The Re-Invention of You

2017-11-05 ~ adminlife

If you’ve ever wanted to alter some things about yourself, maybe now is the time to consider it. We see it in the entertainment industry all the time: an entertainer used to look a certain way and behave a certain way in public or while performing. Then, one day, you see them on TV and wow, what a difference!

The entertainer’s hair is changed, her style of clothing isn’t even similar to what she used to wear, and she may even relate to people in a completely novel manner. She has completely re-invented herself!

You, too, can make such changes and step out in a whole new you!

Follow these steps to bring out your transformation:

What’s on your fantasy list of changes you want to make? Let your thoughts and ideas flow and jot them down. What would you change about yourself if you had the power?

Focus on the top 3 things you wish to change. For the best success, direct your energy to no more than a few things at a time. Circle the top 3 things you want to work on.

To illustrate, maybe you want to change your hair color and style, reduce your weight by 15 pounds, and wear a more classic style of clothing.
Perhaps you want to work out to build muscle, discover a new relationship, and develop a deeper interest in your career.

Ponder the reasons you wish to make these changes. Delve deep within yourself to consider why making these changes are important to you. Were you bullied in high school and don’t feel very positive about yourself? Do you believe you can move closer toward the type of life you want if you make the desired changes?

Perhaps you think you’ll be happier or more successful when you take steps to become the person you want to be. Giving some thought to the reasons you want to change these aspects of yourself will help you recognize where you want to be heading in life.

Design a brief plan for each area you want to alter. Using some of the examples in #2, getting a different hair color and cut is as simple as setting an appointment and going to the hairdresser. Losing the weight will take a bit more thought and effort. What will you do to get started on your plan now?

You might cut out sodas and fattening desserts and have breakfasts of yogurt and fruit or 1 scrambled egg with 1 toast.
Doing a wardrobe overhaul costs money. Plan to obtain clothing you want little by little. Consult fashion websites to learn about styles and basic wardrobe pieces.

Take “before” pictures. Photos will motivate you to continue your efforts.
Explore how you feel about beginning to work toward the changes. Do you feel positive, confident, and pleased that you’re finally going to “do something?” You might be experiencing doubt or hesitancy to get started. What makes you feel that way? This step is integral to your capacity to continue your path of self-re-invention.

Connect with your feelings to be successful in creating a new you. If you have serious doubts or even fears about taking steps toward what you want to be in life, consider consulting a life coach or counselor to help you move forward in your quest.

Put your plans into action. If all systems are “go,” move forward without delay.
Notice the subtle changes that you achieve along the way. Develop ways to reinforce your efforts to successfully alter the aspects you wish to change. Take a few pictures of yourself as you notice changes and display them where you can view them for motivation. After all, you’re doing what you set out to do—re-inventing yourself!

Creating a new and improved you can be a very exciting time in your life. Embrace this phase of life with all you’ve got. After all, you’re worth it.

To your success.

Michael W

P.S. if you are interested in working with me to build or develop your confidence then contact me at michael@confidenceandmotivation.com and we can arrange a 30-minute call to learn more about each other. a

6 Steps To Expand Your Comfort Zone

2017-05-05 ~ adminlife

Erase Your Limits: Expand Your Comfort Zone in 6 Steps

Of all the valuable skills you’ll acquire, learning to deal effectively with discomfort is one of the most important. Consider all the times you’ve wanted to do something, but either never started or came up short. It’s likely that your inability to handle the resulting discomfort was the cause.

If you could handle discomfort better, you would never procrastinate, never quit a diet, exercise every day, and complete everything you ever wanted to accomplish.

Most of us avoid discomfort at all costs. It’s the biggest limiting factor for most people. But, a little discomfort can be a good thing. Even a lot of discomfort is a good thing if you want to change your life quickly.

Unfortunately, avoiding discomfort quickly becomes a habit. You instantly feel better when you evade the thing that’s causing the discomfort. It becomes a preferred coping mechanism. It also self-imposes limits.

The good news is you can free yourself from these limits!

The key to mastering discomfort is to work at becoming more comfortable in challenging situations. As you move forward, you increase your comfort zone little by little. Before you know it, you’ve erased the limits you had previously set for yourself.

Follow this process to become more comfortable with discomfort and set yourself free:

Start with something that’s difficult, but not too difficult. Learning Chinese is very difficult. But eating all your vegetables isn’t too difficult. Starting a gentle exercise program isn’t too difficult, either.

Start with something that will enhance your life, but won’t be too challenging to implement or take an excessive amount of time.

Start slowly. If you’re going to start exercising, start with just 5-10 minutes. You can add a little bit of time each day or week. If you try to start with 60 minutes, it will probably seem too overwhelming to even get started.

Why not give yourself the best chance to succeed?

