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    Tuesday, January 27, 2009

    An Out Of Balance Life Coach - Are Your 5 Pillars Balanced?


    I’m at a loss for words. I feel the candle burning at both ends, again. I am slowly falling out of balance in each of my pillars due to the constant go-go-go in the past few weeks. I’ve had very little down time, or as I call it ‘me’ time, causing my stress level to elevate, even though I have taken some action to reduce the stress level, I don’t feel I have done enough yet.

    Today is a packed day with three life-coaching clients, two business meetings, and ending with a Toastmaster International meeting late this evening. As I look to the week ahead, every day looks pretty much the same with no ‘me’ time anywhere in my schedule. Gone are the days when Friday was ‘me’ day. Friday is now a full day of client meetings, deliverables - anything but ‘me’ day.

    Fortunately, I do recognize the pattern, and I must do something to rebalance the pillars within my life. I can only work so many hour within one day and at the end of my day I must shut down and relax or I will become useless, not only in my life coaching practice but also with my business clients.

    Effective immediately I cancelled all Sunday life coaching sessions and rescheduled each client session during the week. I will make every effort to end my business day at 5 p.m. to allow myself time to prepare and enjoy my dinner, and to unwind with a book or a TV show before laying to rest. If I implement these changes I should have Saturday and Sunday for ‘me’.

    This upcoming Sunday I am taking a drive to visit my spiritual coach. Yes, even I have a coach. The plan is to experience The Five Tibetan Yoga’s. I’m certain I will feel refreshed and invigorated when I return Sunday.

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    1. Can you recognize when one of your pillars is off?
    2. What do you do to rebalance your 5 pillars? 

    The 5 Pillars 
    • Intellect 
    • Finance 
    • Spiritual
    • Physical 
    • Emotional 

    Bruno LoGreco Master Life Coach & Mentor

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    12 comments:

    Laura ~Peach~ said...

    can a person have TOO much me time? when does loneliness cross that line of depression? why when one is sad or in pain the strike out and hurt the ones they love the most?

    Anonymous said...

    Some people are constantly redefining the priorities in their lives. That you mention pillars is a great way to encourage signposts or points of reference to reflect on. People will integrate these if they make sense at a given moment. At the same time, some people create frames of reference that differ from the status quo. Approaches are meaningful based on a very subjective perspective.

    Bruno LoGreco said...

    I don't think a person can have TOO much 'me' time, but that depends on where they're at in life. Loneliness to me means that the person is not comfortable with their thoughts. Depression slips in because they relive the past over and over. In many cases reliving the past also means reliving the emotions and replaying the scenario with different outcomes. With each outcome you experience an emotion, the more outcomes you play-out, the further into depression you may fall. What the person does not realize is the thoughts they experience which ignite the emotions is only an illusion – Its what you want to see, not reality. Letting go of the past allows people to fully enjoy ‘me’ time without feeling lonely. This is not the only cause of depression.

    Most anger is generally geared toward family members – they are the ones that make you feel invalidated, unimportant, and unappreciated, so naturally if you’re having a day of past thoughts, family members and loved ones are generally prime targets. The trick is to self-validate, and to have unconditional self-love.

    Bruno LoGreco said...

    I agree! Any approach, subjective or objective, as long as it makes sense to the person and it works – I say go for it. Personally, redefining my priorities to what is important to me helps rebalance my pillars – I resonate best with these reference points.

    You make me think Liara - I like it. Thank you!

    Mona said...

    good for you bruno for being aware and doing something about it (:

    Tibetan Yoga? How exciting!! I want to hear all about it (:

    oh yeah, i now can catch myself...most of the time...before i tumble into that dark hole and I too must pull back to rest and recenter...rescheduling if necessary (:

    Jen - Queen of Poo said...

    It happens to all of us sometimes doesn't it? It's good that you can see it happening before you wind up burned out and stuck.

    Trey Baird said...

    Well Bruno, what works best for me is a vacation. A time when I agree to stop working, and live life to be happy for however long it will be, whether its for a week, a weekend, or shorter.

    What I need to do is to do this more often. My last "vacation" was in July... yikes! Thanks for the reminder!

    World of Rian ... mind it ! the mind at 8yrs.. said...

    Hi Bruno

    I liked your concept of the 5 pillars.. and one needs to evaluate which of these may be off balance and needs attention..
    but I have a slightly reversed theory and tell me what u think of it... i believe across all pillars of life ONE pattern traverses that is linked to an individual's life tendency but it appears in diff times/forms.. (i know sounds a bit heavy and esoteric) success lies in identifying that and finding ur unique strength to surpass it.

    Bruno LoGreco said...

    Thanks Mona! I decided not to go to Toastmasters last night. I shut down around 7:30, made a small dinner and watched American Idol. I feel better today.

