Whether it’s yoga, dance, a sport, a musical instrument, any hobby or vocation, you are not in any position to judge what it’s about until you give it a reasonable chance to succeed.

For example I have been practicing yoga for many years. For quite sometime I went to an early morning yoga class, M,W,F. I was quite pleased with my progress and saw myself improving over time. That’s what kept me at it. It hasn’t always been fun especially when because of a conflict I could only go twice a week. There is no question that I feel better when my practice is regular. But if it’s only once or twice a week, it takes real effort and the progress is slow. In fact there really isn’t any progress because I can’t improve on my practice going at such an irregular pace. i perhaps maintain the status quo and it’s better than not doing it at all. But there’s so much more to experience.

When I go to class just one more time so that I’m going three times per week, I notice the improvement. I can do more things than I could the work before.

Same thing in tennis. If I play once in a while, I have no idea of how good I can be. But if I play 3 times per week then I can get pretty good.

Once you make your activity a regular practice you begin to experience moments in which you know what the particular activity is about and what it is to reach a higher level of proficiency.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Throughout his life, Mark has always made a practice of taking a leap of faith whenever he heard the call for something more. His life has been an unfolding journey of discovery. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he shares his message that regardless of our life’s circumstances, we can find more joy and meaning in our life. He is a sought after speaker and coauthor along with Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy and other experts in the book 101 Great Ways to Improve your Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://.www.inspirepossibility.com

When you feel inspired, what is possible in your life seems unlimited. You have a “can do attitude” and things that might ordinarily bother you, don’t seem to get in the way. You have a confidence and knowing that everything is going to be ok.

I am sure that most of you have experienced this state and are familiar with what i am saying. So if that’s the case, the bigger question is how do you get inspired.

I am also sure that each of us has our own strategy to get into this state of being. I have found that how I start my week goes a long way in creating the mood for the week. I have also found that having a Sunday ritual is a big element in creating this state. My week seems to go better and I have created an expectation now that this will be the case. The Sunday ritual is different for each of us.

For several years I have been going to New thought churches such as Science of Mind and Unity to give me that spark. While it is true, that sometimes I don’t find the services stimulating or inspiring, it is the time afterwards to connect with community that I enjoy. This seems to work for me. Perhaps for you it might a more traditional church. My wife, Annie has a different ritual. She goes to a regular dance class Sunday morning that gets her humming in the right mood for the rest of the day and sets the tone for the week.

I have also found that reading inspiring books in the evening before falling asleep gives me a certain sense of peace.

When we feel inspired there is less uncertainty and a knowing that you are on the right path.
And at the same time there is a feeling of “walking in freedom,” that effortless quality that you feel when life just flows.

I’m not suggesting that you completely overhaul your life. But what is one thing that you could integrate into your life, that would inspire you? What would you have to change to make this happen”

In the meantime, smile and laugh a little bit more than yesterday. And
JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, Executive and Life Coach, Visionary Speaker and Inspirational Leader, has a unique background. Throughout his life, Mark has always made a practice of taking a leap of faith whenever he heard the call for something more. His life has been an unfolding journey of discovery. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he shares his message that regardless of our life’s circumstances, we can find more joy and meaning in our life. He is a sought after speaker and coauthor along with Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy and other experts in the book 101 Great Ways to Improve your Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://.www.inspirepossibility.com

When i talked with our good friend Les who you might feel you know by now, in a life coaching session yesterday, he had a concern. Yes he has been incorporating some of my ideas into his life. But he felt that sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn’t. One of my ideas was for him to meditate.

Les was somewhat sporadic in his approach in that he really didn’t make a commitment to the practice. If he did it one day and he felt good afterwards he did it the next. But if he didn’t feel good the next day, it would be a while before he would meditate again.

I pointed out to Les that he hadn’t really made the commitment which is what you have to do in the beginning, until it becomes part of your life. Then you do it because it’s like mental flossing. You floss because you know that it goods for you. Let’s say with flossing that the dentist tells you still have a problem. What do you do? You find out how you can tweak so it works better. You are committed to the process for your self-care.

