We all have been faced with having to do certain things that we resented having to do. In the big picture why we felt that way is not that significant. We still have to do it and eventually will do it. Quite often when we don’t like to do something we put it on the back burner hoping that it will go away. But it doesn’t. Eventually we do it and have wasted enormous energy thinking about why we shouldn’t have to perform the task at hand.

Quite often when we finally finish our task we feel good afterwards.  There is the satisfaction that we get from a job well done.

Make a subtle shift. You always feel empowered when you are ‘at chose’ in the matter. Instead of saying or thinking, “I have to do this.”  Say to yourself or think, “Wow, I get to do this.”  Why not make what is next for you enjoyable. When you have that edge of excitement you can transform the simplest of tasks into a privilege.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive-life coach and recognized thought leader 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 and Discover the Leader Within.

Getting on the positive side of change can become a life changing habit that is exciting and dynamic. After a while we look forward to change as an adventure and opportunity.

But it takes us a while to get there. As a life coach, I get to see how people sabotage themselves. One of the ways is the failure to follow through which is a cousin to procrastination. You think about doing something and it sounds good but you don’t do anything about it. “Another great idea stuck in your mind.” You either talk yourself out of it or just don’t do anything about it.

What I’ve learned is that there is no better time than now to begin. We might say to ourselves, “Yes it is a good idea, but I’ll get to it when “this” happens.” The “this” is something we believe will occur in the future. Unfortunately there will always be another excuse that gets in the way. Perhaps you’ve heard the expression, “You either get results or have excuses.”

The next time you have a good idea, make it happen. You are the perfect person to implement it. You had a vision. See it through.

Most likely had you already begun, you would have completed the project over and over again.

Putting it off doesn’t make it easier. In fact it makes it more difficult. As I’ve said before you could have completed it by now or at least got a head start on completing it.

Even some activities such as hobbies we keep putting off. My newest hobby is playing the piano. I had thought playing for many years and always had a piano in my house. There was no way that waiting was going to make it easier. I took the plunge and began. I made the commitment to do the work and to practice. I found a teacher who has accelerated the process.

Now I am at the point where I can explore more interesting ideas and I look forward to sitting down and playing. But I had to pay my dues to get here. There are some days when I don’t feel like practicing, but I practice anyway.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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 and Discover the Leader Within.

In a life coaching yesterday, Carl, like many others, complained about not having enough time. He acted as if it was a rare commodity. He complained about his commute, the different responsibilities that he had and how his life was slipping away. Carl was hoping that someday he could do what he wanted. He longed for the day when he could be peaceful, happy and loving. Of course that day was sometime in the future when he would be retired which might be ten years from now.

I explained to Carl if what he valued and wanted was peace, love and happiness that he didn’t have to wait. As I’ve written before on numerous occasions, the only perfect time is now. Now is the time to be the person you want to be. Yes I mean right now. I know that you have a few loose ends…maybe more than a few…I have them too.

Learn to love those loose ends——they help you grow. Aren’t loose ends really that edge between where you are now and where you want to be. Right now I’m studying the piano. There is always something new to learn. No matter how accomplished I become, there will always be something new to learn. Yes at times it seems frustrating and overwhelming, but I break it down knowing that by working on it today I’ll be better than I was yesterday. In the process it helps me get on the positive side of change.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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 and Discover the Leader Within.

As a life coach I have heard almost every excuse that there is. The number one excuse is “Someday when the circumstances are different I’ll do it.” That someday has many variations of the same theme that use slightly different words. It might sound something like this:
When I graduate.
When the economy picks up.
When I meet the one.
When I get divorced.
When I get some money.
When I retire.
When I have more time

And it goes on. What do all of these excuses have in common? It is the belief that different circumstances that might occur in the future, will provide the missing link in our lives… but it doesn’t work that way because when that future arrives, there will be more excuses. They’re similar but slightly different. There will always be new variations on the same theme.

Putting off enjoyment of life and waiting to do what you really want to do is an unhealthy habit. There will always be reasons not to do something or to start something new. There is no virtue is sitting on the river bank and watching the river of life flow by without you.

