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Albert Einstein once said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change”
Does change make you cringe? It does for most people. Change is not easy yet it’s the only way you can make a difference in how we experience and grow in life.
Do you remember the first time you drove a car? You didn’t know how hard to push on the accelerator or how quickly to hit the brake. Heck, you wanted to use two feet! Suddenly, there was this jerking forward and back.
But, each time you learned a little. Suddenly, it became smooth. Then, you got a little cocky and said you were ready for the interstate. You begin cruising down the exit ramp and the cars start swooshing by you. You quickly accelerate faster asking yourself which mirror am I supposed to check?
Finally, you’re in a lane. The slowest person driving. Vehicles are flying by you. After a few more practice runs the process gets smoother and smoother each time.
With world events, it’s about examining what’s working and what’s not working in life, biz, and relationships right now.
Are you the same person today that you were ten years ago? Doubtful. I even bet you’re not the same person now that you were three months ago either. If you are the same person, examine if you’re complaining instead of changing.
How fast are you changing your perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors? This requires a constant examination. While this may seem obvious, what you choose to actually do is not. One of my mentors always says, common sense is not common practice.
Here at Priority Retreats International we’re constantly re-examining what’s working and what’s not and adapting with current circumstances, too.
Moving forward from this point on, we will start video blogs. The times are changing and so are we. Adapting is key. After all, that’s why Adapting is the number one leadership skill to have.
Always remember this:
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~Socrates
Focus on the harmony you want to feel instead of the destruction you see.
Be part of the collaboration efforts not the complaining cries.
Create the policies you want to see not just from social media.
Be the change you want to see in this world.
Evolution is not about adapting and creating what you want to see in the world.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
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The intense energy from solar flares yesterday blew out transformers, brought down telecommunications, and interrupted our technology.
Yet, it also gave us new energy to work with. These waves brought gamma waves which excited our bodies and brains to heightened levels of awareness. This may have caused difficult sleeping, extreme focus, agitation, or even anxiety.
In brain science terms, gamma waves bring intense focus to whatever you’re doing. If you’re in a state of clarity, you can get more work done in a single hour than all day. If you’re scattered, you become agitated since you don’t even know where to begin.
Let’s look at this deeper and from another angle.
Imagine two different gardens. The gardens are the same size and receive the same amount of rain and nutrients. At the same time of year, vegetable seeds were planted.
The first garden was filled with dandelions, vines, and clovers. This caused the vegetable plants to grow only minimally as the weeds were taking up the nutrients intended for the vegetables. Soon, the weeds out grew the vegetables and drowned out their sunlight. The vegetable plants only bore a few pieces of vegetables each. Hardly enough to feed a family for the summer. No one regularly tended to the garden. The plants wilted and never gave rise to a huge harvest.
The second garden was different. Each week the garden was weeded. Each plant was pruned to allow for more vegetables to form. This gave rise to a bountiful harvest of cucumbers, tomatoes, and butternut squash that was shared with the entire community.
How you tend to your garden determines how fast your plants will grow.
Every seed requires nutrients, water and space to grow. Where in your life do you need to clear out space? Your dreams and desires require space to come to fruition.
Nature even has a natural way this occurs. It’s called forest fires. Believe it or not, forest fires clear the extra underbrush to clear the way for more growth to occur. It’s only the man-caused forest fires that cause destruction. Pine trees only release their seeds when threatened for survival. That’s when the pine trees release their pine cones which contain seeds to the forest floor.
So you’re asking, what does this all have to do with solar flares? With intense energy, it’s about having a clear space to receive incoming energy. This allows your body and brain ample space to process it. It’s much like a computer that has a full hard drive. It runs slower if it’s full.
Now is the time to clear your space. Reassess. Re-evaluate. Reorganize. Reprioritize. Revamp. Most of all, clear your negative thoughts.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
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“Grandma how do you deal with pain?”
” With your hands, dear. When you do it with your mind, the pain hardens even more.”
“With your hands, grandma?”
