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VICTORY! We did it! We’ve completed our 30-day Challenge!

4/1/2021

1 Comment

 
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I have been feeling great joy in offering this campaign again to all of us. Now that spring has finally arrived and we are allowing ourselves more freedom to mix and mingle again, I believe that having a positive attitude is one of the most important steps to finding peace and fulfillment.
 
When I remind myself of these five steps to making happy a habit, I gain personal strength and the resilience to deal with ‘stuff’ that life sends my way. That half-full glass allows me to be more creative and to realize that if I’m blocked in one direction, there are many ways to reach my personal goals. For example, ​this is a blog I wrote when in lockdown from Covid.
I believe that having a positive attitude is one of the most important steps to finding peace and fulfillment.
Now is a good time to take a few minutes to look over those journal entries and notice what you wrote for the ‘best thing that happened in the last 24 hours.’ Those are events that I hope you can make happen again. In fact, next time you may even put them on the ‘grateful’ list. 
 
I’m pretty sure that exercise has become part of your daily routine, and I’ll even bet that your thoughts offered a brief ‘thank you’ after you took the 5-7 minutes a day to give them a rest. And that daily random act of kindness? It probably has become more of a reflex than something you have to think about.
 
I hope you have made happy a habit. Please share with me any stories about the challenge that you have, and please remember the words of Wayne Dyer: “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
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Here is a little quiz to remind you of our time together. Try it - I’ll bet you’ll know the answers!
 
(HINT) the answers are in the 5 steps to MAKE HAPPY A HABIT.
  1. What should you write down every night before you go to sleep?
  2. How should you greet the morning when you wake up?
  3. When is a good time to meditate/sit quietly for 10 minutes/walk barefoot in the grass?
  4. Who do you need when you decide it’s time to exercise 20 min a day?
  5. Where can you perform a random act of kindness?
Wishing you happily ever after,

Loretta
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1 Comment

My New Podcast: Resources for a Modern Retirement

3/16/2021

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Welcome to my new podcast,
​Resources for a Modern Retirement!  

I’m Loretta Saff, and I am pleased to bring to you - the retiree or ‘almost’ retiree - ideas and resources for what to do and who to contact once the retirement party is over. 
 
Retirement is not "One Size Fits All.” And a Modern Retirement includes planning for the next 20-30 years! Spending time involved in activities that YOU truly enjoy and that make you feel fulfilled is the key to success on the journey. But how do you find out what is out there?
 
I hope this podcast helps.
 
Enjoy! 

https://www.coachingwithloretta.com/videos.html
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Make Happy a Habit in 2021

2/27/2021

1 Comment

 
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2020 was undeniably hard. Like, really really unimaginably difficult and sad and trying for so many people. A lot of folks have just been hanging on and getting through. Practicing happy habits has understandably not been at the top or even the middle of  the priority list. But finally there is a little light at the end of the tunnel. Self-care can start to be something that you prioritize in 2021. And now, more than ever, self-care and finding your way to happiness is important for your health and well-being and for those around you.

There is real science behind the emotions of happiness and love. Dr. Barbara Frederickson, Psychologist and Neuroscience Professor at UNC, Chapel Hill said, “The ways that we feel happiness and well-being are actually showing up in the cells of our immune system and supporting our health.”

I did a 30-day Make Happy a Habit challenge back in 2016 and now I'm ready for a refresher 2021-style!

I'll be starting my 2021 challenge on March 1. Follow along with my progress and hopefully you'll find some inspiration from my journey for your own. I'd love for you to join me ... Share your progress … Post some pictures of what you are grateful for and what makes you happy. I want to know how your random acts of kindness and writing about your positive experiences made you feel. Tell me about your time in meditation. And be sure to tell me when you start feeling like HAPPY is becoming a habit.

I'll be posting all month long at:


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makehappyahabit/​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makehappyahabit​
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ACCOMPLISHCOACH/​
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACCOMPLISHCOACH/​
Hope you join me!

Loretta
1 Comment

POSITIVE Attitude Can Make All the Difference

2/17/2021

7 Comments

 
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"Most folks are about as happy 
​
as they make up their minds to be."
-Abraham Lincoln

I remember when my 60th birthday was getting closer. I checked twice to make sure I had done the math correctly, and when the numbers added up, the first thing I thought was, “But hey, I’m not OLD!”
         
60 is a big number. It’s full of heavy words like "Social Security" and "Medicare", "Osteoporosis", and "Senior Moments." I was turning 60, but I didn’t FEEL 60. 

I looked in the mirror and said out loud, “Why not think about 60 with more positive words like, “Wiser”, “Sassier”, and “Bring it on!” That’s when I decided to have some fun. Carrie Underwood had just recorded her hit song, “Before He Cheats.” The music was great; it was country, and we had recently moved to Nashville! Why not write some new lyrics for it, expressing exactly how I felt about turning 60! 

I was turning 60, but I didn’t FEEL 60. 

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And so I did:
Title: SHE’S NOT OLD
(to be sung to the tune of “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood)

      spoken: "I just turned 60, and here’s what I think about it.”
        
