“We become what we repeatedly do.”-Sean Covey

Consider that you have a certain way of doing things and behaving each day when you awake in the morning until you go to bed at night.  You are performing actions that have become habits: acts repeated so often, they becomes automatic.

Habits are made up of three parts: a cue, routine, and a reward.  According to Charles Duhigg in his book-The Power of Habits: Why we do what we do in life and business,  in order to change a habit, we must keep the cue and the reward, but change the routine.

Some Habits:  over eating, smoking, enabling, drinking, ridiculing, empowering, inspiring

Activity:

What are some habits you have that get in the way of you performing in life or business?  What are some habits that work well for you in life or business?

List each set of habits.  What is the cue? (What creates the need to do them)  What is the routine? (The action  you then take) What is the reward? (What you gain)

Remember:

“To change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.”-Charles Duhigg

Hint: Perhaps a cue is anxiety from a specific source, the routine is over eating, the reward is a sense of satisfaction or fulfillment. To attack this habit you might consider exercising instead of eating to relieve the anxiety.

Also: “Good habits are worth being fanatical about.”-John Irving: Author

 

Please take this activity to heart.  Also, report to me how your awareness of the parts of your habit have enabled you to change your routine and thus having resulted in the start of a new way of doing and being.

Email me at: isabel@uniquepathways.com

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”-Walt Disney

Dreams are a wonderful way to plan for our future.  The next steps will help you get to where you really would find the challenges you can thrive on accomplishing.  Only when you challenge yourself, will you really “rise to the occasion”.

Be creative in pursuing your dreams:

• Be available to have a mentor-you will learn a lot and be able to align yourself with a champion.
• Keep records of your progress and results-Show how you are working toward the company’s bottom line
• Promote yourself and abilities-Let others know what projects you are managing and what accomplishments you have made.
• Establish rapport with your supervisor: learn more about his/her interests-Let your supervisor understand your desires.-Your supervisor will be a great source of assistance when you find or establish the right position down the road.
• Develop new skills –Keep marketable by gaining new knowledge about your job as well as your potential new dream position.
• Network, Network-Develop a diverse network at your job and in personal situations. Let people know what you do, for whom you do it and the benefit to the bottom line:  Let peole know what you need to move forward to pursue your dreams.
• Become more valuable-Show your strengths by asking to increase your responsibilities.
• Share your knowledge-By being a team player, others will recognize your leadership qualities and desire to work toward a common goal.
• Be a solutions provider-Provide solutions, not complaints.  Demonstrate your outlook around possibilities and opportunities.

Plan each day, do the most you can do, learn new skills, provide solutions, share your knowledge:

Pursue your dream!

Email isabel@uniquepathways.com with questions or comments.  Good luck and dream big.

 

 

“I am definitely going to take a course on time management… just as soon as I can work it into my schedule.” – Louis E. Boone

Can you relate to this quote?  So many of us take the time to worry over not completing a task, or watching time go before us.  There is never enough time….

Managing your time will:

•  relieve the stress you feel,
• give you a sense of self accomplishment,
• show your value to others,
• keep your tasks under control so your life is not controlled by an inanimate object.

Tasks fall into 4 quadrants:1. urgent and important, 2. not urgent but important, 3. urgent but not important, 4. neither urgent nor important.

Examples of quadrant 1: pressing problems and managing crises, 2. preparation, prevention, planning, relationship building 3. interruptions, some phone calls, some reports, some mail, many activities 4. trivia, junk mail, busy work, “escape” activities

Activity:

• Make a list of your tasks
• Give them skill levels: high, medium, low; Give them value levels
• Categorize them according to the quadrants.
• Select those tasks that fit into quadrant 1 and develop a time sheet for each day.
• Select the other tasks and do the same.

You will have to plan each day to cover most of those tasks that are on your list.

As you tick them off, you will also be adding new ones.

Before the end of the day review your list and add tasks that have come up.  At the beginning of the day, review your list again so you know what your day will look like.

Take time on your schedule to rejuvenate.  Fifteen minutes a day of quietness, deep breathing, or mediation, can work wonders for your mental acuity.  Be in control of your time.  Don’t let your time control you.  Hold yourself accountable!!

When you have the time, let me know how this activity worked for you.

