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    Wednesday, March 31, 2010

    Who Am I?

    Who am "i", who is "self"? Am "i" all the experiences; the pleasurable and the uneventful? Am "i" all the good which has happened to me? Am "i" all the bad which has happened to me? Am "i" what "i" believe "self" can and cannot be? Am "i" what "i" think and what "i" feel? Am "i" what "i" believe and what "i" imagine to be based on my history? Am "i" what "i" see in the mirror (likes and dislikes)? Am "i" only what "i" can see?


    When "i" dream of becoming a celebrity but only to gain fame and fortune and to boost "i's" false sense of "self" confidence, one can conclude "i" has a big "ego". And at the other end if "i" is considered passive, nice, wouldn't kill a fly, one could generally conclude "i" is "egoless" and might have low "self" esteem. But in reality both the good and bad are egoic expressions based on "i" the personality.

    95% of what "i" does today will be an egoic expression. Everything from operating a motor vehicle to how "i" responds to its environment. "i" relieves "self" from the automatic functions which "i" executes moment-to-moment such as the amount of pressure "i" puts on the gas pedal and to the breaks, while "self" has conscious thought towards the vehicles ahead and to the traffic light that is just about to turn red. "SELF" is responsible for the remaining 5%.

    A true understanding of the word "ego" is all inclusive both the good the bad the nice and the ugly. It is everything including the saboteur who creates "self" doubt and the "self" limiting beliefs stopping "self" from new experiences and from growth. And it is also the unconditional loving, helping and caring person that "i" wants to be. It doesn't matter if "i" is a superstar or if "i" is a saint, whether "i" is shy and quiet or if "i" is loud and obnoxious. "i" is ego and that is what "self" sees.

    But what if "i" had nothing happen; "i" doesn't have much of a history - nothing good, nothing bad, who would "i" be? What if "i" isn't defined by history, not by the pleasurable nor the uneventful, who would "i" really be? What if "i" is stripped of the status, the fame and the fortune, what would be left for "SELF" to see?

    Who am I?

    Bruno LoGreco Life Coach, Toronto Mentor & Motivational Speaker


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    Sunday, March 28, 2010

    How to get back onto your life path

    Just like that it happened again – I lost my way. I must have taken a detour onto another path. For the past several months I’ve been working on a number of new projects as well as doing my own thing. I am writing a new book, preparing for seminars, and developing a new program for a high school among other things. With so much happening all around me I knew it was just a matter of time before something would take me off the path.

    Towards the end of February I suspected that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. I try not to react when I get this feeling. I believe that wrong turns are open doors for us to peak into. Sometimes an open door leads to another door and behind it is an opportunity, and sometimes it leads to another door and another and before you know it you are onto a new path. I recall saying to myself to take a peak and come right back. But I found another open door that led to a door with multiple doors – that’s when I got lost.

    Behind each door were new and exciting opportunities. They all seemed like fun and within the realm of my expertise. But it wasn’t exactly what I envisioned or planned for. But it was close enough – “Shoot for the stars” I reminded myself. Me just like many of you, I got sucked-up by the attraction to instant gratification, prestige and status. I swallowed the bate.

    A New Beginning

    This path looks a lot different than the one I was on not long ago. I don’t feel like myself and I am doing things I would not normally do. I feel my insides screaming: Warning – Warning – Warning! But I ignored the warnings. Nothing I do feels right. It feels like everything I do I am doing it because I believe it is what I should do to get more of the same, and nothing for me. I even avoid talking to me.

    This is definitely not the right path. “How do I get back?

    It was long over due. I took a timeout. I shut down for a few hours and reconnected with me. I turned everything off: computer, television, and people. And after a few minutes of breathing I was able to turn down the noise – the constant wave of chatter. And there he stood patiently waiting for my arrival.

    A familiar happy face finally appeared. I smiled back and said, “hello, where have you been?” “No, where have you been”, he said. It did not take us long to get reacquainted. Within a few minutes he drew a map and showed me the way. He also pointed at where I went wrong and why. After spending quality time with each other, he provided the encouragement and support i need for the next leg of my life journey. His final words to me were: “Don’t be gone for too long next time.

    It feels great to be back.


