE Rich Food, Poor Food grocery tote bags, the Rich Food request list and so much more.  Please take a minute, if you haven’t yet, to sign up (CLICK HERE its FREE) - we will email you and remind you of our Grand Opening.

...and thank you for being a part of the RICH FOOD Revolution!

The Caltons are among the world's leading experts on the topics of weight management, lifestyle medicine and micronutrient deficiency. Their high success rate working with adults and children to achieve sustainable weight loss and reverse health and disease conditions has made their consultancy highly sought after by celebrities, athletes and top corporate executives around the world. It is their belief that becoming micronutrient sufficient is the first step towards preventing and reversing many of today's most prevalent health conditions and diseases. Visit http://www.caltonnutrition.com

National Women's History Museum - NWHM

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 20:43:44 +0000

The Best Ever You Show is extremely proud to welcome Joan Bradley Wages.
Joan is President and CEO of the National Women’s History Museum.
Please join us on March 12, 2013 at 10am pst / 1pm est at 714-868-0220
Show Links: NWHM on The Best Ever You Show or http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2013/03/12/national-womens-history-museum--nwhm

Founded in 1996, the National Women’s History Museum is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and celebrating the diverse historic contributions of women and integrating this rich heritage fully into our nation's history, currently located online at www.nwhm.org. Legislation is underway to purchase federally owned land on which to build the National Women’s History Museum. The site will border several of the nation's most iconic museums on the National Mall. A coalition of 48 business and professional women’s organizations representing eight million members supports NWHM’s efforts for a permanent site, along with 50,000 members who have supported the Museum. The women’s coalition has publically advocated for building the Museum near the National Mall. NWHM is a 501(c) (3) organization.

Joan Bradley Wages’ passion and determination to make this museum a reality is a personal campaign that has consumed her life for the last 15 years. She began as one of the founding board members that ultimately lead her into serving as the champion for this museum – Joan’s background was in public relations, serving as president of a government affairs consulting firm and as a registered lobbyist. Throughout her career, she focused on women’s issues on Capitol Hill which culminated when she served as a founding board member of the National Women’s History Museum working to raise money and pass legislation to move the Suffrage Statue depicting founders of the U.S. suffrage movement from the Capitol Crypt upstairs into the Rotunda where it now stands. The moving of the statue was to be a short term project and Joan, like others, scoffed at the suggestion that the next project was to build a National Women’s History Museum on the Mall.

Today—15 years later—she is more committed, energized and determined than ever to ensure women take their rightful place on the National Mall. It is because of her determination, along with her intelligence and warm personality, that she has been able to draw in a multitude of high powered women to join her in this cause.

For More Information Visit: National Women's History Museum at http://www.nwhm.org

Welcome to the Best Ever You Show with your hosts, Hay House author Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman. We are a top-rated Radio show on Blog Talk Radio.

The Best Ever You Show has featured hundreds of experts and celebrities including: Ed Asner, Frank Stallone, Lee Phillip Bell, Gary Kobat, Eric Braeden, Brianna Brown, Alana Stewart, Michael McGlone, Bobby Roth, Tosca Reno, Shea Vaughn, Eileen Davidson, Susan Baker, Vernon Turner, The Lennon Sisters, Challen Cates, Joan Benedict Steiger, Michelle Phillips, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and more.

Our show continues to reach new heights with over 1,000,000 followers. The show has also reached #1 in self-help, youth, and wellness and #10 overall of 60,000+ shows. The Best Ever You Show is consistently featured in Staff Picks and is consistently in the top 10 shows.

Elizabeth is the Founder & CEO of The Best Ever You Network, a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content and helps all people live their lives to the fullest. Dr Katie Eastman is the Co-Founder of Recreate Coaching & Counseling.

Elizabeth and Katie are the authors of Percolate - Let Your Best Self Filter Through (August 20, 2013 - Hay House)

Best Ever You
Twitter: Best Ever You: @BestEverYou
Click to Like on Facebook

NWHM
Twitter: National Women's History Museum: @nwhm
Click to Like on Facebook

To Your Success

Dr. Jo Anne White — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:25:09 +0000

Sometimes we get in the way of our own Success even when we don’t mean to.

When we really want to invite success in, we get caught up in our own web of defeat that holds us back and limits our creative ability. How? Thinking Doubting, Second Guessing ourselves or not Believing that we can. They strong arm us and pull us down and into the defeatist doldrums. Instead of moving ahead on fast forward, we stagnate in the quagmire of our limiting thoughts and get stuck there. We dopn’t have to stay there indefinitely.

If you knew that what stood in your own way, more often than not was You, what would you do differently?

Here’s what I’d do right now:

1. Find a way to silence my doubts and sing my strengths. Make a list of all the wonderful things I accomplished in the last week , day or month. It can be as simple as accomplishing a task to-do list!

2. Talk with friends and family who support me and ask them to tell me some of my positive attributes ( as they see them). Post them where I can see them often.

3. Find something wonderful to focus on today- the sun, your child, a loved one, starlight, whatever it is, let it change your day view on you and on the world.

4. Get a coach who sees me for who I really am, and is committed to help me achieve and live my own brilliance and abundance! It’s crazy you say that a coach has a coach. Many of the most successful people in the world have coaches and I’m not ashamed to say, I do too. Not only do I absolutely love coaching and mentoring. It give me joy to rejoice in the success of others. Are you ready to take the next step to your own success? Don’t wait, do it now!

International Author and Speaker, Dr Jo Anne White is a Certified Professional Coach, Business Consultant, Energy Intuitive and Radio Host of the Power Your Life Radio Show.

For over two decades she’s been teaching the Law of Attraction, using Success Principles to enrich the lives and businesses of her clients. Known globally as the “Success Doc”, White gets to the heart of what matters most to businesses and people.

Since childhood Dr. Jo Anne White has dreamed of dedicating her life to service. She’s been living her dream for over twenty years, helping millions of men, women, families and businesses reach their dreams and overcome personal and professional challenges.

Doc White is a counselor, speaker and certified life, leadership and business coach specializing in Innovation, Transformation and Energy Medicine.

As a sought-after keynote and corporate speaker, her seminars uplift, inspire, motivate and transform, while moving people and businesses forward to live their greatest potential.

She earned both her Masters in Education and Doctoral Degree from Temple University and taught at Temple University’s Dept of Education for over fifteen years.

Jo Anne White’s client care is matched to the unique needs and special talents of each person and organization. Her total therapeutic approach integrates mind, body and spirit to facilitate balance, success and wellness. She empowers people to access their own personal joy, harmony, love, wisdom and abundance.

Visit http://www.drjoannewhite.com for more information.

Bust Through the Obstacles of Exercise

Wendie Pett — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 10:29:44 +0000

Bust through the Obstacles to Exercise

Ever find yourself experiencing a roadblock when it comes to exercise? Whether it’s mental or physical, does that roadblock seem too difficult and almost next to impossible to get around or over? The thought of exercising “sounds” great, but the action feels like such a chore.

Obstacles are expected if you’re running the 400 meter hurdles, but not always expected when it comes to general exercise. How do others make it look so easy and fun? Well, it’s all in how they see the hurdles and maneuver over them.

In high school I ran the 400 meter hurdles. It was one of my favorite track and field events. But, there were often times that I didn’t fully clear the hurdles and ended up knocking some over. While knocking a hurdle over doesn’t disqualify you from a race, it can slow up your pace. That is exactly what obstacles do related to exercise…they slow up your pace for best success.

Obstacles can keep you from reaching your wellness goals if you allow them to control your thoughts and emotions toward exercise.

For instance, one of the biggest “perceived” obstacles around exercise is that people are too busy to fit a workout into their day. I always find this “obstacle” interesting and entertaining. I’ve had many of my clients write out their detailed daily events for an entire week - from sun up to sun down. They are always surprised to see how many hours are wasted in a day without intention. I’ve actually had one woman report that she spent 22 hours a week watching television and yet had said that she didn’t have time to workout. Very eye-opening! Just think if she used her T.V. time and did exercises while watching her favorite shows. That’s one obstacle to get around easily.

How about the obstacle of having a desk job? Did you know that you can workout throughout your day and reap great benefits physically and mentally? Working out all in one session isn’t mandatory to see success.

Get creative.

What if you made a conscious decision that every time you got up for a drink of water, to use the bathroom, the copy machine or whatever you do often within your day – that you would practice doing a set of one exercise? You could use your phone or watch alarm as a reminder to do 3-5 minutes of an exercise at the top of every hour. I call it “Power by the Hour.” So, having a desk job may feel like a hurdle, but it’s one you can jump over if you desire.

Are you too tired when you get home to exercise? That’s another obstacle (excuse) I hear often. The reality is that the more sedentary you are the more tired you become. When you move your body and exercise, you’ll be more invigorated and have more energy…not to mention burn excess stored calories. You can adjust your schedule to get in exercise by waking up earlier, doing your workouts throughout the day like I do, or exercising immediately when you get home. Don’t sit down on the couch or you just might not get up.

Simple adjustments and a renewed mindset toward exercise can get you over just about any hurdle that has been in your way in the past. When you exercise…you feel better, look better, you have more confidence, a better attitude, you’re more productive, and others become inspired by you as well.

So, get going…get your sweat on.

WENDIE PETT is a nationally renowned fitness expert and coach, mother, TV host, speaker, author and creator of the Visibly Fit™ exercise program. Wendie’s Visibly Fit™ instructional DVDs teach wellness maximization through the balance of mind, body, and spirit while using one’s body as a gym (and saving hundreds in membership fees). To learn more, visit www.wendiepett.com or get 84 days of free videos at www.visiblyfitin84days.com

Charmaine Hammond - Best Ever You Feature

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 16:38:00 +0000

How did you get to be where you are today?
That is such a good question, one that I ask myself every now and then.

It is probably safe to say that my path was chosen when I was a young girl, I just wasn’t clear on the many forms my path would take. As a young child I loved playing school and writing in my diary, and helping people. It is not surprising that my first career was in the Correctional System, lots of opportunity to teach and help people. My next career was as a dispute resolution expert, a mediator.

I returned to school (no surprise there) and earned a Master’s Degree in Conflict Analysis & Management. Then I opened my own business (that was 16 years ago) offering mediation and corporate training. My business then evolved and afforded me to work 100% in my purpose and passion… speaking, and writing. Now I have spoken to more than 70,000 in five countries, and have written several books and am featured in five others. One of my books is under contract to become a major motion picture.

Have you ever been fired? No

What are your real passions? My real passions are a) sharing my expertise through the spoken and written word, helping people live their best life. B) being in service to others to make a difference in the world.

If you won the lotto what would you do? Wow great question. I believe that if I won the lotto, I would start a foundation to fund kindness related programs and activities around the world. I would also choose a community organization to support each month. And, I would buy a sailboat for my husband and I to live on.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I have a few more books in me that I am inspired to complete. In 2013 I am launching our Global Kindness mission which I am most excited about.

What do you like to do in your personal life?
There are some places I would love to visit including England and Australia and, I would love to live on a sailboat with my husband.

Please give us one or two shameless plugs.
Team building, leadership training and speaking to groups about how to live, work and be their best is something I am passionate about. Inspiring people to live an inspired and resilient life is something that really puts a bounce in my step.

