Archive for the ‘03 “Associate Scoop”’ Category

Emotional Wisdom…by Susan Holm

Posted on: December 27th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

Recognize your Emotional Wisdom

When you experience uncomfortable feelings like unrest, sadness, irritation or unhappiness, don’t be so quick to label them as bad feelings. Your feelings are genuine, and signs that something is stirring inside of you.

Our feelings direct us and shield us from harm. They help us know what is going on inside and around us. They are our teachers. Don’t judge your feelings but follow their direction to reveal the underlying issue, so you can move forward to a resolution.

Recovering your Emotional Wisdom

This month really listen to your emotions. When you repress your emotions, you are working against them.

But if you embrace your emotions, you work with them, so they can heal and provide protection as they were meant to do. Remember that emotional well-being is directly related to your physical and mental well-being. Don’t permit your feelings to drag you down. Acknowledge them, let them go, and then take action. Remember, responding in this way is not only a step toward creating a happier life, but you will also be moving toward living in an emotional state that supports good health. Every thought we have has a powerful effect on the body.

It’s important to be aware of the amount of emotional stress that you are attempting to cope with in life. Take some time to think about your life, and how you respond to external influences. Identify the specific emotional stressors that you are dealing with. Ask yourself the following questions. Your answers will go a long way in helping you reduce your stress load.

Do you enjoy your work/co-workers? Do you feel secure in your employment?

Are you in a supportive family/home environment? Do you have occasions to express and receive love?

Do you trust that you will always have enough of what you need? Do you have sufficient creative expression?

Does your environment feel like a sanctuary, without clutter?

Do you make time for relaxation during the course of your day? Do you enjoy deep restful sleep?

Do you take days off? Do you go on vacation?

Are your relationships harmonious? Are you involved in community activities (spiritual, sociable, professional, volunteer)?

Are you without any significant health challenges?

Have you accomplished a notable personal achievement in the past six months?

If the majority of your answers are YES, you have created a life that supports you emotionally. If you notice that you have more NO answers, take some time to evaluate how you can improve the quality of your life experience.

To begin, acknowledge and embrace your emotions, so that you can uncover their cause and work towards a resolution.

MY ACTION CHOICES AND RESOLUTIONS TO RECOVER A SENSE OF EMOTIONAL WISDOM:

To begin recovering a sense of emotional wisdom, I will:

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Suggestions to Help You Recover Your Emotional Wisdom

There are different things you can do in everyday life to ensure you remain in touch with your emotions. Consider the following:

Breathe slowly and deeply.

Rejuvenate with a nature break.

Let your media influences be uplifting and positive.

Get plenty of good sleep.

Make a commitment to regular stretches.

Write in your morning pages.

Schedule your artist dates.

Cultivate a spirit of gratitude.

Practice patience.

Emotional Wisdom Activities

Don’t let the winter weather get you down. Participate in some type of activity to keep your emotions positive and inspiring!

Indulge in a warm bath.

Take up Nordic Pole Walking.

Go see funny movies.

Play some of your favourite songs while making a lovely dinner.

Strap on your skates and skate on an outdoor rink.

Curl up with a copy of your long-lost favourite book and read a few chapters with a cup of tea.

A Little Inspiration

Stop resisting your feelings, so you can see what they offer you: a sense of wisdom, and a chance for nourishment and growth.

Susan Holm, Naturotherapist, and Owner of Natural Health Care Centre, provides therapies facilitating optimum wellness. These natural therapies provide relief from painful symptoms, correct the cause to help you live healthy, think healthy and stay healthy. Click here to learn more about how Susan can help you live your best life.



Adding Holiday Flare to Your Website–Chris Steingart@QTWeb

Posted on: November 15th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

If you’ve been thinking about making some changes to your website, now’s a good time. Chris Steingart at QT Web Designs shares some suggestions to spruce (no pun intended!) up your website for the holidays.

Add Some Holiday Flare to Your Website

You’ve decked the halls, trimmed the tree, hung the Christmas lights… what’s next? It’s time to add some holiday fun to your website.

What better way to show your visitors that you are open for business and keeping things current than adding some seasonal touches to your site. If you’re like me, you love this time of year and can’t help putting a Christmas stamp on everything, so why not your business too!

