Mindset

New Years Goals

Smart GoalsWe’re well into January of our new year. How are you doing with your goals/resolutions?

Many people set new years resolutions. Many set new years goals. Many do a combo of the two. Many do none.

It’s great to have goals, aspirations and dreams. The challenge we face is just as my life coach trainer posted on her blog: “Can you be guided by your feelings?” We get all emotional about it.

In order to be successful in life we must be realistic. Have you ever gone somewhere with anticipation and high expectations then were let down because it all turned out less than what you expected? I have!

Our lives are the same way. We get an idea for something. We get excited and anticipate its outcome. We do one of these things:

  • Mentally picture it at the finish without any goals or effort to get it done.
  • Set goals to accomplish our idea without any forethought to get it done.

What’s wrong with these things?

“Good intentions don’t really matter if they don’t lead to good actions.” -Ash Sweeney

Being emotional and allowing our feelings to drive us is a disaster waiting to happen. So, what do we do you ask? This is what you do:

Setup S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Specific (and strategic):  Linked to position summary, departmental goals/mission, and/or overall School of Medicine goals and strategic plans. Be as specific as you can.  Answers the question—Who? and What?

Measurable:  The success toward meeting the goal can be measured.  Answers the question—How?

Attainable:  Goals are realistic and can be achieved in a specific amount of time and are reasonable.

Relevant (results oriented):  The goals are aligned with current tasks and projects and focus in one defined area; include the expected result.

Time framed:  Goals have a clearly defined time-frame including a target or deadline date.

Examples:

Not a SMART goal:
Author will improve their writing skills.
Does not identify a measurement or time frame, nor identify why the improvement is needed or how it will be used.

SMART goal:
The Department has identified a goal to improve communications with administrative staff by implementing an internal departmental newsletter.  Sally will complete a business writing course by January 2015 and will publish the first monthly newsletter by March 2015.  Sally will gather input and/or articles from others in the department and draft the newsletter for supervisor review, and when approved by supervisor, distribute the newsletter to staff by the 10th of each month.

It’s common to miss the intended target date. There’s nothing wrong with this as long as there’s action. Extend the date to fit the need. Just do not give up.

This is usually where emotions and feelings take over. We begin to feel down and upset that we’ve missed our deadline date. Don’t allow this to happen. Keep plugging away at it. Leaving your emotions on the sideline allows for you to make progress. It’s important to resolve within yourself that your negative inner voice will not take over. Set in place a series of positive affirmations that you can refer to when you begin to get down.

“Successful people in life or business push through their feelings and in some cases ignore them! They step out and do things despite how they feel.” –

It is important not to be so hard on yourself if you make a mistake.

Mistakes are just practice while you become proficient. —Kimberly A Edwards
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Live audaciously! Be bold. Check your feelings/emotions at the door. Step into a new life with this new year.

I Will Fight

I Will Fight

This Christian life is not easy.

I have an Enemy that is real.
I face battles that feel overwhelming.
There are times when I’m tired and I want to give up.

I will fight.

I Will Fight is an audio track recorded by Pastor Steven Furtick to help you get focused and to prepare you for the challenges ahead. Download the free track and build it into your daily rhythm. Whether you’re getting ready to work out, to suit up for your next game, or you’re in the car in need of a quick lift, you have an unstoppable God whose strength and power can help you push through and continue the fight – no matter what you’re facing.

You need guidance to move forward? Contact me NOW for life coaching sessions! We’ll work together to help you move forward.

Mindset: Fat talk

What does your inner voice tell you?

Disclaimer: While I am not endorsing Special K, I do endorse the message being sent in the video.

Watch this video:

We’ve all been brought up listening to everyone and everything around us. That includes negative talk. It sends subliminal messages to us about ourselves. We then adopt those things we’ve seen and heard without realizing it.

We are not defined by our circumstances. We do not have to accept the negative feedback. We can fight it. We can trade the negative for positive.

Learn to reset your inner voice and mindset to a more positive mindset.

Contact me for some Life Coaching session today.

Motivation

Let’s get motivated

Restore your mind, body & soul

This video is powerful in that it challenges one to just get moving.

