Who can forget the scene, when Mr. Miyagi is showing Daniel classic defensive Karate moves, through the process of waxing a car. Daniel did not understand the wisdom, therefore, he could not see the value of waxing a car, when he wanted, and needed, to learn Karate quickly.

This is frequently the process that God uses in our lives, to develop character that is very much related to discipline. “But Lord, why should I do this? I can’t see how this relates to my career or aspirations. How is this helping my life? What is the point in doing this, over and over again?

Many of us have learned from practical experience that if we are going to reach any significant goal we will have to leave our comfort zone. Are you ready to launch out in the deep?  Wax on – Wax off.

Decision Making Traps Traps

Are you working in an organization where leaders are good at making decisions? Are the leaders in your organization able to frame problems to develop effective solutions?

One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is Do I make good decisions or fall into psychological traps? Inspiring leaders with good judgment make good decisions.

Are you able to avoid faulty thinking? Do you distort your reasoning ability? Are you able to make better decisions by being aware of your biases?

Before making an important decision, prudent managers evaluate the situations confronting them. They often fall into one of the eight traps of faulty thinking. Some managers are too optimistic and overconfident: They overestimate success and underestimate the range of potential outcomes. On the flipside, other managers are cautious to a fault: They take costly steps to defend against unlikely outcomes.

These are just two of the well-documented psychological traps that ensnare most managers at some point in their careers. Other pitfalls that distort our reasoning abilities and cater to our biases are identified in the classic 1998 Harvard Business Review article The Hidden Traps in Decision Making, by John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney and Howard Raiffa:

• We have a tendency to stick with the status quo.

• We only look for evidence that confirms our preferences.

• We are likely to throw good money after bad to defend our position and avoid admitting a mistake.

The way a problem is framed can influence how you develop solutions. To avoid this trap, you need to reframe the question in various ways to see how your thinking may change based on each version.

It is not always possible to avoid the distortions ingrained in the way our minds work, but we can build in tests to make our decision-making processes more reliable, thus improving the quality of the choices we make.

The Brain Science of Decisions

The inherent functions of the human brain can sabotage our decisions. It takes enormous energy to consciously work through possibilities and risks, so the brain looks for shortcuts. We use unconscious routines, known as heuristics, to cope with complexity and they normally serve us well. But because they operate largely out of our awareness, they also present traps.

Researchers have identified a series of flaws in the way we think when making decisions. They are hardwired into our thinking process, so we often fail to recognize them. This means they can undermine everything from new product development to acquisitions and divestiture strategy to succession planning.

While we cannot entirely rid ourselves of these ingrained flaws, we can learn to understand the traps and compensate for them. The best defense is awareness.

Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a leader who avoids psychological traps and makes good decisions. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.

Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at http://www.workingresources.com

Visit Maynard’s Blog at http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted

We provide strategic talent management solutions to select and develop emotionally intelligent leaders and lawyers.

The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded two rare “Board Approved” designations for Dr. Maynard Brusman in the specialties of Executive/Leadership Coaching and Trusted Advisor to Attorneys and Law Firms.

Dr. Maynard Brusman

Working Resources

P.O. Box 471525 San Francisco, California 94147-1525

Tel: 415-546-1252 Fax: 415-721-7322

E-mail: mbrusman@workingresources.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maynard_Brusman
http://EzineArticles.com/?Executive-Coaching-For-Decision-Making—Decision-Making-Traps&id=1461521

Lately I have been speaking to many perspective clients who aren’t having their best year this year. As I’m listening to them, I’m wondering why don’t we have our best year every year? What I’m hearing leaders and business owners say is that the economy is bad, we’re in a recession, gas prices are too high, my company is restructuring and the list goes on. For many of us life is punctuated by difficult events that we believe we can do little about. Many of us and our teams are left feeling hopeless and out of control.

Just last week I met with a company who wanted some time management and effective meeting training. They had brought me in because employees were feeling overwhelmed by the number of meetings they were attending and in turn they believed they did not have time to do their ‘real’ jobs. The more I spoke with different members of the organization, I realized that this company had a belief that was holding the entire organization back and causing stress and burnout throughout all levels. This belief was “drop everything for our most important clients because we are dependent on them.” Now when this organization first started 5 years ago, that belief was perhaps valid and it got them through some hard times. But today, as they are continuing to grow and build their client base, that belief is causing problems.

