Are you a woman seeking more clarity, confidence and courage? Would you love to be comfortable in your own skin, anytime, anywhere so you could do, be, or have what you most want? Here I share tips, resources, and coaching to help you live life by your own design.
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4 Ways You Can Benefit from Having a Coach & Mentor
By paulag | February 5, 2010
Last weekend I was in Tampa, Florida for the first of several in-person events as part of a year long EnergyRich® Elite Mastermind Group I joined (here’s a picture of me with Heather Dominick my dear coach and leader of this group). The group and the event was unbelievably spectacular and I felt it was a great time to write a bit about the benefits of working with someone (or a facilitated group) who can be a coach and mentor to you along your journey.
First let me share with you that I did not take joining this group lightly. It is the most significant investment of time and money I have made to a program in my life (and that’s saying something). To be fully truthful with you, it is a big stretch for me and every last excuse and story I tell myself about money joined me on my journey to a decision. After much head AND heart-centered reflection, I chose to be in charge of my choices rather than be at the whims of other people’s opinions or be a servant to my money (rather than having it serve me). It is only early February and I have already had breakthroughs and transformational growth and cannot wait to continue my journey with this group for the next 11 months.
Here are four specific ways having a coach can transform your life and your business/career. I know this because I have experienced it firsthand and I’ve heard it from my clients.
Big Thinking And Holding A Vision Of You At Your Highest Potential
We think they way we think because it is always the way we have thought. What we see as possible for ourselves is a combination of past experiences and what we witness in those who we surround ourselves with. For most people their future looks very much like their present circumstances +/- 10%. Why? Because that is all that you know, think is possible, or will give yourself permission to want. With a coach at your side you get to live in the realm of possibility of much, much more. That more can be anything you want it to be – common things are more money, more time, more meaning, more satisfaction. It can also be more of that intangible spark that makes your passion and purpose be expressed in the world in a way that only you can deliver. A coach will hold you in that highest vision even when you feel like crap or your outer results aren’t what you want to see (yet). This isn’t about denial or wishful thinking, but about making that powerful shift into the role of creating that vision you most want for your life personally and professionally. And if you don’t yet know what that vision, what “It” is, she can help you discover it, name it, and claim it.
Read more of 4 Ways You Benefit from Having a Coach…
Topics: Career Coaching, Career and Business | No Comments »
Clarity & Confidence for a Successful Career Transition
By paulag | February 4, 2010
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to present at a Network Now event on the 4 Pillars of Success for a Successful Career Transition. Here’s a short 7 minute video of my presentation — this segment focuses on how important clarity is for you to breakthrough any limitations you sense about your next step in your career transition.
Topics: Career Coaching | No Comments »
10 Ways to Add More Meaning to Your Days
By paulag | January 29, 2010
I can talk all about 10 ways to be more productive, find more time in your day, boost your bottom line, or simply get more and they would give you benefit. Yet as I was thinking about which “10″ I wanted to write about today, I decided to get to the meat of the matter and talk about 10 ways you could add more meaning to your days. That means more meaning in your business or professional life and more meaning in general.
Truthfully without a sense of purpose, meaning, and connection, what’s the point? You can be the most driven woman on the planet, but if you’re lacking these, you’ll find yourself hollow and racked with sobs should you take a moment to contemplate how you’re spending your one precious life. So, tap into your power right here and now and try on these ideas for size.
1) Get Quiet
If you want to make sure you’re on track in your life and career, get quiet. Regular doses of complete quiet and stillness are key if you want to tune into your intuition and most wise self. If you don’t you’re left to the whims of the world tossing you about. I listened to Dr. Wendy Warner speak as a keynote the other day at an event where I was presenting and she really drove home the importance of being quiet to women’s health. Her suggestion was at least 5-15 minutes a day where you literally are quiet – no TV, no phones, cell phones, email, etc. Have your morning tea and stare at the bird feeder if you need to, but just get quiet for a moment and exhale.
2) Take Care of Yourself
Self-care is more than a bubble bath (though that can be good too!). I often talk a lot on this topic to groups because self-care forms the foundation for everything else we build, personally or professionally. You can’t build a career or business on a house of cards over a swamp, yet that is what we often try to do when we skip caring for ourselves in the process. My first foray into understanding what this really meant was when I started to discover Cheryl Richardson’s work about a decade ago. Her books Take Time for Your Life and The Art of Extreme Self-Care are classics and very workable for anyone to do.
3) Rest Well
Sleep. We all need it and without adequate quality sleep your life will be infinitely less meaningful because you’ll be too tired, wired, and stressed to enjoy it. While the occasional red-eye flight of coffee-driven day might be necessary along your way, it is not a life plan. Here are “14 Tips for Getting More Sleep – And Why It Matters”. It’ll make you happier, healthier, and allow more meaning to flow from your everyday. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Living Fully, Mindfulness | No Comments »
Do You Stop for Beauty?