” Yes, yes. Our hands are the antennas of our soul. When you move them by sewing, cooking, painting, touching the earth or sinking it into the earth, they send signals of caring to the deepest part of you and your soul calms down.”
This way she doesn’t have to send pain anymore to show it.
” Are hands really that important?”
” Yes my girl. Thinking of babies: they get to know the world thanks to their touches. When you look at the hands of older people, they tell more about their lives than any other part of the body. Everything that is made by hand, so is said, is made with the heart because it really is like this: hands and heart are connected. Masseuses know this: When they touch another person’s body with their hands, they create a deep connection. Thinking of lovers: When their hands touch, they love each other in the most sublime way.”
” My hands grandma… how long haven’t I used them like that!”
” Move them my girl, start creating with them and everything in you will move. The pain will not pass away. But it will be the best masterpiece. And it won’t hurt anymore. Because you managed to embroider your essence.”
~ Elena Barnabé
This amazing native American Parable illustrates the movement of energy.
Too often, when we’re in pain we want to stop. If you sprain your ankle, the best idea is to stop walking on it. Yet, at the same time, gentle stretches keep the ankle from stiffening up after an injury.
No one will go without being hurt or injured in their life. If you sit and do nothing, you stay stuck in your pain. The muscles tighten up and it becomes difficult to move again. If you keep moving, the energy flows.
This moving is your creative juices coming alive. The movement around the pain is what breeds solutions to whatever pain you’re dealing with. Movement through the pain creates growth that you will only see once you’re on the other side.
Just as if you wouldn’t want to continue walking on a sprained ankle,
Where can you make gentle subtle, movements in your life right now?
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
P.S. Exciting new courses and changes are forthcoming. Stay tuned for fun, new announcements.
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Lisa and Jill were hiking along a beautiful trail in a meadow filled with tall grasses and blooming pink and purple wildflowers. Jill hiked a bit faster than Lisa. Then, suddenly, Jill disappeared. Puzzled, Lisa picked up her pace to see where she went. Perhaps it was a quick potty break into the brush.
Startled, Lisa found Jill in mud up to her mid-thighs. Little did they know but a strong thunderstorm had ravaged the area days before they hiked into the meadow. The mud began swallowing Jill’s body. Every movement Jill took to get out, only pushed her deeper and deeper into the mud hole. Now, she’s hip deep.
How was Jill supposed to get out? Quickly thinking. Lisa clasped Jill’s hand staying on dry land and threw her body weight backwards. Jill barely budged.
Keep breathing. We’ll figure this out.
Jill rumbled incoherent words getting frustrated that she was stuck. Jill began yelling it’s all your fault and blaming Lisa. It was her idea to go through the meadow instead around the other mountain side.
Lisa kept her calm diverting the anger that was thrown her way.
Jill kept screaming and moving only to sink deeper and deeper into this mud pit.
Lisa kept thinking, what can she do? What can she do?
Without further thought, Lisa dug a hold into solid dirt and planted her two hiking poles. She levered herself and reached again for Jill’s hand. After three large tugs, the mud loosened and Jill’s hips came out of the mud. Three more tugs and her knees came out. Jill out of breath crawled on to the dry area with a huge sense of relief.
Jill wrapped her arms around Lisa thanking her for getting her out. She apologized for yelling at her.
Our fears are the mud. Unresolved fears dig deeper and deeper wounds. If the fears stay unresolved the wounds become difficult to heal and suck us further into the mud.
Often we lash out our fears on others. The resulting anger is our own yet it’s projected onto others. You then blame them for an issue that’s truly yours. It’s okay to express your frustrations. It’s not okay to blame others for it.
It’s time to forgive. This story is minor in comparison to how others have treated you in life. Don’t allow your fears to swallow you whole. When we don’t forgive we give others control over us.
Marianne Williamson said, ““Forgiveness is the key to inner peace because it is the mental technique by which our thoughts are transformed from fear to love”.
Forgiveness is undoubtedly one of the hardest things that you will ever do in life. Forgive yourself. Forgive others. Continuing to hold hatred, anger or fear within you only causes you to suffer. It puts you in a cage.
