Archive for the ‘motivation’ Category

Find your Passion for Living

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

I’ll just call her Betty. I’ve been Betty’s life coach for some time now. She’s an incredibly dynamic woman who is struggling to develop a business that doesn’t allow her to bring out who she really is. It’s working one-on-one as a health care consultant.

Betty needs a bigger game. What gets her excited is being in front of groups. She is a born leader and has made a difference in almost everything she does. Now that her kids have left the house she is ready for the next step.

However Betty is looking for validation through the success of her consulting business which is slow.

When I asked her why its so important to be successful in her consulting business, she replied that it would make her feel needed and wanted and validated.

I asked Betty if there were other ways that she could feel needed and wanted.

When she saw herself in front of the room at a big charity event introducing the guest speaker she got excited. When she saw herself influencing decision makers she got excited especially when it was connected to a cause she was championing.

Betty now knows what she has to do and is excited about going in that direction. In a few months Betty is introducing a major celebrity for at an event for a well-known clinic. When she thinks about it, she smiles and gets excited. She gets to express who she really is.

You can too find that passion for living when you play a bigger game. Step out and dance.

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.

Would you like to learn the secret of time management?

Monday, March 17th, 2008

I’ve been thinking lately about that feeling of “not having enough time.” I say feeling because you do have enough time. But it’s that feeling of being in a hurry that prevents you from being in the moment and enjoying life fully. Time management is not about systems and “to do lists.” It’s making a paradigm shift as to how you view life.

Most of us start the day like we’re trying to catch a train. We wake up, grab a cup of coffee, look at the paper and listen to the news. And many of us turn on the computer, check our email or a few websites. Now we’re ready. We rush out of the house to make an appointment or meet a deadline or to put the finishing touches on a project. From deadline to appointment it goes. When we leave work we have other responsibilities and obligations, and it doesn’t end until we go to sleep, and for some it still doesn’t end. We never do catch the train. We forgot one essential thing. We are the conductor and the train can’t go anywhere without us.

What if you knew deep inside that the train wasn’t going anywhere? What would it take to develop the wisdom that there was a better way? What changes could you implement that would make a difference? I was a busy trial lawyer for thirty years, always running to catch the train. I still remember racing to the court room full of coffee and stress until I realized I was the conductor of my life. That realization allowed me to make life altering changes that continue to make my life more enjoyable, more successful and more fulfilling.

Here’s what I discovered. How you begin your day sets the tone for the day! It all starts with creating your perfect morning. This is your morning, no one else’s. It’s an opportunity that comes around the same time every day. Consider waking up to music you love, rather than to the music or news on your alarm clock. Here’s what I do. I begin my day with meditation. If this is new to you just sit silently for 10-15 minutes before doing anything else. I suggest using a timer, while you are meditating., so that you don’t think about what you have to do when you leave the house.

Once your timer goes off allow yourself gently to focus on what you are grateful for. You might have a tendency to think about what isn’t working in your life or to worry about the future. If you do, you’re not alone. Most of us have this tendency to varying degrees. By focusing on what you are grateful for, you shift your focus to what you have and what is working rather than on what you don’t have. Gratitude helps you shift your focus! And we know that what we focus on expands.

Then start to wonder what the highlight of your day might be. I scan my day quickly and wonder if this is going to be the moment. I also wonder if the highlight might be something that I’m not thinking about at the moment. That’s the fun part. I’m open to being pleasantly surprised. The gratitude and highlight part of the morning program usually takes just a minute or two.

As you leave your house and begin the flow of your day you look at each experience and wonder if this is going to be the highpoint of your day knowing there is more to come. The concept of looking at the highlight of the day can be used in any situation even one that seems unpleasant. Imagine a meeting that you are going to have with someone, who let’s say to be nice, is “difficult.” Looking for the highlight in this experience or in this person can totally change your attitude about the meeting. I had my share of those meetings especially when I was a lawyer. Most all of the people that I work with also have those meetings. By the use of gratitude and wondering about the highlight, you are creating a positive expectation as to how you want your day to go.

As the day unfolds, if you sense that things inside are heating up, consider taking a little break. You might even stretch for five minutes or walk around the block. And there are no rules that you can’t listen to some good music. As your day progresses the biggest difference is the knowledge that you can be busy and be relaxed.

