coaching – Trueblisscoach's Blog

Creating Safe Learning Environments

August 16, 2012 By trueblisscoach 2 Comments

With the new school year quickly approaching, I’m taking the liberty of re-posting a blog from earlier this year.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin

This has always been a favorite quote of mine and I think predominantly because it is a direct reflection of the way I learn. There is no question that we are all different in our learning styles and what works well for one person, may not for another. The ability for a teacher, leader, or parent to appreciate these different styles is paramount to the success of the learner. I’ll use myself as an example. Although I have a decent memory, it’s simply not the way I learn. I learn by doing which is in direct alignment with experential learning theory (Kolb, 1984). In order to learn by experience however, we need to know that we are in a safe environment. One where we feel comfortable to try new things. One where we feel confident that we won’t be ridiculed for trying. One where we know we can try repeatedly and fail until the penny drops. And when that penny drops, there is no sweeter feeling!

The fascinating thing about creating safe learning environments is that it is transferable in many aspects of our lives. Whether at school, at work, at home, in social settings, and especially in a coaching session. We want to know that the level of trust that is present will support our level of perceived risk. We want to feel supported. We want to be in a position to trust others and to be trusted. In his study on the psychological conditions necessary for employee engagement to occur, researcher Kahn (1990), found that “supportive, resilient, and clarifying management heightened psychological safety”. Although Kahn’s work was focused on individuals in a leader / follower context, I believe these same characteristics hold true in any learning environment. Take a parent child relationship for example. If you make your child feel supported, encourage resilience in order to bounce back and make feedback very clear, your child is going to feel safe and trust the process of learning. I believe that we can take any of these examples of relationships and use this same formula to create safe learning environments.

To Benjamin Franklin’s point, involving a learner by allowing the process of learning to unfold through engagement can only be a good thing. While others don’t “give us” courage to try new things, what they can give us that is even more powerful is support and encouragement without judgement. As my clever friend and colleague, Dominique O’Rourke from Accolade Communications reminded me of recently, courage is embedded in encourage. There is likely a reason for that!

So the next time you are looking for a safe learning environment to try something new out in, surround yourself with those who will support and encourage you. If you are looking to create a safe learning environment for others, be one of those people who involves others. Trust them to learn in their own way and at their own pace. Trust the process of learning.

Whether you are a leader in an organization, a teacher, a colleague, a parent, or a friend, we all have the ability to step into a supportive coach position to enable learning. What are some of your examples where you felt very supported to learn?

Yours in learning, Glo

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Believe, Coach, coaching, Empowering, Leadership, Learning

Developing Empathy: Your competitive advantage

April 22, 2012 By trueblisscoach 4 Comments

Many leaders today indicate that one of their top developmental priorities is to improve communication and engagement. At the heart of successful communication and engagement is empathy, your competitive advantage. Often touted as an “innate ability” to see things through the eyes of another, successful executive coaches would argue otherwise claiming proven success in working with clients to develop this leadership competency. It is however, fully acknowledged that for some individuals, particularly those with autism and individuals with conditions such as that of a psychopath, empathy is hard-wired in the brain and cannot be developed.

Having empathy in written communication provides meaningful insights to ensure the “message sent” is perceived as was intended. In face to face communications, demonstrating empathy is most apparent in how we listen first and then respond. Identifying what is most important to the other person. Empathy often confused with sympathy, is not about feeling sorry for or agreeing with someone. Empathy enables a person to deliver a message whether in written form or face to face knowing that you will get maximum effect because it was written or formulated with the other person’s perspective in mind.

Like any other learned skill, developing empathy requires awareness, attention, and focused commitment that leads to sustainable change. The beauty of this approach to improved communication is that it is relevant for all levels within an organization. From classrooms to boardrooms to relationships in our personal lives, empathy is a valuable tool to have in your toolbox. With a significant increase in today’s global interactions through virtual teams and various platforms such as social media, developing this competitive advantage is key for those who want to succeed in building meaningful relationships.