So what CAN we do? While there are forces outside of our control, sometimes I think it is easier to blame those forces than to look inside ourselves, our teams and our companies and reflect on what stops us from having our best year yet DESPITE those events that we can truly do little about. But there are things that we CAN control – it’s just that we don’t always take the time to get a grip on them.

So here are five things you and/or your team CAN do that, when done with consistency, will transform your results:

1. Learn the lessons that life offers you: I speak often about the Cycle of Productivity which explains how something goes from creation/idea stage to completion. The 4th stage of the Cycle of Productivity, and I believe the most important, is the 4^th stage in the cycle – Acknowledge. Acknowledge means to take a step back and review what has happened in the past, both the successes and the disappointments. When an individual or a team takes the time do this, what they find in the process are those lessons, that when applied to new situations will transform the result. Maybe the lesson learned is to trust your instincts. Maybe the lesson is to never let the customer down. Maybe the lesson is to focus on relationships. Whatever it is, take the time to learn the lesson and review them on a regular basis to ensure the lesson isn’t lost.

2. Deal with the things that hold you back once and for all: Sometimes the things that hold you back are tangible like poor computer systems, high turnover rates, and bad accounting systems. But more likely, what is really holding you back are the beliefs that are running your company culture or in the case of an individual, your mind. How do people think in your organization? As an individual, what thoughts run through your mind on a daily basis? Do you have beliefs that stop you from getting the results you need? Maybe there are beliefs that you don’t share information. Maybe it’s normal in your team to criticize those in another team. Have you noticed that it’s ‘okay’ not to perform up to expectations. Do poor performers get rewarded? Do you think you don’t have the time? Often our beliefs are not readily apparent to us – hey, we live them every day. But taking a step back and becoming aware of the thoughts and beliefs that are ingrained in your culture or your own head and then dealing with those that don’t help you get results, will go a long way to ensuring your success.

3. Live your values. This is the principle that most people would say is common sense, but what I know is that it isn’t common practice. So many individuals and organizations state their values – Customer Service is number one, live in integrity, honesty is the best policy – but their ACTIONS go against those values. Why is living your values so important to transforming results? Our values are the standard by which we make decisions and take action – they reflect what is most important to us. Defining strong values and living them allows us to evaluate our actions to make better decisions – those decisions that are important to us. To live your values you need to review them regularly, tell the truth about what must happen to improve the alignment between what you are doing and what you believe. When you do this, you deliver on your promise.

4. Focus on what is really important: The demands and complexities of the real world pull you in many directions. By gaining clarity and focusing on what is really important – the vital few goals that you need to achieve no matter what – you will be guided to make the best choices about how you spend your time and energy. How do you determine what is really important? First look to your values. Then take time to determine what will really engage you and your team, what will move you closer to your overall vision and mission, which would the rest of the organization or our customers care most about, which offer the best return on your investment of time, money and energy. What will make the greatest difference?

5. Adopt a process for accountability. When I work with clients, we have something called a say/do ratio. In other words, what is it that you say you are going to do and what actually gets done. My clients strive for at least an 80% say/do ratio. In order to do this, you need a system or process to ensure that people take personal responsibility and are accountable for their results. A Harvard Business Review article titled “Turning Strategy into Great Performance” states almost 15% of the total average performance loss is due to poor accountability systems. Issues such as actions needed to execute are not clearly defined, there are unclear accountabilities for execution of strategy, inadequate performance monitoring and inadequate consequences or rewards for failure or success are cited as reasons for the loss. What can an individual or company do to help? First of all, create plans that are clearly defined and ensure there is alignment on your values and your mission. Ensure the plan is communicated to everyone. But the most important discipline is to review the plan on a routine basis – at least monthly. Review goals and track your say/do ratio. Review the lessons you have learned and make sure that actions being taken are in line with your values and your focus on what is most important.

By consistently applying these five principles above, you CAN do something about your results despite everything else that is happening around you and your team.

