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2012 Goals

January 5, 2012 By

GoalsHave you set your goals for this year yet?

If you haven’t now is a great time to do it.  All you have to do is get a piece of paper or a calendar and write down your exact goal (be specific) and when you want to achieve it by.  Then put it somewhere that you will actually look at it.  That is it!  You have set goals.

If you want to have more fun with it download the free goal sheet from The Project Girl.  You can break your goals up into the different areas of your life so you can focus on each one when you need to!

Filed Under: Goal Setting Tagged With: , ,
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Day 1 – The Journey Begins To #OwnMyLife

January 5, 2012 By

We received the DVDs in the mail today and I was going to wait until tomorrow to pop in the first one and I just couldn’t wait.  I have been excited about this since I heard about them and even more excited since my wife was on board and we are going to do this together.

In the package were ten DVDs, The Diamond Dozen poster, and guidebook.  I will do an article in down the road about contents and quality once I get the chance to really dive into all of it but now I want to discuss the first workout.

The first disc you encounter is The Diamond Dozen.  It teaches you 13 essential moves/positions (DDP acknowledges he is not that good at math) that you will use throughout the series and for this reason it is recommended that you learn these before moving on.  After doing them all it will not take most people more than once or twice through to learn them especially if you keep the poster on your wall.

My first thought – this is going to hurt!  And it does a little if you have not exercised or stretched real well in a while.  However, it feels great just to stretch my body out.  I am a tad sore but feel good after stretching out.

Each move is broken down into a “watch us do it then you do it” teaching method which I quite like.  You don’t have to do the back and forth thing to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

For those that cannot do the moves as intended there are also modifiers shown for several of the them.  This allows you to work you way up to doing them the way they were designed to be done.  I like that this is put out in front on the DDPYoga site because it is saying “Not everyone can do this but we are going to work with you.”  Other DVDs it is an all or nothing process and is why some people give up after a couple weeks.  Leave that frustration at the door and modify the moves and you will get through this workout just fine.

My most favorite thing of all is when Page points out where you may be faulting.  What I mean by this is the person on the video may have their foot flat on the floor and DDP will point this out and say your foot may not be flat on the floor right now but it will be.  When I looked down my foot isn’t on the floor but I feel reassured that I am not screwing up – I am just baby-stepping to the level where I can do it.

All in all my first impression of the workout is extremely positive.  I feel like Page is coaching me through the steps, pointing out where I may not be doing it exactly right at the point but will get there, and it makes me want to continue.  I don’t have that “falling behind” feeling that many other fitness videos give you where you are moved through quickly like you should have mastered what they should be teaching you.

I’ll have another article soon about the next workout.  In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the workouts you can visit the DDPYoga site.

Filed Under: DDP Yoga, Fitness Tagged With: , , , ,
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DDPYoga

January 1, 2012 By

DDPYoga Logo2011 was about the financial and 2012 is about the physical. So, my wife and I settled on trying DDPYoga for our fitness goals of 2012.

DDPYoga is a no impact workout designed and hosted by Dallas Page.  It has been around for a few years as YRG Fitness and is being rebranded and is suppose to be better than the previous release from the reviews I have read.

On the web site it says that the workout can help in several fitness areas.  My focus is on weight loss, core strength, and cardio. I plan on doing a series on the site about my personal progress and will update you at least once a week on that week’s progress.  I am shooting for about 2.5 pounds per week for the first few weeks and then hope to kick it into gear from there.

If you have this program or purchase this program feel free to comment on the weekly posts, follow along and do the workouts on my schedule, or follow on Twitter.

Filed Under: DDP Yoga, Fitness Tagged With: , , , , ,
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New Year’s Eve 2011

December 31, 2011 By

Happy New YearIs it really that time again?

A lot of people will set their resolutions this weekend on how they are going to be better or improve their life next year.  I hope you have already set your goals and you are prepared for what the new beginning has in store for you.

A new year is not the only time to make changes in your life.  Review your goals throughout the year so you can recommit to them.  Many resolutions never get completed and that is because they are out of sight out of mind.  Review your resolutions/goals/wants regularly and achieve what you are looking to achieve.

Here is hoping that 2012 brings the happiness and purpose you want in your life and we will see you next year!

Filed Under: Goal Setting, Life Coaching, Time Management Tagged With: , , , ,
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Merry Christmas 2011

December 24, 2011 By
Bloomberg Tower Christmas Tree

Photo Courtesy of Rob Boudon

Merry Christmas from my family to yours.  I hope you will take the next couple of days to rest, relax, and enjoy those around you.

Filed Under: Holidays Tagged With: ,
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Thank You

December 16, 2011 By

Thank YouI want to take a moment to thank you and wish you all a very Merry Christmas!  I will not be posting any more full articles until the new year so until then have safe travels and happy memories!

