This week is my birthday. And in a few weeks my husband and I head back east for my nephews wedding.
There are many reasons and ways to celebrate. Whether it's a private moment to focus on an achievement or a major celebration it still allows us to connect to a feeling of joy. Feeling joy allows us to connect to a light energetic frequency and helps us to align with attracting positive outcomes.
If you 'd like take a moment right now to celebrate. Think of an accomplishment and feel good about it. Don't let these special moments slip on by.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
How is your summer going?
Hello.
I find it hard to believe it is 7/12/09 already. The summer is sure flying by and I hope you are enjoying it. This is a time of year that is usually filled with extra activities so it can be hard to keep a focus on your goals. That’s fine. But if you are noticing there is something you want in your life then maybe just take a few minutes to do the following:
-Think about what you have recently accomplished
-Think about where you want to go from here
-Write it down. Simply writing it down increases the likelihood of your success
-Come with an action item, even if it’s just to pick a date in the near future to start working on your goal
-Write it down with a completion date
For me personally I have had a full spring and summer. I have been writing my new book YENPATH ~ A Method for Fulfilling Your Desires, taking advanced coaching classes, facilitating workshops, working with coaching clients and teaching yoga classes. On top of that I had a great vacation with my family, am enjoying quality time at home with my husband and our pets, and having fun with my yoga practice and exercising. For me my new desire is to start a nutritional cleanse so I can improve the quality of the nutrients I put in my body and detoxify. I’ve tried different methods but generally love the results and would highly recommend doing one. If you want information you can always reach me at solutions@jennygallagher.com.
All the best and enjoy the rest of your summer!
I find it hard to believe it is 7/12/09 already. The summer is sure flying by and I hope you are enjoying it. This is a time of year that is usually filled with extra activities so it can be hard to keep a focus on your goals. That’s fine. But if you are noticing there is something you want in your life then maybe just take a few minutes to do the following:
-Think about what you have recently accomplished
-Think about where you want to go from here
-Write it down. Simply writing it down increases the likelihood of your success
-Come with an action item, even if it’s just to pick a date in the near future to start working on your goal
-Write it down with a completion date
For me personally I have had a full spring and summer. I have been writing my new book YENPATH ~ A Method for Fulfilling Your Desires, taking advanced coaching classes, facilitating workshops, working with coaching clients and teaching yoga classes. On top of that I had a great vacation with my family, am enjoying quality time at home with my husband and our pets, and having fun with my yoga practice and exercising. For me my new desire is to start a nutritional cleanse so I can improve the quality of the nutrients I put in my body and detoxify. I’ve tried different methods but generally love the results and would highly recommend doing one. If you want information you can always reach me at solutions@jennygallagher.com.
All the best and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Getting Unstuck
Do you want to be more successful in your personal and/or professional life? It can be discouraging to have great goals but to feel unable to achieve them. Most people tend to be successful in a few areas of their lives but not in other areas. Maybe your career is going great but your relationships aren’t where you want them to be. Or maybe your personal life is wonderful but you hate your job. Maybe you’re a wonderful mom or dad and find you have no time for yourself and are dissatisfied with your personal image. Maybe you love travel or adventure and your finances are suffering. Or maybe you just feel generally dissatisfied but aren’t even sure why.
Of course you need to focus more time in the day for certain aspects of your life. That is fine. But if you can notice when dissatisfaction starts to creep in, then you can begin to implement changes before it becomes a major problem. If you start when the problem is small it is much more manageable. Unfortunately people do not typically do this. You ignore it because “I’m too busy”, or because “It is selfish to focus on me”, or simply because you cannot break your old habits. Now you’re officially stuck!
First you need to identify what it is that is holding you back from living the perfect life. Is it your home, finances, relationships, education, career, personal growth, fitness, or wellness? What is it that holds you back? Where do you feel stuck or a sense of struggle?
There are many levels at which you can get “stuck”
-Do you think about your dreams and goals on a daily basis but believe you do not have the time and/or money to work on them at this point in your life?
-Are you ready to work on your goal(s) now but aren’t sure how to get going?
-Have you tried to achieve your goal(s) in the past but got poor results?
If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions then you are currently “stuck”. But if you feel a longing for a specific change in your life then there are ways to get you there. You just need the right tools. Hopefully some of these ideas will help:
I-C-A-N
Read Four Steps to a Better Life, Infinity Publishing. Jenny Gallagher offers a simple approach to positive change. The “I-C-A-N” approach of intention, clarity, action, and next steps allows for an easy-to-remember strategy that lets you set goals you can reach, take action that delivers results, and much more.