You know what I’m getting at…you need to make a decision rather than making an excuse and decide whether you really want to do something. If you do, then come up with a plan. Then take the first step toward implementing that plan. It can be a little step. It’s like anything that you learn. That first step might be challenging at first but then it becomes second nature. But you have to work it to get there. And then you’re ready for the next level.

The only perfect time to get on the positive side of change is now.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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 and Discover the Leader Within.

Twelve years ago I made one of the biggest decisions in my life. I transitioned from being a successful trial lawyer to what I do now as an executive and life coach and motivational speaker.

Do I ever wonder if I made the right decision? Yes and more than on just a few occasions. That decision led to where I am now. Writing “Dancing on the River: Navigating Life’s Changes” was another important decision. I refer to it as a decision because there were many times when I could have just abandoned the project especially when I didn’t feel that I was making any progress…there were many days when I didn’t feel like writing and somedays the ideas and insights weren’t there….but I kept at it. I was persistent because I had the end result in mind and knew how fulfilled I would feel upon completion.

I am so thankful for that decision. It was a turning point. Since then I’ve been excited about my life, yet I still wonder at times if I made the right decision.

So doubts are part of it. They let you know that you have thoroughly thought about what you are getting yourself into. That second guessing doesn’t add anything to your life except add to your frustration and stress.

Even though your past hasn’t been perfect, you have been successful in many ways. The past has provided you with the insights and tools to enable you to get you where you are now. You now have the commitment to get ahead in your life. You know that what looks like a disappointment initially actually just might be an opportunity in disguise.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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 and Discover the Leader Within.

There is a point in our life when we feel we need to make a change, even though we might not have clarity as to an alternative. That was my situation, when I realized that I was done being a trial lawyer. My challenge was that I didn’t have clarity as to what an alternative could be. So I want to a career counselor hoping to get that clarity. Still after a number of sessions, no clarity.

I then questioned whether I should make that career change, since there didn’t seem to be a viable alternative. At the time, my options were to continue as an attorney, or to stop and to do nothing. With a family, I had certain responsibilities that I was conscientious about.

I took a leap of faith, one of the biggest of my life, and gave up my law career, trusting that the next path would be revealed to me. On a deeper level I did have the confidence that since I’ve been successful before, I could be successful in my new life even though I wasn’t sure what that would be. That was twelve years ago. Here I am now, totally involved in a new way of being and a new way of life. So what enabled me to get to where I am now.

You’ve heard it before—one step at a time. When you’re climbing a mountain, you take the step that’s in front of you. When you do that, moving forward is more manageable. So with any of our challenges, that’s all we can do. And we take the next step, we’re able to see a path in the form of possibilities that we weren’t able to see when we first began the journey.

I went on to begin my career as a life coach. Then my newsletter, Letters on Life, and then my book, Dancing on the River: Navigating Life’s Changes. The next step was speaking to groups on the Eight Principles of Navigating Change.

This continued evolution consisted of taking small steps, one step at a time. It seemed there was always something that I could do to move forward and to enliven me. Blogging was one of them; meeting new people another.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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 and Discover the Leader Within.

Take some time to reflect upon what your life, focusing on what you are most proud of and what are some of your greatest successes. When I look back at my life and reflect upon some of my greatest successes, I notice that there were certain habits and characteristics that were instrumental in my creating what I have up to this point in my life. Some people might refer to it as your “winning formula.”

Let’s explore a few of these characteristics and see if they have been a component of some of your greatest successes. If not they are certainly something to think about.

1. Determination has been the key. But it’s difficult to stay determined unless what you are trying to achieve is important and you really want it. If you aren’t determined, you’ll focus on the excuses rather than the outcome.

But quite often we aren’t even aware of the excuses that we come up with until someone points it out. And even then, we’ll come up with more excuses. When a prospective coaching client first contacts me, I pay close attention to what they are saying and the language they are using. Are they using words of lack and limitation or words of possibility?