Filed Under: Holidays
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Thanksgiving 2011

November 26, 2011 By
Thanksgiving Dinner

Photo Courtesy of Buxtrosion

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Take a moment to reflect on the holiday and what made you feel good that day.  Even if you had a not so great day or had to be at work pick out one or two things that made you happy that day.

 

Filed Under: Life Coaching Tagged With: , , ,
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The Other Perspective

November 19, 2011 By

Perspective - Disney's Hollywood StudiosHave you ever thought about what the other person is thinking?  Even if they are being hateful what might be going on in their lives?

When someone cuts me off in traffic my first reaction is to get agitated.  Then I calm down and often the way I do this is to think to myself that I don’t know what is going on with that person and maybe it was an honest mistake.  When we have knee jerk reactions we tend to do or say things that we don’t mean or, at least, don’t mean them to be as hateful as we said them.

When someone pisses you off do you stop to think about what they are going through?  Do you try and look at it from their perspective?

Each of us are individuals with our own thoughts and minds and three of us looking at a picture might perceive three different things.  If you look at the picture to the left you might see something totally different than me.  Let’s say three people are looking at it and these are their perspectives:

  1. A quiet street.
  2. A nice shot of San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
  3. A picture of a building.

All three people have legitimate perspectives.  It does look like a quite street (maybe it is early morning and the sun just rose.  You can see a bridge in the background which may very well be the Golden Gate leading you to believe this is in San Francisco.  And the brown building on the right tends to stand out a little so maybe that really is what this picture is of.

However, all three would be wrong.

This is a picture I took at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.  This was a backlot like they shoot movies on.  Those buildings are fake and the sky and buildings in the background are plastered on a wall.

This is simply a rather long explanation to say when someone does something you don’t like, don’t agree with, or what have you take a moment and try and see their perspective on the matter.  You still do not have to agree but looking at it from both sides can help you understand where the person is coming from and in matters where a decision has to be made can help to make one that satisfies all parties involved.

Filed Under: Life Coaching, People Tagged With: , , ,
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It Is Never To Late To Try Again

November 12, 2011 By

Never To LateI hear people talk about how they wish they had done this or that. So, why not now? Is it really ever to late? As long as you are breathing I don’t see why it has to be.

mental_floss recently put up an article with 10 people who did not start their careers or what they became known for until late in life.  This included people such as Colonel Sanders who didn’t open KFC until he was 65, Grandma Moses who was 76 when she did her first painting, and Takichiro Mori who left teaching at the age of 55 to be a real estate investor and died with a net worth of $13 billion dollars.

No matter what it is that you wish you could do in life it is never to late to try.  If you are 40 years old and wish you had a degree then go get one.  60 and want to be a professional wrestler – I can show you how to do that as well.

“Don’t dream it.  Be it.”  Rocky Horror Picture Show

Photo Credit:  Terry-Anne

Filed Under: Careers, Goal Setting Tagged With: , , , ,
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Negative People In Your Positive World

November 5, 2011 By

“The attitudes of your friends are like the buttons on an elevator. They’ll either take you up or they’ll take you down.” Alexander Lockhart

RolodexWhy associate yourself with negative people?   It is a very simple question with a huge impact.

Have you ever been so extremely happy one minute and then your friend comes by and you can feel your mood drop?  This may not happen right away but I am sure you have noticed someone around you that causes this to happen.  What do you do about it?  Most people stay around and never say anything about it and let it happen time and time again.

Don’t get me wrong.  We all have our bad days where we bring other people to the bottom of the barrel with us and that is one reason we have close relationships – so we have someone who will take that ride with us when needed.  But those around you who are doing it day after day are impacting your life in ways you may not even think about until you sit back and look.

So, take a moment and open your contact list on your phone or in your e-mail.  Who all are constantly negative?  Think about this hard.  Who always drags you down, dampens your attitude for the remainder of the day (or sometimes days), and then effects everyone around you as you are taking their negativity around?  It may be time to delete them.

“We all need a daily check up from the neck up to avoid stinkin’ thinkin’ which ultimately leads to hardening of the attitudes. ”  Zig Ziglar

 

Side note:  Want to learn how to deal better with a negative co-worker?  Check out Dealing With Toxic People on the A Daring Adventure blog.

 

Filed Under: Life Coaching Tagged With: , ,
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Listen To The Mustn’t

October 29, 2011 By
Shel SilversteinListen to the MUSTN’T, child,
Listen to the DON’Ts
Listen to the SHOULDN’Ts
The IMPOSSIBLES,
the WON’Ts
Listen to the NEVER HAVEs
Then listen close to me–
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.
~Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein had it right all along.
No matter what you set out to do there will be detractors.  Those people who are going to bring you back down or try and knock you back.  Many times it is the people closest to us that make that attempt.  If you listen to Dave Ramsey any length of time he talks about the people that will make fun of you for getting out of debt because they say it cannot be done or they don’t see the point because you will always owe someone something.
Well, ANYTHING CAN BE!
You have to set your mind to accomplish whatever it is you desire and go do it.  The people around you may tell you that you can’t but you have to know you can.  A lot of the ones who say you can’t just feel like you are going to leave them behind while you are pursuing your path and you may have to reassure them that is simply not the case.  Others feel that they need to keep you on their level because they don’t want you “to be better than them” and you will have to tell them that you are the same person you have only accomplished what you want out of life and they can do the same.
See, they can do it to if they only have someone to tell them that they can.  Will you go out today or pick up the phone and encourage someone to follow their dream?  To find the career that fits them, to get out of debt, or to lose five pounds all it takes is a little encouragement.  I try to provide that to you with everything I write.  Will you go out and do it for someone else today?
Filed Under: Life Coaching Tagged With: , , , ,
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Are you feeling trapped?