Please give us one plug for someone else or your favorite cause or charity.
I love being a champion for others. There are so many causes that I am passionate about. The volunteers who give countless hours helping and rescuing animals are dear to my heart. We adopted Toby our dog from a rescue organization who nursed him back to health, and his presence in our life was truly our greatest gift. I would love to plug Chimo Animal Assisted Therapy Program in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. They saw something in Toby that organizations didn’t see. They put their trust in Toby, helping him be the dog he needed to be, he became an animal assisted therapy dog. And in doing so, he changed my lives and impacted thousands of people around the world.

What do you do to help stay your best ever?
I make sure I get sunshine and fresh air every day. Being a champion for others gives me energy and helps me bring my best version of me to the world every day. And, I take time to do the things I love every day.

How do you help other people be their best?
Being of service and a champion for people is one way I help. Another is by offering support and encouragement, and, make sure I am not a passion squasher on other people’s ideas.

What is your favorite book to recommend to someone else to read.
There are many books I love, one of them is Oh the Places You Shall Go by Dr Seuss. The Velveteen Rabbit was also a book that inspired me a great deal. The books that have helped me as professional is The Success Principles and Delivering Happiness.

Tell us a secret ;)
I was painfully shy as a child, in fact so shy I missed out on a lot of activities with my peers. It wasn’t until high school that I really felt confident and comfortable. I still have moments of extreme shyness, this often surprises people because my career is one whereby I am very visible.

When Charmaine and her husband adopted Toby, a five-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever, they figured he might need some adjusting time, but they certainly didn't count on what he'd do in the meantime. Soon after he entered their lives and home, Toby proved to be a holy terror who routinely opened and emptied the hall closet, turned on water taps, pulled and ate things from the bookshelves, sat for hours on end in the sink, and spent his days rampaging through the house. Oddest of all was his penchant for locking himself in the bathroom, and then pushing the lid of the toilet off the tank, smashing it to pieces. After a particularly disastrous encounter with the knife- block in the kitchen-and when the couple discovered Toby's bloody paw prints on the phone-they decided Toby needed professional help. Little did they know what they would discover about this dog. On Toby's Terms is an endearing story of a beguiling creature who teaches his owners that, despite their trying to teach him how to be the dog they want, he is the one to lay out the terms of being the dog he needs to be. This insight would change their lives forever. Purchase On Toby's Terms

Obstacles and roadblocks can detour us on the way to success, or even prevent us from getting there at all. GPS Your Best Life helps you determine where you are now, and, through practical strategies and assessments, helps you clarify what you want in your personal and career life, and shows you how to expertly navigate through hidden fears and procrastination so as to get on the road to success now! Purchase GPS Your Best Life

Keep It Simple

Gary Kobat - Mindful Tool — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:58:47 +0000

Let's keep it simple.

Who's in charge?

Really.

Who's asking; Who's making your decisions?

Your everyday decisions on food, health, and well-being?

We either make decisions from our loving and responsible, preferred, best and Adult-self, or our wounded, irresponsible, needy, controlling, child-like, less than preferred self.

Our light or our dark.

When a person eats, drinks, trains, shops, takes prescriptive meds in excess, or addictively, the intent is to control - to use substances to control and suppress pain, to control not feeling painful emotions.

Numbing their pain is more important than their health.

If a person says they desire to be healthy, but eats poorly, the person in charge is one who desires to control, avoid responsibility and pain. Our wounded self is always more interested in avoiding feelings and not taking responsibility than loving self-care.

Keeping it simple - overweight and obesity, that's 67% of the U.S.A. comes from the wounded self being in charge.

It is not about will power.

The wounded self attempts intensely to have control, and avoid.

It is about power, though - the power of the higher, preferred self who desires to
learn about what it really takes for true health and well-being.

When you ask yourself - who's in charge?

Who is?

The possibilities are infinite.

Peace.

Gary

World Class Athlete and Olympic "Mentalist," Gary Kobat, is quickly becoming the world's authority on mind, body, spirit, and sport. Gary is on a heart-felt mission to inspire millions of people to reveal their vibrational highest best self: mentally, physically, and spiritually. The author, international speaker, and Integrative Performance Coach mixes ancient wisdom with cutting-edge trends in human performance to focus his teachings and practice on the importance of self-love and self-worth. Gary's client list is a who's who in film, business, and sport. For the past decade he has quietly assisted the spiritually, health, wellness, and longevity of Jim Carrey, Mariska Hargitay, Will Ferrell, and countless others.

Visit http://www.garykobat.com

Are You Be-Ing?

Eva Gregory — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:49:39 +0000

Remember when you were young and played “pretend”? You could be anything that you wanted to be, there were no boundaries or obstacles. Do you recall the fun that you had being free to decide your path? It was fun wasn’t it? If so, why did you stop? Perhaps because it was time to “grow up” and be responsible? How limiting! Guess what, now’s the time to begin embracing your childhood again.

(Photo by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino)

As adults we often want something, but our belief that we can’t achieve our desires end up standing in our way. It is time to suspend doubt and disbelief. The way to do this is by acting “as if”! DO not wait for the proof that you can be, do, or have what you want. BE it now in your mind. You can have what you want materialize by choosing the be-ing appropriate to your situation, since we become what we think about. The main idea here is that what shows up in your life directly corresponds to who you are be-ing. This said, if you want to make changes to the way things are showing up, your be-ing will need to change first.

Kelsey was beginning to lose hope of ever quitting her “day job”. She had been moonlighting in her home business as a Virtual Assistant for over three years, and still had not managed to come close to making what she was earning at her day job. In desperation Kelsey hired a personal coach. Her coach had her develop an Ideal Client Analysis by assembling a list of all of the qualities that she most wanted her clients to possess. By beginning with this exercise, Kelsey realized that more than half of her clients were not her ideal clients. Some did not pay on time, others tried to monopolize her time, and she even had a couple who were not very nice. Her coach then had her visualize what she thought her life would be like if she only worked with her ideal clients for the next month. Kelsey had visions of more free time, enjoying the work that she was doing for her ideal clients and being paid what she felt her services were worth, in a timely manner. Kelsey was thrilled with the picture that unfolded in her mind. Her coach then asked Kelsey to spend 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at bedtime, visualizing herself as the person that attracted her ideal client.

After one month Kelsey had some amazing things to report. She had gained eight new clients that paid her double what she had been making, and she had started letting go clients that did not fit her ideal client analysis. Kelsey had learned that the person she was be-ing in the beginning was allowing herself to be walked on, and that by creating a new be-ing she would be able to quit her day job rather quickly. It all came down to her choosing the right be-ing in order for her to attain her goals.

One of the best things about games is the safety factor. What ever shows up is fine when it is considered Just a Game. Imagine being able to attract everything you want in life, just by deciding to BE the one that the lifestyle belongs to. How cool is that? Remember to keep it light and above all else, have FUN with it!

Eva Gregory, CPCC, is a master coach, speaker and author of several programs and books including The Feel Good Guide to Prosperity. She has instructed tens of thousands in person, on the radio and in teleconferences, seminars and workshops on how to deliberately create a life by design using the Law of Attraction. As co-host of The Jeanna and Eva Show and The Law of Attraction Show on Exceptional Wisdom Radio, she has interviewed some of the most powerfully successful motivational experts today. Her new book, Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction, co-authored with Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hanson and Jeanna Gabellini, can be found in bookstores everywhere. Visit Your Guidance on Demand

What's Your Beauty Blueprint?

Michelle Phillips — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:03:36 +0000

As women, we are often chasing fashion fads—the latest hairstyle, smoky eyes or skinny jeans in an effort to live up to someone else’s idea of beauty. We find out years later how we looked when reminiscing over pictures. “Wow” you say, “I looked like a crazy blend of Madonna and Rachel from Friends!” “What was I thinking?” Worse yet, if we don’t stop going for the trendy looks, we find our kids saying, “Please tell me you’re not wearing that Mom?”

What we don’t know about the futility of these surface fixes is that the beauty we are searching for lies a little deeper. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we may have lost touch with the woman we wanted to be physically, spiritually or emotionally, and it could be affecting every aspect of our beauty. We don’t know what’s missing or how we lost it, but at some point there is an awakening. We spend our 20’s and 30’s in what I call our getting years—getting the job, getting the husband, getting the kids, getting the perfect house—only to wake up later on and say, “I may want everything I have, but do I have everything I want?”

If you want to find real and lasting beauty in your life and look, now is the time in your life to know that you have earned something more. Let’s stop wasting time on make overs, it’s time for a transformation!

I was lucky enough to spend the first 10 years of my career working on my dream of being a makeup artist, doing what I thought was making people beautiful. After working with top celebrities and truly amazing people who don’t live in the spotlight, I learned an invaluable lesson. No matter how good I am as a makeup artist I can only enhance your true beauty. Saying that usually brings up two reactions; “Yeah right” and “Great, but what is true beauty?” Your true beauty is in your passion, compassion, your tears and laughter. It’s also the times when you allow yourself to revel in your deeply beautiful qualities. Every line, every wrinkle, and every gray hair, is a wonderful part of the story of your beauty.

This next step is the most challenging for a lot of us: defining our beautiful qualities. In my experience, women would pop down in my makeup chair time and again with the first words out of their mouths being, “Could you cover this or that up” or “Make me look 10 pounds thinner” or “10 years younger?” Listing what we feel is wrong with us is easy. But when I ask women to list 10 things they feel make them beautiful, they often have a hard time. I’d like you to do that when you finish reading this. But don’t stop at 10. I want you to list 20 or even more of your beautiful qualities. These can be your hips, lips, smile, sense of humor, listening skills, intelligence, or anything else that makes you a stunning one-of-a-kind woman.

From there, I want you to post your list where you can see it, maybe even break it down into smaller lists. Put them on post-it notes on your make up mirror or the visor of your car. Just be sure to put these reminders of your beauty in places that constantly reinforce the definition of who you are.

Busy women fall out of touch with who they are and forget what they have to offer. Sometimes they need a reminder of the divine gifts they are to the world. They need permission to celebrate themselves and know that it’s okay to bloom, soak in the sun and express the wild colors they were created to be.

Let your list be your reminder and before you spend any time at the end of this year or the beginning of the next thinking about what you don’t have, remember the beauty you DO have!

Bestselling Author, National TV and Radio Host, Self-Image & Empowerment Coach, and Keynote Speaker

From National TV appearances to college campuses, fortune 500 corporations, and some of the biggest motivational venues in the world, Michelle Phillips has inspired millions! In 2011 alone, she shared her message on stages in the US and Canada as part of the Power of Women Tour with Sigourney Weaver, Suzanne Somers and Barbara Corcoran, and at the “I Can Do It!” event with inspirational icons Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay.

Among the many reasons Michelle is such a sought after speaker and coach is that she knows in today’s challenging personal and professional environment, success starts with the abilities to adapt to change, overcome obstacles, and build the self-esteem to flourish and grow. Michelle believes those skills lie in each of us and provides a proven process to bring these “success tools” to life.

Michelle started her career as a celebrity make-up artist, building a reputation for creating a powerful, polished image for her clients on air. Over the years she has worked with major networks, such as; NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and Fox.

She eventually moved in front of the camera hosting beauty and style segments and soon after became the host of the CBS affiliate’s new morning talk show. Since then Michelle has gone on to become a national television personality combining her wealth of external beauty experience with her training as a Life Coach.

Through her journey of triumph over adversity and experiences working with world leaders, national news anchors, top entertainers, and corporate executives, Michelle has learned the secrets to authentic success. She has put these timeless qualities into a unique process which led to her book becoming a bestseller weeks before it hit the shelves.

