“Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.”

Posted on by

“Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up.”

– John C. Maxwell, American author, speaker and pastor

580Image from Flickr by ilovememphis.

In spite of the joy I find in cooking for family and friends, I really enjoy going out to dinner. Many restaurants serve bread and butter at the beginning of a meal, and in Italian restaurants, it is traditional to accompany the bread with some form of seasoned olive oil.

During our current low-carb craze (at least here in the US), many people are pushing that bread basket away. It turns out that many forms of bread, when consumed quickly, convert to glucose, which stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin, which causes our body to store the glucose in the form of fat … which we all prefer to avoid.

There is evidence, however, that a modest amount of fat (in the form of butter or preferably a non-saturated fat such as olive oil) reduces this effect by reducing the Glycemic Index (GI) of the bread. There’s your science lesson for the day!

Exercise:

The quote by Maxwell above suggests that we need to attend to our important relationships to smooth the crusty edges of life.

How can you “butter up” some of your key relationships by showing greater interest, listening more fully, and allowing people to fully express their ideas and opinions?

You may wish to download my workbook on Masterful Relationships to help you. Go to www.dempcoaching.com/download-your-free-workbooks and enter the password barrydemp (all lower case).

“The opportunity is often lost by deliberating.”

Posted on by

“The opportunity is often lost by deliberating.”

– Publilius Syrus, Roman writer

579Image from Flickr by Julia Manzerova.

About a month ago, I attended a coaching workshop related to decision making. The speaker pointed to the combined use of our head, heart, and gut in this process.

Examine your own use of phrases such as I think, I feel, or my gut tells me, as a way to determine which of these three voices is the loudest.

A phrase I often hear, and frequently tell myself, is “I need to think this over” – which almost always slows down the decision-making process. It can sometimes help us avoid mistakes, but as the quote above suggests, it may often have us miss out on some of life’s best stuff.

Exercise:

How can you enhance the use of your heart and gut to augment your thinking self, so as not to lose out on some of life’s most wonderful opportunities?

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”

Posted on by

“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”

– Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism

577Image from Flickr by rodaniel.

Lao Tzu must have been an outstanding coach. Many coaching philosophies have at their core the concept that virtually all answers lie within each individual. If this is the case, why has there been such a phenomenal growth in this industry?

Many coaches, including me, assert that the engaging, committed, and inquiry-based coaching relationship literally draws these answers out of each client to clarify and crystallize this inner knowing.

Once these answers are made clear, the coach provides the ongoing reminder and support system to assist the client to pursue their authentic life journey toward their deepest held desires.

Exercise:

Who are the coaches in your life that will help you answer the important questions regarding who you are and what you want, and support you to realize your best future self?

If you would like to explore my own coaching services, please start by looking at my flagship program, Personal Excellence Training:

http://www.dempcoaching.com/personal-excellence-training

“‘Tis very certain the desire of life prolongs it.”

Posted on by

“‘Tis very certain the desire of life prolongs it.”

– Lord Byron, English poet

Arthur-3

This week, my family is experiencing the passing of my brother-in-law Arthur. His death is a crushing loss to many friends and family members, and to the medical profession.

Listening to his colleagues describe his passion for life and for helping others was a remarkable testament to his courageous heart and his desire to make a difference under very difficult circumstances.

Exercise:

What relationships, passions, and purposes make you look forward to each and every day?

Pursuing these activities with even greater enthusiasm and engagement will almost assuredly provide you with a more prolonged and fulfilling life.

“A man’s growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.”

Posted on by

“A man’s growth is seen in the successive choirs of his friends.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer and philosopher

576Image from Flickr by ruifernandes.

Whether you are a loyal subscriber to The Quotable Coach, or you are reading this blog for the first time, we have something in common: a commitment, even a passion, for growth and development.

This characteristic is right up there with optimism and open-mindedness as critical factors associated with success in a coaching relationship.