October 22, 2011 By
Trapped

Photo Courtesy of Walt Stoneburner

Do you sometimes feel you are trapped in your current job? You have to pay bills so you fear that if you quit you will not find another place to work thus you fear not being able to pay those bills.

You may feel trapped but you need to get yourself out of that mindset.  There are things you can do to transition to another position within the same company where you may be happier.  You can create a plan to create your own business or to make a move to another company without the risk of quitting your current job first.

If you want to know how to do this I recommend you pickup a copy of Jon Acuff‘s book Quitter.  It will show you how to transition from jobs so you are not being left hanging if nothing else comes along.

“Once a manager, in front of everbody said to me “You aren’t the only person who can do this job”. And I replied, in front of everybody, “And this isn’t the only place I can do it either”.” A comment by a user named Artful Dodger at bnet.

Filed Under: Careers Tagged With: , , ,
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To Big To Tackle?

October 15, 2011 By

Turtle vs. StrawberryDo you have a task in your life that you feel that is to big to tackle?  Feeling overwhelmed or like to much is being put on you?  Well, there is an easy way to fix this.  Now, the way is easy – that does not mean your path to the end of the obstacle will be but it helps you get to the end.

How do you do it?  One step at a time.  Simple, right?  It really is that easy.  Take whatever you are dealing with at write it at the top of piece of paper.  Now write down small steps that you can do to help you get to the end.  Hang this up where you will see it and mark off the steps until you get to where you are going.

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!  – Author Unknown

Take any large task and break it down to it’s smaller steps.  Before you know it you will have accomplished something you thought was out of your reach.
 
 
 

Photo from Must Love Dogs by way of Jonfun.
Filed Under: Goal Setting, Life Coaching Tagged With: , , ,
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What do you think is enough?

October 8, 2011 By
Never Good Enough

Photo Courtesy of Evan Holloway

I run into people all the time who say that they do not have enough.  This is a very broad statement and one I think we all need to evaluate in our own lives.

What constitutes “enough” in your life?  Is having a loving family enough or do you need to own the house your family is in?  Is being able to pay the bills every month enough or do you need a million dollars in the bank?  There is no right or wrong here – just an evaluation of where “enough” stands for you.

Let us do something to take action.  Take three minutes and write a list of items that you feel satisfies your life.  This could be kids, money, family or could even be something like notebooks if you are a writer. Whatever you feel fulfills your life and you have enough write it down even if it wouldn’t make sense to anyone else.

Now,  beside that list make another column and write down items in your life that you don’t feel that you have enough of.  Same rules apply, whether it would make sense to anyone else is irrelevant and go for three minutes.  Just let it flow out of you as you write the list no matter how out there you think the item is.

Done?

Now, compare the two lists.  Do you see similarities?  If you wrote for the full three minutes I bet you do.  See how you can use what you have enough of to fill what you feel you do not have enough of.  Many times having it in front of you makes you realize you have more than you thought.  What about those things that you do not see similarities on?  Well, now is the time for you to determine how much of that thing you need to have enough, pull out your goal planner/calendar/paper and outline what specific steps you need to take to have enough.

Do you see what I did there?  You just learned another step in setting goals.  You have to figure out what you want or need out of life to be fulfilled before you can set a goal.  You need the target.  Now you should have several to shoot for.  Can’t say you don’t have any goals now can you?

Special thanks to Randy Pausch for teaching me the head-fake.

 

Filed Under: Goal Setting, Life Coaching Tagged With: , , ,
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Fall Is Upon Us

October 1, 2011 By

FallFall is upon us.  The changing seasons remind us that nothing stays the same.  We must change in order to grow just like the tree that must lose it’s leaves, which fertilizes the soil, which allows the tree to grow larger and stronger.

The next three months will be busy and hectic for the majority of people.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, birthdays, school plays, work and household commitments.  Sometimes it seems like it is never ending but we push ourselves and make it through and start a new year.  My hope for you, though, is that as you go through the season that you lose some of your leaves which helps you grow and be the person you want to be as we embark on this journey together.

Welcome to my favorite season.  One of cool weather, celebration, fun, and planning for the coming year.

 

Filed Under: Life Coaching Tagged With: , , , ,