Who are you? 4 keys to creating the life you want!

Who do you WANT to be? 

     Many people have set out on "the journey to find themselves", have asked
for professional help in discovering who they "are" or who they "want to be". For many, it is really a journey of finding their PURPOSE in life. So many men and women grew into adult hood with a picture in their mind of what "life" was supposed to be, worked hard in school and career seeking to arrive at that "destination" only to find themselves feeling empty and lost in a sense... sometimes gradually or even suddenly one day realizing they do not really know where or what that "destination" really is. It is at that point that many start looking for their "purpose" in life or the "meaning" of life itself.

    Many coaches, authors and professional educators have written and spoke about this subject. The "meaning" of life or finding ones "purpose". I was up late one night recently researching what countless others have written on this subject and it suddenly all came together for me, at about 3:30am, it became clear that a combination of what most of these very experienced and educated folks were trying to communicate on this subject was ACCEPTANCE AND CHANGE.

    First, ACCEPTANCE of whom you are right now, of whom you have been in the past and of whom you will become in the future. You will likely CHANGE in the future, and when that happens ACCEPT yourself as you are in that moment when you realize who you are, if you want to change, make those changes and accept the outcome of that. Acceptance does not have to mean that nothing can change, it only assures the level of your happiness in the present time!

    Finding yourself is not a destination, nor is building or creating a "life" it is a journey and a lifelong one. Please find the 4 keys below to accepting yourself, so you can be in the right place to make the changes you desire, in order to have the life you want!

1. Make time DAILY to reflect, meditate or otherwise sit quietly with yourself, by yourself, without any interruptions. For some 15 minutes a day will be enough. When you have a lot to sort out, start with more time, there are many very successful folks out there who spend at least an HOUR each day to reflect.

2. Get to KNOW yourself - truly understanding yourself will open up the path to the discovery of skills, talents or interests that you may not have realized you had. You may need the assistance of a professional for this, some journal their way to self discovery, and for some just spending time alone reflecting is enough.

3. Keep your circle small! Look around at those you spend time with on a regular basis. The people in your smallest circles have a huge influence on who you are and the decisions that you make. After all, whatever you spend the most time doing, there are usually people with you - whether that is working, a hobby, building a business or whatever you do in your free time.
Jim Rohn, an author and motivational speaker once said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." That was a very powerful statement and if you really think about it and apply it to either yourself or people you know well, you will easily find it to be true more often than not.

4. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY -  Taking responsibility is the fastest way to acceptance. Discover and take responsibility for your beliefs about yourself and others, especially the limiting beliefs which will hold you back from moving forward in many ways! Take responsibility for your own inner demons and how they have affected who you are right now. Take responsibility for WHERE you are in your life right now - as soon as you stop blaming anything else or anyone else, you will be able to make the changes you want.

     Thank you for reading - may you accomplish all your dreams - don't forget to enjoy each day as you do so! Please feel free to add your comments or share your experiences here..  Blessings!

Renee Johnston

Tranformational Life Coach
www.TheMaxProfit.com
GetReal.LifeCoach@gmail.com 

"Starting a Small Business" article from Investopedia!

Here is a link to another GREAT article from Investopedia for small business minded individuals!


http://www.investopedia.com/university/small-business/


Some are more suited to be employees, some are "not so much"! Today, I saw a post from Brian Tracy on "5 Traits of Entrepreneurs". One of them was "An Entrepreneur always looks at the BIG PICTURE" There was more about how an employee makes decisions at work based upon current and past situations and experiences, an entrepreneur takes the past and the present and is always planning for the future!

Thanks for reading and remember, if you need help achieving your goals, or that work/life balance, our coaches can help! Contact us on our website at:  www.TheMaxProfit.com for a FREE phone consultation!

Renee Johnston

CEO and Executive Coach

The Max Profit

Kick uncertainty to the curb! -8 Strategies to "engage your rational brain"!

Our brains are hardwired to make much of modern life difficult. This is especially true when it comes to dealing with uncertainty. When we are not sure what is going to happen, or our “plans” are not going as planned, our brains are wired to react with fear. On the bright side, if you know the right tricks, you can override your brain's irrational tendencies and handle uncertainty effectively and kick uncertainty to the curb!

In a recent study, a Caltech neuroeconomist imaged subjects' brains as they were forced to make increasingly uncertain bets--the same kind of bets we're forced to make on a regular basis in business.

The less information the subjects had to go on, the more irrational and erratic their decisions became. You might think the opposite would be true--the less information we have, the more careful and rational we are in evaluating the validity of that information. Not so. As the uncertainty of the scenarios increased, the subjects' brains shifted control over to the limbic system, the place where emotions, such as anxiety and fear, are generated.

This brain quirk worked great eons ago, when cavemen entered an unfamiliar area and didn't know who or what might be lurking behind the bushes. Overwhelming caution and fear ensured survival. But that's not the case today. This mechanism, which hasn't evolved, is a hindrance in the world of business, where uncertainty rules and important decisions must be made every day with minimal information.

