Imagine having more energy or more time to focus on the things you really want. Imagine being able to move forward in your life without some of your current stress.

Doesn?t that sound good?

We all have things in our life that we just put up with or tolerate, for example, a cluttered desk, a messy closet, a squeaky door, a sloppy significant other or child, even STRESS. While the tolerations may not seem to be a big deal on the surface?don?t be fooled, they are!

Tolerations drain us of valuable energy. They prevent us from moving forward. They are a distraction and they waste time, time that could be spent on something proactive and productive.

What are you tolerating and how are those tolerations serving you?

There is no better time then the present to become free of draining tolerations!! Here is an exercise that will help you get a handle on those things that are draining you…

1) Make a list of all the things you feel you are currently tolerating.
2) Once you have your list in hand, go over it and look for the pivotal tolerations. A pivotal toleration, when removed, removes other tolerations with it.
3) Look at what is causing your tolerations and be sure to remove the cause or the root of the toleration. (A toleration is like a weed, if you do not remove the root, the toleration will just return.)
4) If your toleration list feels overwhelming, again first look for all the pivotal tolerations, transferring three or four to a new list. Breaking your list down into bite-sized pieces will help it become more manageable and less overwhelming.

I would also like to offer you a bit of personal support. If you are not sure where to start in pinpointing your tolerations or you need support in developing an action plan to remove your tolerations, please e-mail me (pam@whatswithinu.com). I will be more than happy to provide you with a free 30 minute coaching session to help identify and take action against those tolerations that are draining you.

Energy-filled living here we come!

? 2006 ? What?s Within U. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of content allowed, but must contain a link to What?s Within U (www.whatswithinu.com), copyright notice, and author?s name.

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Pam Thomas is a personal and business development coach who supports individuals that are stuck or in transition in creating their best life. Her passion and purpose is to help others find the resources and wondrous assets within them and around them to excel, overcome obstacles and discover the amazing opportunities available. Pam understands what it takes to reach deep inside to overcome fears and anxieties in order to truly achieve the goals, dreams and desire that rests within all of us. For more information about Pam?s work, please visit; www.whatswithinu.com

Life coaching is sometimes defined as a method or practice of helping people to achieve goals.

This definition draws attention to the following features of life coaching:

* Coaching is a forward thinking pragmatic approach as opposed to some forms of counselling which are more concerned with looking back into a person’s past and interpreting that past

* Coaching is usually very focused - most coaches encourage you to set targets and a series of actions to help you reach those targets.

The actions will be a step by step approach to leading you towards the targets. As a fairly obvious example, if you are stressed from overworking you might set a target of reducing the amount of hours you spend on work-related tasks by 20% within 3 months. Your coach can then assist you in helping to learn strategies which will enable you to reach that target in a series of steps.

The focus on goals or targets can however leave something out. We are all human beings with NEEDS - emotional, psychological, spiritual, artistic and other. Indeed, the psychologist Abraham Maslow suggested that there may be 8 different types of need:

* Physiological needs - such as basic needs for oxygen, water, food, sleep
* Safety and security needs - such as for stability
* Love and belonging needs - such as for relationships
* Esteem needs - e.g. for respect, self confidence, independence, freedom
* The need to know and understand - to learn and gain knowledge
* Aesthetic needs - the need for harmony, balance, beauty
* Self-actualization needs - for achieving one’s potential and finding fulfilment
* Transcendence - the need to connect to something larger than yourself or to help others reach their potential

Useful as focusing on goals is, it is important to recognise that we aim for goals in order to satisfy needs. For instance, in the example given above you might want to reduce your time spent working in order to give you more time to focus on improving important relationships (in Maslow’s terminology that would be about satisfying love and belonging needs) or in order to give you time to pursue your own interests (in Maslow’s terminology that might be about satisfying self-actualization needs). It can be helpful to consider what needs achieving your goals is intended to meet.

Another way of exploring this is to try to answer the following question:

What are the outcomes that you would like to achieve from your goals?

Try to clarify what the end result is that you are hoping achieving your particular goals will bring? What is the purpose of achieving those goals? Those outcomes will usually be something relating to satisfaction or fulfilment of a personal need or needs.