The most important thing to remember is “I-C-A-N”. Instead of looking at what you can’t do in life, look at what you can do. It’s a much more empowering and enjoyable place to reside! To find more information on how to purchase Four Steps to a Better Life go to http://www.jennygallagher.com/book.html.
Get to Know Yourself
Understanding the basic characteristics of your personality can be extremely helpful. Your basic characteristics are your patterns of thought, feelings and behaviors that remain stable throughout your life. Your blue print if you will. You have probably heard of Type-A personalities. This was developed to identify risk of coronary disease. Type A personalities can be impatient, competitive and aggressive. These are the workaholics. They thrive on stress (and usually boast about this). Type B personalities are patient, relaxed and easy going. In this case the information you gain can help you to reduce your risk of coronary disease. Learning techniques to relax on occasion can give the body a momentary break from stress and that’s when the body can rejuvenate. In general, learning more about yourself can help you to avoid the pit-falls you would be more likely to encounter, and to move toward the things you want.
The Myers-Briggs personality test was developed in the 1920’s based on the work of Carl Jung. Personality tests can help you to understand things like how you learn best (i.e. by seeing, by hearing, by doing), how you prefer to interact with others, and how you get your energy (being around others or solitude). When you understand your preferences then you can use that to your advantage in so many ways. One caution is that when people label themselves, they can then use that information to create excuses, or justify poor behavior. Use the information to free yourself versus boxing yourself in. To take a free personality test you can go to http://similarminds.com/myers-briggs-jung.html.
Satisfaction Level
To determine your overall satisfaction level in all areas of your life you can use the worksheet in Four Steps to a Better Life. Or you can simply take a moment to think about what the important areas of your life are. What feels unsatisfactory? Living a balanced life is important. As mentioned earlier, most people tend to focus on a few areas of their live that they are naturally good at. Maybe it’s the career, or the family life. Or maybe it’s not that you are necessarily good at them, but have to spend time there because those are your commitments. The reason balance is important is because the areas we don’t pay attention to may end up being huge voids later on. Doing this simple exercise of determining your satisfaction level in all areas of your life can help you to notice the changes early on so you can prevent this.
Living a balanced life doesn’t mean spending the same amount of time or money in each of these areas. It simply means noticing your level of satisfaction in each of these areas. If your satisfaction level is high then nothing needs to change. Here is an example: Do you have very little time for recreation or fun? How does that make you feel? If you are okay with this, then your satisfaction level would be high. So a person that gets very little recreation and is okay with that would be more satisfied (and therefore no action is needed) than someone else that spends a lot of time doing these activities but they still want more. Your balance will be very different than someone else’s.
Set a Goal
Most people have no idea how to word a goal. They feel a need or want, and it is usually because of some pain or dissatisfaction that has arisen. So they word the goal around the pain or dissatisfaction. There are lots of ways to word a goal so that it will be motivating to act on. So what do you want? Do you have a goal to “lose weight”? NO! That’s what you don’t want. No one really wants to lose weight. What you want is the result from losing weight. Maybe it would be to fit into your old college jeans, or a specific outfit for a big event in the near future. Maybe you want to focus on a feeling, like being able to walk up the stairs without feeling out of breath, or to play with your children. Consider wording your goal around that.
Find Support
There is no need to go-it-alone. Tell your friends and family about your goal and illicit their support. If someone seems critical of your goal you have a choice. You can listen to see if there is some valuable information there that you can use. Or you can seek out others that honor your goal to support you. If you find it challenging to work with people you know then it may be a better idea to work with a life or business coach so you can have the opportunity to move forward with your goals.
Work with a life or business coach
Life and business coaches provide a unique type of support. For one thing, the style of communication is different than conversations you typically have with friends and family. When you are in a conversation with one or more people, it is very likely that the topic will shift all over the place. You may bring something up you want to talk about but that will remind someone else of something they want to talk about and you no longer have the floor. With your coach this should not happen. They stay with you. That way you can move forward with your thoughts. This is amazingly powerful. This type of communicating allows you to let your ideas grow. And when that happens, you become very motivated and ready for action.
