The Gift of Receiving Love and Affection on Christmas

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,

for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away

like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.

The good you do for others is good you do yourself.

~Norman Wesley Brooks – “Let Every Day Be Christmas”

Today’s Christmas is a mass market frenzy of materialism. Starting sometime in early November all the way until December 25^th, the shelves are littered with reminders that Christmas is about buying and receiving cool expensive stuff as you rack up thousands of dollars in debt for only a brief wisp of happiness.

It’s easy to get caught up in the joy of materialism. Yet what’s lost amidst the endless amounts of shopping is what makes Christmas such a special time of year – the ability to spend time with friends and family.

What Christmas Really Means in its Heart

How many of the gifts that you received as a child do you remember? How many of them do you still use today? If receiving gifts was what made Christmas so important, than the gifts themselves would still play a prominent role in your life. Now most of those gifts are gone – either in a closet or sold at a garage sale. And yet, despite the loss of presents, Christmas still feels so important. So magical. Something about Christmas makes it one of the happiest times of the year, even though the gifts we receive end up being lost or forgotten soon after.

Family – The True Christmas Gift of the Holidays

It is because of the time we spend with family that gives Christmas its true meaning. Family is what makes this holiday different than something like a birthday or a housewarming party. Family makes this holiday a celebration of being together  and gives you the opportunity to create new memories and renew your emotional bond.

The Gifts We Get Every Day From Our Family

Christmas is a time to remember the gifts that family and friends have brought into our lives. Gifts like:

• Humor
• Acceptance
• Love
• Support
• Guidance

Every day the people we love are giving us gifts that we often fail to truly appreciate. What they give us isn’t material. You cannot buy it at a store. They are giving us their own love. They shower us with care and attention and give us more than we can ever hope to give back.  Hey, I still love getting presents at Christmas and I’m definately not discouraging that.   More imporatntly I love to shop and give presents especially to my wife.  Last year was awesome as she opened her presents and of course the prized cookware set that she was excited to receive.  The presents for kids are also an awesome part of Christmas, my son played with his last presents all year and it was just awesome to watch him tear the paper and open the presents up.  The spirit of the message is that this year, have a conspiracy and give more love as well as all the other things you do give.

This year, ignore all of the Christmas Chaos. There is nothing that you can buy at the store that will repay your loved ones for what they have given you on a regular basis, and nothing a jolly old man designed by the Coca Cola company can bring that will repay them for their consistent kindness. Instead, take this Christmas to show each and every person in your life how much they mean to you. Share experiences with them, tell them how much you love them, and start focusing on how you can give back to them what they give to you every day.

If you need ideas on how to give the gift of love to your family, send me a message. Take the time this year to change the way you celebrate the Christmas season. Now is the time to remember how much more important the gift of family is than the gift of an iPod. It’s time to change the way you give and receive this holiday and give your loved ones the things that really matter.

A Rough Day is a Reality of Life

I think the first thing that we need to realize about a bad day is that it is going to happen to everyone. No one goes through life without struggle. It is rather, how we chose to react to it that will truly tell the tale of the day.

 The first thing I ask someone who tells me that they’ve had a bad day is not “What was so bad?” but rather, “How did that day affect you?” This prompts a different line of thought. Unlike the first question which directs us back to those frustrations and negative aspects of your day, the second makes you think about how you responded to it. This is what is most important. If you’ve handled it well, this can bring a change from living in frustration to having abundance in life.

Switch your Focus to the Positive

The next step in moving away from your bad day is to switch your focus onto more positive things. I’m not talking about those things which “feel” good, but those which bring you the most joy. In many cases family, friends, and hobbies are at the top of this list. These fulfilling aspects of your life can help you switch your focus from the negative to the positive.

Tip: Avoid focusing on tasks which may frustrate you like a new project. When you want to switch your focus, use those things you know are going to make the difference.

A Foundation of Strength to Weather the Storm

Overcoming a bad day is easy when you set a foundation of strength to weather the storm. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a bad morning or afternoon has to ruin your entire day. A strong foundation in life comes from a few key principles:

1. The Right Start: The first part of your foundation of strength lies in the first 30 minutes of your day. Start your days by focusing on the positive and the potential of the day rather that the struggles it may cause. This will immediately begin building a new foundation of strength in which to dwell for the entire day.
2. A Support System: The second part of a strong foundation in life is the one you build around yourself. The people in your life influence how you react to struggle. This is a fact. Take notice of those who build you up in times of distress and those who let you down. The former are the ones you want around.
3. Outlets for Emotions: The last part of a foundation of strength is having an outlet for ridding yourself of those bad feelings. Harboring frustration, anxiety, or anger will ultimately lead to your foundation cracking and eventually crumbling all together.

