I looked out the back window a few seconds ago and to my surprise snow was falling from the sky.
So I walked out into the backyard to appreciate all the beauty
I turned to my right and noticed the patio tabled is covered in snow
And that's when it hit me that I am still in the city
Happy New Year!!
Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach & Mentor
A judgment made by another person is subjective and just an opinion, a reflection of their life. Yet uttered judgments impact people negatively and reduce esteem building efforts to rubble. How does one judgment a reflection of another person’s life reduce your esteem building efforts down to nothing more than rubble? Judgments are no more than opinions or conclusions based on ones experience. An illusion of what they think needs to happen based on their life experience which in many cases differs from the person directly in front of them.
Judgment fuels fear, which form behaviors like self-doubt. Building esteem requires a level of confidence only achieved through successfully completing day-to-day tasks. Some tasks require no conscience thought while complex tasks will require a lot of thought. More than likely tasks that require the most thought are most likely to be the ones subjected to judgment because those are the tasks people seek external validation. The greater the validation the higher the confidence level – On the flip side, the worse the validation or lack of, the lower the confidence level.
When one person asks another for feedback they open the door for judgment. More often than not there already is an expectation attached to the request and unless the feedback meets or exceed the expectation someone will be hurt and another accused of being judgmental. However, if the person who requests feedback is confident what they hear is constructive criticism that will be used as an opportunity to improve upon.
Many people fear judgment, but only because they lack self-confidence. Judgments can be separated into two groups: Opinions, and constructive criticism. Opinions are experience based and ego driven and do nothing for building esteem, while constructive criticism comes from a place of questioning one’s effort to improve the output quality and is objective. However, even constructive criticism can be misinterpreted as judgment – But only if you have expectations as to what the constructive criticism should sound like.
To avoid feeling like you are being judged, stop asking for feedback unless you truly plan on doing something with the feedback you receive. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for disappointment and hurtful times.
Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, observed by common wealth countries like Canada. Most stores are closed because Boxing Day is statutory holiday observed across Canada but it is also the busiest shopping day for retailers. Retailer’s mark down everything for clearance, some sales are so good, patrons begin forming lines that stretch around the block at some stores. Thankfully I’m not much of a shopper so you won’t catch me out and about shopping for anything in the next couple of days.
But more important than Boxing Day is the New Year, which is four days away. I feel like a broken record for saying this again: 2008 was the year for learning. The biggest lesson for the year, also my anthem - Life is a journey filled with learning lessons. With lessons comes growth and with growth comes life. When you stop learning you are either dead or stuck somewhere on your life path.
Lately I’ve been thinking about where I want to be this time next year. I have no limitations to what I can or cannot do because I love to learn new things. In the past any time I was faced with a challenge or obstacle, I found a solution that kept me moving along often time gaining experience and knowledge - Each challenge prepared me for the next as with each obstacle which provided the skills that I would need to conquer the next obstacle.
So yesterday I measured how successful I was with goals I set at the beginning of 2008. Of the 15 goals I set for myself I successfully achieved 10 out of the 15 goals. 2 goals are still in motion, while 3 will be axed, as they no longer fit into my overall plan.
2009 is the year for success. What that means is I will use everything I learned in 2008 and apply it in 2009 to garner further successes throughout my journey and to successfully achieve 2 of the 3 goals that remain plus 10 new goals.
Goal #1: Finish My Book
Goal #2: Host My Very Own Reality TV Show
Goal #3: Launch my first real company with 10 employees by December 2009.
Four days to Christmas and I'm all done. The presents are wrapped, biscotti’s are in the oven, and I’m taking a short break to tell you all about it.
If you would have asked me what kind of month December was going to be at the beginning of November, I would have probably answered with, “A bad month” and that was before I learned the depth of the recession the world would be in.
Successful life coaches motivate and support clients with guidance and solid advice, but smart and successful life coaches heed their own advice and lead by example. I knew I had to do something to generate another source of revenue in order to keep the roof over my head, to drive my car and pay for my insurance, among other expenses until January when clients return.
My guesstimate for how many clients I anticipated for December was incorrect. I miss-guessed by a few. I am thankful that I was wrong in my guesstimate because it pushed me to find another talent, a passion that I could use to generate a new source of income to supplement my coaching income. After two weeks of tracking all the tasks I execute everyday and rated each task for success and love, I discovered I have another passion. My new passion compliments my existing passion for helping others.
I guess it’s a good time to share with you that there is no more pet company. Unfortunately hero+destiny will never see a grand opening, or not one I will be involved in. And, the consulting company I started after leaving my professional career from a fortune 500 company - its gone too. So, just like many other people I had to start all over again. I had to start all over, on my own with no money and only with experience, knowledge and passion. Last week as many of you already know I started a new company and posted a challenge - Make Money With No Money.
Only four days to Christmas and Christmas is starting to look jollier than ever. There are gifts under the tree, the aroma of freshly baked biscotti, and tree tips covered in snow. And for one of us, the news received just days before Christmas is a dream come true.
by Angela Booth
The easiest way to make great money as a writer is to discover copywriting. Copywriting is essentially just writing for businesses, helping them to win new customers and make sales. If you can write a persuasive letter, you can write copy - and as you build your business, you can make a six-figure income.
