Entrepreneur Coaching: Akin Body Painting

Since I started these "Entrepreneur Coaching" sessions, I have noticed that my work priorities are clearer. I have learned some time management strategies and prioritization so that I can achieve an equilibrium between my personal life and my work life.

I definitely recommend that you use this time to modify behaviors that interfere with reaching your goals. The fact that you know someone is waiting to listen makes you achieve the goals, which you set out in the prior session.

I also would like to add that Matthew, my coach, has made a great effort to understand my basic English, he has demonstrated utmost respect and attention in order to understand the meaning of my sentences.

Thank you, Matthew, for giving me your time and assistance in something so important to me!
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Desde que inicie estas sesiones de “Consejería en Negocios” he notado que tengo más claridad en mis prioridades laborales; he aprendido algunas estrategias para organizar mis tiempos y determinar mis jerarquías, tratando de encontrar un equilibrio personal y laboral.

Definitivamente recomiendo ampliamente que utilicen este tiempo para modificar conductas que puedan estar interfiriendo en que no logren sus objetivos. El simple hecho de saber que alguien te espera para ser escuchado hace que concretices los acuerdos a los que llegaste en tu última sesión.

Quisiera agregar que mi consejero Matthew en todo momento se ha esforzado en entender mi inglés básico demostrando respeto y toda su atención para comprender el significado de mis oraciones.

¡Gracias Matthew por darme tu tiempo y apoyo en algo que es tan importante para mí!

Erika Monroy
AKIN Body Painting

Bringing Focused Awareness to a Goal

After six weeks of lifting weights, I have finally figured out how to bring a focused awareness to the goal. After going to the gym for 8 months, the free weight section of the gym was the final frontier. I had a limiting factor in my head that I allowed myself to believe, "I don't belong in that section of the gym. I'm not a muscle head. I'm not worthy enough to use that equipment. I do not know what I'm doing, and people will laugh at me."





I read many books on physical fitness and understood the exercises, but carrying a book into the free weight section was not a comfort. It wasn't until I had a coach that told me I needed to lift, and he would help me learn how to do it safely, that I finally crossed the line.

The first week of lifting used a very light weight to get my body used to doing the motions as it was all new to me.

The second week, we added more weight until I could only do the recommended three to four sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.

The third week, was my first "set back week". I had a chest cold and couldn't lift as much weight or work as hard as the previous weeks. I had to let go of the amount of weight and focus on working as hard as my body would allow. My Type A personality had to accept that in the big picture you can bring 100% everyday to your effort. Sometimes just enough is all right.

The fourth week my coach starting putting on more weight. He put on so much weight that I couldn't start the motion of the exercise. I laughed, "what are you doing." "Come on, lift it, I'll help you," he said. He would spot me through the range of motion and give just a little bit of help to start and finish the motion. And he would help a little more to get the last few repetitions out.

It was in the third or fourth repetition that I looked up and noticed his hands were not on the bar. I was lifting the entire weight under my own strength. What was going on here? This is where I clarified the goal. Was my goal to lift a certain "x" amount of weight? Was it to do "x" amount of repetitions?

My goal was to work my muscle to the point of failure multiple times.

Once that was clear, I could let go of how much weight was on the bar. I could let go of how much help my coach was giving me. I didn't worry about how much weight everyone else was lifting.

Now, I close my eyes and focus my attention on the muscle that I am working. I "see" it working in my mind's eye. I see the lactic acid building up as the pain increases, but I let go of the pain. To keep my Type A brain happy, I see a LED display with five green, two yellow, and one red light that pulses as I lift. I see the red light now when my muscles are exhausted. When I feel like quiting early, I force the display down out of the yellow zone and tell myself I'm still green and I can go for a few more repetitions.

When you clarify and focus on the goal, it empowers you to let go of all the distractions and issues that get in the way. Bringing awareness to what you are doing right now, will give more strength than you currently think you have.

