This personal development blog is written by an experienced Life Coach to equip, encourage and inspire people to take meaningful action and make a positive difference in the world.
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Bull riders have eight seconds to stay on their raging bull.
It’s not a lot of time, but I’m sure to the rider it can seem like an eternity.
Eight seconds.
Research says that 50% of web surfers spend eight seconds on each page that they’re looking at before deciding whether or not to read on.
If you have a web-site or blog, that’s all the time you have to grab someone’s attention and encourage them read more.
Eight seconds. Read the rest of this entry »
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Edwin Louis Cole once said, “You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.”
It’s a timely reminder that it’s not our problems that defeat us, it’s our inability to come up with resourceful solutions to them.
Sometimes, we get caught in the trap of focussing on our circumstances.
We think that we’re defeated and if we go on thinking that way, we are.
Let me encourage you today to keep your head above water, to keep swimming, to find a way to make it through whatever challenges are in your way.
It’s easy to allow one mistake to sidetrack our endeavours, but don’t let that happen to you.
One bad eating day doesn’t need to destroy your weight loss aims.
One bad customer interaction doesn’t need to hinder you from reaching your sales targets.
One negative comment doesn’t need to stop you from sharing your ideas.
One day of inaction doesn’t need to turn into a life of lethargy.
You may be down at the moment, but you don’t need to stay there.
Through persistence, a positive attitude, hard work and innovative ideas, you can come up out of the water. Dripping wet and smiling!
My oldest son, ever the philosopher, recently told us that he wished that good experiences lasted longer and the bad ones shorter.
Even at the age of six he understands the concept that time flies when you’re having fun, but bad times seem to linger.
Karen and I smiled at him and I responded with a few ways to make the good times seem to last longer and the bad times shorter.
I’ve thought of a few additional points since reflecting on the subject and here are my thoughts.
To make the good times last longer: Read the rest of this entry »
Logan, Hayden and Madison playing on the swings
I was playing down at the local park a couple of days ago with the kids.
They were having a great time, especially on the swings.
Madison’s hair was flowing behind her, Hayden was going higher and higher and Logan was doing the obligatory “Weeeeeeeee.”
They were in motion, flying through the air, feeling the exhilaration of the wind in their faces and enjoying the rush of the risk of falling.
Wouldn’t it be great if our lives were like that?
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There’s a common urban legend that the Chinese word for crisis combines the characters for danger and opportunity.
Many personal development experts use this myth to interpret that during a crisis, we have the choice to either focus on the dangerous element of the event or the opportunity that presents itself within every set of circumstances.
Alas, it’s a myth and the Chinese word for crisis (wieji) actually literally indicates a perilous time to be particularly wary.
Now that I’ve debunked that legend, where do we get the word crisis from?
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I came across this story a few weeks ago and wanted to share it. I’m not sure who the original author is, so please comment below if you know.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and put them on the stove. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first pot she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil and twenty minutes later she turned off the burners.
Just imagine going to the local police station.
You’re taken into questioning and you’re asked about your alibi.
Most alibis are required to see what you were doing when a crime was committed. Can you prove your whereabouts at a certain time? Is it airtight? Can you prove that you didn’t do what they are alleging?
But this one’s different.
This alibi is to find what your reason is for not doing more with your life or reaching for your dreams. It’s a crime of omission, not a crime of commission.
Here’s the usual list of alibis that people use to justify their lives: Read the rest of this entry »
At the end of this year, we will be able to say one of two things, “I’m glad I did or I wish I did.”
I’m glad that I worked hard to make my dreams come closer to reality, or I wish I did.
I’m glad that I invested in my children, helping them to feel valued, confident and loved, or I wish I did.
I’m glad that I lived with passion and enthusiasm, greeting each day with a smile, or I wish I did.
I’m glad that I looked after myself, exercising regularly and eating right, or I wish I did.
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I recently started to read Tolkien’s classic “The Hobbit” to my oldest son Hayden and stumbled upon the following description of dragons.
“Dragons steal gold and jewels, you know, from men and elves and dwarves, wherever they can find them; and they guard their plunder as long as they live (which is practically for ever, unless they are killed), and never enjoy a brass ring of it.”
How sad.
Imagine aspiring to have all of this treasure but never being able to enjoy it?
My question today is, are you that different?
I was writing a resume for a client last week and one of the past roles he had was as a dispatch officer. Or is that a despatch officer?
I wasn’t 100% sure, so I did what most people do these days when they don’t know the answer to something.
I googled it.
It turns out that both are acceptable, with dispatch preferred by most.
To dispatch (or despatch) literally means to send off a message, to execute a prompt business transaction or to effect the speedy delivery of goods.
As I considered which one to use, it occurred to me that the spelling of the word didn’t matter, but the meaning did. Or more accurately, acting on the meaning.
