Tag Archives: Demp Coaching

Turn Within for Guidance

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“Turn Within for Guidance.”

—Author Unknown

Road sign reading "Listen to your inner voice"

Image from RamDass

Coaches use powerful questions and engaging inquiry as a means to help clients gain expanded perspectives and insights into their worlds. The time devoted to these discussions can be transformative.

The key to such interactions is based on the concept that virtually all the answers lie within each of us, if we are willing to do the hard work and look within.

By no means do coaches, mentors, trusted friends, or advisors have a monopoly on such questions or the power to create breakthroughs.

Consider yourself as the coach you take with you wherever you go, to always have the ever-ready guidance you seek.

EXERCISE:

Generate a list of your own powerful and provocative questions in a journal or notebook. Take the time to discover the deep and valuable answers within you.

A book that has become a favorite of mine is A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger. Consider picking up a copy to strengthen your capabilities in this area.

Be Sincere Be Brief Be Seated

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“Be Sincere. Be Brief. Be Seated.”

—Franklin D. Roosevelt,  32nd President of the United States

Image of a microphone, facing a full audience

Image from panicattacks.pro

How often do you have the opportunity to speak in public? For many people, just the thought of public speaking brings great anxiety and fear. Some polls place it as the number one fear, greater than the fear of death, or the fear of snakes.

Roosevelt was coaching his son James as he prepared to give a speech. His good counsel points to the importance of connecting with the audience through sincerity and brevity, particularly in a world of short attention spans and hyper-speed communication.

Another saying that gets me smiling is, “Stand up so they can see you, speak up so they can hear you, and sit down so they will like you,” a quote from Joseph Choate, a 19th Century American Attorney.

EXERCISE:

Use the coaching from today’s quote as you prepare your next presentation or speech.

Let me know if it improves your effectiveness or perhaps diminishes your fear just a bit.

Friday Review Decisions

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FRIDAY REVIEW: DECISIONS

What is your decision-making process? Here are a few decision-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

 

“When at a conflict between mind and heart, always follow your heart.”

 

 

 

“Is the juice worth squeezing?”

 

 

 

 

“Life is like an elevator. On your way up, sometimes you have to stop and let some people off.”

 

 

 

Now is the ideal time

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“NOW is the ideal time.”

—Author Unknown

Clock with "Make Time for What Matters" written on it

Image from LinkedIn

The first thing that came to my mind when reading today’s quote was, “For What?”

If we stopped there, we would simply be puzzled for a moment and then get on with our day. That, of course, is not the purpose of The Quotable Coach series!

It is powerful statements and the questions they generate that make us do the work of personal inquiry. We then reap the rewards of discovery through what can be revealing responses.

EXERCISE:

Examine your “For What?” answer as it relates to the following areas. Then take at least one step or leap outside your comfort zone to act upon it:

  • An important relationship
  • A work-related matter
  • Your health and fitness
  • Life balance
  • Your finances
  • Faith or spirituality
  • Community
  • A hobby or avocation
  • Travel and Adventure

Feel free to add to this list and let me know what other areas you identified.

The Spark of Celestial Fire Called Conscience

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“Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.”

—George Washington, Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company & Conversation, ca. 1744

Imag of a man with men on each of his hands

Image from crosswalk.com

What do the first President of the United States, Jiminy Cricket from Disney’s Pinocchio, and Marvin Gay of Motown fame have in common?

Washington’s quote may give it away, with his coaching to always let your conscience be your guide. Jiminy Cricket is the voice of conscience for Pinocchio. And for Marvin Gaye fans, it was the debut single released from his first album, The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye.

How often do you recognize the inner voice, or the sense of what is right or wrong in your actions, or the actions of others? Where do the issues of ethics or moral principles influence, guide, or control your thoughts and actions? You may even hear the voices of a parent, teacher, or spiritual guide from years ago.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you use the celestial fires of conscience to make important personal or professional decisions today, and in the future?