Most writers take to copywriting immediately, like the proverbial ducks to water, because you're surrounded by copy every day. Advertising is everywhere you are: on TV, on the radio, in magazines, and of course, all over the Web.
So how do you start a copywriting services business?
Get Your First Copywriting Client
You start your copywriting services business by getting your first client. This is not difficult. Just visit any of the out-sourcing sites, or look on sites like Craigslist. Of course, you can post your own advertisements on Craigslist or on any of the many classified advertising sites online.
Create Some Copywriting Samples To Show People What You Can Do
Before you post your first ad, create some copywriting samples. Many new copywriters stumble when it comes to attracting clients because they feel that they need a large portfolio of past work. However, every copywriter starts somewhere, with ONE client, and builds his career from there. To get your first client, just write some sample copy.
The Rewrite Trick - Turn Trash Into Cash
I recommend what I call "The Rewrite Trick" to my copywriting students.
Here's what you do. Look through a magazine and find an ad. The ad can be minimalist, as many display ads are today, consisting of just a graphic and a few words. Now, you simply rewrite the ad. Assess what the ad's selling, and who the target market is, and write your own version of the ad. Use around 100 to 200 words. Hey presto - you have your first sample for your portfolio.
The Rewrite Trick is a useful exercise to build your copywriting creativity skills, as well as to add to your samples' portfolio. One point: when you're sending your "rewrite" samples to clients, ensure that they're clearly marked as SAMPLES, and note they're created only to show your skills. Your aim is not to misrepresent yourself or your work, merely to display creativity and skill.
So there you have it: you can start your copywriting services business today. Create a couple of samples, post an ad, and you'll have your first client - the first of many for your new business - and the first step toward a six-figure income.
Discover how you can turn your writing skills into a fabulous copywriting career. Angela Booth's ebook "Seven Days To Easy Money: Copywriting Success" at http://abmagic.com/Copywriting/copywriting.html takes you from novice to pro copywriter in just seven days. This popular ebook has been turning writers into successful copywriters for five years. Packed with information, the ebook also includes exercises which become your copywriter's marketing processes and portfolio. You could be signing up your first clients within two days. Visit the book's blog at http://www.sevendayscopywriting.com/
Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification
There is so very much available to you. In reaching for your dreams, make use of everything you have.
Don't be dismayed or embarrassed by what you have to work with. Instead, work with whatever you have and it will grow more useful and effective with each effort.
Don't place a judgment on your abilities before you even put them to use. Go ahead, get to work, and see how quickly your skills increase.
Look back at the good things you've accomplished in the past. That power of accomplishment is still with you, so choose now to put it to use again for even more exciting and compelling purposes.
Think of all the great ideas you've had but have never followed through on. Now is when you can make the best of them come to life.
The challenges are great and yet the value that flows through your life is far greater. Use everything you can, and you can accomplish anything you choose.
-- Ralph Marston
Make money with no money and earn money to start a business today!
Welcome back to Morning Java with your host, Master Life Coach and Mentor Bruno LoGreco. Thank you for dropping by! The focus for Morning Java over the next couple of weeks and into January will be to show people how to start a business with NO MONEY. If you are interested, I created a challenge where you could earn free money to start a business. Read all about it at: Start A Business With No Money Today!
The purpose of The Challenge is to illustrate how to start a business with no money or for a total investment of $100. Over the next few weeks, I will demonstrate how just about anybody can start a business with no money.
MY NEW BUSINESS IDEA
Earlier this week I started a new business for a total investment of $9.95 – The cost of a new domain name. I also created a list of people I knew, people they know, and what they do. I contacted a few people on my list that I thought might be interested in a contract, part-time sales position. I also asked if they knew anybody that is looking for part-time contract work. By Tuesday morning I had found a new sales person willing to work part-time and for commission. What a BONUS!
In order for my new business to gain exposure I require a website. Websites fetch for thousands of dollars depending on how many bells and whistles you would like for your website. I simply cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars for a new website anytime soon, especially with no revenue. However, when you know your skills and what you’re good at you can trade for services. I contacted a Web Design company and did exactly that - I bartered for services. In a few weeks I will have a brand new website for my new business.
Last week live on CFRB, Jim asked if barter was enough to start a business. The answer: YES. If you have skills and are willing to trade for services you could start-up a business in no time with NO MONEY.
THE CHALLENGE
12/12/08 – Laura - $00.00 Investment – Revenue $300
12/15/08 – Bruno - $9.95 Investment – Revenue $400
Imagine if someone gave you free money to start a business. No strings attached, free money to start your own business, online or offline, to do something you love to do. Would you take the free money?
“I could tell you about your personality.” “Excuse me!” I said, as I turned my head and followed the voice toward a lady seated at a small table directly beside me. “I’m a Graphologist! I could read your signature and tell you about your personality”, she said again.
I looked down and read the advert sitting on her table: Ellie George – Handwriting Analyst – Has Read 50,000 Signatures Over Twenty Years.
“Absolutely!” I said. “I’m in! Where do I sign?" . Ellie directed her attention to the pen and paper on the table and asked if I could print and sign my name. The first attempt at signing my name didn't feel right, so I crumpled the piece of paper and tried again. “That’s better”, I muttered as I hand Ellie the piece of paper. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll give you your analysis”, Ellie said.
***Slow Down – You need a vacation
All the best!