To unlock your fear is to forgive. Transform fear into love.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
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Ever get frustrated when you want to make a change and then can’t stick with it? Then, you beat yourself up? This may sound all too familiar.
The first thing most people will say to you is, “You need more discipline.”
Yet, have you ever seen someone exercise daily and never lose weight? It happens.
Even in our fast changing times, its easy to get stuck in a rut. It’s your time to think and act differently.
“The moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred…unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
It’s time to do activities with a different frame of mind. In reality, its not about discipline. It’s not about that at all. It doesn’t matter how many times you write something down on your to do list if you don’t do it.
Why you want to change has to come from your heart. You have to be so passionate about your dreams and desires. It must wake you up with excitement every day.
If all you do is bring dread to something you’re already bringing that bad attitude which makes you not want to do something. Instead, bring that feeling that you want to have once you’ve completed that change. What will it feel like when you start to see the results?
Your attitude comes from your heart. If you bring joy to an activity and go all in, you’re going to have way better outcomes.
It’s not about discipline. It’s about your real commitment to your dreams.
What commitment level do you have for your dreams and desires?
What’s one thing you can do to increase your commitment level?
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
P.S. Exciting new courses and changes are forthcoming. Stay tuned for fun, new announcements.
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Before embarking on a long drive for the holidays, I got a slow leak in my rear differential fixed. Excitement ensued when I picked up the vehicle and loaded it up for my journey to the mountains for 10 days of climbing, skiing, and hot springs and yeah, a little work, too.
Two hours into the journey, I hit a deep rut in the road on a very steep mountain descent. My SUV swayed left, then, right, then, left. While feeling like a doll flopping in the wind, I did all I could to brace myself, hold the steering wheel tight and keep the vehicle going straight. The vehicle stabilized and I landed on all 4 tires. WTF, just happened? I was aware that jeeps have a roll-over effect. Yet, my SUV was heavy, weighed down with tons of gear. I felt as if the car was about to flip for no reason. Shortly thereafter I noticed the steering wheel was not straight even though I was going straight which had me perplexed. The remaining four hours of the drive was uneventful.
The next morning I was excited that a massive snow dumped overnight and it was time to ski in Telluride, about an hour away.
As I started the drive, the roads were covered in snow. I kept my distance from other vehicles, speed was slow, yet I noticed that the car seems to slightly fishtail. I made it safely and enjoyed a fun, kick-but sore quads type of day. The drive back to my rental was more of the same. Now, I was getting concerned.
Luckily, a maintenance lady at my tiny house rental recommended a local mechanic. Sitting in the passenger seat, the mechanic took my car on a test drive. At 20mph, the vehicle was fine. He turned on to a major road at 40mph the back fishtailed so bad, he turned his head, looked me directly in the eye and said, “This vehicle is dangerous to drive. You’re lucky you’re not dead!”
With the holidays, most rental cars were out. I could only find a Jeep rental. For the next 10 days, I was in awe how easily this vehicle handled the road. The features from Bluetooth music from my phone to easily taking calls to a super sound system rocked my world. Very different from my nine year old SUV. I thought to myself, I could easily own one of these Jeeps. Was it time for a new vehicle?
Fast forward three weeks. I found myself on an impromptu trip to take care of a family member who was diagnosed with cancer and in the hospital. Again, I found myself renting a car. No little cars were available for rent. The rental company upgraded me to a Land Rover SUV. All I could think to myself was “Fancy.” The two hour drive from the airport to the house was smooth sailing.
Upon dropping off the vehicle after taking care of my family, all I could think about was the universe telling me it is time to upgrade my vehicle and that I deserve better.
Fast forward four months, my car was totaled after getting rear-ended.
Where in your life is the universe telling you it is time to upgrade yet you’re not seeing the sign?
Having car issues was no fun nor was getting in an accident that totaled my car. Yet, keeping a calm attitude that I was safe, no one else was hurt and that I was due for an upgrade made it worth the while. Sometimes we go through a muddy road to see a smooth path on the other side.
