Energy Coaching

Rabbi David Aaron, a person I deeply respect, coined the term ‘human becomings’.  He explains that because we are constantly moving forward, always changing and hopefully, always growing, we are not really human beings; we are actually human becomings.  It is a learning process to become a human.  The process is much more important than the destination. 

As I meditated on it, I realized that there is a part in all of us who loves to grow, loves a challenge, an adventure and loves the journey.  There is also a part of us that is afraid of risks, that avoid challenges and resists growth.  The magic happens when we acknowledge that life is a challenge - and that the challenge itself is what makes it fun!  Only then life becomes a dynamic process of growth; an exciting adventure!

During the dynamic process of our lives, everything is always changing.  That’s the whole bit about being ‘human becomings’ and not ‘human beings’.  That’s our role in the world and the reason we were created.  If we accept that, we will understand ourselves better. 

The moment when we actually reach our goal flies swiftly; it is fleeting in its essence.  The goal of life is to be one with it; to live inside its rhythm and to bask in the human experience with gusto.  To experience and to enjoy the unique challenges and opportunities that each situation has to offer.  So life is also a becoming. 

Choose to become and to enjoy the process!

With energy,

Ana

Today I am sharing a nice ten step list from Zig Ziglar.  It’s fitting for this time when there is so much hope in the air!  Make 2010 an spetacular one!

Ten Steps to Goal-Getting by Zig Ziglar

1. Make the commitment to reach your goal. “One person with a commitment is worth a hundred who only have an interest.” -Mary Crowley.

2. Commit yourself to detailed accountability. Record your progress toward your goals every night, and list the six most important things you need to do the next day. Daily discipline is the key to reaching your goals.

3. Build your life on a solid foundation of honesty, character, integrity, trust, love and loyalty. This foundation will give you an honest shot at reaching any goal you have set properly.

4. Break your intermediate and long-range goals into increments.

5. Be prepared to change. You can’t control the weather, inflation, interest rates, Wall Street, etc. Change your decision to move toward a goal carefully-but be willing to change your direction to get there as conditions and circumstances demand.

6. Share your “give-up” goals (e.g., give up smoking, being rude, procrastinating, being late, eating too much, etc.) with many people. Chances are excellent they’re going to encourage you.

7. Become a team player. Remember: You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.

8. See the reaching. In your imagination see yourself receiving that diploma, getting that job or promotion, making that speech, moving into the home of your dreams, achieving that weight-loss goal, etc.

9. Each time you reach a goal your confidence will grow so that you can do bigger and better things. After accomplishing any goal, record it in your journal, weekly planner or portable digital device.

10. Remember, what you get by reaching your destination isn’t nearly as important as what you become by reaching your goals-what you will become is the winner you were born to be.

Enjoy the journey!

With energy,

Ana

One of the most effective methods of reducing one’s stress and improving one’s life is actually the simplest. If you want to feel good about yourself, make someone else feel good. That’s it! Perhaps it is because the idea is so simple that we sometimes forget to do it.
Whether it’s remembering a birthday with a thoughtful card, taking the time to write a note of congratulations for a job well done, a written or verbal compliment, a friendly phone call, an unasked for favor, a bouquet of flowers, a note of encouragement, or any number of other possibilities, making someone else feel good - however you do it - is almost always a good idea.

Acts of kindness and goodwill are inherently wonderful. Your reward for being kind and making someone else feel good are the warm, positive feelings that invariably accompany your efforts. Also, by doing those acts of kindness and goodwill, we are contributing to make the world a better place; which is ultimately, our collective mission on this planet.

Coach’s Challenge: Starting today, think of someone you’d like to make feel better and act on it! Do it every day and soon it will become a habit.

May 2010 be filled with Light!