Kimberly Kniveton is founder of Ascent Coaching & Consulting (www.ascentcoach.com). With 14 years of organizational development, training and coaching experience, Kim supports others on gaining focus, clarity and most of all, results in what matters most. Her clients comment that her fun, positive and engaging personality all contribute to helping individuals and organizations achieve success year after year. Kim has a BA in psychology and communications, obtained Her MBA in 2000 and received her coach specific training from CoachU. She is an ACC certified coach with the International Coach Federation, a certified member of the 6 Seconds Emotional Intelligence Network, qualified to various assessment tools, and is licensed to run both team and professional Producing Results programs with Best Year Yet. Kim is on the adjunct staff at the University of Utah Professional Development Center and sits on various board positions including the local chapter of the ASTD and the Utah chapter of the International Coach Federation. Kim’s passion is supporting changes that make a difference!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kimberly_Kniveton
http://EzineArticles.com/?Tired-of-All-the-Doom-and-Gloom-Lately?–5-Things-You-CAN-Do-to-Have-Your-Best-Year-Yet!&id=1343362

“Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few things in this world that you get free of charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn’t buy an extra hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure? Remember, you must use it, as it is given only once. Once wasted you cannot get it back.” — Author Unknown

This is the second in a four-part series about the system “Simpleology – The Simple Science of Getting What You Want”. This system was created by Mark Joyner following the basic tenet that simple, small things can make a profound difference in your productivity and in your ability to create happiness and success in your life. The first “Simpleology” course, “Simpleology 101″, sets forth 5 laws that will help anyone make better use of their time, and it’s completely free.

The 5 laws of “Simpleology” are the following:

1: The Law of Straight Lines

2: The Law of Clear Vision

3: The Law of Focused Attention

4: The Law of Focused Energy

5: The Inescapability of Action/Reaction

This article will focus on explaining the first law of “Simpleology”, the Law of Straight Lines, in detail.

The Law of Straight Lines points out that the shortest path between two points is a straight line, a basic principle of geometry. So, how does this apply to organizing your time? This law dictates that you should take the easiest, shortest, most direct route toward achieving your goals. That is, as you go though your day you should make sure that the actions you’re taking are necessary-and not “filler activities”-, and that you take effective action. Effective action is that which moves you in the direction of getting what you want.

However, we’re bombarded by so many different distractions throughout our day that many times the straight line-the shortest route to achieve your goals–seizes to be obvious. People have a tendency to add unnecessary, ineffective steps to the route. These are some of the unnecessary and/or ineffective steps people add:

• Spending time on low priority activities that could have been delegated or eliminated from your schedule all together.

• Wasting time shuffling papers, chatting online with friends during the time you’ve scheduled to accomplish your daily tasks, aimlessly surfing the net, and so on.

• Creating problems that don’t exist.

• Jumping around from activity to activity, starting several things but not really getting any of them done.

• Spending 15 minutes looking through your desk every time you need to find a specific sheet of paper because your desk is disorganized.

• Getting up several times throughout the day to get a doughnut from the cafeteria in an attempt to raise your lagging energy level because you failed to get proper sleep the night before.

• Taking action that moves you away from your goals. For example, if your goal is lose weight, each time you make the decision to gorge on junk food you’re moving away from your goal. If your goal is to get out of debt, every time you go on a shopping spree because one of your favorite stores has a sale you just can’t pass up, you’re moving away from your goal.

Teresa Romain, Founder and President of “Access Abundance”, teaches a similar concept which she calls “a 2-degree shift”. To understand the concept of a 2-degree shift, take a pencil and a piece of paper and draw a circle. Draw an “x” at the 12 o’clock mark and label it “true North”. At the 1:00 o’clock mark, draw another “x” and label it “magnetic North”. Let’s say you’re at “magnetic North” and you want to be at “true North”. You could take the route which takes you 358 degrees clock-wise around the whole circle. This route is slow, discouraging, tedious, and it’s so long you might never even get there. Instead, you could simply do the 2-degree shift to the left and you would reach your goal, getting to “true North”, by a much shorter and quicker route. Developing new habits, new thoughts, new beliefs, and new actions will allow you to find 2-degree shifts.

Applying the laws and principles of “Simpleology” to your life and utilizing the free software that they provide will help you to identify the shortest route to your goals and will help you stick to that route. Always keep your mind attuned to finding the shortest path to move from where you are to where you want to be.

Written by Marelisa Fábrega who blogs at http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marelisa_Fabrega
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Do-More-in-Less-Time—Simpleology,-Part-2&id=1007916

The system “Simpleology – The Simple Science of Getting What You Want” was created by Mark Joyner following the basic tenet that simple, small things can have a profound difference in your productivity and in your ability to create happiness and success in your life. The first “Simpleology” course, “Simpleology 101″, teaches a system for managing your time based on years of productivity research, and it’s completely free.