By paulag | January 27, 2010
As you’re racing about your day, do you stop for beauty when you see it? The proverbial “stop and smell the roses”? It may sound trivial, but if you want to feel alive and confident in your business then it pays to hit the breaks, take a detour, and gaze at cool stuff once in a while.
The other morning as I was working at my desk in the early morning, the rose I had in a vase (courtesy of a speaking engagement over the weekend!) was suddenly magically illuminated by the sun rising over the trees. The photographer in me got very excited at this back lightning opportunity and lunged for my camera. Then I started playing with angles, and sunshades, and random, quick things I could do to get a better shot. The whole escapade lasted maybe five minutes maximum. By then the sun had risen just a bit more and the magic lighting was not as intense.
This little fun detour made my morning. There was fun, a burst of energy, and just a deep gratitude for the beauty in little gifts. Sometimes as entrepreneurs we need these itty bitty signs of hope to keep walking the path to bring our work to the world. In fact I’d say most of us, no matter what our profession need these magical moments to add a bit of juice to our day, to our very being.
So, when they happen to you – do you stop to enjoy the magic or do you just walk on by? After all there’s so much to-do! Gotta go, gotta hurry, gotta be somewhere! I’m here to tell you that no one’s success was every sabotaged by taking a deep breath and marking the moment. By enjoying a moment in the day that speaks to you. Enjoying magical moments are the perfect way to bring more energy and creativity to your life and business. Don’t miss them… they pass far too fast.
Topics: Living Fully, Self-Care | No Comments »
Do You Speak with Laser-Like Precision?
By paulag | January 22, 2010
Are you someone who can seemingly talk forever and take the round about way of getting to the point?
Or, perhaps you have the opposite challenge…
Do you struggle on saying much of anything at all leaving others to wonder what you’re really thinking and feeling?
Either way if you can’t communicate with laser-like focus you are sabotaging your own success. You see, I can talk (and talk and talk and talk and talk… you get the picture?). Yet as more time goes by I realize that while this can be a benefit sometimes, more often than not it is a liability. Every time I find myself over-explaining I hear the voice of a career counselor (and now friend) I once had told me point blank “You’re one of those damn expressives and it drives me nuts!” Meaning that I tend to think out loud and talk a great deal including every bloody detail imaginable to express myself. Now, there’s nothing wrong with talking or chit-chatting of course. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever relax and talk at length with someone. But, when it comes to business and the business of creating what you want in your life, clarity and brevity are your friends.
Read more about communicating with confidence …
Topics: Clarity | No Comments »
Integrity – You Can Run But You Can’t Hide
By paulag | January 18, 2010
The recent Mark McGuire steroid use confession is just the latest in the never-ending stream of top sports leaders who come clean. Abeit it often takes a while…years… but eventually the truth surfaces. Tiger Woods hiding behind his perfect persona which is now shattered in pieces on the ground. Marion Jones paying her dues for doping and now attempting to come back as a pro basketball player. Now I’m just a human being like you, flawed and all. Yet what I see in these and other stories is the truth that you can run but you can’t hide when you’re out of integrity. Eventually you have to look at yourself in the mirror and see what is really looking back at you. Have you done your honest best at living well as you work toward your goals or are you hiding from something inside of yourself that you can’t be with?
When it comes to integrity the excuse you use to cheat a little bit or tell yourself a little (or whopper) of a white lie doesn’t matter. It can be because you try to clothe the integrity breach with “acceptable” things like:
- Striving for excellence
- Wanting to satisfy the expectations of your fans, clients, employers, etc.
- Eager to come back from injury more quickly
- Defy the odds
The thing is the rationalization you use doesn’t matter. When you breach your integrity you compromise the very foundation of your self, your present, and your future. Like cracks in the concrete that holds up your house, being out of integrity for any period of time is a recipe for crumbling.
Here’s a simple, but effective and oh so important exercise. Grab yourself a sheet of paper. Draw a line down the middle. On the left write all the places you are out of integrity no matter how big or small. Whether it is breaking promises to yourself or doing something illegal or unethical – it makes the list. Then on the right side — write what you need to do to restore integrity and give it a date by which you will see it through.
This sounds simple, but it is not always easy. It’s not easy to come clean with yourself when you’re out of integrity no matter how big or small. Yet it is the single most important thing you can do to honor yourself, respect others, and create a solid platform on which to build everything you desire to create personally or professionally.