I have found that starting the day this way increases my energy and efficiency throughout the day. When I leave my house centered and focused there is a much greater likelihood that I can maintain this balance throughout the day. There has been plenty of research by psychologists demonstrating the value of taking the time for morning meditation or creative silence. This has been my practice for over thirty years and very rarely do I feel overwhelmed. And this was so even when I was in the middle of a trial. I find that I laugh more and generally enjoy my day. Of course I have my challenges and lose my focus periodically, but not for long. And before I go to sleep I again think about what was most special about this day.

The one thing I do know for certain is that there‘s a direct correlation between how I start my day and the quality of my life. Try a little experiment. For the next thirty days start your day on your own terms and discover the dramatic changes that are possible. Recently a friend asked me what I felt was the biggest benefit of being a long-term meditator. I thought about it for a few seconds and responded , “I very rarely feel that I don’t have enough time.”

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.

“WHAT IF” THIS HAPPENED CAN BE A GOOD THING

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

Following up on my theme that what comes up in a life coaching session pertains to all of us I am relating what came up this morning.

Do you know one person who doesn’t worry? I don’t. I think that we can all agree that we would like to minimize our worrying. But what is worry?

That’s what we talked about in our call. When you worry, you believe that something in the future will occur that will a negative effect on your life down the road.

The truth is you don’t know for sure. So you are making a negative assumption about the future. That’s what we are doing. And rather than living in the present, we are living in a “what if world.”

Let’s flip it. But before we do that, let’s call worry…concern. Let’s take what we are concerned about and give it the best case scenario. For example we might be concerned about business. And we might think that if the business is getting slower, then in three months it will be even slower.

What if you said because this month is a little bit slow, I am poised to have my best month ever? Don’t you think you would have more fun while you go through what you go through? You know you would. Change the questions you are asking yourself.

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.

What are the beliefs that hold you back

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

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.

LOOSE ENDS

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008

As you know I am a firm believer in beginning your day with intention. How you start your day sets the tone for the day. Even so there are those days when you are still bothered. I arrived Monday night and found that my bags were lost. For the last two days I have been dealing with the airlines attempting to get the bags back. It’s amazing how incompetent they are. Still don’t have them.

With my morning meditation I was able to calm my mind.  And now I am thinking about the highlight of the day. The bags will arrive…just not on my time schedule. It’s letting go….

So that’s my challenge. There’s always going to be a few loose ends. And that’s everyone’s challenge. How do we deal with loose ends because that’s the way life is. There is going to be something out there that is unresolved.

And life is a mystery…That’s what makes it exciting.  And yes there are those loose ends.  It’s always going to be that way. Our work is to become comfortable with them…to not get sidetracked from what we really want to do and accomplish. And yes to be curious as to how its going to be resolved.

I’ll let you know what happens with the airlines. If you like this blog, most likely you will like 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. His articles reflect this journey in an inspirational and motivational way. http://www.inspirepossibility.com.

CONSISTENCY

Saturday, February 2nd, 2008

There is a stream on ITunes, Whisperings, that transports me to a different realm. Much of my writing is done listening to this music. It’s solo piano.

I love that ability to travel from the concerns of the material world to the deeper places of my being. Meditation has always been a part of my path. And yoga certainly has.

Developing the ability to shift the mind from those dark obsessive places of negativity is what we are all striving for; tuning into that place inside where there is stillness and the mind is silent.

No matter what’s going on elsewhere this is our sanctuary. It takes commitment to get there. It’s not unusual to get off the track so we have to develop ways to be reminded that we are drifting. Committing to one positive habit a day is a great beginning. And that means that no matter what else is going on, you follow through.

One of my habits that serves me well is to ask the question, ” I wonder what the highlight of the day will be?” Thats what I’m wondering right now as I start the day.” I’m open to finding out. I’m curious. Maybe it will be two or three highlights.

Try it. Ask yourself the same question.

If you like this blog, most likely you will like my free 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. His articles reflect this journey in an inspirational and motivational way. http://www.inspirepossibility.com.

WHAT’S YOUR GREMLINS NAME?

