Isn’t it funny how those foods we crave when we feel down, upset or lonely are called “comfort foods”, when what they actually do in reality is only add to our discomfort?

How many people, do you think, are walking around today carrying an extra 5, 10, 15, 20lbs or more of “comfort” around their middle, hips or thighs? Can it really be that comfortable to be wearing our pain, now compounded into physical form as well, as if the emotional form was not already enough?!

Today we’re going to wake up and smell the coffee/ bread/potatoes/cheese/chocolate for what they really are, but before we do that, let’s take a moment to look at why we feel we need comforting anyway.

First of all, I want you to list the times you eat when you’re not hungry. This may include any or all of the following:

When I’m feeling…
Sad, tired, bored, angry, upset, disappointed, uninspired, lost, alone, confused, happy, excited, overwhelmed.

You may very well have some others of your own to add; please do as you’ll be working with your list this week and next.

When you have your list, write down next to each emotion what food/s or drink you tend to reach for when you’re feeling that way. Be radically honest as this information is vital.

When you’re done, see if there are trends. Do one or two particular foods or drinks show up more often than the others? Or do you choose different foods for coping with different emotions? Chances are that there are some foods that show up in your list over and over, and these are likely to include bread (or other wheat products), cheese, ice-cream, chocolate, wine and potatoes.

Keep this information; we’ll be working with it later.

Now to the “comfort” part.

I want you to imagine for a moment, feeling one of those emotions that triggers comfort eating for you. For the purpose of this exercise it is a good idea to choose one of the most common ones so you can easily get in touch with the emotion and your pattern around it.

Now, as you have that in your mind, stay with me here as I discuss what this emotion is really all about. You may have heard before the “emotion” can also be read: e-motion, with the “e” standing for energy - thus we have “energy in motion”. Really this is what emotion is. It’s a form of energy within ourselves that is trying to move, and with energy being what it is, it wants to be experienced, brought to consciousness and then, if it is not a positive energy, to leave us by moving up and out.

Now this is all fine and would be straightforward and perfectly okay, if only we didn’t want to stop feeling negative emotion as soon as we start to sense it! You see, we have very much become a people who live in a lot of fear, and when we start to feel anything that feels remotely uncomfortable we head straight to the fridge, freezer or drinks cabinet. What’s important to recognise here is that there is no comfort in this old- school response, it simply stops the energy moving through and instead buries it - for the time being anyway. It is never going to leave if it’s being buried temporarily; in fact it just gains strength and “importance” when it could have been up and out!

So what is it about these foods that makes them feel so comforting?

Well, there are different aspects to each and every food, but generally speaking, we choose a food because it is sufficiently heavy or deadening to our senses that it allows us to “not feel”. It has been shown that it is pretty much impossible to process food and emotion at the same time, and so when we eat these foods our body naturally chooses digestion because it is in its best interests to do so, and so consequently we don’t “feel”.

But of course this doesn’t make the pain go away. It simply stops it for a little while. And the more pain we feel, the more we are likely to eat in order to stop that energy from moving around.

The irony of this is that if we allowed ourselves to feel what it is we need to feel then we could do something about it. We already know that comfort eating doesn’t solve anything; in fact it only makes things worse as now we have weight or health issues to deal with on top of it all!

Instead, we would do far better to recognise that the negative feelings we are experiencing are our servants - they are telling us what isn’t well in our world, so that we know what needs to change, so we can be the happy, healthy and peaceful people we are meant to be!

As this article is in two parts, for this next week I’d like to invite you to play a game with yourself in the days that follow, and when you go to reach for something you see as comforting ask yourself, “What am I trying to escape from here? Why am I reaching for this food when I’m not actually hungry?” When you have your answer, see if you can resist the temptation to quash the feelings that are trying to rise up and instead feel them, be with them, allow them to inform you as to what is wrong and why. You can still go ahead and eat the comfort food if you feel you still want to, but at least get clear on what’s triggered the behaviour in the first place.

Next week I am going to give you the solution to your comfort eating patterns. Having been there myself for many years until a decade or so ago, I know that breaking free of comfort eating can absolutely be accomplished - and how! I’m going to walk you through some of the most common “comfort foods” and explain why they are so common and how you can replace them with something more constructive. We’ll also be looking at “why raw?” in this whole scenario and why raw foods should become the new comfort foods - they have a very strong case! When you truly get how raw foods can be your ally in this story, then you’ll be on the path to setting yourself not just free from the old-school comfort eating, but also setting yourself on a path to way more positive emotion than you ever thought possible!