While the degree to which empathy can be developed may vary from person to person, working with an executive coach and using assessment tools to measure and then develop empathy is a great solution for achieving long term results. There are however, a few simple strategies that you can apply today to test your awareness, place your attention, and demonstrate your focused commitment toward an enhanced level of empathy.

Awareness – Consult someone you trust implicitly to tell you the truth. Explain to them that you are trying to assess your empathetic approach and invite them to play along. Engage in a conversation about something meaningful for 5 minutes. Then write down the 5 key points that you “heard” as being most important to the other person. Read it back to them and ask them to score you using a scale of 1-10. With 1 being lowest in terms of your perception of their view and 10 being highest.
Attention – Find a quiet place that you are able to do some reflective thinking. Now take a close look at the scaling responses received from the previous exercise. Determine what you have learned from them, both individually and collectively. Ask yourself questions such as: Where might you place your attention so that it has a greater impact on your intention? What might you have done differently or thought of differently to have a more empathetic approach? What skills and abilities do you currently have that might help you with being more empathetic? What did you notice about their facial expressions? Did their voice change frequencies or pitch at all when using certain words? What might you have noticed about their body language when speaking? What might you pay closer attention to the next time you are conversing with someone in person? For written communication, ask yourself: What word or words jump out at you as being repetitive? Why might this message have been framed this way? If I were the writer rather than the receiver, what would I be trying to achieve with this message?
Commitment – Like all change, we need to commit to taking the first step. Make a date with yourself to try out what you’ve learned from this exercise. Take it seriously. Put it in your calendar. Find someone else whom you trust and try this same exercise out on them. Compare your results and continuously look for ways to improve. Question your assumptions and seek feedback from others. If the commitment is there, results will follow.

I’m sure we have all been in situations whereby someone could have benefitted from having used a more empathetic approach. Perhaps, that person was me or you. Empathy is often associated with having good listening skills because we are hearing not only the words that are spoken, but the ones in between too. The ones which are most important to the other person. Put your feet in someone else’s shoes and walk around a bit. Notice a new perspective?

Best wishes for a more empathetic approach! Glo

Filed Under: Coaching Services, Leadership Tagged With: coaching, Communication Skills, Empathy, Leadership, Relationships

It’s a small world…

April 13, 2012 By trueblisscoach 2 Comments

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss was a wise man. I love to read, and on a broad range of subjects bringing the world just a little bit closer. I just finished reading Abundance: the Future is Better Than You Think by authors Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler. While Abundance focuses on important global issues (feeding the planet, clean water, energy, healthcare, and education to name a few), it does so from a positive perspective, offering research based facts which support being optimistic about the future. For anyone who cares about people and the planet, enjoys their life, has a passion for technology, and or has children or grandchildren, this book is for you.

After watching a 16 minute video clip that I saw on a friend’s facebook page of Peter Diamandis: Abundance is our future, I was quite excited. As a solution focused coach, it was so refreshing to learn how far we have come in terms of making progress on these important global issues. It’s the glass half full as opposed to half empty approach. From this brief video clip, I was also reminded of a favourite book we read in school for a sustainability course, Capitalism at the Crossroads by Stuart Hart. As it turned out, Stu Hart’s book is referenced in Abundance. Yes, it’s a small world and getting smaller with connections at every turn. Being personally motivated and inspired by meaningful work, doing work that matters runs deep within. I was curious to learn more and learn I did.

When I shared the Abundance is our future video, Lisa Larter, CEO of The Social Business Academy, commented that the book was fantastic which piqued my curiosity even further. Within a few hours, I had downloaded the book to my iPAD using the kobo e-reader. True confessions here. This was a first for me, and another reason for the title of this post. I’ve read countless academic journal articles lately and several short e-books online but up until that time, call me old fashioned but I had no interest in reading a book without a spine. Holding a book in my hands is like peanut butter to jelly. It’s quite ironic that Abundance was the first one I downloaded because Abundance speaks to the ability of technology to make the world a smaller place where accessibility creates opportunity for abundance. It was simply amazing to read about how the world has changed for the better with advances in technology. Specifically, how social entrepreneurs are popping up in remote parts of Africa with the invention of the smart phone. Furthermore, how the world will only continue to change for the better with inventions in healthcare for example “Lab-on-a-Chip” with a goal of zero-cost diagnostics, and advances in education with successful global initiatives such as “One Laptop Per Child”. These are not pie in the sky ideas. These are real and they are happening all around us.

