One of the most important components of healing is recognizing the powerful connection between your mind and body. Studies show that negative emotions and stress can cause a physical reaction (i.e. those annoying headaches you get when you’re stressed out) that can slow your body’s ability to heal. On the flip side, positive thinking and feelings can help you recover, whether it’s a physical injury, depression or even cancer.

Of course, if you’re going through something upsetting and stressful, being positive won’t always be easy. But it’s important to attempt to nurture your mind and body so they can work together to help heal you. You have the power to heal your inner self!

First off… listen to your body to tap into your healing power!

No one knows your body better than you do. Being in touch with how you feel day in and day out enables you to pinpoint what you can do in your daily life that makes you feel a certain way.

Try this exercise:

The next time you’re feeling negative, write down what you’re doing every half-an-hour for two days — whether it’s loading the dishwasher, reading a book or walking to your car — and how you’re feeling in response.

Rate your energy level and any physical discomfort (headaches, muscle cramps and etc.) on a scale of 0-10. Zero means you’re not feeling any sadness, stress or low energy and ten means you’re feeling or thinking negative.

When two days have passed, look over your log. When did you feel the best? The worst?

Think about what you can change during the day so you’ll feel better.

Keeping this log can also help you realize which habits from your regular routine may not work so well during your recovery period. Before I became a gym-regular, I wouldn’t make eating breakfast a priority. When I kept a log during my workout program, I saw that I had more energy when I ate within an hour of waking up. Now I make it a habit to eat breakfast every day.

I hope that listening to your body will help you heal faster. Having a positive connection between your mind and body is so important to improving your life.

Enter the sweepstakes by telling us on Facebook some of your mom’s great advice or inspiration… or why you love your mom so much.

All you have to do is write a post on the Success Against the Odds Facebook page to enter the sweepstakes. It can be as simple as one sentence — so don’t be shy and share the inspiration! Visit our success Facebook community here.

If I could enter the sweepstakes, I would say…

“My mom inspired me to enter pageants and go after my dreams. With her love and support, I was able to achieve my goal of starting my own business. Thanks mom!”

The winner will receive a bouquet of flowers from 1-800-flowers for their mom and a very special prize for themselves. Contest ends Sunday, May 13th and winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 15th. Click here to enter the sweepstakes.

There are no minimal or maximal limits on how long the entry/post has to be. Mailing information will be asked after choosing our winner so we can send the prizes. Contest is valid through May 8-13, 2012. Winner will be announced on the Facebook page on May 15, 2012.

Good luck and I can’t wait to read your stories!

So how do you know that you’re working hard enough? If reaching your goal, like starting your own business or taking a trip overseas is taking a long time — does that mean that you’re not working hard enough? I have certainly been there before. You’re working towards your goal but it just seems to take much longer than you expected. Then you start doubting yourself with questions like, “Am I working hard enough to reach my goals?”

I think you should ask yourself that. You need to evaluate every part of your self-improving or self-developing process. Think of it like taking a test at school – your knowledge is being evaluated. This way you know you’re on the right track to succeeding in school, and beyond the classroom.

If you’re anything like me, then you evaluate your performance a lot. Whether I hit a bump in the road or score some green lights, I find myself questioning my goals, performance, action steps… You name it!

It’s important to move on quickly though. You want to ask yourself if you’re working hard enough to reach your goals then move on to the next phase, especially if the answer is “no, I’m not working as hard as I should.”

Here are some tips for what to do when it’s time to ask yourself… am I working hard enough to reach my goals?

If the answer is “no”

Don’t be too hard on yourself. It happens to the best of us. Just make sure that you do something like the following:

• Figure out why you aren’t working as hard as you should
• Look back at your vision board to become inspired
• Take a short break by doing something you love to get motivated
• Go over your plan-for-action to change a few things around
• Decide what your next move is and do it promptly

If the answer is “yes”

First off, congrats! I would suggest to obviously keep working hard, but also do the following:

• Reward yourself when you accomplish one of your “action steps”
• Inspire yourself with reminders of why you set that goal
• Never limit yourself by becoming too comfortable with where you are
• Keep growing and wanting to achieve more

So don’t be afraid to ask yourself if you’re really working as hard as you should be. Whether you’re on the right track or not, you still need to take five and evaluate your performance every so often. Keep working hard towards your goal and when you accomplish that goal, move on to the next one.