Outcomes you might be hoping for could, for example, include one or more of the following:

* Greater job satisfaction
* A more harmonious relationship with less conflict in it
* Feeling better about themself and more confident
* A more healthy and balanced lifestyle

For example, if you were thinking of setting a goal for yourself of running your own business within 2 years, outcomes you might be hoping this will bring could include:

* Greater independence
* More satisfaction with their work and
* A sense of personal fulfilment.

It will also be important to consider whether there may be potential negative outcomes from achieving your goal which you will need to weigh up against the positive outcomes. In this instance, you might reflect that achieving the goal of running your own business could produce some negative outcomes, such as:

- Less security and stability

- Pressure on important relationships.

Understanding the outcomes that ultimately you want helps you to set appropriate goals in a number of ways:

1. By clarifying what benefits you hope achieving their goals will bring
2. By clarifying potential downsides from achieving the goals
3. By exploring whether the goals you initially propose to set are in fact the best way of creating the outcome(s) that you want.

If you can establish a better understanding of these things then you are a significant part of the way towards creating goals which are meaningful for you and which you can be motivated towards achieving.

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For Further FREE information and Life Coaching Tips, please go to any of the links below:

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Life Coach Bristol

Life Coaching Articles

As a home-based business owner and avid network marketer, I am always finding myself at various meet-and-greets throughout Chicagoland. Like a good little schoolgirl, my 30-second elevator speech is well-prepared to roll off my tongue at every introduction.

My new acquaintances have a knack for exchanging quizzical looks at the end of my spiel before asking, “yeah, um, so what is a life coach?” Exasperated that my prepared speech is never enough, I began researching the definition of life coach in order to develop a more refined explanation to have at the ready. The following is what I have come up with.

A life coach is a person who partners with you to ensure your success. They act as your personal cheerleader in helping you to set goals and create a plan to achieve them. A life coach aids you in identifying your strengths and opportunities for greater personal and professional development. A life coach also works with you in developing a system of accountability to realize your intended objectives. Unlike a therapist or counselor, a life coach is very forward-thinking. Life coaches bridge the gap between where you are right now and where you want to be in the future. Life coaches have a mission to help ordinary people fulfill extraordinary dreams.

Life coaches come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have backgrounds in psychology or social work. Some are former business professionals. Many life coaches have no formal education or professional experience at all. People become life coaches because they have a very real desire to motivate others to be successful and have a natural gift for doing so. Good coaches use a combination of education and life experience to meet the needs of their clients. Coaches can choose to specialize in business, careers, parenting, dating, relationships, disabilities or general life. Most life coaches have been coaching unofficially for the greater part of their lives and just didn’t know it.

The life coaching industry is still relatively new, having only been officially recognized for approximately the past thirty years. Because of this, coaching is still very much an unregulated practice. There are two major certifying boards attempting to change this: the International Association of Coaches (IAC) and the International Coach Federation (ICF). Both organizations have been around for about 15 years and each have rigorous qualification standards and testing that must be achieved prior to certification. There are many coach training schools available that offer training programs geared toward meeting the requirements of these certifying bodies. It is still a widely debated issue as to whether or not professional life coaches should be certified or not. As it currently stands, certification can definitely help to legitimize an aspiring coach but formal education and life experience can still be just as valuable depending on the target customer.

As for the coaching process itself, most coaching is conducted primarily by telephone or even email. Sessions typically last from 30 minutes to an hour. Life coaches practice effective listening skills to mirror client concerns and act as a sounding board for ideas. Life coaches use intuitive questioning skills to lead their clients onto a journey of self-discovery and growth. Most coaching relationships average about 6 months. Fees for coaching can vary greatly from coach to coach and are based heavily on the type of client being served. Most coaches, including myself, do offer a complimentary session to all first time clients.

Life coaching can be a very fulfilling career for the right personalities. If you are already a person who loves to reach out to others, is a great listener and you often find yourself in the center of everyone’s problems, then you probably have what it takes to be a coach. And if you are a big dreamer but don’t know quite how to turn them into reality, then a life coach is most likely the perfect answer for you.

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? 2007 All Rights Reserved. Reprint permission granted only with inclusion of the author bylines. Niquenya D. Fulbright is a Chicago area executive life coach, professional speaker and corporate trainer with over 10 years experience specializing in motivating small business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, groups and individuals in a career or life transition to use their innate abilities to master their goals and achieve successes beyond their wildest dreams. www.niquenyafulbright.com

Often in our interactions with family and friends, problems being encountered would inevitably be brought up. Inevitably too, in trying to be helpful, we often react by giving advice on how to solve the problem.