Interestingly, I made many connections to coaching while reading this book. Primarily because when we focus on innovative and creative solutions, we are able to engage the cerebral cortex brain system which has the capacity for future visioning. This is very important and powerful when comparing it to “getting stuck” in the problems. Often times these situations are fear-based, and engage the reptilian brain system based on fight or flight responses, and in the case of the emotional brain, clinging to sameness also known as our comfort zone. As Abundance points out, fear can be a very powerful motivator creating extraordinary risk taking. From a coaching perspective however, fear can also be completely paralyzing causing feelings of anxiety and thoughts of “I can’t” rather than “I can.” When we combine the learning from a book such as Abundance and engage the whole brain system however, our capacity for creating abundance on a global level is only magnified. Finally, we can see the forest through the trees. The best part? We all have this potential!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead

Times have changed and the world is getting smaller. We have the ability to create change on the other side of the world without even leaving our living room. Global news travels across social media platforms in the blink of an eye. From individuals to organizations, people are doing some pretty amazing things to create change.

Are you curious? Want to make a difference? Watch the video, read the book, learn how to engage your whole brain system, and look for ways to do your part in making the world an even better place. Please, by all means, share your ideas here. I would love to hear them.

Best wishes for engaging your creative genius. Glo

Filed Under: coaching, Entrepreneurs, Making Changes Tagged With: Abundance, coaching, Creating change, Creative, Entrepreneurs, Global Issues, inspiring, Vision

Resilience – The Power of Bouncing Back

March 26, 2012 By trueblisscoach 6 Comments

Recently I’ve been reflecting on the personal power that comes with being able to bounce back from adversity and set-backs, also known as resiliency. According to Wikipedia, resilience is known as a process rather than as a trait. Resilience can be developed and in fact a group of researchers (Grant, Curtayne, and Burton, 2009) have identified that coaching itself, as an intervention, creates resilience in individuals. This is due to the process of learning to overcome obstacles and perceived barriers to our growth and replacing them with solutions. Resilience is something coaching clients become masters at.

Last week I watched an interview on Oprah with Ingrid Betancourt, author of Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Columbian Jungle, and I was inspired not only by her ability to cope throughout her ordeal, but by her ability to bounce back once captured. There are many examples where the human spirit has masterfully captured this process. Another shining example of this level of resiliency is in Alice Herz Sommer, a 108 year old woman who is a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp whose words to live by are “I know about the bad but I focus on the good.” If you haven’t seen it, click on this link to watch Alice’s very inspiring 12 minute video interview with Anthony Robbins. Talk about inspiring! While these two women and their life circumstances aren’t exactly everyday stories (fortunately), there is a great deal to learn from them which we can use in our everyday lives.

Through the reading I did for my research paper, I was so fascinated with the individual and the collective elements of psychological capital or PsyCap. Researchers Luthans, Youssef, and Avolio developed PsyCap in 2007, a combination of self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience. Although it is easy to see how each of these elements might influence the other, this post is focused on developing resilience so that we are able to bounce back quicker. The ability to bounce back from set-backs, put your head down and keep going even when faced with bad news or rejection, and focusing our mindset on what really matters is at the core of this post.

Often times when we set out to achieve a particular goal but are faced with multiple roadblocks, or when we receive feedback from others that isn’t what we were hoping for, or we are put in challenging situations that test our ability to survive let alone thrive, we may find it difficult to bounce back. Here are a few things that I do that might help you as well. I’ve tried to add things that are in addition to the other elements of PsyCap. Try all of them or any combination based on the circumstances involved and see what might work for you. Finally, share what works for you and enables the process of bouncing back.