There seems to be a lot of job seekers and not enough jobs. A good friend of mine is looking for a new job opportunity, and it made me think… why do some job applications excel others? Being the CEO and Founder of Collegiate Risk Management, I have had my fair share of picking applicants, interviewing and hiring people. I hope your resume shows your achievements without the gimmicks and your cover letter is outstanding already, but just in case… you may want to look back and make sure that your resume and cover letter aren’t hurting your chances.

If you’re having no luck landing an interview, this may be why:

1. Your resume doesn’t indicate anything about your work beyond your job descriptions. In a market flooded with qualified candidates, your resume should show your track record of high achievement. That means that it shouldn’t just list duties and responsibilities; it needs to emphasize your accomplishments in each role.

2. Your cover letter puts hiring managers to sleep. If your cover letter just summarizes the same information found on your resume, there’s no need for an employer to read it. Instead, your cover letter should take advantage of the opportunity to present employers with additional information. Show personal interest in working for this particular organization and in this particular job, and explain why you’d excel at it without simply reciting your employment history.

3. You’re trying to “stand out” by using gimmicks. Fancy resume designs, having your application delivered by overnight mail, video resumes, and other gimmicks don’t make up for a lack of qualifications, and they’ll turn off many hiring managers. If you want to stand out, write a great cover letter and show a track record of success in the area for which the employer is hiring.

Can you think of any more reasons why someone’s resume or cover letter is hurting their chances of landing an interview? Tell me by writing a comment below!

If you aren’t a Facebook Fan yet, be sure to like the Success Against the Odds Facebook page for inspiration and important information about how to turn your dreams into a reality. Click here to join our success community!

What you can expect from our Facebook success community:

• Powerful inspiration
• Entrepreneur insider knowledge
• Tips and tricks on setting goals
• How to live a happy and healthy life
• Money saving tips
• Inspirational success stories
• Fun giveaways and sweepstakes
• Ways to help your community and others around the world
• And more….

It’s not the years in your life that count… it’s the life in your years that make all the difference!

Same goes for Facebook and how many likes or fans a page has. The Success Against the Odds Facebook page only has 433 fans right now, but we are a very positive and influential community — one that helps one another. I would really like to grow our community though with more likes/fans. So please like us and tell your friends to do the same!

Click here to LIKE SUCCESS AGAINST THE ODDS ON FACEBOOK!

Switch from soda to lemon water

One of the easiest ways to clean up your diet is to ditch the soda. Whatever you do… don’t fail for the diet or zero calorie nonsense. Diet-soda or regular, there are plenty of health warnings about the stuff. A favorite drink among detox enthusiasts is lemon water — warm or cold. Just squeeze the juice of a half of a fresh lemon into water and sip.

Repair cells with kale

Kale is antioxidant rich and considered nature’s scouring pad for its ability to scrub your cells clean. My favorite way to eat kale is to boil kale for about 5 minutes (you don’t want it to turn brown) and sprinkle a small amount of vinegar on it — preferably plum vinegar, which can be found at your local supermarket, like Publix and Whole Foods. Loaded with that dark green pigment, kale is chock-full of antioxidants that fight disease and cell damage.

Swap out refined sugar for fruit

If you normally sprinkle sugar on your cereal in the morning, try slicing a banana on top instead. The goal here is to think of fruit as your sweetener of choice — and get creative with it! Try apple slices on your almond-butter sandwich instead of jam, or kiwi slices in your Greek yogurt in place of honey.

There are many ways to detox or clean your diet up. I’ll be sure to keep the helpful tips coming! For now… be sure to try these 3 easy ways to spring clean your diet.

Q: How do you spring clean your diet? Any advice for people trying a detox plan this spring?

For the next six weeks, Oprah’s Lifeclass will show people’s stories, help you see how you relate to them and help you overcome your own obstacles. Using their stories and teachings, Oprah hopes that you will feel empowered and ready to take on the world. You must OWN yourself and OWN your power. As Oprah said, “you must do what the creator Himself put you here to do!”