Right now, you’re probably just thinkin’
It’ll be hard work when I’m blowing out the candles
Right now, you’re probably just thinkin’
I should buy a house dress and some Dr. Scholl’s sandals
 
Right now, you’re probably just feelin’
I should nap to get ready for a big game of BINGO
What you don’t know

 
chorus:
I threw the pieces all over the yard
It was my A A R P membership card
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I got Botox in each and every fold
 
No early bird special or senior day,
I joined a gym and I know the way 
​So, don’t you dare call me OLD


Right now you’re probably just thinkin’
​
I should sit up on the porch and discuss my constipation
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Right now, you’re probably just guessin’
That I’d like a bus tour for my summertime vacation
 
Right now, you’re probably just thinkin’
That I’m sassy cause my hormones are low
But you don’t know

 
Repeat Chorus
I threw the pieces all over the yard
It was my A A R P membership card
I got Botox in each and every fold
 
No early bird special or senior day
I joined a gym and I know the way
So, don’t you dare call me OLD
 

Just tryin’ to save a little trouble for the next girl
So the next time you hear 60,
Don’t call her OLD!


​Of course, not wanting to be called ‘Old” at 60 is not much different from the other stages in life that when we decide we want to be a different age:      
Age 2-3: WE WANT TO BE OLDER
“Can I go to school?” “I want a backpack!”

Age 6-9: WE WANT TO BE YOUNGER
“Watch me! Say I’m doing good, too - like you do when you watch my little brother!”

Age 10-12: WE WANT TO BE OLDER 
“Why can’t I wear makeup?"

Age 30-50: WE WANT TO BE YOUNGER
“Yeah, I just got a facelift and dyed my hair, so what?” 

As a retirement coach, I hear musings from clients about reaching their 60s and 70s. 
“What does it all mean?"

"Will I be treated differently?”
 
​
And, really, “How will I find happiness?”
Regardless of how old you are, having a POSITIVE ATTITUDE can make all the
difference. Try it when dealing with words like
              “SOCIAL SECURITY” - “
Wow! This extra money is awesome!” Or,
                 “MEDICARE” - “
Fantastic! It really does pay my medical bills!”

​
Positive thinking means making the most of the situation you are in. When I turned 60, I didn’t mope. I wrote new lyrics to Carrie Underwood’s song, and then I went out and bought a hat and some fancy cowboy boots. 

Don’t let getting older lead you down a path of scary words that you think mean negative things.  Be more optimistic and positive.  According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, here’s a list of some of what you will get in return:
  • Better stress management and coping skills
  • Enhanced psychological health
  • Greater resistance to the Common Cold
  • Increased physical well-being
  • Longer life span
  • Lower rates of depression
  • Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease-related death​

And who doesn’t want all that?
Life is Full of Choices.
I Choose Happiness.
What’s your choice?

Loretta 
7 Comments

Choose Your Own Adventure!

1/14/2021

0 Comments

 
Remember those fun “Choose Your Own Adventure” Books?
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Now it’s your turn to “Create Your Own Adventure” - in Retirement!
Go to my website www.coachingwithloretta.com and click on the ‘Inspiration’ tab to meet Steve, a guy who has just retired. You can help him make some choices in his retirement journey – that might just help you, too. Go ahead, have some fun!
Research shows that 69% of new retirees have challenges adapting to retirement.
Create Your Own Adventure
0 Comments

HAPPY NEW YEAR! AKA Good Riddance, 2020!

1/12/2021

4 Comments

 
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A New Year is a time for some New Year’s resolutions
So, here goes:
​
1. I promise to only watch the news 15 minutes a day - limited to:
  • The weather
  • ‘Uplifting' news stories
  • COVID fashion update
  • Celebrity book clubs
  • Latest on Amazon delivery delays in my area              
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2. I promise to keep more things in the fridge that I can present as ‘lunch.’
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"Let's see..., where are 
lemons and the ketchup?"
3. I promise to always check the mirror before my next Zoom.
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Truth =  Yesterday I chose Minnie!
 4. I promise that I’ll have more patience as I wait on ‘hold’ for the vaccine scheduler to pick up.
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My mantra: "They will pick up; they will pick up.
​Someday, they will pick up, right?"
5. I promise to write down the all the names of the streaming series I sign up for in order to recognize the credit card charges for:  Netflix/Hulu/Masterpiece PBS/Disney/Amazon Prime/Britbox/sports networks, and whatever else I said yes to. 
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Truth = Watched one show on each – and then back to Netflix/Amazon
6. I promise to stop falling for and ordering new masks just because they are pretty.
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(They do look nice - don't they?)
7.  I promise to update my sign-off emoji so it looks more like me.
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I don’t have blue eyes or brown hair!
8. I promise to be nicer to the dog when she asks to go out in 26 degree weather. 
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(not my dog – but cute!)
9. I promise to be more sincere when I tell clients that staying home and not socializing with people is not that hard, and it’s all in your attitude.
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10. I promise to stop checking my phone every 2 minutes to validate my existence.
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11.  OVERALL..., I promise to remind myself  to be  GRATEFUL ​and to remain optimistic that some day we will all be able to hug again. 
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And so, Good Riddance, 2020.

Stay safe and healthy!
​
Loretta
4 Comments
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    Author

    Loretta Saff, M.A., CPC, CPRC
    As an active writer, both nationally and internationally, Loretta Saff's humor columns, blog, and lifestyle articles reflect an insight in dealing with situations that helps people get to their core issues and encourage confidence, trust and support.

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  • Get Started
    • You + Coaching
    • Coaching Areas >
      • Retirement
      • Executive Coaching
      • Personal Empowerment
      • Parents & Students
    • Book Sessions
  • About
    • About Loretta
    • Emotional Freedom Technique
  • Blog
  • Handbooks
  • Inspiration
    • Create Your Own Retirement Adventure
    • Make Happy a Habit
    • Daily Support for Make Happy a Habit
  • Videos
  • Contact