Susan Hyatt

Resolutions Made Fun in 2012!

Posted on 06. Jan, 2012 by Susan in Blog, Motivation

Life Coach Susan Hyatt explains ways to reach those New Years resolutions:

Part One:

Part Two:

Love Yourself Healthy

Posted on 24. Aug, 2011 by Susan in Blog, Inspiration, Motivation, Weight Loss

I live in the “Fattest City in America!”  Think I’m kidding? Check out this Gallup Poll that ranked Evansville, Indiana as the heftiest American city with the over 37% of our population weighing in as obese. 

I’m turning my attention and my mojo to my hometown. But, this isn’t just a local issue. Watch my video series below if you’d like to learn how to LOVE YOURSELF HEALTHY.

Your Fabulousness Translates

Posted on 27. May, 2010 by Susan in Get What You Want, Motivation

“Carrie : Maybe I can’t leave New York. I don’t know how I’d do someplace else.
Samantha : Believe me, your fabulousness would translate.”

I love the characters from Sex and the City. Sandwiched between interesting fashion and hilarious drama, there’s brilliant humanity. Like Carrie, we can find ourselves overwhelmed and afraid to embrace change. We doubt our abilities.

I don’t know how.
I can’t.
It’s too hard.
I should stick to what I know.

I’ve logged thousands of hours coaching amazing people who run away with these thoughts into their own private hell. My criteria for change? If what you are thinking is not kind, does not feel like love, does not serve you, that’s reason enough to change your mind.

The above are statements of you on mind crack. The kinds of thoughts that keep you less than. Stuck. Hiding. You know more than you think you do. You are smarter, deeper, more agile, and less complicated than you suspect.

How to Translate Your Fabulousness:

1. Identify an area where you have done well and felt good about it. Think of all areas of your life: career, relationships, physical fitness, spirituality. What do people ask your advice about? Did you plan an event that was a home run? Make a killer cocktail? Bake an amazing cake? Figure out how to raise money for a worthy cause? It’s there. Take some time using these mind map worksheets to brainstorm ideas.

2. Brainstorm how you did it. How did you approach the venture? What did you do? How’d you pull that off? My client Amanda was convinced that she couldn’t lose weight. She’s tried “everything.” It turns out that she had tried 5 crappy diets, but had never tried approaching weight loss the way that she approaches her superb parenting. She’s seriously a child whisperer.

So, she got to work examining her success with little people, and discovered some key ingredients and techniques that she agreed to translate from parenting over to weight loss. They included: patience, kindness and love, firm boundaries, and did I mention love and compassion?

3. Apply these same fabulous skills and approach to your new goal for fabulous results. When Amanda did, It completely transformed her treatment of herself, how she moved, what she ate, and how she thought. Her result was peaceful weight loss. And she used techniques she already knew to do it.

Doesn’t matter if you are trying to lose 50 pounds, build your very own business, or parent a spirited child. Tame your spirited thoughts, and you’re gold. And fabulous.

Leave Barking to the Puppies

Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by Susan in Blog, Motivation

What would happen, if just for today, you decided to stop:

complaining

whining

stalling

tantruming

crazy towning

bluffing

gossiping

judging

excuse-ifying

the crap.

What if instead of barking your way around the edges of your comfort zone, you reached for something better?

What could you create in the time that you just spent moaning and groaning?

Accept what is. Create what’s next.  I’ll be there cheering for you.

Dial It Up

Posted on 29. Oct, 2009 by Susan in Motivation

Choose–every day–to create the feeling state YOU want

I drink too much caffeine and I practically freebase liquid B12. Yes, I have a lot of energy. But believe it or not, these are not the reasons that I am so jacked up about things all the time. Jacked up in a good way, I mean.

I don’t always wake up excited, and I promise that I don’t burp rainbows. I’m a regular mom who sometimes finds herself unsuccessfully chasing her beagle in the rain, scraping Emily’s artistic creations off of the kitchen table, and trying to explain to her 11-year-old son that the movie American Pie (OMG) may not be live streamed from Netflix. This is why we lovingly refer to our home as the Hyatt Riot.