“Simpleology” courses are straightforward, fun, easy, and entertaining. Their purpose is not to inform you, but to transform you. Each course applies proven techniques of Learning and Behavioral Psychology to improve your retention. In order to expose your mind to the ideas presented in the course in as many different ways as possible, the multi-media “Simpleology” courses include:

• Five-minute animated cartoon lessons.

• Retention-building quizzes.

• Memory joggers distilling the essence of what you need to know from each lesson.

• Step-by step course checklists.

• A “Virtuosity Book” (a downloadable PDF version of all the lessons).

• Audios of the “Virtuosity Book” so that you can listen to each lesson as you read along.

The “Simpleology 101″ course consists of 20 short, easy to understand lessons. You’re instructed to complete only one lesson per day. In addition, when you’ve completed the last lesson of the course you should go through all the lessons a second time.

“Simpleology” dictates that in order to hit a target you first have to clearly identify what that target is. That is, you have to know what you want. In addition, it explains that you need to start with the big picture: describe what your ideal or ultimate life would look like. Then you set milestones toward creating that ideal life-focusing on one element of your ideal life at a time so that you don’t scatter your energy–and you further break down these milestones into the smallest chunks you can think of. You then plan each day based on the small steps you have identified which will steadily move you toward achieving your goals.

In addition to the “Simpleology 101″ course, when you sign up for free for “Simpleology” you have access to a suite of software applications which you can immediately download at absolutely no cost:

• The WebCockpit is software that allows you to integrate the basic principles of Simpleology into your daily life for quick results.

• The DesktopCockpit allows you to extend the Webcockpit onto your desktop so that you can have instant access to these functions throughout the day.

• The Wimiki sits in the lower right corner of your desktop and directs you throughout the day to do things that will boost your energy and raise your productivity. It’s like having a mini-coach right on your computer.

By planning each day based on the small things that you can do on that day to steadily move you toward achieving your short, mid, and long-term goals, and toward creating your ideal life, you’ll be making optimal use of your time. In addition, “Simpleology” teaches not to add unnecessary steps to the path toward reaching your goals–such as wasting your time doing “busy work”, aimlessly surfing the net, constantly checking your e-mail, and so on–and that each decision that you make-however small it may seem-is either moving you toward your targets or away from them. “Simpleology” helps you to identify which actions are keeping you on the path toward hitting your targets and which ones are throwing you off course.

Written by Marelisa Fábrega who blogs at http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marelisa_Fabrega
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Do-More-in-Less-Time—Simpleology-(Part-1)&id=999711

My friend and colleague, Sandy Davis, who lives in the northern reaches of the state of Maine, is an executive leadership coach. Among other things, he teaches people how to be resilient. He has a simple, effective formula that includes spending fifteen minutes each day in three different practices: a centering practice, an aerobic practice, and a creative practice. According to Sandy, along with some other basics like eating and sleeping well, if you consistently practice fifteen minutes daily in each of the three areas, you will develop and sustain a resilient mind, body and spirit.

I don’t have difficulty with the centering or the aerobic practices. I make time for these easily every morning. I have always known that of the three resilience practices, my creative practice is the one I am most prone to let fall by the wayside.

While I am very creative in my work life, Sandy says that being creative at work (writing articles and creating workshops, for example) is not the same thing as a separate creative practice, like weaving, painting, or writing poetry. By the same token, if you are a poet and make your living that way, you would need a different creative practice that takes you out of the work arena.

Singing is my true creative practice, and sadly, I am not consistent.

In the past month, however, I’ve needed to sing nearly every day in preparation for a concert. As I practiced and rehearsed by myself and with my trio, I noticed that my energy was higher, my spirits lighter, and my attitude happier – not just during rehearsals but all the time. And this increased resilience seemed to radiate out into other domains of life. Singing always buoys me, but the songs I sang in this concert were particularly uplifting: “On A Wonderful Day Like Today,” “Put On A Happy Face,” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” to name a few.

This experience was a needed reminder of the benefits of a separate creative practice and has inspired me to sing at least fifteen minutes a day. How hard can that be?! What has kept me from it in the past is the interior dialogue: “I don’t have time to practice; it takes too long to warm up and get ready to sing,” — stuff like that. What I noticed this time is that the warm-up IS singing and IS fun. So …

I will sing fifteen minutes a day. Promise to myself.

What is your creative practice? Have you actually practiced it lately?

