Browse Empowerment

There are two words that all of our students get very use to hearing from us at our trainings and seminars. Anytime they ask a question like "What do I do if someone does this?" Or "How should I react to someone doing that?" they generally get the same answer…That answer is…"It depends…" Martial arts teach memorisation of techniques and a specific response to a specific attack. This is the way they have always been taught and it works well as a teaching method for marti

You have felt this before. You read or listened to some famous self-help guru and in the end they leave you with more questions than answers. They keep you wondering, where are the details? The shocking truth is that most self-help gurus are regurgitating the same old fashioned information. Authors for many years have been teaching concepts that come from the early writings of Wallace D. Wattles, Napoleon Hill, or Thomas Troward, an early teacher of mental science. Nowadays you get 20 tips, or 15 rules, or the “secret” to success. Same old story, same results.

The title of this article probably allows your thoughts to immediately travel to a person who to you is attractive and appealing–someone you feel has pleasing features and good looks. Obviously you are thinking of the outward appearance of that individual because that is what we see initially when we meet or greet someone - it’s only natural we would focus on their outward presence – and most often we refer to a woman in this context. But the interesting thing is that what one person considers beautiful could be different from what another person thinks is beautiful.

Many newcomers find the job market very unfriendly because they lack the strategy required. Yes you have job search goals but do you have strategy that ensures buy-in? How do you stand out in the ever thickening crowd? What should you do to get noticed by your intended audience?

Searching for answers For years I have been searching for answers to my health conce s and those of many others who have crossed my path. My journey involved years of not feeling well, an illness that surfaced, over three years to realize the emotional core of all illness including mine, and ...

The Catalyst Method “The Conscious Catalyst in me aligns with the Subconscious Catalyst in you and together we make things happen!” - Aline Hanle The Catalyst method is a comprehensive problem-solving process designed to bring Peak Performance Solutions to life and business entrepreneurs. This innovative support system gives ways to combine the analytical and the intuitive thought processes leading to extraordinary experiences and resulting in long-term growth. This alignment arises on a soul level bringing your individual purpose-driven experience into your life equation.

Mindfulness is being consciously aware and accepting of what is going on in and around you at the present moment without judging it in any way. It is more like being the “observer” rather than stepping into the story that is playing out in your experience. You become aware of all that you feel and are thinking as simply an event that you are witnessing.

Life brings you many experiences, some of which may be good and some which are not so good. Your perception of these experiences will determine whether you look at these as stepping stones to a better you or as stumbling blocks which hold you back. It’s not about life being fair or just, it’s about learning and growing from your experiences. There is an ebb and flow to life. The balance of life comes from the contrast of good and bad, ying and yang. The bad experiences give you what you don’t want, which helps you clarify what you DO want. Life is Not Perfect

One of your goals in life should be to earn as much as you possibly can from your work. Some people, with the same education and experience, earn far more than others. Why is that? \ Here is the key question. What is your most valuable asset? In terms of cash flow, what is the most valuable thing ...

Most of us know the feeling of dieting for a week or so, and then stepping on the scale and seeing a pound or two gone. It gives you a feeling of “it was worth it”, doesn’t it? nnSuccess, change, goal-setting -- they CANNOT be achieved without effort.nnAs one author noted, “God provides ample food for the birds -- but he does not throw it into their nests!” nnGod has provided ample “food”(rewards) for you too. You only have to be willing to go out and get it. He

”We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” --Jesse Owens As a boy, I started reading stories that would ignite my spirit and spur me on. These stories were always about real ...

I repeatedly get the following question from my readers:nn“How do I deal with close friends and family members who don't share my aspirations for success (and many times shoot me down)?”nnThis is a very common problem. nnMany times those closest to us trample all over our dreams. They say things like, "That's just a waste of time", or "yeah right, what makes you think you can do that?"nnWhat gives here?nnAren't those closest to us supposed to be supporting us through thic

Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” One could look at this statement and think that those 10,000 ideas were a waste of time and money or one could look more closely and realize that out of those 10,000 came not only the light bulb but the phonograph, film projectors, motion pictures, the quadruplex telegraph; a total of 1093 patents. Just to make the light bulb consumer-friendly and useable for electric distributio Edison

If you’ve been sitting by your computer for days, weeks, months, or even years wringing your hands and wondering what’s stopping the words in your head from landing on the page, the following tips may provide some food for thought and quite possibly end your writer’s block: ...

