Self Improvement: Coaching

Finding the Gift in Adversity December 22, 2008 at 2:31 pm The past several months have been filled with huge upheavals in the world. The stock market and resulting economic impacts on savings accounts and jobs, talks of recession and depression, the rash of terrorism in the East with headlines about what may be in store for the future. Yet other headlines herald political change at the national level that offers new hope. True Inspiration Vs Ego Flash and Burn - How to Know When Your Brilliant Idea is the Real Deal December 22, 2008 at 1:03 pm You are struck by a brilliant flash of intuition (an innovative book idea, creative business venture, fabulous investment...) and you think, "Yes! Eureka this is it!" But this "next big thing" excitement is shortly followed by a hesitation, as previous intuitive hits begin to re-surface... The ones that in the light of the next day you asked, "What was I thinking?" The ones that did the slow fizzle to oblivion. And the ones that never got off the ground. So is this just the caffeine buzz from this morning's latte or is this an actual divine inspiration? Being a Mentor December 22, 2008 at 12:32 pm Being a mentor is an extremely responsible role to take on, but it can also be very rewarding. It provides a way to put your own knowledge and experience to good use in helping other people to make improvements in their own lives; personal or professional. Mentoring has been a very popular role in society in general and is a form of leadership that is certainly beneficial within business circles. One of the most important items to remember is that a mentor does not have to be a senior member of staff helping a more junior member. While employees aren't likely to mentor senior staff members it is true that people on the same level as each other can be of assistance in this way if both parties are agreeable. Everything That's Beautiful is Cracked, That's How the Light Gets In December 22, 2008 at 12:19 pm Leonard Cohen is credited with the above statement. I believe that he has captured the essence of beauty. Beauty is in the nature of our flaws. It is in our reflective self-awareness and acceptance of our imperfections that we discover our true beauty. It's Exhausting Running From the Past December 22, 2008 at 12:10 pm It is said that we are pretty much formed very early in our lives by our "first family" experiences. The way we are socialized; that is simply, how we are taught to see and behave in the world by our parents in relationship to them, our siblings and the community in general, plays the most significant role in our formation leading into adulthood. Yes, we have to acknowledge genetics to some extent playing a role here, so I will do that. But this is not an argument about one or the other. I want to write here about dealing with our pasts. For the Want of a Nail December 22, 2008 at 11:40 am Remember this great old rhyme? For the want of a nail the shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe the horse was lost. Life is Too Short to Be Living Someone Else's Dream December 22, 2008 at 11:30 am Are you working for someone else's dream when you have one of your own? For years I did and didn't like it. In fact it made me crazy sometimes, I even thought myself a coward for not acting! What is Your Life's Purpose? December 22, 2008 at 11:09 am You climb out of bed every morning; take a shower, brush your teeth, get dressed, have some coffee, toast or cereal, pat the dog, hug the kids, kiss the wife (husband), not necessarily in that order and head out the door to where and to what? No it is not a destination that I am talking about, it is a PURPOSE. Does your life have one? Trying to Stay Alive Just One More Day December 22, 2008 at 11:08 am As some know and I do not often talk about it, I have had my own share of challenges over the last several years. In the fall of 2001, after being diagnosed with a lung infection that doctors were not able to eradicate with antibiotics because of an underlying chronic condition, I spent the better part of the next two years, my health slowly deteriorating as I gradually lost lung function. I was told early on that my only hope was a double lung transplant and without it, I would die! Life is Difficult - This is a Great Truth December 22, 2008 at 11:07 am In Scott Peck's remarkable book; "The Road Less Traveled," first published in 1978, he opens with the now famous line; "Life is difficult." He then goes on to say; "this is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult --- once we truly understand and accept it --- then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters." The Value of a Personal Mission Statement December 22, 2008 at 11:06 am I am sure that all of you who work in a corporate environment are familiar with your corporate mission statement? It is the one that typically hangs in the front reception area or perhaps on the wall in the boardroom. But do you have a personal mission statement and/or understand in a meaningful way what your purpose for living actually is?