Now her book best-selling book, “The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams (Hay House, 2011) has topped lists in the US, UK, Canada, Japan, and Australia, for over 30 weeks in paperback and Kindle.

Along with her live appearances Michelle continues to spread her message in a variety of ways including TV and radio. Her international radio show airs on Hay House Radio network and her TV segments currently air on the national morning talk shows “The Daily Buzz” and “Daytime” and on the WE network in July 2012.

Clients have included: CNN • CBS Network • NBC Network • ABC Network • MSNBC • Fox Network • PBS • WTSP, Channel 10 (CBS Affiliate, Tampa/St. Pete) • WJLA, Channel 7 (ABC Affiliate, Washington, D.C.) • WFTS, Channel 28 (ABC Affiliate, Tampa) • WTVT, Channel 13 (Fox Affiliate, Tampa) • Bay News 9 (Time Warner, Tampa) • Home Shopping Network • International Network of Golf A&E Network • Lifetime Network • Weather Channel • TV Guide • Hearst Publications • Nickelodeon • Warner Brothers Pictures, Proctor and Gamble, Johnson and Johnson, Disney, Steinmart, Harry and David

michellephillips.com

Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 11:12:00 +0000

Best Ever You
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Along the journey and way
Life will put you to the test-
How you take it matters and it’s important
To be your very best.

To make the most of time and love
And leave all the rest…
For surely you can’t take things back
In your life’s quest.

There’s sickness, tragedy, pain and death
That you will most certainly see-
These are all growth moments
If you can find the strength and just be.

There’s joy, gratitude, compassion and health
That you can find…
If you look so very closely
And leave your troubles behind.

Discover your worth and your love
With grace, elegance and passion,
Blossom ever so beautifully
In life’s perpetual fashion-

Treat others with kindness, dignity and respect
Instead of trampling in never give up and thoughtless ways-
Perhaps another’s win
Might be your very best day!

Hold another’s heart
As if it is your own-
Honor it, cherish it, and be peaceful
From this all will be known.

So in this lifetime ask yourself
Am I making the most of each day?
Ask yourself this, perhaps, moment-to-moment
Before they fade away.

Peace within is what’s in store
For those willing to see light in the gray-
Inner peace is something
That never fades away…

-Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Hay House author, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network and host of top-rated program The Best Ever You Show, on Blog Talk Radio.

Elizabeth, a mom of four boys, has a degree in Mass Communications and Broadcasting, is a Certified Professional Life Coach and is a food allergy expert and survivor. The Best Ever You Network (www.besteveryou.com) is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content to help you be your best. Elizabeth's book Percolate - Let Your Best Self Filter Through is being released August, 2013 (Hay House).

The Shorty Awards - Vote for our Nominees

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:51:39 +0000

Best Ever You is proud to support several of our experts, guests to The Best Ever You Show and Best Ever You Magazine and our colleagues in their quest to win a Shorty Award. Please take a moment and vote for us. If you can, please also share the links with others. Each person can vote just once, so each vote really matters! We've nominated them, but it is up to you to vote them for the win!! :) Much Love, Elizabeth & friends

http://www.shortyawards.com/Stallone4Real #singer

Vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/robinmeade #singer

Vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/besteveryou #smallbusiness

Vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/greenskydeb #podcaster

http://shortyawards.com/kerimurphy #webshow

Vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/keithkeller #Australia

Vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/bonniepfiester #socialfitness

Vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/laurenmgalley #charity

Vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/wendiepett #socialfitness

http://www.shortyawards.com/mainelycoles #smallbusiness

http://www.shortyawards.com/dabneyporte #education

http://www.shortyawards.com/dailydimmick #videoblogger

http://www.shortyawards.com/heidirichards #blogger

http://www.shortyawards.com/angrytrainerfit #socialfitness

http://www.shortyawards.com/momschoiceaward #other

Vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/gabeberman #author

Hay House author, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network and host of top-rated program The Best Ever You Show, on Blog Talk Radio. Elizabeth, a mom of four boys, has a degree in Mass Communications and Broadcasting, is a Certified Professional Life Coach and is a food allergy expert and survivor. The Best Ever You Network (www.besteveryou.com) is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content to help you be your best. Elizabeth's book Percolate - Let Your Best Self Filter Through is set to be released August 20, 2013 (Hay House)

Please vote! Best Ever You nominated for a Shorty Award

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 10:50:37 +0000

Best Ever You has been nominated for a Shorty Award in small business! Thanks to your votes we are currently in 3rd place. Each person can vote only once.

To cast your vote for Best Ever You, login to Twitter and follow this link to vote: http://www.shortyawards.com/besteveryou #smallbusiness

Thank you for your vote! Love, Elizabeth

Hay House author, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network and host of top-rated program The Best Ever You Show, on Blog Talk Radio. Elizabeth, a mom of four boys, has a degree in Mass Communications and Broadcasting, is a Certified Professional Life Coach and is a food allergy expert and survivor. The Best Ever You Network (www.besteveryou.com) is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content to help you be your best. Elizabeth's book Percolate - Let Your Best Self Filter Through is set to be released August 20, 2013 (Hay House).

Two Hours that Could Change Your Life

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino & Deb Scott — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:46:03 +0000

Our radio show guests, Bob Burg and Dr. Alex Concorde could change your life. On January 17, 2013, Deb Scott and Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino are co-hosting two very special shows. We hope you will join us. Call in numbers are listed or you can click on the shows anytime to listen live or on replay. Thank you.

The Best People We Know Show welcomes Dr. Alex Concorde - Call us at 347-637-1318 or click on the link live or on replay to listen http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thebestpeopleweknow/2013/01/17/dr-alex-concorde-radio-resuce-tuned-in-transformation

Dr. Alex Concorde MD PhD MBA was selected by Buckingham Palace for the special Best British Innovators Science & Medicine event, named one of the "Top 50 Wellbeing Gurus" by The London Times, received 'Health Practitioner of the Year' by Today's Therapist, and frequently seen as an expert in a variety of media outlets throughout the UK.

Dr. Alex is one of the world's leading transformational specialists and pioneer/creator of CruX New Paradigm Psychology and New Mind Body Wisdom.

And NOW she's here on The Best People We Know Showas part of a new monthly segment "Dr. Alex's Radio Rescue- Tuned In Transformation" to give you real time answers and advice on YOUR questions.

From happiness to health, stuck states to spirituality, mind matters to medicine, bio-science to business. Gain clarity and vision, let time become a positive resource instead of a constant pressure, release all barriers and pre-conceived limits. Imagine all the possibilities!

Follow Dr. Alex Concorde on Twitter @DrAlexConcorde or visit http://www.askdralex.com

The Best Ever You Show proudly welcomes Bob Burg. Call us at 714-868-0220 or click on the link to listen anytime live or replay - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2013/01/17/bob-burg--the-go-giver

Bob Burg shares information on topics vital to the success of today’s businessperson. He speaks for corporations and associations internationally, including fortune 500 companies, franchises, and numerous direct sales organizations.

Bob regularly addresses audiences ranging in size from 50 to 16,000 — sharing the platform with notables including today’s top thought leaders, broadcast personalities, Olympic athletes and political leaders including a former United States President.

Although for years he was best known for his book Endless Referrals, over the past few years it’s his business parable,The Go-Giver (coauthored with John David Mann) that has captured the imagination of his readers.

The Go-Giver shot to #6 onThe Wall Street Journal’sBusiness Bestsellers list just three weeks after its release and reached #9 onBusinessWeek. It’s been translated into 21 languages. It is his fourth book to sell over 250,000 copies.

Follow Bob on Twitter at @BobBurg Visit http://www.burg.com

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Deb Scott co-host and work closely together on many projects including Blog Talk Radio shows, call-in coaching, good morning gratitude and The Motivation Marathon. Follow them on Twitter @BestEverYou and @GreenSkyDeb. Together, they have over 130,000 followers on Twitter, over 50,000 fans on facebook, and their radio shows on Blog Talk Radio have well over a million downloads.

Hay House author, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network and host of top-rated program The Best Ever You Show, on Blog Talk Radio. Elizabeth, a mom of four boys, has a degree in Mass Communications and Broadcasting, is a Certified Professional Life Coach and is a food allergy expert and survivor. The Best Ever You Network (www.besteveryou.com) is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content to help you be your best. Elizabeth's book Percolate - Let Your Best Self Filter Through is being published by Hay House and is due out August 2013. Visit http://www.elizabethhamiltonguarino.com or http://www.percolatebook.com for more information.

Deb Scott, Certified Professional Coach, specializes in working with individuals, businesses, and corporate environments, transforming ineffective group and personal dynamics into high-powered, successful, dynamic individuals and teams. Deb is the host of The Best People We Know Show on Blog Talk Radio and is a Chief Advisor on Best Ever You.
A biology major in college, Deb became an award-winning sales and leadership specialist. With 20 years of background in cardiac surgery sales, she now applies her sales and business background to motivational speaking and consulting. She speaks and writes about how you can turn things around whether you’re in sales, marketing, advertising, hiring, or team building. “The Sky is Green and the Grass is Blue – Turning Your Upside-Down World Right-Side-Up!” is her debut book. Visit http://www.greenskyandbluegrass.com

From Your Heart

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 22:08:31 +0000

From Your Heart

By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman

Today, parents and family in CT may be feeling like they just want to die too. It probably could be easier to just crawl up in the grave next to their child or loved one and give up due to horrifying and unconscionable grief and anguish.

The unthinkable has happened. Many of us are asking:

“What if this happened to my child or loved one?”

“How can I help?”

“Is this going to keep happening?”

“What do I say to my own kids?”

Or, even angered, some may be even outraged at the gun control laws in our country, and feel like screaming, “We need to ban assault rifles or all guns.”

Some are already calling for action with ideas like calling for teachers or some representatives in each school to be trained and armed to respond to future incidents.

The questions continue:

"Have we really come to this?"

"What has the world come to?"

Seldom are we collectively so sickened that we are rendered horrified and seldom are we so outraged that we become so collectively vocal. Everyone is in tears in their own way. The depth of the tragedy is far reaching.

It’s holiday time for most of us and Katie found herself watching one of the most beautiful groups of six and seven year-old dancers in their first recital. She was thinking not about them, but the children like them, who died, who would never dance again. She struggled with tears and then reminded herself that the children, who are here, deserve to laugh, smile, live and enjoy their lives.

How do you find the words?
Like many parents, Katie and her husband struggled about talking with their ten year-old daughter about what happened until all of her plays and performances were over. Katie, who happens to be a child therapist, spoke from her heart honestly, answering her daughter’s questions with her own sense of disbelief. She didn't give her any great words of wisdom; she just held her and told her that like her, she didn’t know why evil things happen. There are no answers. There were just more questions and that was what connected them during our conversation. They sat on equal ground in the not knowing why bad things happen. They bonded in our vulnerable place of disbelief and sadness.

In Elizabeth’s house, three of our four boys heard the news via their smart phones and youngest was told by the three older boys just about the second he walked in the house from the bus. Her husband cried. She cried. The kids were thoroughly disgusted. Most of the kids then went off to carry on with their lives, but one of her kids became, on his own, quite outraged about guns and the entire incident. They listened. Elizabeth’s husband wrote an email to their local police to ask for tightened security and drills in the schools. Then they did something they all seldom do – shut the TVs off until Monday night. They figured their household didn’t need to hear the grim details being repeated over and over by each station on the news, but did turn the TV back on to hear President Obama on Sunday. Late Sunday night their youngest confessed he was a little scared to go to his own school tomorrow and they just hugged him and comforted him.

