Would this inspire you to go after your dreams?

 

I was recently in South Dakota and had the opportunity to visit the amazing Mount Rushmore National Memorial.  I stood there at the base of the mountain in absolute awe looking up at the four faces of past American presidents carved into the side of a mountain.

A flurry of questions came to me, ‘Who created this masterpiece? Who woke up one day and decided to carve these four faces into the side of a mountain? Who does that?’  I kept thinking about the vision, ambition, planning, precision, determination,  teamwork of 400 men and women over a 14 year span (1927 - 1941), and the incredible sense of achievement and accomplishment for such a colossal undertaking, especially for Doane Robinson who conceived the idea and Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor.

The experience left me totally inspired to continue going after all of my dreams with the same sense of vision and ambition.  If someone can decide to carve faces into the side of a mountain and then do it with such masterful results, surely I can follow my dreams too. I discovered a renewed sense of determination and confidence. What about you? What or who inspires you to go after your dreams? Who or what can you look to for inspiration? Can the Mount Rushmore carvings be a source of inspiration for you, too?  

I believe that having positive role models in our lives is so important. I have many to draw from and feel incredibly blessed. Robinson, Borglum and his team are just new ones to add to my roster. There are amazing people all around you to aspire to and be inspired by. They may not have carved faces into mountains like Borglum. They may be people in your community doing great things to help others. They may be your parents or next door neighbours. I encourage you to consider the achievements of others as inspiration for you to follow your dreams.

May all your dreams come true.

Roslyn is a motivational speaker, proud cancer survivor, personal coach and best-selling author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. She is best known for her ability to inspire, energize and empower people to lighten up for good and  live a happier life than they ever dreamed possible. Visit, http://www.roslynfranken.com

To Be Who You Are & Say What You Feel

I am sharing this quote in an upcoming motivational presentation on my favourite topic of how to ‘lighten up for good’. It supports one of the self-sabotaging attitudes I discovered through my battle with cancer and my successful weight loss journey; an attitude that can weigh us down from living a truly healthy, happy and resilient life. That attitude is one I refer to as the ‘Plague of the People Pleasers’.

If you’re a People Pleaser, for example, chances are you have one heckuva hard time setting personal boundaries and saying NO to people. Sound familiar? You hate to disappoint others, you want everyone to love you and you’re afraid of how the person will respond if you say NO so it’s just easier to say YES to them.

The problem is that if you do this on a constant basis, what is this saying about your own self-worth? What you’re implying is that saying YES to others is more important than saying YES to yourself. You’re so busy trying to make sure that everyone else’s needs and wants are being met that you’re doing this at the expense of getting your own needs and wants met. Aren’t your needs and wants equally important? Aren’t you tired of feeling less worthy, resentful or powerless with certain people in your life, in particular? Are there certain people in your life who are harder to say NO to?

That is the conclusion I finally came to; that my needs and wants are just as important as other people’s. I learned to give myself permission to say YES to myself without feeling guilty or selfish. I realized that when I was constantly doing things and agreeing to do things for others out of fear of disappointing them or losing them, I was in fact only disappointing myself for not honouring who I am and what I feel. I’ve learned that being who I am and saying what I feel lends to much greater health, well-being and sense of self-worth. So when you’re in yet another situation saying YES to someone and wishing you could say NO, I encourage you to refer back to this quote and my two cents for today.

If you want to stop being a People Pleaser and need help, discover how my Lighten Up for Good personalized coaching program can help you. If you're looking for a dynamic speaker for your next corporate or group event, visit http://www.roslynfranken.com.

Beating Stage Fright

When I watched this video of Joe Kowan talk about how he beat stage fright, I could TOTALLY relate. Although I am a professional motivational speaker and love speaking in front of a group, when it comes to singing my original songs in public that I have written, well, let’s just say that's a whole different story.  You’d think there wouldn’t be a difference, right? After all, if I can speak freely in public, then why would I be nervous to sing in public?

Well, I’m proud to say that in the last year I’ve been coming out of my shell when it comes to my singing voice and sharing my songs. What this means is that I have had to face my own fears. Let’s face it, we all have fears. I truly believe that even the most successful people out there all have moments of fear and insecurities, just like anybody else. The difference is they do not allow their fears to stop them from persevering to go after what they want.

Now, I’m not saying that overcoming fear is easy by any means. It has not been easy for me to conquer my fears about singing in front of an audience.  I just made the decision to do it and then just did it. It was something I've always wanted to do and I just got tired of letting myself be my own worst enemy as we so often are. I’ve gone so far as to sing my songs a cappella as part of my motivational speaking. I remember that first time...My voice was shaking, my throat got so dry and it was far from perfect, but I didn't care as my goal was to simply get through it.

I was on absolute cloud nine when I was done and my heart felt so incredibly fulfilled when people came up to me and told me how my song touched their heart and inspired them. In fact, my intent is to get my songs professionally arranged so that I can really perform them full out when I speak. So if you’re planning to come hear me speak or invite me to speak for your group, be forewarned that you may just get a little extra bonus in the way of an original song to help uplift, inspire and support my key Lighten Up for Good messages. 

