May 9, 2008

Your circumstances are your blessing or your curse

The people I encounter in my coaching work never cease to amaze and astound me. The most common theme amongst people who make something of their lives (by their own definition of course) is that they always use their circumstances to their advantage. Be it ill-health, lack of money, lack of education or skill, whatever their circumstances they do what they want to do anyway; nothing stands in their way.

I’ve certainly met plenty of people who are the opposite - in my network marketing days I encountered so many people for whom their circumstances were the reason they chose not to succeed. Ultimately it all boils down to one thing… EXCUSES!

Life is littered with examples of people who have made fortunes and built incredible companies, organisations and charities in spite of their circumstances and upbringing. To them, it is just a part of life, something to be celebrated and used to motivate them towards their own greatness.

Today, I’d like to ask you which of your circumstances is your excuse for not moving toward your goals and dreams? Ultimately it doesn’t matter what your excuse is - it will prevent you from achieving what you set out to do.

Start by celebrating your circumstances - after all you would not be you today without them!

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September 12, 2007

Making Judgments

It seems to be part of our nature that we make judgments. We do it unconsciously and all of the time.

From our very first few thoughts we are trying to make sense of the world around us. Our brain has a compulsion to understand everything that we see, hear, feel, smell or taste. This, of course, is how we learn.

One of the challenges facing an Executive or Life Coach is being able to be totally impartial and non-judgmental. This is also something that is very useful in all walks of life and can often make the difference between greatness and normality.

When someone or something presents you with a situation that defies some of your core beliefs, this is a near impossible task. Your brain must support your beliefs, that is its job, hence you are likely to react with a strong emotional response.

One of the most effective ways to remain in a place of non-judgment, is to simply remember that this person or situation is not part of your experience. It certainly is not in your realm of responsibiliy.

You can, of course, try to change them or the situation, but how likely is that? From the point of view of a coach, this is overstepping your role and responsibility, and it undermines your ability to facilitate change.

So when someone does or says somehing that you choose to react to with judgment, remember that this person is creating their experience, just as you are creating yours, and has chosen their own actions. If you can offer them support with this understanding, you are well placed to help them to help themselves.

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Dan O'Neil's Personal Development Blog

I'm a Life Coach based in the Midlands, UK. I have helped hundreds of people to improve their circumstances and achieve their goals in life. This blog is a series of my thoughts and ideas on self improvement and personal development.

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