Building Up an Abundance in Life

It is easy to maintain a positive demeanor when things in life go well, but you can do something in those easy times to help you through a bad day. When you experience abundance in life take notice and make sure that you don’t forget the blessing. It is a lot easier to put that bad day in perspective if you have an abundance of life to remind you of how much you have.

Scott Epp, Certified Professional Coach and President of Abundance Coaching believes that each of us can live abundantly. Scott is passionate about helping people create an abundance mindset and live with strong core values. You can get a complimentary session by going to www.abundancecoaching.com.

The Value of Living With Values

My personal Vision board of Values

What is the value of living with values?  All of us are aware of the core principles and values that make up the human experience. Values like character and courage are at the core of being a good human being, and the essence of leading a respectable life.

We know these values. Yet we do not often exemplify them. We do not often put these values into action. When you see something wrong in the world, how often do you take it upon yourself to change it? How often have you lied in order to come out ahead or took responsibility for your own mistakes?

You Can Create your own Vision Board of Values!

The above is a Picture of my Vision Board of Values!  I see it every day as it reminds me of what really motivates me and inspires in in life!  I found out what my Core Values were by doing an assessment through a software program that I designed called “The Abundance Coaching Values Game.”  In this program you narrow down a massive list of potential values down to what your Essential Core Values are in your life.  When you know what your values are you have more wisdom in life as you make decisions with clarity and focus.  Living with Values will lead to you finding more contentment, joy and happiness.  You can find out what your core values are too by going to my website at: www.abundancecoaching.ca .  You can also e-mail me at scott@abundancecoaching.ca to get a free core values report to begin the process of finding out what your core values are.

Living a Life Guided by Values – Benefits to Your Mental Health

Part of living a life of abundance and contentment involves living your life according to basic human values. Straying from these values leads to complacency, regret, conflict and sadness. Every action you take – every decision you make – should be based on these core values.

Values give you direction. When you live a life of values, you live a life without regret, knowing that everything you have done in this world is designed to make it better. Values give purpose, and ensure that the path you take leads to complete fulfillment.

Take a Moment to Reflect on Your Past

• How often have you lied or cheated to get what you wanted?
• How often have you ignored responsibilities or avoided blame?
• How often have you been passive aggressive, angry or spiteful?
• How often have you manipulated a situation to your advantage?
• How often have you tried to get out of doing hard work?
• How often have you shown selfishness or a lack of empathy?

Now ask yourself: When you did any of those things, how often did you feel good about it afterwards? How many of those things contributed to your long term happiness?

Living a life of values is living a purpose driven life with a clear conscious. True, core values are far more likely to lead to a positive outcome, and will never cause you guilt or regret because you know each decision was based upon your true principles.

Finding Values to Change Your Life and Achieve Purpose

Living a life of values is the only true way to give yourself a healthy, positive direction in life. Negative thoughts and actions only serve to block our ability to find real happiness and abundance with the world. If you truly want to change your life, you need to experience of a life of living with values, and integrate the core principles of human beings into your thoughts and behaviors. Contact me today to discuss how to live a life with values and how to make the changes you can make to start living a life of true emotional health and contentment.

Live with Passion and Have Abundance in Life!

Scott Epp

www.abundancecoaching.ca

Follow Your Bliss and Find More Purpose in Life!

Follow Your Bliss and Find Your Purpose in Life!

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman

Searching for Purpose

Are you searching for a purpose to your life? Well, let me ask you a question: “Do you know what makes you tick?”

Do you know what you want?

It sounds like an easy question, doesn’t it? But for many of us, we have become so disconnected from our own hearts and identities that we don’t even know what makes us excited any more. I am a new dad and I marvel at my son and how he has been created to naturally fulfill his needs.  As babies we are born with an innate and immediate sense of what we want – FOOD! And MOM! And SLEEP! As we grow, we know which toy we want to play with, which food we want to eat and which we do not! But then, we encounter the world of ‘public opinion’ and we are told what we ‘should and should not’ want. How much of who we are today has been moulded by strong individuals around us (parents, teachers, coaches, employers, even pastors) who have told us who they think we are and what they think we should like?