Meditation is like that. You might want to reevaluate you practice. Sometimes just a subtle shift in your approach makes the biggest difference. But we can’t be attached to the results like Les was.

Have faith that you are ON THE RIGHT PATH….give it time…smile and laugh a little bit more than yesterday and

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to find joy and meaning in the midst of change. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he
shares his message that we can make our life an exciting journey of discovery. He publishes the inspirational ezine, Letters on Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://www.inspirepossibility.com. 415.453.5016

In the last blog, On the Path to Mastery, I wrote about what happens when you transcend the plateau.(going beyond when you normally stop) It’s only when you do that, that there is the potential for mastery and the potential for magic in your life.

There is another reason to keep taking a step forward and going beyond where you normally stop. You have a unique gift that makes the world a better place. By your sharing this gift of “you being you”, you make a difference. You have no way of knowing the number of people who may have impacted in a positive way by the expression of your gift. Sometimes that expression is “nothing more and at the same time nothing greater” than your presence.

How many times have you been invited to a birthday party and on the invitation…there is a note…”no presents please, your presence is the gift.” I still secretly like to get presents I have to admit, but more important is the presence of my friend especially as I go on in this journey.

It’s feels great to be acknowledged for making a difference. Even though we make a difference in peoples lives we aren’t always acknowledged. For example I have been writing my ezine, Letters on Life for over seven years now. On numerous occasions, many years later, I’ll receive an acknowledgment from someone letting me know that what I wrote made a difference in their life and that they always felt better after they read the article. That’s the way it is. While people are quick to criticize us and slow to acknowledge us, it takes faith and courage to keep putting it out there.

Buts what you do when you are flowing with the currents of life. Make your life an exciting journey of discovery. Smile…laugh a little bit more than yesterday and

JOURNEY ON

MARK

friend JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to find joy and meaning in the midst of change. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he
shares his message that we can make our life an exciting journey of discovery. He publishes the inspirational ezine, Letters on Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://www.inspirepossibility.com. 415.453.5016

During our life coaching session yesterday with let’s call him Carl, Carl was concerned that there wasn’t anything he was excited about in his life. His life seemed flat. He would try something and then after a while decide that he didn’t like it. And because this has been his pattern for so long, he was reluctant to try something new unless he heard bells ringing and trumpets blaring.

I explained to Carl that no matter what he does there are going to be moments when his enthusiasm wanes. That’s the learning curve. We have a sense of commitment and sometimes excitement to learn something new but after a while we reach a plateau. It’s no longer fun and we feel stuck. We make a decision that it’s not for us and stop. Then we try something new and come back to the same place with the new thing. It goes on and on until we change our relationship to the plateau.

As George Leonard the author of Mastery encourages…”Learn to love the plateau.” Learn to love that stuck place. On the other side of the plateau is where mastery occurs. When I started going to Salsa classes I reached that plateau. I felt like quitting. But I also was inspired by many of the other dancers who started at the same place I did. I kept at it and then went to the next level. It became fun and once it becomes fun, it has a life of its own.
What I suggested to Carl was that it didn’t matter what he did, as long as he did something. Then in the process of doing, there is the possibility that something great can happen. Carl also felt that he didn’t have any friends. I suggested to him that in the process of learning and being involved is where i have made most of my friends. Years ago I began the study of Tai Chi. In the class I made three life long friends and none of us still do the Tai Chi form that we learned. But out of the doing, something greater occurred.

Put yourself out there and transcend the plateau. Smile and laugh a little bit more than yesterday.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to find joy and meaning in the midst of change. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he
shares his message that we can make our life an exciting journey of discovery. He publishes the inspirational ezine, Letters on Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://www.inspirepossibility.com. 415.453.5016

We all want to find more joy and meaning in the midst of change. We have to learn to let of go of what might have been.There are no delete buttons or replays in life, but you can wonder. You can wonder, “What if? You can wonder what it would be like if you didn’t make the decision that you did?” I can think of numerous decisions that I made that altered the direction of my life.

