Posts Tagged ‘Fear’
Letting the world know about “You” can be very frightening
“Get all the education you can,
but then, by God, do something.
Don’t just stand there;
make it happen.”
~ Lee Iococca
Reading Lee Iococca’s quote reminded me of when I first graduated from iPEC Coaching School and kept signing up for more trainings. I kept thinking I was not ready to go out there and coach. What if I did not ask the right questions, gave too much advice? The list goes on and on.
One day during a coaching session, my coach said in a very strong voice, “It is enough with the different trainings, just go out there and coach.” I became very defensive and explained why I needed more trainings. She did not want to continue the conversation and asked, “What were my next steps for marketing my coaching practice?” It was the greatest gift anyone ever gave me.
Once I started coaching clients my confidence grew and eventually I knew in my heart that I was a great coach. Taking that first step and letting the world know about “You” can be very frightening.
Let’s take a deep breath and take that leap! We are all in this together.
Some simple small steps you can take to overcome your FEAR. By the way, fear is False Evidence Appearing Real.
- Meditate for a few moments and think about one step you have been putting off over and over again. Example: Presenting a Workshop.
- Sit there and let all your fears surface.
- Think about the fear that constantly pops up all the time. Example: I am afraid no one will sign-up for the workshop.
- Take a deep breath and take in sunshine.
- Let your breath out and let all the fears go.
- When you feel comfortable open your eyes.
- Write in your journal about your constant fear and solutions to the dilemma. Example: No one will sign-up for the workshop. One of the solutions that surfaced was to have the workshop in my home and invite friends and family.
This solution is not a cop-out! It could be a way of practicing and getting feedback so your next workshop will be easier.
- Create plans, send invitations and enjoy the process.
Let the Love Yourself – It Matters! Community know about your project and how we can support you. We are all in this together.
This past week I stepped out of my comfort zone and attended a New York Expo. There were hundreds of small business owners attending the event.
Getting ready to leave, my old dreaded companion FEAR stuck out her ugly head. For a few moments, I felt paralyzed and did not want to go. Remembering my new mantra, “I am responsible for having abundance in my life,” I picked up my pocketbook, left the house and met my friend.
My FEAR and I walked into the Expo together. As everyone started to greet each other, a miracle happened, my dreaded companion left. It was a great experience. I attended Social Media Workshops, learned new marketing strategies, made new contacts, and saw old friends.
Marketing Strategies:
- Build a list of raving fans. Secure testimonials from clients/customers, your mentor and other businesses you interact with.
- Follow-up with people you met at the Networking Event. Send a short note either by email or one of the Social Media options, or make that phone call. Example of a note: I enjoyed speaking with you yesterday at the Expo. Would love to learn more about the services you offer. When would you be available to meet for coffee? Helen
- Write articles for business magazines, blogs or local newspapers.
- The most important strategy: Build Relationships.
Next time you are planning to attend a Networking Event, bring your dreaded companion, FEAR. Both of you will have a rewarding experience and at the same time meet interesting people and build relationships.
Are you stepping out of your Comfort Zone or is FEAR holding you back? Please let us know if you need support and together we will create strategies in helping you move forward.
For those of you who are stepping out of your Comfort Zone please let us know what steps you are taking.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
“Faith is believing
before receiving.”
~ Alfred A Montapert
As a holiday present to my daughter and son-in-law I am watching Jeffrey, my grandson, and Charlie a 100 pound Lab for a week.
Yesterday morning started out very calmly and got ready to leave for school. One of the things we do before leaving for school is walk Charlie. Let me correct myself, Charlie walks us.
The walk was a bit of a struggle and we arrived home a little tired. Jeffrey removed Charlie’s leash and before we knew it the dog ran away. Both of us started running after Charlie and had no luck capturing him.
At one point we were very close to him and before we could grab him he took off again. At that point I lost sight of Jeffrey and Charlie.
Franticly I started running around the blocks yelling for Jeffrey and Charlie. While yelling I was asking God to help me.
I turned a corner and there was Jeffrey walking with a woman who had Charlie on a tight leash. My heart stopped for a moment and relief flooded my body.
When I regained my composure, I could not thank her enough for bringing Jeffrey and Charlie home. We brought Charlie into the house and put him into his cage where he slept for most of the day.
