Family Health By Design

Today is my thirty-first wedding anniversary and I am still very much in love with my wife.

I still remember the day we got married like it was yesterday and when I reminisce about that day all the feelings of love and joy fill my heart along with the faces of all the guests. It was the most magical day of my life, it also seemed like it was over in the blink of an eye but it will forever be the anchor that keeps me grounded through the storms of life.

Looking back on the last thirty-one years I can honestly say the good times definitely out way the bad. I can remember three times in my marriage where I really felt lost and began crying out to God for help and hope.

1. When I did not like my job working in IT anymore and felt frustrated because I was making good money but my work just wasn’t fulfilling anymore.

2. When I lost my health and wellness business after two years in business and thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

3. When Valerie was in the hospital for three weeks with a rare disease called Wegner’s GPA. 

All the arguments and little misunderstandings were a piece of cake compared to those three events.

In 2014 I learned some very valuable tools that have really improved the communication between Valerie and I. Tools that would have saved us hours of time separated arguments or misunderstandings caused by the lack of our ability to communicate effectively and ended up with one of us giving the other the silent treatment.  Tools I would have loved to have known about when I was twenty years old.

Five tips that can help you and your spouse communicate more effectively.

1. Talk about your feelings to the other person who hurt you even if you have to preface the conversation with “What I’m going to say may upset you.”
2. To listen to issues objectively. (We listen and see people through filters. These filters are called Already Always Listening.)*
3. To always pursue a win-win for each person in the relationship.
4. Learn to control your thoughts. By learning to control your thoughts you gain control over your feelings and your actions. You can learn how to control your thoughts through the 7 Day Mental Diet
5. Forgive everyone. Forgiveness has to do with oneself, with feeling good and stopping the punishment from going beyond reflection and learning. Forgiveness is really characterized by:

• Freeing hard feelings or resentment
• Healing wounds, getting rid of scars
• Making the choice to start being in a better mood
• Helping yourself concentrate your attention on the positive aspects
• Giving yourself a great opportunity: to start over with a clean slate
• Freeing yourself: it is your choice, do not forget that you have control of your feelings

These five tips have given me the power to overcome and eliminate misunderstandings that would plague me for days or even months.

For more information about the concept of Already Always Listening please visit. already-always-listening

Please leave a comment.

Are you planning to retire from your job anytime soon?

Will your retirement income give you enough to live on or do you have investments in place to make up the difference?

These are all questions I have been researching for myself and what I found was shocking! One survey found that 42% of Americans will retire broke. Why?
According to the Pew Research Center, the average paycheck has the same purchasing power it did 40 years ago.
Day-to-day costs continue to soar, and salaries don’t go as far as they once did to cover the necessities.
Still, the longer you put off planning for your golden years, the farther behind you fall according to another source.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/27/1-in-3-americans-have-less-than-5000-dollars-saved-for-retirement.html

Some people are depending heavily on Social Security but most experts believe there will not be enough to make a difference for most retirees.

For example:
 If you’re 25 and earn $35,000 a year (much more likely), you can expect to only get $977 a month ($11,712 a year) if you retire at 62. That’s poverty-level income.

So what can you do to help yourself? Below are four suggestions that can make a big difference

1. Start investing now, if your company has a retirement plan take advantage of it.
2. Get a part-time job.
3. You can start your own business working from home. Take your experience and help others.
4. Take something you love to do and teach other people how to do it.

I found a great article that included 12 Strategies to Generate Income in Retirement. https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T023-C000-S002-12-strategies-to-generate-income-in-retirement.html

Dave Ramsey has another way to save and plan for retirement. Retire a Millionaire on $35 a week.
https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/retire-a-millionaire-on-35-a-week

The most important thing is to take action now. Meet with a financial planner and learn how much you will need to live on in retirement and consider ways to make up the difference.

In 2016 I learned how to launch my own computer repair business from home and I have loved helping people solve their technical problems for the past 3 years but I am in the process of becoming a small business coach. The reason I have decided to change my profession is that I hear so many people complaining about their job how they feel they have to work there to have medical benefits. When I suggest they do something about it they just give excuses.

I believe we as human beings can adapt to learn and create the life we want if we are just given the proper tools. I am committed that each person I coach has the tools available to them to live their life with no regrets and use their gifts talent and abilities to benefit all mankind.

