SELF-GROWTH People are like rubber bands

The common denominator in Personal Growth, these days, is stretch, stretch, stretch!  Well, here we will look at the stretch factor in details.

As you go through life, crucial events will sometimes have you stretch and snap.  Then, it will take you months, sometimes years to mend and heal.  In some instances, the damage will be so ravaging that the person will never take a chance again, unless he/she take steps to overcome the damage done by breaking the silence and seeking help.

Take the instance of someone being battered to pulp until there is no courage, no spark left.  If the person survives, he/he may become overly cautious, avoiding any possibility of facing this ordeal again, yet sabotaging any possibility of pursuing challenging, explorative projects or relationship by fear of sustaining further injury.  Another will shy away from relationships and intimacy after a brutally hurtful separation.

Life’s experiences may provide positive growth when they are not massively extreme and damageable, otherwise they may well hamper your natural self-growth process leaving you with the bitter experience, as a solid barrier, stopping you from progressing. 

When you have encountered what can be called, the habitual life experiences, with its regular ups and down, your self-growth will progress at a regular pace.  Nevertheless, some trying occurrences will test you regularly.  You will encounter adversity.  We all do.

As we live on, some individuals will feel the pressing need to evolve more rapidly, depending on their character and personality.  They will pursue acquisition knowledge acquisition arduously, contemplate, choose a variety of reading to extend their cultural exposure, deepen personal interests, widen their critical skills by reflecting on present and past controversial issues, seek out visionary authors to challenge their wit and spirit.  These will demark themselves.  They will stretch the band to its maximum sooner, taking the time to integrate their newly acquired knowledge and experience.

Others will respond to shocking event with savage pursuits, challenging life’s every situation.  Some of these may not survive it.  In those that do, their extreme life style may be shortened or hampered by some harsh incident.

Most will have more intense experience in their youth, followed by moments of calm routine as a family is started and grows.  Some engage in self-growth at a more mature age when the emptiness of the nest presents a void that needs to be filled.

The important thing is to remember that you are like a rubber band!  Respect yourself, pursue what you wish, how you wish, and seek help when needed.  In this way, you will enrich your inner self and live a fulfilling life!

Happy Trails,

Elizabeth McNally, Mentor
Licensed Certified EI Coach
Compassion Fatigue Specialist
http://guidancequest.com

PUNCTUALITY An act of precision

Have you ever had a friend or colleague that is systematically late?  Have you felt the irritation of waiting?  Have you wondered if it is was a form of disrespect?

If you’re the one that’s always late, you might even think as you are reading this:  < Come on! People know that I’m like that!  Big deal!  No offense meant, here!>

Well, think of it a minute.  If you can’t be precise enough to tell time when clocks and watches exists are up and running all the time, how can anyone be sure that this lack of consideration and precision will not be transferred to all you do.

How can anyone be sure that you’ll follow instructions carefully, with precision and accuracy?  How can anyone depend on you?  There is a good chance that opportunities will bypass you and that you’ll wonder why!

In business, orders need to be sent on time, meetings attended ON TIME, tasks done according to a certain schedule.  People lacking punctuality will be put aside when positions requiring a strong sense of responsibility are posted.

It is a shame to see intelligent, competent individuals set aside because they can’t seem to tell time!  When promotion time comes, they are generally dismissed.  The annoyance of constantly wondering when they’ll show up generally overthrows their worthiness, especially in presence of a punctual competition of the same caliber.

As an employer or supervisor, you may wish to bring your employees to see the importance of punctuality.  Some may resort to docking pay as a punch indicates the precise time.  Others, in offices or retail sales, need to address this problem differently. 

Systematic evaluations will bring out the issue.  Then, persuading the individual to arrive on time and be ready to work, on the floor may be more difficult.  Having numerous examples to address the disadvantages of diminished time available, the impact that it has on the personnel who is burdened by your absence and the poor reflection it has on the staff when there is chronic disrespect of punctuality.

Having spontaneous recognition for those who are on time and perform well will enhance their steadfast performance and enforce a sound model for others to follow. 

 Happy Trails,

Elizabeth McNally, Mentor

Licensed Certified EI Coach

http://guidancequest.com/

ANGER Managing its outburst!

Once I was walking outside on a beautiful sunny day, I had stopped to chat with my horses and was walking towards the open field, when my dog came charging joyfully.  It felt precisely like a locomotive ramming into my legs at full speed, sending me flying up in the air. 

Landing on my back, banging my head, I screamed <You stupid, stupid, stupid dog>, as the pain shot through my back and stars swirled around my head.

Puppy, realizing he had gotten me stirred-up, came to nuzzle my face.  I was in no mood for his cajoling!  I would have vaporized him on that very moment!  Feeling it, I guess, he circled me quietly, his big yellow eyes full of worry.

