“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
(Albert Einstein)
Jun 29 2012
Balancing the Push and Pull of Life
In today’s guest post Andrew A. Faccone draws upon his own life experiences and his coaching expertise to share 3 points around life, commitment and time.
Balancing the Push and Pull of Life ..
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”
(Albert Einstein)
We are all given 24 hours a day, 1,440 minutes per day and 86,400 seconds per day to use how we see fit.
Those of us reading this post are very fortunate and blessed to choose how we are to use that precious time we are given. That allotted time has a short life span, it must be used immediately and it cannot be carried over. If it is not used properly it expires.
It is our choice to maximize or minimize how we allocate our days, weeks, months and years that we are given in our lifetime. The mystery of life reveals that life is not a straight line, there is no instruction booklet on how to live and we are responsible for our actions.
The attention that we pay to the little things throughout life has a dramatic effect on the outcomes of our life as we progress and mature throughout our lifetime. Since our birth we have all pursued different paths, we have learned, prospered, been knocked down and despite the challenging conditions have succeeded as well as failed in some of our endeavors. The challenges have made us stronger and the shortcomings have taught us what not to repeat in the future. In some cases we are all learning from those shortcomings.
Past events somehow always re-appear at various times throughout our lives. In the time of our youth we pursued our education and the playful desires of our youth. Academics, athletics, music, literature, sciences, religious education, play time with our childhood friends, youth and civic groups, participation with a strong supervision from our families who attended those important life events. They cheered us on in victory and comforted us when the results did not materialize as hoped for.
When our formal education ended we then used our educational backgrounds or God given talents to find a way to make a go of it on our own. Welcome to being a grown up! We now face the commitments of professional life, parenthood, earning a living, providing for our families, advancing our professional careers and now we have become those attendees routing for our family members as they progress through their childhood and young adult activities that we participated in in the not so distant past.
Where is the person who wanted to change the world and make the difference in the world?
Is this life still a life in balance? Is there equal push and pull in our daily activities? Finding that balance, the constant struggle that addresses all of the aspects of our lives. Spirituality, physicality, and mentality.
I am asked many times in all of my personal & professional travels how did I get where I am in life? I have some of the answers to this question and some answers I do not have. I have been blessed to have had some extraordinary people that have been a part of my life. Nine years of a disciplined Catholic school education, athletic participation in high school and college, a loving family along with several key family members who taught me about the true lessons of life and that I can do anything that I set myself to attaining.
I try to rely on 3 key points and try to use them as my daily guide as I try to find a balance between the many commitments I am involved with in my daily life both personally and professionally.
What you say will determine what you will become. I have always been a believer in word affirmations. The words you are projecting will impact your individual outcomes. If you’re not projecting positive words and expecting great things to occur, they will not happen. If you don’t believe something will happen nobody else will. Use those empowering words to get you to where you want to be.
- Control The Controllables is the most important piece of our lives’ direction. We cannot control other people or the actions that they undertake, outside events, or decide the specific outcomes for certain situations. We can only control ourselves and our actions; we are accountable to those actions and decisions that we ourselves make. No one else. Do the best you can to work on those goals both short term and long term, work diligently and constantly change your approach to achieve your goals, but understand you can only control what is in front of you. A strong will can conquer anything, but you also have to be realistic in what you undertake.
- Have a goal & the end point in mind. We all set out many times to undertake certain projects but never have the end goal in mind. Example: I am going on a diet and lose weight. That statement screams starve yourself and constantly not be satisfied with even losing the smallest amount of weight. Give yourself credit for wanting to lose weight and changing your eating habits. Whenever a new habit is introduced to our lives it takes roughly 28 days to form a new habit. You have to give yourself credit and realize that to be successful and create a new habit it takes time. Having the end point in mind, losing 1-2 pounds weekly and trying to exercise on a more regular basis is a realistic goal & plan. It is not where you are it’s the direction that you are headed that counts. Keep that goal of where you want to be ever present in your daily actions. You’ll be surprised what you can attain.
- Enjoy the journey Life is full of surprises, challenges, and lot of unexpected “things “occur. When life throws the unexpected curve at us daily, which it does to us at some point, we need to readjust and get yourself back on track of the task at hand. Interruptions, issues, something totally unexpected is going to occur. Deal with it quickly and to the best of your ability and get back to what you were you were doing. Once that event has occurred put it in the rear view mirror and move on. Tony Robbins, noted author & motivational speaker, referenced the statement ‘the past does not equal the future’. It is so true. We all need to be aware of this statement and realize that we are doing the best that we can, with the time we have to enjoy each day with its many challenges and surprises.
Life is an attitude -have a good one and you will enjoy the wonderful journey. When you start to make these new adjustments in your daily activities, changes in those daily habits, week after week, month after month, and year after year you will start to recognize that new person in the mirror who you have not seen in some time. Start small but think big, because you can do it, great things are coming your way… it all depends on you!
About the Author/Further Resources
Andrew Faccone, MBA is employed in the healthcare industry as a long term care account specialists in the United States near the New York Metropolitan area. Andrew has over 18 years experience as an athlete,& coach positively impacting the lives of athletes he has coached. Andrew is available for speaking engagements of any size or location and individual coaching sessions.
