How are you holiding on to your relationships… your career… your finances?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3bKO1wckXM

What do you think?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

It is a product of thoughts you create.

Do not misunderstand me:

Danger is very real, but fear is a choice.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZIt20emgLY

“Fear and excitement are chemically the same.” ~ Catherine Hanrahan

“As soon as you feel fear, the amygdala (a small almond-shaped organ in the center of your brain) sends signals to your autonomic nervous system (ANS), which then has a wide range of effects. The ANS kicks in, and suddenly, your heart rate increases, your blood pressure goes up, your breathing gets quicker, and stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released. The blood flows away from the heart and out towards the extremities, preparing the arms and legs for action.”¹

Think of a time when excitement coursed through your body.  The physiological response is nearly identical.  So much so that the body itself cannot tell the difference between fear and excitement.  The brain is simply reacting to the sudden rush of neurotransmitters.

As humans, we do have access to higher faculties.  While we can’t control the body’s bio-chemical reactions, we can control our interpretation…  Fear or excitement?

In the clip from After Earth, Will Smith‘s character points out, “Danger is very real,” making a distinction between danger and fear.  Fear is a survival instinct, although in today’s world–where we are not at risk of being eaten by saber-toothed tigers–fear often acts as a block that keeps us paralyzed and holds us back.

As Amelia Earhart stated, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do.”

Fear is a block.  Excitement inspires creation.  How will you choose to interpret the events in your life?

^{1. John A. Call, PhD  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/crisis-center/200807/the-anatomy-fear}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7ZBI-B6umo

That’s a line from Maroon 5′s song “Daylight” and it seems to be one of the struggles I often hear about.  Essentially, “I’d like to change __________ (fill in the blank), but I don’t want to start all over.”

The risk is too high.  The fear is too overwhelming.

Do you hate your job?

Are you miserable in your relationship?

Is it worth starting over to pursue your passion?  Or experience real love?

To my mind:  Absolutely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4AaPwv-Us4

Video Summary:

• The main difference between coaching and therapy.
• Therapy DOES work if you need it and you have an awesome therapist.
• If you have an extra $150,000, work with The Ultimate Coach.
• What do zinc and acne have to do with this???

Watch the video to find out!

Audio only:

Here are the two things I’m looking for in any prospective client to see if they are coachable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVBHVFmOVUs

Audio Only: 

Have a comment?  Reply below…

Instead of a star rating, I’ll just suggest you “Read it” or “Skip it.”  Here’s what I read in February…

(Click the images for links to Amazon.)

Time Warrior by Steve Chandler

Read it!

Steve Chandler is sort of taking over my life right now, in a good way.  Just look at the subtitle:  How to Defeat Procrastination, People-Pleasing, Self-Doubt, Over-Commitment, Broken Promises and Chaos.

And he delivers.  I’m a big fan of his no-nonsense approach.  I even used this book in this month’s tribe session to talk about How to Get What You Really Want (in Love).

Here’s a passage for all of you self-employed readers:

[quote] What do I feel like doing right now?  That is the worst question I could ever ask myself during my workday.

On a weekend that’s a fine question.  “What do I feel like doing?  I’ll watch a little baseball, I’ll play the guitar.”  That’s fine, but in my workday, the feeling question is the worst question I can ask myself.  The best questions are:  “What do I want to produce?” and “What structure would guarantee that? [/quote]

And one of my favorites:

[quote] I wouldn’t waste any further time trying to “trust the abundance of the universe.”  I would, instead, test it with action.  Test whether it’s abundant or not by serving people to such a degree that you finally know.  (Spoiler alert:  it is.) [/quote]

Trailing: A Memoir by Kristin Louise Duncombe

Skip it.

Having lived and worked in East Africa, I was looking forward to this memoir.  It was nice to reminisce about the places and language I loved.
However, the author’s complaints about the country, her marriage and her life at large were off-putting.  If the writing itself had been fantastic, it might have lifted the book above the depressing storyline, but unfortunately, it was not.

The Icarus Deception:  How High Will You Fly?  by Seth Godin

Read it!