When I wake up to a beagle covered in green paint, or a sick child, I’ve learned that I can still create the feeling state that I want. I can decide how my day will go in spite of less than ideal circumstances. If I wake up anxious, or cranky, I can pick out a feeling state like I’m picking out my running clothes. I’ll have a little bit of excited, and a huge helping of passion, and a dash of motivation.

How? I developed a morning ritual that takes 15 minutes. You can take fifteen, right? Of course you can. Click here to get my free DIAL IT UP morning ritual worksheet. It’s a fast way to set your intention for the day. It helps you create good feeling thoughts to generate the feeling that you want. Then, you line up some inspired action and knock off at least one thing that isn’t serving you.

Today? I want to feel productive and calm. I decided to think, “You always get what you really need to, done and done well.” Ahhhhhh. Love that. One action that lines up with that is to prioritize my list of things to do. I’ve eliminated things that really do not matter, delegated much to my awesome and amazing assistant, and downloaded some new Joss Stone music to better my time. And, lastly, as my southern mama used to say, “KNOCK IT OFF.” I decided to stop compulsively checking email, just for my productive and calm today.

What? Jake is tipping over trash cans in the neighborhood again? Sorry, I’m too calm to chase him today.

Click to get your free Dial It Up form and newsletter subscription!

Half Marathon, Full Heart

Posted on 15. Oct, 2009 by Susan in Motivation

Running Newbie

I started running in May, after an 18-year running hiatus. One sunny afternoon in May, while I was power walking and listening to my girl Pink on the iPod, something happened. I heard myself say, “Just run Susan.”  So I started to run and was fascinated that it felt great. I wasn’t bribing myself to work out. I hadn’t put it in my planner that I would run. But, here I was, running and liking it. Me! A former junk food junkie was running.

I ran as far as I could that day, and it turned out to be a mile and a half. Within a week I was running three miles, and within a month my friend Jill asked me to train with her for a half marathon. I decided that I would continue to LISTEN TO MY BODY. As long as it felt good, I was game.  Plus, I liked the cute running skirts.

Training

The weeks leading up to the marathon were challenging. Each week, we added a mile to our long runs on Saturdays. And every Friday, I would remind myself, “You can do this.”  Because with any goal in life, if your mind is not lined up with your body, don’t even bother. It will suck. Every weekend I was so enormously proud to burst in the front door and announce to my family, “I did it! 6 (7, 8, 9, 10) miles!” (Caffeine + runners high can be annoying for others who are just waking up on a weekend morning.)

The longer runs reinforced staying in the present moment for me. I would remind myself, “Susan, Stay In The Mile That You Are In!”  If I thought too far ahead about how many miles were left, I could get overwhelmed and the run would be harder. If I thought about how many miles I had run, I started feeling tired. I learned to take each mile, one at a time, and dedicate that mile to a topic, person, gratitude, and appreciation for the scenery around me. It’s a great tool to use when I am not running. Stay with the present moment.

The Big Day

I have to admit that from the moment I arrived at the event, I was a mixture of off-the-charts excitement and choking back sentimental tears. Here I was, looking official with a number pinned on my running clothes, standing with 2200+ runners, all brought together by a common desire to run. I looked at the sea of athletes and I thought, this is what it’s all about isn’t it? Showing up for yourself. How many successes in life are about just showing up and taking the first step? And here were 2200 of like-minded people, at 7am on a freezing 42-degree October morning, ready to go. I was overwhelmed.

I had intended on spending each mile thinking about new projects and family and friends that I love. But what I experienced instead during this half marathon nearly brought me to my knees. It was a Church service that I have never experienced inside of a church.  It was, quite simply, the closest that I have ever been to experiencing the Divine.