Watch Joe Kowan as he shares about beating his stage fright

If you’ve ever dreamed of beating your own stage fright, then I encourage you to watch this truly delightful and inspiring video of Joe Kowan, graphic designer by day and quirky folk-singer by night. You can't help but feel for the guy. You may find that you too can relate to his story and experience. Enjoy and get ready to be inspired.

Roslyn is a motivational speaker, proud cancer survivor, personal coach and best-selling author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. She is best known for her ability to inspire, energize and empower people to lighten up for good and  live a happier life than they ever dreamed possible. Visit, http://www.roslynfranken.com

WHY dieting doesn't usually work long-term

Did you overindulge over the holidays and are now trying to shed those unwanted pounds? Is weight loss one of your top New Year's resolutions AGAIN?? As you may know I struggled with my weight for years and have managed to get the weight off and keep it off for 9 years now. I even wrote a book about how I did it called The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living.

The key to my long-term success has been a combination of eating, lifestyle and attitude change which required a lot of self-understanding, self-awareness and self-acceptance.  I continue to apply these keys today in order to keep the weight off. Was it fast and easy? NO. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY YES. It also wasn't as slow and difficult as you might think. After all the years of dieting the 'fast and easy' way only to lose the weight and gain it all back and more, it was actually much slower and longer than once I made the one biggest change that actually WORKED. 

The biggest change was to stop dieting. Believe me, I know how tempting it is to start a new restrictive and often unbalanced and unhealthy diet or try some new fad, pill, bar or shake. I understand the longing to see some results fast thinking it is what you need to motivate you further. But before you give in to these tempting solutions that usually yield short-term results at best, I invite you to watch this TED Talks Video that clearly explains the brain science behind WHY dieting doesn't usually work for long term results.  

Watch VIDEO 

Roslyn is a motivational speaker, proud cancer survivor, personal coach and best-selling author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living who will energize, educate and empower you to live a happy, healthy and resilient life. For more information and to connect with Roslyn, visit http://www.roslynfranken.com.

CONNECT WITH ROSLYN: Mailing List |  Facebook |  YouTube   LinkedIn | Radio Show

WHY women have such a ridiculous standard of beauty

As we start off the New Year, are you one of millions of women setting out to lose weight, get in shape or improve your appearance in some other way? Why? When I saw this short little video on a wonderful website called upworthy.com, it reminded me of how absolutely ridiculous some of our standards of beauty are and how often we set out to achieve beauty related goals that are not only unrealistic and unhealthy, but also unnecessary. This video is only 37 seconds, so go ahead and watch it. You will not believe your eyes.

View Video

As we age, it is so easy to get caught up in the endless world of vanity and trying to measure up or should I say measure ‘down’ to some ideal body and appearance that keeps us trapped in a place of low self-worth and self-esteem  that we forget about what’s really important like our health, wellness and overall sense of self-worth, peace and happiness. I invite you to watch this short little video and send me your comments.

Think about how the magazine covers and other commercial images that surround us influence not just our self-esteem, but the young girls out there who feel this pressure to be beautiful in such unrealistic ways. How do our own obsessions as mothers influence them? 

In my opinion, there’s way too much emphasis on perfection and beauty out there and it is robbing us of our self-worth, self-esteem and ultimately our ability to enjoy greater happiness. Is it worth it? Are you willing to STOP IT? It is ultimately a form of self-abuse, don't you think?

If you want to get started on the right foot for 2014, I encourage you to let go of the constant pressure, just focus on feeding your body, mind and soul what is healthy and will make you happy in the long run. Let go of the need for perfection. Focus on being kind to yourself instead. Let 2014 be your year to let go, ease up and lighten up for good for a happy, healthy and resilient life in body, mind and soul.

Roslyn is a motivational speaker, proud cancer survivor, personal coach and best-selling author who will energize, educate and empower you to live a happy, healthy and resilient life. For more information and to connect with Roslyn, visit http://www.roslynfranken.com.

CONNECT WITH ROSLYN:
 Mailing List |  Facebook |  YouTube   LinkedIn | Radio Show  

On My Celebrating 18 Years Cancer-Free

Last week, on October 17, 2013, I celebrated 18 years since my last cancer treatment.  I put a post on Facebook and Twitter about it and was overwhelmed at all the warm comments and support from so many. Although it may sound strange, it’s only in the last few years that I really recognized this date as a time worth celebrating. Prior to that it was something I quietly acknowledged to myself, but didn’t make mention of it so as not to draw attention to it. It’s only after all these years that I realize how significant my beating cancer truly is. How could I not have seen this before?

I believe that part of the reason is that shortly after winning my battle with cancer, I had another battle to face. I lost the most amazing job I’d ever had as District Sales Manager in a major publishing company (oddly enough not knowing at the time that I'd ever become an author myself ) as part of a corporate downsizing. It seemed that just after getting back on my feet from cancer, I got knocked down again and had to figure out what was next for me job-wise.  