Growth - View every experience as a “learning” opportunity. Use the past to learn from, not to dwell on. Ask yourself what might I do differently next time to achieve an even better outcome?

Diversify – Advice from my Dad, don’t put all of your eggs into one basket. Focus on multiple opportunities so that if Plan A doesn’t pan out, you have a fall back with Plan B or C…

Chunk down – Take an experience and pull it apart so you can look at it from multiple angles and break it down into smaller steps. Smaller steps may be exactly what you need to dive back in.

Change – Try to be open and flexible to change. Look for one small way in which you might become more open minded. The ability to bounce back is only enhanced by an openness to experience.

Gratitude – Find the good in the situation and give thanks for it. Sometimes this requires making comparisons. I didn’t get this but I did get this, this, and this and they will help me to do this, this, and this so that I can experience even more of this, this, and this.

Mindfulness – Whether you meditate, pray or prefer to sit in a quiet space to observe and reflect, mindfulness is a powerful way to ensure that we are deeply connected and living in the present. Action happens when we are living in the present.

Scale – When faced with difficult situations, it’s often helpful to scale their level of importance using a timeline. Keep things in perspective. How important will this be in a month from now, a year from now and 5 years from now?

Kindness – It’s so easy to get caught up in the details of the moment, that sometimes we forget to celebrate. Be kind to yourself. Think of a time when you experienced success. Indulge in the moment. Celebrate that feeling knowing that it can happen again and again and again.

Wishing you much success always,

Glo

Filed Under: Coach, Leadership Tagged With: coaching, hope, Leadership, Optimism, Resilience, Self-effiicacy

Resourcefulness: A learned skill

February 11, 2012 By trueblisscoach 4 Comments

Photo Credit

Lately I have been pondering what it means to be resourceful. I mean truly resourceful. What I’ve discovered is how much we tend to overlook this very valuable skill. As an entrepreneur, I’m continuously asking myself questions like “how else might I be able to accomplish this?” The mere fact that it is a skill is great news. It’s not something we are born with but it is something we can develop if we practice. To be resourceful means that we are able to think of alternate ways to look at a situation, make connections, and come up with solutions. Often times, multiple solutions!

Coaching is extremely effective in facilitating this process because it provides us with an opportunity to think outside the box and to look at situations from multiple angles. It is through this process that we become more open and being open creates choice. We go from feeling stuck to having hope. No more of this “I can’t” mindset. Having hope gives us a sense of “I-can-ness” which is very powerful stuff. I mean, take a look at the cat above. Pretty clever I’d say!

In my blog post to kick off the new year, I referred to adopting a mindset of both/and rather than either/or. This simple shift can make a major difference in how we live our lives and recognize what is available to us. This is key. It is far too easy to forget what and who might be available to us as we focus on new ideas, solutions and connections. Sometimes the best solutions are when we combine old with new to create something even better! This is at the heart of collaboration and comes with being resourceful. This skill is available to each and every one of us if only we allow it.

Resourcefully yours, Glo

Filed Under: Coaching Services Tagged With: choice, coaching, collaboration, connections, hope, resourcefulness, solutions

Coaching and Creative Juices

October 11, 2011 By trueblisscoach Leave a Comment

This blog post was first published in March 2010 when I was still in training with Erickson College International to become a coach. I was just starting my practice. Looking back at old blog posts on the weekend, I thought this may be a good one to revisit. I hope you enjoy it!

I’ve been learning so many interesting things about our 3 part brain system through my learning as a coach. You may read this opening statement and say who cares about our brain system? As long as I have one I’m good to go. Or you may give in to your curious side and keep reading to see where this is going…

The reptilian-reticular brain is very useful for immediate action and senses things like danger and lets us know when to fight or flight. The emotional brain is named the limbic system. It is a group brain or team based mammalian brain and it is the one we share with our pets. It likes sameness and avoids change and is focused on present tense. It helps us to move into action through emotions (love, command, protect, teach etc). The cerebral cortex system, also called the neo-cortex is the third brain in development and occupies the majority of the brain cavity. It is the part of the brain that has future visioning capacity. It does our imagining for us and it is extremely flexible. It allows us to create movies in our minds through visualization.

