Environmental Noise

Just how loud could the environmental noise around the world you live in become?

Environmental noise are all tasks you execute every single day, triggered by your five senses, smell, taste, feel, hear, and see, from the moment you wake-up to the time you go to sleep. Everything around you is noise; the interaction you have with your partner, your children, your colleagues, your boss, what you eat, see, touch or hear, at any moment, anyone sense can be triggered, flooding the sensors with external noise, confusing you and changing your direction unconsciously.

For example, your dream from childhood was to one day to open a French pastry shop, baking rich, creamy, French pastries, and importing fine coffees from around the world. Then one day you had a taste of Kabul pastries…it was music to your taste buds, salivating at the thought of one. You decide after some consideration that you are going to open a Kabul pastry shop, rather than your life long dream of a French pasty shop. Over time you find your enthusiasm for Kabul pastries slipping, turning your once excited life into a life of monotony, leaving a residual feeling, as if you are stuck. Your life evolved from a once excited life, to a life of questions, of the once life long dream of a pastry shop.

The life long dream of opening a French pastry shop, and ending up with a Kabul pastry shop was the result of environmental noise. The very first Kabul pastry flooded the taste sensors with enough noise, that it convinced the person to change direction away from the life long dream. The person now feels stuck because of the change in direction and now feels conflicted, unaware of why they feel conflicted, thinking it was their dream. Their dream doesn’t feel like such a dream anymore.

How does a person prevent environmental noise from changing their direction in life?

By tracking your dreams, and your goals, no matter how silly you believe they are, your dreams are clues to challenges you will be faced with along your journey. Track your dreams, goals, and your thoughts, because you just never know if one day you will be the one waking-up feeling stuck.

Bruno LoGreco is a Professional Life Coach Toronto

Environmental Noise

Trust

Trust
A firm belief in reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

Infants are born with no trust or mistrust. Infants will develop trust or mistrust during the first eighteen months of their lives. During the first eighteen months, the infant will develop trust provided the mother and father are attending to its basic needs, demonstrating consistency, support, reliability, and most importantly, love. When the infant's basic needs are satisfied, the infant will develop a feeling that the world around them is a safe place to belong to, and trust is born.

When a mother or father reject, harm, or fail to provide the basic needs an infant requires, for selfish reasons, the infant will develop mistrust and will learn the world around them is not a safe place to belong to, becoming apprehensive, suspicious, and experience prolonged episodes of depression later in life.

Abandoned
To cease to support or look after.

So we begin to unravel the many mysteries, which prevent a person from achieving their ultimate dream, their goals, trust in their partner, and trust in the world around them. Without trust, comes no confidence, with no confidence comes very little success and lots of pain. No trust equals a confused life with many unanswered questions, feeling alone and abandoned by all.

The hole in the soul must be healed through the healing process--acceptance, becoming aware of self.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach Toronto

Trust

Curiosity or Complexity?

Imagine for a moment that a child is being dragged, kicking and screaming, to an office of a professional therapist, with many diplomas hanging on the wall of a three thousand dollar monthly office rental in a major metropolis in North America. A confused child unable to comprehend the complexity of the situation it finds itself in, begs, shouting and screaming to be heard. The confused child only grows in confusion leaving unanswered questions in the mind, as no adult will listen. The child is too young to have a voice, and the only voice that is heard is that of a PhD, “take these pills, they will make you feel better.” The confused little person obeys the orders and swallows the pills.

The beautiful mind is an explorer by nature. Every one of us is born with two sets of instructions, which are contradictory to each other, curiosity and complexity. The majority of the population is trained for the complexity, the dialectic side of the pole. What happens to a child when influenced mostly by the opposite side of the pole, the creative side?

The dialectic, complexity side of the pole displays conservative tendencies, made up of instincts for self-preservation, self-aggrandizement, and saving energy. The opposite side of the pole, the creative side experiences, expansive tendencies which are made up of instincts for exploring, for enjoying novelty and risk—the curiosity that leads to creativity.

A developing brain is like a sponge. Hungry for information, storing every bit of information the brain see and hears, storing the information as pictures, about 35 pictures every second. Unanswered questions begin to leave holes, holes that will later lead to bigger holes, and like a disease, the holes will make their way from the brain to the heart and soul of the body.

Now add some medication to the brain and VOILA… we have a new and improved brain, obedient and calm, maybe a bit more intelligent, but with no way of expressing and exploring his or her creative side, leaving behind massive holes, in the mind body and soul.

Curiosity or complexity… you decide.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach Toronto

Curiosity or Complexity?

Teen Mentor Summer Program

Beginning in the summer of 2008, a new 10 week program will be offered for those in search of an intensive mentoring program that goes beyond the basics you may be familiar with from BrunoLoGreco.com. Starting on July 2 and carrying through to the end of August, this 10 week program will consist of 2 weekly visits of 3 hours each on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9-12 PM or 1-4PM.

