I just had to write this post!
A colleague and I were discussing the upcoming Lent season (she's Catholic) on our way back to the office after an evacuation drill this week and she shared something that really intrigued me. Apparently the priest of her parish has put it out to his parishioners that rather than giving up the usual things during Lent - chocolate, alcohol, dessert, etc. - perhaps they could instead focus on giving up bad habits and/or behaviors that bring negative energy into their lives instead. Things like cursing at other drivers when they cut you off, tailgate, or cuts in front of you or complaining because you perceive other people as having things you don't and you should. Or even indulging in negative self talk rather than giving yourself kudos for all the good things you do in life.
Wow, what a powerful message - one I just had to share!
When others do things that would normally send your blood boiling and your mouth going, instead smile, say "Bless Your Heart," and send positive vibes their way. Instead of complaining about a situation, event, or action, find a positive aspect to it and focus on that instead.
Praise yourself and others for the good things you and they do each and every day instead of focusing on the mistakes that are made along the way.
The season of Lent starts on Wednesday, March 4th this year and lasts for 40 days, culminating in Easter in April. I challenge each and every person who reads this blog to spend those 40 days drawing in and sharing positive energy and eliminating negative energy, and let's see what a difference these actions can have in our lives!
Namaste!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
MaXIMIze - Increasing Awareness - Moving from Unconscious Incompetence to Unconscious Competence
I think I have mentioned Entheos before in this forum, perhaps in my previous blog posts. Brian Johnson, the CEO of the Entheos Academy, has a series called Philosopher's Notes, where he synopsizes books by various philosophers and such, capturing the Big Ideas encapsulated in them and showing how these ideas are very relevant to us living our best lives now. Recently, I was listening to his talk on Flow, a book by Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi, and Brian introduced a quad principle of moving from unconscious incompetence through conscious incompetence to conscious competence and finally to unconscious competence.
Serendipitously, I recent bought and read a book titled Reinventing Yourself by Mario Alonso Puig. In Chapter 11, titled "Hope for Victory and You'll be Victorious," I was introduced to these ideas again, as well as the story of the man - Matthias Alexander - who, as a way to overcome a physical difficulty that threatened his very livelihood, discovered this method to work through roadblocks very successfully.
Let's tackle the four parts of this principle one at a time.
Unconscious Incompetence - the state of being where one does not know how to do something and is not even aware that he/she does not know how to do something or the value of doing so - deal with personal finances for example.
Conscious Incompetence - the state of being where one knows he/she does not know how to do something and that something is a valuable skill to learn - balancing accounts, saving appropriately, not buying on impulse, paying bills on time, etc.
Conscious Competence - the state of being where one has learned the new skill and is consciously working to apply it consistently - taking the time to think about need versus want when making a purchase.
Unconscious Competence - the state of being where the skill has become so ingrained in one's psyche that it is an automatic response - saving 10% of one's income.
To understand and remedy an issue, one has to realize he/she has an issue. So, in the case of personal finances, if we are having difficulty getting to our personal goals in that area, whether it be as simple as buying a new outfit or as complex as saving for one's retirement or a child's college costs, we need to first realize we have an issue. Then we need to work to remedy the issue by learning and applying the appropriate skill-set needed. And, as we continue to learn and apply those skills, we can see the progression from conscious incompetence to unconscious competence.
This falls right in line with our discussions on goal-setting and identifying and dealing with roadblocks in relation to achieving our goals.
What steps are you going to take today to move from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence in your life?
Next week, we will address falling off the wagon - and how we go about getting back on without too many bumps and bruises.
Until then, namaste!
Serendipitously, I recent bought and read a book titled Reinventing Yourself by Mario Alonso Puig. In Chapter 11, titled "Hope for Victory and You'll be Victorious," I was introduced to these ideas again, as well as the story of the man - Matthias Alexander - who, as a way to overcome a physical difficulty that threatened his very livelihood, discovered this method to work through roadblocks very successfully.
Let's tackle the four parts of this principle one at a time.
Unconscious Incompetence - the state of being where one does not know how to do something and is not even aware that he/she does not know how to do something or the value of doing so - deal with personal finances for example.