Do you take time throughout your day to recognize your skills, your natural talent? When you are using your natural talent you require little to no effort to complete tasks. What if you could create a successful business from your natural talent making you money while fulfilling your purpose and soul, would you be able to do it? Would you be able to start a business using your natural talent but without an investment?
Make Money Fast With Your Natural Talent
Do you know what your natural talent is?
Everybody has natural talent the goal is to find what that is. Your natural talent is buried somewhere within your automatic actions, which account for 95% of what you do. You use your natural talent to complete tasks each and everyday. Your natural talent is so much a part of you that you are not aware that you are using it. Your natural talent is an automatic reaction and unless you know what you are looking for, you will not be able to find it. You are probably doing something else while using your natural talent.
Free Money To Start A Business
Start a business with your natural talent and skills. Make money, and be your own boss. Research the Internet to learn about the various opportunities that are available to you. Leverage existing tools and websites, barter for services, and use forums to ask questions or to solicit help.
When you are ready to express your natural talent, take the 30-day challenge and you could win free money to start a business. But there is one caveat, you cannot spend more than $100 to start your business.
CHALLENGE RULES:
Willie Hill said it best. “Once you do something you love, you never have to work again.”
Do you want to make a quick $100 bucks?
This past week I was a guest host on CFRB 1010 talk radio discussing the economy and what people should do if they lose their job, or if they find themselves in a position to become an entrepreneur. Over the past few days I started to think about posting a 30-day challenge, but with Christmas and the Holiday season only two weeks away, I opted for a 47-day Challenge instead.
The Challenge:
If you would like to participate in this challenge, please send an email to bruno@brunologreco.com with your name, city/state/country and your goal for the 47-day challenge. In the month of January I will begin to post a scorecard with individuals name, their goal, and how they are tracking towards achieving their goal.
Everybody in this challenge will be a winner no matter the outcome.
Challenge Rules:
1. All entries must be new in thought and cannot be an existing idea that is already generating a source of revenue.
2. Each entry must include dates, and or targets that they intend to achieve within the 47-days.
3. You cannot invest greater than $100.00 for this challenge.
4. The winner of the challenge must reveal the process and the tools used to successfully create a new revenue stream.
5. The winner will receive a prize package valued at $100.00 CDN
Source of Inspiration
If you are stuck and need some inspiration for this challenge, create a task list itemizing your daily tasks. In your daily log be sure to include tasks that are automatic and natural to you – meaning you have no conscience thought that you are performing these tasks. Next to each task enter a number from 1 to 10, to rate how successful you were at completing the task, and another number from 1 to 10 to rate how much you loved working on the task. After one week of data, analyze and look for tasks that have 9’s and 10’s next to them. Now take your natural skills and create a revenue stream.
Use the Internet well to uncover an abundance of opportunities. Start small - barter for services, use www.craigslist.com to gain further inspiration, use forums to ask questions and to solicit help in your niches.
How many spare tires does a car have? One, Right! So, what happens when you have two or three flat tires - or the unlikely event that all four tires are flat, what do you do?
Highway 401 runs east to west just north of the City and is one of Toronto’s major highways with a total of 12 lanes - express and collector, and in some parts of the highway it expand to 14 lanes. Highway 404 runs north and south from downtown Toronto to north of Newmarket, and is also known as the Don Valley Parkway - or Parking Lot, that turns into the 404 at the 401 junction.
I was driving north towards Richmond Hill on Bathurst Street, Thursday when I decided to take the 401 eastbound towards the 404. I proceeded to take the exit towards the 404 north, when my steering wheel wobbled under my hands. I didn’t give it much thought until I made a lane change when the steering wheel wobbled again. I thought to myself, “Maybe I should take the car in for an alignment, after all I did just have new tires installed."
The 407 ETR is toll highway that runs east to west, north of Toronto, and directly through the town of Richmond Hill – I live in Richmond Hill, making the 407 a convenient highway. As I approached the 404 and 407 junction the entire steering column in the car wobbled rending the steering wheel useless. I took a chance and drove to the second exit where a Sonoco Gas Bar is stationed. When the car came to a complete stop I opened the driver door, looked to the rear of the vehicle and noticed a flat tire. I then looked towards the front of the vehicle only to witness another flat tire.
I feel mortified. They say we are our own worst critics. I believe that we are our own worst critics. I won’t deny that I am crucifying myself right now. My heart is beating a thousand miles a minute, the same way it beat last April, when I spoke at the peace-by-peace festival. That was my first public speaking appearance and it was for 800 students. They do say: Go Big or Go Home – So I go BIG!! ☺
Oh yeah! Style By Jury - Was I nervous the first time? I think I was a little nervous, but not to the extent where I couldn’t work. Do I believe I might have spoken fast like I did on the radio? Sure - I think I did.
You know! The funny thing is someone once told me that I write the way I speak. Oddly enough I never really heard, or should I say, aware of what I am saying. I mean - I’m aware of what I am saying but I am not aware of how it sounds. I don’t think I ever gave thought to how I might sound. I sometimes become aware of when I speak fast, so I slow down. But even when I slow down I am not thinking about how it sounds - only that I’m speaking fast.