This tragedy is about so much more than a child's reaction to grief - it's about all of us and what we teach our children about pain and distress. How do we help them keep that magic that we see when they are young? How do we model for them the value and importance of sharing honestly when you are upset or scared or angry? Today is that opportunity. Best Ever You calls upon all of us to bring our best to all situations. In this case the best we can be is not strong and not defended, but honest, vulnerable and connected to our children and each other in that tender loving place.

Ask yourself -

What do I as a parent feel?

How am I grieving?

What am I as an adult doing and saying to make sense of this horrific, unimaginable event?

Children are emotional hoovers. They suck up like a vacuum cleaner the emotions being expressed around them. Our children need us to look in the mirror first. We need to ask ourselves what we are afraid of.

What anger am I expressing?

Do I feel scared?

Bonding with our children can only happen if we take time to honestly feel our feelings first, otherwise we project them onto our kids. Yes, children grieve differently than adults, but they take their cues from us. We have a teachable moment here when we can show our children our vulnerability and how we can find honest ways of expressing pain. We are all hurt and confused and scared at times and this is one of those moments to let our children know that's ok. Yes, we need to let them know we are there and they are safe and we also need to be honest about times when we feel helpless and powerless and how we cope. It’s in that place of vulnerability where we can connect best with our children, becoming more like them.

We don’t know how the parents and family members of the victims are finding comfort. Today the parents of these young angels are planning or holding funerals instead of wrapping gifts, planning out the holidays and imagining their little voices on Christmas as they open up the perfect gifts that they’ve purchased in anticipation of hearing their happiness and giggles. The shootings in Newtown, CT have brought us around the globe to our knees, perhaps looking up into the heavens above and asking why?

Many of us have taken to writing to cope and help others cope. Elizabeth couldn’t even bring herself to the computer to write until late Monday, when she finally became not so at a loss for words. Throughout the weekend she wrote down a series of words on a notepad. In reading the list, which is three pages long, it contains words like “senseless”, “angels”, and “why”. As a mom of four boys, over the past few days, she and her husband have uttered things to each other like:

How can we help the people in CT?

How do we protect this from happening in our own community?

Are children and people safe at school, malls, places of worship and other public places?

Are we really living in a country where we aren’t safe in public places?

How are our children going to live this way?

How are we going to live this way?

Is it the guns or the people or some combination of both gone awry?

Does the 2nd Amendment need to be changed?

What does the NRA do and have to do with all of this?

And then after all questions are asked, we are both frustrated, sad, shocked, horrified, outraged and more, we hug each other and hug our children and pray for those in CT and other states where this has happened. We hope and pray for change.

What are you feeling?

What does your heart say?

Your heart may be wrenching right now and you might have to wait some time to hear what it says.

It seems too difficult to think to “find the light in the darkest of circumstances." We heard someone on TV say this. Katie and Elizabeth say it often on Best Ever You.

Are things, when a child dies, just permanently etched in darkness?

How does a first responder not forever see horrible unthinkable sights?

How do we move or stay in productive helping instead of furious outrage?

How do we believe in God when something so unexplainable and evil happens?

Katie has spent years with parents who have lost beautiful children to death from disease and tragedy. She has cried with them and held their hand as they walked through hell. There are no words that can comfort them, but being present and expressing compassion consistently. Allowing them to share the story of their child's life can at least help them get through one more minute of their day. Compassion, caring and support in memory of these precious human beings is what we can do. We can take our sadness, anger, outrage disbelief and whatever other emotions are stirring direct them towards positive change. We, coming together to honor the short lives of these children and their teachers can make their short lives count through action.

The light for us right now is to help. Help from your heart in whatever way you see fit.

How you can help:

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/14/connecticut-elementary-school-shooting-how-to-help_n_2302760.html

Hay House author, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network and co-host of top-rated program The Best Ever You Show, on Blog Talk Radio. Elizabeth, a mom of four boys, has a degree in Mass Communications and Broadcasting, is a Certified Professional Life Coach and is a food allergy expert and survivor. The Best Ever You Network (www.besteveryou.com) is a leading multi-media provider of lifestyle content to help you be your best.

Dr. Katie Eastman has over 20 years of inpatient, outpatient and mental health counseling experience with a variety of populations and a concentration in pediatric and health care issues.

Katie is the Chief Advisor for The Best Ever You Network and co-host of top-rated program The Best Ever You Show, on Blog Talk Radio.

She has a strong passion for those committed and dedicated to making improvements and changes in the midst of life’s daily challenges, including the impact of serious illness.

Based on the principles of Self psychology , Katie embraces a strengths based approach and empowers people of all ages, with practical, incremental, and attainable strategies to help them thrive. Visit http://www.recreatecounseling.com for more information.

PERCOLATE - Let Your Best Self Filter Through (Hay House, August 2013)

By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman

Visit http://www.PercolateYou.com for more information.

Is Your Suit of Armor Weighing You Down | Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:23:00 +0000

Guard Be Gone
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

We each have a past. Our past dips us in experiences and those experiences are probably all over the place with good, best, bad and even ugly at moments.

Enter new person in your life. They don't know your complete past and you don't know theirs. How will it play out?

Let's think of them as an M & M. Yes a little piece of candy-coated chocolate. In fact, some people you meet might be so wonderful, to you, they are like the whole bag, but let's just say for a moment they are just one piece of candy. (I've chosen candy because I am on an over 100 day sugar detox now...)

Candy. Yum. So to you, this person is a yummy piece of chocolate coated candy. You know, they could even be an ice cream cone dipped in a chocolate shell... The point is, this person, to you, is sugar coated to the core and wonderful, but when you get to their personality or being or aura, they dipped themselves in a shell and aren't going to let you in or might, but it will be crack by crack. In fact, they might even be wearing a very heavy suit or armor - so ready up your battle axe!!

Still, to you it's a candy coated shell, but still a shell, and guess what, you aren't going to be able to crack it or eat the whole bag even. It's a shell and maybe even a wall of a shell and don't wage war on it. Accept it, but understand the person might be in a different place (and/or time).

You may even be an egg that needs some cracking or meet one. Careful peeling and cracking it and by all means don't step in or be walking on them. Some people have a shell so thick it is like a Galapagos Turtle. Old, hardened, shell and not moving in any particular direction - mostly still and slow.

Welcome to Guard Be Gone. Can you teach, train, help or even send enough love to remove the shell and allow vulnerability to flow? Can a person who has dipped themselves in a shell unlayer, unlearn, unburden and allow themselves to be vulnerable to you? Are you the one walking about with your sword ready for battle? Are you people slaying before they ever get close to you?

People are all different and our shells and armor are too. What will happen to you if you allow yourself to be vulernable? Will you get hurt? Will you be in pain? Will you be in love? Will you have the time of your life? Will you be stuck in the mantras of protection? Are you stuck in your own?

Here are 15 ways to help someone be just a little more vulnerable to you and you to them:

1. Be Open and Honest and Loving.

2. Share and be open emotionally.

3. Do not be scared of change and uncharted territory. Trust yourself to take that first step.

4. Open your heart to love. Tell people how much they matter to you. Try not to greet a new person thinking "How is this person going to hurt me?" Instead try changing up the tape playing in your head to something more positive like "What am I going to learn from this new person no matter what?"

5. Everyone has feelings, fears and worries. Try not to be afraid to show them and speak about them. We all have a lot of common ground in reality.

6. Understand your own insecurites and how they play out in your relationships with others.

7. Look at the situation differently. You can only control yourself, your responses, your behavior.

8. Don't mistake vulnerability for weakness. Often people who show softer sides are the strongest of the bunch.

9. Improve communication. Goes up there with #1 and #2. Take time for someone new in your life and allow them to get to know you and you to know them.

10. Lose the "It will take forever to get to know me because my history and past are so lengthy" approach. Take time with new people, whether 18 or 55 or 75. A new person in your life doesn't know you.

11. Don't carry your past into now with the new person. They haven't done anything to you and aren't the past people. If Tim, Sally and Sue hurt you before, well this is Jane, not Tim, Sally or Sue. Jane is just Jane.

12. Don't expect someone to Google you to know you. If you are out there and your bio is up, posted and for the world to see, error on the side of "they don't have you memorized".

13. You may be the greatest person in your own mind. Give someone else a chance to discover just how amazing you are.

14. Take risks and take that leap of faith. Have self-confidence. Risk rejection. You may feel some pain. Pain helps us grow. On the other hand, you may feel nothing but love and joy. You won't know until you risk it. Leap, look back, learn.

15. Know when not to be vulnerable. There are some cases where safety is more important.

Being vulnerable is not a negative. When used properly, it helps us grow. It's that old "benefit of the doubt" saying in full 2012 motion.... leave the baggage behind.

My Best,

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

What? Seriously? that might make me just a wee bit too vulnerable.

ps- someone needs to check to ensure I spelled vulnerable right throughout this. I am the self-proclaimed Ruler of TypoLand (ego, ego, ego, LOL) and well, Liz, our editor is out there doing vulnerability leaps.

Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network and is a Certified Professional Life Coach, author, busy baseball mom of four boys. You can hear her radio show on Tues/Thurs at 1pm EST at 714-868-0220 or click anytime to listen here http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou

Your Warrior Within | Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:57:08 +0000

This was my Easter present from my mom and dad- 2012.

I went down, grabbed my iPad, got my email and was just in tears of joy all day long over these photos of my dad that were taken yesterday.

For those of you following Best Ever You for the first time, let me introduce you to my dad, James F. Hamilton. We call him "The ICU Warrior."

He is a Stroke Survivor (2004) and a Kidney Cancer Survivor (2011). He spent the last 45 days of 2011 in the ICU unit of Fairview Ridges, Burnsville, MN after being resuscitated from a medical error. It was life or death daily and the nurses and doctors still can't believe he made it through.

He wound up in the ICU after coming home from a kidney removal surgery at the Mayo Clinic. The doctor at the Mayo Clinic did not close the surgery properly after removing a kidney, which left him bleeding internally and taken by ambulance to Fairview Ridges and resuscitated along the way. (see many previous blogs...)

He is the ICU Warrior and it is amazing to see him up and about....We created a website for him while he was sick on Caring Bridge. Take a look if you get a moment to see a tiny example of what he has overcome.

But see that book in his hand? It is called "Onslaught" and he wrote that AFTER his stroke and finished it over the past few months AFTER his bout in the ICU. It will be out soon. He has always wanted to have a book published...

My point? He willed himself to live and we were there to help. He has willed himself (and we've been there to help) to this standing position on the front porch of his home. You don't know that in this photo he can't really see you that well from the stroke and he can't hear so great and he gets tired easily and just lost 70 pounds.

I don't even quite have words that are easily flowing to tell you how proud I am.

It's his 69th birthday tomorrow, April 9, 2012.

Happy Birthday Dad!! See you on the 20th.

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever Give Up.

Love,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network. This is dedicated to all of you who have lost a parent or have parents that are ill. Keep the faith.

Relationship Mastery - Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award Winner

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:01:00 +0000

I am proud to award the book "Relationship Mastery" our Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award. The author Dr. David Fraser has written a book that appeals to my husband, so even on that basis alone, we are giving this book a nod! My husband is reading it and loves it and said, "Now this is a great book!" (Years of law school have crushed my husband's love of reading books.)

Ok, all fun aside for a moment, Dr David has created a masterpiece. This is a book you can read and apply the concepts to business, home, sports, children and any other aspect of your life. The book shows you how to get along with people better in a method that is easy to understand and easy to apply to your real life.

