True Living Today- Articles

Articles

Change Your Attitude Today!
by Jim M. Allen

Sure, it's easy to say, "Change your attitude and you'll change your life," but how do you do that if you don't know what to do? After all, if changing one's attitude was easy why don't more people do it? Especially if it means they could be happier, more joyful, and much more successful?

Honestly, I don't know. What I do know, however, is that changing one's attitude doesn't need to be difficult and, in fact, can be quite easy. . . . All you need is to consistently employ a few simple techniques and you'll be on your way. So, to get you started, here are my 10 tips to get you started on improving your attitude. Good luck!

1. Think like you want to be

It's tough to be happy, joyful, successful, etc. if you don't think that you are a happy, joyful, and successful person. Think it first, then do it!

2. Smile

There's no arguing with this one -- research has shown the smiling has both psychological and physiological effects. So, put a smile on your face and you'll be on your way to a change in attitude!

3. Immerse yourself

Read books, articles, magazines that help you understand and adopt the new attitude. Watch films or listen to music that inspires you and encourages you to change.

4. Change your actions

It's hard to change your attitude if you keep doing the same old stuff the same old way. Do things differently to start thinking differently.

5. Change your environment

Make your environment reflect the attitude you wish to have. Create the physical spaced that makes you eager to change.

6. Follow the leader

Find someone who already has the attitude you wish to have. Follow their lead, learn from their example.

7. Help others (and help yourself)

One of the fastest ways to change your attitude is to take the focus off yourself and to help others in need.

8. Get a little help from your friends

Let everyone know what you're doing and enlist their support to help you change and give you ideas. The more you feel like you're part of a group effort, the more likely you are to be successful.

9. Get a pro

If the change you desire to make is a big one or is extremely radical, consider getting the help of a mentor, counselor, or coach. These professionals can reduce the time & frustration involved as well as provide you with many new ideas to help you grow.

10. Be patient

Recognize that most changes occur slowly, over an extended period of time. If you don't get immediate results, don't be surprised and DON'T QUIT! Keep working, it'll come.

_____

©2001 Jim Allen & CoachJim.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Jim Allen is a professional life coach, speaker, and writer.

The 5 Inner Enemies That Will Stop
You From Achieving Your Goals
By Veronica Lim

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.

We aren't born that way nor do we mean to be that way, but it can often come about because of our past experiences,what someone may have told us, what we've read in the papers… and then without realising, we develop these inner enemies. How many of them can you identify with?

(1) The Confused Indecision-maker
You will often hear the Confused Indecision-Maker complaining about the way things are, and how much better it would be if things were different. It's often "someone else's" fault too. But if you stopped them and asked, "What do you want then?" they usually find it hard to give you an answer. They know what they don't want, but they don't know what they do want. As a result, they don't make decisions that will take them closer to what they want, nor do they recognise it when what they want is staring them between the eyes.

(2) The Historian
There are three aspects to the Historian. The first is that historians think that because it hasn't happened in the past or that they haven't made it happen in the past, that it won't happen in the future. The second aspect is that they keep on thinking with the same mindset as in the past, and so never begin to see things with a new perspective or come up with new ideas. And the third is that they are continually bemoaning how wonderful things were in "the good old days" that they fail to notice what's good about today.

(3) The Doubting Thomas
One of the favourite utterances of the Doubting Thomas is, "See! I told you so!" The Doubting Thomas is the person who either thinks that it can't be done or that they can't do it. So they don't put any effort into getting what they want, and then, when it doesn't happen, they get to be right! At other times, the Doubting Thomas may well put effort into getting what they want, but then spend their time worrying about it and wondering if it will ever happen. This causes them to feel stressed and tired.

(4) The Scaredy Cat
Part of the "price" for achieving our goals is to move outside of our comfort zone and to do some new things that we may not have undertaken before. The reward is that this helps us to grow as a person. It takes us to new heights, while also enabling us to experience adventure and fun. The Scaredy Cat though, will prefer to stand on the sidelines, watching others do what they do and marvel at how courageous and clever other people are. Often, Scaredy Cats are great at cheering others on, and they may "excuse" themselves for not venturing out of their comfort zones by being "modest". But deep down, they may secretly wish that they were brave enough themselves too… if only they could overcome their fear of failure.

(5) The Scatterbrain
"Roll up, roll up! This is the latest and the greatest!" So the Scattergun diverts their attention yet again to the latest good idea and that becomes their new goal. The trouble is that they haven't allowed sufficient time for their earlier ideas to germinate and to take root, not to mention taking appropriate action, before they are off again, chasing the next rainbow.

So, be willing to meet your enemies face to face! Greet them! Thank them for having been there in the past, but now be courageous enough to bid them good-bye. And in their place, embrace the person you want to become.

[Time Management] The Clock is Ticking
By Charlie Badenhop

     How do you react to deadlines? How would you feel if someone said "Hurry up, the clock is ticking and we've got to get this completed!"? How well do you cope with stress? Isn't it amazing to notice how radically your experience of passing time changes depending on the circumstances, with little correlation to the steady flow of time as shown on a clock.

     Have you ever sat in a waiting room with a clock on the wall that went "tick tock, tick tock" over and over and over again, until such time that you either wanted to run out of the room, or throw the clock out the window?