Conscious Incompetence - the state of being where one knows he/she does not know how to do something and that something is a valuable skill to learn - balancing accounts, saving appropriately, not buying on impulse, paying bills on time, etc.
Conscious Competence - the state of being where one has learned the new skill and is consciously working to apply it consistently - taking the time to think about need versus want when making a purchase.
Unconscious Competence - the state of being where the skill has become so ingrained in one's psyche that it is an automatic response - saving 10% of one's income.
To understand and remedy an issue, one has to realize he/she has an issue. So, in the case of personal finances, if we are having difficulty getting to our personal goals in that area, whether it be as simple as buying a new outfit or as complex as saving for one's retirement or a child's college costs, we need to first realize we have an issue. Then we need to work to remedy the issue by learning and applying the appropriate skill-set needed. And, as we continue to learn and apply those skills, we can see the progression from conscious incompetence to unconscious competence.
This falls right in line with our discussions on goal-setting and identifying and dealing with roadblocks in relation to achieving our goals.
What steps are you going to take today to move from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence in your life?
Next week, we will address falling off the wagon - and how we go about getting back on without too many bumps and bruises.
Until then, namaste!
Sunday, February 16, 2014
MaXIMIze - From Cocoon to Chrysalis - Assessing the True Risks/Roadblocks to Achieving Your Goals
Last week we learned about the roadblocks we are likely to run into when working to achieve our goals, mainly the internal ones.
This week, we are going to discuss how we can assess these roadblocks - how we can bring them out into the light and show them for the pebbles that they really are so we can kick them aside as we travel down the path to achieving our goals.
In business, when we are going through the process of studying the potentials of a new project, we create something called a Risk Register. Basically, we determine/define the following:
A description of the risk/roadblock.
The impact should this event/item actually occur.
The actual probability of its occurrence.
We then give each impact and each probability a ranking from Low to High on a 1-3 or a 1-5 scale, Low being 1 and High being 3 or 5 - the rankings are either Low, Medium, High or Low, Somewhat Low, Medium, Somewhat Medium, High.
By multiplying the impact by its probability, we come up with its Occurrence Risk Score, which shows us where we should focus our attention.
We then determine the planned response should the event/item actually occur and the mitigation - the actions we can take in advance to reduce the probability and/or impact of the risk/roadblock.
To see an example of how this lays out, please see this Wikipedia article on planning a birthday party.
Basically we are taking the time to determine the following:
What's the worst that can happen?
What's the best that can happen?
What's most likely to happen?
Why or why not?
Okay, so X happens - what do you do, how do you move forward?
Then, we make the plan, work the plan, and adjust the plan as we work toward our goals.
As the soft cocoon becomes a hardened chrysalis from which emerges a beautiful butterfly, these methods will help you move your dreams through goals into reality.
So, over the last seven weeks, we have covered a lot of material, focusing mainly on the internal items we all need to deal with in order to move forward to achieving our goals. We've discussed reseting, whether at the beginning of a new year, a new season, or a new chapter of life. We've also discussed personal prose and the importance of paying attention to how we address ourselves. We talked about the Circle of Perception and worked through looking at the six areas of our lives. We worked through determining our central values, talked about aligning our goals with these values, and working through the process of asking the five whys to get to our core values. We discovered the power in Manifesting our goals instead of just Visioning them. And most recently, we've discussed how to identify and assess the potential risks and roadblocks to achieving our goals.
As of the time of this post, I haven't determined the topic of next week's entry. If you have any topics you would like to see covered in this blog - remembering that the purpose to to MaxIMIze ourselves and MaXIMIze our lives - please let me know.
A couple of the topics I will be covering in future posts (just not scheduled yet) are:
Checking on your progress toward your goals - and perhaps realigning/readjusting the path.
What to do when you fall off the wagon (something we all do...).
I know others will come...and I'd love your feedback and input!
Until next, week - Namaste!
This week, we are going to discuss how we can assess these roadblocks - how we can bring them out into the light and show them for the pebbles that they really are so we can kick them aside as we travel down the path to achieving our goals.
In business, when we are going through the process of studying the potentials of a new project, we create something called a Risk Register. Basically, we determine/define the following:
A description of the risk/roadblock.
The impact should this event/item actually occur.
The actual probability of its occurrence.