Look past the frustrations and see the universe signs before your eyes.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
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The current level of uncertainty is beyond what you can control. You wake up every morning now cringing your muscles with what’s next? Your mind races with, can this possibly get any worse? When will life return to some sense of normalcy? Suddenly you’re faced with tasks and decisions you never dreamt of. Society tells you to be prepared and plan for everything. Yet, how could anyone be prepared for this?
The current level of uncertainty is out of control. You love everything to be in control, know exactly when things will happen so you can adjust accordingly.
There’s one missing aspect to all of this.
—MAKE IT FUN—-
What fun is a board game if you knew exactly who was going to win?
What fun is tasting a new recipe if it tastes exactly what the old ones taste like?
What fun is a relationship with the same old monotonous discussions and activities?
It’s kind of boring, right?
Why are you surfing the web? You’re bored of the same old things. You’re looking for that excitement again.
A friend recently shared what her kids were up to with all the stay at home orders. Her kids wanted to create a pool. And, this family had no pool. The young kids scoured through the garage and house seeing what they could find.
Turns out the kids found a wheel borrow and took a garden hose and filled it up with water. This little pool was quite small yet entertained the kids all afternoon.
The kids turned this into a game! They figured out how to have fun despite being stuck in the confines of the house.
Fun is about the energy you bring to an activity. It’s an attitude. It’s even joy.
It’s all about learning to play again. Too often as adults, you lose your fun, playful child self. It’s about getting curious about what sparks your world. Bring the playful kid in you back. Growing up doesn’t mean you leave the fun behind.
What fun activities can you engage in? How can you turn your current circumstances into a fun game? After all, laughter builds your immune system for free.
Wishing you nourishing thoughts, peace of mind, and a calm heart!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
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On a cold, wintery day, I took the day off to study for my finals. It was no small task to take on an online masters degree program, commute an hour to and from work, and work ten plus hours a day. Discipline was my middle name. December finals were fast approaching and I couldn’t find the time needed for additional studying. I couldn’t catch a break. Then, one sliver came through. In between waiting for study data, I found one day to get some studying done and asked for the day off.
While studying notes at home, my boss calls me at 11:00am. In a sense of wonderment, why was she calling me on my day off. How dare she? What the heck? I slowly reached for the phone hoping this would be a short conversation. She informed me there was an all-hands meeting and the company announced consolidation of our ten offices in nine states. There would be layoffs at the end of the following year and relocation. She said we’ll know more in two weeks when they give us our severance package and retention bonus package. Well, that’s reassuring, I thought to myself. What am I supposed to do now? My main focus was my finals, not job security.
At some point in your adult life, you will be let go from your company. The first time this occurs becomes an experience you’ll never forget. Yet, when this happened at the age of 25, I had no clue what would happen or how to handle it. I kept on with my daily living.
The next day, I went to work and the water cooler gossip had every speculation possible. We thought, everyone would relocate to our office as we are centrally located. Or, would your job be eliminated all together? The vast majority of the 120 employees at my location began job searching immediately. Yet, I was perplexed why. We were given both a severance package based on years with the company and a massive bonus to stay with the company until the complete relocation occurs. The package alone was worth at least 50% of my yearly salary.
Fast forward nine months, over half the employees gave up their severance and retention bonus package for job security. The other 99% decided to relocate to another state where the office was being moved to or found a new job to start as soon as this job ended.
Then there was me. I continued my master’s degree while working and commuting and wanted nothing but a long vacation. Instead of finding a new job, I booked an airline ticket to spend five weeks in Australia and New Zealand. The funny thing is I had never traveled alone before let alone for that long.
Those five weeks abroad turned into one of the best adventures of my life. It was only the beginning of more adventures like this to come. I had no regrets bunkering down for nine plus months of uncertainty to then be rewarded for all the experiences I had in Australia and New Zealand. To this day, I still have friends that I met on that adventure.