It might have been saying yes to an invitation or saying no to an offer that looked too good to be true. When I said yes to my friend Kent’s invitation to visit him in Loveland, Colorado, it led to my meeting my wife Annie. Since that moment my life has been remarkably different. I could have easily said no and stayed in California. And then it was saying yes to a career change…from being a trial lawyer to a life coach. I gave the security of a successful career to seek a new path. Yes I miss the great lifestyle it offered me and often think about it. But I’ve become the person I’ve always wanted to be and it keeps getting better everyday.

That’s all anyone can ask for…that it keeps getting better everyday and more fulfilling. Life becomes an exciting journey of discovery. I have often written about how you start your day sets the tone for the day. Asking empowering questions is a big part of that. As I begin my day, I wonder about what the highlight might be.

By asking the question in this way, there will always be a highlight. As I’m writing this entry, I am wondering what the highlight might be during the rest of my day. I know something good will happen. I just have to be open to seeing it when it occurs.

In every minute in everyday we make a choice. Choose happiness.

But in the meantime….smile…and laugh a little bit more than yesterday and

JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to find joy and meaning in the midst of change. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he
shares his message that we can make our life an exciting journey of discovery. He publishes the inspirational ezine, Letters on Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://www.inspirepossibility.com. 415.453.5016

When Les came in for a life coaching session yesterday, he was frustrated which surprised me. 2008 was a fairly challenging year for him. Because of the challenges Les reached a new level in his self-confidence. He had a health challenge that he overcame and was swept up in the stresses from the economic turmoil. As the year came to a close, not only had Les recovered from his health challenge, he was prospering in his business.

He was extremely optimistic for 2009. In many ways, Les was experiencing more good than he had experienced before. He was experiencing more financial success than he ever had, was in a better relationship than he had ever been in before, and proved to himself that he was resilient.

But he had a breakdown. The place he was living in had many problems and the landlord was slow in addressing them. I couldn’t believe how frustrated he was. He seemed to have forgotten all that he had accomplished in the year before which were significant.

Why was that? Les was now experiencing the land of abundance and well-being which was new territory for him and frightening. In some ways he was about to sabotage himself. So he had a collision while backing his vehicle into his driveway which contributed to his frustration. It set him back several thousand dollars. He was about to embark on a wrong strategy to make himself miserable.

Les wasn’t used to things going good in his life. He didn’t know how to handle it, so he created new things to get upset about and he was doing a good job at that.

As Les left the session, he had a new perspective and awareness of what he was doing. He realized that what he was getting upset about was small potatoes in the scope of things. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that Les’s VOJ or gremlin was rearing its head.

I’m sure you can relate to some of Les’s challenges. To a certain degree we all can.

There’s no better time than now to choose happiness. Allow yourself to experience the good in your life. Smile and laugh a little bit more than yesterday and JOURNEY ON

MARK

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to find joy and meaning in the midst of change. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he
shares his message that we can make our life an exciting journey of discovery. He publishes the inspirational ezine, Letters on Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://www.inspirepossibility.com. 415.453.5016

I have been noticing that in our coaching sessions this week, whether they are pertaining to life coaching or business coaching, the focus is the same.

Most people that I work with seem to have increasing challenges as they are affected by the national mood. While they remain optimistic, it still effects them on some level.

And some also have personal challenges dealing with other stressors. It could be a difficult relationship or a significant illness of a loved one.

Some not only have the responsibilities of a wage earner and business owner, but also the responsibilities of a care giver.

They are stretched in many directions.

In our calls, I always ask them about their self-care. It’s so easy to get lost in all of the responsibilities that you have, that you forget about yourself. You forget to take time for what nurtures you.

In normal times you should have a proactive self-care program. When you have more challenges than usual then you should increase the amount of time that you take for yourself. You are always going to have challenges. You can’t get away from it. Perhaps what bothers you now won’t bother you in a few months, but there will always be something else that comes up that concerns you. So life won’t stop. But you can develop a plan that will help you find more joy and meaning in your life.

