In a life coaching session this morning, my client….let’s call him George was concerned with what he felt were misplaced cultural values in our society. In fact he focused on what was wrong. Even though he didn’t watch TV, he was still barraged with negative information. He noticed it in his business and in government.

George was not doing enough to get inspired. In a day we have close to a 100,000 thoughts. The positive ones need to be reinforced. If they’re not, the negative ones will run our lives and keep us down. But how can you do that? Here are a few ideas.

1. Be around positive people. Create a positive support system. Ask yourself…Do you feel better after being in that person’s presence?

2. Read inspirational type books. I would suggest you begin a daily reading program that can support you in thinking more positively. Thinking negatively is just a habit. A reading program can help you change that habit. I have a reading list on my website and there are many great books being published daily.

3. Minimize your contact with the media. Newspapers use headlines that sell. Sensationalism is in that category. As to TV…do you notice the number of commercials for antidepressants?

4. Notice when you begin to think negatively. The sooner you notice the sooner you can change it. Noticing is the first step.

Stay on the journey.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow,JD, is an Executive and Life Coach, who inspires others to believe in themselves. A former successful trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com

There are common issues to both executive and life coaching. One of these occurred in a session yesterday. My client, let’s call her Betsy, was extremely frustrated in her job. She is a brilliant professional woman, who has a part time job that doesn’t totally engage her. And most of the people she works with are not on her level of expertise. She finds herself getting frustrated and often wondering why she’s there.

She is use to being in control…so she thinks. That raises the bigger question as to what being in control really means?

So who is in control of your life? Is it you or your habits? Or are you controlled by forces that you are unaware of? For your curiosity there is a self assessment test on my website that takes under three minutes to do.

When our habits control our lives, we can shirk from the responsibility of having to make decisions. And when that habits we pretty much go unconscious.

Be conscious. Be aware of how you get plugged in. Noticing is the first step in taking back your life. Notice when you get frustrated. Don’t try to figure it out…just notice

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow,JD, is an Executive and Life Coach, who inspires others to believe in themselves. A former successful trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com

“I don’t like my job, I need to find something different, my client said in yesterday’s life coaching session. Whether it’s in an executive coaching or life coaching session I find that in many ways the people I work with are facing the same challenge. They are dissatisfied with what they are doing.

In their minds there are a myriad of reasons for feeling this way. It might be because of a conflict within the organization, or it might be because they feel unappreciated. Regardless, job dissatisfaction is high.

Even those who are running their own businesses experience conflict within the organization. They have an additional challenge which is growing their business and getting new business. Whatever your situation you have to change your thinking.

Their is never going to be a business without its share of challenges. Wishing it was different isn’t going to change anything.

Here is what I find is helpful. Know that your career is going to have its share of ups and downs. If you are employed you have more power than you realize. You have the power to make a change. You are not tied down to the business or enterprise. When you get plugged in thinking that this is your only option and it’s forever things really seem dreary.

Be glad you have a job and know it isn’t forever. Ask yourself if you really think you’ll be there in two years. There’s no magic number. It could even be one year or five years.

Once you break it down to a finite period of time, then it doesn’t seem hopeless. And after all, you are working to pay your bills and get ahead a little bit. If it turns out that you are also getting satisfaction and fulfillment then that’s a double win.

Once you know that it’s just for a finite period of time, you can take your power back. It’s important to have a life outside of work. If works your only game, then you have no other way of validating yourself. For example….let’s say that you love to go dancing and dance classes empower you. You become excited. But it costs money to take the classes. The job is a means to an end. When we try to make the job the whole thing-the end result- we set ourselves up for disappointment.

If you are running a business then you are faced with a different set of challenges. That’s always been my path.Yes you do think about ways to grow your business and at times it’s challenging, but you have the potential to have more freedom. That’s been my reality. By always having my own business I get to come and go as I want. But I know many business owners who feel trapped and feel they can’t leave. It’s making a decision as to what’s possible. And it might just be more than you realize.

So it’s up to you. Feel grateful for what you have now. It changes and prepares you for the next step.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW. There will always be something that holds you back; an excuse to put your life on hold. JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow,JD, is an Executive and Life Coach, who inspires others to believe in themselves. A former successful trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com

In a life-coaching session recently I noticed that my client was using the word “overwhelm’ frequently. This was the first time that we had talked. I was curious as to what she meant when she used this word.

We all have an idea of what it means. And because we do the word has tremendous power.

By probing somewhat, we established that she used the word overwhelm interchangeably for what she described as a heightened level of anxiety.