Dr. David recently joined me on Best Ever You Radio. Click to listen. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2012/03/01/dr-david-fraser--relationship-mastery-1

David was also a featured speaker for the Motivation Marathon and is an expert on The Best Ever You Network.

An Interview with Dr. David Fraser, author of Relationship Mastery

How did you get to be where you are today?
By working hard, making the most of what I have, being fortunate in the first place, finishing virtually everything I started, having great parents, great friends, and great teachers (still), finding a strong sense of purpose and sticking with it, having the courage to take risks, and stepping out of my comfort zone.

Have you ever been fired?
No. I fired myself once after I had been in a job two weeks because I realized it was wrong for me and I was going to hate it.

What are your real passions?
Helping other people be all they can be, getting people working well together, leading teams in a work situation or a leisure activity.

If you won the lotto what would you do?
Much the same really, but it would be a bit easier perhaps.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I want to make a significant impact on the effectiveness with which people interact with each other because it can make a real difference to individuals, families, organizations, the world even. Write some more books.

What do you like to do in your personal life?
Spend time with my family, go sailing amongst the islands of the West Coast of Scotland, get out into the country, walk, spend time with close friends. I also like music, especially Scottish traditional music, and I am a piper, though I mainly play the smaller versions of the instrument these days.

Please give us one or two shameless plugs.
My first shameless plug is my book “Relationship Mastery: A Business Professional’s Guide”, and my second is just connecting with my work in some way at www.drdavidfraser.com.

Please give us one plug for someone else or your favorite cause or charity.
Rather than plug a specific charity or person, I’d like to ask us all to do that bit more to help and understand other people with special needs. I’m thinking particularly of children and adults with Autism but it could be anything like that.

What do you do to help stay your best ever?
I’m always learning, looking for the next thing I need to know, and at the same time trying to be authentic in everything I do - walking the talk, as much as I can.

How do you help other people be their best?
By supporting them and creating the context in which they can learn what they need to learn.

What is your favorite book to recommend to someone else to read?
Difficult, there is no one book, but for people who want to “put a ding in the Universe,” as Steve Jobs put it, I’d recommend Seth Godin’s book “Linchpin.”

Tell us a secret ;)
I want to put a ding in the Universe around how well we relate to each other and ourselves.

What would you say to someone starting out?
Have the courage to find your own way. Believe in yourself. There are no limits on what you can achieve.

If you had 15 seconds to something to everyone in the world, what you say?
Make good use of the insights available to learn about yourself and other people because it makes a great deal of difference to how your life turns out.

About Dr. David Fraser

David Fraser, PhD, is a leading authority on relationship skills in professional and personal life and author of the well-regarded book “Relationship Mastery: A Business Professional’s Guide”. He is an international speaker with a senior professional background and deep insight into the human side of life gathered from a wealth of sources.

David has a track record of pioneering new approaches. He has delivered major projects for government and private sector clients in challenging situations and set up a number of entrepreneurial ventures. He is a business owner, and a Chartered Engineer with a First Class Honours degree and a PhD from Glasgow University and an MBA from Strathclyde University. He is a qualified commercial mediator and a NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) Trainer and has studied with leading proponents of these disciplines.

David applies his unusual blend of expertise to supporting disparate groups working together in complex circumstances. He also runs workshop and coaching programs on personal mastery and relationship skills for both organizations and individuals, focusing on the potential to leverage results. The effects are profound—quite simply life-changing for the individuals and their organisations. David also finds the approach set out in his book to be extremely helpful in the home and family environment.

David lives with his wife and three children in Glasgow, Scotland and sails on the West Coast of Scotland when time permits.

www.drdavidfraser.com

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network and host of The Best Ever You Show. She is watching her husband read David's book and he has even dog-eared pages. :)

ps- Elizabeth is the queen of types, even on famous author pages such as this. If you see one, just let her know. Our editor Liz is shoveling snow. See she can't even spell Typo right. LOL. I'm leaving it.

25 Ways to Reduce or Eliminate Sugar From Your Food Choices - Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:51:00 +0000

6/2/12: UPDATE: I'm over 130 days sugar free now and loving life :) I feel so much better. I've also been doing Zumba each day and adding some walks in as well. I noticed a few folks following along... just leave me a comment on this blog or in facebook if you need help or have questions.

I absolutely love green smoothies. I drink one each morning. My recipe is pretty easy to follow:

1/2 cucumber
handful of spinach
1 fresh pear
4 ice cubes
1/2 cup of water
Mix in hand/personal blender such as a Bullet.

A very special thank you to Gary Kobat (www.garykobat.com) for those four special words "self-love/self-worth".

I've been on a sugar detox for 34 days. I've lost 12 pounds. Thank you for all of your emails and tweets and facebook posts in support. I've writing this blog because people having started to ask me "How are you doing this?"

Well, I've changed my food choices. Here are 25 ways I've changed my interactions with sugar.

For more information, please see our ebook called Ten Steps to a Healthier You.

1. Drink green smoothies

2. Don't eat sugary cereals or add sugar to it.

3. Eat fresh vegetables

4. Eat fresh fruit

5. Eat brown rice instead of white rice.

6. Eat whole wheat pasta instead of regular pasta.

7. Eat wheat bread or whole grain bread instead of white bread. Say no, when possible to white flour based foods.

8. Nix the honey habit.

9. Watch your coffee with sugar, tea with sugar intake.

10. Stop the ice cream intake.

11. Watch your peas and carrots. They are very sugary.

12. Change from white potatoes to sweet potatoes

13. Candy, Candy, Candy, No. No. and more No.

14. Dark chocolate in handfuls = sugar don't kid youself

15. Pass on the donuts, muffins and other breakfast sugar monsters.

16. Eliminate dressing on your salad and switch to freshly squeezed lemon.

17. Oatmeal. Just oatmeal. Hold the raisins, maple and brown sugar and milk.

18. Say no to processed, packaged foods, such as granola bars, fruit roll ups, fruit snacks and other sources of hidden sugars.

19. Hold the cream and dairy products.

20. Say no to fruit juices, soda and diet soda too. Drink water or decaf tea.

21. Pancakes with fruit are better than pancakes with syrup. Not eating pancakes or waffles with white flour would be the best choice.

22. Eat spinach.

23. Don't drink alcohol or limit your intake.

24. Know where sugar lives and hides out. Here is a list of some of the possible code words for “sugar” which may appear on a label. Generally, anything on a label ending in “ose” can usually be assumed to be “sugar”.

.•Agave Nectar
•Barley Malt Syrup
•Corn sweetener
•Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids
•Dehydrated Cane Juice
•Dextrin
•Dextrose
•Fructose
•Fruit juice concentrate
•Glucose
•High-fructose corn syrup
•Honey
•Invert sugar
•Lactose
•Maltodextrin
•Malt syrup
•Maltose
•Maple syrup
•Molasses
•Raw sugar
•Rice Syrup
•Saccharose
•Sorghum or sorghum syrup
•Sucrose
•Syrup
•Treacle
•Turbinado Sugar
•Xylose

25. Pizza with veggies is still pizza. Watch how much you eat and try to use whole grain crust instead of regular white flour crust.

Love,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Elizabeth is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network. She used to be a chocoholic and is now blending spinach instead of chocolate shakes.

ps- Elizabeth is the typo queen. If you see one, just let her know. Our editor "Liz" is reading labels.

The Beauty Blueprint - Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award Winner

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:52:00 +0000

I am proud to award The Beauty Blueprint - 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams, our Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award.

Here at The Best Ever You Network, we believe that looking and feeling great both start within, and so it is with great pleasure that we introduce you to author Michelle Phillps, who shares that same philosophy.. Phillips, a celebrity make-up artist, life coach and motivational speaker has changed the lives of countless women through her approach to beauty.

Since this book arrived at my home for review, I've read and re-read it three times taking the various assessments and really thinking about things like core values and how that could relate to my foundation, in both me and my make-up :)

Michelle recently appeared on Best Ever You Radio.

I would encourage you to grab you journal, index cards, pen, some old magazines and a few other accessories and join Michelle on a new beauty journey. Discover more at www.michellephillips.com

Congratulations!

Love,
Elizabeth

About Michelle Phillips

From live TV to live events Michelle has inspired and entertained millions. By combining her knowledge as a Life Coach with her years of working as a celebrity makeup artist, Michelle has created formulas for authentic beauty and success. From appearance, attitude, personal goals, performance and relationships, Michelle provides a “blueprint” that empowers people and positively impacts them far beyond simple makeovers.

Michelle knows firsthand what it takes to succeed against the odds. Although she is from the Phillips family of music and TV, her entry into the entertainment industry was a humble one. She dreamed of working as a celebrity makeup artist at a time when it wasn’t a viable career choice. Through hard work and determination she eventually went on to work with major networks and stars of film, TV, and music such as: NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Katie Couric, Deborah Norville, Colbie Caillat, Jeff Foxworthy, Doris Roberts, and more.

Along the way Michelle was asked to move in front of the camera as the beauty and style correspondent on Tampa Bay’s 10, eventually being cast as the host of the station’s morning talk show, Studio 10. Since then she has made appearances on; The Daily Buzz, Gal Time, Head Drama, BetterTV, SheKnowsTV, HSN, TLC, HGTV, Best Ever You Radio and shows across the country.

While working behind the scenes, and eventually in front of the camera, Michelle made some very important discoveries, the biggest being the connection between inner strength and outer beauty. Making this connection led her to create a process to help others achieve and live their true beauty. Michelle can now show you the right foundation for your skin tone and provide the right foundation for your personal success, providing a strategy for ‘beautiful’ living inside and out.
The process Michelle created provides a strategy for living a ‘beautiful’ life by covering areas such as; enhancing self-image, overcoming obstacles, health and fitness, style and beauty, goal setting and empowerment, life balance and more. While women across the world spend millions every month searching for tips and inspiration to make their lives better, Michelle provides help that will take them beyond what they’ve been told is the meaning of success.

She has made it her mission to help others live their beauty by sharing her message in her speaking programs, TV appearances, weekly radio show on Hay House Radio, and in her best-selling beauty and self-esteem book, “The Beauty Blueprint- 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams” (Hay House, 2011).

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network. shhhhh- she is on page 29 with scissors and old magazines, index cards and a journal and is releasing negative fat arm thoughts :)

ps- Elizabeth is the typo queen. If you see one, just let her know. Liz, our editor, has just discovered her love of trust, sincerity and vintage clothes all in one day.

My Sugar Free Life - Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:57:00 +0000

This morning a Best Ever You reader sent me an email. She asked "What are you doing? I also need to lose weight and keep sugar out of my diet."

(Well....since you (and others) are asking...)

I am on Day 7 of Best Ever You's Get Healthy Forever" plan. We tried it out last year and three of us had some amazing success. So this year, Sara Sullivan and I have written some thoughts down on how to get healthy and have shared them with you.

Women (and men too) are MASTERS at being so hard on themselves! We have so much internal chatter at the mirror, at the wedding, at the birth, after the birth(s), at reunions, while we are on dates, in the dressing rooms trying on jeans or swimsuits... you get the idea.... We beat ourselves up much too often.

I thought I'd take a moment with you to share some of my pregnancy photos and a photo of me now. Why? Well for one, I can't believe my kids are now 10-12-14-16, but also to show you how much we go through and how much our bodies go through and to remember to take time to love yourself, be proud of yourself and give it your best.