Do you struggle to just get out of bed each day? Watch this video.

When you feel stuck it’s time to get unstuck. What’s the obstacles in the way? Contact me to setup life coaching sessions to propel you to your dream. You don’t know what your dream is? Let’s work that out.

We all have a dream. I can help you come to know your dream.

Contact me NOW!

Tricks to Deal With People Who Offend You

hug

Life can throw us some curveballs.

Leo Babauta is the author of zenhabits and several publications.

Some days are better than others. Leo outlines three tricks on how to cope with interruptions in our life at the link I provided at the very beginning.Sometimes, ok, all the time, many people are just plain rude and obnoxious… like a toddler in their terrible two’s. Click zenhabits link above and read Leo’s post.

Body, Mind & Soul From a Technological Point of View

Electronics Battery ChargeEverywhere you turn today you see someone caressing an electronic device, whether it be a mobile phone, mp3 player or tablet. When left uncharged, those electronics eventually run out of power. We are like this also; if we don’t recharge and restore our power, we run out of power too.

Have you ever been so busy and focused on a project that you forget to eat or drink and maybe even rest? Think for a minute about what happens to you. If you’re being honest with yourself, you will agree that you become exhausted and less productive which gets in the way of projects being completed in a timely manner.

Below are definitions of who we are:

The mind is defined in one aspect as: the faculty of consciousness and thought.

The body is defined as: the physical structure of a person, bones, organs and flesh.

The soul is defined as: the principle of life, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.

What are some of the causes of us being exhausted and drained? I’ll list some below.

  1. Over worked
  2. Not enough rest
  3. Not eating properly

This is where the rubber meets the road. We tend to believe we need to give 110% of ourselves and end up not taking care of ourselves. We tend to say yes to everything because in our minds we’re afraid if we don’t we’ll upset others, leading to us losing our job or losing friends. As a result, we end up eating on the run because we’re in a hurry to get somewhere or to do something else. Eating on the run typically means fast or junk food because it is quick and easy. Because of this, there’s more dis-ease today than ever before. Many researches are busy working out the causes, but, if we simply stop, step back and look at the big picture it will all come into focus. If we’re being true and honest with ourselves, we’ll see all the causes I have listed above.

The other aspect of this is that society has fed us so many lies that it causes us to create these unhealthy lifestyle habits. Looking back in history at the people in our lives and the influences they’ve had on us may reveal the lack of effective leadership or perhaps overbearing leaders. The leaders I’m referring to are parents, teachers and other authorities in our lives.

We need to learn to take back our lives and stop allowing others to influence us negatively. Here’s some tips to help you get started:

  1. Stop listening to the overbearing & toxic people.
  2. Seek positive levelheaded people to surround you.
  3. Stop saying yes to absolutely everything that is put in front of you. Choose only what you know you can handle well. It’s a matter of priorities. What’s most important? The rest can be left for others to handle. In order to deal with this we need to let go of perfectionism as well. It’s not the end of the World because something didn’t go over a certain way.
  4. Get proper rest. This is different for everyone, but generally means 6-8 hours.
  5. Eat good food and not overdo it. Portion control is key.
  6. Take time in the day to pray and read God’s Word. This is key to restoring our soul.

Recap: We sometimes need to change or recharge our batteries.

I offer Biblical Life Coaching sessions for anyone who finds themselves at a fork in the road not knowing which way they want to go. Contact me to set up a consultation session to determine your needs.

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What Is Vulnerability?

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Dr Brené Brown

Vulnerable is defined as – being fully exposed emotionally. Allowing your soul to be seen.

Below Dr Brené Brown’s TED Talk video where she talks about her journey of research into vulnerability’s power.

We spend our lives hiding and numbing our emotions.

4 tips to be more vulnerable:

  1. Find out the root cause! It could be pride, fear of hurting or being hurt by someone. It could be a defense mechanism. Take your time to work it out.
  2. Reassure yourself! – Be positive. Tell yourself it’s safe to let go. Make that your mantra!
  3. Speak up! – It’s important to convey these emotions and get past your doubt conveying them.
  4. Strengthen your open habit! – Reward yourself somehow and keep being yourself and speaking your mind as much as possible.

