Welcome Tools for the Journey Success Stories Announcements Bonus Tool Quote of the Month "Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important." - Natalie Goldberg, Author and writing instructor   Reach new heights of personal and professional discovery and achievement with renowned life coach and author Erica Ross-Krieger

Welcome Welcome to the second issue of Success...it's in your nature® ezine. This month, I've included key announcements, tips and tools that will further support you in your commitment to living life fully and from the inside out. Spring is a great time for new beginnings. You may find you want to venture into new territory or revamp the old. So go ahead and take action on that project, business plan or career shift that you have been meaning to tackle. As you do so, remember to get your life supported: take one of my teleclasses, sign up for coaching sessions, or buy a copy of Seven Sacred Attitudes. Be sure to read through the ezine for these hot features and benefits: Tools for the Journey. This month, the Living in the Richness of the Moment™ series features: "What's Important?" Benefit: Hone-in on your top priorities. Announcements. Upcoming teleclasses, workshops and retreats designed to support you on your journey. Read about this month's coaching offer. Benefit: Save $150 on my coaching package Success Stories. Hear from others in the community who are also creating more fulfilling lives. Contribute your own story for the next issue! Benefits: Be inspired and inspire others (become eligible for a FREE copy of my book) Bonus feature: 10 Tips for Writers Who Want to Get Published Wishing you a spring filled with meaningful action,

Tools for the Journey

Living in the Richness of the Moment™
What's Important? or Did Lucy Ricardo Stop to Ask?

Remember the "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy worked in the candy factory wrapping chocolates? Remember how the conveyor belt shot so many chocolate candies out that Lucy couldn't keep up and so she popped handfuls of them into her mouth? Can't you just see it in your mind's eye?

Well, I remind you of this image not just for a trip down memory lane but to draw a comparison to our busy lives. With To Do lists a mile long, email messages and in-boxes filled to overflowing, we too struggle to keep up. And as we do we can lose sight of what is important. We all agree that it has become more critical than ever for us to be clear and focused on what is important, but how do we do that?

Well, it boils down to this: the trick is to take time each morning to set our intentions for the day. Our intention around the values we want to embody and our intention around "right actions." And it's up to each of us to name our top values and determine what constitutes "right action."

Maybe it's been awhile since you have taken time to clarify your values. Maybe it's been awhile since you put together or revised your life plan, business plan, or investment strategy. Why not schedule an appointment with yourself to do so or at least to begin? The appointment doesn't have to be formal. It could even be an hour at a coffee shop or a few hours in the garden, where you spend time mulling over and identifying what's important. Time for you to stop the chocolate conveyor-belt of life and regroup.

I think it's important to start and end each day with regroup time. "Bookends" I call it. A brief time in the morning to name what is most important for the day—not just the Doing, but the Being. Then a break before retiring for the night to check in and ask yourself: Was I able to focus on what's important? What did I do that helped me do so? What got in the way? How can I change that in the future? What will I have to say Yes to and what will I have to say No to, so that I can keep on track?

Creating lives that reflect our values and top priorities takes "discipline." I've found that word makes some people shudder. But its roots are in the word "disciple." So I ask, are we willing to become disciples of what is important to us? Sure, we can name what's important, but are we acting on it? And if not now, then when?

Bookends™ Exercise

Try this: Try my Bookend exercise tomorrow. It only takes 10 minutes in the morning and another 10 minutes before bed.

To prepare, put a pen and pad of paper on your nightstand or elsewhere beside your bed tonight, so it is waiting for you tomorrow morning. Set your alarm so that you awaken 10 minutes before your usual wake-up time.

Upon awakening:

• Take a moment to sit up, stretch and greet the day. Now think about the attitude or state of Being that you want to bring forward into your day today. Examples: Gratitude, Confidence, Self-Compassion.
• Write down that state of Being you want to focus on today.
• Now think about the area of your life and/or business that is of most importance to you right now. Of all the To Do’s that are before you today, which action is going to further your progress in that area or deepen your learning? Example: writing a business plan
• Write that action on your notepad.
• Take another moment to contemplate how you will integrate the Being and Doing focus that you have listed. Imagine that you are placing that value or state of Being right into your heart and will carry it with you as you take the important action(s) you need to take today.
• Example of how this could look: Writing a business plan while Being in a state of Self-Compassion could mean I pour myself a cup of tea and sip it while I write the plan, extend self-compassion by not insisting the plan be perfect, and turn off the ringer on the phone so I am not disturbed.

Reminder: It is more important that you remember you can always return to that state of Being throughout the day, than it is that you give yourself a new mandate to try and stay in that state. Being mindful that you have let your focus slip from, say Self-Compassion, you can apply the 4-step process I talk about in my book: Stop, Breathe, Notice, and Choose and gently bring yourself back to your desired state of Being as you Do the next important task in your day.