    Being able to adjust your priorities so that you don't end up in that black hole requires a level of self-awareness - A special gift I am thankful for as i'm sure you are. :)

    I like to say it does happen to everybody and if you're not aware, you do burnout and you might end up stuck. Not a good place to be. Thanks Jen!

    Welcome Trey! I couldn't agree with you more - I desperately need a real vacation - Ocean, palm trees and no computer. Enjoy your next vacation. :)

    Bruno LoGreco said...

    I share your thoughts, Ritu. True success does lie in identifying ones true passion and purpose - Everybody has one, but its buried beneath all the noise, that sometimes we miss it. Some people use their talent daily but because it's part of who they are, they do not recognize it - to them it's common sense so they don't view it as a talent/passion/purpose, but if they look carefully, like you said, it links each pillar together.

    Welcome Ritu!

    Mona said...

    glad you are feeling better (:

    Bruno LoGreco said...

    Thanks Mona!!

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    Ten Powerful Self-Coaching Tips

    By Bruno LoGreco

    Are you living the life of creativity and happiness that you've always dreamed of, or are you allowing your fears or other outside factors to influence you?

    Following the path that your heart's desires requires courage and might require a shift in attitude. There are several methods you can use to act as your own life coach and start working toward the life you dream of.

    Ideas for self-improvement

    You don't need to change every aspect of your life at once in order to improve your attitude and outlook on life. Self-improvement can feel daunting if you try to change everything at once.

    A good way to embark on your journey of self-coaching is to make one change and see what kind of impact it has upon your life. The following tips are designed to help you improve your life and become your own life coach. Try out one of the following tips at a time to positively impact your attitude and daily life.

    1. Find some ‘you' time. Everyone needs time alone to meditate and recharge. You may think you don't have extra time in your day. Start with 10-20 minutes to use for meditation or silent reflection.

    2. Ask yourself what you truly want in life. Are you living your life according to your true dreams and desires? You may be unaware of your desires that lie hidden beneath your surface needs and wants, so take the time to find out.

    3. Write everything down. Even if your thought seems silly, write it down! You may be surprised by the inspiration and ideas you can come up with.

    4. Journal daily, but with a twist. Instead of just writing about today, try writing about yesterday.

    5. Keep track of the "happy moments." Each day has potential for many small moments that bring joy and happiness. If you don't make a special note of them, you may not even recognize the small joys in your day.

    6. Choose one task each night to complete the next day. This way, you have focus, and you accomplish at least one task. Tasking and taxing yourself with effort is important in reaching goals.

    7. Smile when you wake up. Smiling is contagious. By smiling you improve your mood and can potentially improve someone else's day as well.

    8. Give thanks each night. Gratitude will improve your outlook on life and help you see all the good and wonderful moments of your day.

    9. Try something new. A new experience fuels creativity and your enjoyment of the day.

    10. Create at least one memorable moment each day. Make each day unforgettable, even if in a small way!

    Taking the next step with a life coach

    Self-coaching tips are great ideas for helping you improve your life. However, you can take your life to the next level with a life coach and mentor. A professional life coach can help you set goals and help you move forward with your dreams. If you're looking for the right path toward happiness, a life coach can help you discover the path your heart truly desires.

    Want to learn more about self-improvement? Bruno LoGreco is a Life Coach Toronto and mentor. Visit BrunoLoGreco.com and find out how to unleash your potential for success and happiness.

    The Success Indicators on Your Life Path

    Many people seek out a particular goal in their life path and are content when they achieve it. The chance to broaden their horizons or learn new things within an existent structure is not as appealing to them as it is to some others. This is an issue that arises in many individuals because they mistakenly think they have achieved what they wanted to in their lives. The plethora of environmental noise around them begins to infringe upon their goals and forces them to lose sight of what they truly wanted.

    A good way to think of this problem is to envision a large square box. This is not just any box though. Rather, in this case, your box has been divided into three separate, but equally shaped rectangular boxes, all stacked on top of one another. Each of these rectangular boxes is a highly important expression of your life goals -- individual levels of success. Within each of these levels of success is an indicator that tells you how close you are to becoming successful in this area of your life.

    Every area of your life that you identify as a potential path for success can be further divided, containing the many different events and obstacles you will encounter as you strive to reach your goals. Think of each sector of your life as being divided even further, with three new sections within one of the three stacked boxes (sectors). Within each stacked box are three separate sections, divided by dotted lines that make up the life path you will follow. These dotted lines are not the same as the solid lines dividing the sectors -- they are a path that you have envisioned since childhood -- a series of goals and pathways to success that you want to follow.

    As young people, these life paths may not be fully formed. Or they might be crystal clear in our minds--long, straight life paths from the early days of college and adult living to the ultimate goal of success that you have always strived for. You can see exactly what you need to do to reach each success indicator and achieve what you have set out to accomplish. And you probably did just this. After all, your goals as a youth were to be successful in the same way that you saw thousands of others live their lives. You wanted to reach your success indicators and experience the measure of success by which you would measure you life for decades to come.

