Thank you, Herb Weiss, for the wonderful article about me and my book!
Link to article here.
What's Important to You?
♫ It’s the most…wonderful time of the year! ♫
Well, you want it to be wonderful, but most days you feel less wonderful and more stressed out. For many reasons, year end may feel like you’re running out of time to complete everything on your to-do list. One way to decrease stress is to be clear about what’s important to you. With this clarity, you can choose to focus your time and energy on the items that bring you joy…the items that make this time of year wonderful!
My passion is helping people move forward with courage. You increase your courage by remaining curious about the life around you and ... remaining curious about yourself.
Ask yourself, “What’s important to me?” Try my two-step simple process to find out what’s important to you and make this the most wonderful time of the year (hint: you can use this process every day and make all year, every year, wonderful!):
STEP 1: Prioritize the items on your list of things to do.
Let’s face it, there will always be a list, all year long! The key to managing that list is knowing what’s important to you at any point in time.
Pick a quiet moment, look over your to-do list, and assess the importance of each item by assigning a unique sequential number to each item. Hint: No two items can share the same sequential number. Oh, and use a pencil (see my next point).
STEP 2: Repeat STEP 1
Yes, really.
Review your list to reassess and modify the priority of each item as necessary. Do this often because, as life happens your priorities may change, and that’s not a bad thing!
What can be a bad thing --- and lead to more stress --- is when you realize you spent time and energy on items that had become less important to you.
Your sense of accomplishment (and joy) will increase when you focus on the right things at the right time (what’s important to you) and, of course, cross completed items off your list. So, prioritize your list as often as you need to!
Are you ready to clarify what’s important to you?
Contact me today to learn how coaching will help you move forward.
Are You Curious?
At one time or another, we form opinions about ourselves that prevent us from living our lives to our fullest potential. These limiting thoughts cause us to believe something is true even though it has not been proven. Essentially, limiting beliefs are assumptions.
If you’ve read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, you know the third agreement is “Don’t Make Assumptions.” The only way to rid our lives of assumptions is to ask questions until we are completely clear about what is being communicated. As Ruiz points out, “We make all sorts of assumptions because we don’t have the courage to ask questions.”
My passion is helping people move forward with courage.
So, how do we increase our courage? I believe we increase our courage when we remain curious.
As a coach, I ask a lot of questions. Even when I have my own definition of a word or phrase, I never make an assumption about what it means to someone else. Asking questions helps me and my client gain clarity around the topic being discussed. Gaining clarity increases our knowledge which, in turn, increases our courage.
Think of a new skill (golf, guitar, baking a soufflé) you want to learn, but you think, “I won’t be good enough” or “It won’t be good enough.” Now imagine how you might answer these questions:
What assumptions are you making about trying to bake a soufflé?
What does “good enough” mean to you? Who sets the “good enough” bar in your life?
What’s the worst that can happen if you try to bake a soufflé? What could you do differently the next time you bake a soufflé?
What’s the best thing that could happen if you try to bake a soufflé? What might that give you the courage to try next?
I don’t know about you, but I’m super curious about whether I can make a soufflé, what lessons I may learn along the way, and what new skill I may try to learn after that!
What about you, what are you curious about?
By the way, if you haven’t read The Four Agreements, I highly recommend you read it --- often.
How is a Life Coach Different than a Therapist?
Most people, myself once included, question the difference between a psychotherapist and a life coach. Given the situation, each profession can benefit you.
A psychotherapist works within a medical setting to restore or improve a patient’s mental health and typically:
Focuses on past issues, trauma, or crisis (like the death of a loved one, a heart-wrenching breakup, or a job loss)
Helps the patient accept/let go of the past and achieve emotional balance
Provides general solutions
Meets with patients in person
A life coach works outside of a medical setting to support a client’s personal development and forward movement while:
Focusing on a client’s present situation and defining future goals (What do you want?)
Asking thought-provoking questions to improve awareness and identify (What does that mean to or for you?)
Collaborating with the client to create personalized action plans to achieve desired goals (What are you willing to work for/change?)
Celebrating a client’s strengths, successes, and achievements (What are you grateful for?)
Meeting with clients in person, on phone, or via Skype (or other mutual video chat application)
If you’re still unsure how coaches differ from psychotherapists, contact me for a complimentary thirty minute meeting.
Comment here to let me know what questions you have.
Stay tuned to upcoming blog to learn how clients have benefitted from life coaching.
Are you ready to move forward with confidence and courage and live a purpose-filled life?
Who Needs a Life Coach?
Quite simply, everyone can benefit from working with a Certified Life Coach, at least once in their lifetime. In fact, imagine having had a Life Coach paired with your high school guidance counselor...
Let's connect:
- If you feel confused or overwhelmed, I will help you clarify what’s important to YOU and focus on your priorities.
- If you feel stuck (in a relationship, job, or negative state of mind), I will help YOU identify your strengths, what may be holding you back, increase your confidence, identify options, and motivate you to move toward where you really want to be.
- If you're happy, YOU can check in with me to validate your goals, manage your action plan, or just celebrate your success!
- If you just want someone to listen to YOU and support your dreams rather than having someone tell you what you should do, there are no shoulds!. There’s only what YOU want and I will help you discover, create, and thrive in the life YOU want!