However, this is generally not recommended, for the following reasons:

We assume we know what the problem is and forget to be a listener, to find out enough details about the problem and the other person’s point of view.

We forget to extend empathy to the woes of the other person.

We get ‘credit’ for being the one to give the advice since the advice is likely to be something that the adviser has done or others have done that was successful. So if the listener does not succeed or had done it before but it was not successful, the implication is that it is not because the advice was not good, but the listener has not applied it well. This tends to make the advisee feel stupid and incompetent.

When we give advice, we’re talking ‘down’ to the other person as we become the ‘expert’. We’re so eager to talk and show our knowledge and ‘wisdom’ that we do not interact at an ‘equal’ level with the other person. We take on the position of ‘expert’ and might tend to forget that the other person also has knowledge to share with us.

We are giving the message that we think the person cannot work out the solution himself. This is disempowering for the other person.

We belittle the efforts that have been taken by the person. We become the evaluator of what the person has done rather than helping him/her to self-evaluate.

Example of Advice Giving:

A: Jolyn and I are having problems. We have been having more quarrels lately.

B: Hmm? I’m always thought both of you were not suitable for each other. (B is getting credit for his prediction. B is not asking questions to find out more about A’s problems)

A: Well, we were getting along pretty well. But I’ve been very busy with work recently and haven’t had time to go out with her. She feels I’m spending too much time on work.

B: It shows she does not understand you (B is assuming he knows what the problem is). Maybe you should break up with her (advice giving, implying A cannot work out a solution). It could be a blessing in disguise.

A: I’d be miserable. Don’t know what I’d do without her.

B: You’ll get over it (B is not extending empathy to A). I did too when I broke up with Doris 2 years ago. (B is giving himself credit)

A: I sent her roses to make up but it doesn’t seem to work.

B: I don’t think that will work with her (evaluating what A has done). Since she wants time with you, just put aside your work and make time for her.

A: I have deadlines to meet.

B: Well, you have to decide what you want (this is not likely to be helpful to A’s dilemma and might make him feel stupid and incompetent instead.)

Using Questions in conversations is generally more helpful as it helps the other person think through the issues that they have. Example is this conversation below:

A: Jolyn and I are having problems. We have been having more quarrels lately.

B: I’m sorry to hear that (extending empathy). Would you like to tell me more about it? (being a listener, to find out details of problem)

A: I’ve been really busy with my work and haven’t had time to go out with her. She feels I’m spending too much time on work.

B: Has it always been this way with your work?

A: No, it’s these recent two months because of a big project. Deadlines to meet and other work pressures?.

B: Must be tough on you?. (extending empathy to A and indirectly giving credit to A for holding up)

A: Yah? but I do need to make time for Jolyn? I have been working too hard. I should ease up a bit (self evaluation). I think I’ll send her some flowers afterward and then call her for a dinner date tomorrow. (coming up with his own solutions)

B: All the best ?

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www.jacobebooks.com/S4/TheJourney.htm
www.motivate2success.com/
www.succezz.com/7WaystoLiveLiftotheMax.html

If you are interested in becoming a professional singer or even if you are just interested in taking singing lessons for fun it is likely that you may be interested in receiving some professional assistance.

When looking for professional assistance many individuals come across something known as a singing voice lesson. Many individuals may already know what a singing voice lesson is; however, if you are new to the world of singing then you may not.

A signing voice lesson is technically just another term used to describe a singing lesson. Each day there are a large number of singing lessons that are given around the world. These singing lessons can occur in a school, in a home, or an offsite business location. While a singing lesson and a voice singing lesson are similar they do have a few differences.

Many traditional singing lessons focus on a wide variety of different things. Of course a person?s ability to sing is considered; however, that is not always all that is taken into consideration. Many traditional singing lessons focus on a person?s posture, body language, and their ability to sing. Singing lessons also tend to offer singing help on common music genres instead of just focusing on one.

A singing voice lesson may focus on other things besides a person?s voice; however, that tends to be the main focus. It is also common for many singing voice lessons to be tailored to a specific genre of music. There are many individuals who wish to learn how to sing in general, but others may be more focused on singing in a specific music genre. Rap music does not sound anything like country music; therefore, different singing approaches are often taken.