The Mentoring Program includes a complete Assessment of you and your personality and what you can best benefit from. Your individual strengths and weaknesses in business and in life will be identified and carefully handled so that you can work on personal development, based on those core strengths. Rather than focusing solely on your weaknesses, you will then learn how to apply your strengths to everyday life and improve nearly every aspect in the process, ensuring a happier, more complete life experience.

Communication is central to all mentoring programs offered by BrunoLoGreco.com and in conjunction with real world exposure to business environments, you will learn practical uses for your new modes of thought.

Additionally, you can expect a wide array of social skill development, a small bout of physical activity to keep you on your toes, and of course a light snack. The total cost of this unique, life changing experience is $1,600, with the option to split payments between both months. Space is limited, so get your application for acceptance today. Guardian or Parent consent is required, along with a waiver upon acceptance.

Don’t miss out on your chance to benefit from the affirming, eye opening experience of working with a Life Mentor this summer.

For full details, visit BrunoLoGreco.com a Family and Teen Coach

Teen Mentor Summer Program

Depression

Living in fear, stress, and anxiety is no picnic for any person. A person with a chattering mind that draws on the past negative experiences, fuels their emotions as they think about how to deal with their current situation, and play it out in their chattering mind, over and over again, inflicting the person with severe anxiety about the future.

A report that was published by Time, on August 9, 2004, based on a survey of 200,000 Americans, showed Americans experienced symptoms of depression, sadness, or blueness, on average three days in any given month. Women and teenagers are more likely to experience symptoms of depression, hurt, guilt, or just blue. Underweight women are more likely to experience depression than overweight women, and men and seniors have a lower risk of experiencing symptoms of depression. 17 millions Americans, suffer from symptoms of depression annual. In Canada 9.6% of the population will experience a depression episode lasting one year or more, in the United States, 5.2% will experience a depression episode lasting one year or more.

How often do you experience depression and why?

Depression is not genetically caused, although some cases have been reported, depression is largely caused by a person’s environment. I describe “Environmental Noise” in an article I wrote, The Success Indicators on Your Life Path. Contributing factors to depression are, isolation, lack of friends and family support, self-confliction and the largest contributing factor is a feeling of not belonging.

A person that feels that they do not belong will have friends from a broad range of different social networks, friends in many cities and other countries, and has moved two or more times in their early adolescent and or teenage life, from one school to another, city-to-city, or country-to-country. A person that feels they do not belong will consider moving to a new city in hopes of a better life, only to discover the new city does not bring any sense of belonging either. The more common but less sever symptoms of depression are caused by a person’s current situation, immediate influencers, colleagues, subordinates, families, and lets not forget, the winter season, that too is also considered environmental.

Symptoms of depression should be treated, especially for teenagers experiencing symptoms of depression, due in part of a physical move. For others, carrying the weight of guilt on their shoulders, reliving the past and getting a feeling of satisfaction momentarily, will send a person into an episode of depression, lasting decades if left untreated.

Both Depression and Anxiety can be treated without medication. A professional Life Coach or Counselor could determine if further treatment in addition to support is required. In both cases, turning off the chatting in the brain, about the past or the future is all that is needed to recognize where all the chatting comes from, and that is enough for the person to begin the process of self-awareness and healing.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach Toronto

Depression

Reality or Illusion?

How does a person know if they’re living in reality, or in an illusion of their reality?

Many people in today’s society live in a constant state of stress, fear and anxiety. In the United States, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness affecting 40 million adults, age 18 and older, which represents approximately 18.1% of the US population. In Canada, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem reported by the Statistics Canada, Mental Health and Wellbeing community. A survey showed 3.2% of Canadians have social anxiety disorders. Canada’s youth, ages 15 to 24, 6.5% experienced severe anxiety disorders. The report also stated, that these were low estimates because several important anxiety disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Specific Phobia were not surveyed.

A person with anxiety will live in a constant state of fear, feeling overwhelmed about today, and stressed over tomorrows outcome. A persons mind living with anxiety is in a constant state of chatter, for hours and hours each and every day. “Did I do that right? What will they think of me? I need to stop at the store and grab some groceries… Pickup the kids, stop at the cleaners, dinners at seven, get home shower & change, I’ll be five minutes late. What do they think I’m made of, I’m so stressed out with everything they want me to work on, and there aren’t enough hours in a day… I just need to get through this week and then I could breath again. I have to get it done this way--maybe I can prove myself, what if it’s wrong? How will I pay the bills next month?" The chatter is constant that goes on and on and on until the person finally falls asleep.

