If you are like me, you have a quite a to-do-list and not enough of hours in the day to get everything done! With the pressures of business, family, and daily life, we need to accomplish more, and sometimes run out of energy and the focus.

Do you find that you are becoming more task oriented vs. strategic goals focused?  Everyone typically sets goals at the beginning of the New Year. How many are you actively pursuing? Has your motivation already taken a dive? This doesn’t mean that you can’t overcome the resistance, stress, or lack of energy that is causing you to stop short of the desires or dreams.

We can all use some easy steps to follow in our path of personal development, growth, and goal attainment. Try some of my favorite techniques to see if they make a difference in your life.

1.  Speak positive words to yourself and others. One of my favorite phrases is “I am glad to be here today!” Think thoughts of gratitude and appreciation for what you have and where you are in your journey right now. Repeat this throughout the day and to others. Watch the reaction of others. I have found an automatic smile or alertness happens immediately.

2.  Use essential oils to get you into the correct vibration frequency.  Some of my favorites include:

a. Envision – Apply to your forehead. Speak very specific intentions or actions. Attaining your goals is much easier if you know where you are going.
b. Highest Potential – Rub a drop or two over your heart. Write down and read this affirmation aloud: “I will focus on my future and achieve my highest potential.”
c.  Valor – Put a few drops on the top of your hair. (Don’t worry, it won’t ruin your hairdo.) Valor also gives me the confidence I need to present my point of view. It really helps ground me and allows me to stay focused on the task at hand.

3.  Believe! All things are possible if you only believe. Have faith in yourself and others. Never give up hope. Stay positive and keep pushing forward.

These small steps, if done on a regular, consistent basis will be the catalysts to making big changes in your life as well as those lives you touch. I dare to share what you have done in the form below.

When you have a busy schedule, you don’t have time to be sick for too long. No one likes to be sick. And it’s especially not fun to be sick with the flu. Here are some symptoms, how to treat it naturally, and how to prevent it naturally.

A few symptoms and how to treat it:

Sore throat: Use the Thieves essential oil. The history of Thieves was that it was created based on a historical tale of four thieves in France. During the Black Plague, they did not catch the disease because they protected themselves with things such as cloves and rosemary. They were given a lighter sentence when they gave their secret of why they were not getting sick.

This oil is a blend of clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon and Eucalyptus radiata that supports the immune system. To use, put a few drops in water and drink it.

Headache: Use the Peppermint oil. To use, Young Living’s website recommends to inhale the oil by diffusing it in a room. You can also apply topically to your temples or neck. This oil is not only used for headaches but can be used to soothe minor stomach discomfort, applied for increased concentration, and alertness.

Joint and muscle pains and aches: Use the Panaway oil blend. This blend of wintergreen, clove, helichrysum and peppermint is designed to relieve muscle soreness and tension. It helps ease sore muscles and counter stressed nerves. According to Young Living’s website, to use, apply to the bottom of feet and follow with localized topical application.

Fever: Peppermint or Lemon essential oils are known to reduce fever.

Other practical ways to treat the flu:

In addition to the oils mentioned above, you should also stay hydrated and remember to wash your hands. Another way is to have a healthy diet. WebMD has a great list of foods to eat when you have the flu. Foods include bananas, chicken soup, and drinking hot tea and vegetable juice. In addition, eating foods with garlic is beneficial. Check out more about the benefits of garlic in one of our past articles.

Prevent yourself from getting the flu again:

To prevent yourself from getting the flu again, be sure to drink NingXia Red. This is a naturally delicious energy drink that also supports and protects your body. Also consider using Thieves products. Young Living has hand soaps, cleaners and toothpaste with this oil, which is an effective defense against germs that can make us sick.

What did you think about these tips? Leave a comment below!

Thanksgiving is only a few days away. Christmas is right around the corner. Do you feel like the holidays are the most stressful times of the year?  If you are like me, and most others, we all agree that everything becomes so hectic. You can feel very overwhelmed and stressed from all of the planning. First it is preparing the perfect Thanksgiving dinner, followed by Christmas decorating, shopping, and the ultimate Christmas feast.

Constant bombardment with scheduling, parties and events can cause unwanted stress and tension. So what can you do help you breeze through this season? Here are a few of my favorite oils and supplements, what they can do, and how I use them.

1.     Peace & Calming Essential Oil – Creates a sense of well-being no matter what the season. Easy to apply. Rub on you and your families feet.

2.     Lavender – Calming and helps to decrease anxiety so that you can cope with the hectic pace of the season. Great to diffuse throughout the house, or put a few drops in the palms of your hand, rub together and breathe in!