If you spend time beating yourself up, you are taking time away from being positive and living a productive, happy life.

Pregnancy 1 : 1995
Start weight: 125
End Weight: 240
Baby Induced due to Blood Pressure issues 4 weeks early. He was 7lbs 6oz.
Age: 26

Pregnancy 2: 1997
Start weight: 160
End Weight: 250
Baby induced due to Blood Pressure issues 2 weeks early. He was nearly 9 lbs. We both almost died in childbirth.
Age 28

Let me pause for a moment and tell you that in between these pregnancies I was Divorced, remarried, pregnant and had developed Anaphylaxis -( food allergies) and had been resuscitated in 1998 from Anaphylaxis.

Pregnancy 3: 1999
Starting weight: 125
Ending Weight 165
Baby induced and pregnancy watched very closely due to pregnancy complications in 1997. Baby induced 3 weeks early, 7lbs 1oz
Age 30

I was a lot skinnier during this pregnancy from sheer stress, I believe.

Pregnancy 4: 2001
Start Weight: 135
End Weight: 180
Baby induced 2 weeks early. Watched very closely again due to previous pregnancy complications.
Age 32

This is me NOW. 2012. I'm 42, still 5'3" :) and at a weight of 148 - 152 pounds. I bounce between that weight depending on what I eat.

So now for 7 days, I've been on what I've affectionately labelled as "sugar detox" for me, since that is my trouble area. I don't eat a lot of processed foods due to food allergies already, but when I find something I can eat and not be allergic to, such as chocolate chips, chocolate ice cream, etc... I EAT IT.

Well, I'm changing that.

My goal is to lose 20 pounds and change the way I eat forever. I feel like diabetes is just around the curve if I don't start being more mindful. I also feel like at age 42, menopause is starting to creep in and I don't want to add extra weight there also.

But, what I wanted to add that last year, following our diet, I took off and kept off 20 pounds, so this is that next 20.

There's no wedding, no pregnancy, no swimsuit buying, no jeans that don't fit, no "event" surrounding my need to do this. It's just ME and my intution telling me so.

Please send a comment or email to me, if you would like to follow or get some help! We're here for you! (and I need the support too!!)

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network and co-host of the Motivation Marathon. Well, that Marathon motivated Elizabeth to get a move on the next 20 pounds. :)

ps- If you see a typo, Elizabeth is indeed the typo queen, so please just let her know. Our editor Liz, is out walking, jogging and is chocolate free, which could make for some fuzzy thinking for a while.

pss-Green Smoothies rock. Try ours. It's in the ebook above.

Vinegar is the Best! Vinegar Fridays - Blue Ribbon Winner

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:35:00 +0000

I am proud to award "Vinegar Fridays" our Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award. Hana Haatainen Caye, aka Green Grandma" focuses on a common sense greener and healthier living in her daily blog, but for one year, Fridays were all about vinegar.

This caught my eye and attention because of my allergies and so I thought I would pass this along to everyone, especially those in the allergic community. For the past 10+ years of my life, we clean our home mostly with vinegar instead of harsh chemicals and products, because 3 of us have such a tough time breathing when we spray all sorts of disinfectants and chemicals or anything too scented around the house.

The book just isn't about cleaning with vinegar though. It is about many other uses for it such as keeping rabbits out of your garden, taming the frizzies in your hair and more.

But above all, Green Grandma "Hana" is a really great writer. Hana really has a knack for words and good sentences, so really the book could be about anything and it would be a winner because of Hana's writing touch. You can read her blog for more at GREEN GRANDMA.

Hana is a writer and voice over talent. She is Agency Principal for SPEECHLESS, a company specializing in copywriting, editing and voice-over services. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband Bill and their cats. She has four grown daughters and 2 grandchildren.

Here's to keep the world a little greener and a much more well-written and well-spoken ;)

All My Best,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Elizabeth is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network. She can often be found buying vinegar in huge jugs in the grocery store.

ps- I am the typo queen, so if you see one, let me know and we'll pour some vinegar on that too.

Top 10 Best Ever You Radio Shows of 2011

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:20:00 +0000

2011 was a big year for The Best Ever You Show on Blog Talk Radio. The show was featured on Today's Picks for most of these shows below and quickly rose to be one of the most popular shows in the Health and Entertainment and Books categories for many weeks. Thank you so much for following The Best Ever You Show, for listen listening to the shows and for recommending it to others!

Below are the Top 10 shows on The Best Ever You Show for 2011. You can click on any of the shows to listen at any time.

Love, Elizabeth

1. Karen Koenig: Eating coach, psychotherapist, national educator, motivational speaker, and international author of four books on eating and weight—is an expert on the psychology of eating.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/10/11/karen-koenig

2. Tosca Reno (This show was featured in Today's Picks.): http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/11/08/just-the-rules-toscas-guide-to-eating-right

3. Ed Asner (This show was featured in Today's Picks.) 7-Time Emmy Award winning actor, and Political Activist: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/11/22/ed-asner

4. Karen Walrond: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/02/17/karen-walrond

Karen Walrond whose book is titled, The Beauty of Different: Observations of a Confident Misfit. She is a former engineer and a current (though non-practicing) attorney.

5. Forbes Riley (This show was featured in Today's Picks.) - Fitness Hall of Famer and Creator of SpinGym! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/12/12/forbes-riley--spinning-her-way-to-success

6. Sylvia Lafair: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/10/06/sylvia-lafair

Sylvia is the CEO of Creative Energy Options and is a relationship expert, who addresses how to handle conflict effectively to lead your best life!

7. Food Allergy Show featuring parents Brian Hom, Sarah Shannon and Paul Vondermeulen

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/09/25/food-allergies-brian-hom-sarah-shannon-paul-vondermeulen

8. Gabe Berman - Live Like a Fruit Fly

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/09/18/gabe-berman

9. Brianna Brown - This show was featured in Today's Picks. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/06/09/brianna-brown

10. Eileen Davidson - This Show was featured in Today's Picks.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/besteveryou/2011/12/19/eileen-davidson

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Elizabeth is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network and host of The Best Ever You Show on Blog Talk Radio.

Life Raked In - Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Winner

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:09:00 +0000

I am proud to award Gail J. VanWart our Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award for her book Life Raked In .

Gail is Maine's Best Blueberry Poet!

This is a delightful collection of poems and recipes that is sure to be a family favorite.

Life Raked In by Gail J. VanWart was penned amidst the Wild Blueberry fields of the farm where she and her husband serve as fourth generation stewards. The farm has been family owned since 1868 and continues to inspire and teach upcoming generations lessons in life through the natural wonders found on Peaked Mountain in Dedham, Maine.

To purchase a copy of Gail's book click here.

All My Best,
Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
Founder/CEO The Best Ever You Network

Follow the Motivation Marathon Speakers on Twitter

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:06:00 +0000

Register at Motivation Marathon

Create The Best Year of Your Life - FREE Motivation Marathon Event - Over 45 Internationally Acclaimed Experts & Celebrities Together for 9 Days Only! January 14 - 22, 2012.

You’ve seen them on: Oprah, CNN, Fox, Blog Talk Radio, ABC, CBS, NBC, The Biggest Loser, General Hospital, Days of our Lives, HSN, TLC’s What Not to Wear, New York Times, The Best Ever You Network, The Best People We Know Radio Show, BBC Travel, Business Week, New York Post, PBS, Women's World, The Huffington Post, Better Homes & Gardens, USA Today, Time, Success Magazine, Newsweek, The Ellen Show, Good Housekeeping, WebMD and so much more!

Hosts Deb Scott and Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, are thrilled you will be joining them for the Happy YOU! Year – Motivation Marathon. The Best Year of YOUR Life.

Change your life in a positive and dramatic way this new year and learn how to channel YOUR passion and talent into success.

With over 45 of the most influential experts and celebrities, speaking over 9 days, the Happy YOU! Year includes some of the most successful certified professional life coaches, authors, celebrities, experts and radio hosts. Each speaker will not only cover how they become successful, but how YOU can take what they learned and apply it to achieving the success YOU deserve.

“The Happy YOU! Year teleseminar promises to be one of the most talked about free teleseminars of 2012.”

Our lofty speaker requirements meant long hours of meticulous research before an acceptable list was complete, but our hard work brought together some of the most sought-after names in their respected fields. It is our hope that you will not only listen to the speakers, but take part in the live event by using our free 800 number to call in your questions (in an anonymous, friendly environment) and get answers by our experts and celebrities who can help YOU turn YOUR talents and passions into success.

Follow the Motivation Marathon Speakers on Twitter.

1. @debraoakland Debra Oakland
Practitioner of Living a Courageous Life, Author, Student of Web 2.0

2. @TheCivilityCEO Sue Jacques
The Civility CEO~Corporate Civility Expert|Media Resource|Professional Speaker|Writer|Veteran Death Investigator|Marathoner|Believer in Kindness & Respect

3. @VickyAkins Vicky Akins
@MidlifeRoadTrip Traveler, Writer, Marketing chick, Avid Cook/Baker & Fire Walker Extraordinaire. Devoted Detroit @Tigers fan! www.midlifemojo.blogspot.com

4. @toscareno Tosca Reno
The Eat-Clean Lady! Find out about my latest events on my website: http://bit.ly/gU88Db.

5. @jennyshea Jennifer Shea
Passionate foodie & marketer, runner, yogi, ocean lover. Registered Dietitian for a Fortune 100 company. Loves coffee, artichokes, ice cream, seafood & wine.

6. @RickGriffin RickGriffin
Co-host of the Midlife Road Trip Show - Loves travel, food, wine, music and laughter. Life is a journey...bring a camera!

7. @MidlifeRoadTrip MidlifeRoadTrip
Co-hosts Rick @RickGriffin & Sandi @McMedia, tweet about travel, food and adventure from behind the scenes making of the show. What's on your bucket list?

8. @McMedia Sandi McKenna
Co-Host of MidLife Road Trip~Show about Travel, Food, Recipes, Wine, Adventure, Friendship, Funny Side of Life. Foodie, Travel Expert. Cookie Sommelier.

9. @DrWendyWalsh Wendy Walsh
Mom/Psyche Geek/Writer/TV Talking Head

10. @SheaNetics Shea Vaughn
Founder, Author, Fitness Expert, Vince Vaughn's Mom, as seen on @TheEllenShow and @BestEverYou and @WindyCityLive

11. @chefdevin devin alexander
Host of Healthy Decadence on FitTv, Author of the Biggest Loser Cookbook Series, Most Decadent Diet Ever!, etc.

12. @AnnieJenningsPR AnnieJenningsPR
Media Strategist, Book Promotion Specialist, Branding Consultant, Thought Leader In Publicity, Book Publicist, National TV, Radio, Print & Internet Media

13. @soundbitesiren susan harrow
media coach, PR expert. gardener, aikidoka, tennis pro, gypsy spirit, triple UR biz w/pr, speak in soundbites http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanharrow

14. @FredCuellar Fred Cuellar
Founder/CEO Of Diamond Cutters International, Author,Inventor,Executive Coach, Motivational Speaker, Grateful

15. @EvaGregory Eva Gregory
America's Divine Guidance Coach, Conscious Channel (http://www.YourCosmicConnection.com) LOA Expert & author Life Lessons for Mastering The Law of Attraction

16. @KeithKeller Keith Keller
TWITTER 4 BUSINESS SPECIALIST: You are already AWESOME: My job is to make you WORLD FAMOUS

17. @forbesriley forbes riley
Creator of SpinGym - newest upper body fitness craze - www.MySpinGym.com and give me your feedback!