Your internal GPS

This can have a very damaging effect on our sense of purpose – because our internal GPS is our personal joy. The thing that gives us a buzz, that makes us feel alive – this is what we should be doing. For some that might be an activity (sports, writing, teaching) or for others a way of interacting with others (making people laugh, listening to hurt people, inspiring others to be their best selves).

Living the dream

We have to shrug off the ‘shoulds’ and silence the ‘never coulds’ and think about the ‘what ifs’ of life. The dream is to be able to make a living at something you love. Being paid to do something that you would do anyway – that’s the way to make life work for you and to feel purposeful. So get out a pen and paper and start to write down the times when you’ve felt most alive. Then go back and look at them again – what do they have in common? What are the themes? Can you get your internal GPS back on track by tuning into the things that deliver a great big dose of energy straight into your heart?

That’s why I’m a Life Coach

For me, I’m an encourager. That’s my purpose – I love to connect with people and give them a great big dose of positivity so that they can see their own potential and change their lives to experience an abundance of joy and life. That’s why I’m a Life Coach. I can pour my workday energy directly into my purpose in life. Not only does it pay the bills, but it fllls up my energy tank and keeps me buzzing. I love it.

And I believe there are ways for you to get back to the essence of who you are made to be – not what other people think of you, but who you truly know you are. So start making your Joy List – and give me a call!

You can contact me on my website at www.abundancecoaching.ca .  We are nearly ready to launch our fresh and exhilerated new website so stay tunned for that as well.

Live with Passion and Have Abundance in Life! – Scott Epp

Getting Closure can help you live more Abundantly!

If you don’t get closure at the end of a relationship it can niggle away at you for years. The end of a relationship is a big deal, but there are lots of smaller unfinished deals that can also be niggling away. As you walk through your home what do you notice? Perhaps the picture that still needs to be hung on the wall, the laundry pile that needs to be folded, the tax return that still needs to be completed?

Things left undone on the ‘to do’ list in our mind take up mental and emotional energy that could be put to better use living abundantly! Just think about it the other way round – when you complete something, you feel good. When you finish a study assignment, read the last page of the book, or tuck the kids into bed at night after a long day of running around after them, the sense of accomplishment builds your self-esteem. Getting around to the things we’ve been putting off, is one way to release a whole heap of energy that you can use to live abundantly.

Forgiveness is key to Gaining Closure

One key to gaining closure in relationships, is to forgive. Carrying around past hurts and resentments drains us of present-day energy to enjoy abundance in life. Like being stuck in quicksand the more we wallow in bitterness, the more it consumes us. Nelson Mandela, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize says. “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies”. Forgiveness is a gift to yourself.

To forgive, first you need to acknowledge that you are still angry. Next, be honest about the pain you felt. Admit to the fears and self-doubts that this caused you. Own up to any part that you played in letting the person mistreat you. Admit to yourself what you wanted from that person that you didn’t get. Try to put yourself in their shoes for a moment and understand why they didn’t or couldn’t give that to you. Finally after admitting these feelings, let go and forgive. It will bring closure and release a whole lot of energy for abundant life today.

Live with Passion and have Abundance in Life!

- Scott Epp

January is one of those strange months. In most places around the world the weather is grim and yet there is an undercurrent of hope and optimism. The New Year is a fresh chance for change; for putting things right. We joke about making ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ because so often we quickly fail at the things we really want to change about ourselves; losing weight, giving up smoking, spending more time with the kids.

 But these are good goals and we really do want to change – that is genuine – so what is stopping us? How can we be serious about these important changes we truly want to make to our lives? The good news is that there are some simple keys to changing your life for good.

 Firstly you need to be specific. It’s not enough to say “I want to lose weight”. That is a good goal but too vague. It would be better to say “ I want to lose 30 pounds by May 1^st 2011.” As soon as you specify your goal, your subconscious mind starts working on a plan of how you can achieve this. Write out your goals – make them as specific as you can setting yourself deadlines. To motivate yourself, picture yourself achieving the goals you have set yourself. Read through your goals out loud, twice a day, to really cement them in your heart and mind. You could even cut out photos or pictures of your goals and paste them on the card with your goal written underneath.

