Laurel | Perspective | Sunday, November 16th, 2008
I just spent a few days in Montreal at the International Coach Federation conference where one of them themes was our ability to create negative or positive energy and their effects on others. It’s interesting how life provides real time illustrations to drive home the point.
On the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, the driver definitely had a cranky outlook. My couple of attempts at conversation were unsuccessful as the driver impatiently weaved in and out of traffic - at one point coming close to driving on the sidewalk. I’ve been in lots of taxis but this was the first time that a driver rolled down the window and shouted insults at other drivers. Everything seemed to be an irritation for him. Definitely an unpleasant experience and I was glad to finally arrive at the hotel.
Fast forward several days to the return trip to the airport. Different driver, different taxi, different experience. This time the entire trip was filled with light-hearted chatter, laughter, smiles and a couple of jokes. The time just flew by but quite happily I could have spent lots of time stuck in traffic with this guy if that had been the circumstances. Two different drivers and two different outlooks on life.
On any given day, which taxi are you driving?
Do you take the time to connect with other people or do you put your head down and get through day?
Do you share conversation with others or do you mutter under your breath?
Do you make negative comments or do you smile and laugh?
Positive mental attitude
One of the sessions at the conference explored the idea that our negative thoughts actually physically deplete our energy and that of the people around us. Conversely, positive thoughts expand energy fields. Your positive mental attitude is not just yours - it is shared with all of us. It seems to me that it doesn’t matter whether you are skeptical of the science or not. Real life experiences show us all the time that being around negative people has an unsettling effect on us. Being around positive people uplifts us.
Here’s an interesting idea to consider.
You can decide how to respond to that negative energy. You can hold a positive thought for this person - a silent prayer of good wishes. In that simple act, you just might increase their positive energy. At the very least least you can decrease your own.
Sending all of you wherever you are happy thoughts for a wonderful day.
Laurel | Perspective | Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Today our American neighbours go to the polls in what will be an historic election on many fronts. No matter the outcome, a whole bunch of people will end up being disappointed.
Check out a great blog post from That Cool Broad in which she suggests that Monty Python’s philosophy of looking on the bright side of life is the way to handle it.
While we know that Monty Python often has a bit of a warped worldview, this time they get it just right.
From the serious to the mundane, election results to traffic jams, life brings to you lots of stuff you want and lots you’d rather not have. The key to success is always in choosing your perspective or attitude about what’s unfolding.
Looking on the bright side of life is a great mantra for election day and every other one.
With all of the gloom and doom news in the economic markets these days I find myself worrying more. What’s a good way to manage this uncertainty?
Worry is an unproductive activity. It uses up your time but doesn’t really change anything. You can decide instead to be proactive.
When the going gets tough, successful people get back to basics.
Now is a great time to take inventory on all levels - financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Are you clear on your priorities?
Do your current choices and behaviours reflect those priorities?
Is a small or large re-adjustment needed?
Course corrections, whether in financial markets or in life, are a time to step back, evaluate, plan and act wisely. Also remember that no matter the current challenge, there is also an opportunity waiting to be seized. It’s easy to get distracted by worry and miss an opening that might serve you well.
Take inventory.
If you are looking for a quick tool to take inventory, visit my website http://www.stonecirclecoaching.com and look for the Wheel of Life in the Free Stuff section.
Post a comment and ask Laurel your life coaching question.
You made it. Today is the day to begin your celebration. It’s been great accompanying you on this journey.
You now have the tools to create a new habit. Use what you have learned this month and apply it to a new habit that you would like to master. Building a series of personal success habits begins just like this. Get one habit working, then add another one in.
Please share your success stories by posting a comment.
My challenge…
Cal is one happy dog. He’s loved getting out on a regular basis and doing dog stuff. He’s a clever guy. He watches carefully to see what I’m wearing and which shoes I’m reaching for. Not sure how he knows what “walk clothes” are, but he does! It used to be that he could hear the jiggle of his leash from anywhere in the house. His hearing is not so good anymore but his eyesight is just fine. It’s been great for me to remember all the things I loved so much about our walks. I really look forward to my daily dose of dog wisdom and am grateful to have re-created this habit.