    Bruno LoGreco Life Coach, Toronto Mentor & Motivational Speaker

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    Wednesday, March 24, 2010

    Extra - Extra Read All About It: Emotional Time Bomb Waiting To Happen


    We all have one of those environments that we walk into, that no matter how hard we try to keep our emotions in check, somehow every time the usual suspects are together one thing leads to another and before anyone could see anything coming, emotions spew themselves everywhere giving everyone something to talk about. We lo-o-o-s-s-e it, then burst out of there.

    "Why does that always happen?"

    The worst part about it is, when you reflect on those experiences you realize the big to-do, which left everyone with something to talk about, didn’t even resolve the question that was asked at the beginning. You were speaking about apples and them bananas. Everyone missed the boat - and the boat before that, and the one before that one too.

    The trick to learning to defuse those situations from catching on fire in the first place is to become an observer. As hard as it is for some of us to do, a key skill needed to be an observer is to listen. We must sit and listen; watch on as others interact with one another, and listen to the many conversations and the responses to questions.

    When the brain is not lit light a Christmas tree, there isn’t a need to react to whatever is happening in front of us. We observe and take-in everything from body language to the energy within the room. We can even feel the tension rise. But if the brain is stimulated, hot and heavy and ready to fire torpedoes from one neuron to the next, we miss everything and never learn how to defuse a situation.

    After sitting through several experiences as an observer, only then could we really know who the troublemakers and instigators really are. And lets not forget about Debbie Downer. She knows how to suck the life out of anyone with her stories. Now we are armed with a wealth of information and we will think twice before allowing them into manipulate us into a full out war.

    Bruno LoGreco Life Coach, Toronto Mentor & Motivational Speaker
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    Monday, March 22, 2010

    The power to influence the course of events

    What do you think it would be like to be able to influence the course of events - The power to change something and to create a desired outcome? What could you do with this power if you knew you had it? What if you possess this power already but haven’t been shown how to use it? Would you want to know how to use it to improve the quality of your life?

    Imagine for a moment what your life would be like if you had the power to alter the path you’re on this very moment. Imagine possessing a force so powerful that it pushes through any barrier, which might prevent you from choosing another path. The energy to leap and to jump over any hurdle in your way, and the courage you long to take the step that you know that you must.

    Take a moment and imagine living in a fantasy world. Here you can wish for anything. Create a vision and fulfill it with delight – look around you for inspiration. It is everywhere and could be anything you care for it to be - It can be a world far from reality. It is a world fulfilled with whatever life the imagination can dream. When you’re ready and have a vision close your eyes and hold on to it real tight.

    What does it look like; how does it feel? What kind of world did you imagine could come real? Did you get excited at the idea? Did you believe for a moment that it could be real? Hold on to that feeling and make it be real.

    You already have the power to influence the course of events. All that you must do is take a conscious decision and say that you will. Everything you will need to know will be known when you need to know it so try not to think ahead. Now all that is left is for you to take the step that you know that you must.

    Go on, what are you waiting for?

    Bruno LoGreco Life Coach, Toronto Mentor & Motivational Speaker
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    Tuesday, March 16, 2010

    "Figure it out!" The "right" thing to do for the "right" life to live

    Lets face it the majority of the population doesn’t have the means to send their children abroad for education. Most of us graduate high school and go onto college either in state or somewhere within the country. The only inspiration many of us got before having to choose a career path were all-inclusive resorts somewhere tropical and school trips to museums, which many of us hardly paid any attention to. And somehow we were expected to “figure it out” all before going onto college.

    Unfortunately, most of us do not "figure it out." Actually, many of us don’t figure it out until late in life long after graduating from college, if we do at all. And yet there is this overwhelming expectation, which is on us from a very young age, plus the pressure we put on our self to become that illusionary person. We don’t even know our identity yet let alone the person we believe we must become.

    Into the 20’s the goal for many of us is to hurry up to find a mate – a connection with someone to settle down and start a family with. So we scramble to find a career so that we can earn money to buy a home with a white picket fence before the children arrive. Some how that is what we believe is the "right" thing to do, adding more pressure onto our shoulders as we chase what we believe is the “right” life.

    What happens when we can’t achieve what we believe we must do to become the persona we believe we should be?
    It is difficult to live up to those expectations because they are not real – they’re illusionary making it impossible to achieve. It knocks out the self-confidence within us when no matter how hard we try it never seems "good enough", so we give-up. We become unmotivated to try new things or to meet new people, and slowly draw a box around our lonely existence hoping to lure another person into joining us. Some of us do find that other person to join into our box and some of us don’t.