I gained a lot from my experience at the peace-by-peace festival. I also gained a wealth of experience with each episode of Style by Jury and Save Us From Our House. But today I will walk away with the granddaddy of all prizes, a huge learning lesson that will help me as I move forward in my journey. But, the prize also came at a cost – the biggest anxiety attach I experienced since my last one when bridges were an issue.
Clients sometimes ask me if I’m ever in my head. I always give them the same answer each time. “No, I have no reason to be in my head.” I never did want to hear what I sound like on the radio, nor did I ever want to see what I look like on TV. But after listening to what I sound like on the radio, I know now what that person meant when they said, “I speak the way I write”. So yes, I am in my head tonight – Just a little bit.
During my brief, intense anxiety attack earlier, I said, “I’m never doing that again,” But I know that comment is not true - I welcome another time so I could implement what I learned today and what I will learn tomorrow no matter how sever the anxiety attach will be.
Sometimes what we need to learn about ourselves will come at a cost – the price is fear that causes pain - anxiety, but in the end its worth it – any amount of pain caused by fear is worth experiencing if the end result yields a positive learning experience.
Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach & Mentor
News Talk 1010 CFRB is talking about the economy, saving money, and how to use hidden talents and passion to make extra money during this recession. Jim Richards will be speaking with Master Life Coach & Mentor Bruno LoGreco about strategies individuals, and families can implement to reduce expenses while making extra cash for the holiday season.
Tune in at 10:30 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) Tuesday December 9, 2008 and listen live @ CFRB
Eruptions reeks havoc and can cause serious damage depending on the force and size of the explosion. After two much needed days of total relaxation, I once again feel the buzz of my soul within my body after the minor explosion I experienced Friday past.
The explosion was not severe, and did not cause any damage. The explosion was minor and by early afternoon nobody could tell an explosion occurred. I take time for self regularly; whether I’m being sedentary in a park or whether I’m being creative at home, I find time for me all the time.
Last week was one of those weeks where time slipped under me, running out of time before it was my turn. By weeks end, which included one day when I did not eat lunch – Sure I was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. My body told me earlier in the week that something was brewing, but I over extended myself running on autopilot for the past weeks and without an immanent warning I erupted Friday.
Fortunately I do recognize that I’m burning the candle from both ends so, I decided to take a little breather leading into the Christmas holiday. In the past I’ve articulated what the breather entailed, this time I think I will let the breather take its course - ditch my inability to control my daily actions and do what ever I feel like doing when the time comes.
Master Life Coach & Mentor Toronto native Bruno LoGreco
Thank God It’s Friday! What a week it was – from the time I awoke early Monday morning to catch my flight back to Toronto, I worked non-stop up until late last night tending to clients plus cropping and loading new images for the much anticipated launch of hero+destiny - an online pet company that has been in the works for a better part of two years. Suffice to say I feel the candle burning from both ends.
Awareness coaching is about automatic behaviors, recognizing triggers and identifying the root cause, which evoke reactions. It is also about feeling emotions and allowing space within the soul to go through the process of feeling. Often time emotions are bottled-up for many reasons: fear, judgment, suppression, etc. And when emotions are constantly bottled rather than experienced, one begins to build a resistance towards their own feelings.
Volcanoes are similar to humans who make the decision to suppress their emotions – how they feel. These are individuals who have suppressed their true feelings, or believe they are strong and that emotions are for kids, or that men don’t cry. I am not suggesting only men think this way because females do to. These are the one’s who have an imminent explosion brewing inside, deep in the core of their soul similar to a volcanic eruption.
For these individuals, at any moment given the right condition and environment within the world around them, an uncontrollable explosion will occur. A volcano releasing its gases, exploding in every direction, suffocating those who breathe the ashes from the erupting volcano, and burning anyone in the way of the burning lava.
This past week I experienced an uncontrollable urge to experience my own emotions, but I was unable to allow myself the space I required to feel the emotions because I had no time for myself to feel what I was feeling. I allowed myself to bottle my emotions and put the well being of others ahead of my own. This is a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, I am lucky to realize what I have done this past week and today, Friday, is ‘me’ day and I will deal with my emotions and do what is necessary for myself to ensure I do not erupt like a volcano.
Enjoy Your Weekend - Try to find a little ‘me’ time to allow yourself to feel human, to experience your emotions, in which ever way that may be.
Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach and Mentor
Tough economic times attract annoying, unwanted telephone calls from collection agencies, collecting on debt they purchase from creditors. Collection agencies buy consumer debt for pennies on the dollar. The reward - A nice profit if they collect the full outstanding debt.
So what should you know about your bad debt and the pesky, annoying telephone calls you receive from collection agencies during your dinner hour?
The first thing you should know about collection agencies is that they are nothing more than call centers, employing anybody and everybody with or without credentials. A typical collection agency will jam all their agents into one room - open concept with the supervisor pit in the middle to monitor calls.
Collection agencies CANNOT harass, threaten, seize, garnish, hold, or threaten you with any legal action. It is against the law and against the Fair Debt Collection Practices. They cannot contact your employer or any of your extended family. Contacting family is a tactic collection agencies use to try and shame you into paying your debt but it is illegal.
The Process For Delinquent Accounts Leading to Charge Off
Stocks rebounded last week on news of Obama's new administration and ahead of Black Friday. I was hoping for another rally at the opening bell today, but even with better than expected sales figures from Black Friday the Dow Jones is down as is the TSX. Despite the massive rally last week - investors are still concerned about the economy, and rightly so.