Perhaps you think that you’re too busy…that you don’t have time. What you’ll find is that when you take just 10-15 minutes in the morning before rushing out of the house, your day will go smoother. When you take time for a meal, you’ll experience a deep sense of relaxation the rest of the day. If you take the time to read an inspirational magazine or book before falling asleep you’ll sleep better. It’s taking the time for yourself. It not only becomes a habit, it becomes a way of life. You couldn’t imagine your life any other way. It’s a choice. Choose happiness.

Smile…laugh a little bit more than yesterday and journey on

Mark

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to find joy and meaning in the midst of change. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he
shares his message that we can make our life an exciting journey of discovery. He publishes the inspirational ezine, Letters on Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://www.inspirepossibility.com. 415.453.5016

I saw an old friend yesterday, lets call him Carl, at Unity. Calling him an old friend doesn’t accurately describe our relationship. I’ve known him for over twenty five years. He really wasn’t someone who played a big part in my life–just one of those many people that you run into every three or four years and when you do, you talk at a certain level. Somewhat superficial— it never really flows…at least that was my experience until yesterday.

Was it me or was it him…or perhaps a combination of the two? What started out as a polite hello, ended up with a full-on connection. An hour later we said our good-bye and I am sure we both left with that feeling that you have when you have touched another’ soul. You want more and at the same time you feel complete. Yet I had the feeling that we would be more involved in each other’s life. We’ll see.

In the meeting, Carl reminded of a conversation that we had over 20 years ago that made a profound difference in his life. I had shared with him a workshop that I had just completed. Carl was inspired to eventually take the workshop. Although it took him a while, it totally changed his life and he was grateful for my willingness to share my experience with him.

I was touched knowing that I made a difference in his life. And had I not ran into Carl that morning, I would have never known about my gift or remembered our meeting. I wonder how many other profound meetings that I have forgotten about. So think about. How often do you hold back, rather than share what’s on your mind? It’s that smile or gesture or kindness that can make all of the difference in someone’s life.

It’s “you being you” that makes a difference in the world. Don’t let someone dissuade you from expressing who you are. Smile and laugh a little bit more than yesterday and

Journey ON

Mark

JOURNEY ON is a blog dedicated to personal and professional development. Mark Susnow, an executive and life coach inspires others to find joy and meaning in the midst of change. 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. Whether coaching one-on-one, speaking to groups, or leading a retreat, he
shares his message that we can make our life an exciting journey of discovery. He is a sought after speaker and coauthor along with other experts Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy in the book 101 Great Ways to Improve your Life. He publishes the inspirational ezine, Letters on Life. Mark’s new book, Dancing on the River…Finding Joy and Meaning in the Midst of Change will be released in the fall of 2009. http://www.inspirepossibility.com. 415.453.5016

Have you ever said, “I’m wasting my time?” Maybe at least once? What does that really mean? And can we really waste time? Don’t we really learn from everything?

Perhaps when comparing the past to what we know now, we might think that we could have avoided some of the steps we took and some of the wrong turns. It might have been a bad relationship or a mistake in trusting a friend. It might have been selecting the “wrong” major in college or a dead-end job.

There have been times in my life when I was very productive and other times when nothing seemed to get done. Both were necessary for my growth and evolution.

I don’t think we can waste time. To think that assumes that we know are ultimate destiny. Just about everything that I have done or experienced when looking back at it, comes together like an invisible web. But it’s only looking back with hindsight that the web begins to become visible.

Trust that it’s all unfolding as it should. Everyone you meet and every experience that you have is all grist for the mill. You learn from it and it contributes to who you are today–even the so-called negative things.

We keep repeating the lessons of the past until we learn them and then we are ready to move on. It took many relationships to become clear as to what I wanted in a soul-mate. With each one, I learned more about myself. That’s the purpose of our life’s experiences. With each one we learn more about ourselves and what is important to us.

It’s a lifelong journey of discovery. Enjoy the journey. Happiness is a choice that you make each moment. And remember to smile and laugh a little bit more than yesterday.

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. His articles reflect this journey in an inspirational way. http://www.inspirepossibility.com