Live Your Best Life!

Hi!  It's Karen, from Karen Vincent Solutions.

I have seen many instances where someone is promoted into a leadership position and given a new title, however, they are not provided with any guidance and support about how to be a good leader. Often, the skills that make someone successful at their job which results in a promotion into a leadership position, are significantly different than the skills necessary to be a successful leader. 

What is important for all of us in leadership positions to remember is that we need our teams. We cannot do it all alone and therefore, we need our teams to be energized, engaged and efficient so that we can reach our goals. Sometimes I have seen leaders feel threatened if they have an employee who really shines or has a skill set they do not have. This does not make sense to me.   

I have always wanted to give every employee on my team an opportunity to shine and to grow. I believe that “great leaders make...

Have you been eating more than you normally do or eating less healthy foods during quarantine? If you are, you are not alone. The sale of snacks, alcohol and the demand for processed “comfort” foods, like mac and cheese, have increased significantly since March.

Why is this happening?

• Emotional eating. This is when we use food to numb our uncomfortable feelings in an effort to feel better. We are experiencing something we have never experienced before and therefor there is an increase in some challenging emotions such as:
  • Stress
  • Anxiety
  • Worry
  • Boredom
  • Frustration
  • Uncertainty
  • Loneliness
  • Disappointment
  • Anger
  • Sadness

• Less structured days. Work and school help us structure our days, so we only eat at certain times. With so many people home and/or not working, the structure is no longer present, and it is very easy to just walk to the kitchen and pantry and grab something without even thinking about it.

• More access to food throughout the day. This is like the...

Hi!  It's Karen from Karen Vincent Solutions.

“A settled tendency or usual manner of behavior” is a definition of habit according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.  When we think of the word “habit” we often think of only “bad habits”. These could include smoking, biting your fingernails, always being late, hitting the snooze button, drinking, checking social media without even thinking about it, eating unhealthy foods…the list could go on forever.

What we don’t talk about or highlight as much are the “good habits” we have.  These could include brushing our teeth every day, making sure all the dishes are done before going to bed, putting gas in the car before the empty light comes on, going to the grocery store and buying healthy food each week, calling a parent or good friend each week to check in…this list could also go on forever. 

What is important to keep in mind, is that habits can be both...

Hi!  It's Karen from Karen Vincent Solutions. 

Some people suggest that we make 35,000 decisions per day.  While that does seem like a lot to me, I do know that we make many, many decisions each day. Some of our decisions require a lot of thought and intention however, many are made while we are running on autopilot. 

What is important to remember is that each decision has a consequence.  Some large and some seemingly inconsequential…but are they really inconsequential?  The reality is, the decisions and actions we take each day either move us towards our goals, or away from them and often we are not even aware of this. 

We are also often not aware of the ripple effect of our small actions because when they are small, we don’t have any noticeable consequences or results…until one day…we do.  All the sudden we realize we gained ten, twenty, thirty pounds but we don’t know how we got there.  All the sudden...

How have you spent your time during the last four weeks? Does it make you proud or does it make you cringe a little? If it makes you proud…yay and keep it up!  If it makes you cringe, let that go and let’s regroup. None of us knew what was coming our way a couple of months ago and none of us could predict how things would play out or how we would respond to being quarantined, so let’s cut ourselves some slack.

At this point in time, what is important is to look forward, make a plan and choose to come out of this thing better than you were going into it. We have at least two more weeks (likely more) so there is enough time for you to do something that will make yourself proud.  Two weeks is plenty of time to start to form a new, healthy habit.  Two weeks is plenty of time to clean or organize something in your home.  Two weeks is plenty of time to read a book, listen to an educational podcast and start to learn something new. Two weeks is...

Although the options are endless, I decided to make a list of the many things that interest me that I could do during quarantine.  I thought of all the things I wish I could learn, do or explore if only I had more time and made a list. I thought I would share it with others in case it inspires you to come up with your own list.

Assuming we have internet access, some books and a little creativity, there is no reason we should be bored during quarantine.  I’m not saying that I don’t wish I could go out to eat, go out shopping just for fun or go spend time with friends, but what I am saying is that not having those options does not mean I have to be bored. For me, spending hours each day watching television or scrolling social media will lead to boredom.

Instead, I am choosing to learn, grow, have some fun and do some things I never seem to have time for. I will likely not have time to get through my entire list, however, I will keep it and try to continue to...

Hi!  It's Karen from Karen Vincent Solutions. 

Too often there are situations where people think they will be happy if something happens to bring them happiness.  When I get the promotion, I will be happy.  When I find my soulmate, I will be happy.  When I start a family, I will be happy.  When I finish school, I will be happy.  When I have better living accommodations, I will be happy.  When I land my dream job, I will be happy.  When I can finally take a vacation, I will be happy.  The list could go on, but hopefully you get my point.  Can you relate to any of these scenarios?  Many of us have thought this at times in our lives.

While each of the scenarios above could make us happy (at least in the moment), bring more comfort to our lives or positively impact our lives in some way, thinking like this diminishes the idea that we are in control of our happiness and that we have the ability to be happy, despite our...

Hi!  It's Karen from Karen Vincent Solutions. 

Where did the time go?  How many times have you said this to yourself or others?  How many times have you gotten to the end of your day or week and wondered what you actually got done?  We have all been there…a lot! 

If you are reading this, you are likely busy and a doer.  I already like you…you are my kind of person!  There have been many weekends where I get to Sunday and think…where did two full days go?  I used to get really frustrated so I was motivated to come up with a system where I make sure that I am accomplishing the things I need to accomplish each day, week, month, quarter and year.

Before I go on…let’s talk about “to do” lists. I am a list person, so I am not here to tell you not to have one.  However, I used to make these super long “to do lists” that were overwhelming for me to look at, let alone act on. 

I...

Hi!  It's Karen from Karen Vincent Solutions.

Anguilla is a magical island paradise with white sandy beaches and beautiful turquoise water.  It is romantic, quiet and absolutely stunning.  While our goal in going to Anguilla was celebrate our ten-year anniversary, relax and unwind at the luxurious Belmond Cap Juluca, we decided to take a couple day trips to see other, small islands in the area. You can check out my blog post about the amazing Belmond Cap Juluca here.

The first trip we took was to Sandy Island which is two miles off the coast of Anguilla and ended up being such a special part of our vacation.  This is a very small sand spit (273 yards x 82 yards) that has been submerged for periods of time following hurricanes.  It was ruined in 2017 by hurricane Irma. 

Lucky for us, the restaurant was rebuilt, and visitors are still able to enjoy all the magic this island has to offer.  By “magic” I mean, beautiful turquoise...

What makes food “organic”?

Hi!  It's Karen from Karen Vincent Solutions.

There is a lot of talk about eating organically but what does this really mean?  When you think organic, think natural.  Organic foods are grown without the use of man-made fertilizers or pesticides and organic meat and poultry comes from animals who have not been fed growth regulators or feed additives.

Unfortunately, we live in an age where growing foods with pesticides is commonplace...and dangerous.  Scientists believe that even small doses of these dangerous chemicals can cause damage to our health and overall well being.  The ingestion of pesticides can cause headaches, nausea, inflammation, digestive issues, fatigue, skin irritation as well as more serious conditions like cancer, reproductive harm and endocrine disruption to name a few.  What is scary is that all the potential damage is likely still not fully known. 

Our bodies were not built to...