From your son,daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, cousin and friend

it is New Year’s Eve…December 31, 2013.  Whether you celebrate at a house party, club, restaurant or large event, please remember three important things.

Number three: Every day is a new day.  Looking backwards will only make you trip and fall.  Look forwards and keep your eye on the prize.  Life is an amazing and wonderful experience when you embrace it and have faith in it.  Grab every positive moment and event.  Experience all that it has to offer.  We all know how bad days, hard times and hurt feelings make us feel.  No one is immune to these experiences so do not let them control your life.  You are in charge, not those things.  Negative thoughts create negative events so keep your thoughts positive.

Number two: Do not let a day pass without telling those that you love, how you feel.  Life is crazy and chaotic.  Time passes without us realizing how fast, sometimes not until it is too late.  We are not guaranteed anything in life, especially not tomorrow.  We always assume that those we love will be there tomorrow, but we all run out of tomorrows eventually.  Pick up the phone, send an email or take the time and energy to write a handwritten letter.  No matter where in the world those loved ones are, let them know.  One of the worst feelings in the world is the feeling of regret for not saying it and getting that call to say it is too late.

Number one: This one I include on behalf of your son and daughter, your husband or wife, your mother and father, your cousin, neighbor and friend.  As you prepare to go out, leave your car at home.  Ensure that in your budget tonight, you have included money for a cab ride home.  If there are programs in your town or city which can get you and your car home safely, then use them.  Book a hotel room or take a bus.  There are so many options.  You may even opt to be a designated driver tonight.  For every one of you who make any of these safe choices, i send you my respect and my gratitude.  So do those who love you and who you love.  If every person makes the intelligent choice, New Year’s Eve will not become a nightmare for anyone.  Let it be new beginnings, not endings.  Be safe, have fun and make 2014 the year of mental and physical health.  Own your choices and make the smart ones.

For information on safe ways home tonight, in Ottawa check out http://www.ottawastart.com  Or call them if you are in another city to see if they have information on programs in your area.

If you think that you are always in control and this message is not for you, contact http://www.MADD.ca or http://www.MADD.org or http://www.tonyspromise.org   Read the stories.

I wish you a happy, safe and prosperous 2014.  UnLeash the KNOW will be bringing you exciting programs and information throughout the year so keep your eye on this page and pass it on.  Love you all.

I am unemployed and am running out of benefits…HELP!!

Too many people these days are struggling with unemployment.  People are being laid off for many reasons.  Companies are closing down, down sizing or moving to contractors.  Many times those contracts are also being shut down early or cancelled all together.  Let’s face it, time are tough and better days are not expected in the immediate future.

What are employers looking for?  Who is getting the jobs or positions that you are perfect for but not getting that call for?

Do you know, that on average, there are 50 applicants for every position advertised?  Some positions may have as many as hundreds of applicants.   The right resume and cover letter are needed to even get you noticed.  The right interview skills are needed to keep you in their view.  and the right follow up is needed to get you that job.

Do you know how to network properly?  Do you know where to meet those who are doing the hiring?  Do you now how to speak to them in ways that will get their attention?

Unemployment is never fun or easy.  Looking for a job is a full time job but one where you are distracted by bills you cannot pay and knowing you are at risk of losing the things you have worked hard for.  You may be a new graduate with thousands of dollars in student loans and pressure to just get something!!

I have developed a new workshop just for you.  It will two days of very intensive work developing two versions of your resume, cover letters, follow up and interview skills.  You will receive unique tools and information geared to YOU.  These workshops will be in the Ottawa area for now but I can be booked for workshops anywhere or for a one on one program.   Invest in yourself and in your future.  Two days could change your future.

http://www.unleashtheknow.com  Register  Now for Latest Programs and Workshops.  Choose your date and I will confirm location at least one week before the workshop.  Register early for ensure your preferred date.

Time……….

Whether you work outside the home, work from home, are a student, are a stay at home parent or retired, our time is one of our greatest assets and investments.  What we do with it, how we “spend” it and how we prioritize it, will determine many of our successes and stresses.  Having worked shifts, I know that those circumstances can change our energy and our ability to manage our time.   Working outside of the home during typical work hours of Monday to Friday, 8 day time hours, means that you typically spend 50 to 60 hours a week dedicated to work, including transportation time.  One week consists of 168 hours or 10, 080 minutes.  It sounds like so much and yet, it doesn’t seem like that much most of the time.  Admittedly, some days seem to last 168 hours and some days seem to last 24 minutes.   We feel like we are busy every moment.  Many of us do not get enough sleep, eat on the run at least once or twice a week, skip meals due to lack of time and do not have enough time to volunteer or take a course or prepare home cooked complete meals.   Are we using all of our time productively without wasting any of it?  I venture to say that most likely, we are not. Let us begin by being clear that being “productive” does not just mean working time.  Productive includes being pro active on your health, your relationships and your future.  If you do not take care of yourself, you cannot possibly take care of anyone or anything else.