Then there are some people that live in the past. Unlike but not uncommon for a person to experience both, a person living in the past rehashes memories, triggering emotions of guilt, sorrow, hurt, sadness, anything and everything that brings great pain that they want to relive over and over again. Some may ask why would anyone want to relive the past if it brings great pain? The reason is because reliving the past brings people happiness, a feeling of relief, albeit momentarily, but for that moment the person feels a sense of relief, even though the thought triggered a negative emotion that brought great pain.

The feeling of relief the person experiences when they relive the past is the ego. Whenever the ego gets what it wants, in this case reliving the past, the ego gets relief that it over powered the Being and gained in strength. The person feels the relief and sensation and interprets the sensation to be the only way to get relief from the pain, so they continue to relive the past in order to feel the sensation of relief over and over again.

What the person does not realize is, reliving the past is making the persons future very cloudy, because for this person NOW does not exist. This person is busy reliving the past to feel a sensation of relief, so they can get on with the future that is filled with even more fear.

Reality for this person is an illusion. An illusion filled with emotions, triggered by thoughts of the past.

Is your reality an illusion?

Bruno LoGreco a successful Life Coach Toronto

Reality or Illusion?

Teenagers and Alcohol

Do you know the effects alcohol have on young children?

There is a reason why the legal drinking age in Canada is 19, and 21 in the United States.
Early alcohol consumption does permanent brain damage.

A Duke University researcher found that early consumption of alcohol shrinks the brain. The research showed that early alcohol consumption causes permanent damage to the hippocampus (the seat of memory). The hippocampus is part of the brain that is thought to be the center of emotions, memory, and the autonomic nervous system. This part of the brain is not fully developed in teenagers. Some say this part of the brain is not fully developed until the person is in their late 20’s, some say 25, 28 and even 30. The jury is clearly still out on this one.

Researchers found that when teens between the ages of 15 and 17 who have had 100 drinking events or more, results showed there was a reduction in the number of ways the teen approached problems (restricted problem solving skills), decreased attention, and memory.

Teens most at risk fall into these four categories:

• Parents who abuse drugs or alcohol
• Parents who are non-nurturing
• Peer groups that use drugs and alcohol
• Kids in transition, from school to school, city to city, or country to country


Alcohol Prevention In Teens

Here are a few ways to prevent your teen from early alcohol consumption. When you are trying to open the line of communication with your teen, be careful on the choice of words you use. Consider using “consider” instead of “should.”

1. Consider having family dinners at least 3 or 4 times a week.
2. Teens on average should be sleeping between 8 to 9 hours.
3. Permit thrill seeking, but safe activities. Teenagers naturally want to explore. Allow them to explore safe thrill seeking adventures. Racing bikes is not safe, but maybe skydiving is.
4. Encourage after school activities.
5. Talk with your teens about the effects of drinking alcohol.
6. Encourage after school part time jobs.
7. Allowance should be kept to minimum, less than $50.00 /week.
8. Be open and honest and have sex, drug and alcohol discussions and be objective. Don’t let your views get in the way. Create a drop box to promote openness.
9. Listen to your teen – They are not looking for advice. Ask questions instead of giving advice.
10. Respect your teen’s privacy. Have a reason to snoop if you’re going to snoop.

Bruno LoGreco Family & Teen Coach

Teenagers and Alcohol

Abandonment

What is abandonment? How does it affect a person’s adult life? Is it connected to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)?

The meaning of abandonment used loosely is when the needs of a child have not been met. Perhaps the mother was not affection enough or did not express her love for the child. Whatever the case, the basic needs of the child were not met, leaving a gap in the child’s soul. It is very common for a person to have deep issues with abandonment that are both real, actual abandonment, and abandonment that is perceived by them and or about to take place.

A person dealing with issues of abandonment, could learn how not to trust anyone, for the fear the person will not be there when they are needed, might feel they are not important, not worthy, and feel the lack of respect among the people they think are supposed to love them.

Abandonment is found in disorders such as Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Abandonment is often the root cause in people with BPD. One of the behaviors observed in a person with BPD, is the constant need to heal the wounded soul. The person is not conscious of the void left behind from one of the early development stages when trust is developed, and will go on a life long search to fill the void, or to find the love it so desperately seeks. The person will find temporary ways to fill the void, the wounded soul, but what they will do is begin to sabotage any relationship they are in or push people in their lives aside for the fear they too will be abandoned by them one day.

Abandonment can only be fixed with healing. People dealing with deep, rooted, abandonment issues, will have to come to terms with the understanding that they are the only one that can make themselves feel better, by accepting the hurt and so that the healing process can begin.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach Toronto

Abandonment

Gifted Children --Your Child Could Be The Next Einstein

Have you ever wondered if your child is gifted? Not all gifted children show their giftedness through verbal, numerical or spatial reasoning. The ability for a child to solve problems in these three areas is referred to as IQ. The average IQ score is 100, which suggests the child’s ability to solve problems is comparable to those of the same age group.