About the Author: Judy Ringer is the author of Unlikely Teachers: Finding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Conflict and the award-winning e-zine, Ki Moments, containing stories and practices on turning life’s challenges into life teachers. Judy is a black belt in aikido and nationally known presenter, specializing in unique workshops on conflict, communication, and creating a positive work environment. She is the founder of Power & Presence Training and chief instructor of Portsmouth Aikido, Portsmouth, NH, USA. To sign up for more free tips and articles like these, visit http://www.JudyRinger.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Ringer
http://EzineArticles.com/?Creating-Resilience&id=1444005

My husband and I recently spent a weekend at a bed and breakfast inn in New Hampshire. One of the selling points of this particular B&B was that the room had its own fireplace. When we came back from dinner, I set about making a fire for us. I’m not exactly Mountain Woman, but I know how to make a pretty good fire. Try as I might, though, I could not get this one going. Neither could my husband . . . until he figured out what was wrong. He said, “There isn’t enough draft from the flue. We have to open some windows.” Which of course made perfect sense: midwinter in New Hampshire, open some windows to let in some cold air so we can have a nice cozy fire! One thing I’ve learned being married for 28 years is that the path with heart doesn’t always “make sense.” He opened some windows a bit and in no time we had a rip-roaring fire.

Lighting and tending a fire requires attention and skill. Sometimes the fire gives dramatic cues – a spray of sparks, a burst of flame. And sometimes the cues are subtle – as in the case of the missing draft.

Igniting and tending the fires of personal intention also require attention and skill. Getting the fire going in the first place typically requires three elements:

– Clarify your intention.
– Identify some next steps.
– Get started taking those next steps.

The greater challenge seems to come during next stage, which
requires that you:

– Take the action.
– Listen to the information that the action produces.
– Apply that information to determine your next step.

This stage can last a very long time. You essentially repeat these steps until you reach your intended goal, change your intention, or lose heart and let the fire go out. Did you know that the most common reason people let the fire go out is that they haven’t learned how to listen to, and apply the feedback from their actions?

Here’s an example. A small business owner I worked with several
years ago wanted to increase her customer base. Although her marketing strategy was delivering very poor results, she remained stubbornly committed to it because, as she put it, “it should be working.” Meanwhile, her business was dropping off and she was getting more and more discouraged. Her fire was going out, but she was unwilling to move the logs around, use the bellows, or put on another log. I could not convince her to use the feedback. She eventually stopped working with me and closed the business.

Another client of mine used “negative” feedback much more
effectively. Her intention was to strengthen her boundaries at work and to stop doing other people’s jobs at the expense of her own. This meant going against her natural instinct, which was to always help other people. When she started paying closer attention, she noticed that she felt angry when she was doing work that she didn’t want to be doing. She learned to use the anger as a cue. As soon as she noticed herself feeling angry, she would step back and ask herself whose work she was doing. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the anger signaled that she was doing someone else’s work. She would then do something about it, such as return the work to the person whose job it was. Over time she became quite skilled at this and learned to not take it on in the first place unless she really wanted to and had the time for it.

THE FEEDBACK OF “YES”

It’s just as important to honor the positive feedback – no matter how subtle or unusual it looks. While engaged in some activity, you may feel flow, or you may have the sense that you’re just getting going and you don’t want to stop. This is feedback that you are on course. Don’t discount it. Let it in. It will fan the flames of your intention. Or you may notice a delightfully synchronous occurrence. As my friend Chris sat in her mountain home writing about her connection with animals, her cats gathered outside her window, looked toward her
and meowed. This is the feedback of “yes.”

And every once in a while, your action will result in what I call a “huge nod from the universe.” You will experience a resounding “yes!” A client of mine had a very clear intention to reach more people with her work. One of her action steps was to hold a series of workshops. Several things happened. First, a local retail store decided to sponsor and publicize her workshops. Second, the turnout for these workshops was high. Third, the response at these events was very enthusiastic. Her energized, excited participants swarmed around her after the workshops to express their appreciation and gratitude. They became private clients, they signed up for her clinics, and they came back to her subsequent workshops with friends in hand. Can you imagine how this positive feedback affected the fire of her intention??? Like putting a match to crumpled newspaper under kindling. Foooooom! A HUGE
flame!

Sometimes the huge nod from the universe seems to come from within you: the creative breakthrough you experience after writing every day for several months; the blast of exhilaration you feel finishing your first Walk for Hunger; the sheer fun of finally “getting” swing dance in your body. These are vivid experiences of affirmation. The message is clear: “keep doing this.”