Contact Andrew A. Faccone at aaf326
yahoo
com or
Linkedin : http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-a-faccone-mba/24/291/3b2
Cell Phone 732 614 8425 Eastern Time Zone
Background on Image above title via: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Feb 03 2012
The warm up is complete… It is time for the main event!
Performance coach Marie Yates shares her expertise in this week’s guest post.
The warm up is complete… It is time for the main event!
by Marie Yates
When something isn’t going quite as you planned what do you do? Do you give up, feeling despondent and as if the whole world is against you? Or do you try and figure out how to adapt to the new situation, amend your plans and keep on going?
As you’re now over a month in to your plans for 2012, what have you done to take action? Has everything gone according to plan? If the answer is a resounding ‘yes’ then I hope you are finding time to celebrate. If the answer is a demoralised ‘no’ then have you taken some time to establish what has been happening?
It is easy to become inundated with tasks. Quite often we are exhausted at the end of every day as it has been jam packed but we can’t quite remember what we’ve done. It is during these days that our goals seem so far removed from our reality.
Thankfully there are still eleven fabulous months waiting to be filled with taking positive action!
Block out some time in your diary to allow yourself the space to consider these questions.
- What will I have achieved by the 31st December 2012?
- What needs to change in order for me to prioritise these goals?
- Who will I need support from in order to achieve these goals?
- What do I need to do right now to take a step closer to these goals?
Once you know what your next steps are, do not waste a second! Taking that action will be a catalyst towards making 2012 your year. It is never too late to make a resolution to change.
As you consider what it is you need to do. Check that you are also creating balance in your life. Being focused on achieving your goals is vital; however it needs to be one part of your daily agenda.
Also write down the other important things that are going on in your life. Your family, friends, fitness… The list is endless. These need to be factored in to enable you to create balance and stay motivated. Making a sustainable change can only happen when you are working in congruence with your values. A goal to set up a business by April, working 24/7 and therefore missing out on spending valuable time with the people that matter most will leave you exhausted and possibly a little resentful. Consider this idea if you have been struggling to stay motivated, have you been neglecting other important areas of your life?
Now is the time to take stock, re-engage and make a sustainable change. Consider January as your warm up… The main event starts now!
About the author
Marie Yates is a performance coach based in the Midlands and can be found at www.indigo-turtle-coaching.co.uk
Aug 12 2011
Your Coaching Service Needs YOU!
In today’s guest post performance coach Marie Yates addresses something that is relevant to coaches in all niches of coaching.
Your Coaching Service Needs YOU!
By Marie Yates
YOU are your coaching service! So while you’re looking after the marketing, the planning, the finances, the diary… Oh, and the clients… How are you looking after YOU?
You know that the synergy between the mind and body is paramount for true health and wellbeing so do you put this into practice? Do you conduct a large percentage of your business over the telephone? What would happen if you lost your voice?
- By maintaining a healthy immune system you are much more likely to fight off common viruses. Make sure you are well rested, drink plenty of water and maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Also, managing your negative emotions and stress levels will prevent you from becoming run down and more susceptible to illnesses.
Do you spend a significant amount of time sitting down to work and driving to meet clients? What would happen if you needed to take an extended break from sitting down and/or driving due to back pain?
- Monitor your posture and how you sit whilst conducting your coaching sessions, work on the computer or when you’re at your desk. The spine is designed for motion so if you find that you are sitting still for long periods of time, take a break and stretch your body. When you are sitting down avoid slouching or leaning forwards.
- There are additional benefits to having a good posture… For example;
ο A good posture enables effective breathing – deep breathing acts as a stress reducer, releases endorphins (your own unique painkillers!) and focuses the mind!
ο Enhanced capacity for thinking – with correct breathing, there will be more oxygen getting to the brain, enabling it to do an effective job!
ο Improved self image – try slouching for thirty seconds and then sitting up straight, breathing deeply… Is there a difference in how you feel?
Do you feel your energy levels dropping throughout the day? What would happen if you were not giving your client 100% during their session or you a leading a workshop and the fatigue sets in? Eat well balanced meals throughout the day! Although you know that need to aim for your 5 fruit & vegetables a day – do you do this? Avoid the quick fix approach to energy levels that caffeine and sugar have to offer as what goes up, must come down!
- Drink water and lots of it! Fill a 2 litre bottle with water every day and make it your aim to finish it!
- Get plenty of sleep! Become more aware of your body and its natural rhythm. If you are an early bird – get up & start the day a little earlier to be your most productive self. If you are a night owl, stay up a little later and get the most out of your day!
- Take regular exercise! The benefits of exercise are not a secret so incorporate it into your day… With all the exercise DVDs and computer based exercise regimes on offer you don’t even need to leave the house – although fresh air and a change of scenery is an added bonus!
Give yourself the BEST and look after yourself… Lead by example and make sure you have the energy in your mind and body to strive for your own goals!
About the Author/Further Resources
Marie Yates is a performance coach based in the Midlands and can be found at www.indigo-turtle-coaching.co.uk