I decided to go back to school to study web design so that I could jump on the hi-tech bandwagon that was really big in my city  at the time.  It seemed like the ‘safe’ route to go since there was so much job opportunity in the hi-tech industry.  Sadly, less than two years later when the hi-tech industry started to come crashing down, just two days before Christmas, the .com company I was working for at the time let half the staff go. Guess what, I was in the half that got let go. All I can say is ‘AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH, here we go again’.  I couldn't believe that I was being downsized again and two days before Christmas to boot. So much for the 'safe' route.

It just seemed that there was very little time to coast in between life setbacks and to fully appreciate and celebrate my success in triumphing over my cancer. I was so busy just trying to survive and pick myself up again that I didn’t really take the time to step back and revel in the glory of beating a life threatening illness like cancer.

In hindsight, the day of that last cancer treatment has always been a day worth celebrating because it marked the end of a chapter in my life and the beginning of a new one. There’s no doubt that beating cancer helped me put some of the other setbacks like losing my job into a more proper and positive perspective. I just didn’t see it at the time. I’m just happy that I have finally come to see it now.  I believe that it’s good to take that step back from time to time and fully appreciate some of the hardships and adversities you’ve overcome. When you remember and fully recognize the strength you’ve shown in the past, it can help you gain perspective and resilience for dealing with whatever you may be facing today or what you may have to face tomorrow.

After beating cancer at age 29 and conquering her stress, weight and lifestyle challenges once and for all, Roslyn Franken is back stronger than ever! She is a world-class motivational speaker who provides audiences with an unforgettable experience that brings hope, inspiration and proven life principles to overcome challenges and lighten up for good to a happy, healthy and resilient life.

To book Roslyn for speaking engagements, personal coaching and purchase copies of her book, The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living, visit, http://www.roslynfranken.com

CONNECT WITH ROSLYN:

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Enough Today: Thanksgiving Thoughts from Roslyn

If you're like many, you may put a lot of time, energy and focus on all the things you feel are missing in your life and wish you could change. Perhaps you’re looking for that ideal mate to fill a lonely heart. Or maybe you’re looking for more money to fill up your bank account, pay off bills, have more stuff, and do more of the things you want to do. Maybe you’re longing to eliminate the excess weight that is weighing heavily on your body, mind and spirit. Maybe you’re looking to shift out of an unsatisfying job to a more fulfilling career. At this time of Thanksgiving, how about taking some time and focus on all the good things you have going for you in your life TODAY?

Is there anything about you and your life that you can take time this Thanksgiving weekend to be truly grateful for? If you’re looking for your ideal mate, but in the meantime have a loving family and friends, be grateful for who you have NOW. If you want more money to have and do all the things you want in life, be grateful for the money and what you have and can do NOW. If you’re worried about being overweight, be grateful for the body you have NOW.

We often hear about adopting an attitude of gratitude yet whatever we do it often feels like it’s never enough. Let this Thanksgiving weekend be about ‘enough TODAY’. Yes, it’s wonderful to strive for self-improvement and go after all the ‘more’ you want in life, but I urge you to not pursue it at the expense of feeling good about yourself and your life TODAY. Remember that what you have TODAY is a but a dream for many others. It's all so relative, don't you think?

After surviving cancer, I’m just thankful that I have my health TODAY. After surviving divorce, I’m thankful for the loving husband I have TODAY. After being overweight for many years, I’m thankful for having a healthier body and self-image TODAY. After working in unsatisfying jobs for years, I’m thankful for choosing to be my own boss and doing what I love TODAY. Is there more I want out of life? Absolutely. Do I have goals and dreams of things I want to accomplish in this lifetime? Absolutely. But my happiness TODAY does not depend on my tomorrows. It’s just the opposite for me. My happiness tomorrow depends on my happiness TODAY.

What are YOU thankful for this Thanksgiving? Why not put it in writing so you can go back to it later on when you may need some reminders to help you stay motivated and on track? Leave a comment to my blog or feel free to put it in an email to me. I love hearing what people are thankful for.  Send to roslyn@roslynfranken.com. So enjoy your Thanksgiving and use this holiday as a launch pad to being happy today and thankful all year round.

After beating cancer at age 29 and conquering her stress, weight and lifestyle challenges once and for all, Roslyn Franken is back stronger than ever! She is a world-class motivational speaker who provides audiences with an unforgettable experience that brings hope, inspiration and proven life principles to overcome challenges and lighten up for good to a happy, healthy and resilient life, no matter what.

To book Roslyn for speaking engagements, personal coaching and purchase copies of her book, The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living, visit, http://www.roslynfranken.com

CONNECT WITH ROSLYN:

JOIN MAILING LIST: http://conta.cc/unbfX7
SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG: http://roslynfranken.blogspot.com
LIKE ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/roslynfrankenfanpage
FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/RoslynFranken
CONNECT ON LINKEDIN: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/roslynfranken
LISTEN TO RADIO SHOW: http://www.howtothriveafter35talkradio.com