You’re waiting. You’ve asked all of the questions that you have been storing up and still you are not sure about it. There are still the doubts. But deep inside you know that you have to take that step forward.

You’re not sure where the road will take you, but you know that it’s time to embark upon a different type of journey. Where you are now has already been explored——you’re curious about what’s next because you’re an adventurer. You know that something great is waiting for you. You are determined to find out what that is.

You take that next step knowing you will have your share of adversity——that goes with the territory. What is more important is how you handle the adversity. When a difficult challenge is thrown at you, you are able to maintain your center and see possibilities that at one time you didn’t know existed. You couldn’t see them because you were looking for reasons not to move forward.

You were waiting for the perfect time. What you now know is that the only perfect time is now.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes. Give yourself the gift of coaching and make an investment in your future.

You are faced with a problem and you’re not sure what to do. At first it seems like you only have two choices, neither of which is satisfactory, so you do nothing. You let it sit for a while hoping that the problem will go away. It does for a period of time, only to come back begging for a solution. Still all you see are the same two possibilities.

Something has to give. The way you have been approaching the problem hasn’t been working. This is your chance to think outside the box and to be creative.

Begin to focus on the desired outcome you would like to see. Of course you might say to yourself, “Don’t be ridiculous that’s out of the question.” Don’t let those thoughts stop you. They have been running your life. Keep focusing on the result you want to achieve——see it, feel it.

Then ask yourself, “For that result to occur, what has to happen.” And then ask, “To make that happen what has to shift and what has to be done differently.”

Whatever you do, don’t keep rehashing what you know won’t work. And stop thinking of all of the reasons you think it can’t be done. Instead think of this challenge as an opportunity for you think in a new way.

JOURNEY ON

MARK
Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes. Give yourself the gift of coaching and make an investment in your future.

We have many thoughts and ideas, but not all of them are acted upon. These thoughts are endless. Brain researchers estimate that we have over 60,000 thoughts in a day. Very few of these thoughts become reality.

But some of these thoughts do get acted upon and become our reality. As we know from doing this work together what we focus on expands. If we focus on the negative then we will attract more of the negative to us. If we worry we will always find things to worry about.

Of course we don’t want that. We have to have a clear sense of what are values and priorities are. We keep going in the direction of making these priorities are reality. Of course along the way there will be many pitfalls and obstacles. But because we have intention and determination, we keep going.

Your life today is a reflection of the choices you have made in the past. That includes your thoughts, your actions and your commitments. If you wonder what’s important to you, look around at your life; where do you live, who are your friends and what are you doing with your life.

To get to where you are now, something deep inside you kept you going. I am sure that you had many reasons to quit along the way, but you kept going. You knew what you wanted. As the year is winding down, it’s a great time to think about all of the blessings in your life. It’s a great reminder of what your values are.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes. Give yourself the gift of coaching and make an investment in your future.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that it is my belief that we are constantly making choices as to what we focus on. And it is those choices that determine our happiness rather than the current circumstances of our life.

Perhaps the most important choice that we can make is how we start the day. Here’s a glimpse of the morning program that I start my day with.

After taking time for quiet reflection, focus on what you are grateful for. Then be curious and start to wonder about what the highlight of your day might be. You are curious as to what that might be. As the day progresses you are open to receiving that good.

Love is like that. Love comes from within. It is our true nature to be loving. It affects all of our relationships and opens us to a richness that is infinite.

As our heart opens we’re able to see the beauty that is all around us. We’re able to see the world in a different way.

What we used to be afraid of, we welcome. When we see another person, rather than focusing on our differences, we know that they too have experienced all that life has to offer———the joys and the sorrows. That is what is to be alive and human.

We feel it all, but we have a choice to focus on what gives us joy and to rejoice in the moment.

CHOOSE HAPPINESS

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes. Give yourself the gift of coaching and make an investment in your future.

Quite often we let the major events and concerns in our life define how we are feeling moment to moment. We might have financial or personal disappointment. We might feel let down or betrayed or a loved one might be suffering. When we think about these events we feel a certain degree of pain and sadness.

But our thoughts about these events, (the time that it actually takes to think about them) only consumes a fraction of our day. What do we feel in the rest of our day? Do we allow ourselves to notice the beautiful skies and feel the gentle breeze? Do we notice the rains filling up the creeks? Do we allow ourselves to receive the love from our pets. Do we slow down enough to notice?

There is potential magic in almost every moment if we are open to receiving. That means letting go of our judgments and our expectations. It’s beyond explanation. We feel it at unexpected moments.

It is in these moments when we feel nurtured. But we have to let go of our concerns about the rest of our life and to appreciate the present moment. That’s all we have and that’s all there will ever be. The rest is just a memory or our imagination running wild about what might or might not happen. That future that we keep concerning ourselves with keeps changing by the minute. Enjoy what you have. Enjoy the gift of the present.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes. Give yourself the gift of coaching and make an investment in your future.

By now you know how important it is to have a purpose. It’s much easier to focus on where you are going and why you are doing something when you do, and to overcome the inevitable obstacles that you encounter along the way. They will always be there. The universe has a remarkable way of making you dig deeper.

There is another component to getting there. Quite often whatever you are doing becomes much more difficult than you originally thought. If you keep where you are going in mind, the inevitable detour in the way, in the form of a “No,” won’t derail you.