I appreciate what Godin is saying here because he’s pushing us to make art, not work.  He contrasts the “industrialist age” of the past with today’s “connection economy.”  Here are a few quotes to give you the gist of his message:

[quote] Understanding cutting-edge business concepts like the Long Tail and the Tipping Point and Purple Cow and GTD and the rest is worthless if you don’t commit. Commit to the frightening work of flying blind, of taking a stand, and of making something new, complex, and vital—or nothing much happens. [/quote]

[quote] Scarcity and abundance have been flipped. High-quality work is no longer scarce. Competence is no longer scarce, either. We have too many good choices—there’s an abundance of things to buy and people to hire. What’s scarce is trust, connection, and surprise. These are three elements in the work of a successful artist. [/quote]

[quote] Our cultural instinct is to wait to get picked. To seek out the permission, authority, and safety that come from a publisher or a talk-show host or even a blogger who says, “I pick you.” Once you reject that impulse and realize that no one is going to select you—that Prince Charming has chosen another house in his search for Cinderella—then you can actually get to work. [/quote]

What are you reading?

As always, I’d love to know what you’re reading…  What’s the best book you’ve read this year?  And what did you like about it?  Leave a comment below and let me know.

Starhawk says, “Edges are the places where two systems come together, and edges are often the most dynamic places. That can mean the most tension, but they can also be the most fertile, the most creative places. The edge where the ocean meets the shore has one of the most tremendous amounts of diversity of any biological system.”

Comfort meeting discomfort.  Known meeting unknown.

What is your personal edge?  Are you willing to step toward it and fly?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r21g6rczcXo

Casting Call video submissions must include:

1) Your name 2) Your location 3) Why you feel that you are undateable.  Upload your video to YouTube and send the link to us here:  undateable2013@gmail.com

Submissions must be received by March 1, 2013.

According to my calendar, Random Acts of Kindness Week begins today.  I don’t know who determines these “official” days and weeks, but I’m all for highlighting this one.

I just learned that there’s a Random Acts of Kindness Foundation whose mission is “Inspiring people to practice kindness and pass it on to others.”  What’s not to love about that?!

Here are a few of their suggestions for this week (and many more can be found on their website):

The true beauty of any act of kindness is that it brings us out of our self-focus, our constant worry and mind chatter, and turns the spotlight, even momentarily, toward someone else.  Someone who we have the power to influence with just a smile, a “hello” or a kind gesture.

As a culture, we are craving connection.  These small acts let us know that we’re not alone, that someone else notices us and cares enough to break through the walls we often carry around ourselves.

Connection is where magic happens, where synchronicity blooms and where something inside of us lights up — a spark of recognition.  True “Namaste.”

What will you do this week to connect with another through a simple random act of kindness?

I’m a coach and I need a coach.

And you need a coach.  An experienced coach.  Not your best friend and definitely not your partner!

My world was rocked the other day when I was speaking with a colleague, Rich Litvin.  Rich is a master coach and trainer, and he called me out telling me that I was being a “selfish bitch” about not implementing something I’ve been talking about.

Wow…
That was a little hard to take.
The worst part was that he was right.

And let me tell you, most of my friends are way too invested to have been that up-front with me.
I definitely couldn’t have coached myself on it – I couldn’t even see it!
And if my husband would have said that, well… let’s just say that would NOT have gone over well.

So… I need a coach.

And so do you.

I’d like to be your coach in 2013.

My “End of the World” (annual year-end) sale is going on now.

Here’s how it works:  one-hour coaching sessions for 2013 are discounted to $100 each (normally $250-300).
In past years, this has given clients the opportunity to stock up on discounted coaching sessions for the upcoming year.
Some people get one, some people get six, or even 24 (to meet twice a month for a year).  It’s up to you.
Get as many or as few as you’d like.
You can select the quantity on the PayPal page using this link:  BUY NOW

This will be the ONLY discount on coaching sessions I offer for 2013 so if you’re even considering any 1:1 coaching with me, NOW would be the time to take action.

Here are the terms of this sale:
Each session is 60 minutes and includes an MP3 recording.
Discounted sessions must be used in the 2013 calendar year, otherwise they expire.
Sessions can be over the phone, online or in person (location dependent).
There are no refunds on sale items.
Sale ends December 28, 2012.

I can’t wait to work with you in the New Year!
Let’s make miracles happen.  ;-)