Possibly the hardest feedback to interpret is what feels like no feedback at all. You see minimal results – neither a yes nor a no. Often this means there just isn’t enough information yet. Hang in there, keep doing what you’re doing, and pay attention. Sooner or later, you’ll receive the critical mass of information you need. I urge you to pay attention to the information your actions generate in a way that keeps the fires of your intention burning. If your actions are producing satisfying results, know that you are on course, and see if you can turn it up a notch. If your actions are not bringing satisfying results, do something different. You may need to open a window!

COACHING TIPS:

Answer these questions:

1. What are you working on, currently?

2. What action steps are you taking toward reaching your goal?

3. What is the feedback from taking these steps?

4. Are you using that feedback to determine your next steps?

Copyright 2003 Sharon Teitelbaum. All rights reserved.

Master Certified Coach Sharon Teitelbaum is an authority on work life balance and an expert life coach to busy professionals, high achievers, people at midlife, and working parents. Her book, Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance, is a strategic, tactical guide for maintaining a sane and balanced life, distilled from her experience coaching hundreds of people.

A sought-after keynote speaker and workshop leader, Sharon has addressed such diverse audiences as Harvard Medical School Faculty, financial advisors at Merrill Lynch, and Mothers’ of Twins Clubs. She has been featured in national publications including The New York Times, Working Mother Magazine, and Forbes.com. Sharon works with individual coaching clients throughout the US and internationally by phone, or in person in the Boston area, and always offers an initial consultation at no charge. Married for thirty-plus years, she is the mother of two fabulous grown-up daughters.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_Teitelbaum
http://EzineArticles.com/?Get-That-Resounding-Yes!&id=97297

Most of us know what it’s like to spend some time here – standing on the threshold. It usually happens just at the point where we’ve made decisions about the changes we want to make, designed our vision for the future and can see it beckoning us ‘on the other side’ and all we have to do is get there.

It sounds so easy….all we have to do is get there… and yet the threshold of change is where many of us loiter indefinitely only to remain separated from the place we want to be.

So what’s going on? What stops us from actually making the changes we yearn for? The paralysis we experience is the result of fear, together with a few other things like resistance, doubt and procrastination thrown in for good measure. When they choose to combine forces they form an effective ‘mental canyon’ between where we are now and where we want to be. For many of us, the realisation that we have to actually step onto the bridge that will take us to the other side is so daunting, we become immobilised and stranded by our fear.

Yes, fear can certainly be a crippling poison but action is a powerful antidote. Now, if I was to suggest that the best way over the bridge was to just keep running, no matter how much it sways, until you reach the other side, you might understandably prefer to stay put. But what if instead, all you had to do was step onto the bridge secure in the knowledge that it would cause little more than a slight quiver? Then, when you’ve got your balance, what if you took another step …and then another… and another, until you stand triumphantly on terra firma, at the place you want to be.

No amount of dreaming, planning or positive thinking in the world will get you past the threshold of change without taking action. And without taking action, your vision, hopes and dreams will always remain on the other side.

Karen Knott is a life coach who works with midlife women who are eager to reconnect with their sense of purpose and enthusiasm and make lasting changes that have a positive impact on their lives.

Get a taster by registering for her free e-Programme ‘Turning Midlife into the Time of Your Life’ at http://www.midlifematters.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Knott http://EzineArticles.com/?Standing-on-the-Threshold-of-Change&id=1413159

Practice makes perfect. We have all heard that expression before. However, while practice does not make an individual perfect, it will make him/her better and maybe even the best in the world at whatever they have practiced for.

I remember in my childhood days when my brother and I got new bikes for Christmas. We were so excited to finally have bikes to ride around in the neighborhood. The only problem was that we had never rode bikes before. Not to mention we were already 12 and 13 years old at that time, so training wheels for our new bikes were out of the question.

To start off, my dad would hold our bikes while we hopped on and got set to ride. Once we started to peddle he would give us a little nudge and we were off. However, I was not off to the races, because at about 10 – 15 feet of riding I lost my balance and fell off.

My dad would do the same routine over and over and I kept falling off over and over. I was so upset and I’m sure I even cried, because I wanted to ride my bike so bad, but could not keep my balance. Finally, I just gave up and went inside the house pouting and thinking I would never be able to ride a bike.

