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Browse published articles attributed to Jill Douka, with full-archive search.
Lately many of my clients say to me: Jill, I find it difficult to find the courage to face the challenges in my life, do you have any suggestions? Hmm, I see some heads nodding so most of you know what I am talking about. The other day another client was furious; you could see “smokes” coming out of her head. She had been on a date, liked the guy. She liked him but… he kept talking about his ex…. During the whole date….
How often have you thought, before talking, with the fear that your listener might misunderstand what you are saying? For most of us, this happens quite often. Nowadays, within the existing cultural context, we want our leaders, our role models to be authentic. However, we do not apply this in our own lives. We learn at school, as well as in our family, that fitting in with our environment, being similar to others around us and not being different is considered important.
We all have people around us who can make us lose control. How can we treat them? Yes, they live around us. Whether they are people from your close environment or people from you deal with rarely, you are getting crazy from the first moment you are discussing with them. You cannot communicate with them. You just cannot! There is a solution, take a look… Get yourself out of the equation
2012 is already here! Have you ever wondered how much baggage you bring into the New Year from situations which have hurt you in the past? During our coaching sessions, daily, I see that every one of us has been hurt by other people in the past. From the celebrity who was abused by her father, to the general manager who was fired because he uncovered an economic sandal in his company, or even the husband who caught his best friend with his wife. Throughout our lives other people’s behavior crushes us at times.
Our life has become more demanding. You split yourself between work, house and family. In coaching we learn that it is very important to keep yourself in balance so that you can enjoy life. But how can we achieve this? *Exercise
You are stuck in the road, on your way to a very important meeting. In front of you, there is an elderly man trying to start the engine of his limousine-like car. You are wondering: a) What have I done to deserve this? b) Until what age are old people allowed to drive? c) Where is the police when we need it? d) What can I do to resolve this and get to the meeting on time? e) Let’s press the horn to wake him up.
Have you ever noticed, in city centers or other popular central places, people hugging each other? This is called the «Free Hugs» phenomenon. According to Virginia Satir, guru in family consulting, a person needs 4 hugs to survive, 8 hugs to sustain oneself and 12 hugs to be developed...per day! This is hard to believe, isn’t it? In our times, the times of isolation, how much do we hug each other?
An immigrant from Ethiopia is a source of inspiration to all of us. Mawi Asgedom was born in Ethiopia, which was a war zone at the time. He spent the first couple of years of his life without his father, who went to Sudan to a refugee collection center. After a while, Mawi joined his father along with his mother and brothers. In order to reach Sudan they crossed the country on foot. They remained at the refugee camp for 3 years. When he was 7 years’ old, he reached America. His family had no money. They could not speak English.
A phrase that can improve your present state in a heartbeat! Two years ago, I participated in a seven-day seminar called Breakthrough to Success with my mentor Jack Canfield, in Scottsdale, Arizona of America. Jack Canfield is considered to be the No. 1 coach in America and has sold over 112 million books in 40 languages. There were about 300 people from 48 different countries. The seminar is about obtaining the tools you need in order to take your life to the next level. It was one of the best seminars I have ever attended, and I have attended a lot!r
The 8th of March, is the International Women’s Day, in memory of a protest that took place on the 8th of March 1857, held by women textile workers in New York, asking for better working conditions. However, nowadays the International Women’s Day, has lost its political background, turning into an expression of sympathy from men to women, via presents and flowers. It is being held by the United Nations since 1975, to highlight women’s rights and problems. Below, you can see a plenty of quotes that I chose, to remind us our unique nature. “Women are always beautiful”, Ville Valo.
How can someone achieve something that he really wants? What kind of tools can one use? What to expect, when your dreams and goals, do not become real? I am sharing my experience with you, hopefully it will help you accomplish your ambitions!
Begin with the end in mind. Stephen R. Covey, Leadership Authority What is the first thing we make sure we do, once we get on a taxi? Naturally, we tell the driver where we want to go (after we greet him of course)! Would you ever take a taxi without having a specific destination in mind, in order to get off randomly somewhere you would consider…interesting? Or would you take along with you random passers and go…wherever they wanted to go?