     This kind of experience is especially excruciating when you are waiting for something that you really are not looking forward to, like a treatment from your dentist. In particular, when you are feeling stressed out you experience time distortion. In some instances, like when waiting for your dentist, one minute of clock time seems to take forever. At other times when you are working towards a deadline, time appears to slip away without your knowing where it went, and you are left wondering why you are accomplishing so little.

     Waiting for a train that is twenty minutes late, when that train is bringing your loved one back to you, is very different than getting to the train station early with your loved one and waiting twenty minutes for the same train to take your loved one away from you. The train is the same, the station is the same, your loved one is the same, and the time on the clock is the same, but somehow, your emotional experience of "twenty minutes" is quite different.

     It is important for each of us to understand how the fixed passage of time as measured by a clock, has little to do with our emotional experience of time. Rather than being under the illusion that time rules our life, we will do well to recognize that it is our emotional experience and our mindset that determines how we relate to the ticking of the clock.

     Restrict your breathing and tense your muscles and time invariably will appear to speed up. You relate to time according to your expectations of what will transpire. Expect that you will be successful and the clock on the wall appears to offer you a bit more time. Expect the worst and you will have difficulty keeping up.

     What can you do to have a healthier perspective in regard to time?

     The first thing you can do is breathe slowly and deeply. When you slow down your body clock, the clock on the wall appears to slow down along with you. The next thing you can do is check in with your body. If you create a feeling of expansion in your body, by aligning your posture and releasing your muscles, time will appear to expand somewhat as well.

     Furthermore, you can notice your surroundings and extend your awareness out into the space around you. When you extend your awareness to take in the wide range of sights and sounds taking place in your local environment you will also extend your concept of time.

     Lastly, realize that with any luck, you will have tomorrow to accomplish what you were not able to accomplish today. Every new day, brings new opportunities for appreciating your life and the people you care about.

Life Coaching Can Help You to Achieve Your Full Potential by Rosa Scofield

Do you know that you have more to offer, but struggle to understand how to apply yourself in order to achieve your goals? Do you find it difficult to believe that you have the ability to fulfill your dreams and live the life that you have always wanted to have?

Many people struggle each and every day with a sense that they will never live up to their full and true potential. And unfortunately, many of those individuals will never overcome the personal mental barriers and fears that prevent them from accomplishing their life's purpose.

But, there is good news for those who are willing to ask for help. With personal life coaching and personal development training, anyone can achieve their true potential. They can reach their goals and find that something special within themselves that will make their life feel more complete.

How Personal Life Coaching Can Help

So, what is personal life coaching exactly? Life coaching is a process for individuals to undertake with the help of a coach, who will have a number of conversations with the individual and provide mentoring and advice based upon what is needed by the client. During the process, individuals - or even groups - will be asked questions that help them to really examine their lives through a whole new set of eyes and from an unbiased, knowledgeable perspective.

Some questions will be relatively straightforward: are you happy with the way your life is going? What are you looking to improve in your life - the way you accomplish your work, the amount of and quality of time that you have for your family? Other questions will require more thoughtful answers.

These questions are designed to help the life development coach see to the obstacles that stand between the client and their ultimate success in realizing their goals. These questions encourage the life coach's clients to focus on their fears, their challenges, and on whether or not they are committed to reaching their stated goals.

Developing A Path For Success

Based on the answers to all of the questions that a life coach asks - the easier and the more difficult questions - a life coach will work with his or her client to re-structure the way that the individual approaches their life, work and problems. In part, this may mean that the client will be thinking differently about how to solve problems or defining an effective strategy towards reorganizing their lives in a positive way. It may also mean that the client will begin to condition him or herself to actually reach his or her goals.

Sometimes, the personal life development coach will recognize that the individual's real goals differ from his or her stated goals in a number of ways. When this happens, the life coach will help his or her client see the contradictions between their stated and real goals.

In order to help with this conditioning, a life coach is dedicated to teaching their client's how to use tools that will boost their level of self-accountability. He or she will work with the client to help them overcome their fears and stumbling blocks, so they are better able to achieve their goals - their personal goals, their professional goals and even, in many cases, their financial goals.

Reaching goals, like life coaching itself, is a process. Unlike a therapist, a life coach will not work with his or her client to discover the roots of their problems. Instead of looking to the past, a life coach will help their client look to the future. At the end of the process, an individual will be able to clearly identify his or her goals and develop the tools and resources that are needed to achieve them.

Final Thoughts...

Whether the client desires to work towards owning and operating their own business, accelerating their career, finding balance between work and family, or merely looking for a way of identifying what will make them truly happy in their own lives, a personal life coach is an ideal partner.

It must be noted that the job of the life coach is not to take you from Point A to Point B; instead, he or she will help you to learn the mental tools that you will need to reach your destination on your own and to provide encouragement along the way.

Rosa Scofield writes about personal development and life coaching. Telos Breakthrough Principles is a company that provides mentorship and personal growth development through a series of conference calls and Webinars designed to expose individuals to life's unlimited possibilities. Telos Mentor is especially interested in helping Hispanics overcome mental barriers to success through personal development training. http://www.telosmentor.com

Article Source: http://articlebliss.com

Thank you for visiting. I hope you have found some of the information, articles and other resources helpful. If I can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be honored to be at your service. I'm here to listen and I care.

Kindest Regards and May God Bless You Abundantly!

Angela Dobbins

True Living Today Life Coaching

Inspiring and empowering individuals to live authentic, passionate, purposeful lives, while becoming all God created them to be!