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Greetings!
Many
of us fall into the trap of living our lives on auto-pilot, both personally
and professionally. It's easy to do this as most of the time
our jobs and our personal lives stay the same from day to day. But
does living this way really keep us present to the growth
opportunities that constantly come our way? In this issue we
explore ways to become more aware of the possibilities for our lives
by developing a contagious positive attitude and using a coach.
We
welcome your feedback or suggestions. If you would like
to provide feedback or suggest topics for future issues, please click
on the email link for Bill or Dave.
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We welcome your comments and feedback on our
newsletter and would love to hear from you on how we can be of
service.
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How
to Create a Positively Contagious Attitude
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 Here
are 10 techniques or ways to maintain and/or create a positive and
powerful attitude both at work and at home.
- Be
Grateful - Frequently take a mental inventory of all
those things and people in your life that you are thankful
for. Writing down your inventory has an even more powerful
impact on your attitude.
- Be A
Giver - Be in service to others with a clear
intention of unconditional giving and watch what you get back.
Remember that "we reap what we sow".
- Get
Rid of the "Poison" -
Find someone you trust completely and vent your frustrations,
negative feelings and thoughts. Do this
frequently to prevent the negative build up within you which is
sure to spill over into what you say and do at work and at
home. Make sure that the other person doesn't spread
the poison you're unloading by venting to someone else.
- Set
Written Goals - Big and small...Make sure
to measure your results and to celebrate your successes along
the way. A sense of accomplishment does wonders for
your attitude toward life.
- Surround
Yourself with Positive People -
You've heard the old adage, "Misery loves
company." Well the opposite is true with people who
are striving for excellence in their lives vs. mediocrity.
"Eagles like to soar with other eagles!" You may
not always have a choice as to whom you work with, but you sure
do have a choice in your personal life.
- Exercise
Routinely - We all know about the
body's magical chemical called "endorphins". Let
me say that after I work out - be it a 30 to 45 minute jog or
vigorous walk in the fresh air, I tend to look at my life
challenges in a more positive light.
- Do
Things You Enjoy Doing - Treat yourself when
your attitude begins to show signs of negativity. The
objective is to catch this "downward spiral" early by
talking with a friend, going to a movie, reading, playing a
round of golf, playing tennis, eating your favorite dessert or
meal, listening to music, etc..
- Use
Affirmations - Write down
3 - 5 affirmations on three 3 X 5 index cards. Place one
on your bathroom mirror, one on your refrigerator, and one in
your wallet or purse. Recite out loud these affirmations 3
times a day - first thing in the morning, at lunch or midday,
and last thing before you go to bed. Say each affirmation
3 times per session. Structure your affirmations in the
present tense. A suggested format is, "I am a person
who ___________________." Do this for 30 days
in a row and I promise you that your attitude toward yourself
and life will improve.
- Laugh
and Smile -
Even if you don't feel like it! Physiologically,
laughter triggers healthy physical changes in your body that
strengthens your immune system, boosts your energy, and acts as
a powerful antidote to stress, pain and conflict.
- Discover
Your Purpose in Life - Take time to discover what
your meaning for living is. Once you are clear about your
purpose, live it with passion - choose to live a purpose driven
life.
"Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth
catching?" By
Dennis and Wendy Mannering
Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide.
©2011
Bill Spreitzer - Excellerate Solutions, Inc.
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Do
You Have a Coach?
 Recently,
I attended a conference at which well known author Matthew Kelly spoke. We've
cited Kelly's work a few times in our monthly
newsletters. His focus on "becoming the best version
of yourself" is at once compelling and
life changing. In his thought provoking and entertaining
presentation, Kelly stated: "Nobody achieves at a high level at
anything without a coach". What he's talking
about is achieving sustainable excellence.
Those of us who
participate in, or enjoy watching, sports have an impression of what
a good coach does. But if you're talking about excelling
in life or business, what makes a good coach?
Like sports, the bottom line for good
coaching is results. However, unlike sports where
the results are shown in the standings, gauging success is often more
complicated in life and business. For example, are the
results consistent and sustainable (i.e. Bernie Madoff)?
Are they harmonious with all the areas of importance in our
lives or business (i.e. Tiger Woods)?
So, if you've
made the decision to work with a coach to achieve sustainable excellence
in your life or business, how do you choose a good one?
Here are some of the characteristics of a good coach:
- Their agenda is about you and
you becoming the best version of yourself. This is
why it's so difficult to have a boss or a close relative as a
coach - they always have some stake in the outcome.
A good coach is only focused on your agenda, not theirs.
- They
help you identify
and take the right action to achieve the right results.
The right action is about using sound judgment to achieve the
best possible outcome in a given situation.
- They
are competent in connecting
with you and helping you to achieve clarity and commitment.
Without the 3 C's of connection, clarity and commitment the
benefits of coaching will be extremely limited.
- They
listen
really well and don't solve your problems for you.
They are adept at uncovering the right action that lies deep
within you, but often is difficult to surface without their
help.
- Good
coaching transforms
your way of solving problems. It doesn't just
improve your life and business, but it transforms the way you
live and do business.
- Through
a skilled probing/questioning process good coaching surfaces the
right action by helping you uncover your blind spots, which
leads to commitment to the right course of action.
When I started
Excellerate Solutions 5 years ago, I hired a great coach to help me
get started and to model the behavior and skills that I wanted to
emulate. Eventually, I received my business coaching
certification through this coach. Recently, as the
result of networking, I met another coach who is very gifted and
totally aligned with the above
characteristics. By starting a coaching
relationship with her, I am achieving breakthroughs in several
areas. You see, even coaches need coaches.
How about
you? Give us a call for a complimentary coaching session
if you would like to explore this option with us.
Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide.
©2011
Dave Vogelpohl - Excellerate Solutions, Inc.
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business.
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Video Blog
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Quick Links
More About Us
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Previous Newsletters
January 2011
- The
New Normal
- Becoming
an Entrepreneur: Taking a Leap of Faith
December 2010
- Powerful
Resolutions for 2011 and Beyond
- Think
Purple
- Just
Do the Next Right Thing
- Resiliency:
How Well Do You Bounce?
- Your
Board of Advisors
- Three
Circles to Success
- Happiness
Is ...
- Coaching
for Professionals In Career Transition
June/July 2010
- How
To Improve Your Team
- A
Productive Ego
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Motivational Quotes
"Who exactly seeks out a
coach? Winners who want even more out of life."
By: Chicago Tribune
"Life
is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond
to it." By:
Lou Holtz, football coach
"Don't
let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." By:
John Wooden
"The
greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions."
By: Leonardo
Da Vinci
"Our
attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards
us." By: Earl
Nightingale
"If
you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one."
By: Cavett Robert
"If
you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change
the way you think about it."
By: Mary Engelbreit
"To
be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do
have." By: Ken
S. Keyes, Jr.
"What
counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the
size of the fight in the dog." By: Dwight Eisenhower
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