Great Things Begin with Gratitude!

It’s the beginning of a new year and that time of year when everyone makes lists of all their new dreams and goals.   Many of us will create new vision boards.  Some scramble to the gym to begin their new fitness regimen.  Others clear the cupboards off all sweets and junk food.  Some update their face book page while others update their birthday contacts list.   And then there are those who re-write their life’s manual or family rules.  And of course there are some of us that refuse to acknowledge the new year as a new beginning at all.

As I too often begin the new year looking forward, I stop myself to remember the year past and all that I am truly grateful for.  Moving forward in the new year with an attitude of gratitude will surely put you in a happy and motivated state of mind.  Of course this would mean focusing on all that I have been blessed with this past year and not dwelling on all that has challenged me throughout the year.  Although accomplishingwhatever challenges may have come your way would be considered a great accomplishment in my book.

I smile thinking of all the great people I’ve coached throughout the year.  I value the new business consulting opportunities that came my way. I’m blessed to have made new friends and to have been so welcomed as a part of some new social circles and business groups.  I’m thrilled to be a motivational speaker and to have had the opportunity to help others become bigger.  I’m truly ecstatic that I’ve found an assistant who get’s it!

I’m grateful that my family continues to grow and prosper together.  I giggle when I think of the day my sister and I decided that we are way too old to still be bickering over which one of us dad likes best.  My bond with both my daughters continues to grow stronger and stronger.   All the while my husband continues to be a great provider and father, he undoubtedly has always and continues to be there to support me in everything I do.

I feel a tremendous amount of warmth when I think about all the times that I’ve  reached out to someone and offered my hand, advice, time or just an ear.  I’m empowered thinking back on how I maturely handled a not so pleasant meeting with a business associate. I feel good about making mature decisions to apologize for my actions when necessary.   I’ve definitely run into some barricades and overcome many obstacles this past year.  Some that made me question myself only to discover that I’m indeed right where I need to be.  I’ve learned throughout the year that I’m still very much in charge of who I am, my values and what I represent.  Yes, I’m  still conscious and in control of my environment and whom I associate with.  And as a life coach that is something that I remind others of often.  I do grin just a little knowing that I’m still on the right track.  I have known my whole life, without a doubt that coaching and motivational speaking was my true calling.  I’m forever grateful that God gives me the strength within to follow my dreams.  Helping others to recognize their strengths and become the best than can be is my true passion!

This past year has brought to me more faith within myself as well as more courage and determination to continue to work towards my goals of  being the best life coach and business consultant I can be.  It has also brought about a sense of peace knowing that I am surrounded by those that truly care about my well being as I do theirs.  As I take a quiet moment to reflect, I can recognize all the little life lessons that will only help me in moving forward towards greatness in this new year.  I have learned and will continue to learn from all that has past.  As I have grown throughout this past year, I am entering the new year with a clearer vision of my goals and I’m aware of the necessary steps to take towards becoming a better me.

As a life coach and business consultant I encourage you to begin the new year by looking back for a moment.  Think about what you have to be grateful for and how your life is more empowered by what you have experienced and learned from this past year.  Remember those that have embraced you and those that you have touched with your kindness and encouraging words.  Focus your thoughts of yesterday toward your empowerment for the future.

It is up to you to know how to begin and end this brand new year.  My wish for you is to begin with a greater sense of gratitude!  Be grateful for all that you are and all that surrounds you.  You were born with gifts of talent and skill.  You have the strength within you to make this year magnificent!  So as you begin the new year with new goals grounded by gratitude, continue to let your greatness shine through today and all year long.  Embrace your journey of 2012 with an attitude of gratitude and enjoy the ride!

Happy New Year,

Traci Quick-Hutt

Action Forward Coaching & Consulting

Success Comes Easily With the Right Partner!

www.actionforwardcoachingandconsulting.com

 www.MentorPath.com/Blog

Courage and Leadership in Education

Are your school district leaders making wise decisions with your tax dollars?  Are your children receiving the best education possible?  Read this short article.  I'd love to hear your opinion!

In these difficult economic times, children in school districts are more threatened than ever before.  Reduced financial aid, increased operating costs, widespread unemployment, increased health care costs, tax caps, increased state and federal mandates have forced districts into perilous financial straits.  Local district response has resulted in teacher/staff layoffs, elimination or reduction of special services, privatizing transportation, postponement of raises, reduced health coverage, and increased class size.  Clearly, American education is in crisis.  Courage and good leadership on class, building, district, and board of education levels, are more important than ever before.  There is little room for poor decision making.

In such a complicated environment, what should guide good decision making?    Good decisions are those that build the people and clients of an organization, inspiring them to perform their very best. Good decisions also encourage creativity, teamwork, employee engagement and bottom up problem solving.  Good leaders inspire commitment to the advancement of the organization by demonstration.  Since leadership is influence, good decisions also increase the influence of the leader. Leaders of influence have many followers who have been inspired and who, in turn, inspire others in the organization.  They also encourage others to be leaders, at every level of the organization.  

Courage, the ability to pursue an initiative, despite dire circumstances or threatening people, is clearly required today.  Getting people to perform their very best despite the demoralizing effect of reduced staff, resources, and programs is a challenge that can be overcome by a courageous leader.  A leader shows courage and vision when pursuing the goal of building people.  Courage for standing up for what is right, and vision in knowing that the organization will operate even more efficiently and effectively.  A courageous leader pursues building the people of the organization no matter how unpopular it is.  To do anything else results in its demise and destruction.

Our educational leaders must take off the blinders of fear, learn the lessons of the past and boldly lead us out of the present and into the future.

Hi CTA coaches:

Happy New Year to all!  Would anyone be interested in starting a leadership group?