I also asked her to describe her physical body sensations. After doing so she realized that she could describe these same bodily sensations in other ways. While overwhelm was certainly one possibility so was “excitement.” So was “curiousity.”

We agreed that for the next week she wouldn’t use the word “overwhelm.” There are certainly more empowering words that she could use. Once she begins to make them a part of her regular vocabularly, then a myriad of possibilities begins to show up.

To change the way you see life and to change your attitude change your language. Be curious as to the words you use that disempower you. Then begin to replace them with words and phrases that empower you.

What are some of the words that you use that seem to disempower you? What are some better choices?

Journey On

Mark

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW. There will always be something that holds you back; an excuse to put your life on hold. JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow,JD, is an Executive and Life Coach, who inspires others to believe in themselves. A former successful trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com

We were on our way to the city to meet Jim and Fern who we haven’t seen in many years. They were in town for a conference. Our plan was to meet them for lunch, at Green’s, the vegetarian restaurant run by the Zen Center, located in Ft.Mason, the historical landmark.

I needed to be back in Marin for a series of coaching calls beginning at 3PM. This would give us plenty of time to visit, have a leisurely lunch and catch up and maybe wander around the Fort.

It was an incredibly beautiful day. As we were driving over the Golden Gate Bridge, I noticed all of the people and bicyclists making their way over the bridge. I couldn’t believe I had never done that myself. So I said to Annie, “Someday lets walk or ride our bikes across the bridge.

It was great to see them. I had known Jim for over 30 years. As we were finishing our leisurely lunch it was time to get outside. As we were getting ready to leave, Jim said that he had a favor to ask me. “Could you drop us off at Vista Point, so that we could walk back over the bridge?”

I said,”Sounds great, we’ll do that with you.”

We got in our car, drove over the bridge and parked at Vista Point, and took in the awe-inspiring views.

Our plan was to walk back with them to the North Tower. We began our walk until it was time to say “good-bye” and turn around.

As we were saying our “good-bye’s”, they mentioned that they were thinking of going dancing that evening. They said that they had been hearing a lot about West-Coast Swing, but didn’t know much about it.

Both Annie and I simultaneously replied, “We have been working on this dance for over a year now.”

And then they asked, “What’s it like?”

We took that as an invitation. “Watch, we’ll show you,” we replied.

And before you knew it we were dancing at the foot of the North Tower on the bridge.

As we got back in our car and drove back to our house, I kept smiling as I was thinking, Was this the Law of Attraction working or just being in the flow?

I’m not really sure and I don’t even know if it matters, but either way we had a great day.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW. There will always be something that holds you back; an excuse to put your life on hold. JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach, inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com.

I just watched, Click, a film with Adam Sandler, which had an interesting premise. What if we had a universal remote that could speed up our life so that if we really wanted something we could get it much sooner, just by clicking on the fast forward button.

That’s what Adam Sandler did. He was up for partner in an architectural firm, but it would be a year from the present. So he used fast forward to the day he would be named partner. And from there he fast forwarded some more to the day he was Architect of the Year. But by this time he was an old man and suffered from debilitating health problems.

In the film you see all that he missed…his kids growing up…his wife falling in love with someone else. It makes you think. Are we living too much in the future or are we taking extra steps to avoid experiencing what’s happening right in front of us? Usually it’s a combination of the two. We do anything to avoid pain. We keep busy, take mind altering substances. Caffeine speeds us up and alcohol slows us down. And of course there are many other substances.

So the question is what are you not willing to look at? Perhaps a little truth searching would be helpful. I remember when I used to struggle with relationships. I was in a rocky relationship that I described as “off and on.” The truth was that it was usually off and dragged on for two years. I didn’t want to look at the truth because I didn’t want to say that I was alone. So I put up with the pain to avoid looking at something much deeper.

Then one day I realized that I was alone. Having a relationship didn’t change that. Once I realized that I was alone, I began experiencing solitude which brought me a sense of inner peace.

Don’t be afraid to look at the truth. As they say the truth sets you free.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW. There will always be something that holds you back; an excuse to put your life on hold. JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach, inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com.

I love to read an inspiring book or watch a movie. A few days ago I wrote about 3 Cups of Tea. Now I have another one. This time it’s a movie which is August Rush. I watched it Friday evening. I loved the ending. It’s about a boy who is given up for adoption who hears music inside him. He believes that the music will lead him to his parents. He follows the music until the final scene which left me with a wonderful feeling inside. And so I watched it the next nite with Annie. There’s a lot of great music in the film and some touching scenes. Don’t want to tell you too much. You’ll have to rent it.