You can choose joy as easily as you can choose any emotion. But you won’t enjoy your life as much as you could unless you include one key ingredient. Do you enjoy what you have: your key relationships, material items, spiritual awareness and connection to Source, personal traits and characteristics? If you can’t enjoy who you are and what you have now, how will you enjoy even more? This may seem contradictory but it isn’t. It reminds me of two thought streams: “Wherever you go there you are” and “I’ll be happy when…”

One of the keys that I have found helps me immensely during periods of change, is the ability to surrender to what is, no matter how unsettling it may feel. I simply allow the situation to become part of the greater plan. I remain flexible and shift gears if necessary, perhaps revaluating my immediate goals and how I am going to achieve them. I have also come to realize that a new level of flexibility is required each time I make a decision to grow. Once change has begun, it

The best revenge involves money. The point of having money is living well. What’s the point of having money if you don't use it to better your life? Or the lives of others? I am not talking about extravagance or opulence (which certainly has its place if you want that) I'm talking about having financial security, and having nice things; a nice house, a nice car, a nice vacation, nice shoes and if you are a woman, nice shoes AND handbags. Money can be used to improve your lif

"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" - Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz The media is filled with bizarre tales of rude and downright bizarre behavior that was once exhibited by self-loathing attention seeking narcissists and now may be used as a clever inexpensive tool for massive publicity. In the age where 'all publicity is good publicity' are high profile outbusts a result of an emotional dysfunction or a clever media attention grabbing ruse? One has to wonder.

We recently went into escrow on our house, but don't yet have a new house to move into. As excited as we are about our move (just across the San Francisco Bay from Concord to Marin County), it feels pretty scary to not yet know exactly where we’ll be living next month.

Recently our family gathered to watch the movie Ella Enchanted. On the day of Ella's birth, Ella's Fairy Godmother gave her a gift - the gift of obedience. With this gift Ella had no choice but to do what she was asked to do, whether or not she wanted to and no matter how bad the deed was. Ella was still very young when her mother died. But her mother said something very profound to her before she passed on, "No matter what anyone says or tells you to do look to yourself Ella. What's inside you is stronger than any spell."

I wrote another article titled “How to be Decisive” that talks about the reasons people experience intense indecision in all areas of their lives and touched on some simple methods to employ to help overcome it. I feel that the subject of effective decision making is a complex one, and so I’ve written a supplementary article to describe a couple of additional ways that you can boost the speed, confidence and authority with which you make your decisions. These are all re

You barely make it through the door after a particularly “challenging” (oh how you hate that word) day at work, when your spouse thrusts the baby into your arms, aims the three year old in your general direction and cries on his or her way out the door, “Hon, you take them, I gotta go chill.” Grr . . . She/He has to go chill? What about you? Like you’ve done nothing all day but had pleasant conversations with an easy-going boss and oh-so-nice co-workers?! Oh, please. Or – you awaken to the decidedly irritating noise of a vaccuum cleaner or the lawn mower, take your pick.

“Unless you marry intention to action, you end up with only a brief affair.” - author unknow Many people fill their days with thoughts of who they want to be, what they want to do and what they want to have. "I want financial freedom. I want a new car. I want to take a vacation this year. I ...“Unless you marry intention to action, you end up with only a brief affair.” - author unknown

For us to truly succeed, especially in today’s business world, we must be willing to bring our whole selves to the work that we do. And for the teams and organizations that we’re a part of to thrive, it’s also essential to create an environment where people feel safe enough to bring all of who they are to work. The lines between our personal and professional lives have blurred more than ever in recent years, even inside the most structured and traditional companies.

Do you have a person in your life now (or did) who frequently tells you what’s flawed about you or broken? Do you believe him or her? What might be going on with them, and you? "Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs." - Pearl Strachan Hurd I want to share a personal story with you in case you’ve ever experienced something similar or are doing so now. For a time, I had a person in my life who I knew from the start was there to allow me to learn something.

We, baby boomers, sometimes become jaded because we’ve been through so much. However, it’s important to realize that the same attention we pay to negative things can be better spent refocusing our thoughts on the positive. There is no point holding on to negative images when they ...

My friend was astounded when I told her my daughter and I have never fought. She really didn’t believe me. In fact, when she had a minute alone with my husband she asked him if I was kidding. He said, “No, she wasn’t.” My friend’s relationship with her daughter is fine, but not nearly as beautiful as it could be – according to her.

by: Lynda Klau, Ph.D. Defining the Issue Faced with the deep uncertainty of our times, many of us desire not only to live better and more successful lives, but to find an expanded vision of who we are, through which we can fulfill our deepest potential and to contribute to the world. Knowingly or unknowingly, we seem to be moving collectively in the direction of this “wisdom perspective.” Whether it is yoga, bodywork, or meditation, all these tools are valuable in some way, and give each of us more power to work and live creatively.

Overwhelm blocks productivity, creativity, enjoyment… and even income! You can begin to improve this starting today. In my article, “What Does Feeling Overwhelmed Really Mean?”, I mentioned I’d created a mind map. Since then, I revisited my mind map and removed a few things listed there. They’re terrific ideas, but they don’t really “crank my tractor.” This is something you might keep in mind, too.

