When I hit the reset button on my life in 2009, I didn’t realize that I had created a formula that was a fool-proof system of personal transformation. It was only in retrospect that I saw that there was a deliberate pattern of change that others could follow – and order did matter
That insight has turned into The Great Do-Over® Framework, a tool that has helped countless women hit the reset button after a career crisis, divorce or health challenge has left them feeling alone and afraid for their future. But you don’t need to wait for a crisis to begin to live a better life.
The beauty of the Great Do-Over® Framework is it’s simple and it’s repeatable, and most clients experience a profound shift in just one weekend.
Are you ready? Let’s unpack this.
Stage 1: Cultivating Primary Needs – Primary needs are the food of the soul – the aspects of life that truly nurture us – relationships with our families, partners, friends and colleagues; work that sustains us; good health; a spiritual practice or community that shares our beliefs; and a healthy relationship with money. When any one of these primary needs is not being met, the entire system can veer off course. (If you would like to take a brief assessment to see where you stand, you can do so here.)
Stage 2: Using Food as Fuel – With all of the available information about health and nutrition, it’s likely that most of the time you try to make good choices, at least I do. But it was not until I was coached by a nutritionist that I began to use food as a tool to create how I want to feel. Here’s why – food is much more than calories in and calories out. What you eat affects your mental function and emotional equilibrium. So if you want to be clear, calm and collected at the office, check out what you ate for breakfast. As much as 90% of the serotonin your body uses is actually produced in your gut.
Stage 3: Creating Balance and Space. If you are feeling like a hamster on a wheel with so much to get done you don’t dare jump off – you are missing a huge opportunity to let in new thoughts and inspired ideas. It’s like a hoarder’s house. If you never clear out what’s old and stale, there’s no room for anything new. So is our mental state – without taking time out to clear the decks – to meditate or journal (surefire ways of calming the mind and expelling repetitive thinking) there is no room for inspiration and new ideas to take root.
Stage 4: Tuning Into Your IGS. This is a build process. Once you start giving yourself more of what you need – with food and the primary drivers of happiness, and you start a regular mental purge of that which you no longer need, something amazing begins to take root – you start feeling more courageous, more in control. Suddenly you are in the driver’s seat – actively making decisions based on how you want to feel about your life. It’s not magic – it’s pure science. You have literally changed the makeup of your cells and are waking up a different person. Things are bound to change – and they usually get more fun!
Stage 5: Integration and Healing. It would be wonderful if once you cracked the code life went merrily on, but things rarely work out that way. There are bumps in the road, hurdles to be jumped and sometimes we break a metaphorical leg and need some repair. So it is with everyone who is on a transformative journey. We suddenly have a bout of confusion, depression or a more serious crisis. The good news is that you have already cultivated the tools and the team to get you back on track in record time. This is just a pit stop along the way when you have the right people and techniques at your disposal.
Stage 6: Transformation. A rolling stone gathers no moss the proverbial saying goes. So it is with those on the path of transformation. My goal was to soak as much courage and inspiration in one lifetime as a single soul could muster. It’s not as if transformation is a final destination, it’s more of a constant way of being – an infinite curiosity for all of life and an instinctual nose for what looks rewarding and interesting.
We all have to put food on the table and for many of us, kids through college, but there is no need to be stuck in a rut. As my clients know first hand, all it takes is to step out of the day-to-day for two and a half days to completely reset your understanding of who you are and what you want – that’s a vast improvement over the three years it took me to follow this long and winding road.
In love,
Release Fear. Think Clear. Get Into Gear.