Being Frugal

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“Being frugal means having a high Joy-to-Stuff ratio.”

—Vicki Robin, in Your Money or Your Life

Joy-to-stuff ratio image

Image from WordPress

Over six years ago, I wrote my first post for the Quotable Coach series. The initial thought-provoking entries included this one from Art Buchwald:

“The Best Things in Life are not Things.”

For me, the best things are the people, the experiences, the learning moments, and yes, the journey, that makes my life rich.

Regarding “stuff,” though, I am a bit of a minimalist. I look for a high Joy-to-Stuff ratio, which I suppose makes me frugal.

I do, however, own a lot of books, which have brought me much pleasure and delight over the years. One caveat is that I buy more than 75% of my books at a steep discount on either amazon.com, or at half.com, which is my favorite site for slightly older books.

EXERCISE:

What things bring you the greatest joy? Which items in your life have the highest Joy-to-Stuff ratio? How might you pursue more happiness by being more frugal today?

This is It

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“Act with deep understanding that ‘This is It’.”

—Author Unknown

Image of word "Now" with the "O" as a clock face

Image from Spear Education

One of my favorite quotes from the early years of The Quotable Coach series is “Time is the coin of your life,” by Carl Sandburg. The idea that our time on this planet is finite, and that we allocate or spend our life equity is profound.

What if you were something other than human, whose average life span is 79 years? Here are the average life spans of some other earthly creatures:

Mayfly 1 day Worker Ant 6 months
Worker Bee 1 year Queen Bee 5 years
Bull Frog 16 years Bat 24 years
Camel 50 years Galapagos Tortoise 193 years

EXERCISE:

How can and will you make the most of your time by taking a “This is It” perspective?  Who will you choose to spend time with to live each precious moment you have been given?

Feel free to reply with some of the actions you plan or will continue to take.

Friday Review Persistence

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FRIDAY REVIEW: PERSISTENCE

How persistent are you in your pursuits? Here are a few persistence-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

Image of a river full of rocks

 

“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence.”

 

 

Image of Sysiphus pusing a rock up a mountain

 

“Persistence prevails when all else fails.”

 

 

 

Image of sticker stating times in the future

 

“SOMEDAY is not a day of the week.”

Savor the Most Fleeting Delights

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“Savor the most fleeting delights of your days.”

—Author Unknown

Image of a tasty bite in chopsticks

Image from theeatenpath.com

The word “savor” makes me think of appreciating of a fine meal with, perhaps, a glass of excellent wine.

Surely none of us would inhale that meal or guzzle that wine the way we would a burger and soda from a fast food chain!

Unfortunately, many of us race from one activity to another throughout our days, trying to be optimally efficient, and of course, highly productive.

What does running this rat race cost us in terms of our happiness and life satisfaction?

What would be the value and benefit of slowing down to truly savor and appreciate the delights of your day?

EXERCISE:

Consider creating a time log to identify where your time goes in a typical workday or weekend.

How and where will you do less, or stop doing some activities, in order to do more of, or start savoring, the things that delight you?

Walking with Giants

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“A man has dreams of walking with giants. To carve his niche in the edifice of time.”

—Mr. Banks, in Disney’s Mary Poppins

Image of Mary Poppins flying over the city

I first saw Mary Poppins in 1964. I was seven years old. It was a cold, snowy day. Mom and I took several buses into downtown Philadelphia, to stand in line for the big event.

This technicolor miracle of Disney magic had people buzzing for weeks. Beyond the special effects was a heartfelt story of exceptional characters. Today’s quote by George Banks, the family patriarch in the film, is powerful coaching for young boys and girls, as well as the older generation.

EXERCISE:

What are your dreams? What niches are you carving? What giants do you walk with? How will you leave your mark on the edifice of time?

What efforts can and will you make in the years ahead to make an even bigger impact on the edifice of time?