One of the most important reasons for this is what’s often referred to as “social support”: beyond the coach’s direct support of your journey, it is imperative to have an advocacy base amongst friends and family.

Exercise:

How can you, through your association with highly capable, committed, and supportive friends and family, expand and enhance the choirs of their support to more completely realize your fullest growth potential?

light where there is none

Posted on by

“An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?”

– René Descartes, French philosopher and mathematician (attrib.)

575

Image from Flickr by spcbrass

One of my favorite books that supports effective interpersonal and group communications is Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono.

In his model, a “yellow hat” represents the optimistic individual who sees the light of possibility in things. The pessimist or “black hat” represents the negative perception on matters that often stops progress.

Of course there are four more hats to explore in our journey to more effective individual and group thinking, and I encourage you to pursue these as part of the following exercise.

Exercise:

What percentage of the time do you wear the yellow and black hats in your professional and personal interactions?

How can you increase your emphasis on the sunny side of things and diminish or remove that dark cloud that extinguishes the light of possibility?

You can find a one-page pdf summary about the six hats here, and you may wish to explore “putting on” one or more of the others: www.foodsec.org/DL/course/shortcourseFK/en/pdf/trainerresources/PG_SixThinkingHats.pdf

Interview with Doug Gfeller of The Coaching Perspective: How I Got Started as a Coach

Posted on by

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Doug Gfeller of The Coaching Perspective recently, about “Building an Online Audience.” I’ve split the interview into short segments and will be posting them here over the next few weeks. If you want to hear the whole thing straight away, you can visit the Podcasts page on my coaching website.

In this first part (11 minutes), Doug and I discuss:

  • My first profession teaching science — following in the footsteps of many of my family members who work in education.
  • Why I left this profession and worked instead in pharmaceutical sales, and what these two careers had in common for me.
  • How the 1992 Olympic Games inspired me to become a coach and support professionals in achieving “gold medal” levels of performance.
  • How I work as a coach, and how my business has changed since I started 21 years ago — particularly in terms of finding clients.
  • The typical clients who I work with and the length of time I normally work with them.

Click the “play” button below to listen to the interview:

You can listen to the full interview, and other interviews with me, on the Podcasts of my coaching website.

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

Posted on by

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

– Confucius, Chinese philosopher

574Image from Flickr by jurvetson.

Consider yourself a pebble of charcoal when you were born. Over the years, the countless tests and challenges you faced put you under varying degrees of stress and pressure. Under the right conditions, Mother Nature can transform this pebble of charcoal into a brilliant and precious diamond.

Exercise:

What life strategies do you need to develop and master to manage life’s considerable stresses, to bring out your personal brilliance?

“Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes.”

Posted on by

“Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes.”

– Henry David Thoreau, American author, philosopher and transcendentalist

573Image from Flickr by Tambako the Jaguar.

Chameleons are remarkable animals that have the capacity to change their “clothing” to suit their surroundings. Although many people believe they change coloring to blend in, some studies suggest that other factors such as light, temperature, mood, and even the desire to communicate with other chameleons can cause them to change their outfits.

People sometimes refer to friends and colleagues as “chameleons” who change, often inauthentically, their presentation to the world to adapt to their circumstances.

Exercise:

Examine your own orientation toward changing who you present yourself to be, in order to adapt and fit in with what is expected.

What authentic set of “clothes” makes you feel most at home in your own skin, just like a pair of your most comfortable jeans?

“Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”

Posted on by

“Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer and philosopher

572Image from Flickr by Genista.

One of my favorite magazines is Fast Company. It offers a regular (over)dose of what’s new, what’s happening, and what’s hot in technology, business, and design. Its focus is on three different franchises, including most innovative companies, most creative people in business, and masters of design.

Based on creativity, real-world impact, risk-taking, and successful execution, the people and companies profiled are without question building some of the world’s best mousetraps.

Exercise:

What are some of your vocational and/or avocational projects where you hope to attract the world to your door? What new or better mousetraps will you build to do just that?