Push through a little discomfort. Maybe you’re working on keeping the house clean. You’ll likely feel a strong urge to quit just 10 minutes into your cleaning regimen. Keep working. A little later, you may want to quit again, but keep going. The third time, allow yourself to actually stop.

- Try to do this with everything. Avoid letting yourself quit anything the first time you get the urge to stop.

Observe your discomfort. A great way to deal with discomfort is to simply observe it. How does it feel? How you try to avoid the situation that is causing the discomfort? Do you try to distract yourself with other activities?

You might rationalize reasons why it would be better not to continue. Avoid falling into that pattern.

Study your discomfort like a dispassionate observer. By simply observing and not becoming emotionally involved with your discomfort, you’ll likely notice that your discomfort lessens.

Find a way to smile. Smiling is a key component of learning to be okay with discomfort. It’s hard to be miserable when you’re smiling. When the going gets rough, take a deep breath and force yourself to smile.
Continue to push a little further the next time. Just like with exercising, you can always do just a little bit more the next time. Each time you work through a little more discomfort, it gets easier and easier. Your capacity to deal with discomfort will expand quickly.

You can learn to be comfortable with discomfort. Think of all the amazing things you could accomplish if being uncomfortable didn’t stop you! There really isn’t much you couldn’t do. Those that avoid discomfort the most tend to end up with the most uncomfortable lives. By accepting and managing your discomfort, you can build the life you desire.

Start small, but get started. Being a little uncomfortable never hurt anyone. Master your discomfort and you’ll set yourself free.

To your success.

Michael W

P.S. Are you frustrated that you are not reaching your ultimate level of success? Do you desire to be more confident and successful? Fantastic. Let me help you.

I have set myself a goal of hitting 50 hours of coaching before mid-summer and so I am offering 2 free coaching sessions to the first 8 people that put their hand up. Only do so if you are ready to make the shifts in your life that you desire.

Simply email me at michael@youaresuccesslifecoach.com to get started now.

Are you ready to reach the level of success that you know you desire?

Expand Your Comfort Zone To Grow

2016-09-192016-09-16 ~ adminlife

13 Ways to Expand Your Comfort Zone

You’ve been told countless times that you must go beyond your comfort zone if you want to accomplish anything worthwhile. You may have noticed that’s a scary place to be. But there are ways to expand your comfort zone gently. It doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you complete the journey.

Expand your comfort zone and your life:

1. Start slowly. It’s the bigger changes that tend to stimulate feelings of discomfort. The thought of doing 50 pushups for the first time in five years is daunting. The thought of doing one isn’t a problem.

Create small changes and then increase those changes over time. This is a great way to keep discomfort at bay.

2. Eat something new. Most of us are a little hesitant to try a new food, but it’s a non-threatening way to stretch your comfort zone. Try a new restaurant or a new fruit from the grocery store.

3. Read something completely different than your usual fare. If you’re a man, a book on feminism might be just the ticket. If you’re Christian, a book on the Muslim faith might shake things up a bit. Read something you would ordinarily never read.

4. Take a new route to work. Better yet, don’t look at a map beforehand. Follow your instincts and see where you end up. Hopefully, you’ll make it to work on time.

5. Unplug for an entire day. Turn off your phone, the internet, and the television. This will be more uncomfortable than you think.

6. Sit in a different place. Sit on the couch instead of your favorite chair. Choose a different seat at the dining table.

7. Strike up a conversation with a stranger. It doesn’t have to be a twenty-minute affair. If you can maintain a conversation for 30 seconds, consider yourself successful. There are plenty of people in the world available for practice.

8. Ask your boss for a review. Tell your boss you’d like to sit down with him and review your performance. It might do wonders for your career and will stretch your comfort zone.

9. Apply for a new job that’s a step up from your current position. You might feel like a bit of an imposter, but that’s okay. Worst case? You might get the position and a new career. Your bank account might even benefit.

10. Call someone you haven’t spoken to for at least six months. Just pick up the phone and do it. You’ll feel great about it afterwards.

11. Travel out of the country. If you’ve never travelled outside your home country, you might be in for quite a shock. The food, people, and culture can all be different. Apply for a passport and consider where you’d like to visit.

12. Give yourself a thrill. Tackle something that makes you a little fearful. Go skydiving or ride a roller coaster. Give a speech. Take a dance class.

13. Sit by yourself in silence. This can be tougher than you think. Turn off all your devices and just sit alone with yourself. Avoid allowing yourself to daydream. Just stay with yourself for at least 30 minutes.

Expanding your comfort zone opens up numerous possibilities. Think about how your life would change if your comfort zone were larger. It’s possible to accomplish this without the pain you might imagine. Stretch your comfort zone a little each day.

To your success

Michael W