Posts

Showing posts from January, 2009

Perseverance

By Dr. John C. Maxwell, best selling author Perseverance is not an issue of talent. It is not an issue of time. It is about finishing. Talent provides hope for accomplishment, but perseverance guarantees it. Running Past Failure As a small child, Vonetta (Jeffrey) Flowers dreamed about being in the Olympics. She ran everywhere she went, and gained a reputation among her school friends for being quick. At age nine, Vonetta learned she had special talent. While trying out for an inner-city track club in her hometown of Birmingham, she shocked coaches by posting the best sprint time for Jonesboro Elementary School - running faster than boys two years older than she was! Vonetta's immense talent carried her to the University of Alabama-Birmingham on a track-and-field scholarship. While at the university, she continued to pursue her goal of gaining a spot on the Olympic team. She practiced meticulously to perfect her stride, spent hours in the weight room adding strength, a

WHAT'S THE SECRET TO THE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION?

by Gabriela CorĂ¡, MD, MBA Have you always set up your New Year's Resolution and gone into it head on to then realize achieving your goals was more difficult than you ever expected? Did you give up just a few weeks after you started? You are not alone. I see this happen all the time. Every year, I see more people show up at the gym in January. Some are in good shape and some need a lot of work. By February, I still see some people sweating on the treadmill and pumping muscle in the weights machines. By March and April, the old faces are back, the regulars. What makes the difference between one person continuing at the gym and another giving up? The same thing happens when people start a diet. Most people live through the illusion that they will burn their holiday calories by January. Many still carry the extra pounds in July and, by the next holiday season, the same cycle happens over and over again. This is how many end up weighing 15, 20 or more pounds without even realizing. Wha

Choose an Experienced Therapist for Positive Results

By Linda Riley, LMFT & Certified Sex Therapist Choosing an experienced therapist is essential if you want to experience positive results during your time in therapy. Here is a checklist of key issues to ask before you select a therapist. ___ Check the therapist’s education, credentials, knowledge and experience in dealing with your type of challenge or problem. ___How many years has the therapist been in clinical practice, and how long in this region of the country? (This shows that they are highly skilled and well connected in your region in case you need local referrals for other services). ___What is the therapist’s professional reputation in the community? Are they viewed as a leader within their industry, or just beginning their career? (Remember, experience counts when you are trying to rapidly solve problems) ___Does the therapist possess additional training, certifications, and credentials or are they quoted by the media or perhaps are recognized as a published author on th

6 Foundational Reasons for Managing Your Time

by Chris Widener, Life Coach Most of us know how to manage our time. It is pretty simple really. What most of us miss are compelling reasons to manage our time. We know the "how" but miss the "why." Here are six foundational reasons I have that motivate me to manage my time and myself properly. 1. It is a matter of stewardship. I view my life as not my own. I am merely a steward of it. I am given control over it for some 70 years and I should make wise decisions with it! This is a great sense of responsibility that compels me to manage my time. 2. It is a matter of personal fulfillment. When I get to the end of my life I want to be able to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction that I have lived well, helped others, and achieved much. This drives me to not waste time but to use it wisely. 3. It is a matter of providing for and being responsible to your friends and family. I owe some of my time - serious amounts - to my friends and family. If I let myself get out of

The psychological dynamics behind women & worry

By Dwight Bain, Nationally Certified Counselor & Certified Life Coach Women worry about many different topics, from men to body image to relationships to their mother's approval; yet the same psychological drive is fueling this stressful emotion no matter what triggers it. I believe the real source behind the worry most women feel is control. Not control in the sense of being a manipulative monster, (like Jane Fonda's character in the film "Monster-in-Law"), rather it's the need to know what's happening around her so she can feel empowered and in control of her emotions and environment. Think of it this way. The Cure for Worry is Control When control goes up, worry goes down because the more a woman can understand the more she will automatically feel a sense of security and confidence inside. However, as a situation begins to feel out of control, worry dramatically increases, leading to more serious conditions like · Social Phobia · Stress

HELPING CHURCHES HELP A COMMUNITY FACING FINANCIAL CRISIS

THE LIFEWORKS GROUP AND THE CHRISTIAN SERVICE CENTER TO HOST FREE SEMINAR, RECESSION RECOVERY - LEADING YOUR CONGREGATION THROUGH DIFFICULT FINANCIAL TIMES. ORLANDO, Fla... The LifeWorks Group of Christian Counselors & Coaches, in partnership with the Christian Service Center for Central Florida, Inc., will host a FREE training workshop addressing challenges that leaders in the Faith Community are facing right now amidst difficult financial times. During times of hardship, people tend to turn to their house of faith for guidance and relief. As local unemployment and foreclosure rates reach record high levels, so do the demands placed on the faith community. "The Church is currently experiencing a virtual flood of overwhelmed people seeking assistance to get them through this tough financial time. Unfortunately, most members of the clergy aren't specifically trained to deal with a financial crisis, " explains Dwight Bain, a national certified counselor and life co

Financial Survival Strategies

by Pat Morley, PhD (Note: The following article is excerpted from Chapter 7 of Pat’s new book, How to Survive the Economic Meltdown.) There is no pain quite like cash flow pain, is there? Depending on how severely the economic meltdown has affected you personally, here are some financial strategies to help you survive. Strategy: Get Out of Debt Here’s an idea that often gets overlooked: It takes more energy to earn a living and service debt than to just earn a living. Debt is dumb. If you are in debt, getting out of debt is “do or die.” The strategy for debt during my economic meltdown was simple. First, I made “getting out of debt” my overarching business goal. For seven years that was my #1 business priority. I knew that to survive, I had to get out of debt. So do you. Second, I told everyone with whom I did business, “I am pledging all of my business assets to all of my business debts.” Third, I told everyone, “I promise that I will treat everyone exactly the same.” I agreed to give

How to Stay Phat in a Skinny Economy

By Deedra Hunter, LMHC As a young girl I was devastated if someone called me fat. As an older woman I’m thrilled if someone calls me Phat. Go figure. Better yet, go Google. Phat is now slang for “excellent, first-rate, wonderful, terrific.” I love being Phat and I want to help you get Phat and stay Phat in this negative, skinny economy. No, I don’t posses knowledge of the perfect fail-safe get rich scheme, but I do posses something far better and that something is knowledge about the power of a positive mental attitude. No one knew more about this than Viktor Frankl. Dr. Frankl was both a neurologist and psychiatrist who specialized in people suffering from the depression and suicidal ideation. On September 25, 1942 Dr. Frankl, his wife and his parents were deported to the Theresienstaft concentration camp for three years. Dr. Frankl lived a life there that to most of us would be unbearable. I became aware of the works of Viktor Frankl as a freshman in college and have quoted him regul

7 Strategies to Survive the Holidays

By Dwight Bain, Nationally Certified Counselor & Certified Life Coach Have you ever wondered why traditional holidays are so stressful? Instead of being called the ‘most wonderful time of the year,’ it seems that we should rename it to be more accurately called the ‘most difficult time of the year’. I believe you can break the pattern of stressful holidays by realistically changing your perspective to directly deal with predictable daily pressures and then by using strategic coping skills to steer around or even better steer away from the bigger problems that tend to ‘pop up’ this time of year. Face it. There are as many factors to cause our stress levels to build to an explosive level as there are people on the planet. Everyone has complexities and challenges different from others, yet there are some universal pressures everyone has to address no matter their age, gender or marital status. Stress tends to go up as we age because there are more factors to consider, more people to d