Sounds good? Then I look forward to sharing with you next week!

Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes “Successfully Raw” - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you’re ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

Years ago, I was on the road and happened to catch a snippet of the news while waiting in an airport. ”

…the Washington DC area was plunged into darkness this evening as storms raged…”

Plunged? Darkness? Rage?!!

Quickly I grabbed my phone and called my mom to make sure she was okay.

When she picked up, I said, “Hey! Are you all okay?”

She sounded surprised to hear from me. “Yes. Why?”

I told her that I had just seen the news.

“Well, the lights went out. So we lit candles.”

In other words, no one plunged. Nothing fell. In fact, there was no descent to speak of.

In my mom’s words: “The lights went out.”

But that’s not news, is it?

Plunging, on the other hand. Now THAT’S news!

————-

It’s no secret that the media hooks us in with subtle twists of language. After all, if we don’t get hooked, then we don’t need to find out more, do we? If we don’t need to find out more, then we won’t be watching when the commercials run.

Let’s say the guy on the news tells you: “It’s all good!”

That just sends you on your way, doesn’t it?

“Phew! Everything’s fine. Back to my day!”

But “plummeting” and “crisis” and “slumps” (oh my). Those get us every time.

Those headlines sell ads.

Here’s some breaking news for you: The news is not a public service. It’s a business. As such, it needs you to live your life reactively so you’ll keep watching.

————-

Now, some people choose to look at all these media messages and get outraged. “Look at those media people! They’re just trying to get us!”

But this just keeps you hooked - only it’s from a different angle. The media watch dog types provide another perspective - but they still remain at the level of the drama. It’s still reaction.

There’s another way. You can rise above the negativity completely. And then choose to see the media and all of its doom and gloom as “resistance training” - actually helping your mental muscle to grow, and training you to get better and better at creating your own reality.

Does this sound a little stupid?

Well, consider something.

Think about your muscles. Whether you’re a world-class athlete or just someone who works-out to stay in shape, your muscles do not grow or change without meeting resistance. Resistance training is required for the building of body and muscle strength - even if it’s just the weight of your own body, as in Pilates or Yoga.

So, why would it be any different with creating new thought patterns and better responses to the world around you?

It’s not!

So rather than waiting for the negativity to subside so that you can feel okay about the world, use it as training! It’s a form of resistance training. It is helping you become a better creator, a better leader of your own life, and someone who can self-generate happiness and results.

This is a very different reality than being someone who waits for the outside world to tell you that you’re okay, that you’re gonna be okay, and that you are productive, abundant, and peaceful.

Here’s how it works:

1 - You consciously choose the thoughts you want to think and believe.

2 - Every time you hear the news, or find yourself in a conversation with doomers and gloomers, become an athlete. See how your mind and its thoughts hold up to the resistance.

3 - Remember that no one goes into a gym for the first time and bench presses 300 pounds. (Or 100 for that matter!) It takes practice and awareness.

4 - Congratulate yourself each time you notice that you hold your mental strength and keep your desired perspective. That’s the beginning!

When you get good at this, you’ll see powerful results. You’ll notice that you instantly see through the drama and the language that used to hook you. And best of all, you’ll recognize that your thoughts are far more powerful than anything that plummets, descends, or has a crisis outside of them.

Christine Kane is the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly LiveCreative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com.

Flash forward to 2009- Wicked is about to end its run in Chicago and I still have not seen it. Mind you, I had been busy. Soon after moving back from London, I had gotten a new job, gotten divorced, went completely raw, moved twice, started my coaching business and decided to leave the legal profession and the Midwest for good (phew, that tires me out just writing it)! Needless to say, I was not going to miss this opportunity so I went on Ticketmaster and got two tickets for the final weekend, just a few weeks before I was moving. My neighbor Z and I went and sat in the very last row of the Ford Oriental Theater.

Wow. I mean, wow!!!! Last row, schmast row- it didn’t matter where I sat, that show blew me over. Now I am typically a believer that the book is always better than the movie, but the music of Wicked took the story to a whole new level and really gave me that extra inspiration to leap into the unknown.