As the pain eased, I saw the blue sky with small, white, fluffy clouds.  The sun was shining brightly! 

Flashbacks of Puppy’s arrival made me ponder.  A few years ago, he had been abandoned near my home.  My sleigh dogs, residue from my Northern endeavors, had attracted him, I guess.  A good 90 pound husky, he blended in perfectly.  After trying to track down his provenance without success, we adopted him.  Through the years, no one had ever claimed him.  He now had outlived all the others.  Still at his full strength and beauty, he guarded the house well.

He must have been a sleigh dog because the only thing he knew how to do was to pull.  Not particularly swift, it had taken him 2 years to learn how to sit when told.  Yes, he is a little dense!  Nevertheless, in his eyes, you can see that he really wants to please you and listens attentively, especially if you have a treat in your hands.  If screamed at, he cowards down pitifully but as soon as the threat has passed, he runs and jumps joyfully again!  There isn’t a mean bone in his body!

As I still lay in the field, I realized that the pain was gone along with the momentary anger.  Moving limb after limb, I also became aware that no harm was done per se.

Puppy now lay beside me, his big yellow eyes full of love and wonder.  I held out a hand and spoke to him gently, explaining how dangerous this could have been.  He listened then came to nuzzle me again.  Forgiven?  Yes, he was.  He was around 7 years old then.  Now, at the age of 11 or so, he is calm when I walk with him and stays respectfully away from my legs.

Well, on that moment, I came to believe that it was better to reflect on the good memories, and then to ponder, before responding to whom or to what provoked the spontaneous anger.   

So here’s my little remedy:

Step 1                        Assess the situation.

Step 2                        Find positive thoughts or memories to calm your ire.

Step 3             Have an inner-dialogue to see advantages and disadvantages at showing your fury at this very moment.

Step 4             Respond calmly, putting off any discussion to later.

Step 5             Establish counter-measures to avoid this from happening again.

My counter-measure was to NEVER call Puppy when he was at more than 15 feet without having my eyes on him to see if his trajectory was in alignment to intercept my stride and tackle me!

Take the time to identify your appropriate counter-measure and keep it handy so that you may resort to it anytime when it’s needed.

Happy Trails,

Elizabeth McNally, Mentor

LICENSED CERTIFIED EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COACH

http://guidancequest.com/

Sign up for my eclass, ebook excerpts and ezine

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Spring BONUS Wellness Coaching for Kayakers

 

PROGRAM:

<So affordable you can’t miss out !  Call now ! >

            Kayakers

            Spring Special  BONUS pre-season training

Wellness Coaching thru a sport  (description below)

The benefits of  this program:

Gearing into the zone slowly with your trainer. 

Getting those rusty muscles back in shape for a better seasonal performance..

Meeting kayaking buddies.

Sharing moments of pure joy with passionate paddlers.

Kayakers

      Spring Special  pre-season training

Feel alive! Feel the magical touch of joy!

      Spring is here!

Plus, it’s a total body make-over!

Your abs perks up, your arms become lean, cut and muscular, your energy level shoots-up, and you get all giddy just having the paddle back in your hands. In  the end, you feel confident and energetic for the new season!

PROGRAM description:

What you get on the phone or in person:

Dynamic Wellness Coaching Pep talks!

Tips on gear, safety habits, weather monitoring

Follow-up on progress

Tips on energy foods and nutrition

PROGRAM details per week:

Once:       Saturdays 2 hours  departure: 9 a.m.

Twice:      Monday and Wednesday  (1 hour each)

Twice:      Monday and Friday (1 hour each)

Twice:      Wednesday and Friday (1 hour each)

Any combination of the above days  to fill your 8 hour block.  Evenings  departure 6:00 p.m.

Early Bird or Intensive: 

Complete the program in 2 weeks instead of four.

Mondays , Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays

(Perk:  a two hour outing on the second Saturday.)

Which of  these programs fits me?

Happy Trails,

Elizabeth McNally, Mentor

LICENSED CERTIFIED EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COACH

http://guidancequest.com/

Sign up for my eclass, ebook excerpts and ezine

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JUST SHARING Complete Collection 2010

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HEALTH Relaxation and its benefits

As promised, here is your sequel to <A Wellness Blitz>.

You’re a go-getter.  You’re constantly striving to reach your goals.  You’re a determined achiever and feel pride and joy at performing well.  You confidently move through difficult challenges with passion.

Burnouts happen to the best of us.  Just take a moment for a quick reality check.

Are you eating and sleeping well?  Do you take the time to exercise regularly?  Do you have quiet time just to yourself?

We’ll keep this one short.  With your busy schedule, I’m just glad you take the time to read me and thank you for doing so.