3.     Brain Power – Helps to kick start your thinking! Have one of those days when you can’t get started? Apply a drop on each of your temples and massage in.

4.     Essentialzymes 4 – With all of the holiday turkey and treats, taking enzymes will assist your body in breaking down your food so that it is absorbed properly. We all have a tendency to over eat or eat a tad too much! These enzymes will help to decrease that full feeling and general “tummy” issues you have during the season.

Don’t be fooled, these help year round. Great to take with every meal! When the tummy is happy, the mind and body are happy too!

The holidays and doldrums of Winter are upon us, each bringing their own challenges. Make sure that you are prepared to handle whatever comes your way. This is the most joyous and thankful season of the year. Make sure you take time to enjoy it! Happy Holidays!

 If you are interesed in learning more about the oils and enzymes mentioned in the article, please click here.

Tea has been discovered thousands of years ago and is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Maybe it is because people like the taste. Or maybe it is also because more and more people have discovered that tea, especially green tea, can actually help lose weight.

Science proves that green tea helps weight loss:

Green tea contains polyphenols which are found naturally in tea. A type of polyphenols that has been associated with weight loss is called, epigallocatechin gallete or EGCG.

Ways green tea helps weight loss:
• Reduces BMI
• Increases metabolic rate
• Stimulate burning of body fat
• Decreases body weight
• Reduce digestion of dietary fat

Recent studies:
There have been several recent studies that can prove that green tea helps weight loss.
1.70 overweight men and women were given green tea capsules, to be taken twice a day. After three months, it was found that their body weights had decreased by 4.6%!

2.Similarly, in another study, people who were given green tea had lost 11.2- 14.7 pounds after only three months.

3.For 12 weeks, green tea was given to a group of overweight adults, while another group was given a drink without the substance that has been proven to decrease weight. The results were that people who drank green tea had lost more abdominal fat than those who didn’t, when both groups had maintained their calorie intake and exercised regularly.

These are just a few examples to show that green tea really does help reduce weight!

A tea I recommend for weight loss is called Slique Tea, from Young Living. This tea contains polyphenols, which helps reduce weight. Ingredients include Ecuadorian ocotea leaves, Ecuadorian cacao, jade oolong tea leaves and Arabian Omani frankincense powder.
Drink this during meals, or anytime you have a desire for something sweet but sugar free. You can even add a few drops of your favorite Young Living essential oil.

Enjoy!

References: Green Tea: A Scientifically Validated Weight-Loss Supplement By Gene Bruno

http://www.youngliving.us/pdfs/PIP_sliquetea.pdf

The holiday season is approaching! Which also means the weather is getting colder and the air around us is becoming cooler. On the downside, this causes your lips to become dry. Did you know: Your lips do not contain oil glands, causing them to dry out naturally. This season’s weather only contributes more to the dryness, also known as chapped lips, if you don’t use lip balm.

Chapped lips are caused by:

• Dryness of the air during winter when there is less humidity
• UV rays in summer or winter can damage our lips
• Lack of water in our body when we do not drink enough water
• Allergic reactions

As the weather gets colder, you will see more advertisements of lip balm and drug stores and your local supermarkets will have lip balms on sale and become more visible to consumers. Unfortunately, not all lip balms are created equal.

Do you know what ingredients are in the lip balms you are buying?
An active ingredient in most major brands of lip balms is petrolatum. This can actually increase the frequency of chapped lips instead of decreasing. Also, other key ingredients may not help. According to webmd.com, “Many ingredients can cause dryness and irritation, including eucalyptus, menthol, and camphor”. Even the artificial flavorings that make your lip balms smell good are contributing to the dryness, instead of helping you.

However, Young Living is offering this holiday season, a beautifully packaged three lip balm gift set you can give as gift giving items for your loved ones. In this package you will find Cinnamint, Lavender and Grapefruit lip balms. These lip balms are different from those you find at your local drugstores because it includes natural ingredients. Key ingredients in all three lip balms include:

• Jojoba oil- prevents your lips from dehydrating.
• Wolfberry seed oil- moisturizes lips.
• Rosehip oil- maintains natural moisture balance in skin.
• Vitamin E- antioxidant that is essential for lip balm base.

Individually, each lip balm in the trio has different scents for a certain reason. For example, cinnamon essential oil is added, not only for the great scent, but because it is an excellent antioxidant. Lavender is soothing and nourishes the skin and grapefruit refreshes dry lips.

Most importantly, all the ingredients are natural, unlike most major brands of lip balms.