Now it is over a year later and lately I have been feeling like I am taking that huge leap all over again. I am living in Asheville, NC and realizing that I want to dedicate myself fully to my coaching business as it is my true passion to guide others on the path of their lives. But recently I ran into the F-word all over again…fear. Fear that I was not ready to run my own business, that I was not good enough to teach classes and host seminars, didn’t have enough marketing experience to run my own website, yadda yadda yadda. You know, that voice inside all our heads trying to protect us from the big bad unknown but really all it does is keep us stuck in the familiar.

Then I went to my beloved Zumba class last week and the instructor cooled us down to a new song…and I recognized it instantly. It was “Defying Gravity”, the show-stopper from Wicked. I am sure my fellow Zumbees were wondering why I was laughing our loud while tears were streaming down my face as we stretched our triceps but I didn’t care. I had that thrilling white energy flowing through me, causing goosebumps everywhere and letting me know it was time again to take that leap of faith into the unknown, trusting everything is working out perfectly because that’s how life is supposed to be. I have been listening to the song on YouTube incessantly sever since and the goosebumps are always there, a very good sign in my book.

So I leave you today with the lyrics from that incredible song. I invite you to not only read them, but to really meditate on their meaning for you at this time in your life. Marinade in their deliciousness and share below what they bring up for you…

Here’s to seeing you in the Western sky?
Emily

Defying Gravity

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I’m though with playing by the rules of someone else’s game

So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky
As someone told me lately
Everyone deserves the chance to fly!

Are You Wasting Time on Lack-tions?

by Christine Kane
One day, many years ago, I was driving from St. Louis to Kansas City.

I had a performance that night. I was tired. My rental car didn’t have cruise control. And I was grumpy.

Plus, my car needed gas.

I checked out the gas prices at the coming exit.

$1.77 per gallon.

“$1.77 a gallon? Are you freakin’ kidding me? It was only $1.63 a few exits ago!”

So, I drove a few more exits, waiting for a better price.

Instead, the next exit was $1.87.

So, I did the logical thing.

I got off at that exit, and I drove back to the other exit to get my gas.

I saved exactly $1.20.

Now, I’m not sure exactly WHEN I woke up to the fact that my sense of economy was totally skewed at that moment. But I did. After all, as a performer, my first priority needs to be my well-being. When I drove around trying to save $1.20 for gas, I was ultimately saying three things to the Universe and to my subconscious:

My indignant posturing about the price of gas is more important than my well-being.
One dollar and twenty cents is more important than arriving 20-minutes earlier at my hotel room for some quiet time.
My time and value as a Creative and as a performer are not worth much.
Most of us think that we’ll wait until we “arrive” before we’ll start to honor our value, set boundaries or invest in ourselves.

But, here’s the truth that very few people understand:

It’s the other way around.

You have to decide to honor your value FIRST! And you do that by honoring your time, your space, and your priorities. Most of us, however, blow off our valuable time by “majoring in minor things.” Worrying about the little itty-bitty things - like a dollar and twenty cents!

I have a word for this.

I call it Lack-tions.

Lack-tions are Actions based in Lack Mentality. They are habits designed to distract us from what’s truly important to us.

If you want to increase your success and productivity levels, start observing how much of your time gets burnt up performing Lack-tions. ESPECIALLY if you find yourself constantly complaining that you don’t have time to do the things you really want to do. After that, stop wasting time on Lack-tions!

Very soon after my Missouri trip, I started a new habit of filling my gas tank when it was half-empty. (As opposed to waiting til the low-gas light came on.) I also started playing a game of not even looking at the gas prices and simply choosing whichever gas station looked the “happiest.” (Yes, I’m serious.)

I didn’t go broke. In fact, I started to do better and make more m0ney.

What you define as a Lack-tion will change over time. As you uplevel your life, or your self-care, or your business, you’ll have less tolerance for these habits of lack that appear out of nowhere and try to distract you with their anxieties. It can be downright fun to let go of them.

These days, I challenge myself to stop a Lack-tion even before the idea for one can occur! And I have since taken the practice a step further: I invest in myself. I invest in my growth. The return on that investment is so much higher than if I had thought only in terms of the number and how much I could save if I held on tight!

So, what happens when you ditch the well-worn practice of Lack-tions and thinking of m0ney ONLY in terms of a number?