To read the rest of Chris’ article, click here.

Chris Steingart is the founder and lead designer of QT Web Designs, a company from Kitchener, Ontario which specializes in web design, brand and identity and print media.



Communication and Conflict–Judith Tremblay from Paths To Change!

Posted on: October 18th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT

Communication involves a lot more than the exchange of words and ideas. Research shows that only seven per cent of communication is conveyed through words. Fifty-five percent is conveyed through our body language – eye contact (or lack of), gestures and facial expressions. The other 38 per cent is conveyed through our voice – its quality, tone and inflection.

In any communication, there is a speaker and a listener. This article will focus on how to resolve a conflict, and on the person who is going to speak. When you really want to communicate your feelings and emotions to someone important to you to resolve a conflict with him or her, how do you do that in a rational, sincere way that results in a win/win situation for both of you?

First, set a time to talk that is convenient for both of you, when you are not too tired to be able to convey your feelings in a rational manner, and the other person is not too tired to focus on what you are saying through your words, body language and voice. Ask the other person if they are available to listen to you at a certain time. You may want to set a time limit, say 15 minutes, so that if one of you is unable to continue, you can agree to stop for the moment and set another time to complete your conversation.

Second, make sure you know what your issue is. Are you really feeling overwhelmed, like you do everything and have no help, or are you feeling lonely and neglected and want some time together? Think about your feeling (angry, lonely, tired), your thoughts about that (why does it seem I do everything all the time?? He/she is always gone!). Think about your behaviour (I am really short-tempered and impatient, and I’m yelling at people) and what has happened to you in the past (this reminds me of when I was younger and had to…) What would you like to see happen? (Do you think we could set aside two hours together on Saturday morning to do the chores and then have lunch together?). Explain why…it will help me feel like I’m important to you and that I don’t have to do all the work all the time, even if that is not how it really is.

Third, make sure there are no distractions–no children to take care of, as well as no audio or video distractions. Choose a quiet place. Sit facing each other so you can make eye contact. Remember that the person who is going to listen to what you tell him/her will probably be on the defensive. For that reason, always use “I” statements. “I” feel when whatever happens. “I” need this certain thing from you. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Give the other person time to understand each part of what you’re telling them and to tell you what they perceive you are saying. Don’t repeat the same information over and over or go back over past events. Then, ask for what you need them to do to help you, and ask if they can do that. If not, you may want to consider another solution, or agree to disagree. You can always revisit the issue at another time. This is not the time for discussion about who did what and why. It is a statement of how you feel in certain circumstances and what you need from the other person to help you feel differently.

In most cases, conflict means there is a need that is not being met. Perhaps it is a need to feel loved, accepted, respected, valued. When you are clear in your head and heart about what your need is, and you can communicate that need and possible solution in a rational, non-threatening and quiet manner, you will probably be able to resolve the conflict with minimal fuss and no hard or unhappy feelings.

Judith Tremblay, owner of Paths To Change, provides one-on-one counselling as well as workshops in stress management, overcoming procrastination and self-nurturing/self esteem. Judith’s Stress Buster of the Week ran for 52 weeks, and she is currently putting them into an ebook which will be available later this year. Coming soon is the weekly series on loving and nurturing yourself.



Freedom By Process–from Carol Glover!

Posted on: September 27th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

FREEDOM BY PROCESS

Stuck in a rut? Can’t seem to focus or get productive? Or do you have so much to do you don’t know where to start – so you don’t start. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

Let’s get back to basics: Process. Checklists, plans and templates are what you build when you want to organize your thoughts and your time to be sure you focus your attention on your high value actions. I focus on these tools because many people have no structure to the way they work; they live and work daily in a state of chaos; in reaction mode. This causes everyone to work longer and at more stressful levels than necessary. Tools such as plans, templates and processes allow you the freedom to logically get work done and to have time to look ahead and enjoy the ride.

Here’s an easy way to build a process to form some structure to your time:

1. You must have at least an idea as to what you need to accomplish. Write it down in as few words as possible.

2. Start brainstorming all the things you need to do to accomplish your objective.

3. Put the tasks in a logical order making sure each action is truly necessary.

4. If the tasks are complex you may want to take an extra step and make note of the things you have to do to accomplish each task.