18. @garykobat Gary Kobat
Celebrity Fitness Coach to the Hollywood Stars

19. @LollyDaskal Lolly Daskal
Speaker|Author|Motivator| Passionate about Empowering others to reach their potential by leading from the heart | Founder of #LeadFromWithin

20. @LisaHaisha Lisa Haisha
World Traveler | Author | Retreat/Workshop Leader | Life Coach | Join me here: http://www.facebook.com/soulblazerlisahaisha

21. @LisaNicoleBell Lisa Nicole Bell
Renaissance Woman 2.0 | Social Change Agent + Filmmaker + 3x Author + Entrepreneur + Int'l Speaker | Founder of @InspiredGirls | Creator of @LegacyLetters

22. @drdavidfraser Dr David Fraser
Author and speaker on professional, business and personal relationships. Engineer, leader, father and outdoor guy. Changing the world from the inside out.

23. @lukastyle Wayne Scot lukas
Celebrity fashion stylist 29 years,TV show host What Not To Wear on TLC. Designer for Lukastyle clothing line on HSN, all posts are mine alone / allegedly

24. @jamesrick James Rick Stinson
Daily tips on how to live your Full Potential by FullPotential.com author, speaker and entrepreneur James Rick.

25. @MelissaGalt (Prosper by Design)
Keynote Speaker|Marketing Consultant|Biz Coach|Lifestyle Expert|Interior Designer|Visionary|Adventurer|Romantic|Optimist|Giver| Single&Seeking|HUMAN

26. @HeshieSegal Heshie Segal
speaker, networking strategist, trainer, mentor, wellness consultant

27. @salliefelton Sallie Felton
As a life coach, In'tl talk radio host, author and speaker, I am passionate in helping people START WHERE THEY STAND by putting the L back into LIVING.

28. @Sandra_Robinson Sandra Dee Robinson
Media trainer/Soap/TV actress. Horse, dog and wildlife enthusiast too. I help visionaries make the impact in the world they are designed to make!

29. @RobinRoffer Robin Fisher Roffer
Personal and corporate branding expert. Author Make A Name For Yourself, The Fearless Fish Out Of Water and Reinventing Yourself. CEO, Big Fish Marketing, Inc.

30. @smoothsale Elinor Stutz
International Speaker, Author and CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC - a sales training company.

31. @SueInge SueIngebretson
Writer, Health and Wellness Enthusiast, Living Well with Fibromyalgia. Author of FibroWHYalgia. www.FibroWHYalgia.com, www.RebuildingWellness.com

32. @MentorMarnie Marnie Swedberg
Success Principles for Influencers: Christian Speakers, Church Leadership, Business Owners, Managers, Womens Ministry, Pastors Wife, Authors, Wives & Moms.

33. @wendiepett Wendie Pett
Fitness and Wellness Coach, Creator of the Visibly Fit exercise program, Author, Speaker, and National TV Host.

34. @bergenw Bergen Williams
I'm an actress and I play Big Alice on GH, I'm also a writer, a chef, a cancer survivor and a health activist.

35. @YourCoachNicole Nicole Burley
I am a Life Coach with a focus on health and nutrition. I offer down-to-earth conversations to upgrade your life and your health! tweets.nicoleburley.com

36. @BrownBrianna Brianna Brown
I'm a busy bumble bee who makes a living playing pretend. I'm serious. I'm goofy. I'm seriously goofy.

37. @graceandpassion Pina De Rosa
Award Winning Producer, World Traveller, High Performance Results Coach, Intl Speaker, CEO, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Visionary and Lover of figs!

38. @CariLMurphy Cari Murphy
Soul Success Coach, BestSelling Author, Radio Host, Media Personality supporting others as they LEAD WITH THEIR SOUL! www.CariMurphy.com

39. @DrAlexConcorde Dr Alex Concorde
BSc PhD MBBS MBA Creator of new brain theorem for less stress/greater human capability in health/medicine/business/intelligence/individual potential/happiness

40. @LisaTener Lisa Tener
book writing coach, how to write a book, how to get published, Nonfiction/how-to book proposals. Weekend Tweets are mostly automated (family time)

41. @angelheal Michelle Mayur
The Healer to Healers and Lightworkers. Community, support and resources to reclaim your Divine Light www.heal-the-healer.com

42. @jenuinehealing Jenuine Ward
Please check out my book about Living in Gratitude while surviving on Miracles. http://www.jenuinehealing.com/?page_id=530

43. @TVRadioDoc Nancy Mramor
Nancy Mramor Ph.D. is a licensed clinical, health and educational psychologist, specializing in education and health issues.

44. @GreenSkyDeb Deb Scott
Life Coach ♥ Radio Host ♥ Award Winning Author ♥ ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥ ♥ Self Help & Positive Resources 4 UR Happiness ♥ Lღ√Ƹ #MotivationMarathon

45.@DocWhite4U Jo Anne White
International author, motivational speaker, life, leadership and business coach & energy intuitive can help you create abundance and fullfillment.

46. @BestEverYou Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
CEO/Founder-Best Ever You, Author @PinkyDoodleBug Life Coach, Radio Host, Mom of 4 Boys, SP for @MedicAlert Food Allergy Expert, Co-Host - #MotivationMarathon

47. @designthumb Gary Reichel
I'm a full time freelance Graphic Designer, Website, SEO, SEM, I live in Charleston South Carolina, USA.

48. @KatanaAbbott KatanaAbbott
Helping women envision and create their perfect life.

49. @ColorMyWorldDeb ColorMyWorldDeb
KIDS & ADULTS: You're creative; let me help you prove it! Internationally Acclaimed Best-Selling Author, Wife, Mom

About Us:
Deb Scott, BA, CPC @GreenSkyDeb
Deb is Author of the THREE time National Award Winning Book The Sky is Green and The Grass is Blue - turning your upside down world right side up!, a Certified Professional Coach at Discover the Amazing YOU! Coaching, and host of the hit new Best People We Know Show! on Blog Talk Radio. Self Help Radio Simple Steps to Stop Suffering : The Sky is Green & The Grass is Blue : Now! Now available on Kindle. Dumping the Drama – Workbook and 30 Minute Audio. Now available on Kindle. Sign up for Debs “Mind Vitamins” Newsletter today!

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino @BestEverYou
Elizabeth is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network and the host of top-rated “Best Ever You Show” on Blog Talk Radio. Elizabeth is a certified professional life coach, journalist, actress/on-air personality and author. Elizabeth is the author of “The ABCs of Life - Sing The New Song” (2012). Her two award winning children’s books “Blueberry - A Cat’s Eye View of Maine” (2009) and “Pinky Doodle Bug” (2011) are available where books are sold. Elizabeth and her husband Peter have been married for 13 years and have 4 boys.

For More Information or to request an interview with one of our speakers, please contact Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino at elizabeth@besteveryou.com or visit Motivation Marathon.

.

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Appreciate Those Around Us - Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Appreciating Those Around Us
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

People are each other’s greatest asset.

One person sews. One cooks really well. Another talented person bakes. People produce amazing websites. One person is a doctor, another stays home to take care of kids. One person writes and another trains dogs. One is a fitness instructor and another is a model. One is a great graphic designer and another an editor and the list goes on and on.

When you discover the world of people and all they have to offer without being scared, jealous, negative or comparing, but rather supportive, positive and promoting, your whole world can change.

One person can’t do it all. If I came over to train your dog, most surely you would giggle. It takes all kinds to make the world go round and round.

My message is short and simple - Appreciate each other! Discover the people around you. Learn from one another and explore and meet new people. We all seem to struggle with most of the same issues in one form or another.

Women in particular, can be each other’s own worst enemies. I’d like to think the shenanigans end is high school, but I’ve always struggled with why it even occurs at all. I don’t have that answer, but I do know that some women never leave their high school behavior behind. Jealous, comparing, back-stabbing, rude, gossiping, snooty behavior is something I still witness and even from people in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and beyond. I’ll never understand it and can’t control others, but I will say that the only thing you can do is change your reaction and response to people like this, or ignore it, take the high road and stay consistent in your own positive, supportive behavior. You may also evaluate the situation and decide to purge and protect. Purge the relationship or people from your life and rid yourself of the drama and negativity and they way they weigh you down!

Don’t keep up with the Jones Family either. Scratch below their surface too and there are just as many issues, if not far more. You’ll also sometimes see outside great and horrific insides. Try to just keep up with yourself and be the best asset to yourself and those around you. Looks fade, $200 pairs of jeans wear out, shoes wear out, expensive purses get worn, furniture wears, houses age, cars break and in all that is YOU. Your personality and how you treated yourself and those around you to the best of your abilities.

Be the asset. Be in a good mood. Be positive. Be appreciative.

My Best,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network. This is a drama free zone.

ps- If you see a typo in this (or 10 ), it's because I am the typo queen. Liz is on vacation and so I go it alone.... just let me know and I'll fix it.

The Fearless Time Keeper Ten - Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000

The Fearless Time Keeper Ten
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

It is baffling how quickly time passes. In a blink of a 10-year eye, this (taken 11-11-01)

is now this.

and this.

is now, unfortunately this. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jamesfhamilton/journal, where my dad, pictured above, has been duking it out for his life for nearly a month in ICU and the 5th floor of Fairview Ridges Burnsville for a medical error that ten years ago he could have never predicted or even wished for.

My kids are now 16-14-12-10. wow.

Dear Timekeeper - Where are my babies from ten years ago and what in the world did you do with my dad?

My mom is doing an excellent job hiding from you, by the way.

But my dog is even getting gray.

But we all know.....

Time Keeper... you are keeping time. The 10 gray hairs my hairdresser found are proof as is my acupuncture facial segment on Fox the other morning....

Time might be more precious than water and in keeping time, before you know it, time has flown by.

Careful, for you might be in the "I should have" spot. Even those old watches in your jewelry box are still really keeping time, despite the dead batteries you ignore on each and pretend and wish the time really stopped. It didn't.

So, In flies...."Today I Will!" (there was some music that just played in superhero form. I can also issue capes if really needed.)

You have probably heard this before. If you want to make lasting change in behavior, write it down. I love self-contracts, for example, or even having a conversation with someone else about your goals.

Something happens when we take an extra moment to write out what we want to attend to and something happens when we start to vocalize and consistently incorporate the "I will's"

Just writing out or even saying "Today I Will... " and making a point to check the list at noon and 4:00 can make a tremendous difference.

It's one thing to choose a change, but we know that reinforcing it as many times in our thoughts is essential.

Today, take a bit of extra time to say what you will do today, then, when you accomplish it, delete it and give yourself a silent pat on the back. The more difficult something is the more important that extra reinforcement becomes.

Remember the words, "Today I will...." or before you know it, "I should have" will be and ten years will have passed.

Live. Dream. Imagine. Learn. Connect. Be Fearless.

All My Best,
Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network. She really loves living life to her absolute best and fullest she can. The "In Time" watch on her arm doesn't have infinite amounts of purchased time and neither does yours. It was a movie. Cool idea too. 25 forever. xxoo

ps- I am seriously the typo queen. If you find a typo in this, just let me know. I go this alone, as our editor "Liz" is out today stopping as many clocks as she can. Funny how that doesn't stop time.

psx2- Gabe Berman is onto something. Read "Live Like a Fruit Fly" :)

You Have the Right to Remain Silent - Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 10:24:00 +0000

You Have The Right to Remain Silent
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Have you ever started with a goal only to find 5 days later it is tough to stick to and you are the hamster back on the wheel and haven’t made the change?