If you or someone you know is affected by the economy and are looking for ways to make ends meet, bookmark this blog site because over the next couple of weeks I will be posting tricks and tips on how to make a few extra bucks working from home, to how to deal with those annoying collection agencies that call daily to collect money on the debt they purchased for pennies on the dollar.
Feel free to drop me an email at bruno@brunologreco.com if you have a specific question or are looking for help on a specific topic. I will try my best to answer every question.
There is no better time than these times for me to share my professional knowledge and experience with you...
Discussion Topics:
Good morning and Happy Saturday everyone! I haven’t posted in a few days because I’m on a mini vacation in New York City. New York is home away from home and soon might be my permanent home. I’ve been sitting on the idea of moving to New York for a few months but I haven’t made my final decision as of yet. New York City is beautiful, vibrant, and alive, but it’s not conducive for creative thinking. There is something about the big city and the way I think – I’m blocked whenever I am here.
New York is an old city and old cities have old buildings that offer very little natural lighting depending on the architecture plus other neighborhood buildings that trump your building in terms of size - what you are left with is a window that offers direct sunlight for maybe one hour each day. Unlike the apartment in Toronto – it’s a corner unit facing southwest and northwest – the sun penetrates the entire unit throughout the entire day until sunset – it’s a beauty for creative thinking and inspiration.
Moving to New York represents change. Am I prepared for change? Absolutely… I’m always up and ready for change – I welcome change with open arms. Moving to New York implies a lot of change. For one, I cannot write inside the apartment because of the lack of lighting. I would have to find a quiet place somewhere in New York that is filled with inspiration and people. I don’t think this will be too hard to find in a city of twelve million.
I enjoy writing in the early hours of the morning while everyone is still sleeping. The stillness and the soundless of the morning fuels my creative juices with ideas, concepts and theory’s about human behavior and why people behave the way they do given a specific situation. New York would be a wealth of information, but first I have to find the perfect spot, not too far from the apartment.
I welcome change - Big change, small change, or any kind of change. I know as long as I have ‘me’ I will be okay no matter where I live. Whether I live in Toronto or whether I live in New York I will still be ‘me’, and as long as I'm still ‘me’ it doesn’t matter where I live or what kind of change lies ahead.
Happy Saturday!
Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach & Mentor
Think today of how good life can be. And you'll see that life's true goodness comes not from what you have, but from how much you value and appreciate it. There is no end to the possibilities for richness and fulfillment in your life. There is no limit to what you can make of whatever you have.
Consider what you are able to be thankful for, and you'll discover something wonderful and empowering. You can be thankful for it all.
Look back and you'll see that the pleasures and the pains have both pushed you forward and given you countless opportunities for real growth. You've been supported by the good things you do have and inspired to reach for those things you do not yet have.
The triumphs have given you joy and the disappointments have strengthened your determination. All of it has enabled you to more richly fulfill the beautiful, genuine person you are.
Treasure all that is around you, whatever it may be, and open yourself to the positive possibilities. Be truly thankful for it all, and every day is even more rich and fulfilling than the day before.
-- Ralph Marston
Who could have ever imagined one year ago that the world would witness the biggest economic meltdown in history? World markets collapsing with each passing day threatening the United States of a deep recession. I’d like to know, “WHAT HAPPENED?” ~Smiling ~
This is the part I don’t like about awareness and maybe this is why I am smiling as I write this post. I would love no more than to blame George W. Bush for his outstanding achievements in his eight years in office. But I also know focusing on the past won’t change my current situation - only what I do right now could change the outcome. Focusing on the past is resisting what is and that takes a lot of effort and has zero return. I’m no dummy - I’m not going to waste my energy on something that yields no returns.
So the question then becomes: What are you going to do about your current situation? Do you sit and wait for a miracle to happen, or do you start looking at all your available resources to make things happen? I definitely chose the later and made things happen.
Times are extremely tough, the worst they have been in fifty years and they are saying it might get worse before it gets better. So I would like to volunteer myself as a resource. If you or anybody you know is having a hard time and could use a little inspiration, maybe motivation, or a tidbit on how to make an extra buck or two for the holiday season, please feel free to give them my contact information and recommend they reach out to me.
There never has been a better time than these times for people to come together and support one another. Make a conscience effort as you go about your day to smile at others – you want your smile to read: Everything is going to be okay.
Human beings: Mysterious, intellectual, adventurous and emotional, white, black, brown, leaders, and followers, happy, joyful, stressed or relaxed – these are just a few characteristics that make human beings human. Although each one of us was raised in a different environment, no matter what nationality, culture, or race, we all share one fundamental need, and that is love.
Love is the single most needed emotion everybody everywhere in the world longs for. People search for love in partners, in spouses, and in family. Often time the search for love is mistaken for a need to be loved. Unfortunately when the basic emotional need of a child is neglected, the child is left feeling abandoned resulting in an ongoing and long-term search for love in adulthood that is often mistaken for the need to be loved.
The need to be loved is described by loneliness, misunderstood, and unworthy; Nobody to hold and to tell them “I love you and that all will be well” – Nobody to validate how they feel, but many will defend their feelings. How could that be, how could another person defend another persons feeling? Is it any wonder they feel unworthy – When will it be their turn?
