Life Coaches Blog

Start 2008 with a bang - ask yourself this question this new year’s day (a question I’m paraphrasing from Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek):

What is the one goal, if completed this year, that could change everything?

The team over at Anthony Robbins has created a short, 5 minute video with 12 tenets for a powerful New Year, with a free bonus audio download, ‘The Secret to Lasting Change in 2008′ at the end of it.

1. Live a life of service.

2. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

3. Be kind.

4. Be remarkable.

5. Seek unity.

6. Strive for wisdom.

7. Be grateful.

8. Think critically.

9. Be brave.

10. Be humble.

11. Be creative.

12. Be present.

In no particular order, here are my favorite personal development blogs for the year 2007. Some are new, some are old, some have moved me, some inspired me and all have taught me. They’ve added to my life this year, and I hope they’ll do the same for you in 2008.

43 Folders

The classic productivity site got a beautiful face-lift this year and expanded its list of writers. Not to be missed for the geeky-productivity-GTD crowd.

Christine Kane

Singer, songwriter, and courageous motivational teacher. An impressive mix, yes? She says ‘be creative, be conscious and be courageous’ on her site - and I believe her, because everything in her writing tells me she walks the talk. When I grow up, I want to write like Christine Kane.

IttyBiz

7 Power Wounds

1) Clutter.

What ever is in your space is taking up your energy, consciously or unconsciously. Think about it, what do those months of unread magazines piling up on your shelves represent? Uncompleted tasks you’ve yet to finish.

The Key to Being Happily Alone

How can a person be completely comfortable with being by herself while someone else refuses to be alone even for a minute? Why do some people let themselves be persuaded to do things that are against their own better judgment just to make others happy? And just what is it that makes one person bounce back up from a breakup while another person wastes away?

Is Your Personal Power Leaking?

Stop. Before you continue reading, you must answer these 2 questions to get the most out of this post:

Getting Rid of Blame & Hatred

Before you know it, a whole year has passed us by. Time to look back at what we’ve done, what we missed, what we did well and what we could have done better. In that spirit, these are the best of Life Coaches Blog 2007.

Wisdom From The Ninja Village: Keep Going

People create all their barriers for themselves. It’s really such a foolish thing to do. We create our own obstacles and lose our own way in the search for truth. So it represents no barrier for me now. All that it’s necessary to do when one faces a barrier is just keep walking, paying it no attention. Just keep going, keep walking, and the obstacles disappear! In my case, when I appear to be in trouble and I think I won’t make it, I just keep walking. And so it continues, even today.

Are You Fighting Yourself?

So what did I learn after 4 days in a secluded forest monastery, tucked away in the rural areas of northern Thailand, sleeping on hard wooden floors, taking very cold showers, spending time alone by myself, writing, reading, thinking, meditating without any TV or Internet?

Four Days Without Seeing My Own Reflection

That’s right, there were no mirrors in the bathrooms and restrooms of Wat Pa Don Hiay Soke. I didn’t think to bring my own, so I used my digital camera to make sure I was looking neat and tidy. Except for the rear-view mirrors in that 20 year-old Nissan Sunny, I never saw my own reflection for 4 days.

Which was a big change from my city life in Singapore, where there are mirrors everywhere you go. After 3 days without one, I realized that inside my head, I’d stopped defining myself by the way I looked. Instead, I’d very naturally began to define myself by the way I behaved and thought.

Merry Christmas everyone! Who you are makes a difference to me because your encouraging comments spur me on to write even more, especially during the overworked and tiresome days.

May this season be filled with the company of loved ones, the good cheer of happy times and an overflowing feeling of gratitude for all that has come before.

On the morning of the 4th day, I awoke as usual around 5:30AM, but instead of the quiet, dark courtyard I was used to, I found a crowd of villagers happily preparing for Archan Sa-ad’s 60th birthday celebrations.

Before I came, I had no idea that I was arriving just in time for this little festival and felt very lucky to be able to witness it. Plus, after days of very little food, I was looking forward to the festival goodies the villagers were going to make!

Preparing for the master’s birthday celebrations.

Throngs of people came to offer food on this morning’s special alms round.

Paiboon during the special alms round.

I was also very touched by the friendliness and generosity of these people. Knowing I didn’t speak English, they offered me food without asking (which led to some trouble later). An English teacher from Bangkok talked with me a while, and made me feel very welcome in a foreign land.

Inside my little hut in Wat Pa Don Hiay Soke.

After spending the night in a small little hut, sleeping on the hard wooden floor in absolute darkness, I woke up to a small challenge. Paiboon had some errands to run in downtown Udon Thani, and I was to drive him in a 20 year-old Nissan Sunny.

The 20 year-old Nissan Sunny that belonged to Wat Pa Don Hiay Soke.

I was a little nervous; it’d been a while since I’d driven a manual. This old car had a very stiff clutch and kept stalling while I was practicing in the monastery grounds. Plus, what little I’d seen of traffic in Thailand had already convinced me that driving in Thailand is pretty much insane! It was a real miracle that we managed to go in and out of town without stalling the car at any time.

Earlier this year, my friend Paiboon the monk asked me to visit him in Thailand and enroll in a 10 day meditation retreat. The retreat seemed like a real challenge, but what really enticed me was the chance to stay in a Buddhist monastery - how many people get a chance like that? So I booked my flight and made my plans: I was going to spend 18 days in Thailand in meditation and monasteries.

Falling Sick

But 2 days before my flight to Thailand on the 1st to see Paiboon in his forest monastery, I started to feel a little sick. A part of me was wondering whether or not I should cancel the whole trip, but another stronger part of me was all for it. On the 1st of December, I finally touched down in Udon Thani, Thailand, and met my dear friend Paiboon for the first time after nearly a year. And I started my journey with a running nose, sore throat and diarrhea.