Chuck Pettinato

Always exciting to start something new!  I guess that's why I chose New Journeys Life Coaching for the name of my business.  Each day is a new journey and even if people don't have, own or run an "official" business, each of us runs the "business" of our lives.  So, what will you do in the next couple of days, that will move you toward a better, more fulfilling, more joy-filled business and/or life?

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Are you ready for something different, better, more FUN?  Visit www.NewJourneysLifeCoaching.com and sign up to get your F'R.E.E "Get Clear and Get Going" Breakthrough Kit  so you can start living the life you truly want to live!

Jean Morehouse
Life, Leadership & Business Coach
New Journeys Life Coaching
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.NewJourneysLifeCoaching.com

I have a Coaching technique that I teach my Clients called The 90 Second Rule. Neuroscientists have proven that our minds only require 90 seconds to process anything that happens to us. We begin to create and re-create experiences in our lives simply because instead of utilizing 90 seconds to feel and process our experiences, we allow them to replay on a loop in our minds. This is true for both negative and positive experiences; however, we have a tendency to practice negativity bias (which we'll cover in another DLK) in our lives so we manifest more negative experiences by repeating memories and thoughts than we do positive.

Today my heart was heavy and my mind kept replaying the memory of something "bad" that had happened this past weekend, which caused me to feel sad, frustrated, and consumed by the thought of what it seemed I had lost. I carried that heaviness with me into today and when I tried to start my work day, things just weren't flowing right. I lacked focus, I felt immeasurably sad, and nothing seemed to be working the way I wanted it to. I heard a whisper, "Practice what you teach," and the 90 Second Rule came flashing to the forefront of my mind. I walked away from my work, set a 90 second alarm on my cell phone, closed my eyes, and allowed all of the emotions, sadness, and loss to completely engulf my mind, body, and Spirit. I remained present in the moment, opening the door for all of my fears and negative thoughts to have their way. Tears flowed and pain wracked my heart and body and then, the alarm I had set went off. I wiped my tears and reached over to see my phone screaming a message and directive to me and my sadness: "Time is up." I smiled from the inside out, knowing that message was especially for me. I was able to walk away and continue on with the rest of my day.

Send notification to your sadness, depression, lack, struggle, anger, fear, frustration, heartache, disappointment, victim mentality, doom and gloom, and all the rest of your negative emotions and thoughts that their TIME IS UP!!! Take 90 seconds out of your day to face and FULLY experience your unwanted feelings, agitation, and despair, and then release them. Watch a movie that makes you laugh, listen to a song that brings you joy, meditate, visualize a positive end result, do whatever you have to do to remain in a place of positivity. Never ignore how you're feeling because you will only cause what you don't want to grow. But don't give unnecessary amounts of time and attention to the unwanted. Give them what they require which is 90 seconds. If you need to repeat the 90 Second Rule a few times throughout the day, that's fine too. But remind yourself that your power is always in the present moment. Tap into your Divinity and your ability to choose, and focus on healing, positive forward movement, and an abundance of all things you desire!

Sending you Light and Love in abundance,
Stephanie

www.humansustainabilityinstitute.com

Paul Quaiser at Linkedin

Human Sustainability Project on Facebook

NeuroLeadership Institute

I must apologize for being away for so long. After graduating from CTA, I had my oldest daughters Graduation from High School to get ready for and then went on a two week vacation. I am back and ready to get my business rolling.

I look forward to building productive and healthy relationships with individuals, who strive to a happier and healthier person. I am ready for any and all challenges that may brought forth. I hope that all who read this, will take the opportunity to review my website and take advatage of the free offer that is available.

Here is to a better and brighter future for us all!! God Bless

~Sincerely,

Angelica McIntosh, CPC

Life often gets so busy that we forget to take time for ourselves. Hectic schedules tend to take priority over our own needs and the time just seems to get away from us. Self care is a key ingredient to maintaining a healthier lifestyle and making us more productive in accomplishing daily tasks. Challenge yourself to take 30-minutes each day and use that ½ hour to treat yourself to an activity that truly brings you joy. Your time is what you make of it so be creative in fitting it in where you can. Try waking up a little earlier, working it into your lunch break, waiting until the kids go to bed, committing to the same time each day, etc. This is a guilt-free challenge so take control of finding happy moments in your daily routine.

Why 30-minutes? Because it’s feasible and can easily be worked into any schedule. If Rachel Ray can cook a 30-minute meal, you can certainly block out some well deserved time for an activity you enjoy. Here are a few ideas to get you started (and don’t forget to eliminate the noise by turning OFF the TV, Cell Phone & Computer):

Take a Walk

Exercise

Read a Book

*Meditate/Pray (great for spiritual growth & wellness)

Write in a Journal

Relax in a Warm Bath

Get a Massage

Take a Nap

Scrapbook

Look through your favorite magazine/catalog

Garden

Bake your favorite treat

Draw/Paint

Sew/Knit

Complete a Crossword

Get a Mani/Pedi

Take your Dog to the Park

Or whatever other activity you like

*Note: Dr. Oz says as little as 5 minutes of meditation/prayer a day makes you healthier so you could actually squeeze in TWO activities within your 30-minutes. 

Regardless of the activity you choose, make your 30-minutes a day count by rejuvenating your mind, body and soul.  You’ll gain many personal benefits of your own when you dedicate quiet moments to pampering yourself.  Bottom line, practicing self-care validates the importance of your needs and creates overall balance in your life by relieving stress for a healthier and happier you.  

Michelle Heinselman

Certified Life Coach and Empowerment Leader

Sincerely Yours Coaching Services

(904) 891-9806

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Website: www.Sincerely-YoursCoaching.com