Just this exercise alone – writing out specific goals for the year – will put you in the top 3% of the world’s achievers. To move into the top 1% all you have to do is to write down the action steps that will take you towards those goals – then put them into action!

Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Of course as soon as you start to think about writing down goals and plans, some issues arise immediately – fears and roadblocks. Don’t panic! These fears and roadblocks have already been operating in your subconscious – rattling around your brain for years. They are the reason you haven’t already done what you want to do. All that is happening now is that they are becoming very clear and vocal. Take this as a good sign. You want to identify the fears and the roadblocks that have been preventing you from moving forward. Write them down and start to plan for success anyway. Don’t be intimidated by your fears and doubts. Know that this is normal and everyone has them. The key is to plan for action and not to waste time wondering whether you can do this or not. If you head North out of Santa Barbara and take 5 steps a day eventually you have to end up in San Francisco. So decide where you are headed and what steps you need to take, review your goals everyday…and start walking. You can do this! You can have the Abundance in Life you want.

SETTING S.M.A.R.T. NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!!!!

Every New Year million s of people get great ideas that they are going to set as resolutions.  They are inspired by one thing or another and they set out in search of the perfect New Year’s resolution.  Gym managers are busier than ever signing up fresh new resolution setters that intend to lose that extra weight.  Husbands set out to be more attentive to their spouses.  Commitments are made to spend less time at work and more at home.  Instruments are purchased with their new owner’s intent to play them.  Credit card companies quiver in fear because so many people vow to pay them off and never use them again.  Friends get excited at the knowledge that there will be more dinner parties and social outings.  The garage and offices of the world will finally be de-cluttered and organized.

Then something happens!!!  And that something is called Life!

Life takes its course and takes us of our course.  The gym’s empty again in April.  Husbands are once again spending less quality time with their wives.  More and more time is spent at work and less time is spent at home.  Instruments are neatly packed in their cases hiding in the closets.  Credit card companies are once again making record profits.  Friends aren’t getting together as often as they would hope.  And the garage and offices are not de-cluttered in fact there is now more stuff in them.

Wow! Life sure has a way of happening doesn’t it!

But as they say … life goes on.  Another year comes and here we are in January setting new resolutions and resetting old resolutions. Somehow we expect a change!  Unfortunately, the stats aren’t in favour of you getting that change.  “In fact 33% of the people who set New Year’s Resolutions don’t make it past January and 75% are abandoned soon after.” [1] The reason? There is no commitment, foundation or passion behind these resolutions.

IMPORTANT!!! So often resolutions are about what you think you should be doing.  We see a magazine that tells us how to start the ultimate small business or how to get in shape by summer.  So often you buy into other people’s expectations and we even create expectations of ourselves that aren’t true.  You have to forget about what you and other people think you should do and look at what you really want! Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what present conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

There is hope for you to set SMART Resolutions that work.  And to start with this I have a fantastic question for you to ask yourself.

Do you want to live a full life?

Living a full life isn’t about making half-hearted decisions that don’t really mean anything.  One quality of successful people is that they are confident.  In other words, they trust themselves and know what they want.  People who are confident in themselves have been knocked down but they have something built into them that empower them to get back up and keep going.  Having confidence in yourself also means that you identify with the values and passions deep within your core.  Every man, woman and child can become more confident in themselves and know themselves even more.  What it means to live a full life should be answered individually.  However, those who live full lives have the confidence to make choices based on what really matters to them and then they jump in with both feet.

Best Selling Author Stephen Covey talks about resolutions this way:

“Begin the New Year by setting one New Year’s resolution. Ask yourself, ‘what one thing could I change that would significantly increase my happiness?’ Be honest with yourself and examine your intent, motive and desire for setting your goal. It must align with your deepest values, motivations and with what is most important to you. Otherwise, you won’t have the passion or discipline to stay committed when the going gets tough, especially when there are so many other thi ngs distracting you from achieving your resolution.”[1]

Here is an Action Plan called “S.M.A.R.T.” It is a proven technique in goal setting that coaches and counsellors have recommended for many years.

“S.M.A.R.T.” Is a powerful acronym that if applied will give you success in achieving your goals.  The following is a summarized verion of “Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals.” [2]

First of all you need to minimize your list down to 2 – 7 manageable resolutions.

“George Miller, a 1950’s psychologist, proposed that we can only deal with 7 bits of information at any one time.” Setting 20 goals may not be that helpful to you and you will be likely to become overwhelmed.  However, setting a manageable number like 5 goals may be the right fit.

