Mid-Life Crisis at 32

Anyone can have a mid-life crisis. You don't even have to be mid-life. You just have to be at a place where you want something new -- a job, a relationship, a day job at ebay. Anything that will alleviate the boredom, the anxiety, the distress of being trapped in the box you call your life. Now, it may not be all that dramatic for you. You may be more the eating- Mallomars-in-bed-and-watching-TV-all-day type. But however it manifests for you, one day you may wake up and want it to go away.

You've always been successful before. Grad school Cum Laud, a Porsche at 25...but now you have a dilemna. Do you duck out of your responsibilities and head for the south of France, or do you DO SOMETHING--ANYTHING!

Coaching gives you the start, the lighted match, the spark, to get it going. Every client of mine is different, yet all are the same in one respect. They come for coaching in order to get into ACTION. Because action leads to results.

The results you get may not be the ones you started out to find, but you will have started the flow of energy and kicked old entropy out the door.

This post is dedicated to James: The action master of them all!

The Hippest Chick

From what I'm reading, 500,000 Americans are now getting hip replacements every year. Not one to avoid a trend, I too, had my hip replaced -- my right hip. Now, you may be saying, "Couldn't find a cheaper, easy trendy thing to do, maybe yoga or pilates?" I could have. But since I needed it done anyway, I did it. The trick was in the preparation. The most important part of anything in life is the MENTAL part (after, of course, the Spiritual part. But that is another post entirely...)!

I got ready for surgery by doing what any self-respecting woman would do -- I bought a new dress and a new purse. And I had my bathroom (just my section) painted pink!

I also got new towels and bedding and a rolling cart for next to the bed. And invited friends to the hospital. My best friend from childhood for the surgery through the next day, my cousin the Dr., for the first night (he brought dinner at the behest of his girlfriend), and a good friend for the second night when my husband went to a business Christmas party. (It's cool -- I made him go).

So, I arranged to make myself as comfortable as possible, and then used the best mental trick known to man: I went into denial. Not the river in Egypt, the place that said that everything is normal and that I love sleeping on my back.

Additionally, I used Angel Therapy (Doreen Virtue), Guided Imagery and Color Therapy. And I hired someone to help out with meals, etc.

And I promised a friend that I would write about it. To help other people. So, if you are looking at joint replacement therapy, and feel you could benefit from some coaching by someone who has been there, please call us: Believe & Achieve Coaching, www.bealeeve.com!

How's Your Diet?

It's the first week of February. Have you stuck to your New Year's Resolution about shedding those last ten pounds? If you are still in the game, but faltering, do this now: Go to your kitchen and dump (that's right) all soft drinks down the drain. Trash the chips and get rid of the ice cream. Get in a good supply of bottled water and fresh fruit and vegetables. You are eating to live, not living to eat! If you are not happy to hear these words, then think about why. If you are someone who can eat two chips at a sitting, you can have them in the house -- if not, they have to go. The number on the scale will be a bigger reward than the junk you are putting into your body. And stop eating after 6 p.m. If you do that, you are guaranteed to cut a lot of calories. Make the goal the reward and find some friends to support you! As always, if you need motivation, get Coached!

How to Start Your Week

If you are having the Monday, post-Super Bowl blahs, here is a quick fix. Throw on some sweats (if you're not at work) and get out of the house. Go to the market and buy some fruit. The fragrance alone will help. If you are at work, try drinking some orange juice or eating fresh fruit. If it's not on your eating plan, try some fresh vegetables, combined with a short walk in the fresh air. This is a good way to de-pizza and beer yourself and change your head-space. Have a great week! And if you need help with your goals, Life Coaching may be for you!

Authentic Voice

I am sitting in the cafe of a chain bookstore, part of a community of people -- some readers, others using their computers, and even a few people having conversations. One woman is on the phone. Is it eavesdropping when her words land on my ears? Now she's gone back to talking to a young man --not her son -- giving him advice about a girl. And in the background, the coffee grinder is intermittently whirring away. This is a snapshot of contemporary American life. The advice lady is at it again. Is she a therapist? His therapist? She's asking him questions, but not like a coach. She's trying to get him to see the "reality" of the situation by asking him questions -- but in kind of a repetitive way. Why would you have such a personal conversation in such a public place? I'm listening -- because I'm hearing it -- for the technique, the vocabulary, the questions, the answers. And thinking about coaching, done over the phone, in complete privacy, completely confidential. I hear judgment in the voice of the woman, and the young man keeps answering. Now they are going to walk -- realizing perhaps that they are being heard. Having an authentic voice has a paradoxical duality. To hear, you must listen -- even to, or especially to -- yourself. Your voice, your soul, your animus, are revealed in your listening as they are in your speech, your words, your voice. Coaching can help you cross the divide between what you hear, what you say, and finally, what you do. (To be continued).

Unanswered Questions, Guest Blogger, Paula Shumaker O'Donnell

A LITTLE HELP ALONG THE WAY
Because success is a journey...
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS...
Many times in our lives we have questions that don’t have any
easy answers.
Sometimes they are important questions and we would like for them to be resolved.
They can cause heartache, frustration, or anger and can keep us stuck if we
dwell on them.
So what do you do when you are in a situation with unanswered questions?
You make soup.
You clean your house.
You throw yourself into a project.
You pray.
You let it go for a while because there isn’t anything you know to do.
You focus on work and things you can control. You make decisions that are right
for you. You learn that not all of life has answers—easy or otherwise.
But you never give up.
And you always hope...that one day, you will get the answers you were looking for.
Dec. 6, 2010
© 2010 Paula Shumaker O’Donnell, Springfield, Missouri
417-838-0277- MyCoachPaula@aol.com

Jana Brauninger, Musician

Jana Brauninger--

The other day while practicing I slowly began to realize that all I was thinking about were my flaws. Of course I was working on them at the time, but somehow...something inside me let go of my obsessions and instead I imagined somone amazing playing with ease. That lead me to this inspired question: HOW WOULD I PLAY IF IT WERE EASY?
Everything changed then. Everything.

Jana used her own inner wisdom to shift her reality. If you want to do the same and be supported, Life Coaching is for you!

Thank you Jana for your words of inspiration!