Individuals wishing to take a singing voice lesson have a number of options to choose from. There are many aspiring singers who prefer to work one-on-one with a music teacher or a voice coach. These lessons are often costly because they often require a large amount of time and travel. A cheaper way that many aspiring singers choose to have a singing voice lesson is by purchasing singing voice lesson music equipment.

Online and in retail stores across America there are a large number of singing resources. It is possible to purchasing a singing voice lesson DVD or CD. These items cost less than most face-to-face singing lessons. Aspiring singers are only required to pay for the singing voice lesson DVD or CD once, but they can use them over and over again. This is beneficial to a wide number of singers because usually more than one lesson needs to be taken to show improvement.

When looking to take a singing voice lesson individuals are encouraged to consider their financial resources and what they hope to get in return for taking a singing voice lesson. Individuals who are unable to pay for a one-on-one singing voice lesson are encouraged to considering purchasing a DVD or CD. These items are great resources for aspiring singers who are limited as to how much money they can put into their career.

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C.J. Preston is a writer for Singers Advantage where you can
get an expert singing voice lesson on dvd
in the comfort of your own home.

Whether or not you ask for advice and how you accept advice when it is given is a great predictor of your future. Those who are reluctant to ask for advice or are resistant when it is given are likely to have a poor future.

The trick for success is to seek advice from those who are well qualified to give it.

When I say “well qualified” I don’t mean that they have a piece of paper from some institution. I have had well credentialed financial planners attend my wealth creation course who were broke and knew nothing about the realities of how to become wealthy. There is a lot of difference between well credentialed and well qualified.

When I say “well qualified” I mean that they have the runs on the board. If you are taking financial advice from someone who has never been successful financially in their whole life then you are probably seeking counsel in the wrong place. Likewise if you are taking emotional advice from someone who is always stressed or worried or relationship advice from someone who has a history of short term or disastrous relationships then you would do better looking elsewhere.

But what if you’re the type of person who never seeks advice at all, what does that tell us? Let’s have a look at some interesting facts.

The people who need advice the most tend to have three characteristics in common with each other.

Firstly they are the last to recognize that they need advice. They go from one mistake to another without their life improving in any way year after year, yet they don’t seem to realize that they could make could use of some well qualified advice.

These people are the victims of their own ego. They feel that they know everything that they need to know even though the facts are telling the world the exact opposite story. If you want to really succeed in life then you have to be willing to park your ego for long enough to admit that there are things you don’t know.

The second characteristic that those in greatest need for advice share with each other is that even when they finally realize that they need advice they are the still the last to ask for it.

Again this is a sign of ego controlling the mind. They are afraid of appearing foolish by admitting that they don’t know something. There is an old wise Chinese proverb that says “ask for help and you may appear foolish for a few minutes but if you don’t ask for help you will be a fool for your whole life.”

The third thing that these people have in common is that when they do get well qualified advice they are the least likely to appreciate it and will often argue against it.

I know a young man who fancies himself as an expert in stock market investing, even though he has no real life evidence to support the claim. Last week I asked him if he had read Buffettology, the book on the strategies that Warren Buffett uses in his investing. This young man told me that he thought Buffett’s approach to investing was stupid and then he quoted a bunch of so called experts to back his opinion.

The facts are that Warren Buffett is the most successful investor in history. Starting from scratch and applying his particular investment strategies over a period of fifty years he has built a net worth of fifty two billion dollars solely from stock market investing and is the second richest man in the world at the time I am writing this article.

It is interesting that a person who is basically broke and wants to make a living on the stock market will argue against the strategies of the most successful stock market investor in history who has a fifty year track record of consistent excellence in results.

It is also interesting that there are so-called experts out there who are also willing to argue against a man who has made ten thousand times the money from stock market investing than those so-called experts could ever dream of making themselves.

It’s again interesting that Warren Buffett himself, when he was a young man, was so willing to take well qualified advice that he offered to work full time for no salary just so he could work with the best investor of that era and learn what he knew.

What are you like at seeking and taking advice? Are you more like my young investor friend or are you more like Warren Buffett?

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Acclaimed Author & Success Coach, James Delrojo
will show you how to turn your life around in just 30 days
and unlock the flood gates of success. You Deserve Success!
Go to www.SuccessIn30days.com