Random Acts of Kindness

Welcome to RANKDOM ACTS OF KINDESS WEEK!

A simple smile has the power to save lives because you are giving hope. Hope that their is still kind people in the world who live each day to serve others selflessly. As a motivational speaker and educator I aim to teach about the importance of caring for others instead of focusing on themselves.
Define Kindness:: Genuine generosity that comes straight from the heart.
This is the response I gave when asked why I wanted to be apart of the RAK community.

Start with your husband or significant other. Start small and build up each day.

1. Place a sticky note on the mirror or frig that will make them smile or laugh
2. Layout their morning coffee cup and fixings
3. Fix them breakfast or lunch for the day
4. Send a sweet random text message or words of encouragement if you know something big is going down that day
5. Go out of your way to avoid a conflict (allow them to be right…this time)
6. Wake them up with a morning delight
7. Get them a random gift of something they would never expect (sports tickets, concert tickets) and to top it off plan for them to go with good friends for a “guys night out”.

Be kind my friends! Here’s to a great Monday!

How to Sustain Motivation after a Conference - Part 1

Hello Friends! I recently attended the annual food and nutrition conference in Nashville, Tn. If you are trying to build a brand online check out this session review called Claim the Spotlight! Beyond Traditional Media: Videos, Podcasts, & Self-Publishing! 

The point of a conference is to gain continuing education to develop or sharpen skills, network, and inspire. My mindset during the conference: I will conquer!! I make tons of notes and have idea after idea and I tell myself, "this year will be the year that I actually implement my goals!" Then I come home to endless cat meows, mountains of laundry, and a neglected husband.

So how do we keep this inspiration fueled post conference?

After addressing the cats and the husband ;) I sat down to map out a plan. Oh, the mountains of laundry aren't hurting anyone! Here is my plan on how to sustain motivation after a conference.

1. Organize notes, lecture handouts, and business cards. 

I use Microsoft's One Drive and One Note to organize documents and pictures.

Resources for file organization: One Drive | Evernote | DropBox | One Note

2. Make notes beside the cards. For instance, if someone offered to mentor you or help you with a certain project. 

This is a notebook I use everyday. So now I will have daily visual reminders to keep my mind on my goals. I love this notebook. It is by designers Erin Condren. Click the button below for referral. 

(*this is s referral link*)

3. Send a follow-up email. 

You can simply express appreciation in meeting them.

Here is one that I am sending out.

Hello Chere, 

I have been a big fan of your Abundance Mondays! I too love to inspire and motivate other RDs and entrepreneurs. It was great to connect with you at the NEDPG media/speaker meeting. Thank you for your advice on the National Speaker Association membership. I look forward to connecting in the future.

Always Smiling, 

Cindy Huggins, MS, RDN, LD
website: www.CindyHuggins.com
blog: Newlywed Nutrition
podcast: 30 Second Bytes with Dietitian Cindy
      

Don't be afraid to ask for a meeting or offer your services if you think they will be beneficial. DON'T ask for a meeting or phone call if you have nothing to discuss.

Here are some templates that can help. 

TEMPLATE 1
TEMPLATE 2

Friday I'll post Part 2: Creating a clear vision to see a return on investment! I'm creating some new documents to help! Here is an example. Click to download.

Thanks for reading! Did you go to FNCE?? 

Let's connect. Comment below with any tips!

Free inspirational wallpapers

Just a little inspiration from me, Dietitian Cindy! 

Right-Click and choose "save as."
Enjoy!

Updated 2/15/16

Right Click and choose Save Image As

Created by Cindy

Created by Cindy

Download Link

Morning Inspiration-Personalized Meditation Practice | Part 1

I am not a morning person but I love the morning time. It is the calmest & quietest part of my day. My morning regimen starts with dragging my pillow to the couch (yes, this is a habit I brought from childhood). After I throw it on the couch, I then head to make a comforting cup of coffee. Cuddled with my pillow, under a blanket on the couch I sit in complete silence sipping my coffee preparing mentally for my day. This use to involve checking email and browsing the internet creating unnecessary stress & anxiety. Not the perfect way to start a busy day. Now, I try to experience & live in the moment through awareness and reflection. This is somewhat of a personalized meditation practice. The thought of me meditating is quite laughable but, it is something I am exploring.

Studies have found that meditation has the ability to decrease stress, anxiety, and increase tolerance (which I'm sure we all could use). The core concept of meditation is creating awareness while shutting out jumbled thoughts. The term awareness relates to paying attention to your current state. Let's take a short break to experience this.

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths releasing any tightness in your body. Pay attention to where you are holding tension and focus on pushing your breath through this part of your body, feeling the tension melt away. (i know, it sounds silly at first. trust me?)

With eyes still closed, focus on your breathing-listen to it and feel it moving throughout your body. Your goal here is to empty the mind and be present in the moment-a concept that takes practice!

After a few deep breaths and the removal of tension in the body, open your eyes. Hopefully, a sense of calmness will be present. 

This practice can go on how ever long you wish. There is a reason it is referred to as practice. For some of us "multitaskers" this can be excruciating at first. The thought of "wasting time" on breathing use to make me sick to my stomach. In my mind there was always something to be done and to make the most out of my time I would find creative ways to multitask (--> exhaustion & fatigue). Believe me when I say, it is hard to let go of your thoughts. So hard that it use to affect me physically (insert more deep breathing). My stomach would turn as I attempted to pull my mind away from the days tasks. It took time and practice.

Your meditation does not have to consist of the traditional practice and doesn't even have to be called meditation. Don't get rapped up in the terminology. Just focus on the goals of practice: clear your mind, become present in the moment, and create awareness. Smiling helps too =)

click lil' birdie to tweet

I hope this post inspires you to try something new and create your own personalized meditation practice. Follow-up Thursday morning for Part 2 of this series.

Let's chat. Do you currently practice or would you like to start?