Reference: http://www.youngliving.us/pdfs/PIP_Grapefruit_Lip_Balm.pdf

Earlier this week, I had a session with my business coach. Yes, I have a coach! I highly recommend that everyone find a mentor, no matter what their experience level. You need an accountability partner that will keep you on track, and that is exactly what she did this week!

Are you really living the life you want, or are you spinning your wheels, being pulled in every direction, except the one that you truly want to go? Have you ever thought about where you want to go? Interesting question, but can you answer it?

In order to suceed in life, you must do three things:

1. Decide what is important. You want to financial stability, but your spending is out of control. Your leading an unhealthly lifestyle, but you refuse to change your diet. Stop, think, and write down. What is important to you?

2. Prioritize your time. Don’t let others control what you do. Take charge. Think about what you need to accomplish to achieve your goals. If you own a business, the reason you are in business is to serve your customers and make a profit, not getting distracted by secondary things.

3. Learn to motivate yourself. Most times, no one else will. How do you motivate yourself? Read inspiring stories. Speak positive words, and have a circle of friends who will support you. Read your bible. To succeed in life you must learn to encourage yourself, pray, and build yourself up.

Hope these tips help. Tell me, are you living the life you want? If not now, when?

Do you know what kills more people every year than AIDS, breast cancer, and accidents combined? You guessed it, infections acquired while in the hospital. It is the 4th leading cause of  death in the US after heart disease, cancer, and strokes.

Once only found in hospitals, these super germs are found everywhere. Last year there were causes reported in my area of germs being found in gyms, pool areas, and children’s day care. Personally, I have known several people who have contracted MRSA and various forms of antibiotic resistant infections. It has literally taken months for them to get well, and they were lucky, as it can cause death!

The MRSA strain has been reported to be resistant to between 15 to 30 different antibiotics. One of the most potent antibiotics, vancomycin, doesn’t seem to be working to fight the infection any longer.

How can you protect yourself and your loved ones against this potent strain of bacteria? I think they is an answer when we go back to nature. Let me give you some background.

Essential oils have been used for thousands of years. Documentation of their usage can be found in the ancient pyramids texts. In the 1930′s, researchers began documenting their antimicrobial effects.  More information can be found in www.pubmed.com

Dr. Jean Valnet, a French physician, who authored The Practice of Aromatherapy, stated: “Infectios microbes do not appear to become accustomed to the essential oils as they do he many forms of treatment using antibiotics.”

Essential oils have  complex chemical constituents, more so than than the super germs.Therefore, the germs find it difficult to built resistance.

Several studies have mentioned the bacterial non resistance to the oils. Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Kyoto, Japan, studied lemongrass essential oils against an ulcer causing bacteria H. pylori. They wrote: “Resistance to lemongrass essential oil did not develop even after 10 sequential passages, whereas resistance to clarithromycin developed under the same conditions.”

Great benefits have been achieved when pure essential oils have been inhaled, ingested, or topically applied.  Make sure that you use only 100% pure therapeutic grade oils, which have been grown and prepared without chemicals to deliver the maximum bioactivity, energy, and chemical profile of the living plant. Don’t be fooled y synthetic and diluted oils!

What oils should you use? These single oils are effective for fighting the super germs:

Tea Tree Oil & Geranium – Internally in encapsulation, taking anytime that you suspect infection or have an actual infection.

Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Clove, Cinnamon Bark & Eucalyptus – Internally in encapsulation for powerful antibiotic and antiviral effects. Topically – you may need to dilute with a carrier oil such as olive oil or coconut oil to ease potential skin irritation.

Make sure you take every precaution to eliminate as many germs from your outside and inside environments. Many of the anti-bacterial cleaners and hand soaps only contribute to the super bug strain, by helping to create resistant strains.

Try using this blend, which has killed germs for thousands of years:

Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalytus radiate, Rosemary

Diffuse this blend daily at home or work. Make sure you do this with consistency, as it is proven to destroy all types of germs

Internally – preparations of this blend can be used for internal antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal effects

Topically – Mix this blend with water to create a fantastic household cleaner that can be used to clean all surfaces and added to laundry and dishwashing machines.  Young Living has a pre-mixed blend in Thieves Cleaner, which is a great all purpose cleaner that can do all of the above.

If you would like to try some of the oils mentioned in this article, you can order them here. Many times you have questions that you need answered before trying a new product. Please feel free to email me at: avonridge@gmail.com I will personally answer your questions that will help you make your own decisions about what products will work for you.

Please let me know what you do to fight germs. Just drop me a note in the comment section below.

While I am starting to write this, I heard the news that Steve Jobs passed away today. This news is a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. The entire world is talking about him because he has changed the world by creating technologies that many of us could not live without. He was a visionary, innovator and intelligent man. It is definitely a sad day for the world. If only there was a way to cure the disease that took his life.