There are two levels of giftedness with the traditional measure of Intelligence identified by Ellen Winner of Boston College Department of Education. Moderately gifted children with an IQ of around 130-150 that perform about one or two grade levels ahead of children in the same age group, and profoundly gifted children with an IQ around 180. Profoundly gifted children are more intelligent by the degree of knowledge but can also unaided figure out problems, rules of algebra, memorize entire musical scores in a moment, or discover prime numbers as early as the age of four.

Thomas Oakland, education psychology professor at the University of Florida, tested 1,554 gifted and non-gifted students ranging in age from 8 to 17 with the Student Styles Questionnaire, a measure of extraversion, creativity, decision style, and preference for order (reported in Gifted Child Quarterly, July 2000). His Findings:

• Gifted students are 29 percent more likely to have active imaginations than non-gifted students

• Gifted girls are 55 percent more likely to have active imaginations than non-gifted girls

• Girls of both groups preferred making decisions on the basis of values rather than logic

• Gifted boys are 28 percent more likely to prefer making decisions on the basis of values (rather than on logic), as compared with non-gifted boys.

• Although more girls than boys prefer organized styles to a more flexible style, gifted students in general do not show a preference for organization over flexibility

• Gifted and non-gifted students show no differences on measures of extraversion

One general finding: kids, gifted or not, do better in school when their parents and teachers understand their individual personality trait profile. Kids do better when their unique temperament is not only accepted but actively engaged in their home and school life.

How to Recognize if your child is gifted:

• A long attention span
• A preference for novelty
• Over activity to physical sensations
• A good memory for recognition of previous experience
• Early onset of language
• Intense curiosity, drive, and persistence
• Obsessive interests
• Metacognitive ability (that is, the gifted think about how they think and can talk about their learning and problem-solving strategies)
• Typically, the ability to read one or two years before beginning kindergarten
• The ability to excel at abstract logical thinking
• A fascination with numbers and numerical patterns
• Typically a more solitary or introverted nature
• A preference for older children
• Difficulty finding compatible peers of any age
• Twice as many social or emotional problems as average children
• A fiercely independent and nonconformist nature
• The ability to derive pleasure from work
• Positive self-esteem about their intellectual ability

Note of importance: Not all non-gifted children follow the same developmental story line. Many hide their talents until they are older.

Bruno LoGreco Family Life Coach

Gifted Children --Your Child Could Be The Next Einstein

Terrorized by Fear

Can you stop your ego from going off the deep end, even when you are at a state of awareness?

I was up bright and early this morning, no different than most mornings. I roll out of bed, put myself together, I make my morning espresso, writes some thoughts into iijournal, and then get ready to head to the gym. I walk to the door, put my shoes on, grab my keys, wallet, and head towards the front door. But this morning when I went for my wallet, it wasn’t there. NO WAY! That’s impossible, I shouted. There is no way I lost my wallet. My mind took off tracing back every step I took after getting off the GO-Bus yesterday afternoon in Richmond Hill. The only possible place I could have left my wallet is in the car. I grabbed my car keys and made a mad dash to the front door and to my car. I quickly unlocked the car doors and jumped in to check the console, no wallet. I looked under both front seats, and the back seats. No wallet.

Oh I hear all the thing I could be doing right now; I could slam the console, that will make me feel better, I could smash the stick shift and hope it breaks, that will make me feel better sooo good--oh I better not, that’s expensive. Ok slam the front door—No, I don’t want to do that either. (Caught you, I could hear you by the way--I’m aware of what a good sensation the ego would feel for reacting to my misfortune this morning. I’m just going to sit hear and listen). Keep in mind I was anxious two days ago about giving my speech at the Peace Festival. I run back to my apartment and look under the couch, under my bed, in the jacket pocket, in my pant pocket, from the pants I wore yesterday at the festival. I even checked the hamper. No wallet. Watch this—I start throwing things around, no way, not again (I don’t want to get hurt so please don’t punch the wall), I just threw my last wallet in the garbage less than two years ago.

I tell myself to calm down, took me a while to intervene but I wanted to see how far I would let myself go. It’s really funny watching yourself react. When I finally did listen to the Self, I calmed down because I was aware that I was watching myself, and my emotions, as I was reacting. Then I took a few minutes to breath and to become present, in the moment so I could stop tracing back my steps, which recalls the images of my past experiences. Now the reality of my last 30 minutes are blinded by my emotions and anger, so I knew that everything I had just gone through and traced back, were just illusions of what I really saw. I saw what I wanted to see, not what I should have seen.