    However, nothing is ever as simple as we envision it during youth. There are countless factors that interfere with your ability to clearly see those success indicators and life paths to success. These factors, or "Environmental Noise," can be detrimental to even the most focused of individuals. Think of what would happen if you dumped the contents of downtown New York into your box and tried to maintain your focus on those goals. Would you even be able to see your life path anymore?

    Everyone must travel their life path with environmental noise inundating them from all sides. It begins to become cloudy. The dotted lines, our life paths, begin to look like the straight lines and the success indicators start to be confused with any number of different distractions.

    And then something will happen and you will realize that you are in fact nowhere near the original success indicators you set for yourself. Everything has changed and yet you are stuck in a way. You are deep within the center of the middle rectangular box and you have no idea which way to go or how to get back on track. The noise only grows louder and you grow dizzy trying to regain your focus.

    It is in this instant that you must clear the noise and return to the basic, almost instinctive mode of thought you experienced as a child. What did you want from life? Where did you want to go? What do you need to get to that point? What was my life path? All of these questions must be asked without the distractions of the world around you muddying up your thought process. When you can revert to a very simple perspective of the world and only spend time thinking of what you want from life, you can be that much more successful.

    You can succeed in life despite the environmental noise, cruising down your life paths and moving through your rectangles with ease, but oftentimes you need a helping hand to clear away the noise and look at life with fresh eyes. There is nothing wrong with asking for help to weed out these distractions and remove the clutter from your life sectors with a professional life coach.

    Is your life path inundated with environmental noise? Learn how you can lift the noise and begin reestablishing your success indicators today. Visit www.brunologreco.com a Life Coach Toronto today.

    Chapters.ca

    Top 10 Benefits to Journaling

    By Bruno Logreco

    There are countless reasons to maintaining a journal. The top ten benefits of journaling may differ from person to person. However, there seems to be general themes that are attractive in the collective unconscious. Many people are looking to daily entries of their personal experiences to reap some of the following rewards.

    Maintaining a journal is a natural way to exercise the brain. People who make regular entries are taking time to develop writing and communication skills that are very valuable in everyday interactions. This mental exercise also helps to allow your thoughts to flow freely.

    Creativity is a second benefit to consider. This is an important aspect of journaling. The right hemisphere of the brain is associated with visual, imaginative and intuitive facets of thought. When you take time to write, you free the right hemisphere. The ideal entry will be one that puts the inner editor on hold. Thoughts and ideas should flow freely and naturally.

    The uninhibited nature of this form of writing serves a third benefit of developing self awareness. People often create different faces to meet various circumstances. We tend to recreate in distinct situations including the work environment, the community and even when at home.

    The process of keeping a journal helps you recognize the various aspects of your unique personality. The growing self awareness is a powerful force that can lead to even greater benefits in the future. Gaining insight into the self is among the most important aspects to maintaining a journal.

    The fourth benefit is the ability to set priorities. Once you get a grasp on the thoughts and emotions that are filtered through your personal experience, you begin to gain control of them. The process eventually leads to a greater understanding of what is and what is not important.

    The ability to re-see the past is another great benefit of keeping a journal. The pages can be revisited with a fresh perspective. It can be very surprising how much your understanding of an event changes over a relatively short period of time. Some writers find great moments of epiphany when rethinking and rereading entries.

    Journaling is a fantastic problem-solving resource. The approach of using entries to come up with various solutions to troubles is a little different than approaches for self awareness and growth. Many people choose temporary brainstorming techniques that serve to give viable solutions to problems.

    The seventh benefit of journaling is variety. You can choose what kind of entries you want to make. Common choices include brainstorming sessions, automatic writing and reflective notes. Personal journal entries can be made upon inspiration, when you first wake or right before you fall asleep. Some choose to do a combination of these.

    Purging is the eighth benefit to this practice. Many people find it helpful to place negative thoughts and feelings down on paper. Once the negative energy is placed on the page, they are free to let it go. This practice also works well when dealing with anger towards another individual. Purge the negativity and work towards a constructive approach.

    The ability to communicate with others is another benefit of keeping a journal. Those who work with life coaches can find a wealth of resources for sessions. Journaling can help you tap into your fears and dreams, helping your coach gain insight through entries that you choose to share.

    The tenth benefit is improvement in your overall health. Journaling reduces stress. It provides time for you to meditate. The process helps to make the positive forces in your life surface and it helps to bring the harmful elements into light. The result of personal journaling is a new perspective on how you can take control of many aspects of your life.

    Want to learn how online journaling can help you reach goals and problem solve? Learn more about life coach Toronto at brunologreco.com and journaling at iijournal.

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