With every obstacle you face, turn it into a fun playful game. This attitude will create a positive ripple effect around you. It’s time to play and get your creative juices flowing.
Yup, getting laid off sucks. Yet, the adventure turned into priceless moments and experiences I will never forget.
So, maybe you can’t travel far right now, yet there’s other opportunities. Read about a topic you’ve never heard of. Learn a new language. What other ways can you expand yourself and have fun while doing it?
Did you know a billionaire in the tech world picked up and read a Latin hair magazine while traveling? In the process, he learned how to better interact with their Latin American customers and surged their profits 100x fold.
Now’s a perfect opportunity to learn something new.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
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You wanted less time commuting. You’ve got that.
You wanted more time with your kids and spouse. You’ve got that.
You wanted time to get more creative. You’ve got that.
The problem is you’re complaining, anxious, and overwhelmed. That’s because you’re distracted instead of intentionally focused.
Every adversity serves as a sling shot. It can either pull the rubber band back so hard that it breaks or propels you further than you ever thought was possible.
What’s the same, the rubber band. Its elasticity and flexibility either allows you to move more fluid or completely resist what’s happening. Resisting isn’t saying you love what’s happening. It’s accepting the circumstance.
Adversity allows you to move with greater strength or sit as a victim to your circumstances.
COVID-19 is the perfect opportunity to relax your body, collect your thoughts, and identify what you really want. So, maybe we’re not at a beach or a lush mountain resort. The coolest thing is that we don’t have to be.
Now is the perfect time to:
· Start a new morning practice
· Go for a walk outside and notice all the beauty that surrounds you. (I even found
beautiful graffiti!)
· Call a loved one
· Declutter your closet, inbox, kitchen drawer (or all 3)
· Write down your deepest desires in a journal and identify one courageous step you’ll
take this week.
· Bring a fun attitude to everything you do.
Here’s two important questions to ask yourself:
(1) How do you want to feel at the beginning of every day?
(2) How do you want to feel at the end of every day?
The choice is yours.
Don’t be a victim to the current circumstances. Use this time as an opportunity to create exactly what you want your life and relationships to look and feel like.
Every decision between getting up for the day and falling asleep is yours, yours alone. Choose how you want to feel in each moment.
Now, is the perfect time to reset.
Reset your relationships and infuse them with love, compassion, empathy and enthusiasm.
Reset your environment. What can you declutter?
Reset your practices. What practices no longer serve you?
Reset your mind. What slows down your mind?
Now is the time to reset.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
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f you’re struggling with clarity and focus, you’re not alone. Every day, we are bombarded by more information than we ever thought was possible. The internet, social media, news spits out tweets, images, stories and more political nonsense than we care for. Our overwhelmed brains sift through this, carefully assessing what information to keep and what to purge.
In life and business, it’s easy to get super excited about an idea or go down the rabbit hole to keep researching something. We often jokingly call this the “squirrel effect.” Apple once had employees working on hundreds of projects. The employees were happy yet the company made little progress. Steve Jobs became more recognized for killing off thousands of amazing ideas, than on executing everything that the company came up with.
Let’s repeat that. Don’t execute on everything. Focus on the very best idea and go big.
We are in the midst of letting go of everything. The way we live. The way we communicate. The way we interact with co-workers. Even, the way we play.
Yet, when we allow for the best to arise.
The kids create a pool with a wheelbarrow and a hose.
You find out something about your partner that you never knew.
You rediscover a hobby that brings you joy.
You start a new hobby that brings your loved ones together.
That obstacle of not seeing your friends and loved ones turns into more communication than before. Suddenly you speak to your family more. You have happy hour with your friends on Friday evening.
Instead of doing all the unnecessary, you’re using your time for what you enjoy.
You’re growing in appreciation of what you can do.
Our current times are giving us a bigger perspective on what’s important. How you choose to view your situation and what you choose to focus on with this time says a lot about how you will fair in the coming months.
Wishing you an abundant, joyful and prosperous day!
Lora Polowczuk
Chief Energy Officer
© Priority Retreats International