The search for the love or the need to be loved
The effects from the need to be loved are profound and reek havoc ranging from sever panic attacks to anxiety for the fear that they will never be loved. Some will develop an inability to trust anyone. They fear that the people closest to them will not be there for them when they need them most. Relationships become battlegrounds fighting to secure the love they finally deserve.
Love is a fundamental need in every human being. In the absence of love human beings are left feeling unsettled, incomplete and continue the search to fill the void within their soul.
Cycling through unhealthy relationships does not heal abandonment nor fulfill your need to be loved. The only true way to do so is to start the healing process. The feeling of abandonment needs to be confronted and dealt with directly. This is the only path to true happiness. Only when you are ready to accept what is and deal with the imprisoned emotions will you begin to understand the difference between love and the need to be loved.
WHAT IS LIFE?
Life is an Adventure ... Dare it
Life is a Beauty ... Praise it
Life is a Challenge ... Meet it
Life is a Duty ... Perform it
Life is a Love ... Enjoy it
Life is a Tragedy ... Face it
Life is a Struggle ... Fight it
Life is a Promise ... Fulfill it
Life is a Game ... Play it
Life is a Gift ... Accept it
Life is a Journey ... Complete it
Life is a Mystery ... Unfold it
Life is a Goal ... Achieve it
Life is an Opportunity ... Take it
Life is a Puzzle ... Solve it
Life is a Song ... Sing it
Life is a Sorrow ... Overcome it
Life is a Spirit ... Realize it
Written by Annalisa November 11, 2008
Imagine the holiday season colored in just black and white, with shades of gray. The Christmas tree dull slate and stark black. It would be dismal, wouldn't it? But now imagine a Christmas tree lit with rich vibrant colors: blues, reds, emerald greens... It would be quite a dramatic difference.
This is the dramatic shift you would experience, just by learning to heighten your self-awareness. Self-awareness--or the lack of it--colors how you see and experience the world around you. Mastering self-awareness opens up a whole new world of opportunity, advantages and experiences, and reduces stress and anxiety levels, especially over the holiday season.
Reduce Holiday Stress With Self-Awareness?
Self-awareness is having an unvarnished and clear perception of your behaviors - thoughts, feelings, emotions and your personality. It is an unbiased view of your individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as an unfiltered inventory of your internal beliefs, motivations, reactions and corresponding emotions. When you are in touch with your true feelings and self-aware of your own thoughts and emotions, you are able to fully understand others without judgment and react accordingly, minimizing unnecessary stress and anxiety.
But learning to heighten your awareness can be difficult to achieve if you don't know what you are looking for. Beliefs and mistruths you have adopted, unwillingly and unknowingly over the years. I call these misperceptions "noise." They cloud the way you perceive others and, more importantly, how you perceive yourself.
Clearing away the "noise" and learning self-awareness takes time and dedication. A master life coach can also teach it. The first step towards learning self-awareness is learning about your behaviors and how your emotions react in a given environment.
How to Achieve Self-Awareness For The Holiday Season
There is no quicker path to awaken and learn self-awareness than by consulting with a qualified master life coach. By participating in life coaching, you can immediately begin to wipe away the years of misperceptions and mistruths and begin to see clearly. Master life coaches are trained to direct your attention toward areas of need. They don't just ask questions but instead ask the RIGHT questions in order to get to the root of the matter.
By becoming more conscious of your underlying habits and your behaviors, you are able to live more fully, increase your emotional intelligence and achieve more success, while reducing stress and anxiety.
Learn self-awareness for the holiday season and reduce your stress and anxiety. Visit Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach & Mentor at www.brunologreco.com. You will discover a new vibrant world full of opportunity!
The holiday season is fast approaching. With American Thanksgiving only one week away and only 39 more days before Christmas, many of you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. When you combine the stress of the holiday season with the current “global economic meltdown”, that’s a recipe for disaster and it’s being distributed to well over twenty million homes, and counting, across the United States and soon Canada.
Everybody seems to have an opinion when it comes to the Big 3 automakers. Personally, I think the government should let them fail. Greed has never worked for anybody, karma has a way of getting back at you. And, if the government bails the Big 3 out, they won't learn the valuable lesson that needs to be had. But, on the other hand and I don't remember the exact figure but I think it’s three million companies will be affected if the Big 3 declare bankruptcy. That’s HUGE, and unfair to all those people that will be affected by the collapse.
Now, add the holiday season, economic meltdown, and the idea of not having a job to return to come January, now that’s a recipe for a major anxiety attach. And that’s not even adding the In-laws into the equation yet. Its not hard to see how quickly anything could trigger an emotion this upcoming holiday season.
It’s another gray and dismal day in Toronto. I didn’t do much today. I cleaned my apartment, read a few pages of Anna Karenina and finally I went to Loblaws to pickup a few items for dinner. Loblaws is a Canadian grocery retail chain.
I went to the store to buy basil and cilantro and I came home with cake, chips, and whole bunch of other stuff. Between you and me, grocery stores love me because I never go with a shopping list. I just walk into the store and start throwing items into my shopping cart, when I feel I have everything I need I proceed to the checkout counter. My short exertion to the grocery store to buy basil and cilantro wasn’t costly today - under forty bucks. Not bad.
