Coaching Excellence blog

We Are Greater Than Who We Appear to Be

January 23rd, 2012

One of the most difficult challenges you have in this world is to look past who you see in the mirror and become self-loving and accepting. Why is this so difficult to do? Because in order to accept everything you are, you must know, without a doubt that you are more than that image in the mirror.  Whether it is your physical appearance or anything else, as soon as you label yourself, you limit yourself.

—Bruce D Schneider, MCC, PhD
Founder,
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

Life is a Puzzle

January 16th, 2012

Look at life as a puzzle. The pieces of the puzzle are the things you do and have done, as well as the experiences that helped define your belief system. Every piece you find offers you the choice to decide whether or not it fits into your puzzle. Instead of trying to make each piece fit, or beating yourself up over those pieces that don’t fit, realize that life is a journey of discovery, and if you find a piece that doesn’t belong to you, you can choose to let it go.

—Bruce D Schneider, MCC, PhD
Founder,
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

This Coach Wants to Know: Still Resolved?

January 11th, 2012

It’s just one week later… how resolved are you on those 2012 goals?

Resolve burns deep.  Your resolve needs to be bigger than just a drive to accomplish.  That’s why I asked you about your purpose, your vision, and your passion.  I was reminded of this, just this week, as I was reading the book, That Used to Be Us, by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum.  The book shares the following conversation with Diane Rosenberg, head of the Nueva School in Hillsborough, California (between San Francisco and Palo Alto).  Nueva is a school for gifted children, which has incredible resources and approaches that have earned it a well-deserved national reputation.

Rosenberg says that she and her colleagues approached the issue of how to nurture creativity by starting with a simple question: Who are the successful people in life?  “As we looked around,” she recalled, “the answer was that they were people who pursued their passion with a purpose. And they were all-in, in doing so.  They did it with their entire being, whatever it was.  They were pulled by something inside them, not driven.”

So I pose this to you: It’s not even two weeks into the New Year.  How’s your resolve?  High?  Higher?  Or dwindling?  Why?

If it’s high or higher, there’s a good chance you feel that pull.  You can’t help but surge forward.

If it’s dwindling or feeling like a lot of work, then you may not have connected your goals deeply enough.  You may have a whole other level that you can reach.

This is not to say that perseverance isn’t needed at times.  Believe me – it will be.  It’s not going to be purely smooth sailing, with a margarita in hand!

But, if your passion, purpose, vision, values, and mission are aligned with your goals, it’s amazing what comes your way, what opportunities reveal themselves to you, and how your future pulls you forward.

What are you going to do in order to feel and fuel that fire?

What are you going to do to build on the fire you feel burning inside?

It’s up to you.  You’ll get out whatever you put into this year (for better or worse)… in fact, you usually get a whole lot more.  It starts with you.

Live on Fire!

D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

Your Mini Life Review

January 9th, 2012

“The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” - T.S. Elliot

This week, in your journal, write a review of your life. The questions and topics below can be used to get you started:

Where were you born?

Where did you grow up?

How would you describe your family?

What was your childhood like?

Your teen years?

Young adult years?

How would you describe your life now?

What age stands out in your mind, and why?

Make a timeline of the important events in your life.

What was the happiest time in your life?

The unhappiest?

What is your greatest achievement so far?

What jobs have you had?

What did you like most/least about each job?

How do you feel about what you’re currently doing?

Who are the important people in your life now?

How is your list different today, from who you might have listed, say, 10 years ago?

What kind of “coincidences” have occurred in your life?

Use your imagination, be creative, and HAVE FUN while doing this exercise. Remember no one is grading or judging you on this. After you’re done, read over your review and pat yourself on the back for where you are and what you’ve accomplished in your life.

—Bruce D Schneider, MCC, PhD
Founder,
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)

Experience, Learn and Grow

December 26th, 2011

Life is an endless series of events and opportunities that help you experience, learn and grow. All of the events of our life help shape who we are, and all have a purpose.

Think about a time in your life when you experienced emotional pain. What did you learn from that experience, and how did it help you grow?

—Bruce D Schneider, MCC, PhD
Founder,
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)