Time management means exactly what it is called.  It is managing your time so that you have a sense of accomplishment, sleep restfully and eat healthy.   We always need to be moving forward whether it is in our relationships, our careers or our health.   We need down time and tools such as social media can be an outlet in the middle of a stressful day, however there is really very little that is social about social media.  We play games against images of “friends” that may or may not be their actual picture.  We post our status constantly as if anyone really wants to know what you are doing every minute of the day.  We lose track of time and time that, once gone, can never be gotten back.

When on various social media sites, put an egg timer or an alarm on so that you become aware of the time.  Do not allow yourself to reset it.  Make a list of at least three things to accomplish in the upcoming 24 hours and make sure you complete them, whether they are making appointments for the dentist,  registering for a course you want to take or meeting face to face (not online) an old friend.  Plan your time and think three steps ahead for everything.  For instance, plan meals so that you do not have to eat out, plan your wardrobe to make sure your clothes are ready and plan your errands so that you are not backtracking wasting both time and fuel.

Time is a precious commodity that, once gone, can never be gotten back.  We cannot rewind the clock, time travel nor even know how much time we actually have to accomplish what we want to.  When my mother was ill and elderly, I refused to acknowledge that time was running out.  I treated it as a never ending supply…until she died and time was gone.   Understand that time is an investment as much as our health, our bank accounts and our homes.  Treat it as a commodity too valuable to trade for anything less than the best.

For a coaching program to help you learn to manage your time and increase your productivity, contact Unleash the KNOW at info@unleashtheknow.com

Living your dream

A few months ago, I started UnLeash the KNOW.  It was not a whim nor was it something I wanted to do because I could stay home and watch tv.  I had so many reasons to start my own business but I will tell you about the key ones here.

I have always believed that being self employed was where I wanted to be.  I have had some good and some not so good experiences working in an office but the end result of that experience was that I was in a cubicle interacting with computers more than human beings.  I had been a stay at home mom for several years and had entered the formal work force as I was approaching my 40th birthday.  I really preferred human interaction far more than the computer interaction.  I also was happiest and feeling most comfortable when I was helping others with great ideas on how to make their lives better either with healthy recipes, tips on child rearing or just being a listening ear.  I had no idea that I could actually make that a career.

As birthdays passed, I grew confidence that I did not have as a child, teenager or young woman.  I feel very blessed to have several truly good friends.  One day, one of them told me about a book called The Secret.  I was very skeptical but read it cover to cover…and it began to resonate with me.  I knew that I had lived the Law of Attraction for all of my adult life, and I must therefore presume all of my life.  As I thought back on it, I recognized more and more times that the Law had acted on exactly what I put out to the universe.   I went on to read other books which would have similar results for me….I saw myself in each one of them.  My eyes were opened and I finally understood.  I knew that I needed to live my dreams.  First though, I would need to figure out what my dream was.

Primarily my dream was as mother and grandmother.  My children are and have always been my reason for everything.  My new reality was that I counted too and that my dreams and hopes were as legitimate as any ones.    I found training in my area that would certify me as a Life Coach.  I went on to do more research on the Law of Attraction and those involved in The Secret such as Dr. J. Vitale and Bob Proctor.  Dr. S. Jones, a friend and partner of Dr. Vitale designed and developed a Law of Attraction based certification for Life Coaches.  I became certified by that organization too.  I had extensive experience in the area of leadership and knew that I wanted to include corporate leadership as part of my coaching program.  I included business coaching in my training.

I took one more step in my dreams.  I had spent many hours trying to figure out which training was best for me.  I wanted to be able to do a side by side analysis of the many training programs available both online and in person.  I also wanted to be able to give certified and reputable life coaches a one stop shop to be listed as opposed to just through their training organizations websites.  I began an organization called the North American Council for Life Coaches.  It does not do training but it will offer a full listing of trainers and certification programs.  It will offer a place for coaches to be listed and rated.  The NACLC is in its infancy, but will be a great resource in time.

So now I am living my dreams.  I have freedom and am doing what I love doing…and am really good at.  Whether you believe in the Law of Attraction, Karma, God or just plain hard work, UnLeash the KNOW can help you create a program to let you live your dreams too.

http://www.unleashtheknow.com  info@unleashtheknow.com  info@northamericancounciloflifecoaches.com

Leadership Principle number 13

While this principle is the 13th and final in my list of “no matter who you are and no matter where you are” principles, it is not the last key to great leadership by any means.  It is, in fact, only the beginning.