Photo Credit: stock.xchng
Topics: Integrity | No Comments »
Podcast Interview with Aliza Sherman – Web Pioneer
By paulag | January 8, 2010
This month I am excited to bring you my interview with Aliza Sherman. I first had the good fortune of meeting Aliza when we we both shared a seat on the PepsiCo Live with Purpose Panel at BlogHer ‘09. What I instantly loved about Aliza was her ability to shake things up by speaking the truth. That was evident by one of her responses on the panel. (You’ll learn more details in our podcast interview…and you can listen to the recording of the PepsiCo panel online). I was thrilled to have the chance to get to know her a bit better post-panel at lunch and it was there that I learned the magnitude of her expertise – as a web pioneer, writer, consultant, and producer.
Here’s a brief bio to give you a taste of this:
Aliza Sherman is a Web pioneer, social media strategist, published author, blogger, podcaster, and regular contributor to national magazines and web sites. Fast Company recently named her one of the Most Influential Women in Technology. She founded the first woman-owned Internet company Cybergrrl, Inc. and the first women’s Internet organization Webgrrls International. Named by Newsweek as one of the “Top 50 People Who Matter Most on the Internet,” Aliza continues to be recognized as a leader in the ever-evolving landscape of Internet media, marketing and communications. Her books include The Everything Blogging Book, Streetwise Ecommerce, and PowerTools for Women in Business.
As an expert on the issues of women in business (after all she does write for WomenEntrepreneur.com and Entrepreneur, our conversation revolves around some of the key challenges women face as entrepreneurs and in the wild world of business. Some of her answers might surprise you and I surely hope they empower you. They certainly gave me a boost!
You can learn more about Aliza’s work at: MediaEgg.com and Conversify.net as well as get a number of great links to her writing.
So, without further ado — curl up or download and get moving and take a listen (running time: 38 minutes) …
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Topics: Podcast | No Comments »
Hiring a Personal Trainer – Confidence Builder or Killer?
By paulag | January 6, 2010
So last week I joined a new gym and this week I hired a personal trainer. Yes it shocked even me. Not because it’s not my thing, but because I am already a consistent, disciplined exerciser. I love to exercise and am a 5-6 day a week person (or more) consistently, all the time, rain or shine, etc. So why the shift and new investment? And, why now?
Well, simply because I always tell my clients – “your best thinking got you where you are, and you need someone else’s guidance to get you somewhere new”. It’s time for something new for me. I’ve been bored maintaining my routine for 2.5 years since I got laid off and it is time to shake things up a bit. I loved, loved, loved when I had a trainer, a gym, and a program when I worked my day job. In fact some of those fitness instructors were the absolute best – innovative, fun, creative, and reliable. I miss it. Not to mention working from home not only eliminated my daily commute but also eliminated all that collateral movement I had built into each day. Walking from the car to the building, up the stairs, up and down all day long, over to the gym, down for coffee, etc. Now I wander down my one flight of stairs to my office and shuffle back and forth to the water and tea pot. Not exactly the calorie burn one might like. 10,000 steps a day? Very damn funny…
Today I did their little fitness baseline. I have to say in the past I would’ve used the numbers (albeit some are some canned computer program that like most standardized tests are, well, totally skewed and irrelevant to certain individuals) to beat myself up. After all, I feel fit, I can go cardio for a long darn time. I put in 1,500 miles on my bike last year, etc. Yet some of the number just don’t lie. It’s time to burn some more calories and work muscles that I have been missing with my regular routine. There’s a reason we hit plateaus and get stagnant. While confidence is my expertise, the area of my body has always been perhaps my least confident area. I’m leaps and bounds ahead of where I was at one time, but truthfully it is still an area I need to self-coach myself a lot. It’s a vulnerable spot for me. Yet today I felt far different than ever before. I’m not emotionally charged by any of it (other than excited for a new challenge). I also immediately gave myself full permission to use all the resources and knowledge at my disposal from working with integrative nutritionists and other health professionals to make my own choices about what I do or do not do. A little software program is not going to suddenly be smarter than me.
Unfortunately, for many women this is not the case. They give up their power to someone or something else and then just feel badly about themselves. This does nothing to help you feel confident, comfortable in your own skin, and ready for success in your business and life.
So I invite you to choose differently. Gather information, make new choices outside your comfort zone, invest time and money in your well-being, and then totally embrace the you that is before you right here, right now.
Check out some other great stories on making this fitness leap:
- Getting in Shape – Hiring a Personal Trainer
- 6 Ways to Hold Yourself Accountable to a Fitness Routine
- Set, Reach, Surpass
I’ll be sure to let you know just how sore I am after my first few sessions!
Photo by: Flickr
Topics: Confidence, Personal Empowerment, Self-Care | No Comments »