That’s it! Building a process really is that easy. The results happen when you build a process into your schedule: does this process have to be repeated daily, weekly, or monthly? Make time for it. Remember, even though you’ve built a process, it can – and likely will – change. That’s okay. New information comes to light and obstacles are put in the way. Don’t let speed bumps sabotage your whole structure. Being sure of what needs to be done 70% of the time is better than feeling like you’re always fighting fires.

Even the most creative people need structure and direction to accomplish their objectives; it doesn’t have to be complicated.

At FireHorse Consulting, we pride ourselves on providing accessible (and affordable!) business consulting to small businesses and professionals. To do this, we offer personal coaching, workshops, and e-Coaching. This way – you can choose what works best for you and start working to better yourself and your business . . . fast!

Be it developing or editing your business plan, creating a strategic marketing plan or helping you to establish small business management skills to create life-work-balance; we will help you decide what you need, and support you every step of the way.

Carol Glover



The Bank Account of Life–from Michael Fletcher of Neworld Coaching!

Posted on: August 24th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

As published in the Shameless Blog from Neworld Coaching

The Bank Account of Life

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, moved into a nursing home today. He is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

“I love it!” he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. “Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room yet; just wait.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” he replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.”

“It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can stay in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in.”

When you put this in business terms … you can worry all day about the business dealings that you are involved in, or be negative about the potential clients that have fallen by the wayside, or you can choose to be positive and focus on the things that are going right in your business. My advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of life! I am still depositing, and I make a conscious effort each and every day to remember the “goodness” of people.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

 1. Free your heart from hatred.
 2. Free your mind from worries.
 3. Live simply.
 4. Give more.
 5. Expect less.

~Michael@Neworld

 

 



The Yearly Self-Evaluation–from Neworld Coaching!

Posted on: July 30th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

While it’s not the beginning of a new year, it is the start of the second half of 2012. Even if you reviewed 2011 in December or early January, it’s always a good idea to review your progress every quarter. If you’ve gotten derailed, take stock and make the necessary adjustments to get back on track.

 

The Yearly Self-Evaluation

From our colleagues at Neworld Coaching…

For years now, I have designated a couple of hours of time during the first two weeks of December to complete a Yearly Self-Assessment document. Although it may sound like a simple undertaking, it really isn’t. Reflection, soul searching and decision making can be arduous tasks to say the least. Although I always look forward to this exercise, I still find it difficult to analyze my failures and make realistic plans for the future.

Taking into account the five areas in the “Wheel of Life” (Business, Financial, Personal Relationships, Health/Fitness and Self Mastery)…

The first thing I do is reflect. I look back at the past year and ask myself a few of the “hard” questions. What were my successes and how did I celebrate or reward myself? What were my failures and how did I deal with them? Did I listen to feedback from my associates, clients & family? I ask myself these questions (and several more) in order to gain perspective and “keep it real”. The important thing to remember is not to be too hard on yourself. If you learn from your mistakes and growth occurs… then nothing was in vain!

“The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.

The next step is to “dream” of the future. A future where all of my goals are met or within reach. To accomplish this step I must do some sincere soul searching with regard to everything in my life. And because everything always takes three times longer than you expect… I call these my “three year intentions”. Writing quickly, using bullet points and spilling my dreams onto paper is quite liberating. I dream big! Intentions are like magnets, the bigger they are, the more they pull you forward! By redefining everything that I want to be… do… and have… over the next 3 years… I am analyzing my dreams and turning them into tangible goals!

The [last] part of my Self-Assessment is to create a plan for the coming year. I divide the year into four (quarters) and then set goals (usually a few large and a few smaller) to accomplish in each of the five areas. After choosing these goals and specifying when I want to achieve them, I have completed the Self-Assessment and I will be prepared at the beginning of the year to plan my first Quarter. At the beginning of each week I will use a Weekly Planner to set specific goals and I even assign points to myself when I complete a task! The process is a bit more involved than I let on here but suffice it to say that filling in my planner each week is a useful and tangible method for measuring my results and holding myself accountable.