Here are some benefits provided by relaxation.  Your body regenerates.  Your energy rises.  Your mind feels clearer.  Stress and worry diminish or vanish when done on a regular basis.  Naturally, in order to have the full benefit, you need to include moments of pure relaxation in your busy schedule.

Some people take power naps of a few minutes; others will break the rhythm of a hectic day by walking outside, breathing deeply or listening to favorite music.

The idea is to empty your mind and relax your body for a moment.  Once you take the habit of doing this, you will see it followed by a heightened capacity for concentration. 

We are rechargeable batteries and it is important to take this into consideration.

No matter how intensely you live, if you take the time to refill, you will overcome practically any level of stress. 

You may wish to look into different ways of emptying your mind, slowing your breath and heart for a better resting period.  It’s a recognized manner of nurturing yourself.  For complete a <mind, body, heart and spirit> staying on track overview, feel free to sign up for our eClass at http://guidancequest.com/freeezineeclass.htm

It’s free and it’s easily inserted into your busy schedule.

INTREPID are you! Do you suffer from erratic, unpredictable behavior?

Always ready for a challenge, a new dare?  When things are not to your liking, you erupt like a volcano, splashing surroundings and people with lava and spurting rocks!  Are you forcing by-standers to relocate rather than be splattered?

Never planning and having an unrealistic sense of what the future holds, are you always taken aback by events?  Lacking the capacity of conscious, responsible action, you constantly blame the world for its intolerance.  Rules and laws burden you!

To those of your entourage, the scene is becoming old!  Now, you feel their despair or disdain!

Does this resemble your way of approaching life?  Are you tired of feeling like the world does not understand your needs for total narcissistic behavior?

Yes, you are spectacular and reach goals few manage to envision!  Your fans glorify you, the press loves you and you seem made of gold.  Your image is everything!  Only those close to you know at which expense you maintain this front.  Sleepless nights and financial chaos loom.

You manage to convince yourself that what you say is really true, so much so that your sense of self is marred, confused, and apprehensive. Your image is so important that priorities are confused!

Some days, you’re depressed, weary, and aggressive. 

You take advantage of people consciously or unconsciously.  When they become aware of it, some will pity you for being so self-centered and destructive; some will just move away from your upheavals and your self-created maelstrom!

When will you take the time to face what you’ve become and see the ravages your body and mind have suffered?  Isn’t it time to rethink your way of life and priorities?

Please take a step back and look at your life closely.  There are alternatives that could fill your need to shine and be recognized.

Great challenges exist in domains where you can devote all that fury of yours, all that energy to a greater good.  You’d still be free of choosing stimulating challenges and feel pride of the achievements.  You’d still get attention and glory!

In these new pursuits you would be able to outdo yourself in the name of altruism.  Your pride would fill that void that is now becoming a sufferance.  Your selfless efforts at soothing others would make you feel worthwhile in another dimension, that of compassion.  Perhaps, you would learn to pace yourself and take responsible, coherent action.  You could learn to collaborate in teams and pursue open agendas in the best interest of all those concerned.  Perhaps, the recognition you’d receive would also bring you the comfort of truly belonging, acting for the benefit of others with others.  Maybe you would come to see the bigger picture and find what you seek, in the end.

Is this a too big step?  Well then try to consider a minuscule change.

Little gestures go such a long way:  A hug here, a kind word there.  You may try giving the privilege of choice to another or offering to go along with someone else’s preference.  These first steps would show your entourage that you do consider other things than your self-driven goals. 

A second step would be to actually listen to your interlocutor when a response is given to one of your questions rather than plunging right into further explanations.  Active listening is a difficult challenge in itself.  When you curb your instinct to shut-out any comment or advice to further validate your righteousness, you may discover that the speaker will become intent on discussing with you further. 

You’d soon be rewarded for your patience.  When people feel listened to and actually taken into consideration, they are also more prone to support endeavors.  Your interlocutor may even gratify you by acknowledging your creativity and sense of innovation, demonstrating genuine interest!

Deep down inside, isn’t that what you really want?  It beats having people’s eyes glaze over, doesn’t it?  Plus, fostering significant relationships becomes nurturing and soothing.

Once reflected upon, your craving for constant attention and novelty may reveal a profound need to accomplish something meaningful with your life.  Be that as it may, remember that we all leave our mark.   How would you like to be leave yours?

Happy Trails,

Elizabeth McNally, Mentor

LICENSED CERTIFIED EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COACH

http://guidancequest.com/

Sign up for my eclass, ebook excerpts and ezine

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JUST SHARING Complete Collection 2010

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HEALTH Wellness Blitz!

A little blitz to cleanse the body and get back on track always is welcome when that winter padding or muffin belly appears.  Keep it simple.  It’s a <back to the basics> moments.  Here’s my routine, my little tune-up.  Whether you stick to it a week or a month, it usually energizes you.  It’s like taking the time to pamper yourself and your body loves it!

