Life Coaches Blog

Some of us have been angry for so long that we’ve forgotten what it’s like not to be angry anymore.

We’ve become so attached to our anger that we think it’s who we are. But it’s really no more a part of you than an old wound is, when it’s time to finish healing you just have to let the scabs fall. It might leave a scar, but even that fades with time.

You might have to change so much that you’ll have to become a different person. And that can be scary. The unknown usually is. But what is it that you’re so afraid of losing by hanging on to your rage? What will you lose if you let it consume you? And what will you gain when you finally move on?

The song goes; don’t look back in anger. Please don’t look forward with it either.

Finding gratitude is a fundamental step in the self-improvement process. You can’t expect anything new to come into your life without first having a genuine sense of appreciation for what you have now.

Gratitude invites a sense of humility and a focus on what truly matters – which can be especially challenging in our materialistic society. It helps you to see that while you may not have everything you want, you do have more than everything you need. Gratitude brings everything into balance and gives you a proper perspective.

What’s Fear Got To Do With It?

The process of finding gratitude requires you to face the darkest and most negative things or people in your life – things that have caused you pain, anger or other unpleasant feelings (e.g. an awful boss or a painful divorce).

Just 3 links this week, because they’re each so rich with nuggets of wisdom.

Derek Sivers interviews Tim Ferriss, author of The 4 Hour Workweek, which turns out to be a must-read article for anyone who has something they’d like to be doing if they didn’t have to do anything. Here are some of my favorite bits (and there are so many).

Long life is not guaranteed, folks. It’s important to really question this deferred-life plan that saves all retirement for the end.

I heard this beautiful bit of advice once that said, “If you’ve got a list of 20 things you should be doing, pick the most important one or two and then just let go of the rest. You will never upload your music to every one of these sites. You will never contact every person. You will never enter every contest. Just take the one or two things that would make the biggest difference in your career, do those one or two, then stop. Turn your attention to the next one or two most important.”

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”

Japanese proverb

If you have a vision of what you want to achieve, it’s essential to create an action plan of how and when you’re going to do it. This is the time to set specific goals, assign timelines and watch as quantifiable results begin to manifest.

You’ll break down each action item into manageable tasks, to guard against overwhelm. And when you meet each of your own self-imposed deadlines, plan to give yourself a special reward. This will help you follow through and stay committed.

You’ll experience an incredible sense of relief and accomplishment when you complete your fearless action plan. It’s kind of like building a dream home, from the first blueprint right up to moving day. A detailed plan turns into a phenomenal reality. There’s no more wondering, “How can I possibly do this?”

Ready or not, get set to jump in!

Because once you’ve clarified your vision of what you want to achieve, you will be full steam ahead on your journey towards achieving it.

A vision becomes a “guiding light” for your process of self-improvement, both a beacon of inspiration and an anchor that keeps you focused and grounded.

And when you face the inevitable obstacles and challenges along the way, having a strong sense of what you’re working towards will motivate you to carry on.

A clear vision will also help you to address distractions that can threaten your progress and overwhelm you on a daily basis. When you’ve become clear about what is important, you’ll be less tempted by what is not, so you can focus your time and energy where it belongs.

Life Coaches Blog has been quiet for a while, but starting tomorrow I’m pleased to introduce guest blogger Carey Powell of Fearless Coaching who has a great series of articles lined up for the next few weeks.

I’m just back from a 2 week visit to Japan, where 6 days of that were spent training. Long-time readers will know that I’ve been a student of the Bujinkan for the last 8-10 years (I’ve lost count), although while training with the best in Japan I felt like I’d only just started.

After one such difficult and discouraging training session, I asked a new friend for advice on the train home, who confided that he had also felt the same way. Now, this was someone who had trained for near 20 years and was pretty highly ranked (and I had the bruises from training with him to prove it) so I was more than a little surprised.

“That’s the beauty of this art,” he shared. “There’s no end to how much you can still learn. But that’s also why people stop training – they can’t take that feeling of becoming a beginner again and again.”

“Stop and smell the roses. You’re never too busy to enjoy the simple pleasures that life affords you.” The Simple Dollar offers you 10 Things to Do Today to live a truly rich life.

“Consider everything an experiment.” 10 rules from Sister Corita Kent at Hi + Low.

“Be intent on action, not on the fruits of action. Avoid attraction to the fruits and attachment to inaction.” Get Rich Slowly weighs in on finding fulfillment in your work.

“Be safe and be optimistic. There is a lot to be grateful for…and just as much to look forward to.” After having lost two close friends to suicide, Tim Ferriss shares three ways to overcome depression.

Who do you think of when you picture someone talking in monotone? I personally think of Ben Stein who did the Clear Eyes commercials a few years back. His voice remained at the same tone throughout the commercial. He did not show any excitement whatsoever in the product he was selling. He was just straightforward, to the point, and the commercial was over. Many people would probably describe him as boring.

Now, I realize that is exactly what they wanted to accomplish in this commercial for whatever reason. However, the reality is that many people live their real lives this way.

Once in a while, I get snarky comments on Life Coaches Blog. Now, criticism can be a good thing when they help me clarify my thoughts and see things from a different perspective. But I’m talking about comments that do nothing but attack what you write without offering anything of value.

To these people I say; what have you created lately?

It’s far easier to destroy something, especially if it’s someone else’s work, then to make something good of your own.

When you commit your thoughts on a public forum like a blog for a couple of years running, I can guarantee you there will be things you write that you’re going to feel embarrassed about much later. It’s a given, in fact, the more you’re committed to personal growth, the more it’ll happen, because the faster your perceptions will change.