Strategically planning, goal setting and accountability is the foundation of the Neworld Coaching Succe$$ System. Using a series of Planners similar to those mentioned above, along with a specific Weekly Planner and even a ‘Personal Board [Chart]’ we encourage our clients to take the steps necessary to meet their goals. Whatever they may be! As I mentioned, I have been doing this Self-Assessment for many years and I am pleased to share it with you…just click here to view the form. Print it and fill it out! I do… EVERY YEAR. Dawn even does it too and we compare our ideas. It is a great exercise! I hope you find it fruitful for you as well!

~Michael Fletcher

If you liked this article, check out more articles in Neworld’s Shameless Blog.



The Myth of Time Management–Deborah Plouffe from rewriter.ca!”

Posted on: June 29th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

    The Myth of Time Management
by Deborah Plouffe

Here’s the myth: there is no such thing as time management. Time is a constant; it doesn’t change. We can’t manage time any more than we can change the direction of the tide. No, we can’t manage time.

We can only manage ourselves and plan to use our time effectively. When it comes to our professional success, the most important asset that we can allocate is our time. Even if it seems that the more successful we become, the less time we seem to have, the #1 key to efficiency is planning, scheduling and prioritizing our tasks effectively.

Take the time to consider these top three most important Time Tips:

1) Take time to write it down. If your prefer to keep track of your schedule and task lists in your head, give writing it all down a try for a specified amount of time and see for yourself how your efficiency will improve. Try the system that you think will work best for you. Carry a notebook, digital recorder or electronic aid to add to and keep track of your schedule.

2) Take time to plan. Take a least 30 minutes each week to plan out your weekly tasks and appointments. Remember to work toward aligning these tasks with your written goals, and don’t forget to set aside time to improve yourself. Evaluate and review past schedules to identify the time stealers and work to eliminate them. Remember that the best way to squelch a bad habit is to replace it with a good one.

3) Take time to prioritize. Learn to say “no” to low priority requests and don’t over commit yourself. Think before you leap into a new committment that is not in line with your written goals.

The way that you approach planning your time can make a more profound difference in your results than anything else that you do…and don’t forget the old adage that for every moment spent in planning an hour is gained.

Deborah Plouffe is a Canadian business writer and the owner of rewriter.ca



Feeling Better Inside and Out–from Coach Fiona!

Posted on: June 5th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

How to Feel Better Emotionally and Physically

A Life Coach is trained to help you improve your life by finding the answers that lie within you. Two very basic elements of improving life are to feel better emotionally and physically. There are several different changes or modifications you can make to feel better. Being able to spot and eradicate the high and hidden “life costs” that sneak in to throw you off track is very beneficial. Those costs can be physical, emotional, and monetary or lost time. Realizing the high toll certain situations takes on you is vital to steering life in a fulfilling direction. Often, life circumstances can deplete you of essential ingredients and make situations difficult. Learning how to create a pool of money, energy, time and love is principal to keeping life on track and flowing down a healthy, happy and satisfying path.

The chaos of fast-paced lives can frequently leave major areas of life in disarray. When homes, offices and cars become untidy, it affects your physical and emotional well-being. Clearing out the clutter in your personal spaces will make you feel better emotionally, look better, save time and allow you to focus on the important issues. Having the ability to rid your surroundings of clutter and replace it with organization makes daily life much easier. When you know where everything is and can find the things you need, it enables you to work and play much more efficiently. Keeping your personal spaces in good order promotes calmness and alleviates stress.

In order to improve the quality of life in any way, it is necessary for you to take care of yourself. No exercise and consuming large quantities of fast food loaded with saturated fat and calories makes you sluggish and perform below peak level. Eating right and practicing healthy lifestyle habits keeps your body and mind fit as well as empowering you to be and reach for the best. Taking care of yourself also includes learning how to have your personal needs met in a timely manner. As a Life Coach, I can help you find your voice and use that voice to ask and receive the things in life you need.

If you’re interested in making serious changes in your life but are having trouble getting your plan off the ground, check out Life Coach Fiona.

She’ll help you identify your goals, formulate a do-able plan, and keep you on track with open and honest accountability. She helps people leverage their internal guidance system in order to create a truly inspired life.

It’s never too late to become the person you always wanted to be!

Coach Fiona can be contacted through her website or her Facebook page.