We then give each impact and each probability a ranking from Low to High on a 1-3 or a 1-5 scale, Low being 1 and High being 3 or 5 - the rankings are either Low, Medium, High or Low, Somewhat Low, Medium, Somewhat Medium, High.
By multiplying the impact by its probability, we come up with its Occurrence Risk Score, which shows us where we should focus our attention.
We then determine the planned response should the event/item actually occur and the mitigation - the actions we can take in advance to reduce the probability and/or impact of the risk/roadblock.
To see an example of how this lays out, please see this Wikipedia article on planning a birthday party.
Basically we are taking the time to determine the following:
What's the worst that can happen?
What's the best that can happen?
What's most likely to happen?
Why or why not?
Okay, so X happens - what do you do, how do you move forward?
Then, we make the plan, work the plan, and adjust the plan as we work toward our goals.
As the soft cocoon becomes a hardened chrysalis from which emerges a beautiful butterfly, these methods will help you move your dreams through goals into reality.
So, over the last seven weeks, we have covered a lot of material, focusing mainly on the internal items we all need to deal with in order to move forward to achieving our goals. We've discussed reseting, whether at the beginning of a new year, a new season, or a new chapter of life. We've also discussed personal prose and the importance of paying attention to how we address ourselves. We talked about the Circle of Perception and worked through looking at the six areas of our lives. We worked through determining our central values, talked about aligning our goals with these values, and working through the process of asking the five whys to get to our core values. We discovered the power in Manifesting our goals instead of just Visioning them. And most recently, we've discussed how to identify and assess the potential risks and roadblocks to achieving our goals.
As of the time of this post, I haven't determined the topic of next week's entry. If you have any topics you would like to see covered in this blog - remembering that the purpose to to MaxIMIze ourselves and MaXIMIze our lives - please let me know.
A couple of the topics I will be covering in future posts (just not scheduled yet) are:
Checking on your progress toward your goals - and perhaps realigning/readjusting the path.
What to do when you fall off the wagon (something we all do...).
I know others will come...and I'd love your feedback and input!
Until next, week - Namaste!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
MaXIMIze - Spinning Your Cocoon - Identifying Roadblocks
Last week we discussed manifesting your goals. This week we are going to learn how to identify the roadblocks we may face in reaching the goals we are manifesting in our lives. And yes, I'll explain the title of this post as well. For now - think butterflies...
Before we get into the meat of the post though...once again - DISCLAIMER: This blog is about coaching - NOT counseling. I am not here to fix the ills of your past. I AM here to help you focus on your future and gain knowledge, skills, and abilities to set, pursue and gain the goals to make your life better - something you can rate all around at 8 or above. If the ills of your past are something we identify as a roadblock to that success, you will need to pursue counseling with a trained professional to deal with those issues. I am NOT such a trained professional.
Now, on with the show...
"My life is full of misfortunes, many of which never took place." Rene Descartes
Do you know what your personal roadblocks to achieving the goals you set are? If not, it is time to take a good hard look at those things - both internal and external - which can hinder your progress. And yes, I said internal - many people focus on the perceived external roadblocks and don't realize those are but pebbles in the road, easily kicked out of the way. The boulders that truly impede our progress are the ones we place in our own paths. Boulders with names such as "Can't," "Because," "Yes, but," etc.
We need to examine our self-dialogue to identify these boulders. If this sounds familiar, it is. Many of the items I discussed in my previous post on Personal Prose apply here as well.
The biggest roadblock we have, whether we se it or not, is fear. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that the greatest thing we have to fear is fear itself, and he was right. Fear is the most paralyzing force known to man. And it, too, can be divided and conquered. In fact it must be in order for us to live our best life now.
So, ask yourself this question: What are you catering to in your life right now - your dreams/goals or your fears?
Identify those fears that are boulders in your path, and bring them into the light one by one.
Apply the five Whys discussed in previous posts to get to the root of each fear and see it for the tiny naked thing that it is.
Then thank it for the role it once had in your life - yes, the fears we have are ours for a reason - kiss it, and set it free.
Fear is what keeps us in our comfort zone, and the degree to which we are not living our dreams or achieving our goals, our comfort zone, by use of those fears, has more control of us than we have of ourselves.
