Are you trying too hard?

We use this phrase in English, s/he is trying too hard, as a criticism. It's meant to imply that whatever it is you're trying to accomplish will only come if you relax and let it come more naturally. Don't force it.

And yet so many times when we're not getting the results that we want, we tell ourselves to just try harder.

Instead of telling yourself to just try harder, ask yourself:

How could I give myself more support? ¿Cómo puedo darme más apoyo?

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, SpanishSaturday, MotivationNikki BannisterFebruary 12, 2021Life, Permission, Support, Effort, Self-talkComment

What's Your Vision for 2021?

What's your vision for 2021?

I know, I know, we had so many jokes about 2020 Vision - don't worry, we're not reviving that dead horse. I mean, what vision is guiding you this year? What do you see in your heart of hearts? What is the big picture inspiring you as you move forward in 2021?

If you're answer is, "Uhh...what are you talking about, Nikki? I don't know how to answer that," keep reading.

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, Spanish, SpanishSaturdayNikki BannisterJanuary 29, 2021Life, 2021, Create, Vision, Reveal, Big PictureComment

You have permission to lower the bar

Have you heard the saying, "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right"?

This time of year, many of us are abounding with new goals, dreams, and projects for the new year. We look forward to all the changes this year might bring, all that we might accomplish, and the growth that will occur.

And the overwhelm can almost be immediate.

Because the truth is, we aren't great multi-taskers. We - and I mean you, I mean me, I mean ALL of us humans - are much better at being single-taskers. It's just how our brains work!

So what do we do?

We often start trying to do it ALL, at the beginning. Then, we get frustrated as we realize we're not making the kind of progress we'd like to. We're pulled in too many directions, stretched too thin.

We start to drop things. We put them off. We decide we'll get to it later, when we have the time we want to truly dedicate to it.

This sounds pretty good. Pretty reasonable. After all, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right, isn't it?

Maybe.

There's a pernicious limiting belief hiding in this mindset: the idea that it's all-or-nothing.

Celebrating YOU in 2020

What are you celebrating yourself for this year?

If your answer right now is, "nothing", let's change that by the end of this post.

Why is celebrating so important? What does it even mean to celebrate yourself?

Our adult brains feel more comfortable skipping the celebration. We feel more responsible thinking ahead. We have perfectionist tendencies that keep us looking for more, setting higher goals.

Stop. Just stop.

It's time to re-train our brains. Because if we skip the celebration, we miss the chance to actually enjoy our life. We take all the pleasure out of the experience.

What Story Are You Writing for 2021?

If life in 2020 were a movie, what part would you play?

Would you be the comedian, making sarcastic comments and bringing humor to the darkest of scenes?

Are you the best friend, providing support and encouragement to others?

Or are you the main character, valiantly struggling on the hero's journey against the obstacles to reach your happy ending?

Today I want to invite you to step into a new role.

When it comes to your story, you are not just a character.

You are the author.

We’re on a journey of body, heart, mind, and spirit

How healthy do you think you are?

Most of us, when asked that question, go straight toward the physical: how much we weigh, our cholesterol levels, our heart health, levels of pain and mobility, etc.

Yet we are so much more than just our bodies.

We have busy, busy minds at work during all of our waking hours, and yet we are also so much more than just our thoughts.

We have amazing hearts that allow us to feel all kinds of emotions - and yet - we are more than just our feelings.

We have a soul, a spirit, and intangible part of our being capable of communicating on a level beyond our three-dimensional realm -

As humans, we are body, mind, heart, and spirit.

Our health is combined of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, SpanishSaturday, MotivationNikki BannisterDecember 11, 2020Life, Health, Holistic Health, Body, Heart, Mind, Spirit, HealthyComment

How to avoid overwhelm this season

What are you looking forward to this month?

If you're like me, when you picture the holidays and the end of the year, you picture a cozy, sparkling scene: you're in your pajamas on the couch, reading into the late morning. You don't have anywhere to be but where you want to be. Your work is done. There's a crackling fire in the fireplace, and a hot cup of coffee in your hand. Later, there will be champagne, dinner with family, and movies and snuggling on the couch. Loved ones surround you, music fills the air, and life is distilled to it's best essence.

You're relaxed. You're content. You're overflowing with gratitude and joy.

End scene.

Now, welcome to reality: it's the beginning of December, and I'm already feeling behind. This is not unusual.

Do you feel extra stress around the holidays and the end of the year?

It's so normal.

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, Spanish, SpanishSaturdayNikki BannisterDecember 4, 2020Life, Perspective, Overwhelm, Holidays, Work, ProcessComment

What season are you in?

What season are you in?

It's our first rainy day in California, and the season truly feels like it's starting to change.

I could not be more excited. I love Fall and all the orange, red, and yellow colors it brings to the leaves in the trees and the vineyards across the hills of wine country. [Incidentally, I did take advantage of the fact that I live in the heart of wine country this weekend, and spent the best available sunshine hours out on the terrace or in a private gazebo overlooking the Sonoma Valley, sipping everything from sparkling to rosé to Tuscan reds with a friend. Ahh, this is the life!]

The thing about the changing season is that it reminds us that life is based on seasons: warm and cold, growth and hibernation. I don't think anyone says it better than Solomon…

Are you acting or reacting?

Are you acting or reacting?

Our reactions are natural, instinctual, and often subconscious.

They're normal and even healthy to have, like removing our hand off the hot stove before our brain has even realized it's hot.

But they're meant to be short-lived. They're meant to interrupt us enough to bring our attention to what's just happened, so that we can consciously create a plan of action.

Are you staying stuck in the reaction?

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, Spanish, SpanishSaturdayNikki BannisterNovember 13, 2020Life, Perspective, Actions, Reactions, TriggersComment

My Best Bilingual Life