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Your Growing Edge
You've probably heard the term "leading edge" used to refer to technology or products that are in front of the curve, that are really advanced. You may have even heard the term "bleeding edge" in this context. I want to talk to you about your personal "leading edge," your growing edge. Your growing edge is that area of your life where there's still a lot of room for improvement but you are pushing ahead and stretching the margins of that area every day. For some this is productivity in business, for others it's personal balance, for still others it's family time and quality of interaction. How do you find your growing edge and what do you do about it once you've identified it? First, finding your growing edge. This can be easier than you might expect. It's a simple matter of looking at your life over the last few months or year and seeing what challenges you keep bumping up against. For me, it's eating right. I don't eat breakfast or lunch and I eat too much junk. Over the last year I've struggled with this repeatedly, each time managing to eat "well" for a little longer, but then falling back into my old habits. The point is that I am growing in this area. You may have an area like this, too. You're challenged by it, you make some changes, you retreat from these changes, and you make the changes again. So what do you do with this "growing edge"? Exactly what you've been doing, only more so. If you've been building a new habit and then letting it go in times of stress, which is what most people do, then you need to develop new stress habits. It's easy to do the right thing during calm, peaceful times in your life, as if any of us really have those. It's harder when the real stress starts. So what you need to do is develop a list of things you can do during a stressful time to keep your new habit going. For me, a real problem when I'm stressed is caffeine. I have a problem staying off of it, and when I'm stressed I guzzle it. My ways to avoid caffeine include not having it in the house, keeping plenty of decaf soda cold, and drinking more milk. I love milk, so this is not a hardship. When I get a caffeine craving I have a glass of milk. The bottom line on this is that action leads to solutions. Make a list of actions you can take to keep your growing edge growing, even when you don't feel like it, and keep taking those actions. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know how you are doing. About The Author Angie Dixon helps small business owners get their acts together. She is a personal development coach specializing in helping people integrate their home and work lives so they feel less stretched and more balanced. Get her FREE EBOOK on balance at http://www.discoveringtruenorth.com. For questions or to discover how coaching can change your life, contact Angie at mailto:angie@discoveringtruenorth.com. You are free to use this article in ezines, web sites and print publications. If you do use it, please send a quick email to mailto:angie@discoveringtruenorth.com. Thank you.
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Coaching Three Fs and a Challenge It's no secret that life is a tricky animal to understand and it's even harder to tame it so that it delivers what you want. But from my work in the world of personal development I've figured out three simple things that can transform any situation, any problem, any issue...and any life. Three things that once in place can bring the best out of you, bring the best to you and allows you to enjoy all of it. What are these three things? I call them the Three F's - Fun, Fulfillment and Freedom. Testy Horses and the Art of Speed Waiting "What are you waiting for?" said Nelson, looking at me impatiently. "Well? Go on. Get saddled up!" If I Had 24 Hours To Live A few years back, the ex-recording artist, turned Pastor, turned recording artist again, Mase, had a record out called "If I Had 24 hours to live?" Planting Seeds of Action Recently, I was driving past a local nursery and saw a sign that said, "Fall Is For Planting." As I drove, the idea on the sign was gnawing away at me. I asked myself, "what am I planting for fall?" What actions will I take now that will, with some love and nurturing, bring me a splendid and bountiful winter harvest? How to Get Rid of Inaction Paralysis! How many times have you come up with a brilliant idea only to find yourself paralyzed with inaction and wondering/regretting why you never pursued it? Ever Feel Like Your Elevator Is Stuck Between Floors? What do you do when you make a big mistake? When you fail? When you suffer defeat? When everything just goes wrong? When serious misunderstandings develop with others? When it appears like there is no way out? When solutions to your problems just seem impossible? 5 Ways to Fight Pessimism Some people are naturally pessimistic and are happy being so. They view themselves as pragmatic and as having a better sense of reality. Then there are those of us who feel weighed down by negativity and wish that we could be more optimistic. This is completely possible. It all lies in the way we perceive things... 1. Stress management When we conceal our anxieties, they only build. Each concern can snowball into a feeling of being overwhelmed. Each person has their own way of letting off steam. This varies from exercise, to listening to music, to reading a good book. More of us are beginning to realize how important proper stress management is to both our physical and mental health. 2. Constant reality checks It is sometimes necessary to debate the validity of your concerns to determine whether they are rational or not. This is called self-rationalization and one of the most recognized methods is the worst case scenario. This is when you consider the worst possible situation, then go on to consider whether it is likely to happen. For example, a loved one said they would call once they arrived by subway to a certain destination. They should have reached that destination 15 minutes ago. You may dream up scenarios of there being a train accident or some other frightful incident took place. But after a little thought, you find that it's more probable that they either have yet to reach their stop or they will simply call you when it is convenient for them. You never want to leap to conclusions and cause yourself unnecessary stress. 3. Support of friends and family Friends and family are usually more than willing to provide you with a much needed reality check. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have close friends and family members to confide in though. It is detrimental to find some type of support when you are feeling extremely confused or overwhelmed. This support may have to come from a trusted co-worker or a member of a support group. Sometimes all it takes is another person's point of view to put things into perspective. 4. Own your feelings Accept that you have complete control over your perceptions and internal responses. You may not have control over what happened on your commute to work that upset you. But you are able to decide whether you become relieved when the day is finally over, or frustrated, claiming you are always being dealt a bad hand. Dont Just Hope - Decide! As the story goes, a single college-age guy went to the airport one day to pick up a friend. As he waited for his friend to come off the plane, he noticed a man hurrying through the crowd, calling to the woman and two children standing next to him. The woman and two children were calling to the man as well. The man rushed up to the woman, took her in his arms, looked into her eyes, said "It's been too long!" and gave her a big kiss. As he bent down to hug each of his children he said "I've missed your faces so much." 6 Simple Steps To Accelerating your Learning What is Accelerated learning? Even Though As often happens following one of the Best Year Yet programs I do, a message emerges for Monday Morning Coach. Recently I conducted a BYY workshop and what struck me was how often participants (I include myself in this group, since each time I present it, I am also vicariously examining my own life) stop themselves from taking action because of the underlying belief that they don't have "enough," or aren't enough (smart enough, thin enough, ready enough, etc.) to make things happen. Trust Your Intuition! How many times have you been faced with a decision to make and all of a sudden you get this feeling of instinctively knowing what you must do? Something inside you is telling you the difference between what you should do and what you are meant to do. Many people interpret this as a hunch, a gut feeling or having an inkling. Stained Glass Windows Elizabeth Kubler Ross once said, "People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun comes out, but when the darkness sets in, their beauty is revealed only if there is light on from within." Finding the Easy Way For the last hour I have been sweating over what I will write about in "Roy Bits." I have been laying in bed trying to conjure up something in my head. After I made my morning pilgrimage to the washroom, I sat down half asleep in front of the computer slumped over my desk with my head resting on folded arms and eyes closed trying to imagine what I would write about. Violating Boundaries: Assert Yourself and Take Charge "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin People Who Get What They Want: What Are They Thinking? Imagine being able to choose any outcome and automatically feel motivated to make it happen. Life Doesnt Have A Sell By Date Or does it? 212 Degrees At 211 degrees, water is pretty darn hot. Regret or Passion? Which Will Be Yours? I once attended a retreat on how to live with passion and fulfill one's life's work. The facilitator posed the question, "If money was not an issue, yet you had to work full-time, what would you do?" Answering this question was a turning point for me. Now - years later - I am doing much of what came up in my answer. Quick Steps To Handle Setbacks Looking for a way to handle a setback? Listening Skills Listen to win Sales
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