Take time today to plan the celebration of your 30 day challenge. Too often we deny ourselves celebrations because we think, “I could have done better.”
No matter how well you did, celebrate your successes this past month. If you held fast to your commitment, bravo! If you stumbled along the way, celebrate that you were on a learning path.
Consider what you would do for or say to a friend who had been participating in this challenge. Be that nice to yourself!
In two days you will come to the end of this challenge to create a new habit. Now’s the time to think about the next step - a beginning rather than an ending.
Plan for day 31 by deciding how you will keep the momentum of the last month going. Build on what’s been working. Tweak things that haven’t been working. Have coffee with your buddy and design a new or continuing game plan.
If you’ve stuck with the challenge all month, then you are well on your way to having a new habit that will stick. But it won’t happen all by itself. Planning what comes next is the key to your continued success.
If things haven’t gone as well as you had hoped, day 31 is a great time to begin again. Go back to the first posts on the challenge and recommit to your new habit.
Thanks to Deb for sharing her role model, an 88 year old woman named Gwendolyn who made a commitment to healthly living in her 50’s. Read Gwendolyn’s inspiring story and see that she’s a leader we can all follow.
Today’s tip:
We’ve almost come to the end of the 30 day challenge. Now is a good time to evaluate your progress.
How successful were you in meeting your goal?
What worked well?
Where did you get stuck or distracted?
What was the key to your success?
Is your new habit beginning to feel like part of your routine?
Take a few minutes to think about how far you’ve come in the past month. Check in with your buddy for some objective feedback.
Be honest with yourself. Did you stick with it or did you let yourself off the hook? Remember evaluation is just a place to pause before you take the next step.
Whether it’s an old habit or a new one, one of the keys to success is to recommit to your priorities on a daily basis.
Life has a way of tossing you all kinds of distractions - some wonderful and some not so much. Taking a few minutes at the beginning of each day to refocus and recommit to those things that matter most to you is a great way to give the distractions less power.
Today is the only day you have. Being in a place of conscious choice about how you will spend your time and energy lets you be consistent with your new habits and keeps old habits part of your daily routine.
How can you recommit each day?
List your priorities & commitments at the beginning of the day.
Practice affirmations.
Look at your visual reminders.
Plan ahead and schedule.
Success comes day by day, and sometimes hour by hour. When you make it a habit to recommit to what is at the top of your list, you’ll find that you spend less time reacting to other people’s priorities.
Tune in tomorrow when we’ll check in with how you are doing.
Who is the person who inspires you the most when you think of your new habit?
Perhaps it’s someone who has already included your habit consistently in their own life. Perhaps it’s someone who has overcome some kind of adversity or someone who holds a particular outlook on life.
Rely on that person to be your role model as you continue to build consistency in your routine. If it’s someone you know, ask what success strategies they use.
If it’s someone who you don’t know personally, imagine what advice they might give you. See if they have a website or read their book. Look for a tidbit of wisdom that can become part of your visual reminder or affirmation.
You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. It’s okay to follow the leader.
”If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
What he was trying to say was that your thoughts create your reality. Your self talk plays a huge role in your success in anything you do. Become more aware of your internal talk and shift it to a more positive tone when it slips into negative chatter.
Take time for a reality check.
What reality are you creating for yourself?
What are your predominant thoughts about your new habit and your ability to stick with it?
Are you creating a “Yes I can” reality?
Take a look at the visual reminders you’ve posted. Create a powerful and positive statement that can act as an affirmation. Rely on it when you find the “no I can’t” thoughts start to surface.
I just spent a few days in Montreal at the International Coach Federation conference where one of them themes was our ability to create negative or positive energy and their effects on others. It’s interesting how life provides real time illustrations to drive home the point.