Leadership is about people.  People are the same everywhere….yet each one is different from the other.  We are all a collection of our experiences, our circumstances and the people around us, from our birth until our death.  But we are all human beings and want to protect the people we love, we want to feel valued in one way or another and we crave positive human interaction and touch.  We want our privacy protected and our rights respected.  We want to feel safe.  For some, work is simply a means to an end.  For a lucky few, work is not really work….it is fulfillment of a dream or a lifelong ambition. Some people do volunteer work over and above day to day work, some can only find the time and energy for that job to keep a roof over your head due to circumstances that seem out of their control.

Wherever it is that you work and whether it seems like work or not, there will be leaders.  You might not notice them as they are not always the ones in positions of power.     Some work places have those who call themselves leaders who believe that there job title and a university degree gives them power.  They believe they know everything and are always right.  That is not leadership.

Do not feel the need to be right all of the time.  No one is an expert on everything.  Be flexible and comfortable with that concept

Making mistakes is another human characteristic…it is how we learn and grow.    If we do not make mistakes, we cannot truly move forward as it is those who try and fail, that keep trying.  Be proud  of the fact that you have learned and grown and are moving forward.

Always keep those human beings around you in mind.  Always remember that what you feel is what others feel and that without humanity, there is very little left.  Be a leader…

 

For more on Leadership Principles and Programs, go to http://www.unleashtheknow.com   or write to info@unleashtheknow.com

Self Awareness and Coaching

Self Awareness; The Value of Early Discovery

Self awareness is where our dreams come from, how we know what we feel, where our intuition resides and where opportunity lies. My clients must develop their sense of self awareness early on in the coaching process so that the direction and desire to succeed can be articulated and the path laid out to make the dreams reality.

Once self awareness is developed and the client has begun to “tune in” to him or herself, the realization that there are no limits, sets in.  We begin to recognize our strengths.  We can acknowledge all that we have already accomplished and therefore, all that can be accomplished.   Self awareness is the key that opens the door to the future.  Recognizing our strengths and our own power means that we can change the direction we are heading in and redirect our energy into positive outcomes and a greater quality of life.

Some within my client base suffer from chronic illnesses such as Fibromyalgia.  As I also live with it, I know and understand how it can turn one’s life upside down. I also know, after suffering with it for fifteen years, that self awareness has allowed me to reduce my medication by over 75%.   Self awareness teaches one to focus on specific parts of the heart and mind, redirecting the negative energy into positive energy, even pain can be reduced.   It has changed bad days and good days to good days and great days

Self awareness gives the individual the power to be in charge of their own life.  As stated by Steve Jones in the video “it puts them in the drivers seat”  A client who cannot or will not develop this, will have limited success in any coaching program.  An individual must be conscious of what their options are, what options they are acting on, the results of their actions and the lessons learned from those actions.  Too many people go through life in a fog in terms of conscious decision making, unclear and without learning about themselves.  This leads to repetition of mistakes, poor choices and remaining in the same “stuck” spot throughout their lives (if they are fortunate enough not to slip backwards).  Consciousness or self awareness wakes you up!!!  It makes you say “hold on….if I do this….this is likely to happen whereas if I do that….that is likely to happen.  I have always done things this way and it hasn’t been working well for me.  Now I know that doing it THAT way is more likely to have the results I am looking for”.

Self awareness does not mean letting others make decisions for you.  While there is value in the experiences and paths of loved ones and trusted friends, they are not living your life.  They generally do not have to live with the consequences of your actions and it is nearly impossible that anyone else knows every single thought or feeling you have.  They are often unaware or skeptical of your dreams and truest goals.  Accepting the value of the experience of others may be part of good decisions and moving forward, but without self awareness and consciousness, you end up living their lives and dreams.

Self awareness leads to being your authentic self and living your authentic life.    Your authentic self is who you are under all of the turmoil and stress and fears.  It is your strength and passion and joy. It is who you are under all of the stuff we accumulate from the day of our birth…until that moment….that realization….that we have one life and one self.  The freedom that comes with self awareness is the greatest gift a person can give themselves.  The earlier a client discovers it, the more success he or she will have and the further they will go in their dreams.  My role as a Life Coach is to show the client that who he or she is, that the dreams and goals that they hold deepest in their hearts, are possible and that knowing that and believing in that is the most difficult step in the process.  With self awareness, full consciousness of self, the limits of the client are sky high.  He or she will not give up when obstacles pop up, opinions of others will not break the spirit and the coaching program will become self directed and successful.