Personal Habits

habit

We all have habits. As you can read in the image, the definition of habit. Today I’m referring to b. in that image. An established disposition of the mind or character. Characteristics. What are characteristics? It is an identifying attribute, or feature.

Our habit can be shaped by the environment and habits of others. We build our attitudes from what we hear and see from others we are influenced by. That is not always a good thing. For example, if we are influenced by a criminal we’ll build our mental habit from what we’ve seen and heard them do. Not realizing that it is not the best choice. As I’ve posted about before, we make choices everyday. Even no choice is a choice. If you do not choose for yourself, someone else will choose for you. You may find that it was not the choice you wanted. Where does that leave you?

As a Christian, I work hard and focus on being Christ like. That means I need to have Christ like characteristics. Reading through God’s Word we can find many scriptures that speak of HIS character. For me, it’s highly important to build those characteristics in me because in doing so it will help me to build my personal habits. Two main scripture are: Ephesians 5 & Galatians 5.

Positive personal habits will afford you to be more successful in your journey.

“Habits like blogging often and regularly, writing down the way you think, being clear about what you think are effective tactics, ignoring the burbling crowd and not eating bacon. All of these are useful habits.” -Seth Godin

Here’s a few tips to building good personal habits:

  1. Turn off all electronics for at least two nights a week.
  2. Make a list of your dreams and passions in life.
  3. Find positive people or a group(s) to participate in that exude good habits.
  4. Read positive material.

My challenge to you is:

  • This week, start applying these tips. Come back here and comment on how you’re doing. Also, feel free to ask questions.

“You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, ‘I release the need for this in my life’.” -Wayne Dyer

If you’re feeling stuck and need help getting unstuck, contact me for some life coaching sessions. It’s OK to ask for help. The bad part is knowing you need help and never asking for it. Please ask!

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The Inner Voice

the inner voice

The inner voice is typically critical, telling you that you are never going to amount to anything. The inner voice guides you. So, if your inner voice is critical and negative you will live a negative lifestyle.

What is the inner voice? It is internal talk one has with oneself at a conscious or semi-conscious level. What is your inner voice telling you?

If you are at odds with yourself and you are feeling stuck or in a rut you may be interested in life coaching sessions to find balance in your life. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What am I doing with my life?
  • Am I living out my passion and dream?
  • Do I think the world is against me?
  • Do I feel that I’m going nowhere in life?

If you answered yes to more than one of these then you might be a good candidate for personal development coaching.

Contact me today for a complimentary consultation to evaluate your needs.

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How To Be Optimistic About Life

Do you see the glass half full or half empty? We’ve all been asked that question. The prescribed way of thinking is that when you see the glass half full you’re optimistic. When you see the glass half empty you’re pessimistic. Negative mindset thinkers are pessimistic.

Do you go through life feeling like your lot in life is to never have anything and you always lose out on the good deals?

There is a way to overcome this kind of thinking. It is called mindset transformation. A different way of thinking. We tend to believe the lies told to us by society and those around us.

Here are 5 steps to reset your way of thinking to reverse the pessimism.

Follow these steps:

  1. You have a choice in how you think and live. When a situation arises and your inner voice starts telling you negativity, stop everything you are doing. Think it through. Instead of believing lies, trade them with truths.
  2. Evaluate your sphere of influence. Do you have energy drainers surrounding you? Energy drainers or toxic people who suck the life out of you. Remove the toxic relationships. Once you do that, then you are able to change your thoughts.
  3. Create positive affirmations and repeat them until it becomes second nature. Use these five to get you started:
    • I am beautiful.
    • I am kind.
    • I am loved.
    • I am enough.
    • I can do anything.
  4. Don’t take anything personally:
    • Nothing others do is because of you.
    • What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream.
    • When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
  5. Create a gratitude journal and post in it every day posting things and ways you are grateful and change your attitude to express more gratitude.

I also offer personal development coaching sessions to help you along.