More Life in My Day

Sometimes we get super busy and put far more things on the back burner than we wish we had. Some of those things can get forgotten in the rush. The disquieting part is, some of those things impact our ability to hold up our values. What have I been putting on the back burner? Is there something there that should have never been diminished? How does that thing reflect on who I am and the values I want to hold up? Values/Behaviors/Habits If we can find that thing that has been crowded out of our life and work it back into our daily walk, we may find our fulfillment is enhanced. It's a good, quick maintenance check-in to keep the main things, the main things! What does this value/behavior/habit look like now? What makes this so important? How can I make this a natural part of my day? What are the obstacles for doing it well? How do I minimize distraction and maximize integration of this value/behavior/habit? Tech Speak Analogies for Fun! Definition of D...

What are you thinking about? Nothing comes out that doesn't first go in. Since Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, professors, friends, family and co-workers are what's going in, guess what inevitably has to come out? That is not to say that anyone of those are bad. The idea is to get your mind wrapped around what is shaping your thoughts. This is probably not a big secret but may very well be an aspect of a fulfilling life that gets neglected. So, let's do a little coaching to move us forward in this meaningful area of self awareness. Specifically asking, what is influencing our thinking? Then let's put our foot down on what needs to go and what needs to be added. A Game Changing Challenge Schedule a day to raise your awareness of what is coming out of your mouth. That's usually a good indication of what has went in. The scary part is that, if what is coming out of my mouth is a lower standard than I want, maybe my actions have been compromised as w...

This one is fun and mostly for the fellas, but you ladies may find some value here. Flowers are powerful. They have the ability to send many messages. It could be gratitude, love, sympathy, get well, I support you, I'm sorry, and just about any other positive sentiment you can think of. I will confess right now. I really do not understand the impact that flowers have on the ladies. I just know they do. We as the giver may have our intentions as to why we are giving the flowers but the message received is 100% on what the receiver is thinking. You can look up what the color of flowers represent and the effect of aromas but there is another language, "Flower" language, that speaks words and conveys thoughts that we fellas cannot. Just a Few Examples I give flowers to say, "thank you." They are received as, "he apologizes." I give flowers to say, "I dig you." They are received as, "he supports me." I give flowers to ...

We can feel like we need to accomplish, alone. This is simply not the truth. Fullness in our life requires us to connect with others. We don't need to have dozens of friends but we do need a few friends... a few good ones, that is. There isn't a study out there that shows that human beings are better off in solitary. In fact, it's the exact opposite. Is it true that we have been hurt, slighted, mistreated and/or misunderstood by people? Yep! Yet, the happiest, most fulfilled people have these tragic stories, just like us. I guarantee it! So, what is the secret? Connect with people, but not just any people. Create a "people strategy" and do it on purpose. Find someone to help or serve, on purpose.  Make a friend, on purpose.  Interview a mentor, on purpose.  The good news is you get to pick your friends. Let's avert our focus from the quality of our friendships and instead, examine the quality of our choice in friends.  Our friendships ar...

Thinking. When do we really get a chance to slow our mind, sit and soak in our own thoughts? We go from moment to moment, reacting to input that doesn't seem to stop or even slow down. It has the making of an I Love Lucy , episode of comedy and tragedy, that goes something like this:  Lucy and Ethel wrap chocolates! Masters of Time If we can't think, we can't be ourselves and since we are moving from task to task all week it doesn't leave us with much time to actually think. We become expert at simply responding and diminished in creativity, patience and an additional long list of other virtues that get neglected. Time is what it is. So, we have to make it serve our needs. It is a courageous and proactive step to block out and guard our time to give our mind a chance to work for us rather than always giving it over to everyone and everything else. It may seem as if we need to get away from the noise because the noise is bad or evil. It's not! The nois...

Take a second to think. What do you really want? Many times we'll find that what we want is actually something that we feel is "missing." When we feel like something is missing in our lives we crave a variety of solutions that may not be the solution to get you where you want to go. The sooner you find out what these things are, the sooner you can understand and fill that gap with the the right things. If we can avoid or at least minimize missteps along the way we can get there quicker and maybe even redeem our time a bit. Let's Work Through It What is Missing? Make a quick list of what you feel like you are missing. Write these things down . This could be anything from a car to a mindset. Maybe it's a relationship, health or a feeling. Maybe it's several things. Take time to brainstorm as big of list as you can. Set a timer for 10 minutes and stay in a focused brainstorm mode until it goes off. If you run out of ideas 3 minutes in, stay in this...

The first step in developing your intuition is to ask, "what is it?" Intuition is instinctive knowledge, or a hunch. A keen and quick insight. 1 Much like in music, dance, sports and other occupations that require choreography, there is a secret ingredient that separates the good from the great. It is the difference between the cold hard facts and true beauty. Intuition is that ingredient. We as coaches actively monitor our intuition when coaching and even use the term, “dancing in the moment,” to describe our relationship with a client. To be highly skilled and practiced in our vocation, brings about a "knowing" that can be perceived as a sixth sense. The Dreyfus Model of skill acquisition articulates that there is development of intuition over time and comes with experience and growth. "Proficiency is shown by individuals who develop intuition to guide their decisions and devise their own rules to formulate plans. The progression is thus from rig...

Have you found that you are taking way too much for granted in life? Maybe you're overlooking the important things in life because your time and energy have been sapped and you just can't slow down the pace. There's an antidote! I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity. 1   - Eleanor Roosevelt Curiosity leads to discovery. Curiosity also replaces fear with healthy wonderment. Developing curiosity is a strategy to create a new perspective. A new perspective creates new opportunities. So, design a strategy and document your results. Make it a fun competition. Find a friend who would like to develop their curiosity as well. Set a common goal and then see if you both can reach it by the end of the week. ~~~~~~~ Take Action! See the world through a child's eyes. Actively look for things you haven't "noticed" in your regular routine. Set a...

What is curiosity? It is, the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness. 1 We learn even more about curiosity when we look at synonyms. Words such as the following seem to shed light on an explorative mindset and a sincere desire to know something. Concern, Interest, Eagerness, Inquisitiveness, Investigation, Questioning, Regard, Searching, Thirst for Knowledge The ability to be truly curious equips us with a mindset that fosters creativity, problem solving and supports our emotional and mental disposition. It’s the antidote to fear, with which, one shrinks back. Curiosity is a skill that moves us forward in life. Curiosity is not something that just happens to us. It once seemed so natural, but as an adult it has become a skill that requires attention and development. This has become a key component for Life Coaches. There are many things that a coach will help develop in a client, and provoking curiosity is central to that work. “The only barrie...