With energy,

Ana

Looking into the future is a fantastic game.  The process of re-inventing oneself is one of building a vision for one’s life honoring his/her past, choices and present.  This a much more sustainable and inspiring way of changing than the motivation based on the fear that one is not good enough and needs to change in order to fulfill the expectations of others.  There is a huge difference in taking the pro-active step of re-inventing oneself when the inspiration comes from a desire to better perform his/her mission of service and share his/her gifts with others most effectively.  It’s fair to say that sometimes the process begins with a major crisis and the need for change can no longer be ignored.  However, in order for this ‘wake-up call’ to be sustainable, it needs to be followed with deliberate actions. 

Whatever the initial motivation for re-invention is, the process has steps.  I want to share with you my own process of re-invention which I am currently undergoing.  So far, I have been able to recognize a few steps.  Here they are:

1.  Making a choice to undergo re-invention.  This has to be a concious choice.  In my case, it has certainly been fueled by our recent move to Hong Kong.  It has been a clear choice to go beyond what I’ve been doing, to grow and answer a higher call.  I remember what the call sounds like from my days as an athlete.  If I wanted to get to a higher level of performance, I needed to answer a few hard questions and take action toward the goal.  Did I want it bad enough?  Was I willing to sacrifice physical comfort and emotional security and take a leap to a different life?  Was I committed enough to re-invent myself and become a better athlete?  I chose to say yes to these questions and to take the actions.  Now the time has come once again to say yes to become a higher performer.  The biggest obstacle that impedes most people to take this step is that there is no map to it.  The road is dark and one can only see a few meters ahead.  It requires faith in oneself to move forward.  Once the decision is made to go ahead with the process of re-invention, there is hardly a choice to go back.

2.  Evaluating where I am in life.  This step involves a deeper look at my present, values, choices, surroundings, my chosen companions (partner, friends, family), my view of the world and of my spiritual path.  This step requires a lot of ‘listening’.  It’s not an easy one, let me tell you.  However, once I entered this stage, I began to notice the messages.  They were coming from all over; people, circumstances, moments, words, e-mails, dreams and books.  All of these mediums are coming together to show me a path.  As I was trying to make sense of it all, I realized that it was best not to try to make sense at all!  There is a clear call of  ‘letting go’ of control and of expectations.  I recognized that most of those expectations were coming from outside of myself.  The need to control is fueled by fear of not being good enough and the expectations are a collection of ’shoulds’ that the outside world gave me and I took in willingly.  I am working on letting go.  It has proven to be quite the task and one that has no specific end in sight.

3.  Letting go.  Lately, there have been many opportunities to let go of things, thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and fears that are present in my life.  I am taking actions that facilitate the process of letting go and I am pleased to report that the results have been amazing!  The more I let go, the more I learn.  The more I let go, the lighter I feel. 

There you have it!  That’s how far I’ve come.  I will keep sharing the journey.  My hope is that you also feel inspired to take the leap and re-invent yourselves with gusto.  Someone once said that “the only thing that is constant in our lives is change”.  By choosing to re-invent ourselves we accept this truth and become better equipped to let go of what we no longer need.  Life becomes lighter and we become freer.

With energy,

Ana

Time and time again we find the need to reinvent ourselves.  Some of us take the plunge and do it.  Some of us delay it.  Whatever the case maybe, reinventing ourselves works wonders.  The fear can consume us at first but the elation of a new path ahead is way bigger than the fear.  At least that’s how I see it.

My business is being reshaped completely.  Blog site, name, logo, target market…  All will be new soon.  Maybe a partner will come on board, a new approach will take place and new products will emerge.  How cool is that?  Scary?  Well, not really.  Coming to Hong Kong was a decision that brought a lot of happiness to my husband and me, so why not reinvent the business to include more ideas and different goals?  It’s a normal process and one I am very excited about.

Looking at a new road is exciting.  Changing gears and forging ahead full force is a great example for our family, friends, children and clients.  Walking our talk with grace and firm steps only makes us stronger and more credible.  Acknowledging the curves in the path ahead and being willing to change gears while following our dreams is the best strategy to take on a process of reinvention.  Learning to reap the benefits of the new path is a process I am looking forward to experience!

Hope you all feel inspired to do the same when the time comes to reinvent yourselves!

Good luck to all of us!

With energy,

Ana