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Month: November 2013

POWER.

Written by Envision Eyecare on . Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, In the Media, Personal Development, Uncategorized. No Comments on POWER.

POWER: Such a simple word and yet a word that many of us struggle with constantly. Heaven forbid or help the person who attempts to render us powerless.  And let’s not begin the debate of when family, friends and colleagues deem us far too powerful leading to conflict, competition and just a whole lot of crazy.  We live in a world of inner turmoil always wondering if we’re coming across too strong (powerful) or not strong enough?

Real power comes from a strong inner strength, an indomitable spirit and unshakeable awareness of one’s own truth and the truth of the rest of the world devoid of judgment or discrimination.  For many of us our first impression, experience or example of any kind of power was abusive, destructive or controlling.  For you to really take grasp of your own personal power you will need to redefine it what this means to you first and foremost.

You’ll want to ask yourself what it means to have power, to be powerful and to show up powerfully for myself in my life.

Remember, the most powerful thing anyone could accomplish is to convince you you have no power over your life or circumstance.  In this manner and many others, we are constantly giving our power away in big and small ways.  We give our power away in our decision to remain quite, in our thinking to defer to others for the answers believing ourselves lacking and in expecting very little of our very self.

Your awareness of the fact that only you have the power to decide who you will be is a powerful truth that is waiting your embrace.  So the next time you have a minute, ask yourself this question and be honest: Why are YOU afraid to accept you are much more powerful than you are willing to believe? What is it that you are afraid of?  And, why are you afraid of it?

It is often said when you know the questions to ask, you will be led to the right answers: your truth.

The REAL Truth About Stress…

Written by Envision Eyecare on . Posted in Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Uncategorized. No Comments on The REAL Truth About Stress…

We all know that we should reduce stress to live a healthier life.  But, where does stress come from, and why do our bodies react so negatively to it?  Our stress response is something that we all share with the rest of the animal kingdom.

It may have negative side effects for modern humans, but your physical response to stress is there to save your life.

Imagine yourself as an early human, on the hunt.  You spot your prey, and your body goes into high gear.  Right now you are in a life or death situation, and your body reacts accordingly.  All of your energy goes into the present moment.  Your heart rate elevates, and your adrenaline spikes to access all of your stored energy.  All of your body’s nonessentials shut down.  No need for digestion, so you feel your mouth get dry.  Your body also shuts down reproduction and growth.  The moment is gone in an instant, as you aim and shoot.

Although you may have never been in this situation, parts of the experience may sound familiar.  One example for me, is speaking in public.  I can feel my heart racing, my palms sweat, time seems to slow, and my mouth gets dry.  My body is preparing for me to have to run for my life, but my fear is social instead of environmental.  In modern life, the stress response becomes much more damaging than the stressor ever could be.

Whereas stress in the animal kingdom is usually short-lived, only a couple of minutes at a time, humans can be plagued with lives full of stress on a daily basis.  Our stress responses are not intended to be that long term, and therefore stress can have many negative impacts on your health, including type 2 diabetes, a decreased immune system, and high blood pressure.

Exercise is one great way to expel the fight or flight response that your body is preparing for in stressful situations.  Aerobic exercise has been found to decrease the stress hormone, cortisol.  Mindfulness, such as in yoga or meditation, also helps to reduce cortisol levels in the body.  Positive connections with friends and family, and laughter can also combat the negative impacts of the modern stressful life.  Finally, drinking a cup of tea, and listening to music are both very simple and fun choices that you can make every day to reduce stress.

Find out more:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160668.php

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1

http://www.radiolab.org/story/91580-stress/

by Sarah McClure

A Fun Filled Celebration for our 5th Anniversary!

Written by Envision Eyecare on . Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Fun and Games, In the Media, Uncategorized. No Comments on A Fun Filled Celebration for our 5th Anniversary!

On October 24th, Envision celebrated it’s 5th Anniversary Party with a Spectacular Spectacle Event! We were thrilled to have several of our vendors in the office, showcasing their products. It was an exciting celebration for the Envision Team and for our wonderful community of patients!

The owners of our newest frame line Frieze Frames, Marc and Jason were here to show off their entire line of amazing eye wear. One lucky attendee won the door prize of a FREE Frieze Frame. We don’t think she’ll be preferring contacts when she gets these fabulous new frames on her face! We also had Jerry from Europa International here, showcasing his line of awesome sun wear. Two lucky winners took home FREE sunglasses from their door prizes! Beth from Alcon was also here, sharing information on the latest in contact lens technology with Ciba brand contacts.