Specific – A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:

*Who:      Who does the goal involve?
*What:     What do I want to accomplish?
*Where:    Where is the location or place?
*When:     When will you accomplish it? Set a time frame.
*Which:    Which are the things that would hold you back from accomplishing this goal?
*Why:       Why do you want to accomplish this goal?

One common mistake when setting goals is that you aren’t detailed enough. This can cause problems when we need to articulate these goals to work mates, life partners or even to ourselves.  EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” A specific goal would be, “Join a Martial Arts Club by January 30^th and commit to going three times a week in the current year.”

Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.  To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

Realistic – To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be.

Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs., when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.

This Weeks Reflect and Apply

You can live a fuller life!  You can walk with more confidence and make choices and resolves based on what really matters to you!  You may not be where you hope to be with your confidence or with living a full life but it’s a New Year.  You can start today to make SMART Resolutions. First ask yourself ‘what one thing could I change that would significantly increase my happiness?’ And then, set your SMART Resolutions that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

Written by: Scott Epp

Abundance In Life Coaching

[1] http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS132935+18-Dec-2007+BW20071218

[2] http://www.topachievement.com/smart.html

Quote of the Week

“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not disgrace to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to.”

- Benjamin E. Mays

Is your attitude worth catching?

Your attitude is a little thing, but it makes a big difference

We’re all heard it said “We cannot control our circumstances but we can control our attitude.”  It may be a cliché but it is true.  We cannot control where we are born and to which family.  We cannot control our social economic upbringing or even the school that we were put in as a child.  We cannot control the weather and we cannot control many of the things that happen to us.  But we can control our attitude.  We can have a positive attitude in spite of the difficult things that happen in our lives. 

Is your Cup half Full or Half Empty?

When we look at life we have two choices.  We can see the glass as half full or half empty.  Keeping a positive attitude is relatively easy when things go well, but how about when life doesn’t smile on us?  How can you have a positive attitude then?  Problems, anxiety, difficult circumstances, negative thoughts: it all exists up to the measure that we decide.  You cannot stop something from happening, but you can choose how to deal with any situation.  If you are look at this cup and see that it is half full you are thinking positively.

Your Attitude is everything!

 When you’re feeling glum about something then change your attitude.  If you are in a situation that is not ideal and it doesn’t suit you and your interests then make the best of it.  When discouragement sets in and you become frustrated then draw water from your own well and bring up your attitude.  No, life is not always sunshine and rainbows but it is usually better than we make it out to be.  Sometimes we need to manufacture some sunshine to splash in our lives.  Other times hunting for that pot of gold under the rainbow could be the very adventure your soul is lacking. 

It is your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude!

The most successful people in the world are usually people who have a very positive attitude.  It’s no wonder that their attitude has attributed to their successes in life.  I have a friend named Frank  that is very successful in many areas in his life.  Frank always has a huge smile on his face and is ready to give me a big huge when he sees me.  He often tells me how fantastic it is to see me and his wisdom in life is always inspiring to me.  My friend’s attitude determines his altitude. What is the difference between Frank and some other people?  Frank understands the secrets of life and he demonstrates his love and care for others through his inspirational outlook on life and his positive attitude.  Frank has suffered setbacks and failures and he has also lost siblings and close friends.  He is like any other when it comes to his trials but he is like few when it comes to his attitude. 

How can I get a better attitude?

You may be reading this and ask yourself  ”How can I get a better attitude?”  It is a valid question and many people want to be more positive.  Well, there are a few things you can do.  Firstly you need to associate with the kinds of people who have the type of attitude that you desire.  If you associate with people below your level you will naturally become more like them.  If you are inspired by people who are positive and going places you will naturally want to adopt the attitudes and motivations they have.  Never underestimate the power of association.  Many people have and they don’t know why they stay stuck.  The truth about association is that you become like who you associate with.  Your folly is continuing to associate with people who bring you down to their level.  Some people have a hard time releasing their friends to become more than they are.  We usually see people pulling their friends down because if there friend changes then a change must take place in them or naturally the friendship will drift away.  My encouragement is to make choices in who you let influence your life.  This may mean that you need to drop some friends and I know this can be hard however necessary.

Here are some Powerful Proverbs to increase your attitude!