I took a few more minutes to get my mind completely off tracing my steps and began moving forward. I sat down and remembered that Visa had sent me a replacement card last week, and that I had not activated it yet. I looked in my file and bingo, there was a new Visa card that required activation and as soon as I activate the new card, the old card would automatically become VOID. I only have one credit card. Done! I then called Visa just to be sure the old card was cancelled. The old card indeed was canceled. So the only real down fall to me losing my wallet this morning is the wallet itself. Oh well, each come easy go, I’ll buy a new one. Out with the old, in with the new is my mantra anyway. That put a smile on my face. At that point I decided to go back to my bedroom and look in the jacket pocket one more time. I put my hands into the front pockets, and nothing. I put my hands into the side pockets, and nothing. Then I took a closer look at the jacket I had just checked twice. Me, told me to look carefully, become present and aware. Long and behold the reason why I didn’t find my wallet in the jacket is because I was checking the wrong jacket. It wasn’t until I was aware and in the moment that I really saw what was there in front of me and not the images I wanted to see which are all the images I put there in the last thirty-minutes. A few jackets to the right, is were the jacket I was wearing yesterday is hanging. I put my hand into the inside pocket and presto, out come the wallet.


Even when I thought I was aware, the ego took me again without my knowledge and started playing back what I wanted to see. What I wanted to see is no wallet so that the ego can go off the deep end again and feel good and get stronger again. I became aware of my space and when I did, everything in the closet went into slow motion, allowing me to see every inch of detail in that closet, and that is when I saw the jacket I was looking in was not the jacket I was wearing.

Yesterday at the Peace by PEACE festival, my ego took another significant blow. I took a digital recorder with me to record my speech, in order for me to play it back and learn from it. Early in the day, I put the recorder in my jacket pocket because my pant pockets were full. Just before the speeches began, I reminded myself about the recorder and to go get it. That’s when I began to say to myself, “Ah, you don’t need it, who cares, you don’t want to know how you sound anyway. If you suck then you won’t have anything to remind you. Leave it alone.” I struggled with the idea of the recorder for about five minutes. I finally came to my senses and walked over to my jacket and grabbed the recorder. I pressed the record button as my name was being announced. “And here to speak, Bruno LoGreco.” I walked up to the podium and I could hear my heart, it was beating a mile a minute. Sweat pored down my forehead as the MC handed me the microphone. I quickly started. “ I have a secret… Do you guys want me to share me secret with you?” The room erupted with a yes, I continued, “I’m scared, I’m really afraid of being here right now, but I know that If I’m open and honest with you about how I’m feeling inside, It will go away. See, I’m starting to feel better already.” I don’t know if they thought I was kidding or not, but I wasn’t. (Our little secret) I had no notes, no cheat sheet, nothing, it was do or die for me. Within a minute of being on stage I quickly relaxed and engaged the audience and asked them questions, had some of the kids answering into the microphone. I was not thrown off. Except some how I mixed up the order of two areas I wanted to talk about. But I recovered and I didn’t even flinch when I did realize I mixed the order of the speech up. I did deliver the speech and every component of it.

The feedback thus far has been great – I did listen to the recorder and it sounds ok to me. I didn’t use hum and and and, but I did have one too many “Right.” I learned something about myself yesterday. I could speak in front of large crowds and I shouldn’t be afraid of speaking. I believed I could not present, I’ve never presented in my life, so how could I be afraid? Yesterday gave me enough confidence in myself to contact Breakfast Television to be a guest on the show.

Like I said, my ego took another blow yesterday and as a result, it now has one less fear it can terrorize me with.

Life Choices – Yours To Make
Bruno LoGreco

Terrorized by Fear

I think I am...

If I think I am, then I am...

That's right, if you think you are then you are. But what happens when you stop thinking? You still are, but without thought. Most of us live our lives thinking 24/7 and become what we think. What do you think happens to you when you stop thinking? Do you seize to exist? No...

When you stop thinking, "I think, so therefore I am" you will be one step closer to achieving a state of awareness. Last night for the first time in almost two years I did not sleep. Anxiety crept back into my life because of a false sense of self. Today is the day I give my speech to 800 students, teachers, professors and parents at the Toronto Metro Convention Center, and I could not turn off the voices in my head last night. I have no clue how billions of people on earth live with anxiety day in and day out. Definitely not for me.

After 2 very long hours dealing with my anxiety last night, I finally got the voices in my head to turn off. During my two hour episode, I analyzed where my fear came from and worked it out.

Today I am ready to give my first speech to 800 unique individuals that are not there to pass judgement on me, but rather to learn about inner peace, conflict resolution and community building. So today is not about Bruno, today is about those kids, it's about inspiring our future generation to learn and grow with inner peace, so that one day our future generation can live in peace. Peace starts with us first, in our hearts, mind, body and soul. Thats where it starts.

I'm at peace with myself and ready to share with those kids so that we can all learn and grow today.

Bruno LoGreco a Family Life Coach

I think I am...