Now back to the title of this post - Spinning Your Cocoon. For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must first spin the cocoon that becomes the chrysalis - the place of change, of transformation - from which the butterfly emerges.
Your cocoon is the place where you identify your fears, bring them out into the light, and face them down one by one - where you smash boulders into pebbles or, better yet, into dust. As you face your fears and put them to rest, your cocoon will turn into the chrysalis and the beautiful butterfly that is your best life will emerge and fly!
Now, on with the show...
"My life is full of misfortunes, many of which never took place." Rene Descartes
Do you know what your personal roadblocks to achieving the goals you set are? If not, it is time to take a good hard look at those things - both internal and external - which can hinder your progress. And yes, I said internal - many people focus on the perceived external roadblocks and don't realize those are but pebbles in the road, easily kicked out of the way. The boulders that truly impede our progress are the ones we place in our own paths. Boulders with names such as "Can't," "Because," "Yes, but," etc.
We need to examine our self-dialogue to identify these boulders. If this sounds familiar, it is. Many of the items I discussed in my previous post on Personal Prose apply here as well.
The biggest roadblock we have, whether we se it or not, is fear. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that the greatest thing we have to fear is fear itself, and he was right. Fear is the most paralyzing force known to man. And it, too, can be divided and conquered. In fact it must be in order for us to live our best life now.
So, ask yourself this question: What are you catering to in your life right now - your dreams/goals or your fears?
Identify those fears that are boulders in your path, and bring them into the light one by one.
Apply the five Whys discussed in previous posts to get to the root of each fear and see it for the tiny naked thing that it is.
Then thank it for the role it once had in your life - yes, the fears we have are ours for a reason - kiss it, and set it free.
Fear is what keeps us in our comfort zone, and the degree to which we are not living our dreams or achieving our goals, our comfort zone, by use of those fears, has more control of us than we have of ourselves.
Now back to the title of this post - Spinning Your Cocoon. For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must first spin the cocoon that becomes the chrysalis - the place of change, of transformation - from which the butterfly emerges.
Your cocoon is the place where you identify your fears, bring them out into the light, and face them down one by one - where you smash boulders into pebbles or, better yet, into dust. As you face your fears and put them to rest, your cocoon will turn into the chrysalis and the beautiful butterfly that is your best life will emerge and fly!
Next week we will address how to assess the true risks to achieving your goals as part of moving from the cocoon to the chrysalis.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
MaXIMIze - Manifest Your Vision!
Many of you probably know what a vision board is. And many of you have probably heard the idea denigrated as well. So, recently someone on a recent post by Cheryl Richardson called these boards something else - Manifestation Boards.
Let's explore the difference between the words "vision" and "manifest" for a moment.
Vision - envision; to picture to oneself
Manifest - to make certain by showing or displaying
Visions don't always come to fruition, however manifestations are things that have already come to fruition.
My challenge to you this week is to make yourself a manifestation board - based on the work you did for the previous post, find things - pictures, words, objects - to use as icons to represent what achieving the goals you laid out for yourself will look like in your life - consider this your vision statement if you will. Feel free to change it as necessary - remember, I go through and review my circle of perspective at least annually, so tweaking and fine tuning is very much allowed. After all this is your life, and you are the one to know what your best life will look, feel, taste, smell, and sound like.
So go forth and manifest!
Next week, we'll tackle some of the potential roadblocks we inflict upon ourselves in the process of MaXIMIzing our lives.
Namaste!
Let's explore the difference between the words "vision" and "manifest" for a moment.
Vision - envision; to picture to oneself
Manifest - to make certain by showing or displaying
Visions don't always come to fruition, however manifestations are things that have already come to fruition.
My challenge to you this week is to make yourself a manifestation board - based on the work you did for the previous post, find things - pictures, words, objects - to use as icons to represent what achieving the goals you laid out for yourself will look like in your life - consider this your vision statement if you will. Feel free to change it as necessary - remember, I go through and review my circle of perspective at least annually, so tweaking and fine tuning is very much allowed. After all this is your life, and you are the one to know what your best life will look, feel, taste, smell, and sound like.
So go forth and manifest!
Next week, we'll tackle some of the potential roadblocks we inflict upon ourselves in the process of MaXIMIzing our lives.
Namaste!
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