Weight Training for Dummies Book Review

http://weread.com/review/Weight+Training+for+Dummies+%28For+Dummies%29/3225695

Dummies books are either great or not. It often depends on whether you have any experience on the topic? After a few weeks of weight training with a personal trainer, this book didn't give me any new insights or background that I was missing. Its another shot gun overview of a huge topic. Definitely a renter from the library.

Book Review: Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching

I signed up for a class without first researching the business aspects of coaching. This book really helped put the process of starting a practice and the expectations of work and results in perspective. The author make some strong points about marketing and technology that are good, but NOT universal rules or truths by any means. Good marketing and hiring professionals to work on your image is good, full color business cards are not mandatory by any means. The bits on technology and costs have already changed sharply from this book's publication. This was a great book to read, and now I'll go back through the process of establishing a marketing plan and working on my pitches for coaching services.

Reviews by Matthew Hoelscher weRead

Career Coaching: Keep Up the Good Work!

The first day of coaching class we were told to coach, "anyone who will let us listen to them!" I found that it wasn't to hard to find people. Once you experience being truly listened to, its addictive!

The feeling of lightness and relief is difficult to measure, but the feeling is real and genuine. I received my first thanks from the significant other of a career coaching client.

She found her job less than satisfying and more stressful with a large implementation underway. They live off of a canal and both love the ocean. She found going for an hour or two of stand up paddle boarding makes it all seem worth while.

Sometimes its not our job, but how we spend the fruits of our labors that is most important in life!

Toastmasters International

Several people have asked me about practicing English, and I wanted to share a great resource - Toastmasters International.

http://reports.toastmasters.org/findaclub/

Toastmasters is a club that usually meets once a week at varying times of day based on the club. The dues are about $6 a month plus materials in the $10-$20 range, and the experience is excellent.

The meeting is based on three parts:

1. Prepared speeches for 5-7 minutes

2. Evaluations of the speeches for 2-3 minutes

3. Table Topics, Impromptu Speaking on a random topic for 1-2 minutes.

Upon joining the club, you will start down the path of "Competent Toastmaster" or CTM, which is completing the first 10 speeches. Each speech has a specific goal such as: organization, vocal variety, using props, or practicing gestures. You can speak about any topic you like, excluding religion, politics, and sex.

For anyone who has English as a second language, its a great place to practice listening and speaking English in a warm, safe, and positive environment.

Over the course of four years, I gave at least 30 prepared speeches, 75 evaluations, and 100 table topics. The bi-yearly contests let me practice speaking to new audiences including more than 300 people, when I went to the state-wide competition.

Great public speaking skills are useful everyday and lead to a deeper self-confidence that makes for a happier life. I highly recommend it!

Reviews by Matthew Hoelscher | weRead

Reviews by Matthew Hoelscher weRead: "You posted a review at 2010-06-10 02:29:01 for Law and Ethics in Coaching: How to Solve and Avoid Difficult Problems in Your Practice: How to Solve and Avoid Difficult Problems in Your Practice. (Language: English)
This was a required book for my coaching class. It was very good in giving background of coaching. How its different from psychology and the counseling arts. Then the legal and ethical implications of the difference. Coaching for business and personal is a new budding branch of self-help. Therefore they isn't a lot of legal precedent and as there are more coaches and coaching becomes more mainstream there will be challenges ahead. The key is that there are organizations with a vision for the profession that are organized and fighting for the future of coaching as they see it."

To be ComplainLess...

From justsell.com

To be ComplainLess...

Be aware.

Recognize your typical paths to complaining - what (who) sparks your tendency to gripe. Minimize your exposure to them (eliminating those 'sparks' altogether may not always be realistic or the best thing). Know that your grumbling is a complete waste of energy.

Be thankful.

Regularly reflect on all the good in your life (people, opportunities, things). Understand and enjoy how lucky you really are. Be entitled to nothing.

Pause before you begin.

Clip a complaint as you feel it coming. Put a smile or thoughtful statement in its path. Blame no one.

Blame nothing.

Be accountable. Focus on solving problems rather than having them. Set the example for others and recommit when you slip. Care for yourself and create a positive habit.