1. Your attitude is a little thing, but it makes a big difference.
2. It’s your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude.
3. Look backwards with gratitude, upward with confidence and forward with hope.
4.  It all depends on how you look at things and not how they are.
5.  What sort of attitude do you have to your work?
6.  A new attitude might improve your career prospects.
7. Be strong enough to accept the help of others.
8. Be flexible. Stiffness is a sign of rigor mortis. 
9. Enthusiasm is contagious. Is your attitude worth catching?

This weeks Reflect and Apply

You have the power within your to increase your attitude and gain altitude in your life.  It’s ok to be enthusiastic in life, in fact your energy is contagious.  People want to hang around people who are going places and they have excitement in life.  This week I urge you to take some time and reflect on your attitude and ask yourself “Is my attitude worth catching?”  Then look at how you can change your perspectives in life to increase your attitude.  After that look at the people in your life and ask yourself if they are a positive or negative influence on your attitude.  You may want to decide who in your life brings out the best in you and find more people like them to associate with.

It is true and it is exciting! My Abundance Coaching Website was updated today! Check it out at:

www.abundancecoaching.com

We also have an incredible Essential Core Values Package with 4 bonuses now available! click this link to find about my Essential Core Values Package or any of my other Incredible Coaching Offers:

We are in the processes of building an interactive, resource filled exciting New website in the fall of 2010! Stay tuned on this blog or on Abundance In Life Coaching’s official website for updates on the new website launch.

Have Abundance In Life

Scott Epp

p.s. I am sorry about the recent drop in frequency of my posts.  I have been prioritizing with my new website and my furthered coaching education.  Expect new content and exciting, though provoking and inspiring posts in the coming months.

Eric Schmidt – CEO of Google in this video tells Fortune and CNN that “Everyone Needs A Coach.”

“Every famous athlete, every famous performer has somebody who’s a coach.  Someone who can watch what they’re doing and say ‘Is that what you really meant? Did you really do that?’ They can give them perspective.  The one thing that people are never good at is seeing themselves as others see them.  A coach really really helps.” – Eric Schmidt

I have personally found many benefits in having a coach

I always find it interesting when my coach helps me see things in my life from another point of view.  The perspectives that I have are often perceived differently than the way I intend them to be perceived.  When I bring my ideas to my coach and he asks me questions that cause me to think deeper I often encounter new insights.  My coach challenges me and encourages me to reach my goals and he doesn’t let me off the hook easily when I’ve asked him to keep me accountable to something.  I am more driven and motivated because every week I know my coach is going to ask me about my progress towards my goals.  In some sessions I bring up issues that I find really hard to work through and my coach partners with me to help me find solutions.  My coach gives me a great balance of challenge, support, encouragement, accountability, honest confronting conversations and empowerment.  The environment that is created in our sessions is one of trust, openness and care.  After our sessions I feel motivated to soar higher and work through life’s obstacles.  These are just some of the benefits I have personally found in having a coach.

This week’s Reflect and Apply

Rich or poor, famous or not almost everyone could benefit from a coaching relationship.  Whether you are planning to start a new business and you don’t know where to start or you want to start a bucket list of adventures a coach can really help you.  Are you ready for a coach?  Read the following 6 statements and answer “Yes” or “No” if they resonate with you.

1. I want to create more balance in my life between the demands of family, work and time for myself.
2. I want to clarify my personal core values and live my true purpose in life with contentment.
3. I am ready to step up to the challenge of having open, honest and confronting conversations.
4. I want to have more fun and enjoyment into my life and I want to make more room to find it.
5. I am ready to create plans and take massive action to achieve my goals.
6. I can benefit from a professional who will help me stay on track and hold me accountable.

• If you answer “Yes” to 1 or 2 of these statements you may benefit from having a coach in your life.
• If you answer “Yes” to 3 or more of these statements you would most-likely benefit from having a coach in your life.
• If you answer “Yes” to 4 or more of these statements you would definitely benefit from having a coach in your life.

If you are inspired by what a coach can do for you feel free to contact me at scottepp@shaw.ca

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My coaching vision is to support, guide and encourage people to find and action their potential and possibilities.  Coaching is a process of identifying client’s goals and helping them achieve them in an effective way. If you are interested in taking your next step towards achieving your goals and living the life you desire then I invite you connect with me by e-mailing scottepp@shaw.ca or by posting a comment on this blog.

Have Abundance In Life

Scott Epp