Here are three common "resolutions" that by day 7 are broken.

1. “I am going to exercise 30 minutes each day.”
2. “I am going to write a daily blog.”
3. “I am going to quit smoking.”

How do you effect change and create a good habit? How do you toss out an old habit?

For most, the problem lies with time and attention. Too much time on other things and not enough attention on the things you need to focus on.

So for today I’d like empower you with the right to remain silent!!

My guess is for many of you, including me, taking ten minutes or even twenty minutes of silent reflection can be a bit uncomfortable and feels maybe a bit self-indulgent.

However you have the right to remain silent!

Silence can sometimes be uncomfortable because without distractions you feel what you are feeling and think what you are thinking and sometimes you don’t want to.

So, now that the discomfort has set in, you know you are on the right track. How you move forward with discomfort is important. That's your gem. It's a lot easier to avoid feeling uncomfortable than it is to deal with it. For me, ten to twenty minutes per day is the key.

If you just make a promise to stick with ten minutes a day dedicated to silence, the ripple can make a major difference. That's a habit worth making!

Ten minutes a day, maybe even twenty dedicated to self care is a wonderful goal.

Just think how much better our day can be if we all took time each day to show appreciation for ourselves. Filling up 'us' allows us to enjoy others. It's a great first step to lasting change!

Silently,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network. Shhhhh She and her husband, 4 boys, dog and 3 cats are all on yoga mats in the living room floor reflecting. HA HA HA. I wish! Instead, the house is filled with kids and their friends, pancakes, snow outside, The Wii going, The XBox going, coffee brewing. Seriously, how does the dog sleep through this??

ps- I am the typo queen. If you see a typo, just let me know. Our editor "Liz" is out shoveling show, in October??!!

Changing Your Life - Best Ever You

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:04:00 +0000

Changing Your Life
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Many of you know, I am in Minnesota right now going on week two with my dad in ICU. His has kidney cancer (I don't want to capitalize it even...) and is in ICU due to a bleed from that surgery. He is fighting for his life, as is everyone in here. There is no such thing as being stable and being in ICU.

So, as I sit here in the ICU unit with my dad now for about 2 weeks and see the many people here in rooms, several deaths and my own father suffering, it really does scream "Life is short!!!" ~~ and definitely too short to be frustrated or miserable or to constantly wish for something and not see how to achieve it or understand how make lasting change."

Tell this to lady who had a reaction to the flu shot and wound up in ICU or the routine colononscopy gone sour or the lady who collapsed in the middle of the grocery store and I'll bet if they backed up time and had some things to do over, they might. Crap ( I said that politely.) happens and you never really know when it might happen to you. I was just talking to a nurse yesterday who has a friend with four small babies and the father was killed in a car accident about 4 months ago.

It got me thinking about January. January sort of annoys me because the media collectively decides to push "A New You" "Resolutions" and all of this stuff to help you have a better year ahead. Before January hits in just around 8 short weeks and you are bombarded with resolutions that fail and frustrations or endless lists of things you want to differently in your life, I thought I would chime in....

There is no magic to the date. I say start now. The minute you finish reading this, start living your life to the fullest. Don't hold back. You never know what might happen between now and that magical January day....

I am here today to help you chart a course to change your life forever. To help you stop wishing for it and start working for it. To help you learn how to break habits, learn new skills, get over the “how” and discover the “what”.

Someone wrote me hate mail that says "Well who are you to tell me to live my best life?"

Well hater guy, I'm just me and that should be plenty good enough :) Read me, don't read me, It's really up to you, but I can promise you that your hate mail won't discourage me from my mission to help people, including you :)

Seldom is there a mention of the mindset that must accompany life changes. Yes, you’re unhealthy, but WHY? Yes, you are in a sucky job, but WHY? And on and on. There is a lot of determination, consistency, motivation, lack of fear and many other things that mix into the change soup that must be eaten to bring you off the hamster wheels.

I will keep this real, simple and practical. I will not use endless cliches to live your life by. This is about authenticity. I am a real person with real problems and a real life. ( I just happen to like to think, write and blab about it. )

Wrapping Your Head Around It – You want to change

Life is a revolving door of endless choices and the thing of it is - not one single person can force you to change. Throw in a little fear into the mix and it could be a recipe for Hamsterology. You have to want to change. It is really just a flat out hard thing to do. Change. Change What? Change How? Change Why? Where? When?

Completely head-spinning and before you know it a few weeks or months have passed and guess what? Nothing has CHANGED! In some cases, things may have even gotten worse!

So my challenge to you is to write down 5 things you would like to change. Just do that for now. Grab a notebook or a journal and write down those 5 things you want to change.

What did you write?

All My Best,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network. Elizabeth loves to improve her own life and those around her with small lasting changes.

ps- I am the queen of typos. If you see one just let me know. Our editor, Liz, is still wrapping her head around change and a medical check up.

You Can Feel the Love

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 06:45:00 +0000

You Can Feel The Love
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

<<<----- This is what the wall looks like in my dad's ICU room. There are signs posted everywhere that say "No Flowers or Balloons" and so many rooms of patients are just a vast array of medical equipment, lines, beeps, noises and moreso, very lonely looking.

Our family decorates.

We decorate with love and we have a pact that if any of us are in this situation we don't leave. That is right we don't leave. We cover in shifts and never leave the person in ICU alone. This wasn't something we decided to do when we were kids or anything to plan for this day, It is something we all discovered we wanted and needed to do when our dad was sick in 2004-2005 with his strokes.

My mom and I cover the wee hours of the morning and the day and my brothers and sisters and their wives cover the night. My mom has a tendency, as I'm sure you can predict, to not want to ever leave his side. They've been married since Feb 14, 1975, have 10 kids and 16 grandkids.

As I write this, my mom wants you to know that most people in the ICU here are alone except for their nurse. We noticed that for many days now, lonely other rooms, feeling like we are the only round the clock visitors. Makes us wonder if family support helps pull the loved one through.... The doctors and nurses tell us that our room has a different vibe. They've all stopped in to meet the family and even point to various pictures and make the connection to who is who. The doctor has even stopped in more times than he needed to...

You can definitely feel the love. Yesterday when dad was somewhat alert, Hallie, my sister's daughter who is 12 (my niece) said "Grandad, I love you." He opened his eyes and squeezed her hand to know he heard her.

One of the things the nurses constantly say is "They hear you and know you are there......."

There is an abundance in room 369.

With Love From Minnesota,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
Elizabeth is the CEO and Founder of The Best Ever You Network. Love is Powerful.

ps- I am the typo Queen, if you see one, just let me know. Our editors are off praying for my dad today.

Name Tag Angels

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Name Tag Angels
By Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Sometimes in jokes or conversation you might hear that it is bad to go to a job where one has to wear a dreaded, often misplaced or constantly forgotten or even unappreciated Name Tag. You know....Name Tag = Crappy Job........

Well, tell that to the ICU Doctors and Nurses all proudly displaying Name Tags who are helping save my dad's life. Name Tags are critical. In the times of stress, the Doctor may introduce himself, say his or her name outloud and tell you what is going on or the course of treament. Most of us here with Dad needed a glance at the Name Tag twice or even more to remember, because under the stress we couldn't recall who we were talking to and things happen fast.

Chaplain Holly had to repeat her name at least 4 times yesterday and I found myself looking at her Name Tag to finally set it in my brain. Then along came the Priest before surgery to Annoint him. I saw the Priest collar yesterday and a Name Tag. Just now the head ICU doctor "The Intensivist" came in Name Tag and all. (Oh, and he was here at 1am and 4am too , checking on dad.)

In fact, most people who do things for you, probably have a Name Tag. Think of the person who cleans your teeth, changes the oil in your car, makes you beautiful in clothes at your favorite store, brings you goodies to eat when you are out, fits you with the most perfect pair of shoes, makes you that first cup of coffee each day, but above all, think of the Name-Tagged People who may one day save your life or that of a loved one.

You have Name Tag Angels all around you. Cherish them and smile and most of all, take the time to know their name. They are helping you. Maybe even give them a high five or a handshake too :)

With Much Love from Minnesota, with dad in ICU,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino
Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of The Best Ever You Network. Angels are everywhere.

ps-If you see a typo, just let me know. Our editors are taking a well-deserved snooze.

Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Winner - Deb Scott "The Sky is Green and the Grass is Blue"

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:02:00 +0000

I am pleased to award Deb Scott our Best Ever You Blue Ribbon Award. I did this a while back on our old website, but for some reason it got lost in the move, so here we are...)

It looks like it has won some new awards too!

Congratulations! Much Love and Many Thanks for always being You.

This is one of my favorite books!! Buy it here.

Love,
Elizabeth

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino:
Elizabeth has a lot of thank-you's out in the Universe to Deb Scott. Thank you for being so fun. Thank you for being so loving. Thank you for being so smart. Thank you for being just Deb. :)

Live Like a Fruit Fly - Blue Ribbon Winner

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:21:00 +0000

I am going on day six of the biggest back crisis in existence. I took one amazing parking lot spill. Like a car sent soaring over an unseen speed bump with hair flying wildly about, down I went heels and all and managed to pretty much leave my spine there as I dusted myself off, got in my car and drove away, giggling, thankful I hadn't broken anything and praying nobody saw.

A few days later, trapped on the 2nd floor of my home, I enlisted the help of an acupunture doc to come to the house in an effort to free me.

Work is piling up. Like seriously piling up. To my left are about 20 books to read and consider for Best Ever You. I glance over and see one called "Live Like a Fruit Fly"

"A fruit fly huh?" I think to myself. I would rather live like a cat, turtle, cute fluffy dog, just me... a fruit fly. So with flyswatter in hand I set out in what turns out to be "find Gabe".

I am nearly done with the book when I see the bit about Diane Lane. I agree, Diane Lane, you are just hot. I decide I need to find Gabe. No 411, just facebook. He's there and it's him. I can't give him the 411 on Diane, but can tell him I love the book.

I'd like to write something profound and professional like Deepak Chopra wrote about the book and Gabe, "In Live Like a Fruit Fly, Gabe Berman shares his recipe for living a more joyful, worthwhile, and abundant life in every way. A witty, entertaining and insightful read."

Mine goes more like this:

At long last, a writer writing about "self-help" who isn't contemplating or coming up with a method to peer deeply inside the existence of belly button lint with a PHD (phD?, PHd?, phd?) and I assure you if he did want to write about belly button lint and other such fine things, he will and it will be a few chapters, revised, funny and with a point. ~Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

So, about Gabe. Talented writer Gabe, who gets it. Use your time wisely, be authentic, dream, life is short, Gabe. Go with old fashioned sugar, Snoopy loving Gabe.

(You know, I need to remember to save on the computer as I type because I lost the review 10 minutes ago that I had written. I can't remember how I ended this before......) Oh wait, I know. I was tossing around the decision "photo of Gabe? photo of book? both? start with his picture, the book?)

decision made.

All My Best (98-2%)
Elizabeth

ps- Gabe - "May the Force Be With You" (i.e. It's a best seller!)

Gabe Berman

Gabe Berman is a native New Yorker who settled in South Florida after graduating from the University of Miami. An epiphany, a passion, and a trail of breadcrumbs led him out of Corporate America and into a writing career. His columns appear regularly in The Miami Herald and on Alan.com.

You can buy his book here:

"Live Like a Fruit Fly"