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“Creating Successful Leaders”

Category Archives: Advice from a Life Coach

April 4, 2014 What Drives You To Do Great Things?

I caught a great snippet on the radio in the car the other day. The TED radio hour showcases a wide array of innovative and interesting ideas, and in this case, the program talked about how we define and achieve success in our lives.

Life coach Tony Robbins gave a TED talk asking us to identify our inner drive in life. If you have the time, it’s worth checking out the full talk here.

 

Otherwise, here are a few stand-out points he makes:

-Don’t think about life in terms of success and failure. Think about what brings the most meaning and value to your life, and chase after that.

-Don’t settle. If you don’t like where you’re life is headed, make a change.

-“Lack of resources” is not an excuse. What it really boils down to is a lack of resourcefulness.

Stay tuned for the month of April, as I’ll take a deeper look at what success is, and how we attain it.

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February 27, 2014 Dealing With Setbacks

We show our true colors when things don’t go as planned. It’s easy to be kind, confident and happy when everything goes our way, but not so much when we encounter that unavoidable road block.

If you have a pulse, you’re going to hit road blocks. So how do you prepare yourself to deal with failures and letdowns with grace and character?

1.  Take a step back.

Think of all the times in your life when you thought it was the end of the world. How often did that turn out to be true? I’m guessing never, since the world is clearly still here. It’s easy to get trapped in doomsday thinking when you run into a real problem. The truth is, it’s almost never as bad as you think it is at that given moment. When you learn to reinforce this while you’re brain is in crisis mode, you’ll be able to take a step back and see the situation more clearly.

2. Don’t give up.

Your self-destructive voice in your head I like to call your saboteur will take every stumble as a chance to encourage you to throw in the towel. Don’t listen!

It takes thousands of hours of work to reach success and mastery, and nobody gets it the first time around. Be patient with yourself, and keep plugging away.

3. Reach out.

Letdowns, failures, and detours can be embarrassing. The last thing you may feel like doing is going to someone else for help and support. But just remember, there’s no shame in failure, only shame in not trying in the first place. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how happy your friends and family will be to get behind you. You need only be humble and honest about your situation.

4. Revise your plan of attack.

If you’re constantly failing at the same task or project, there’s a good chance you need to change your plan altogether. The definition of insanity, after all, is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Take hiccups as a chance to reassess your strategy. What’s not working? Why? How can you make it work? You may need to reign in your goals a bit, and this is okay. It’s better to make incremental steps forward than to have grand plans that you’re unable to reach.

Take comfort in the fact that setbacks are part of the process, and keep plugging away!

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February 13, 2014 How You Holding Up This Winter?

This winter has been brutal. Being cooped up for long periods of time can have terrible effects on our physical and mental health. So, I thought I’d share some ways you can fight the bitter cold and stay healthy and happy.

1. Get out of your house.

“But where, Margaret?” you ask. “It’s below zero out there!” When it’s dangerously cold, obviously it’s best to stay indoors. But now that it’s warming up (relatively), bundle up and go for a walk or a jog. Take the kids sledding. Find a nature trail near your where you live, or a park nearby.

And I don’t just mean go outside when I say get out of your house. I also mean go to new places, see friends and do things. We tend to shut down in the winter until one day, we look around and realize that we haven’t been to more than three places, our home included, in months. No wonder we’re so down!

2. Keep A Routine.

Piggybacking on point one, you’ll feel better when you have a set schedule. This includes a regular bedtime and wake-up time, regular meals, and a good mix of work and fun activities.

3. Replenish Your Sunlight Deficiency.

It takes a long, dark winter to truly appreciate how much our bodies rely on the sunlight. Without time spent in the sun, we don’t get the amount of vitamin D required for a healthy mind and body. Taking vitamin D tablets is a great way to counteract this. For those who suffer from seasonal affect disorder, sun lamps work wonders. Whatever it is, be sure to be aware of your exposure (or lack thereof) to sunlight and take the necessary steps to stay healthy.

summerHang in there, it’s almost over! A few months from now it’ll be swimwear and beach balls. Be well!

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