In today’s modern society, things are constantly changing. For the good, this includes new technologies for our convenience. Examples are those that Steve Jobs has created, like iPhones, iPads, and faster computers. Also, things we would have never imagined having, 20 years ago. However, there are some negative effects to our society and some affect our health. To name a few, there is pollution, our food has less nutrients, more chronic illnesses and drug prescriptions are rampant.

But, there is a solution to these negative health effects if we take steps to prevent and control the spread.

Our solution comes from plants, which throughout history, have shown to improve health naturally. Plants make essential oils. These oils have a wide range of benefits. Common oils that are used to have health benefits are in the Everyday Oils Essential Oil Collection kit. This includes frankincense, which is used for emotional balance and increasing the immune system. Another example is peppermint which is used for headaches, flu and fever.
Many of these oils protect the immune system against any diseases and sicknesses. According to a brochure titled “20 Health Benefits of Essential Oils”, here are few of the many health benefits of essential oils:

1. Affect the psyche
2. Support immune function
3. Supply potent antimicrobials
4. Provide natural pain relief
5. Reduce inflammation
6. Ease stress and anxiety
7. Decrease insomnia
8. Rejuvenate skin
9. Protect against colds and influenza
10. Soothe digestive disorders
11. Improve the circulatory system
12. Promote optimal endocrine function
13. Support the urinary system
14. Soothe burns, sunburns, minor cuts and scrapes
15. Support muscles and bones
16. Provide oral and dental care
17. Nourish and strengthen hair
18. Improve mental clarity
19. Protect against cancer
20. Provide safe and natural alternatives to household cleaners

Essential oils, which have been proven to enhance physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health, have been used for thousands of years and are still used today.

Do you have a favorite essential oil? Please let me know by leaving a comment below!

Every day we have little things that don’t go as planned. It is so easy to become frustrated and upset.

Think about all of the things that didn’t go well recently. Was someone rude to you? Were you running a few errands that should have take a few hours, but ended up lasting all day? Life is full of inconveniences, but even though we can’t always control our circumstances, we can control our reaction to them. Have you ever read the quote, “Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond.”

Attitude means everything. Start each day with a positive attitude, expecting the best to happen. Remember that we also need to recognize that most days may not go as planned.

Whatever happens, keep your peace. Peace puts you in a position of power. If you got stressed or upset over some minor incidents like a traffic jam, or one of your children not eating their meals, you are giving away your power. You are letting these circumstances take control of your mindset, your peace and your joy.

Make a decision to release any offense or minor disappointment so that you can live in peace and enjoy the day. You can be happier than you would ever imagine!

How do you keep your peace when things don’t go as planned? I would love to hear your thoughts!

I just returned from the Young Living Convention in Orlando,Florida, where the theme was Vitality. Having a good day, everyday is what I saw from the 2,000+ convention attendees.

Seeing Young Living founder, Gary Young and his wife Mary, with all of their energy and vibrancy, made me even more aware of how our American Society has made poor dietary and medical choices. Hearing the various lectures in regard to the food additives, lack of enzymes, and emotional baggage that we carry with us, gave me the nudge to make some major lifestyle changes.

God, our Creator, made us to he happy and healthy. He expects that we have a good day,everday! We allow various life experiences to clog our mind, whether it is consciously or subconsciously. Sometimes we need a bit of help to clear out these emotions and free ourselves from our self inflicted bondage. This help can come in the form of essential oils.

Essential oils contain energy. When we use various oils, they can help to elevate our mood, and keep us happy.

I discovered this a few months ago, when I was having trouble focusing my mind on one task. I started using the oils to shift my energy toward more positive thoughts and moves. The results have been impressive! When I use Valor and Magnify My Purpose Young Living Essential Oils, I become calmer, more focused, and less distracted and emotional when challenges come my way.

Gary Young recently shared his routine, and I thought you may like to try it.

1. Place one drop of Valor on the inside of your left wrist. Hold the inside of your right wrist to your left wrist for a few minutes. This step balances the body.
2. Apply a drop of Harmony to your solar plexus (the area just above your belly button) to calm your mind and promote positive feelings.
3. Apply one drop of Joy to the area above your heart. This step helps bring happiness to your mind and body.
4. Place a single drop of White Angelica in the palm of your hand and rub your hands together. Lightly brush both hands over your head, face, shoulders, chest, and down the rest of your body as though applying an angelic shield.

All is know is that it works, because I do this daily. Are you missing out on having a good day?

Please let me know what you do to have a good day. I love hearing from all of you.