1.                  Eat 5 shares of veggies, 3 fruits and two 4 onces of meat, fish or protein per day.  Add 2 slices of whole wheat bread with light margarine or a tiny bit of butter. 

2.                  Drink cleansing tisane or green tea and six 8 once bottles of water per day.

3.                  Walk, jog, or run for 15 to 30 minutes per day.

4.                  Do 10-50 crunches (the easy ones) for your belly. 10-50 squats.  10-50 push-ups between a door frame.

10-50 rolls on the floor for hips and buttocks.

5.                  Relax before going to bed a little earlier than usual to sleep well.

A week of this just makes you conscious of any eating habit you need to drop.  A month makes you feel a whole lot better, in general, as you establish a rhythm of habits that keep you healthy.

When you split sports according to seasons, you tend to constantly work out your body.  Again, my yearly routine looks like this:

1.                  Winter is for skiing and snowshoeing.

2.                  Spring is tune-up time and pre-kayaking training with weight lifting to build muscle and resistance. 

3.                  Summer is for biking and kayaking

4.                  Fall is tune-up time and pre-ski training with added squats and weight lifting.

This is how I keep my weight within the health scale and cardio wellness as well.  I also believe that it keeps me clear headed.  It’s simple, easy and ongoing.  It’s a routine that changes per season so I don’t get bored and it works for me. It’s my way of nurturing myself and making health my priority without feeling obligated or trapped.  Chub falls off and the body becomes firmer. 

If you just want to start it up, one of your best resources is  http://youtube.com

There is such a variety of workouts that you can explore and find the perfect one for you.  Then download it onto your video and MP3 player and it will be handy anywhere your go.

PACE YOURSELF.

When in Blitz mode, it is wise to measure yourself when you start.  Weight loss is not always apparent on the scale right away, although a two pound loss a week is average.

Measure yourself and keep track of this weekly, then quarterly.  It’s a great indicator to keep you posted on the need to go on another blitz.

Here’s where you measure:

1. Upper arms
2. Chest
3. Bellow pecks
4. Around waist
5. At belly button
6. Below buttocks
7. Mid-thighs
8. Above knees
9. Mid-calves

Just nurture yourself through it.  Your body will withhold if it registers that you are in famine mode.  So better eat your fill.  Just make sure it’s a fill of vegetables which are scaled at zero impact on weight.  Keep salt and fixings to a minimum.

As your digestive internal organs cleanse, you will feel energized as well as lighter.  Try it.  It’s simple and it works! 

Some people need a little incentive to get going.  Well, set your heart on some particularly glittering apparel to celebrate reaching your goal.  It can be a weekly little something if you prefer. 

Others need tricks to stick to it.  I suggest starting slowly.  Do a couple of the suggested things daily.  Choose the ones that don’t burden you.  Then add one at the time.  The important is to start and increase until you’ve reached doing it all.  Add some exercises or activities to substitute and personalize according to your body type and present state.  Respect yourself in this.

When I was younger, I became yoga adept, believing in its overall benefit.  Then, along with judo and karate, I decided to add aerobics.  Eventually, I added weight lifting training to supplement.  First judo, then karate was abandoned. Now, all of this is a fall back option to my favorite sports.  The important is to find your groove and modify routines according to your needs and wants.  Around me, I have models of healthy, active individuals who have been walking a couple of miles per day and swimming a couple of times a week for years.  It’s a question of choice and determination.

PACE YOURSELF!

When exercising, choose dynamic music to accompany you on your MP3 or IPOD.  If you’re into known Speakers like Anthony Robbins or Stephen Covey, just listen to their seminars.   These are my favorites.  They boost you as well. 

Being into a variety of subjects and craving learning, right now I also listen to Fabienne and Derek Fredrikson on marketing, to Dr. Laura Belsten on Emotional Intelligence and Dr. Anna B. Baranowsky and Dr. J. Eric Gentry on Traumatology.  <To each their own>, right!

Treat yourself to a day off from time to time.  Even though it’s invigorating to train, nourishing yourself well and sleeping your fill, relaxation is essential to your well being as well. We’ll get into this as next time.  Right now, you can sign up for my eClass http://guidancequest.com/freeezineeclass.htm . It gives you a full overview to <Stay on Track> and its completely free.  Enjoy!

Better still, sign up for our yearly July Replenishment Retreat

SUMMER RETREAT

http://guidancequest.com/wellnessuniquesummer.htm

Happy Trails,

Elizabeth McNally, Mentor

LICENSED CERTIFIED EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE COACH

http://guidancequest.com/

Sign up for my eclass, ebook excerpts and ezine

http://guidancequest.com/freeezineeclass.htm

Get more details on our eBook

JUST SHARING Complete Collection 2010

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VISIT our Expert Page

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