In an effort to support our local community, we called on City Bakery on Charlotte Street to make our fabulous cake. Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian catered the event with an amazing spread of scrumptious appetizers. Metro Wines on Charlotte Street provided the delicious wine we served.

Another way we decided to support our community with our event was by donating a portion of our proceeds to The Western North Carolina AIDS Project. The executive director of WNCAP was here with his team to share their mission with our guests. Due to the success of our event, we were able to donate $851 to their cause. We couldn’t have been more proud to celebrate 5 years in business with such an exciting and fun event!

 

 

My Journey to my Dream Career

Written by Envision Eyecare on . Posted in About Envision Eyecare, Asheville, Education, Eye Care & Eye Health, Eyewear, In the Media, Travel and Photography, Uncategorized. No Comments on My Journey to my Dream Career

My name is Ashley Glass and I am an Expert Optician at Envision Eyecare here in Asheville, NC. I want to share my story with you as to how I came to find this incredible opportunity. Why is this so important to me? There are so many people today that are “unhappy” with their “jobs”. I was one of them. Some people do something about it, and some just settle for where they are. Here is my story of how, not settling for what was in front of me and actually taking a chance, landed me in my dream career.

About 5 months ago, I turned 28 and really took a look at my professional life. I knew that I was widely skilled in many areas but wasn’t fulfilled with the job I was working. And yes I said “job” not “career”. In life’s circumstances, I learned early on the difference between a job and a career. I know that with a career I would feel a little more stable. I wanted to wake up everyday and change lives. I wanted to be able to be myself and not just another robot.  In fact, I was REALLY unhappy and knew my daily routine had to change. I knew that I had to find my career and couldn’t continue to just work at a “job”.

AshleyGlass.CaughtYaPicTo share my story completely and how this transformation began I have to jump back to a little over 2 years ago: I was living in Virginia. I was born and raised in a small town in south western Virginia. I grew up on a farm and loved the mountains. I woke up one day and looked around and realized the town I had grown up in could no longer offer me what I wanted out of life. So what did I do? I packed my little car and moved to the first place I ever said I would live; Charleston, SC. It’s a beautiful place. I was excited to start over and to begin a new journey in my life.

I jumped right into what I thought was going to be my career in the car business. Thinking back now, my whole family had worked in the car industry at some point so I figured this was a good start to my future. I realized quickly that communication and professionalism were extremely important to me. When I found that those attributes started to lack, it made me start doubting some of my choices. What I thought was going to be a “career”, resulted in a “job” that I was not happy working. I did not want to go to work anymore and, in addition, did not even feel comfortable talking to my superiors. I didn’t want to live in such a beautiful place, just to be limited by a job that was not living up to my expectations.

That’s when I heard about an opportunity to come work for Envision Eyecare. I had never pictured myself working in the medical field, but something about the opportunity was very intriguing. Becoming an optician sounded like the answer to all of my desires and professional dreams. I had always had a passion for fashion and a craving to change people’s lives every day. After interviewing with Dr. Golson and his associate, Mark Hinton, I knew I had finally found my answer.

Then there was THE question: Could I really leave the beach to go back to the mountains? I had moved to Charleston for the sole purpose of the beach.  I had visited Asheville several times the year before. Katie, one of the opticians already at Envision Eyecare, and I have been friends since college. In my few visits to see her, I started to fall in love with this tiny town. I started falling in love with local restaurants, the people, and the unlimited adventuring that Asheville offers. I even remember saying one time that “if I decide to move from Charleston, Asheville would be where I would go”. So I once again loaded up my little car, attached it to the back of U-Haul and made the journey to Asheville, NC.

From my very first day at Envision Eyecare I was astounded. The team members were all so kind, approachable, and just made everyday a joy to be at the office. My doubts about communication and professionalism were diminished from the very first day. I wake up every day and am eager to get to work. I get to change people’s lives everyday through their sight. When I go home at the end of every day, I know that I made a difference. I am excited and proud to work with such talented people; people who could challenge me on a daily basis to become a better person, and not just professionally, but personally as well. I can not tell you how nice it is to have superiors that respect and support me the way they do at Envision. I am truly thankful to the team for helping my transition to a new city and a new career to be so rewarding.

I hope that by sharing my story that it will help others realize that they don’t have to settle for less. After a little hard work and taking a few chances, you really can have it all in the career of your dreams. I look forward to my story continuing and growing with the amazing eye care practice that is Envision Eyecare.

Ashley Glass, Expert Optician