Jeffrey and I were a total mess. We sat and thanked God for sending us an Angel.
The important lessons we learned were to always close the garage door before taking Charlie’s leash off and how to walk Charlie so we are in control not him.
During this experience I looked fear in the face and kept moving forward. If for a second I let the fear take over I would not have been able to keep my hope alive.
Praying is a form of meditation that clams you down and restores your faith that things will work out.
What experiences have you had in which prayers restored your faith that things will work out for the best.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Helen
Today is a new day on your journey of life. We have a choice either feeling sorry for ourselves for not losing weight or trying a new eating behavior. Our thoughts of losing weight can be like an old friend. The thought is always with us and never challenges us to try something different. Until you are ready to make a commitment that things will be different and have the courage to move in a new direction nothing changes.
The following quote from the book, “Time for Joy”, By Ruth Fishel and Bonny Van de Kamp, illustrates how walking through your fears enables you to live a vibrant life.
It takes great courage to go in new directions.
It takes great courage to try things that others around us have not tried.
One can have courage while one has fear.
Courage does not mean the absence of fear.
To open new doors, to take new steps while walking through our fear
takes the greatest courage of all.
Each new door opened gives us confidence to open the next door.
By trusting the goodness within us and going beyond the fear,
Life is an exciting, satisfying and fulfilling place to be.
As your coach I support you in taking small steps that will make you very strong while making changes in your life. I have found that working with my clients in identifying what is more important in their life than food and reconnecting with what really makes them happy enables them to lose weight and live a vibrant life.
I have a client, lets call her Terri, who originally hired me as a coach so she could lose weight. Instead of only focusing on the food we started exploring what really made her happy and fulfilled. During the coaching sessions, we created the following game she could play:
1. Explored different tools and techniques she felt comfortable implementing while changing her eating behavior.
2. Asked friends and family members what they thought her perfect job would be.
2. Explored the list of professions and narrowed them down to two or three.
3. Performed informational interviews with people in the different fields.
4. Decided she would like to pursue the field of travel.
5. Worked for a Travel Agent on Saturdays as a tour guide in the historic area of her town.
As Terri was pursuing her dream job she stopped focusing on the food, started eating healthy with quantity control, exercising and losing weight at the same time. Today Terri, is at goal weight, founder of a business that plans tours for different groups.
If your deepest desire is to get off the diet merry-go-round and into a vibrant life, I am here to support you. How vibrant do you want your life to be? I can be reached at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net
Last Friday night I went to an Overeaters Retreat for the weekend and getting there was a nightmare. My friend and I left around 6:30pm and planned to arrive at our destination in about 45 minutes.
I have a GPS System; we put in the address and entered all the required information. The final step had a different address and neither one of us thought there would be a problem. So off we went following the directions. The GPS lead us onto a dirt road that had the same Street name we were looking for. We were commenting how easy it was to find the Camp. After riding for quite awhile in a wooded area at night in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey; we realized we were on the wrong road. All of a sudden the GPS System announced we arrived at our destination on the left. As we looked to the left we saw a tree. I never felt such panic!
We called 911, told the police our location, how scared we were and to please help us find the Camp. The Policewoman told us not to worry; she stayed on the phone with us and led us to our destination. If ever I thought there was someone watching over us it was that night. Now as I am thinking and writing about our journey, I can laugh.
What I learned from this experience:
• Never use the GPS System if it does not give you the right address.
• Have back-up directions.
• It is OK to ask for help.
• Trust that things will work out.
Once we arrived at our destination and listened to the keynote speaker, I felt relaxed. Then I got into bed and my fears went wild. I could not stop thinking about what could have happened instead of being grateful for the miracle of arriving safely. The next day I started journaling and speaking to many people about my fear based thinking. Nothing made a difference.
I made a decision, if I wanted to enjoy the retreat I would have to start thinking positively. A miracle happened, I was asked to lead a workshop on “Fears and How They Stop Us.” It was a great opportunity for me to explore my fears and learn what other tools people use to feel safe.
Some of the tools that were suggested are as follows:
• When having a fearful thought give yourself a big hug and say, “I am safe.”
• Journal or discuss your fears with another person.
• Remember that FEAR is “False Evidence Appearing Real.”
What tools do you use when you feel fearful, I would love to know.