They filmed two episodes of Oprah’s Lifeclass on Monday. I attended the Lifeclass with Bishop T.D. Jakes, who discussed how to live with purpose. I truly enjoyed being in St. Louis for this class. Oprah and Bishop were amazing along with the other guests like New Orleans Saints breakout star, Jimmy Graham who shared his personal story of triumph. Jimmy’s mother gave him away to an orphanage when he was a young boy. He would attend church regularly… praying to God for his mother’s forgiveness and that she will never does this again. A lady at the church was so moved with Jimmy that she adapted him and helped him live a fulfilling life of accomplishments and happiness.

The Lifeclass with Bishop T.D. Jakes will air on Monday, April 9. I encourage you to tune in or log on to Oprah.com April 9^th at 8/7c to learn how to live with purpose!

My partner in crime, Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson and I will be helping kids make all the right moves this Saturday, March 24 at the FCAT Rally held at Robles Elementary School in Tampa, FL.

With speaking to the youth and schools, I’ve recently joined forces with Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson to help improve the lives of others. He is the author of “One Move at a Time,” two-time World Open Speed Chess Champion and founder of BE SOMEONE. Together we strive to help others achieve success and happiness one move at a time.

We will visit Tampa, FL this Saturday, March 24, to encourage kids to improve their Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores and take charge of their education.

FCAT Rally and FREE Barbeque

Robles Elementary

4405 E. Sligh Ave, Tampa, Fla. 33610

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Program: 9:00 to 11:00 am

Lunch: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm

Together, we have become a powerful team sharing our inspirational message for kids who are struggling to find their way in confusing and frustrating times. We have combined our expertise to offer a unique self-help guide that could be called the ultimate “gift that keeps on giving.”

The make-sense program promises to help teach kids problem-solving, goal-setting and conflict resolution as they learn to take responsibility and realize their amazing potential. We aim to ensure that youth know they too can excel and beat the odds. We strive to help everyone realize that they can be someone if they make the right moves.

The Tampa FCAT Rally and Free BBQ is expected to have 700 kids attend, but the more the merrier! Tampa-area children, parents and media are more than welcome to attend the Saturday event.

There is nothing quite like changing the lives of young people. They have SO MUCH to look forward to… and it’s our great joy to help them go after their dreams.

We hope to see you and your family this Saturday, March 24 at the Robles Elementary School in Tampa, FL.

Recently I was a guest blogger on Pretty Hard Work where I gave advice on how to find motivation to work out and turn exercise into a habit. If you’re in a exercise rut, I hope this motivates you to make the simple decision to stop telling yourself you “should” be working out… and actually just start doing it. It only takes 21 days to start a positive habit! Don’t waste another minute wishing you were fit! You can read the article below or read it on Pretty Hard Work here.

Question: How do you get motivated to workout?

Recently I read an interesting article on CNN.com, called “The fastest-growing job in America.” It discussed how the bad economy has taken away once-upon-a-time great jobs and how people are trying to make ends meet. They found a trend in how people are making money and surviving in this low job market.

What’s the fastest growing job in America, you ask? That would be… the entrepreneur or in their words, the “hustler.”

That word seems a little distasteful, but a lot of Americans have to “hustle” now and work 2-3 different jobs – as much as 20% of people are deemed underemployed, or juggling multiple gigs to pay the bills since the recession started in 2007. Yes, there will always be careers and work… but probably not how it used to be. Unfortunately, you might as well forget all about pensions, retirement plans and a guarantee of 40 hours every week. And if you’re lucky, your career won’t vanish because of technology or new social trends. Like CD store clerks, bookstore owners and even newspaper journalists.

There is a fascinating dynamic reshaping of our thinking, in regards to what we do for a living. Some people will go into professions, but others are learning to become professionals or multi-skilled job creators for themselves. Yes, it can be a little scary to start your own business. Most people are afraid because they don’t want to lose the security of a paycheck or health insurance. However, the reality is that layoffs and buyouts are happening every day and the economy isn’t going to get better anytime soon.

Take a leap of faith and hustle your way to entrepreneurship!

That’s how this great nation began and that’s what America is all about! You can be and do anything. Don’t let the bad economy get you down. You can succeed even when the odds seem to be against you!