Well, you begin to experience TRUE wealth. That’s because you become the CREATOR, someone who defines the path of your cash. And you no longer live as a REACTOR - someone who lets cash tell you how to behave.

So, if true wealth appeals to you, start by asking yourself where you burn up energy with Lack-tions.

Then ask yourself, how can you change this behavior and start taking ACTIONS?

Christine Kane is the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly LiveCreative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com.

Loving you even on your no-shower days!
Emily

What’s another word for honesty and wholeness…integrity. It’s my key to a happy life! What does it mean to you?

Love you,
Emily

All That Is Stopping You Is…YOU!

When it all comes down to it, unless you are being held captive (literally) by someone right now, which I sincerely hope not, then the only “thing” getting in your way to what you want is, indeed, you.

It’s taken me a long time to really get this, but as a coach I’ve seen it over and over and over again. In fact, ultimately it’s heartbreaking. So many dreams un-manifested. So many negative beliefs victorious. So many songs unsung, words unsaid, strawberry patches unharvested ; ).

We are all so good at coming up with excuses and reasons why not, but you know what? The Universe is ALWAYS conspiring to help us. Always. It is only US getting in our way.

And we are full of stories as to why we’re different, or not X enough, or the time isn’t right or whatever. And while I do believe in the divine timing of things, I also know that when we really want something, the timing IS right, and that’s our inner guidance telling us so. Now we need to make it happen.

Yes. That’s it. Just make it happen. No excuses. No story. No BS. Just Do It.

Recently at my one-day meeting with my business coach my “big why” vision (legacy) was birthed. Like most births it was not pain-free or without tears! But, also like childbirth, these were tears of joy and awe as much as anything. And at the end of it, I had to take a break, sit back and say “Oh My God…” at what had been created.

My coach held my feet to the fire and said, “Are you really committing to this?”

The question was a biggie. These kinds of dreams are not to be taken lightly, especially when lives are at stake and it is literally planet-changing.

So I thought about it… I mean really thought about it. I knew that if I said “yes” I would be committing to something so big, so massive in fact, that it would take most of the rest of my days to make it happen, but it would be AMAZING, legendary even.

But if I said “no”? I honestly don’t believe I could live with myself, because I know I have been given exactly what I need to pull it off, even though it will stretch me to my limits and I couldn’t go to my grave without at least giving it my all.

I really have no excuses. Fear would be the only thing stopping me, and even though I may get fearful at times as we all do, the difference is that I never let fear stop me.

My question to you this week is not necessarily about your legacy (although that’s a great thing to think about any day of the week) but about what you are saying “no” to that is impacting yourself, your family or anyone or anything else negatively right now?

What story are you telling yourself about this?

Because, trust me, it all is just a story. There are always two sides to every coin. You just have to flip it over if you don’t like what you see. You have to be prepared to see the truth, even if that means a little hard work, upheaval or stress in the short-term. You know the results will be oh-so worth it.

The fact is, the minute you decide to create a new reality for yourself an energetic “order” is put in to the Universe. The key to receiving that order is to stay true to what you are asking for, and not to wriggle and resist it, or tell yourself you’re not worthy or can’t have it. These are lies, and most importantly, our words have way more power than we may ever know. You have to stay in alignment with your request, see yourself living it, and be ready and grateful to receive it. Stay committed.

My coaching challenge to you this week then, is to answer that question about what you are saying “no” to, and write down on paper exactly what you are committing to saying “yes” to.

As long as your intentions are honourable, ethical and true, the Universe will hear the resonance and purity of your request and wheels will start turning in your favour.

You simply have to trust that the same force that put you on this planet loves you and is looking out for you, and gave you your hopes, dreams and desires for a reason. You are not here simply to exist, and your choosing to eat and live raw reminds you of that every day doesn’t it?

So… when you’ve got clear on what you’re going to say “yes” to and have put in your request, as that “thing” or outcome starts heading in your direction, you need to stand tall, reach out with both (grateful) hands and be ready to receive the gift that you never let yourself have before.

Are you ready to give up the excuses, stories and why nots and start living the life you dream of?

If you are, then it really is as simple as getting out your own way. I’m sorry if that’s too easy or simplistic sounding, but you really do not need another debilitating excuse to play with

© 2010 Karen Knowler
Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes “Successfully Raw” - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you’re ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

What do you want? Post it down below and then get asking!!!!

Love you,
Emily