I used to believe that only certain people had the ability to be creative and I most definitely never considered myself to be one of those people. I would focus on what I’m not instead of what I am. Afterall, I’m not an artist, an actor, an architect, a musician or any of the stereotype creative professions. I am me. A lover of life, people and all things business related. Ah ha! Business related. I think and see possibilities or opportunities where some people only see roadblocks but why is that?

Over the past few months through the process of becoming a coach, I’ve had the great fortune of working with some great coaches to increase my quantity and quality of creative thought. This is very exciting stuff especially for someone who didn’t realize it was even possible! What I’ve learned is that what I used to believe about creative thought process has gone out the window. In order to have creative thought and be able to vision, we need to engage the neo-cortex. All this time I have spent focusing on what I’m not instead of what I can be. What a breakthrough!

The coaching that I am training in is is solution focused and forward thinking. By engaging the neo-cortex more often through specific tools and exercises, we can use the whole brain system to create change. Once we have those visions we have more options or choices which can generate excitement. We may even experience those infamous “ah ha” moments. We no longer feel stuck. We have hope and hope helps to promote optimism. Suddenly, we see a path. We can get to our desired state through development, commitment and use of an action plan.

The brain plays such an important part in getting our creative juices flowing and sometimes we just need a little support to get there. What are some of the things that you do to get your creative juices flowing? What works best for you?

Cheers,

Glo

Photo Source

Filed Under: Coaching Services Tagged With: Brain, coaching, Creative, Creative |Juices, Creativity, Vision

“Back to school” has new meaning…

September 25, 2011 By trueblisscoach 4 Comments

The term back to school has different meanings for a few of my family members this year. My niece Jenna (left) is a second year student at The University of Western Ontario commonly known as Western. (Can you tell I just copied the uni name directly from her facebook profile?) Jenna is doing a B.Sc. honours with a specialization in biology also known as she is a science brainiac. I will never forget how excited she was in high school to report dissecting some strange rodent. Gross! What is new for Jenna this year is that she is no longer in residence making university life a completely different experience for her. She is sharing a house with 4 other girls and lovin’ it. Now don’t get me wrong. Jenna isn’t exactly “slumming” it in London! She and her roomies have created a pretty cool haven for living the good life with a little bit of room for studying. Jenna has been a continuous source of encouragement and inspiration for me during my academic journey. When I was taking Research Methods (insert I failed Grade 9 math), it was Jenna that I reached out to for support.

Next up is my niece Katie (right). Katie is a 30 something first year film loving student at York University in Toronto. She is enrolled in the four year honours program for film studies which also means she watches all of those movies that the general population has never heard of! This has been a big year of change for Katie and the changes aren’t finished. She went to New York and to Europe for the first time, moved in with her boyfriend and most recently gave up her job as an admin to go back to school and pursue her love of film. I secretly wonder if this photo of her looking up at the statue of Napolean in sheer awe is simply a precursor to her new journey with university life! She too, has been an amazing sense of encouragement and support. In fact, I believe Katie was the first one to say “you should do a PhD!”

Soooo…speaking of PhD…this is something that is on my mind these days. I must admit that it comes and goes though. Presently I’m doing a research paper towards completion of an M.A. Leadership degree at the University of Guelph. Yup! Even though I was scared to death and I REALLY was, I went back to school in my mid 40′s to pursue a university degree and to enhance my learning as an executive coach. I have never looked back. It has been a very challenging yet rewarding experience.