The Winter Blues

I cannot remember the last time we had such a long winter in Toronto. Just last year I was saddened by the lack of snow that once fell in November and melted in March. The long Toronto winter of 2008 has people in the GTA singing the blues everywhere. There are lots of SAD people walking around the city.

Isn't SAD an acronym? Yes it is, it stands for: Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as the winter blues, seasonal depression. You see, your body produces melatonin (a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in inverse proportion to the amount of light received by the retina, important in the regulation of biorhythms) during the night so that you can fall asleep . In the morning when the sun rises, your body stops producing melatonin which causes you to wake-up. During the long winter months where you see very little sunlight your body has a hard time rising in the morning because your body doesn't stop producing melatonin.

If you are having a hard time rising in the mornings, and gained a few pounds, and maybe lost your libido, the end is in sight. S A D will soon fade, as we roll into May, and with the long summer days only a month and a bit away, you will soon be feeling Happy, making it easy for you to shed a few pounds, and helping you feel more secure. Thereafter, you will forget the long cold winter of 2008. Perhaps realizing and being aware of SAD can help prepare you for next year when the days grow shorter and SAD creeps into your life again.

A good light bulb in your bedroom could help with the winter blues next year, or consider developing a winter blues plan, to keep you focused over the long winter months.
---------------------------------------------------

Yesterday a close friend recommended the name of my blog be called, “Morning Cup Of Coffee with Bruno LoGreco – It’s catchy and I like it and I think I will use it.

It’s funny the way things evolve in life. My original intent behind the blog is not what it’s evolving to be. Sometimes all we need to do is lean into things even if they don’t make sense at first. You just never know what else is hiding that wants to be uncovered.
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The Winter Blues

The Benefits of Laughing

I remember when I was working at my last job in the corporate world. I remember walking down the halls, bright eyed and chirpy every morning for almost eight years. I always had a big smile on my face, each and every morning. I swear people hated me in the mornings. I got the look of death when I would say, “Good Morning!” with a big smile to everyone that walked by. The look on some of their faces were priceless and enough to make me chuckle on the inside pretty much every day. There was one person in particular. Oh my god! She was so miserable in the mornings that it was impossible for me not to break out into tear jerking laughter. Don’t ask me why I laughed so hysterically, other than I just didn’t understand not being happy in the mornings. Nothing has happened yet… so why so miserable?

By 8:00 am every morning, I had already been to the gym, showered and dressed, had breakfast, and on my second cup of coffee. I was ready to rock and roll, but now I had to wait for people around me to catch-up. BORING…

Fast forward to 2008. Now I learn, that my life was being enhanced each and every morning by my fellow colleagues in the corporate world that refused to say good morning to me with a smile. Who knew? So thank you for enhancing my life guys, much appreciated!

So tomorrow morning when you wake-up miserable and get to work, and don’t feel like smiling to the person that says good morning to you, keep in the back of your mind that that person’s life might be getting enhanced at your expense.

So before you walk out the door tomorrow morning, try some laughing to get your day started. Start off by taking a deep breath in and exhaling all at once, pushing the air out as you say HO HO, take a deep breath in and release saying HA HA HA. Repeat this process 10 times, getting louder and louder each time. It’s ok if you break out into a dying laughter, that’s the point.

If you do this technique to kick start your day, you will also benefit your health by increasing your endorphins, immune cells, it will enhance your respiration, it will decreases cortisol, and lowers your blood pressure.

HO, HO
HA, HA, HA
HO, HO,
HA, HA, HA
HO, HO,
HA, HA, HA
HO, HO,
HA, HA, HA
HO, HO,
HA, HA, HA

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach Toronto

The Benefits of Laughing

Peace by PEACE Festival Part I

Yesterday I wrote on my blog that I would post the speech I wrote for the annual Peace by PEACE festival.  After writing and rewriting my speech, I finally finished it this morning. While I was writing, I decided that I wasn't going to post the speech. I'm going to spare you guys the agony of trying to finish my thoughts.  I wrote the speech as a guide instead of writing every last bit of detail. 

I also took into consideration the larger audience. Professors, teachers, university students and volunteers. Although the speech is intended for the children, I wanted to make sure I also captured the attention of the adults. 

I have three full days to get gather my thoughts and visualize my words so that I can deliver the message with a natural flow, talking with the kids instead of reading a speech.  I'm hoping that I can present the final speech on Tuesday, at the Toastmasters meeting.

Bruno LoGreco Life Coach Toronto 

Peace by PEACE Festival Part I

Life Paths

Last night as I was unpacking my groceries, the phone rang. I answered the phone and at the other end was a student calling from the University Of Toronto. The student introduced herself and explained why she was calling. She was calling to ask If I would be the guest speaker at the Peace by Peace festival which is an international, university run, non-profit education organization, being held in Toronto, on April 16th. (Upcoming Wednesday) I instantly accepted the invitation. We exchanged contact information and she told me that I would be receiving an email with the details of the festival.