As we face uncertainty, our brains push us to overreact. Successful people are able to override this mechanism and shift their thinking in a rational direction. This requires “Emotional Intelligence”. Studies have shown over and over again that the majority of top performers have high Emotional Intelligence and that they earn more money than their low Emotional Intelligence counterparts.

To boost your Emotional Intelligence, you have to get good at making sound decisions in the face of uncertainty, even when your brain fights against this. Fear not! There are proven strategies that you can use to improve the quality of your decisions when your emotions are clouding your judgment. What follows are seven of the best strategies that successful people use in these moments.

#1 -They quiet their limbic systems

The limbic system of the brain responds to uncertainty with a knee-jerk fear reaction, and fear inhibits good decision-making. People who are good at dealing with uncertainty are wary of this fear and spot it as soon as it begins to surface. In this way, they can contain it before it gets out of control. Once they are aware of the fear, they label all the irrational thoughts that try to intensify it as irrational fears--not reality--and the fear subsides. Then they can focus more accurately and rationally on the information they have to go on. Throughout the process, they remind themselves that a primitive part of their brain is trying to take over and that the logical part needs to be the one in charge. In other words, they tell their limbic system to settle down and be quiet until a hungry tiger shows up.

#2 -They stay positive

Positive thoughts quiet fear and irrational thinking by focusing your brain's attention on something that is completely stress-free. You have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about. Any positive thought will do to refocus your attention. When things are going well and your mood is good, this is relatively easy. When you're stressing over a tough decision and your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, this can be a challenge. In these moments, think about your day, and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small. If you can't think of anything from the current day, reflect on the previous day or days or even the previous week, or perhaps you're looking forward to an exciting event. The point here is that you must have something positive that you're ready to shift your attention to when your thoughts turn negative due to the stress of uncertainty.

#3 -They know what they know--and what they don't

When uncertainty makes a decision difficult, it's easy to feel as if everything is uncertain, but that's hardly ever the case. People who excel at managing uncertainty start by taking stock of what they know and what they don't know and assigning a factor of importance to each. They gather all the facts they have, and they take their best shot at compiling a list of things they don't know, for example, what a country's currency is going to do or what strategy a competitor will employ. They actually try to identify as many of these things as possible because this takes away their power.

#4 -They embrace that which they can't control

We all like to be in control. After all, people who feel like they're at the mercy of their surroundings never get anywhere in life. But this desire for control can backfire when you see everything that you can't control or don't know as a personal failure. People who excel at managing uncertainty aren't afraid to acknowledge what's causing it. In other words, successful people live in the real world. They don't paint any situation as better or worse than it actually is, and they analyze the facts for what they are. They know that the only thing they really control is the process through which they reach their decisions. That's the only rational way to handle the unknown, and the best way to keep your head on level ground. Don't be afraid to step up and say, "Here's what we don't know, but we're going forward based on what we do know. We may make mistakes, but that's a lot better than standing still."

#5 -They focus only on what matters

Some decisions can make or break your company. Most just aren't that important. The people who are the best at making decisions in the face of uncertainty don't waste their time getting stuck on decisions where the biggest risk is looking foolish in front of their co-workers. When it comes down to it, almost every decision contains at least a small factor of uncertainty--it's an inevitable part of doing business. Learning to properly balance the many decisions on your plate, however, allows you to focus your energy on the things that matter and to make more informed choices. It also removes the unnecessary pressure and distraction caused by a flurry of small worries.

#6 -They don't seek perfection

 Emotionally Intelligent people don't set perfection as their target because they know there's no such thing as a perfect decision in an uncertain situation. Think about it: human beings, by our very nature, are fallible. When perfection is your goal, you're always left with a nagging sense of failure, and you end up spending your time lamenting what you failed to accomplish and what you should have done differently, instead of enjoying what you were able to achieve.

#7 -They know when to trust their gut

Our ancestors relied on their intuition--their gut instinct--for survival. Since most of us don't face life-or-death decisions every day, we have to learn how to use this instinct to our benefit. Often we make the mistake of talking ourselves out of listening to our gut instinct, or we go too far in the other direction and impulsively dive into a situation, mistaking our assumptions for instincts. People who successfully deal with uncertainty recognize and embrace the power of their gut instincts.

#8 – The always have a “Plan B”

Staying on top of uncertainty is as much about planning for failure as it is about hoping for the best. Experts at handling uncertainty aren't afraid to admit that they could be wrong, and that frees them up to make detailed, rational, and transparent contingency plans before taking action.

Successful people know they aren't always going to make the right decision. They know how to absorb and understand mistakes so that they can make better decisions in the future. And they never let mistakes get them down for too long.

What do you do when faced with uncertainty? What strategies could you share that you have used, or that you have seen someone else use? Please share your thoughts, each and every one of us could always learn at least one (even if it is small) thing from someone else that we may be able to implement down the road when faced with a tough situation.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to contact me if you need support, with any questions or to share your thoughts below. 

Renee Johnston

Transformational Change Coach

www.TheMaxProfit.com

Getreal.lifecoach@gmail.com