Another advantage to working with a life or business coach is their unbiased approach. Sometimes it is hard for family and friends to support your goals because fear comes up for them. What happens to them if you change? Having an opportunity to talk about your goals to an unbiased 3rd party let’s you figure it out first. Then you can also work with your coach to strategize and develop the communication skills so you can present your desires in a non-threatening fashion. You may be thinking “this doesn’t apply to me” but you’d be surprised. Little changes, like taking a night class, can upset the family dynamic if you do not consider all angles. When you approach family and friends, share your idea in a way that is thoughtful. Consider their needs and your commitments but also learn to set good, loving boundaries. This can be a win-win and take everyone to a better future.
There are lots of other advantages. Hopefully your life or business coach is certified, and if so they are trained to work with people in this capacity. A coach can help you to get to the root of the problem. You are doing what you are doing (behaviors) because you are filling a need. If you just stop doing that thing (i.e. willpower alone) then you may not have the long term results you would hope for. A coach can help you to identify the need; and also things like your limiting beliefs that can hold you back. You will learn what your core values are and how to use them to motivate you.
Coaching is done over the phone which saves time and removes location obstacles. Everything discussed during your phone calls is strictly confidential. You will learn how to set boundaries with yourself and others. You will learn how to make the most out of your most precious commodity; time. If individual coaching sounds intimidating then consider joining a workgroup. These can be done in person or as conference calls. This allows like-minded individuals to get and give support, ideas, and suggestions. Together you will motivate and inspire. You will hold each other accountable. And accountability is a great motivator.
In closing please remember you can be successful in your endeavors. You can seek out support to help get you there. Why struggle and go through your journey alone? So take a moment right now to write down a few words about something you want greater success in. Then decide which approaches you want to use to get going.
Of course you need to focus more time in the day for certain aspects of your life. That is fine. But if you can notice when dissatisfaction starts to creep in, then you can begin to implement changes before it becomes a major problem. If you start when the problem is small it is much more manageable. Unfortunately people do not typically do this. You ignore it because “I’m too busy”, or because “It is selfish to focus on me”, or simply because you cannot break your old habits. Now you’re officially stuck!
First you need to identify what it is that is holding you back from living the perfect life. Is it your home, finances, relationships, education, career, personal growth, fitness, or wellness? What is it that holds you back? Where do you feel stuck or a sense of struggle?
There are many levels at which you can get “stuck”
-Do you think about your dreams and goals on a daily basis but believe you do not have the time and/or money to work on them at this point in your life?
-Are you ready to work on your goal(s) now but aren’t sure how to get going?
-Have you tried to achieve your goal(s) in the past but got poor results?
If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions then you are currently “stuck”. But if you feel a longing for a specific change in your life then there are ways to get you there. You just need the right tools. Hopefully some of these ideas will help:
I-C-A-N
Read Four Steps to a Better Life, Infinity Publishing. Jenny Gallagher offers a simple approach to positive change. The “I-C-A-N” approach of intention, clarity, action, and next steps allows for an easy-to-remember strategy that lets you set goals you can reach, take action that delivers results, and much more.
The most important thing to remember is “I-C-A-N”. Instead of looking at what you can’t do in life, look at what you can do. It’s a much more empowering and enjoyable place to reside! To find more information on how to purchase Four Steps to a Better Life go to http://www.jennygallagher.com/book.html.
Get to Know Yourself
Understanding the basic characteristics of your personality can be extremely helpful. Your basic characteristics are your patterns of thought, feelings and behaviors that remain stable throughout your life. Your blue print if you will. You have probably heard of Type-A personalities. This was developed to identify risk of coronary disease. Type A personalities can be impatient, competitive and aggressive. These are the workaholics. They thrive on stress (and usually boast about this). Type B personalities are patient, relaxed and easy going. In this case the information you gain can help you to reduce your risk of coronary disease. Learning techniques to relax on occasion can give the body a momentary break from stress and that’s when the body can rejuvenate. In general, learning more about yourself can help you to avoid the pit-falls you would be more likely to encounter, and to move toward the things you want.
The Myers-Briggs personality test was developed in the 1920’s based on the work of Carl Jung. Personality tests can help you to understand things like how you learn best (i.e. by seeing, by hearing, by doing), how you prefer to interact with others, and how you get your energy (being around others or solitude). When you understand your preferences then you can use that to your advantage in so many ways. One caution is that when people label themselves, they can then use that information to create excuses, or justify poor behavior. Use the information to free yourself versus boxing yourself in. To take a free personality test you can go to http://similarminds.com/myers-briggs-jung.html.