Email me at: isabel@uniquepathways.com

 

 

 

 

 

“In doing something, do it with love or never do it at all.“- Mahatma Gandhi

So you are thinking about retiring or perhaps changing careers.  Now it is time to do what you feel passionate about. Passion is the feeling you have that gets you excited.  You can value education: You can be passionate about teaching.  You can value health: You can be passionate about exercise.  “Connect your values with your passion.” In doing this , you will be clearer on what you can do, with the expertise you have, to move into a new career or volunteer work that can make a difference in your life and the lives of others that will contribute to your legacy.

Activity:

• Make a list of what you value.
• Connect that list to a list of what you feel passionate about.
• What do you visualize yourself doing?
• Who can benefit from what you do?
• How can your expertise benefit someone or something?
• Where will you look for information?
• Who can you engage in conversation to pursue your vision?
• When can you start?

This is just the beginning of a wonderful exploration to get you to a new level of happiness and fulfillment.  After all: You deserve it!

I look forward to hearing about this pursuit of fulfillment and am available to explore with you.

Email me at: isabel@uniquepathways.com

 

 

“A Network of Possibilities“-AT&T Tag line

What I got from the tag line above was: AT&T’s network of connections allows companies to access the relationships that create possibilities for growth through their networks of: advertising, customer service, and telecommunications.

A network is a connection of relationships that interact.  How does your network lead toward possibilities for you in your life and career arenas?

By building your network, you can have more valuable connections leading to what will help you reach your goals to accomplish things you may not have thought possible.  You have various communities within your network: family,  friends, colleagues, and group affiliations etc.

From my network: What do I need, who can assist me better to get what I need, what must I do to improve my specific communities within my network?

Activity:

• Assess your communities
• Consider how a more culturally diverse community will help.
• Consider how a more generationally diverse community can be of value.
• Consider who has your interests at heart.
• Set a goal to start adding to your communities through social media or attending meetings.

“I dwell in possibility”-Emily Dickinson

Shouldn’t you?

Make possible, the impossible.

Email me at: isabel@uniquepathways.com

Let me know how more possible your dreams can become.

 

“To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but what he aspires to.”-Kahlil Gibran

In the last 5 years you have been somewhere in life and or business.  Were you focused on where you were going, what you would accomplish, when you would accomplish it?  It is truly impossible to be effective in life without setting a direction, (goals) knowing the purpose of those goals, (mission) and what you want the result of your achieving them to look like. (vision)

Here is your opportunity to clearly create the Mission Possible for your life and business.

Mission: A statement that provides clarity and sense of purpose.  It is your promise to achieve your goals.  It is a road map to attain results.  You are the leader of your life when you make a statement and aspire to it.

Activity:

Brainstorm:

• What are the qualities and values you have?
• What do you want to accomplish in the next 5 years? Ten years?
• What do you find rewarding in life or work?

Write your mission statement:

Start with:  My purpose is to………so that………will be able to ………….

Your mission will change periodically.  You can write your mission as a poem, sentence, whatever inspires you to move along and be somewhere, having done something that you know will be of value to yourself and others.

 I am curious to know how this activity impacted your way of thinking.  Please take advantage of these coaching tips. Save them in a file, work on them weekly, go back to them periodically. 

Email me at: isabel@uniquepathways.com so we can talk about your journey.

 

 

 

 

“Moment by moment, things are losing there hardness; now even my body lets the light through.”-Virginia Woolf

When we enter into a relationship we combine our verbal with our non verbal communications.  We express ourselves verbally showing our power or lack of power; our commitment, or lack of commitment; our compassion or lack of compassion.  Our body does the same thing.  No matter what we are saying, our body is a dead give away.  We feel big or small; confident or self conscious-our body tells it all.

The study of somatics is a set of practices that allows us to become centered and stand our ground, generate trust, show respect and empathy, develop better listening skills, and combine our energies to work effectively with others.

Somatic training helps build leadership presence-if you know your own body’s actions and reactions, you will be more aware of the body performances of others.  This will enable you to change your method of communicating in the moment to get a more positive response.

Activity:

• Become centered: before entering into a potentially confrontational situation; take time to breath deeply and remove your bodily tensions
• Stand tall, shoulders back and feel “big”.
• Become the listener in the room-Show this by leaning forward not backward; be welcoming
• Allow yourself to notice your body’s reaction and that of the other person.
• Adjust where necessary to allow for openness and acceptance: keep arms out reaching not folded
• Be authentic; when needed, assert your point of view, but keep cognisant of your body’s reactions.