Back to the flip flop…Because I am so passionate about my research topic (using executive coaching to increase employee engagement), there are days and fleeting moments when I don’t want it to end. I want to be able to take my topic and the “coaching for engagement” model that I have developed and take it to the next level. But hello! We’re talking about four years here and there are SO many things to consider! Fortunately for me, my amazing husband Marc, is 100% behind me.

While I am contemplating this massive decision and researching what it “truly” means, I also have a new view of back to school. I am a Teaching Assistant to the new cohort in my program for Leadership of Organizational Change. Teaching and the education system seem to run through the veins in my family. My Mom was our elementary school secretary. My Dad completed his university degree while working full-time in the military. My sister Anne, is a teacher who completed her teaching degree with two young children in tow. My sister Deborah, is a teacher who has just experienced her last back to school and is retiring in June 2012 to pursue her love of travel and LEGO (not necessarily in that order!). And my sister Linda is pursuing her Chefs diploma while juggling a very busy career and family life.

Along with my sincere love for coaching and genuine desire to see people do what they love, I would be honoured to teach someday and to live a life of continuous learning. I have no idea if I will go further in my studies or if there is a doctor in this house but I do know this. If you have ever thought you might like to go back to school or try anything new for that matter, but were scared for fear of failure. You CAN do it!

If you think your life can’t change in the blink of an eye…think again. We, as humans, are powerful creatures filled with potential and possibilities. We just need to believe it!

Cheers to you and your journey whatever that means to you.

Glo

Photo credit: Miles Bossons

2011 (C) – True Bliss Coach Gloria Higdon

Filed Under: Goals, Life Tagged With: Back to School, Believe, Career Change, coaching, inspiring, Leadership, Life, PhD

Bullseye!

March 3, 2011 By trueblisscoach Leave a Comment

There are different aspects of our lives that bring true meaning. They provide us with happiness, a sense of fulfillment and an ability to experience pure joy. Depending on what is going on both professionally and personally, where we sit in terms of these aspects can vary greatly. Let’s say for example that you were to think of your life successes as accomplishments and achievements. In order to obtain those, you may need to make changes in your life which causes a need and desire to create and innovate. Then there are those relationships in our lives which bring us joy. The smallest little jesture or connection from someone that causes you to stop and think about what is truly important. As we reflect on who we are and who we want to be known for, we search for deeper meaning and our lifes purpose. Some people look and find it, others don’t.

Photo Source

Sometimes we’ve got a bullseye in a few key areas of our life and yet we’ve missed the dart board altogether in others. A piece of the puzzle isn’t fitting, we aren’t as fulfilled as we want to be. Often we can put our finger right on it and say with conviction “I want to be more creative. I want to learn to think outside the box. To challenge the status quo and come up with meaningful solutions to some of the issues I’m faced with on a daily basis.” OR “I want to focus more on the relationships in my life and how valuable they are to me.” OR ”I want to not only set goals but I want to find the way that works for me so that I am achieving and celebrating them.” OR “I want my life to have true meaning so that I can look back with pride at who I have become and how I have contributed to the lives of others. I want to look ahead with passion knowing that I am fulfilled and excited by the possibilities of a new day.”

Sometimes it’s a bit more of a challenge to put our finger on what, if anything, is missing. Our vision isn’t clear. Something is amiss…we struggle, we feel stuck, we take a new course, join a new gym, paint the living room a new color and still we drag ourselves out of bed dreading the day.

Whichever aspect of your life is the dart that missed the board, you’ve got everything needed to figure it out and change what is within your control. We tend to underestimate how powerful change can be and instead we focus on the obstacles. At times we may need support to help us think in a new and empowering way. Through the power of solution focused Coaching you will experience these insights firsthand. You will be amazed at how all of your darts not only make it on the board, but they get a bullseye!

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle” – Christian D. Larson

Celebrating you and all that you are and all that you can be!

Cheers, Glo

Note: Several of the ideas from this post are adapted from an article written by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton M. Christensen “How Will You Measure Your Life?” To purchase a copy of this very inspiring article please visit http://hbr.org/

Filed Under: Coaching Services Tagged With: Bliss, change, coaching, Life Purpose, Vision

How Clear Is Your Vision for 2011?