On the menu this evening:
Rigatoni pasta, basil tomato sauce with Italian meatballs. Mixed greens with slivered almonds, sweet onion with an olive oil and balsamic dressing. And for desert: Crunchy Almond Biscotti and Panettone. I’m entertaining a few guests this evening.
Happy Saturday!
Maybe I am spoiled maybe I’m not but these are luxuries I get to enjoy because of the choices I made. I work for myself as Life Coach. I have the flexibility to schedule clients according to my schedule and availability. When I first decided to become a Life Coach I made a promise to myself that I would not work on Fridays. For most of my adult life I wished that the workweek would be reduced to four days per week. My wish came true but only for a short time when I became a coach. I work Sundays - Sunday is family and teen coaching day - I’m okay with this choice for now.
Yesterday was ‘Me’ day. The weather was gray and rainy, not conducive for a walk in the park or much of anything in nature. I typically meander to High Park. I stayed home all day yesterday instead. The only time I left the house was to go to the gym first thing in the morning and the rest of the day I worked on my new idea, and wrote a few articles.
Can I ask you a question? Do you consider “work” work if you are passionate about what you do?
I don’t think it is work. I enjoy writing. A few people in my life believe that when I write I am working because I write about a specific subject matter, LIFE. I learned the art of journal writing a few years ago and I recommend it to all my clients. I also learned through journaling that my writing skills were horrible, and my grammar was worse. I don’t remember learning grammar in elementary school. I remember learning how to spell, how to add and subtract, but I have no recollection of ever learning proper grammar. So I use Morning Java With Life Coach Bruno LoGreco to share my thoughts and views on life, but also to improve my writing skills.
So, YES… I am writing about what I am passionate about - LIFE, but I’m also improving my writing skills along the way. And, because journal writing is a form of meditation, a method for you become one with self, I chose to spend my “Me” day writing and becoming one with my own thoughts. Even though I was writing about a specific subject matter, writing is very relaxing and soothing.
Do you have ‘Me’ time?
I am so happy this morning. Seriously… I am in such a good mood! I am moving forward with my new idea. This past week I’ve been working towards solving a puzzle. The puzzle I am working on is very complex and has multiple layers and because of the complexity and the amount of time that it takes to solve the puzzle, I’ve been working around the clock. BUT... I am proud and happy to report that my persistence and determination paid off.
I had an ‘Aha' moment this week while learning to solve the puzzle. Do you know what an ‘Aha’ moment is? An ‘Aha’ moment occurs when you are working on something or doing something and you have an idea to solve a problem or to enhance an existing produce or service. Your heart begins to thump and you begin to drift into la-la-land with thousands of images racing through your head with every passing second. When you finally return to reality you begin to wonder why nobody has thought about your idea, and that is when you here the big DONG in your head.
This morning I registered my new domain names. I could not believe they were not taken. The first domain name is not a big secret: www.lifecoachintoronto.com. The second domain name I registered - that one I will not be sharing with you quite yet. If you want to learn more about the second domain name you will have to just keep returning to this blog as I reveal the idea over a period of time.
Oh, by the way if you are looking for a domain name and you are unsure how to pick one, pick a domain name that is relevant to your niche. Try to keep the name to two or three keywords and also know that most search engine skip three letter words or less.
Master Life Coach Toronto Mentor Bruno LoGreco
Two down with two to go…
The weather is still gray and gloomy. Thankfully I snapped out of my dreary mood earlier this afternoon. It doesn’t take me long to snap-out of, one of my moods. Put me in front of a client and I instantly pickup on his or her energy. I almost always could tell when someone is trying to pull a fast one on me. All you have to do is make eye contact and pay close attention to the body language. Actions speak louder than words and if you combine energy to the equation you now have a story. (NOT TO BE USED WITH AWARENESS COACHING)
Client # 2 today was a teenager. His mother contacted me because she was concerned about him. The night she contacted me she told me that her son had already been through therapy a few times and that he is a very smart but does not want to do anything with his life. She continued to tell me that Life Coaching was her last hope and if coaching does not work for him than she wouldn’t know where to turn next.
We scheduled a meeting for the following week. One week later I met with him and his family. Everybody in the family was very pleasant. It was your typical family with two teenage boys. I proceeded with to ask questions for the next hour and half. At the end our discussion I smiled at the teen and I said to him:
It’s a gray and rainy day. I’m finding it difficult to keep my eyes open. With one client down and three more to go I better snap out of this dreary mood I’m in.
Just a few months ago one of my clients believed she would never have the opportunity to showcase her collection. She had a dream that one day she would design beautiful garments, bags and what ever else her creativity allowed. Her designs are feminine, chic, made with quality fabrics and definitely for trendsetters - for the artsy type. She also designs garments for woman that have had mastectomies, she wants to give these woman their femininity back through her designs, plus she herself is a cancer survivor.
Before she was diagnosed in 2006 with breast cancer, she was held captive in her own little box, a box she created for herself. The box offered very little if any inspiration or motivation, it only served as shelter to protect her from her fears – the fear of what other people would say about her creations, the designs that she is passionate about, the designs and vision that she’s been dreaming about since childhood. This morning she came out of her little box and exposed her designs to the outside world.