Later last night I received the email I was waiting for with all the information. I thought I would be speaking to maybe 200 students, if that. I'm speaking to 800 students and volunteers on Wednesday. But here is the best part, I will be speaking to 600 children from grade four to six. What an opportunity of a life time. If i can inspire at least one kid next week to make a difference in the world--Wow... there is no amount of money that can buy me that feeling.

I am so thankful for this opportunity, not only do I have an opportunity to make a difference by inspiring someone next week, but I also get to make a turn onto a new life path that I've been planning for.  Thank you! 

My speech on Wednesday will be on Conflict Resolution, Peace and the Importance of community building. Oh yeah, before I forget to tell you I have never given a speech to any group larger than between 25 to 30, let alone 600 kids. 

When I'm done writing the speech tomorrow, I'll post it here on my blog. Please excuse the grammar errors. I am Still working on improving my grammar. 

Bruno LoGreco A Life Coach in Toronto

Life Paths

Goals

Do you have any goals, big, small or even huge?
Goals represent the purpose of our efforts. If there is no effort on our part, logic tell us there is no goal in mind? For us as human Beings, to be motivated, would imply that we must have a goal in mind, no matter how big or how small.

The word "motivate" comes from the latin word, motivus, which comes from the word movere, which means "to move." In order to be motivated, you need to be moving, to be working towards a goal.

Goals are based on two characteristics, your personality and your emotions. Your emotions will play two very important parts in you achieving your goals.

1. Your emotions will push you towards achieving your goals but will also push you back from achieving your goals; and
2. Providing you feedback on how you are doing towards achieving your goals.

Your personality is your form, the role you are playing. The word personality stems from the latin word persona, which refers to the masks worn by actors in early theater days.

Recognize that emotions trigger your unconscious ego to be active and at play when you are analyzing your goals. Recognize the self talk, the voice in your head as you attempt to achieve your goals. Can you hear the voice discouraging? That is your ego, trying to prevent you from achieving your goals or it could be trying to propel you to success.

Life Coach Toronto : Bruno LoGreco

Goals

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Should I or Shouldn’t I?

Sometimes our Egos will get the better part of us and we will do things we shouldn't do. Or should we?

I’m often asked if there were one life tip I could impart on anyone that could make a huge difference in his or her life, what would it be? My answer is: Learn how to drive the vehicle you are in. We are all traveling in the same direction through life in our own vehicles. It’s a one-way path going forward, there is no turning back, not for anyone. You could sit back and enjoy the ride and wait to see where it takes you, but if you are not careful, you might end up at a dead end, and remember it’s a one-way path, or you could turn-off and check out a new life path along the way. All you have to do is plan which paths you want to explore and turn-off when they are in sight.

When you begin to explore new paths, newer paths will begin to emerge along your journey. 

What we often fail to remember is that each one of us is in our own vehicle making our own decisions based on our life path. At times you will be encountered by people that will tell you, you have no business going down a specific path, because they don’t think it’s part of your life path. Don’t allow these people to think for you, or eventually you will be sitting in the passenger seat in their vehicle, through their life. If you feel it in you, and the desire and want is burning at you to travel down and explore a path, don’t let anyone stop you.

On a path I traveled not to long ago, I learned some incredible and extremely invaluable information. I’m an explorer by nature and love testing theories, so it was only natural for me to want to test what I learned on my website, http://www.brunologreco.com. I was very eager to test my theories, but the vehicles that was in very close range, believed I was on the wrong path and begged me to turn-off. I didn’t listen. I shouted back, “I’ll drive my vehicle, you drive your vehicle.” I’m glad I didn’t listen. The theories proved correct, and today, I enjoy the benefits.

Life Coach Toronto Bruno LoGreco

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Inspiration

Imagine waking up one morning and life as you once you knew it was no longer. Imagine what it would feel like if everything you once were afraid of was no longer a fear in you life, and everything you thought was the truth is a lie?

I've been on a new journey in my life since March 25th, 2007. This was the day that my life would forever change. Like a newborn baby in it's first few years of development, absorbing and learning, I feel as though I have been reprogramming my pre-frontal cortex, absorbing and relearning my behaviors. The pre-frontal cortex is the part of the brain where we store cognitive behaviors, personality expression, and social behaviors.

Although the physical change in my life did not occur until March of 2007, I have been on this path for several years, helping people for as long as I can remember. I love inspiring and motivating people from all walks of life to go after what they truly want with no barriers, no limitations. I believe if you truly believe in yourself and you truly feel you deserve it, you will have it. After reading countless self-help books that confirmed or strengthened my true beliefs, the writing was on the wall. I did not want to become a life coach, I already was a life coach.