You’re closer to where you are going even if your progress seems insignificant. Small steps are powerful——much greater than what is obvious. We discover that these small actions collectively have a positive impact on our life. Appreciate these steps for they are the building blocks of the future.

Of course to keep going, we must have a clear intention and the persistence to rise above the momentary disappointments that get in our way. Before we know it we are where we want to be.

Sometimes it might take years to get there, but when you do it’s fulfilling and quite often momentous.
With each temporary setback, we ask ourselves how can we be better. We ask ourselves what we learned. We ask ourselves, how did what happen make me a better person.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes. Give yourself the gift of coaching and make an investment in your future.

Carl, like many of my life coaching clients, is standing on the edge. He is ready to jump into the next thing, into the land of uncertainty and the unknown, but he hesitates. He doesn’t take the leap. He watches thinking about what it would be like if he took that leap of faith. He’ll never know. IF he is honest with himself, he has to admit that there is something missing in his life.

Like many other people his life has plateaued. There is no excitement, no passion. He is just going through the motions waiting for something to happen, although he is not sure what that is.

He hasn’t found a real purpose for his life and for what he is currently doing. Until he does it will be difficult for him to get that passion back. You can’t pretend, although that’s what many of us are doing until we totally commit.

Many of us are close to achieving good things, but still have a ways to go before accomplishing great things.

You have the means and the resources, but it’s up to you to apply it to something bigger than what you are doing now. Keep where you want to go in mind and then let it go.

The good news is that it doesn’t take any longer. What it does take is deeper focus; the ability to be totally present with what you are doing.

When you are focused and in the moment, it’s attractive to others for you are in your power. It’s also when you are committed and passionate about living.

Declare to others and the world what you stand for. The world is waiting for you to be you.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes. Give yourself the gift of coaching and make an investment in your future.

You worked hard. It’s ready to go but then you get feedback that there is one more thing that you need to do to make it better. You’re somewhat disappointed and frustrated. More work. In your mind you are done with the project. Does this scenario sound familiar? It can apply to so many aspects of our life. We thought we were done and ready to move on. But we’re not.

I’ve been there myself many times. Dig deeper——another opportunity to be better and to gain a deeper grasp of whatever we are doing. Yes, it’s more challenging than we thought and at times we are not sure where we are going or whether it’s worth it. But we keep going forward and learn to be present with the task at hand.

We keep learning. Perhaps the greatest learning is to enjoy the process of going deeper. It could be preparing a report for school, for your job or for the government. There are many layers and many considerations. In the process you develop a greater understanding of whatever it is you are working on. In the process you learn how to be more effective.

Perhaps you come to a different conclusion than the one you originally thought. In the process you become a more effective and evolved human being. It makes life more rewarding and fulfilling. Nothing is a mistake, but feedback for our journey. It serves as information for our internal GPS system that let’s us know that we are off course. So we make the adjustment integrating the new information to right our course. We get there and are more empowered by what we learned on our journey.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes. Give yourself the gift of coaching and make an investment in your future.

When you are clear about your life purpose, then in essence you have found your true North. It becomes your compass and guide so that you don’t get seduced by the detours along the way and there will be many.

They are in the form of negative reactions to everyday life. Most, all of us, have been overwhelmed by resentment at times. We might be bitter about something that occurred, or about what someone did to us. Sometimes it’s hard to let go. Every time we think about that person, even if it has been years, we viscerally react. We erroneously believe that by holding on to our resentment that we are punishing the other person. A wise man once said about resentment, “It’s like drinking poison, thinking that it will kill the other person.” That’s the fallacy with hanging on to our resentments.

It becomes our life and affects all of our other relationships. We become negative and forget that we have choices.

Our disappointments also affect our moods and have the potential to poison the rest of our life. The poison seeps into all of our relationships unless we learn to let it go and stay open to the good that is around the corner.

When you are true to your purpose, when you are knocked off course, it’s not for long. You catch yourself. You are reminded of what you are here to do. You know that disappointments are part of the journey. You are more determined than ever. You know that you are continually making a choice to stay on course and to enjoy each step of the journey.

When you are in alignment with your purpose, you will meet allies who are drawn by your passion. They want the same thing. Let them in. Imagine things turning out better than you expected.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes.

You’re out in the woods and you come to a crossroads. You’re not sure which trail to continue on. The trail might even seem to end. You assess the situation. You know if you take the wrong turn, it might be hours before you get back to your car. It might be dark by then.

In some ways that little anecdote is a microcosm of our life. At times life seems complicated and somewhat arbitrary especially when we’re in our victim mentality. All we can think about is how life is unfair. We’re immersed in a pity party. In those moments our focus is on what can go wrong, rather than the solution. We wait for a sign and when one comes along we don’t recognize it.

We seek out others for advice. There are plenty of people out there who mean well. We’re trying to figure out how what they are saying pertains to us, rather than listening to our inner voice. No one knows our situation and our capabilities better than we do. When we try to synthesize what other people are telling us and make it relevant to our life, we lose sight of our unique wisdom.

Each of us has something special to share. But when we water down what our real message is, our unique wisdom is not shared with the world. Not only do other people lose out on the benefit of our unique contribution, we are out of integrity with ourself.

Believe in yourself and let the world know what your ultimate truth is. They are waiting.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and speaker who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River…Navigating Life’s Changes.