Upon retiring for the day:

• Write a few sentences about the exercise for the day. How did it go? What worked well? Where were you able to stay in the state of Being you selected and/or return to that state when you veered off the path? What did you learn? What will you do differently if faced with similar circumstances?
• Extend gratitude to yourself for your commitment to What's Important.

Success Stories*

Reports From The Community

"I REALLY liked the Come to Your Senses article. I've been paying more attention to my body lately - an injury (even a minor one, now healed) will do that - and you have inspired me to do more. I've already sent the URL along to one person, a nurse hypnotherapist who also talks about listening to your body - and I'll be passing it along to other people, too. Thanks for writing what I needed to hear."

Jeri Dansky
Professional Organizer
Half Moon Bay, CA

"I write magazine articles and spend many hours at my desk working on the computer. I get so involved with what I'm doing I totally forget I have a body. Your March ezine was a breath of fresh air last month. The main article encouraged me to get up, get some water, go for a walk around the block and do so routinely. Usually I save the exercise bit for my scheduled run or tennis game. Taking time out during the day to focus on my breath and enjoy the simple act of drinking water out on my porch has been a great addition to my life. I look forward to the April installment!"

Tom J.
Freelance Writer
Fort Collins, CO

"A friend sent me the link to your ezine. I loved it and am heading to your site to sign up and to buy your book. I saw that you take comments from the community and thought I would ask: Will you address multi-tasking and setting priorities sometime in a future issue? I'd like some new ideas about dealing with the overwhelming demands and requests that come in each day?"

Kim H.
Dental Hygienist
Dayton, OH

* Be inspired and inspire others: Submit your success story or testimonial. If selected for the ezine next month, you will receive a FREE copy of my book.

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Announcements

NEXT MONTH'S ISSUE:

• Living in the Richness of the Moment—Part Three: Slow Down to the Speed of Life
• Announcements: Sacred Attitudes® events in your area
• Success Stories: Reports from the community—How to submit and become eligible for a FREE book

FREE TELECLASS May 16: "Seven Sacred Attitudes in Action"

Can one hour change your life? Attend this free coaching teleclass and learn to apply the principles of the Seven Sacred Attitudes® in your daily life. Explore a different attitude each month... and begin living in the richness of the moment.

COMPLIMENTARY 30-MINUTE COACHING SESSION

Want to come to life more fully? Ready to take action, get out of your own way and develop the business and/or books you were born to create? Head to my website and from there, send me an email requesting your complimentary coaching session. www.EricaRossKrieger.com. Special: 10% off my 13-week coaching package this month.

BOOK A SACRED ATTITUDES® EVENT

Book a Sacred Attitudes® event in your city and receive a gift of a sterling silver Sacred Attitudes bracelet (value $100). Call for details: 925-933-7445

GIFT IDEA

Buy several books now for graduation presents: We will autograph, wrap and send to you. Now to June 15: Buy 10 and we will enclose Starbucks gift cards for each graduate.

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Bonus Tool for the Journey—For Writers

Ten Tips For Writers Who Want To Be Published

1. Write - Put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard. Make a writing schedule each week and stick to it. It all starts here.
2. Take A Writing Class - If you are a new writer, you'll be inspired. If you're a seasoned writer, new information will keep you from getting rusty.
3. Attend Writing Conferences - Meet with agents and editors, take workshops and gather as much information about how to write articles and/or non-fiction books as your notebook will hold.
4. Write A Top-Notch Book Proposal - If you want to sell your non-fiction book to a publisher, this is a must. Take a class, hire a coach and/or buy Michael Larsen's How To Write A Book Proposal to learn and implement a proven format.
5. Hire A Good Editor - Locate a professional editor through writing magazines, writer's groups or word-of-mouth. Hire this person to first edit a one-page sample piece to check out his/her editing style.
6. Submit It - You have to put your work out there. Enter respected contests. Submit articles to magazines. Send queries to publishers. Send articles, essays or short stories to on-line magazines.
7. Use Good Form - Packaging counts. When submitting your work: use 1-inch margins, double-space your manuscripts, and always use a standard manuscript 12-point font (New Courier or New Times Roman). Follow the magazine, contest, or publisher's guidelines. Queries or cover letters are single spaced, one page only.
8. Keep Your Fishing Line In The Water - Keep at least one query letter out in the market place at all times, whether you are writing articles, books or both. Keep the writing energy moving. Your letters are out there gathering interest among editors and contest judges while you are freed up to write more new material.
9. Organize For Success - Set up a tracking system to keep tabs on your queries and submissions. Research and keep lists of places to submit your work. Keep responses to your submissions (both rejections and acceptances.) Create a sample query and cover letter, and sample proposals.
10. Do Your Homework - Know the magazine's market you are interested in targeting. Write for that audience but submit queries before you write the article. Thorough research of the competition and publishers is also a key component in top-notch book proposals. Submit proposals only to those publishers who are interested in your subject.