This is what I witnessed. Perfect strangers bundled up and standing along railroad tracks and busy roads to wave and cheer on us runners. Freezing volunteers handing out water and orange slices. Local musicians donating their time to stand on street corners to fill the air with music to keep us going. Cheerleaders with pom poms. Dancers getting their groove on to entertain us as we raced by. Families holding signs of encouragement. An 86-year-old man rockin the race–evidence that it is NEVER too late.Runners coaching each other to the finish line.

The Finish

As I kicked it into high gear during the last mile, I marinated in the lyrics of a Jennifer Lopez song, “Let’s Get Loud”:

If you want to live your life
Live it all the way and don’t you waste it
Every feeling, every beat can be so very sweet
You got to taste it, you got to do it
You got to do it your way

I left it all on the pavement. I was like a little kid again, crossing that finish line and collecting my Half Marathon medal. Big cheesy grin, full heart, showing love for myself and this amazing miracle of a human body.

It never would have happened if I wasn’t willing to listen to my inner voice. Listen to that little voice that encourages you to pick up something new. Running, dancing, sculpting, writing, knitting, scrap booking. Whatever the interest, DO IT. Show up, stay in the present moment, be grateful, and thank me later. Let’s Get Loud!

Special thanks:

Thank you to my Facebook friends who offered me encouragement, k
udos, running advice and cheered me on virtually.

Thank you to the little girl in the red flannel pajama pants with the golden retriever who looked at me during mile 7 and said, “You go girl.”

Thank you to the Hadi Shriners who dressed in their kilts and played bag pipes, banged on drums, and clapped for us as we ran by.

Thank you to the little old lady with the ukulele on the side of the road playing her fingers off and smiling.

Thank you to the water station sponsors, who passed out cups of water and orange slices while shouting good job to me.

Thank you to the school band and flag team.

Thank you to the bundled up women wearing cowboy hats and ringing bells!

Thank you to the fierce motorcycle enthusiasts who wore their chaps and jeans along with their marathon volunteer tee shirts and directed traffic. You guys rock.

Thank you to the YMCA volunteers who stood at every mile marker and said, “Good Job!”

Thank you to the little kids at the train tracks who high fived me as I ran by. I’ve never felt more like a rock star.

Thank you to the perfect strangers who stood along the route wrapped on blankets and sipped coffee while shouting and cheering for us.

Thank you to my friend Jill, my running partner, who came out to cheer me on even though she was not racing.

Thank you to my new friend Francis, who made me coffee, drove to the event, showed me where to go and gave me expert running tips.

Thank you to my husband Scott who stood at the finish line with a camera, Gatorade, flowers and a big cheesy grin.

Thank you to my son Ryan, who stood in the cold with his dad when he would rather be playing video games.

Thank you to my daughter Emily, who wanted to leave her big camp weekend early to see me cross the finish line. Next time, Em.

I am forever grateful.

Queen Latifah Sings to Me

Posted on 18. Aug, 2009 by Susan in Motivation

Queen
Latifah, Nelly and Colbie Callait take turns coaching me when I run.  I’ve been running now for about  5-6 months and am training for a half
marathon in October.  This is big
news and a magnificent obsession in my life.  Great discovery: the “runner’s high” does exist and is a fun
byproduct of taking care of myself. 
When I am not running with my kick ass friend Jill, I turn on my ipod to
make my run even more fun.  That’s
where my celebrity posse enters and I borrow lines from their music to create
motivating thoughts for myself.

Notice that
I said, “create motivating thoughts.'

Motivation
will not knock on your door and come snuggle in bed with you.  It will not tap you on the shoulder and
invite you to get up off of the couch. 
It will not interrupt your gossip session to remind you that you have an
appointment with yourself.  It can
only be found within you. 
Motivation is a feeling state that you create yourself.   

It’s the
coolest thing to realize that you can create any feeling state that you want
your very own self.  Happiness,
peace, calm, exhilaration, confidence, passion.   And, it doesn’t even matter if your brother just
punked you on Facebook, or if your cat peed on your fresh dry cleaning.  You get to decide what you will feel.  How?  Two questions:

How do you want to feel?

What would you need to think and then do to feel
that way?