It reminded me to listen to my calling. August Rush listened to the music and he followed it. We all have an inner voice that is telling us something, but quite often we don’t listen.

And quite often we can’t hear that voice amidst all of the chatter and clutter. We have to be still before we can hear the voice and then it’s up to us to listen. Once we hear the voice we need to have a map and direction. It might take years but at least we know we are going in the right direction.

I think most us want to know that we have a deeper purpose. Finding that purpose is what much of our search is about. For me becoming a life coach was a step in that direction. Inspiring others to believe in themselves is what motivates me. It’s taken me a while to get there with a lot of twists and turns along the way.

Once you have a glimpse of what it is, allow it to expand. One step leads to the next and before you know it, you are fulfilling your life purpose. It doesn’t mean that life is now a walk in the beach, but certainly you fell that the challenge is worth the effort.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW. There will always be something that holds you back; an excuse to put your life on hold. JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach, inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com.

I’ve been focusing on the highlight of the day. Really focusing. It’s what I’m curious about. You might think that you are being in denial. Don’t worry..you’re not. Our mind tends to go to some these dark places naturally. So that’s why the highlight is such a great focus.

It’s focusing on where you want to go and what you want to create. Certainly that’s the type of focus that Greg Mortenson in 3 Cups of Tea had. He was committed. He made many personal sacrifices including risking his life to fulfill his promise to build the schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Once you read the book you’ll see he didn’t have a choice.

Greg had a higher purpose. We need to keep asking ourselves what our higher purpose is? I shared with you that recently I took a workshop and our focus was on what our “deepest intent” is.

In many ways I think of my deepest intent in the same way as my life purpose. My deepest intent is to inspire others to believe in themselves. Once I was able to clarify this for myself, it became alive. I have a greater sense of what I’m about and why I do what I do. I don’t know if I am committed as Greg Mortenson, but I have moved up on the scale. I know I make a difference in the lives of others and so do you.

Think about your life. Whose life do you make a difference in? Acknowledge yourself for you being you.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

What is your deepest intent?

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach, inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com.

Yesterday I spoke about being in the question. Not really a question, but an inquiry, a curiosity as to what the highlight of your day is going to be.

I felt kind of blah beginning the day. By the time I was done I had two good things to think about. One of them seemed little and the other also seemed like no big deal. But isn’t that the way most of life is? We wait for the trumpets to blare, waiting…waiting to be hit over the head as life passes us by. Waiting for that phone call or that email that you think is going to make a big difference. Today I see more possibility….but I’m also careful to not wait and overlook what’s right in front of me.

Last night I felt inspired by a book I finished reading. Actually I have felt inspired from day !. If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of 3 Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. It’s the most inspirational book that I have read in many years.

After failing to reach the summit of K2, Greg wanders into a village whose inhabitants literally save his life. He sees their poverty and realizes their illiteracy. Greg makes a promise to the village chieftain that he will build a school for the children. This is about Greg’s commitment to building that school and fifty others. Greg has done more for world peace than almost anyone I am aware of and should get the Nobel Peace Prize.

If you ever wonder what one person can do to make a better world, read Greg’s story.

I have a question for you. Who is the most inspirational person you know of? Think about it. How can you create it so that person inspires you in your life right now?

If you like this blog, most likely you will be inspired by my monthly newsletter, Letters on Life. Take the time to subscribe.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach, inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com.

I had an interesting conversation in a coaching call this morning. For months, Frank (fictitious name) had been telling me that he did not have enough time to meditate and exercise.

Finally he began to meditate and he found that his stress level decreased big time. He was like a differrent person.

But he was a CPA and found that every tax season, which ended on April 15th, he would drive himself crazy. I made many suggestions that he exercise on a a regular basis. But he believed that he didn’t have enough time.

Finally this year, Frank hired a personal trainer and is working out three days a week even during the tax season that has already begun. He feels different and more energetic.

What is interesting is that he does have enough time, but it was his false belief in the past that kept him from doing it. That belief of course being that he didn’t have enough time.

I then asked Frank to look at other false beliefs that he had that were holding him back in other areas of his life.

Signup for my monthly ezine, Letters on Life.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach, inspires others to experience more fulfillment and success in their life. A former trial attorney for 30 years and musician, 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 also publishes, Letters on Life, an inspirational ezine. Signup! http://www.inspirepossibility.com.