​ 
Introducing Anxiety Warrior contributing author Bari McFarland.

 Meet the delightful Bari McFarland, a contributing author in Elke Scholz’ new book,
Anxiety Warrior. Like me, Bari took a leap of faith and left her long-time career and
found her new purpose.

After reading the life-changing book, The Passion Test, Bari left the stress
and anxiety of her government job and became a Passion Test Facilitator and Life Coach.
She found her formula for living a passionate life and helps others to do the same. She shares:

When it comes to anxiety, it is often the fear of the unknown or what could
happen in the future. I help people get out of their head and into their heart and
connect them with what really matters to them, what is most important and their passion. 
There is a 3-step formula: INTENTION. ATTENTION. NO TENSION.
This is the formula used to bring what you want into your life.

Bari’s insightful chapter and daily affirmations will inspire many and
just may help you find your passion too!

INTENTION.   ATTENTION.   NO TENSION.

www.mydharma.ca                     elkescholz.com/anxiety-warrior-project/

Elke Scholz has many talents and gifts to share; therapist, speaker, artist, author of
Loving your Life and so much more. She has now taken her personal and professional experience and written a new empowering book, Anxiety Warrior.

With five contributing authors who share different perspectives, this book is for everyone.
You will learn coping skills and strategies to deal with anxiety, whether it is ongoing in
your life, or whenever it shows up! Elke shares;

Anxiety is a part of our lives. There are different types, layers and intensities.
I give a scale of 0-10. It helps to know where you are in your body. Your “2” will be
different from my “2”. But just knowing where that slippery slope is to that yucky feeling where you don’t want to go is important. Anxiety is an opportunity; it’s telling us something.

We should listen to our anxiety, not fear it.

*For those fortunate enough to be able to attend, don’t miss Elke’s book launch
and learning symposium on Sunday April 9th, 2017 at the Bracebridge Sportsplex.
See her website below for details and to pre-order your copy of Anxiety Warrior!

“Elke, thank you for all that you do to empower so many!"

 We can all be Anxiety Warriors, and live our lives to the fullest!

www.elkescholz.com/anxiety-warrior-project/​

Every few months I reflect back on what I’ve shared and the lessons I’ve learned.
My hope is that you have found value in these stories and perhaps one might resonate now.
Here are a few highlights from September to December, 2016;

Reason, Season, Lifetime.
Those we love are not always in our lives forever. We can choose to be grateful for the time they were and carry them in our hearts forever. And they will be there for a lifetime.

Sexy After Sixty—and In All Decades! with Sue Kelly
“Sexy is about attitude!” It is about not letting your spirit get old!
Don’t be afraid to shine… at every age!!

Don’t Compare…Just Cut Your Own Grass!
Stop worrying about what others have or what others are doing. Weed your garden, use the best soil and TLC. You just never know what will grow. Be the best version of you!

Stop, Breathe, Be Here Now. with Julie Veitch.
Looking outside ourselves for the answers is never sustainable. Lasting success is really an internal job. Overwhelmed? Stressed? Stop, Breathe, Be Here Now.

Lessons from a Lifetime of Care Giving- with Donna Thomson
I could not look after the people I love all by myself. And that didn’t mean I did not
love them. The other big lesson was just to accept human frailty.  
The people I’m caring for… I couldn’t fix them and that it was OK to be who they were.
It’s possible to have a good life AND be a long-term caregiver.

Avoid Making Crisis-Driven Decisions. with Maureen Partridge
Figuring things out in the last hour… it’s too stressful and it’s crisis-driven!
​It would be really lovely to have all the details in place so that people can just be sad, tell stories and enjoy memories rather than trying to crack codes and figure out what
people would have wanted.

The Story of my Friend Chuck, with Andrew Macleod
Planning our life and end of life is a gift we can give our loved ones. Chuck did just that. Thanks to his life well lived, and his end well planned, we all continue to smile at the memories and the love he gave us. Nothing was left unattended.
 He was an example to all of us to live life to its fullest, even in those final days. 
He maintained that we need to make the tasks of those we leave behind as easy as possible, so that they have time to reflect on the good memories rather than worry about the details of tidying up. He was an inspiration to us all.


May these stories inspire you to live life to the fullest,
learn to grieve and support others and to have “The Talk” about
end of life…long before it arrives and diffuse the fear!

Have A Great Week Everyone!


 
 

Today is International Women’s Day and I am joined by my daughter Jadyn.
This day is a reminder of how incredibly fortunate we are, to live in a country where we are free to be our weird quirky selves and to follow our dreams. I know there are still many imperfections in our culture, but today I choose to celebrate and be grateful.

Thank you to my daughter Jadyn who knows no prejudice and understands respect for all.
Thank you to every woman who has supported me, celebrated my wins along the way and has been there for me in my darkest messy times and continued to love me through it all.

 Jadyn shares:
Thank you to every person in the world who is willing to be a voice for change,
knowing that every man, woman and child have value and rights…just because.

Is there a woman in your life you could thank today?

Someone you could reach out to who is struggling and
let them know they are not alone?
​
​Could you make a difference? 

 I spent the afternoon with Tanner’s class one wonderful afternoon, volunteering.
They were doing a cooking elective and needed help with prepping and guiding the children.
It was just so fun. We made fajitas, salsa, guacamole, and a great apple dumpling dessert.

I realized in that moment how important volunteers are to schools (and so many other places). The teacher, Ms. Aitken, said that volunteers make a huge difference
and many activities could not be done without them! She shared;

You don’t have to have a child attending the school. All you need is a police check, which can be arranged through the school. So many things require volunteers; electives, art programs and sports. You don’t even have to know how to do the activity. Sometimes we just need another adult! (like when I was cooking and didn’t know what I was doing!)
We always need people to read with children. Many need a little more attention and
the value of one on one reading cannot be over-expressed! You can even just
​come to the library and stock books!

We need to stay connected in our communities. I have to say I felt really great being there, I spent some time with Tanner, his friends and his teacher and I even had a great meal!
Bonus! Geordie volunteered to go skiing with Jadyn and a bus load of children.
Let’s see…I cooked, he skied… wait a minute!!!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to re-connect as adults missing their grandchildren or maybe just helping children who could use some extra attention?

Living Life to the Fullest; connection, giving back, purpose.
​
 Why not volunteer? Something to think about!