Yesterday I wanted to feel motivated to
run.  My mind created lots of
excuses as to why running was not a good idea:  you do not have enough time, it is too hot, you can wait until
tomorrow, your favorite running skirt is dirty.

I laughed.

And then I decided that I would think this
instead: your body wants to move, there is always enough time, it is hot but I
can handle it, my second favorite running skirt is clean.

And then, I called on my celebrity running
posse and let them sing motivating songs to me.

Read these lyrics and see if you agree that I
couldn’t help but leave it all on the pavement with this running though my
head.

Something Special by Colbie
Callait

I found a way to be everything
I've dreamed of,
and I know it's in me
that I will become
who I want to be
and I finally found it and I'm taking the long way out
Cause it's going to be, something special to me
Something special to me

Days go by
and I grow stronger
It takes time, but I'll never let go
Days go by and I'll try harder to make it mine, I know…
Something special to me
Something special to me
Something special to me

I've found
so many things
I've dreamed of
and I know it's in me
that I will become
who I want to be
and I finally found it and I am taking the long way out
Cause it's gonna to be,
something special to me
Something special to me
Something
Special lyrics on
http://music.yeucahat.com/song/English/43145-Something-Special~Colbie-Caillat.html
Days go by and I grow stronger
It takes time, but I'll never let go
Days go by and I'll try harder to make it mine, I know…
It's something special to me

More than I hoped for
More than I dreamed of
This is how it should be.
More than I hoped for
More than I dreamed of
This is how it should be.

What are you listening to?

Girl Interrupted

Posted on 18. Jun, 2009 by Susan in Motivation

There’s an insane patient in your head and she needs a nap.

I am being very serious.

Are you listening to what you are telling yourself? Have you eavesdropped on the crazy conversation in your head?  If you do not have what you want in your life, I guarantee that your thoughts are sabotaging what you say you want.

Just yesterday I was coaching a bright, energetic, lovely client who says that she wants to lose 50 pounds more than anything.  But, when I asked her if she believed that she was capable of actually losing the weight, she meekly replied, “No.”

Do you believe that you will succeed? Do you think that you can do it? If not, I’m very sorry, but you won’t. It’s just that simple.  It all starts with a belief.   Look no further than the insane patient’s rants to figure out why you don’t seem to be able to work on your business, lose the muffin top or feel happy.                                                                               

You are free to create exactly what you want….and allow in something even better. How?  Follow this simple FREE process:

F- Find the insane patient’s belief that is not serving you.  “You’ll never pull that off,” or “Who do you think you are trying to do that, “ or even “There’s way too much on your plate to consider that,” are examples.

R- Reduce your suffering by replacing the thought.  As you are watching your thoughts, ask Girl Interrupted to have a seat. Pivot your attention toward a positive thought that you believe and that makes you feel better.

E- Encourage yourself to take one tiny step toward the result that you want.

E- Enjoy life without the mental drama. Keep the patient well rested, well fed, and have some fun.

By practicing this FREE technique, the obstacles melt, opportunities show up and brilliant you get to taste your surprise center.

Yummo!

The Mother of All Mothers

Posted on 11. May, 2009 by Susan in Motivation

“If my husband doesn’t take the kids to get me something nice this year for Mother’s Day, I’m going on strike!”

“No one appreciates everything that I do around here.”

OUCH.

Celebrating Motherhood on Mother’s Day brought up a lot of icky thoughts for my clients.  Several of my clients and friends emailed me and posted on Facebook that they were having a hard time with Mother’s Day. They were so irritated that they just wanted to be left alone.

Mothering as defined by Webster’s Dictionary:  “The nurturing and raising of a child or children by a mother.”

Interesting.

Notice that this definition does not include always doing the laundry all by yourself, waiting on your children and partner like a short-order cook, putting all of your interests on the back burner, no time for exercise, or wearing mom jeans. (Seriously, do something about that.)