    That overwhelming feeling created from the self-belief of not being "good enough" doesn’t have to be there. Nobody told us that we need inspiration before we could really “figure it out” and find a career path that serves us. But nobody told us that we couldn’t find our own inspiration and career path which best serves us either. It’s simply a choice we choose to make based on what we choose to believe.

    Who am I?

    We are not defined by what we do or the roles we play, nor is it by our material possessions and the perception of others. We are defined by core values, morals and ethics, strengths, talent and the skills which we are shy about, and by our weaknesses too - the things we don’t do so well. We are even the things we don’t like about ourselves.

    Those are the things that make us, and the sooner we learn what those are the sooner we will stop chasing what we believe is the “right” thing and the “right” life and really “figure it out” once and for all so that we can feel good about ourselves and know that we are "good enough."

    Bruno LoGreco Toronto Life Coach & Mentor, Motivational Speaker and TV Personality

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    Wednesday, March 10, 2010

    Get a life! You need one with Love, Growth & Fulfillment. Here's how:


    Why do so many of us seek self-improvement? Why do we have a need to improve upon our overall behavior and to become better individuals? Is it because we see others on a similar journey and wish for the same? Or is it mankind natural development to fulfill the need for purpose, love, continual growth, and fulfillment?

    Are we naturally programmed physiologically to fulfill a need? If so why is it so unnatural and difficult for many of us to fulfill this need? Why is it difficult to make the necessary life changes? We know we must do something to change our way to gain a better perspective on life but we simply don’t know how. Most of us have a basic understanding of what it will take to make a life change: Identify the problem, create a solution (plan), and stick to it. And if we think positive we are more likely to succeed. But something always happens along the way. We get distracted and focus our attention onto something else and forget about the plan. We forgot that we even tried and whatever lessons that came with it. And without any real explanation as to “why”, we sweep the problem under the rug, to be forgotten. And if we should get questioned by anyone; defend and makeup excuses to why its impossible to make a change.

    So is it really mankind’s “natural development?” If it is, it sure is very difficult to achieve. Or so we may think. Maybe it is simpler than we believe and we just aren’t aware how to develop it…

    Happiness is, love and success. However, everyone’s interpretation of happiness is different. Some of us interpret happiness a feeling of contentment or a sense of confidence; some of us interpret it as achieving a level of success, which comes with status, material wealth and gain. For others it will be for being grateful for life. And to a very small minority it will be for the Love of Life, the gift, which is shared. Any one of us could arrive to any one of those interpretations. It is based upon our internal belief system – what we believe about ourselves, and life. If we believe happiness comes from the external world, then at any moment something can make us happy and by the same token it can also make us sad. If we believe we will only be happy once we achieve success as defined by “status” we might have to work hard before we experience it, but we will definitely need to pray to never lose it. But when we have passion within our soul, happiness flows like harmony and it will never leave us.

    Passion, purpose, love, growth, and fulfillment - Every need we have originates from within our soul. It is part of our physiological makeup. We all have the same opportunity to develop those needs, if we believed in, and valued those needs. We want to become better people, but not all of us are willing to put in the time to do the work to become better people. Living with passion, purpose, love and growth which leads to fulfillment begins only when we take a close and hard look into the mirror.

    Where do I even begin?

    It starts with us. When we begin to appreciate what we see when we look into the mirror and start to develop a relationship with our inner soul without distraction or self-judgment, that is when we will begin to learn who we really are and what we are meant to do. Our purpose is based upon our true identity. We can't have a purpose unless we know who we are and what makes us special. And Everyone is special or we wouldn't be here trying to serve a purpose.

    Our identity determines our purpose and what we deem intellectually stimulating. When we learn about new things, which are congruent to our identity, we develop natural skills and become that much more effective at it. And because it is our identity – we don’t consume nearly as much energy living our purpose, it is second nature to us, and life becomes effortlessly. When life becomes effortlessly, we find love in everything. We become passionate about what we do, we grow as individuals and fulfill our need for fulfillment.

    Life: "The capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity and continual change preceding death."

    Bruno LoGreco Life Coach & Mentor

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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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