December 31, 2010 By trueblisscoach Leave a Comment

Well here we are…it’s the last day of the year and also the day when many people set and declare goals for the New Year! Whether they are big or small, short or long term, personal, professional and or spiritual, what will you be doing to ensure that you are committed to achieving yours? It’s been my experience that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. We are unique and we all have different values systems and perspectives. Learn what works for you and be like Nike and Just Do It!

One thing which I have done and I find works well for me especially if I’m setting significant goals is that I break them down into small steps which are more manageagable. Another thing I find helps is to celebrate at every milestone or step by setting up a reward system. Presently I’m at year 2 of a 3 year plan making this goal of a career change a fairly substancial one however when I chunk it down, it’s really just a series of smaller actions which are of benefit to my life in general and also to the big picture. To help stay on track I created a map broken down by year and then month. Pretty simple to follow and as you can see green is complete and red is yet to come…the rewards are also built right in!

The important thing to remember is not what it looks, feels or sounds like to me. The important thing is what it means to you! The goals that are truly yours should come from within, they should be on your agenda and not what someone else expects of you. Be a part of creating your future and you will own it! I encourage you to celebrate at every step you reach, big or small celebrate them all. Hey, that rhymes!

And lastly stay the course…make sure your vision is crystal clear. If times get tough or if circumstances beyond your control become obstacles, do whatever works for you to keep your vision in your mind, in your heart or wherever it means the most to you. I’m a visual person so I have this picture of Arizona with me heart, mind and soul. I love the big blue sky in Arizona and the magnificent red rock against it. This particular photo with the reflection in the water is a reminder of my vision. A change in careers for me has been truly life altering and yet, there is nothing special about what I’ve done. I’ve created a long term goal and broken it down into small and manageable steps. This is something we all have the ability to do. Coaching is one of those professions where people ask all the time, what does a Coach do? Coaching is about you, not me. If you’re looking for advice, ask a family member or a friend. They love giving advice! If you’re looking for someone to challenge you to come up with your own reality and your own agenda from deep within, ask a Coach!

Wishing you a wonderful New Year filled with love and light and all things bright!

Cheers, Glo

Filed Under: Coaching Services, Goals, Life, Making Changes Tagged With: Believe, Career Change, Coach, coaching, Vision

Dear Blog: Oh how i ♥ you and miss you

June 26, 2010 By trueblisscoach Leave a Comment

Blogging has become an important creative outlet for me. I’m learning that I absolutely love to write! Who would have thought? Not me, that’s for sure. Learning new things about yourself at any age is pretty cool. At 46, I am truly ecstatic to be learning and evolving.

Ten days or more have passed since I last wrote a blog post and I really miss it. The thing is when you aren’t doing the things that you derive so much pleasure from, you feel almost incomplete. I am challenged lately for a few reasons. I was in a car accident four weeks ago today and a resulting neck and back issue has caused problems in other areas making long term computer usage, holding a book, blow drying my hair, housecleaning, holding the steering wheel the way I usually do and other every day things somewhat challenging. You might want to stay away from me on the road (just kidding, I was sitting at a complete stop and someone hit me from behind). My hair however, is another story altogether! I am also in the final two weeks of one of the courses in my program so have a lot of writing to do for school. Aside from email, short posts on twitter and facebook, my computer time of late is limited to school. Ah excuses excuses…I’m full of them but its short term guaranteed!

The upside to this is that I am getting better every day and I have learned how much I love to write in addition to coaching. I consulted with an experienced editor lately about the future of writing and they told me that I’d better like Kraft Dinner. As a matter of fact I do and I am so delighted that it comes in many different variations : )

I have difficulty with anyone telling me I can’t do something, it must be the Taurus in me. Stay tuned Blog …I will be back with a vengeance!

Cheers,

Glo

Filed Under: Life, Professional Coaching Services, Uncategorized Tagged With: Believe, coaching, Creative, Writing