Tag Archives: attitude

The Best View

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“The best view comes after the hardest climb.”

-Author Unknown

Image from emilykjesbo.blogspot.com

Image from emilykjesbo.blogspot.com

When I started my coaching career many years ago, my wife Wendy gave me the gift of a customized license plate that reads “I Coach.” Over the years it has become a conversation starter, with people often asking me what sport I coach.

This leads to a discussion of my role as a business and personal coach. Recently, I noticed that in all these years I have never coached a professional or even top amateur athlete.

This means that there have also been no actual mountain climbers, but we all climb metaphorical mountains every day. Surprisingly, the bigger and more daunting the climb, the more satisfied and rewarded we feel when we reach the summit.

EXERCISE:

What challenging projects or goals are you pursuing these days?  How can you more fully experience the growth satisfaction along the way as well as the wonderful views when you reach the top?

You Have to Squint

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“See the good all around you even if you have to squint.”

-Author Unknown

Image from lasikmd.com

Image from lasikmd.com

If you are like me, your eyesight is not what it used to be. Perhaps you need glasses to drive at night, or to read. You may even need longer arms as you “trombone” food labels in order to read the ingredient list.

Having 20/20 vision has great benefits, but when we look at the world, including the folks in our lives that are taking this journey with us, it may not always serve us to have clear and complete objectivity.  As an example, as we look at the weaknesses and faults in others, we know full well we have our own share.

EXERCISE:

Where would a bit of squinting help you overlook some of the unimportant things around you, and help you see a lot more good available in your world?

Be Nice

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“To thine own self be nice.”

-Author Unknown

Image from choosetobenice.com

Image from choosetobenice.com

A critical component of all coaching relationships is to significantly increase each individual’s self awareness. To achieve this, various strategies can be utilized, including a wide variety of assessments, interviews with colleagues, family, and friends, and of course, discussions with the clients themselves.

Through these efforts, behavioral achievement, cognitive and leadership traits can be evaluated. Greater insights are also revealed about their beliefs, attitudes, values, and perspectives on themselves and the world around them.

One surprising observation I’ve made over the years is just how many people demonstrate a more critical view of themselves than of others. For some reason, they demonstrate an “I am not enough/not good enough” attitude, which is obviously self-limiting.

EXERCISE:

How would a “To thine own self be nice, accepting, and more loving” approach make a meaningful difference in your life or the lives of others you care about?

The Best of My Life

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“I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.”

-Louise Hay, American Motivational Author

Image from acelebrationofwomen.org

Image from acelebrationofwomen.org

 

Louise Hay is an American Motivational Author and the founder of Hay House. Through her healing techniques and positive philosophy, millions have learned to create more of what they want in their lives.

Hay House has published about 300 books and 350 audio programs by authors who align with Louise’s positive self-help perspective, and are supportive of healing our planet.

EXERCISE:

What actions will you choose to take today, and in the future, to make the rest of your life the best of your life?

How can you support and inspire others in your personal and professional communities to do the same?

As a small gesture, please consider forwarding this post to at least one person who would most appreciate its message.

All About Attitude

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Friday Review #2: It’s all about Attitude

How’s your attitude today? Here are a few attitude-centered posts you may have missed. Click on the links to read the full message.

Feel free to comment on any of the posts, and of course, on this message.

 

 “Age wrinkles the body; quitting wrinkles the soul.”
https://www.thequotablecoach.com/never-quit

 

 

 

“Complaining is Draining.”
https://www.thequotablecoach.com/complaining-is-draining

 

 

 


“I have lived a long life and had many troubles, most of which never happened.”
https://www.thequotablecoach.com/unfounded-worry

 

 

”The wise man questions himself; the fool, others.”
https://www.thequotablecoach.com/the-wise-man-questions

 

 

 

 

“Don’t believe everything you think.”
https://www.thequotablecoach.com/everything-you-think

 

 

Nothing Ventured

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“Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained.”

—Geoffrey Chaucer, 15th Century English Poet

image from urbana.ie

image from urbana.ie

Take a moment today to look back over your life at some of your most memorable and significant accomplishments. Pay particular attention to the level of effort and engagement it took for you to realize these noteworthy achievements.

How much did you venture to realize these gains? We can’t relive or change the past, but the future is literally a blank canvas on which we can venture forward to realize gains of remarkable scale and scope.

EXERCISE:

What would be possible if you took a “many things ventured, many things gained” perspective today and in the days ahead? What will be the first action you plan to take to make the years ahead even more remarkable and rewarding?

Feelings Are Like Waves

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“Feelings are much like waves. We can’t stop them from coming but we can choose which ones to surf.”

-Author Unknown

Image from Flickr by Alain Bachellier

Image from Flickr by Alain Bachellier

One of the greatest freedoms each of us has is the freedom to make choices on a daily basis. Examine your day closely. How many choices did you make intentionally, and how many by default, without thinking?

This examination along with its increased self-awareness will likely have you notice the accompanying feeling about what you are doing, and perhaps with whom you associate.

Today’s quote points us in the direction of actually choosing our perceptions, and thus our feelings, to catch only the waves we most desire.

EXERCISE:

Consider using a journal to capture your feelings as you surf through your day. How can you choose far more ideal waves that will give you the best rides of your life?

Day of Infinite Length

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“The day is of infinite length for him who knows how to appreciate and use it.”

-Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 19th Century German writer and statesman

Image from www.rottentomatoes.com

Image from www.rottentomatoes.com

In the 2006 movie CLICK starring Adam Sandler, the hero is an overworked architect who neglects his family. He acquires a magical universal remote that enables him to fast forward through unpleasant or outright dull parts of his life. He soon learns that the seeming bad moments he keeps skipping over contain valuable time with his family, and important life lessons.

EXERCISE:

How can you use your own life remote to slow down or pause the passage of time, so you can more fully appreciate each moment of every day?

Don’t Let Yesterday

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“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”

-Will Rogers, 19th/20th Century American Cowboy, Vaudevillian, and Humorist

Image from denvertent.com

Image from denvertent.com

Imagine you are planning to take a hike, climb a hill, or even scale a mountain. Your goal is to go as far as you can and see all the beauty along the way. Unfortunately, you have chosen to carry a very heavy backpack filled with too many weighty issues from your past.

EXERCISE:

What can you do to lighten your load and carry fewer yesterdays, in order to make the best out of each and every day ahead?

Small Minds

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“Don’t let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big.”

-Zig Ziglar, late American author and motivational speaker

image from theproductivtypro.com

image from theproductivtypro.com

Who are some of the small-minded people in your personal or professional worlds? What qualities or characteristics have you assigned to them? See how many of the following qualities describe those who appear to have diminishing or completely crushing the dreams of others as their purpose:

Antagonistic Righteous Fear-Based
Condescending Oppositional Aloof
Perfectionism Judgmental Overly Aggressive
Controlling Critical Unethical
Combative Wishy-Washy Disrespectful
Temperamental Pessimistic Arrogant
Volatile Uncooperative Dishonest

EXERCISE:

How can you reduce or eliminate the small-minded people in your world, and replace them or attract more big-minded people to support your biggest personal and professional dreams?

Consider making a list of the big-minded qualities and characteristics to help you recognize these folks when you meet or see them.