Yes - she was a little nervous early this morning when I arrived to chaperon her to her first show. The purpose of my attendance was for support, encouragement, but most of all to be the voice of reason should she become pessimistic. Shoppers stopped, looked, touched, some even asked questions. Threw the corner of my eye I watched, as she stood proud of her accomplishment. Even if she doesn’t sell a single piece today at the show, she will walk away feeling proud that she did it – she put her mind to it and accomplished what she set off to do.
What are you waiting for?
Image living in a 20x20 box. The box is divided into three smaller sections – A bedroom, kitchen, and a living room with a small couch facing the only door leading to civilization and to the promise land. The box is dark, lonely, and quiet. There is nothing to inspire or to motivate you – there is only you and your thoughts.
On the other side of the door is promise land, or so you have been told. But, when you attempt to learn what is on the other side of the door you are greeted by noise, congestion, and what appears to be judgmental people everywhere you look. The vision of what you want to see occupies your thoughts engulfing your soul with anxiety and fear. You immediately retreat and close the door to your box.
You see! It’s not so bad in here after all. Yes it is quiet and yes it is lonely, but I don’t have to deal with whatever is out there. It’s loud, noisy, and extremely busy for my liking. How can that be the promise land? I think I will stay right here - safe in my little box.
Not long after you retreated into your little box you begin to experience loneliness and a desire to move on to bigger and better things again. You are growing tired and lonely from being the only person living in your little box. You are ready to move on, but the only problem is you have to face whatever is on the other side of the door.
It can’t be that bad – they say it’s the promise land and I can do anything I choose if I could just walk out the door and figure it out for myself.
You approach the door with caution. You open the door slowly as you stare up and down the street to gauge what is going on in promise land. The noise is just as loud as the last time if not louder. There is traffic everywhere, and the people standing on the street turn towards you staring you down like you are some creature or something.
No thanks – I feel safe right here. There is no such thing as promise land. This is my promise land right here in my little box. I feel safest in my little box and nobody could tell me otherwise. Promise land my ass…
Just outside the box about 100 meters to the left and around the corner sits the most incredible view of the promise land. It is filled with peace, love and JOY. The scenery is picturesque – something out of a movie. But… for the poor person stuck inside the box, they might never learn the truth. They have chosen to sit with their own thoughts of what isn’t, and the only emotion they could feel is loneliness. BUT... What they may or may not know is depression will soon be knocking at the door requesting a friendship.
Are you living inside of a box?
I love what I do. I really love helping people with the art of Life Coaching. Life Coaching is truly an art form – to understand individuals for who they are: unique, passionate and talented. Yes - everybody has a talent somewhere buried, down, deep, in their soul caught between fear and who knows what else, there is a talent. The trick is to find it… And when they do find their talent, they quickly learn how passionate and unique they really are.
There are Life Coaches in every major city across North America and people are turning to them for support, guidance, and encouragement these days. People are in the mood for change - change in the world, change in politics, and change in self. A shift in consciousness is happening across the globe right now that is quickly gaining momentum.
I’m glad to be part of this shift – To watch individuals go from what they believed to be reality - a reality inundated with noise, emotions, and self-inflicted pain, to a new life of hope, goals and dreams, self-awareness and most importantly self-love. A love for self to self-validate, to feel good and to appreciate you for who you are, not for what another person says you are.
Me along with many other life coaches are here to support you along your journey. You don’t have to do it alone anymore.
Oh yeah… before I forget to tell you, the process to self-awareness will hurt – The truth hurts when you learn how you’ve been treating yourself, but it oh so worth it in the end.
Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach Toronto Mentor
What can life coaching offer you? Life coaching can offer many alternatives to traditional therapy or counseling. Unlike therapy, life coaching by Master Life Coach Toronto Mentor Bruno LoGreco is about identifying the root cause - untying the knot at the root of the problem. Only after you identify the root cause and undo the thoughts, which ignite your behaviors, will you be freed to achieve your goals and live your dreams. Life Coaching by Bruno LoGreco will enable you to move forward in your life with self-love and self-awareness.
Many people wake-up at some point in life and ask, “How did I ever get here?” They sit back and contemplate where, how, and when did everything go wrong. Their first instinct or gut reaction is to point blame at their loved ones – spouse, children, parents and/or sibling. Women feel unappreciated, unworthy, and lonely, while men feel disconnected, lost, and afraid of what is yet to come. But you see, the problem did not start in they’re thirty’s or forty’s, the problem started decades before. The root cause could be remnants from childhood. During a child’s first years, immediate influencers need to support their children with encouragement and confidence, showing them they are beautiful and that they are loved. This is positive effect. In the absence of positive effect a child will grow into a negative adult, seeking encouragement and confidence from the outside world. Of course there is fine balance of how much is too much and how much is too little.
Therapy or counseling help individuals talk through their problem – The only problem with talking through the issues and not working towards addressing the root cause is it will only serve as fuel for the negative ego. I used the Ego word. Yes, all of your actions whether you are aware or not are ego driven. You have good and bad ego - if you seek external validation because of the lack of positive effect you received as a child, you might have your back up right now due to my ego comment, but it's reality.
The next time you react and feel that you are not worthy or unappreciated, ask yourself – What am I truly looking for? If you are unable to answer the question, dig deep into your soul and sooner or later you will find the answer.
If you are tired of reliving the past and would like to move onto bigger and better things before for the New Year, then Life Coaching might be the answer for you.
Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach Toronto Mentor
