Tag Archives: Barry Demp Coaching

“Energy creates energy. It is by spending myself that I become rich.”

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“Energy creates energy. It is by spending myself that I become rich.”

—Sarah Bernhardt, 20th Century French stage actress

Image from Unsplash by Sharon McCutcheon

How do you plan to spend your day?  How did you spend yesterday?  How energetic have you been feeling lately?

I like the idea that through the act of spending we can actually become rich. If the adage “It takes money to make money” has truth behind it, perhaps to spend our energies wisely and actively we can create a life of greater abundance and good fortune as well.

A good place to begin may be with our awareness of our level of vitality and to augment our strategies to both store and release our energies with greater intention and generosity.

EXERCISE:

Take some time today to examine your current approaches to nutrition, exercise, and rest as three places to look to augment and maximize your energy levels. A resource I recommend often is Chris Johnson’s book On Target Living. Please reply to this post on how you plan to pursue a richer more energetic life.

”Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.”

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”Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.”

—Laura Esquivel, Mexican novelist, screenwriter and politician

Image from Unsplash by Georg Eiermann

Just like a single hand is unable to clap without another, we all need assistance from time to time to have our inner spark ignite and keep burning.

Consider your relationships with close friends, parents, teachers, mentors, coaches, and other individuals. How have they sparked ideas and helped you stay motivated and in action to see things through?

Most images of match boxes show only a limited number of matches inside, with somewhere between 20 and 32 matches. I did, however, find a jumbo box with a count of 300 and numerous multi box options!

EXERCISE:

How many matches have you used so far? How many are left? Who are the current individuals who partner with you so that you can burn brightly and perhaps shed light on others? Where and with whom are you the flint to help others spark their unique gifts and talent?

“What is something impermanent that you are grateful for? Why?”

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“What is something impermanent that you are grateful for? Why?”

—Calm App Reflection

Everything is impermanent.

Cherry blossoms, sandcastles, and course, life itself — all come to an end.

It is because of this quality that life is so very precious.

Our moment-to-moment awareness lets us experience and celebrate the wonders of our lives with gratitude and grace.

EXERCISE:

What is something impermanent that you are grateful for?

Why?

Friday Review: Values

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Friday Review: Values

What are the values that guide your life choices? Here are a few values-related posts you may have missed.

“Be who you are, say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”

 

 

 

 

“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”

 

 

 

 

“The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win you’re still a rat.”

 

 

 

“Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow.”

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“Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow.”

—Cathrynne M. Valente, American fiction writer, poet, and literary critic

Image from Unsplash by Daniel Lerman

As we examine our thoughts carefully from time to time, we can all take an extra step to explore whether they are focused on the past, present or future.

When we look backwards, we may smile about the good times or sometimes experience a sense of regret for opportunities missed.

Today’s quote points to those times when we look forward. Ideally, we look to the future with optimism and hope for better times. Sometimes however, we notice fear and worries enter our thinking where we sense a level of doom and gloom on the horizon on a day that has yet to begin.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you notice and augment your thinking toward the positive aspect of life to more fully appreciate and enjoy every morning, noon, and night?

“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception; it is a prevailing attitude.”

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“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception; it is a prevailing attitude.”

—Colin Powell, 65th United States Secretary of State

Go back in time and take a look at your report cards from your days at school. How were your grades, what were your favorite subjects? Where did you intentionally pursue and achieve levels of excellence?

How have things been going for you in your personal and professional worlds since those days?  What would your report card look like today, given the many roles you play in your various communities?

In what areas and in what ways have you developed the habit of pursuing excellence in matters both big and small?

EXERCISE:

What are a few areas of your life in which an adjustment of both attitude and effort would make the biggest difference and help you achieve big things?

”It’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power!”

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”It’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power!”

—Robert Kiyosaki, American author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Image from Unsplash by magnet.me

Thoughts become things. In a typical day, we actually use our inner voices far more than our external ones.

We are constantly having what Susan Scott describes in her book, Fierce Conversations, as versations — which is simply a conversation with ourselves.

The power of bathing in our own thoughts is a form of leadership where we  repeatedly speak about our reality and our vision for the future. This repetition carves deep grooves in our conscious and unconscious minds, which can and often do lead to behaviors that determine our lives.

EXERCISE:

Notice your inner voice whispering to you throughout the day. What is it saying?

Is this voice positive and affirming or negative and judgmental?

How can and will you use the power of versations to enhance your life?

“Do it well, finish it properly, and move on.”

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“Do it well, finish it properly, and move on.”

—Eunice Kennedy Shriver, late American philanthropist & member of the Kennedy family

Image from Unsplash by Michal Balog

How often do you find yourself lingering over a past activity or replaying a conversation with others?

As part of our move to Pennsylvania early this month, Wendy and I looked over the many VHS tapes, DVDs and CDs we have accumulated over the years.

The question of keeping some of our favorites to review again or discarding many of them before the move had us consider our use of time and space and how we wish to spend them going forward.

The idea of moving on and properly finishing things from the past offered us a great sense of freedom to explore activities within our new community.

EXERCISE:

What are some areas in your world where moving on is far most important at this point in your life?

“To better the future, we must disturb the present.”

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“To better the future, we must disturb the present.”

—Catherine Booth, 19th Century co-founder of The Salvation Army

Image from Unsplash by Ronnie Overgoor

What comes to mind when you think about goal setting and the achievement of your personal or professional objectives?

What has been your track record in meeting or exceeding your desired intentions?

For many, the course taken is often the path of the New Year’s Resolution — most of which are slowed down or completely stopped by mid-February.

A common reason for giving up may simply be that we believe we must always go big and have tectonic shifts in our reality if we are to realize our dreams of a better future.

Many pioneers in the world of human achievement and behavior suggest it is better to go small.

Books such as Tiny Habits and Atomic Habits point to the power and sustainability of even the smallest of actions taken on a routine basis, producing big, long-term results.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you make small but subtly disruptive changes in your life to help you realize the better future you desire?