2. Let’s explore one more empowering practice. Discipline! It’s huge…you can’t get really good at anything consistently unless you practice….whether it’s a musical instrument, a physical practice, or learning something new, it takes practice…perhaps you’ve heard the question..how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice. It’ the consistency from the discipline that allows us to keep going even when we don’t feel like working anymore.

Let’s look at it from a different perspective.

Imagine you are traveling to an important event. But on the way you get lost. How do you handle it? Do you get frustrated? Or do you stop and acknowledge that you are lost and that you need to reassess how to get there. You look at your available resources. Your GPS is nearby. Most certainly you don’t stay where you are. What makes your internal GPS effective is focus and determination.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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 and Discover the Leader Within.

Imagine that you have a confidence gauge that ranges from 1-100, with 100 being its highest level. When your confidence is high, the difficulties that occur in everyday life, don’t affect as much. In fact, you see them as challenges and opportunities.

We would like to be on that level most of the time, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Our confidence fluctuates and difficulties do affect us and we get discouraged at times. What brings it down are those disappointments that makes life seem more challenging. Our resilience has taken a hit and our moods are affected by external stimuli. The good news is that we do have the means and opportunity to increase the level of our gauge so that we experience life from the upper levels.

No matter what is happening in our life, we always have another choice as to the meaning we give it. No doubt there are things in the world that happen and are horrific and affect the collective consciousness. But life is also beautiful and touching when we stay open and allow ourselves to experience it.

There is no doubt that life seems unfair at times, but you don’t accomplish anything by complaining. Instead, put your energy into the direction of changing, what you think seems unfair. When you have a purpose and or a cause it’s easier to focus on where you are going and where you want to go.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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.

The best day of the week is today. Let’s start with that in mind. How you start your day sets the tone for the day. As part of my morning program, after meditating, I wonder about what the highlight of my day might be.

It gives me a positive frame. There is good to experience in some way or some form, but we might not recognize it because we allow our concerns and moods to overshadow what we’re feeling and thinking. Those wild emotional swings color what’s possible in the moment.

We forget about what really matters to us in the moment. We become obsessed with our concerns. There will always be something that concerns us. So let’s for today focus on the good, what the highlight of our day might be. Imagine if we focus on this on a daily basis. It’s powerful. I’ve been doing this for over eleven years. Instead of thinking about what might happen down the road, we’re more present. We notice little things that we might tend to overlook.

From this perspective, we’re more curious, and our ability to experience joy keeps expanding. From time to time, people ask me if I’m ignoring reality. My response is that I’m not ignoring it, I’m choosing how I’m experiencing it.

Once you become more conscious of the moment, you attract to you, unexpected forces in the universe that align with you in furtherance of your true purpose and the life you want to live. Stay focused.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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.

Perhaps you have been thinking about your next project or your next strategic move. Perhaps it’s a career change or making a presentation. It might be a decision you have been postponing. You are waiting for a sign, yet you are not sure what that sign will look like. So you sit on the sidelines wondering about where you are going and what you are doing. That’s OK for a while, but honestly ask yourself how fulfilling that indecision is.

When Dancing on the River was first published, in one of the radio interviews,the host could not pronounce the last part of my name correctly. Finally I said, “Now, as now is the time, not later.”

The only perfect time is now. Assess what you have and what you have to work with. That includes all of your accomplishments in your life up to now. From there take the next step. You are in a perfect place to move forward in your life.

Rather than complaining or wishing things were different, think about one thing you can do now. Perhaps it’s not the total answer to what you are searching for, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Perhaps you have heard the expression, “A journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step.”

So take it. I am sure you can think of many reasons or excuses not to begin. There will always be something that will cause you to lose focus or to distract you. Keep your focus on the big picture.

Before I created inspirepossiblity.com, I didn’t even have a website or a newsletter. But I began with the intention to inspire others to believe in themselves. So it began. Just with an intention.

JOURNEY ON

MARK

Mark Susnow, is an executive & life coach and thought leader 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.