You will connect better with individuals.  You will know yourself and be able to understand how to get your point across with more confidence that will be more readily accepted.

I recommend the following author for more reading on the subject of Somatics-

Richard Strozzi-Heckler : Being Human At Work, Holding the Center, The Anatomy of Change

 

Please email me with your experiences doing this activity.

Isabel@uniquepathways.com

“The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.”-Lao Tzu

Let me define the terminology of soft and hard skills:

Soft Skills– are related to personality, attitude and behavior. These skills assist in managing, communicating, problem solving, negotiating, and decision making.

Hard Skills-are related to technical abilities and knowledge of one’s field of work.  These skills assist in one’s effectiveness in the organization.

It is important to note that neither type of skill is specific to either gender.  The balance of both skills help one to reach success in the organization.  One must have the knowledge base and technical skills to present one’s ideas.  It is also very necessary to be able to communicate and develop relationships using emotional intelligence. (Daniel Goleman-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twJLI2C6R-Y)

Hard skills are necessary for professional survival.  Soft skills enhance the ability to be successful in your career.

Activity:

• Step back and assess your hard skill set
• Do the same with your soft skill set
• What are you stronger in?
• Where must you concentrate efforts on better balance?

Once more aware of your imbalance and areas in need of improvement, what can you do about it?

ANSWER: Here is a perfect reason to check out “Why Coaching?” (http://uniquepathways.com/why-coaching/)

 

Email me at: isabel@uniquepathways.com

Ask a few questions or set up a free  20 minute coaching consult.  I would be happy to get you to consider what you can do to gain balance and be successful in your career or life situations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“We always see our worst selves: our most vulnerable selves. We need someone else to get close enough to tell us we’re wrong. Someone we trust.” –David Leventhan
There were times during my career when I felt it necessary to know more about how I was perceived on the job, in my relationships with my colleagues, and how my work contributed to the bottom line. Even though I was rather confident in how I was performing, I feel that asking my peers to assess my work would have been helpful.

Programs have been established in various organizations to do just that. They are referred to as Peer Coaching. Peer coaching is between two colleagues who establish confidentiality to teach one another, share ideas, help build new skills, and solve problems to create success on the job. This type of interaction can be very effective if feedback is structured properly. The roles of the individuals are based on questioning and answering. To be effective at peer coaching there must be a commitment on the part of each individual to work toward goals, be willing to be honest, to be able to share ideas, but refrain from giving advice, to be willing to set aside the time needed.
Activity: As the peer coach

• Ask open ended questions to elicit deep thinking into the issue at hand. Examples- (What about your work really inspires you? How do you think you can be more effective?)
• Listen.
• Give emotional support.
• Look for facts, not assumptions.
• Offer resources, not advice.
• Hold your peer client accountable to set goals and work toward them.
As the peer client-
• Mention the issue you are having.
• Discuss the results you would like.
• What is in the way of you solving your problem?
• Discuss your responsibility in the issue at hand.
• Listen.
• Take action.

Email Isabel@uniquepathways.com to discuss this activity. My job, as a coach, is to listen to you so that you can hear what is in your way of success. I am here for you.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”-Eleanore Roosevelt

Do your dreams wake you up wondering, “What was the meaning?  What is my subconscious trying to tell me?”  Many dreams are showing us our frustrations at not accomplishing something.  Look for a way to end your frustrations by setting up goals from your dreams.  Let your dreams inspire you to pursue those  goals.  Your future can be less stressful and you can find success in new goal setting.

Activity:

• Develop the courage to dream.
• Take on the challenge-make a decision to set a goal based on what your dream is telling you.
• Develop a road map toward achieving your goal.
• Be propelled by encouragement from others-dispel criticism.
• Consider your journey as an adventure.  Enjoy what you discover about yourself, your commitment, your failures and your successes.

Email Isabel to discuss how you can achieve success by pursuing your dreams.

isabel@uniquepathways.com

Welcome a complimentary coaching session to discover where you are and where you would like to be.  Each day that goes by is another missed opportunity.  No obligation: just a way to meet an individual who is compassionate about her work and who enjoys assisting other people in establishing their unique pathway.

PLEASANT DREAMS!!!!