I cannot tell you how much mental energy I’ve wasted in the past creating some pretty stiff criteria for my family and friends to follow so that I could be happy.  My mood was dependent on how well they followed my “life manual.”

• It will be a great holiday if they buy me the “right” gift
• Dinner will be fun if the kids behave
• He should tell me that I look nice
• I’ll do them a favor but they better reciprocate

Exhausting.

Something shifted for me some time ago (i.e., my thoughts) when I realized that if I kept waiting for other people to behave the way that I wanted before I could be happy, I was setting myself up for chronic cranky pants days.

So in response to my clients, I emailed them back, “Mother yourself.”  I really mean this. Don’t wait for kids and partners and husbands and sisters to tell you that you are a great mom in order to feel good.  Give yourself a high five and think of ways to nurture yourself.

Where are you on your priority list?

What can you do for yourself that is fun this week?

When was the last time you went out with friends?

What can you eliminate from your to-do list?

Who can help you with chores and errands?

Are you good company for yourself?

This is exactly how I changed my mind, the way that I treat myself, and my need for other people and external sources to give me joy.  I went ahead and gave it to myself, and what they offered was the cherry on top….not the entire sundae.

Self love. The mother of all mothers.

Life Is Like Coffee

Posted on 10. Apr, 2009 by Susan in Motivation

Spend more time on your coffee than your life?  I have friends who drive a few hours every few months to buy and stock up on a specific blend of coffee.  If they can’t make the drive, they pay to have it shipped.  But ask these guys what their personal goals are for the year, and they get all fidgety.  Must be the caffeine.  But seriously, if you focus more on your cup of Joe than you do fulfillment, you’ll have mornings filled with yummy coffee and not much else.  The truth is, that having a delicious life is less about having some perfect, mystical balance. It’s all about the blend.

If you are a coffee connoisseur (addict) like me, you probably spend some time gazing at coffee brands online, in the market and coffee houses considering all of the flavors and options. Caffeinated or Decaf?  (Ok. That was a little joke. I never consider Decaf.)  Whole bean or ground? Mild or bold roast?  Organic and free trade?  The choices and detail that go into selecting a delicious blend of coffee are plenty.  But all too often, when it comes to our own lives, we stick with the same old Maxwell House, because it’s what we know and “it was good enough for my parents.”

Many times when I ask clients what they want, they aren’t really sure. They just know that their current result is not quite what they ordered.  Whether it’s carrying extra weight, withering in a career that feels all wrong, or spinning to try and make their business take off, there is something in the blend that tastes funny.

Personally, I’ve abandoned the silly notion that I need balance.  I’m actually happiest when I consider the blend of my life instead of trying to compartmentalize and make everything “even Steven.”  To create the unique blend for your life, ask yourself the following questions:

1.    How would I like my life to be different?  Look at what your life result is right now. How does this differ from what you really want? Get specific. Is it to lose 25 pounds? Make more money? Have a job that is fun?

2.    Why do I want this?  This is truly an important question.  Sometimes we think we want something, but when we ask ourselves “Why?” we discover we only wanted it because it sounded good, or to please a spouse, etc.  The motivation behind your goal is as important as the goal itself.  You will have a much harder time creating a result that is not in line with your soul.

3.    What am I telling myself about why I do not have this already?  Just for today, be a scientist of yourself and observe without judgment the dialog going on in your head.  What’s the chatter about?  Is it kind? It really is true that “what you think about, you bring about.”  If you tell yourself that you are dumb, lazy and stuck in a rut, that’s what you’ll get more of…every time.

4.    What can I think and do to create the life blend that I want?  This is they money shot right here.  Tiny example:  I want to finish writing a book.  The thought right now that I believe and feels good is, “Show up on the page for fifteen minutes.”  I can hang with fifteen minutes. Sure!  That motivates me to write during small pockets of time.  Not a fancy affirmation….just a tiny pivot in my thinking toward what I want.

When I wake up, I ask myself, “What’s the Susan Blend today?”  Always caffeinated, usually bold and strong, and always, always delicious to me.  What’s your blend?