Every now and then I like to share with others information and articles which I have read and found great value.

Here is Part One of a series done in Success Magazine by Leadership Expert, John C. Maxwell on life challenges.

Discouragement

Everyone gets discouraged. Sydney Harris said, “When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life’s hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’ ”Not everyone responds to discouragement in the same way. In regard to discouragement, there are two kinds of people in the world: splatters and bouncers. Splatters hit rock bottom, fall apart and stick to the bottom like glue. Bouncers hit rock bottom, pull themselves back together and bounce back up. The question is: Are you going to give up or get up? It’s a choice.

Here are a few suggestions that will help you bounce when you experience discouragement. Read more ...

Take a moment to think about the last time you needed to find a solution and make a decision about an issue in your life. What method did you use? Was the solution and decision reactionary? Or did you have a process for not only making a decision, but also determining a solution for the long term?

We often times practice making permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances. This way of thinking does not aide us in using our critical thinking skills which enables us to examine, clarify and determine the outcome of a particular situation in our life. Problem solving is not just finding a solution which works at the time, but it is a multiple step process which allows us to approach the situation in a logical and practical way.

Assess the Situation

1)      Set aside time in a quiet space to approach the problem expecting that there is a thought out practical solution available to be used. Begin the process with a clear mind.

2)      Create a language shift from negative to positive. View the “problem” as a “situation”. The word problem puts you in a negative mindset from the onset while the word situation puts you in a neutral starting place for transformational change.

3)      Define the situation clearly by writing it down. Write the situation from multiple view points. Ask yourself a series of questions in order to be clear about the situation.

4)      Ask yourself questions about all the possible causes of the situation. Inability to identify the causes or reasons for the situation may at times cause a continued cycle of the situation in your life. Read more ...

It is always my desire to share life changing principles that help women reach and live at their full potential. I would like to share 13 Key Habits to Help You Seize the Day created by Success Magazine expert, Paul J. Meyer. You can find these life changing principles on the Success Magazine website.

1. Be an inverted paranoid: I believe the whole world is conspiring to do only good things to me.

2. Be a quick forgiver: I don’t have time to waste in unforgiveness.

3. Be optimistic: Believing the best of people and circumstances is a sure way to find the best.

4. Be thankful: I always give thanks, keep my eyes on God as my provider, and keep a smile on my face.

5. Be an encourager: Encouragers make me feel better, stronger, and more capable of accomplishing my dreams. I want to do the same for others.

6. Be spontaneous: I have a sense of urgency and a do-it-now attitude.

7. Be a giver: My greatest joy is giving!

8. Be positive: Being positive has the potential of turning the worst situations into victories.

9. Smile a lot and laugh at life: Adversity is a steppingstone, not a roadblock. Why not laugh in the midst of the challenges?

10. Live life with enthusiasm: I will only live once, so why not give it my all?

11. Enjoy life: I truly enjoy life.

12. Find a hobby you enjoy: No matter where I am, I have something I like to do.

13. Look for people to help: I get up every morning excited about the person I might help that day. Read more ...

To “kick start” your life is just another way to say “jump start.” It is time to restart fresh and reenergize your life. Little to no progress can be made if you are stuck in life with no “spark” to help provide the kick start you need.

In the movie Inception, “the kick” was necessary to awaken a dreaming individual to get them from one level to another. Sometimes in order to get to our next level in life we need a kick. It is time to make room for new experiences by removing thoughts, ideas and concepts that are not helping you get to your new level in life. What may have worked in the past may not work for your future.

Here is a powerful way to kick start your life. Schedule an afternoon when you will have no distractions; no children, no phone, no tv - nothing but you, paper, pen and most likely a cup of tea. Use this time to create your personal mission statement. Think about how you see your life in the future (2 years, 5 years, 10 years) and create a personal mission statement which reflects the life you want to live.

While getting my coaching certification, the program included a creating a personal mission statement exercise. We were paired with someone in the class, asked each other a series of questions and we wrote a personal mission statements for one another. The next day we had to call our partner and read the mission statements we created for them. Talk about powerful!

If you want to take it a step further, record your personal mission statement. This way you can listen to it each morning during your time of mediation or while you’re taking a walk. This is a great way to keep the “vision” for your life before you and will also give your life the kick start it needs.

Rev Up Your Engine

Imagine driving on the highway at 80 miles per hour. Ok, maybe not that fast. But all of a sudden your car begins to stall and at the very moment you think you can make it to the exit your car quits on you. However, you give it one more push by revving the engine and are able to get you and your car out of the danger zone. That is what we are talking about, revving your internal life engine.

In thinking about revving an engine, car racing came to mind. In preparation for a high speed motor race, revving the engine prepares the car for optimum performance to get your car warmed up for the race ahead.