I found the tools to empower myself in the Master Key Experience course. It is a six-month course that I have taken four years in a row and each year I discover something new about myself. It is unlike any other course I have participated in. Check it out for yourself at https://masterkeyexperience.com/

I will share more about my progress in an upcoming post.

Please remember this quote “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Mark Twain

The first key to turning a passion into a career is to create a plan of what you want your business to be like.

For example, if you were building a home you would work with a builder to design your home and that plan includes every detail of the home so the builder can build your home as it was designed. Below is a general floorplan but there would also be a plan created for the plumbing and electrical.

While the builder is building a home you would have a vision of how you want each room to look when you move into your new home. The curtains, flooring, countertops, appliances in your kitchen and the walls in each room painted the color of your choice.

Building a business is no different you need to sit down and create a set of plans to follow so that your business is built just the way you want it to be. You will also need to create a vision of you working in your office, your ideal client and how your business helps your clients.

Below is an exercise to create your business. Do the exercise and leave me a comment.

Exercise: Creating a Visual Plan for your Business
Get a piece of paper or a notepad.
Imagine you have unlimited resources available to you and there is nothing off limits. Let your imagination run wild. Pause the video and follow the steps below.
● Set a timer for 5 minutes, close your eyes, relax and allow             yourself to feel the emotions.
● Envision yourself in your workspace.
● What do you see around you?
● What do you smell?
● What do you hear?
● Now picture yourself with a client providing your service to         them.
● What is your client’s experience?
● What do they say to you?
● How do you feel?

*****When the timer expires Write down what you saw, felt and heard using descriptive words and emotions.

This is an example. My office is amazing where I have a view of the ocean from my desk! I have seen 3 clients today and I was able to resolve their computer issues with ease and give them tools to protect them from scams. At the end of the day, I am filled with so much gratitude to use my skills to make a difference in peoples lives that really matters to them.  I absolutely love my commute to work from my kitchen to my office! I never dreamed I could have a business like this!

I love how I  work my business around my family’s schedule and have time for special moments with my children.

Imagine as much detail as possible and when your the way you want it and make a commitment to read it out loud three times a day and allow yourself to feel the emotions each time.

By taking the time to do this you will attract the things you need to make your vision a reality.

Now that you have a plan to follow you will need a name for your business. I will cover steps to choose a name in an upcoming post.

Please come back and leave me a comment about the business you created and your experience from doing the exercise.

I would be honored to help you turn your passion into a business!

Mike Stewart

The way you know you have discovered your passion is when you wake up every day excited to use your gifts to be of to service humanity. You have a desire to share the valuable wisdom you’ve gained with everyone you meet.

Imagine if you could help the people around you discover their gifts and live fully and passionately. To not be sidetracked by petty issues but want the best for everyone.

That is what I have discovered for myself and the way I discovered it was using the process below.

Look at the definition of passion. Dictionary.com defines passion as.

1. Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
2. A strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
3. A strong sexual desire; lust.

Take an area of your life like your career and ask yourself the following questions.

• Does your career inspire you to go to work each day?
• When you leave work each day do you feel fulfilled and satisfied?

If the answer to these questions is no, then maybe you forgot the reason you chose that line of work.

At this point, you can choose.

1. Think back to when you started working in your career of choice and recall what inspired you to choose that career.

2. Imagine for a second if you were handed a golden ticket with a paid scholarship to choose any career right now what would you choose? See yourself working in that career, how would you feel? What would your co-workers be like? Where would you be living?

Try doing this exercise in each area of your life, family, recreation, social life, etc.. Would it inspire you? Would it scare you? Would you be someone who would take the actions necessary to transform the areas your not satisfied with?

Most people won’t take action because it is uncomfortable.

Some people don’t believe they can change and other people would rather complain than change.

But I can tell you for certain that it is possible to change any area of your life you desire if you are willing to put in the daily work to do so.

It all starts with realizing that the subconscious mind makes all the decisions.

In order to bring about lasting change, you have to reprogram your unconscious mind to work for you instead of against you. To become aware of the thoughts you entertain every day.  If you change your thoughts you can change your actions and by changing your actions you change your results.

There is no quick fix. But there is a simple way to start changing the way you think by going on a 7 Day Mental Diet.

If you like you can get a copy by entering your name and email address on the right-hand side of the screen.

Please leave me a comment about this post.

Mike