One of my biggest fears has been writing. I was convinced that I could not write, I could not keep a thought, and my grammar, yeah, we wont even comment about that. But on that day back on March 25th, I questioned just about everything I believed about myself and from where and who did I learn it from. At the end of the analyzing process I had very little left in which I believed in. What once was, was no longer. My belief that I could not write, that I could not public speak, that I couldn't do this, or do that, they were all gone. How did I really know I couldn't do any of those things If I had never even tried? Where did I come up with the idea that I could not do some of things I've never tried?

Ok, so I'm not the greatest writer but I could write and I could keep a thought, I might have to write and rewrite my entry, but that's ok. Just as I uncovered the truth about my writing skills, I uncovered the truth about a whole lot more and I began to view life with a new set of eyes. I started to control my life, my future and my destiny. I sit in the driver's seat and navigate the many pathways I encounter on my new life journey.

I am the grade 8 kid that would never amount to nothing.

Bruno LoGreco a Toronto Life Coach

Inspiration

State Of Awareness Part II

What is it about complaining that makes us feel better? It's not like the problem goes away after we are done complaining. Take for example the person with the sunburn. They could complain all they want but the sunburn isn't going to heal any faster. (Then there is responsibility, but that’s a whole different discussion) But when they complain, it makes them feel better, like some sort of chemical was released into their body that instantly lowered their blood pressure, making them feel better. Well… at least for a few seconds it did. Then what, they started to complain again, right?

What do you think happens when someone is around to validate the complaining? Think about all the times you've complained about something and someone was around to hear you complain and they validated whatever you were complaining about. How did you feel after they validated your complaint? You felt better, right? Or at least for a few seconds you did. You felt validated, empowered, and it fueled your emotions. But did it change anything you were complaining about, even though something made you feel better? Shouldn't whatever you were complaining about be gone?

What really felt better for a few seconds? Ever hear of the Ego? The Ego is you, the unconscious you that is fueled by feelings and emotions. When someone validates your emotions (complaining), it makes you feel better, empowering the Ego to grow in strength. The stronger the Ego grows, the more emotional you become. The Ego grows whenever you identify with situations or objects. You will know when you have identified with something because you will become highly defensive and or call rights to objects, for example: My house; My car; My friend, etc.

When you become aware that your Ego is at play in your day-to-day life, and you can begin to recognize when you are about to become defensive or start placing ownership on objects, you will have reached a sate of awareness. Even if you become aware after the situation, you will be on your way to becoming fully aware. In this case, after you are done complaining.

Are you interested in learning how you can Master Your Self-Awareness or who Bruno LoGreco is? Visit www.brunologreco.com today.

Bruno LoGreco is a Successful Toronto Life Coach with International clients in North America, Asia, and Africa.

State Of Awareness Part II

State Of Awareness Part I

What is a state of awareness? What is all this talk about heighten awareness, living in the moment, Egos, it's like a new trend has irrupted and everyone wants a piece of it. Even Oprah is involved with her ten-week interactive course at www.oprah.com with author Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth Awakening to Your Life's Purpose.

I have to say the book is absolutely genius in the way Eckhart describes how we as humans operate and live our lives. If you never thought about your life and who you are as an individual, the book might be a little hard to imagine, but if you allow yourself to read the book with an open mind and try to connect to what Eckhart is saying, your life could change over night.

Why Do Humans Complain?

What happens to a person that complains about everything in life? Does their life get any better with more complaining? And does what ever they are complaining about go away? Does the complaining get worse throughout their lives? What does a person get out of complaining? Does complaining make the person feel better about themselves?

What would happen if we strip away a persons right to complain, what would happen to the person? What would you do if you couldn’t complain anymore? What if you have a sunburn and couldn’t complain, could you keep it to yourself? Could you reason with yourself? How would you control the urge not to complain about how bad it burns when you lie on your back?

What if you became aware that all you have been doing is complaining about your sunburn? Have you ever caught yourself complaining? What did you tell yourself? Did you consciously tell yourself to stop complaining?

If you have ever caught yourself complaining, you've reached a state of awareness. And if you've reached a state of awareness, then who is doing all the complaining.

State Of Awareness Part I

Summer Jobs for Summer Students

What would you do if someone offered to give you $3,000 to start your own Summer Company? Would you let it pass you by? Would you enquire and ask more questions? Or would you fall in a deep daydream, thinking about your idea and how amazing it would be if you had the $3,000 to make your dream come true.

What If I told you that the Government of Ontario is going to be giving a few of you $3,000 this summer to start your own business... What If told you in addition to the $3,000 to start your own Summer Company, you will also get a mentor to make sure you are successful.

Still interested in starting your own Summer Company
What are you waiting for, spaces are limited... http://www.summercompany.ca.

You just never know who your mentor might be.

Summer Jobs for Summer Students