Life coach, Jill Douka, explains how to deal with conflicts in our work environment more smoothly with the appropriate way of thinking. In 1997, the day it was announced that Athens would host the Olympic Games 2004, I thought “great, I will be a part of these Olympics”. I had no clue in what way I would be involved and what exactly I would be doing, but I was certain that I would participate.
A few days ago, I attended a very interesting speech in Athens Greece. It is no secret anymore that Greece is in a deep crisis. Peter Economides was the speaker and the subject was “Rebranding Greece”. I follow Peter’s activities, and I was sure that it would be an inspirational speech. I was surprised by the attendance. The hall was packed, and over 50 people were standing. People of all ages. Well, yes, it seems there are a lot of people who want the current situation to change. And this is a promising message.
Once upon a time, there was a place called Paradise. Paradise was a blessed place. Blessed with a great mild climate and a wonderful sun, blessed with superb islands, beaches and a lengthy coastline, blessed with a great variety of mountains, hills and valleys. There were plenty of natural resources and living in paradise was a great honor. Paradisians, the habitants of Paradise, were in absolute bliss, inviting people from all over the world to spend their vacations in bliss as well.
There is a very common phrase in all the crime movies: “You are guilty, we found your DNA to the scene of the crime, and nobody has the same DNA…you have the right to remain silent…”! You are Unique! Truly! There is no one like you in the whole world. Obviously I do not mean only your appearance… No one has your knowledge. One may have the same degrees, certificates and working experience, but only you are able to perceive your particular knowledge on your own and unique way.
Nowadays, it is true that lots of people tend to be very negative. Everybody is negative about the taxes they pay, those who do not have a job moan for unemployment, those who have moan for the low wages and all together moan for the politicians. I understand. The global economic situation, is historically one of the most difficult ones. Now, close your eyes and just do not think of a blue elephant…. rn…What did you see? What did you think of?
Within the last 13 years that I am engaged in the field of self development, I had the opportunity to observe the same, repeating behaviors at myself and my clients. Let’s explore the effort for change, one of the most important ways for someone to be developed.
Before a couple of months I passed through a state of shock. I had a health problem that was acting up. I left behind a relationship that I believed had a future. My Greece (which I had made a conscious decision to live in, 5 years previously) was going bankrupt. Daily. I felt like all the stable factors in my life had become… unstable. At the same time, our company, was rapidly developing. As a life coach, its part of my job to support and inspire people, especially during this ‘special’ period, many individuals and companies come to me with this aim in mind.
“Endangered species: people who mean what they say and then do what they say”, was what a friend of mine posted as his facebook status a few days ago. In fact, if you think about it, how many times do we do 100% what we say?
Yes! It is totally unfair…everybody tells you so. It is insane. It wasn’t your fault and you can’t understand why this is happening to you. Either someone talked to you badly or you were a victim of fraud, either a minor or major problem, the result is always the same: you feel angry! Our anger, no matter how hard we try to control it, is there. How many times have you seen someone and feel uncomfortable about his sitting next to you or get upset with his rude manner? How many times have you talked on the phone realizing that your interlocutor is simmering with anger?
How to cheer up in 15 minutes. Today, one of the biggest problems that women are facing, is the lack of self-confidence. No matter how secure you feel about yourself, sometimes you may feel…down. Play the following game so as to experience wonderful feelings! The main challenge is to become aware of the desire that you really want to cheer up. So, if you do want it, take a paper and a pencil and separate the page in three parts, according your age. For example, if your age is 30, you will split down the page like that: 0-10, 11-20, 21-30.
Life coach, Jill Douka, explains how what we “feed” our brain, can help you get better quality sleep. “I am a wreck…I sleep 4-5 hours a day!” Elena said to me, during our coaching session. “OK, do you want to tell me, what is it that you do before going to sleep?” “Before going to sleep? I watch TV. In fact sometimes I fall asleep in front of the television. It helps me sleep.” Have you ever wondered why is it that we read fairy tales to our children, before going to sleep?r
Life coach, Jill Douka explains why in order to have a great life, it is essential to love ourselves and how to achieve it. Who is the most important person in the world for you? This is one of the first questions I ask in coaching sessions or in our workshops.
For the past 13 years, since I have been actively involved in the Self Development sector, I observe the same patterns in myself and in my clients. Let's take change for example: You act and you let go.....and then see the results.