This is certainly a principle you can apply to your life. Revving your personal internal engine is a great way to prepare yourself for the race ahead. Life is often viewed as a race. It takes many components for you to not only get in the race, but to sustain it with speed, persistence, consistency and accuracy. You are the driver and the car you have been given is called life. One of the keys to life is learning to drive and navigate with wise efficiency. 

One of the ways to “rev up your engine” is to create positive affirmations which are consistent with the way you see your life in the future. They should be positive and written in present tense. View your future with your “mind’s eye.”  It is the power of your words that will help to manifest the life you deserve.

Are you ready? Vrooom! Vrooom!

See you tomorrow for tip #5

Act on Your "GOals"

This is tip #3 for creating the SPARK you need to jump start your life! If your life is stalled, stuck or stagnant, now is the time to get in gear and move.

Take a close look at the word “goal.” The first two letters make up the word “go.”

Go: to move on a course, proceed or to take a certain course. It is just that simple. Goals are not as complicated as we make them out to be. For example, your goal is the bigger picture. For example, our goal or bigger picture is to go food shopping. There are a number of “tasks” we must complete in order to reach this goal. The basic tasks include preparation, going outside, getting into the car, putting the car in gear and “going.”

An effective way to help reach your goals is to break the bigger goal down into a series of tasks. With this in mind, you may only want to tackle two to three goals at one time. Why? Because when you list out the tasks associated with each goal, the list can become pretty long. Each day do at least one thing from your task list which will help you to get one step closer to your goal.  Begin small, be persistent and consistent. 

Remember to act on your "GOals"!

See you tomorrow for tip #4!

Feeling stuck, stalled and stagnant? Number two in our blog series will help create the SPARK needed to jump start your life. 

Dare to create a vision for your life? Tap into the creativity embedded within you to reach your destined place of purpose. Have you taken the steps necessary to find your purpose? That very thing you are passionate about could be the spark you need. 

I was inspired to become a life coach because I encountered individuals who would share with me that they don’t know their purpose. They don’t know why they are on this earth at this appointed time and place. Some stated they have no desire to invest their time, resources or energy to finding their purpose, maximizing their potential and igniting the passion within them! I am hoping that you are not at this place in your life; however, if you are then you are reading this at the right time. Now is the time for you to invest in you. You may have spent years, an enormous amount of resources or endless hours working toward something that is not germane to your purpose. But take the time to think about that thing in your life which makes you sing. That thing you begin to talk about where people can see the twinkle in your eye and the glow in your countenance. Discover, unleash and pursue the passion within and it is there that your purpose comes live.

Feelings stuck, stalled and stagnant? This blog series will help create the SPARK needed to jump start your life. 

#1 - SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING

One of the most relied upon of the five senses is sight. Sight on a basic level is the ability to see with your physical eyes. But if you dig deeper the ability to see includes creating a mental picture—a visualization. Familiar with the term “mind’s eye?” This term refers to the human ability for visualization, which is experiencing visual mental imagery—basically, the ability to “see” with your mind. Helen Keller said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight, but no vision.”

From this place of “seeing” you can begin to jump start your life. Use your “mind’s eye” to see yourself in the future. Where are you? Are you living the life you dreamed of living? Are you experiencing success in all areas of your life? Do you have balance? Say to yourself, “I see you in the future and you look much better than you look right now!”



Visualize the life you want and deserve to live. Harness what you see to help create the path to get from where you are to where you want to be. Use vision to see where you are going.

See you on tomorrow for #2

We as women have a tendency to take care of everyone else before we take care of ourselves. But when the season prepares to transition from spring to summer we sometimes work to get our bodies ready to receive the new season. You know “bathing suit” ready. But I am not going to talk about losing 10 pounds, pedicures or body waxing. I want to share about having a makeover from the inside out.

Renew your SPIRIT

This is where you take the time to reflect on yourself and take an assessment of where you are in your life. This may require you to really take a deep look at yourself and what things you will need or no longer need to move the next phase of your life. Renewing your spirit is a great way to prevent yourself from being burned out. It also allows you to create new space for better opportunities, growth and personal development. Make room for those new experiences by using this time of renewal to create new thoughts, ideas and concepts to emerge transformed. Read more ...

 As you may notice, I am new to The WIN family! So new, I haven't uploaded my first show, as of yet. But I am so excited about being connected with such an incredible organization, that I wanted to express just how excited I am!

I am even more excited that I will be able to deliver to our listeners incredible content that will help to change and empower your thinking as it relates to your major life areas. We all understand that "life" happens, but the real issue is how we handle life and its challenges. It is here that I will make connections and develop relationships which will last a lifetime. Because you have chosen to visit me here at The WIN please be sure to stay connected.

Motivational Speaker, Zig Ziglar says that on a basic level people want to be happy, healthy reasonably prosperous and secure; they want to have friends, peace of mind, good family relationships and hope. Through this wonderful organization and incredible portal, it is my desire to help you life the life you were destined to live. My primary focus will be to help strength you and your family.

Have a wonderful week and I will "see" you next time!

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