Satisfaction Level
To determine your overall satisfaction level in all areas of your life you can use the worksheet in Four Steps to a Better Life. Or you can simply take a moment to think about what the important areas of your life are. What feels unsatisfactory? Living a balanced life is important. As mentioned earlier, most people tend to focus on a few areas of their live that they are naturally good at. Maybe it’s the career, or the family life. Or maybe it’s not that you are necessarily good at them, but have to spend time there because those are your commitments. The reason balance is important is because the areas we don’t pay attention to may end up being huge voids later on. Doing this simple exercise of determining your satisfaction level in all areas of your life can help you to notice the changes early on so you can prevent this.
Living a balanced life doesn’t mean spending the same amount of time or money in each of these areas. It simply means noticing your level of satisfaction in each of these areas. If your satisfaction level is high then nothing needs to change. Here is an example: Do you have very little time for recreation or fun? How does that make you feel? If you are okay with this, then your satisfaction level would be high. So a person that gets very little recreation and is okay with that would be more satisfied (and therefore no action is needed) than someone else that spends a lot of time doing these activities but they still want more. Your balance will be very different than someone else’s.
Set a Goal
Most people have no idea how to word a goal. They feel a need or want, and it is usually because of some pain or dissatisfaction that has arisen. So they word the goal around the pain or dissatisfaction. There are lots of ways to word a goal so that it will be motivating to act on. So what do you want? Do you have a goal to “lose weight”? NO! That’s what you don’t want. No one really wants to lose weight. What you want is the result from losing weight. Maybe it would be to fit into your old college jeans, or a specific outfit for a big event in the near future. Maybe you want to focus on a feeling, like being able to walk up the stairs without feeling out of breath, or to play with your children. Consider wording your goal around that.
Find Support
There is no need to go-it-alone. Tell your friends and family about your goal and illicit their support. If someone seems critical of your goal you have a choice. You can listen to see if there is some valuable information there that you can use. Or you can seek out others that honor your goal to support you. If you find it challenging to work with people you know then it may be a better idea to work with a life or business coach so you can have the opportunity to move forward with your goals.
Work with a life or business coach
Life and business coaches provide a unique type of support. For one thing, the style of communication is different than conversations you typically have with friends and family. When you are in a conversation with one or more people, it is very likely that the topic will shift all over the place. You may bring something up you want to talk about but that will remind someone else of something they want to talk about and you no longer have the floor. With your coach this should not happen. They stay with you. That way you can move forward with your thoughts. This is amazingly powerful. This type of communicating allows you to let your ideas grow. And when that happens, you become very motivated and ready for action.
Another advantage to working with a life or business coach is their unbiased approach. Sometimes it is hard for family and friends to support your goals because fear comes up for them. What happens to them if you change? Having an opportunity to talk about your goals to an unbiased 3rd party let’s you figure it out first. Then you can also work with your coach to strategize and develop the communication skills so you can present your desires in a non-threatening fashion. You may be thinking “this doesn’t apply to me” but you’d be surprised. Little changes, like taking a night class, can upset the family dynamic if you do not consider all angles. When you approach family and friends, share your idea in a way that is thoughtful. Consider their needs and your commitments but also learn to set good, loving boundaries. This can be a win-win and take everyone to a better future.
There are lots of other advantages. Hopefully your life or business coach is certified, and if so they are trained to work with people in this capacity. A coach can help you to get to the root of the problem. You are doing what you are doing (behaviors) because you are filling a need. If you just stop doing that thing (i.e. willpower alone) then you may not have the long term results you would hope for. A coach can help you to identify the need; and also things like your limiting beliefs that can hold you back. You will learn what your core values are and how to use them to motivate you.
Coaching is done over the phone which saves time and removes location obstacles. Everything discussed during your phone calls is strictly confidential. You will learn how to set boundaries with yourself and others. You will learn how to make the most out of your most precious commodity; time. If individual coaching sounds intimidating then consider joining a workgroup. These can be done in person or as conference calls. This allows like-minded individuals to get and give support, ideas, and suggestions. Together you will motivate and inspire. You will hold each other accountable. And accountability is a great motivator.
In closing please remember you can be successful in your endeavors. You can seek out support to help get you there. Why struggle and go through your journey alone? So take a moment right now to write down a few words about something you want greater success in. Then decide which approaches you want to use to get going.
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