The next morning I thought I would try it again and so I went outside, jumped on my bike without my dad, and began to ride and I rode and I rode. My dad came outside and was so excited for us. Riding a bike is not hard, but it does take a level of practice. Since my brother and I practiced we could only get better. At first, we could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. We constantly saw falls, bruises, and our feelings hurt.

We are all gifted and talented and some things just seem to come natural to us. Although, if we are not careful we may think the natural talent for something will be enough not realizing others are working hard to be better and more than likely will be better than us. Having natural talent and gifting for certain things should not excuse us from working hard to be better and even great. It takes practice.

Going back to High School years if we desired to play on the High School football team, we had to show the coaches we could play and that we could play better than the others trying out for the same position. Practices would take place every day after school and we would work hard for the position we desired. It took practice on and off the field.

How about when we had a big test or final exam coming up? We would take the proper time to practice by studying the material we learned throughout the year over and over again. Yes, practice can be tiresome and redundant, but it is that consistency that causes us to remember and makes us better.

Another thing I think of relating to practice is that there is a right and wrong way of doing things. If we are practicing the wrong way of doing things, the end result will not be good. It may look good for a while, but will turn out not so good. In other words, if we learned a certain behavior, attitude, or lifestyle that was not good, the end result will be bad for us.

Let’s put this concept into perspective. You learned that beating your wife was perfectly ok, because you saw your father beat your mother throughout your childhood. You learned that behavior and practiced it and it will not turn out good for you. Cheating on tests, acting out your rage, using illegal drugs, drinking to get drunk, cussing others out, talking behind people’s backs, lying, and anything like and associated with these will mess our lives up. There are good behaviors and wrong behaviors. There is a good and wrong lifestyle. It is up to us to make sure we are not practicing the wrong behavior and lifestyle.

What behavior, attitude, or lifestyle do you recognize that is not healthy for you that you desire to get rid of? It all starts with you acknowledging that your behavior or lifestyle is not benefiting your life; rather it is robbing you of life. Remember, you act the way you do, because that is how you learned it and so you practiced it that way. Now, if it is a behavior or lifestyle that is not benefiting you, then find out, learn, and start practicing the behavior or lifestyle that will benefit you. It takes practice.

It just takes practice. Anything we long to change in our lives just takes practice performing it a different way from what we originally learned. How willing are you to work hard to achieve the proper behaviors or lifestyle you desire? Think about your life right now and ask yourself what behavior that I possess constantly causes friction between me and others? You have the power to change it. Again, going back to me riding my bike or trying out for the High School team it took practice to accomplish the end result desired. Practice will not make you perfect, but it will help you to become great.

Josh Perez is a speaker, writer, and a personal and professional coach helping individuals set and achieve goals, make life changes, overcome procrastination, become free of damaging thought patterns, conquer obstacles, discover life purpose, get out of a rut, and move forward.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_Perez http://EzineArticles.com/?Practice—Overcoming-a-Hurtful-Behavior-Or-Lifestyle&id=1419878

A life coach is someone you hire to help assist you with your personal development, especially in the area of setting and achieving specific goals. They may use questions, times of reflection, discussion and specific request to help their clients identify goals related to personal, relational, career and business areas of their life. Once this first step is accomplished they will usually help the client to develop necessary relationships, strategies and action steps to achieve those goals.

Life coaching is not as well known, as it should be because of its confidential nature. It has been used successfully by over 200,000 people world wide.

If you generate income from e-commerce activities such as blogging, affiliate marketing, Ebay stores or other online business you are a perfect candidate for a life coach. Coaching is designed to help you break through those barriers online entrepreneurs frequently face. Life coaches can specialize in areas like relationships, careers or personal growth. “As with any relationship, it’s important for coach and client to ‘click’ interpersonally.

A Life Coach usually schedules sessions with you by phone (telephone coaching), in weekly appointments, to partner with you in identifying your desires, and to help you find your core values and goals. He or she will encourage you to take action, and do all they can to help you achieve success. Failure to plan and set goals and action steps is one of the major reasons for lack of success in online ventures.

Remember that life coaching is about encouraging you, acknowledging you, motivating you, and moving you through old patterns and limitations so you can get into effective action. It is a designed relationship between coach and client where the coaching alliance continually gives all the power back to the client. If you think life coaching could be helpful, then try it out and see if it is for you. Discover what this process is all about and join the many people worldwide who have gained the benefits from Life Coaching.