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Ralph was pretty mellow today. In yesterday’s blog, I introduced you to Ralph, my gremlin. My gremlin is that negative voice that no matter what I’m doing throws in a little doubt. Ralph says, “It won’t work….You don’t have to do it…You don’t deserve it.” And he goes on and I’m sure you have your own version with your gremlin.

We all have gremlins and the trick is to acknowledge them and move on from there. If we try to sweep them under the carpet they come back at a later time in a bigger way.

By giving your gremlin a name, we realize that our gremlin is not our true essence. It is not our true self. When we stay in our heart and see the world with love in a positive way, our perspective is different. Then our gremlin goes away. We might want to send love to our gremlin.

On a basic level, our challenge in finding more fulfillment is learning to make peace with that inner critic…that wounded child part of ourself.

In yoga this morning there was a shift. By focusing on my breath I was in the present moment. My mind didn’t wander.

You can experience more joy and fulfillment in your life. Make the choice. Leave the judgments behind. After all isn’t your gremlin just a judgment.

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

ONE BREATH AT A TIME

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

“Focus on how you want to feel and don’t worry about how you are going to get there.” Many of you are familiar with these words. They have been repeated many times on the movie, The Secret, and are mentioned in just about all of the prosperity books out there.

What was different today were the circumstances where I heard these words. We arrived on Kauai last night and this morning went to an early yoga class, at Yoga Hanalei. We have taken classes with Bhavani, for the last twelve years.

She greeted us on this early Sunday morning with those words. “How do we went to feel after class. Don’t worry how you are going to get there,” she said.

Here we were in an entirely different setting and those words were the first words we heard in the morning.

I quickly thought about what she said and realized that it all starts with the mind. Rather than thinking about the difficulty or challenges ahead, focus on the inner feeling. These teachings are not anything new and probably we can’t hear them enough. Or as Mike Robbins says, “Focus on the Good Stuff.”

As soon as the class started I realized that the intensity that I had been used to in the last six months was not on the same level as this class. I started to play a few mind games with myself but with Bhavani’s guidance settled in and focused on my breath. I soon felt a stillness that set the tone for the rest of the day.

I am sure you have heard many times, “One day at a time.” Why not, “One Breath at a Time?”

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

LIFE PURPOSE

Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Are you connected with your life purpose? I know that when you are, life doesn’t seem to be a struggle.

For years, I’ve struggled with what my purpose was. I kept coming back to making a difference in the lives of others. Being a lawyer satisfied that purpose in the beginning.

But as my career progressed, I started to question how much I really was helping people. It seemed that what I did shifted from fighting for social justice to making money. And when I made this shift I struggled.

Because that is what happens when it’s just about money. There has to be something greater than ourselves that moves us. Our challenge is to find what that is. And what that is changes from time to time.

Having a family seem to to answer that question for a while until I reached a point when I started questioning what I was doing. A few days ago in my blog I stated that my deepest intent was to inspire others to believe in themselves. For now I resonate with that as my life purpose. It is my hope that reading this blog inspires you to connect with yours. You may also find my newsletter, Letters on Life, inspiring.

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

KEEPING SCORE

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

If you are into sports, keeping score is a given. And it’s part of the game. We all also keep score with our finances. That’s another good thing especially if you are winning…i.e. not spending more than you are taking in.

But there is one area in our life where keeping score hinders us. And that is staying in touch with friends and family. If you are like most people, you probably notice when your phone call isn’t returned before calling again. Or it might be just extending yourself to another in some other manner. i sometimes find myself thinking that it is their turn to contact me.

If you want more connection in your life and I think we all do, then putting ourselves out there is a must. At times it might seem
we aren’t appreciated. So you have to ask yourself the question, What’s more important…making the connection or being right and not making another effort to connect?

In any relationship, one person has to step up to make it happen. How many times have you been with a friend and one of you says,”Let’s together soon….or I’ll call you.”

What happens is that you wait for the other person to initiate the contact. You wait and you wait and before you know it a year goes by and you haven’t talked with that person.

What would happen if in your relationships you took the responsibility to initiate contact. You know you would have more connection in your life. So ask yourself whether it was worth. Usually you’ll find that it was but not all of the time.

I like to connect with people. Probably my need is greater than a lot of people that I know.

If you like this blog, you would also like my newsletter, 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. His articles reflect this journey in an inspirational and motivational way. http://www.inspirepossibility.com