Many attempts at personal explanation and definition do not result in attainment of an ideal because of improper or incorrect use of language. Oftentimes the words we use to define objectives cause us frustration and further misunderstandings that continue to lead us to ideas having little or nothing to do with our desire for the manifestation of an ideal. Until this idea changes on a conscious level, a continuous cycle of confusion remains in effect.r

The art of good conversation centers very much on your ability to ask questions and to listen attentively to the answers. You can lace the conversation with your insights, ideas, and opinions, but you perfect the art and skill of conversation by perfecting the art and skill of asking good, ...

n nThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Empowerment. Empowerment is increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities and often involves developing confidence in one's own capacities. Lisa Whatley is the Official Guide to Empowerment . Lisa Whatley is a highly successful business woman who has a deep understanding of life and a unique way of explaining and simplifying complex subjects. She's a Self Help Em

Manifesting Your Dream Life Frequently I hear people say what they want, and then they give me reasons why it is not possible. So I would like to share with you how I manifest things in my life: • Everything is possible. Start from that premise. • Make a wish list. Be specific: where, when, what, how much, size, it’s all in the details. • Ask, Ask, Ask. The worst thing that someone might say is no. So ask someone else. • Make a collage with pictures of your wish list on a vision board where you can see it every day.

I’ve reached my fourth decade on the Universe this year. I believe this is a significant turning point, a place where each one of us turns a new corner, beginning a new era of existence. And at this time, some poignant questions tend to rise to the surface. I know there is a piece of me a bit ...

I had a powerful conversation with my counselor Eleanor a while back about insecurity. She said to me, "Mike when you're feeling insecure, it's important to understand which aspect of yourself is feeling insecure.

I truly believe it’s never too late to live the life you were meant to live! Not that many years ago, I made a conscious decision to step into my life and quit leaving it all to chance. After many challenging “Life Lessons,” I came to a point of really evaluating where my life was heading. I knew I did NOT want to repeat those same old experiences, but didn’t have a clue where to start or how to change things.

Have you ever thought life would be different for you today if you had a different childhood? Have you ever held thoughts such as: "My Mother never really cared about who I was." "My Father told me that I'd never amount to anything." "People won't like me if I don't agree with the crowd." "If only I didn't come from such a dysfunctional family."

Life will always throws challenges at us. That is a given. I believe that if there were no challenges in life (or ups and downs in life), life would become mundane. As Tony Robbins nicely put it, “Challenges are required for growth". If life was always smooth sailing, there would be no room for growth in any aspect of our existence. We would become stagnant and not move forward. One of the keys to overcome a challenge in life (according to my experience and research) is the ability to embrace acceptance.

Before “What the Bleep” . . . before “The Secret” and any other similar movie since . . . there was a film that provided The Key. And, it was so subtle (yet obvious, now) I only just got it nearly two decades later. And, just when I needed it. If you’re not ...

In any business, and especially a small business, there can be countless valuable “potential” profits literally hiding right in front of you. For a small business, figuring out what those gaps in your profits are – and where they are hidden in your day-to-day activities – is almost as valuable as what you do about them afterward. Here are three profit boosts to help you locate the gaps in your profits and effectively turn them around. Profit Boost #1 – Work More Effectively with Suppliers.

We all want more success and the fear of failure can often be the driving force of our actions. We work long hours, sacrifice personal time, and even sleep. We put our heart and soul into what we're trying to achieve, only to find that we're spinning our wheels. We think we're getting things done, because at the end of the day all of our Action List items are crossed out; but did we really get closer to achieving our goals? The fact is, most of us accomplish a whole list of t

When my first marriage came to an end, I was extremely sad and depressed. After my divorce, I spent years reliving my past. The memories of suffering kept coming back to me and prevented me from enjoying the present. The feeling of loneliness and abandonment were heavy in my heart. I was burdened by the mindset that my future would be dismal, and I was full of worry and anxiety.

Coping with the Holidays: 7 things to help you cope with loss during the holidaysr

My mom, Lois Dempsey Robbins, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in early March. The disease spread very quickly and on June 13th, she passed away. I was honored and grateful to be with her through her dying process. It was both horrible and beautiful at the same time.

The hardest job you'll ever have is being a parent. And of course you want to be the best parent you can be. How do you keep a child from being spoiled? How do you teach values, compassion, work ethic, and self-esteem? How do you foster empathy, honesty, self-reliance, self-control, kindness, cooperation and joy? How does a parent promote intellectual curiosity, motivation and passion? By being a consistent healthy role model.

We become very mindful of love with the focus at this time of year, given the major marketing or advertising campaigns and displays that permeate every retail establishment imaginable, plus multiple commercials. The simple reason after all, is to entice you to spend money at their business to express love to those you love. The emphasis is always that these gestures - flowers, candy, lingerie, jewelry, cards, cuddly stuffed animals, perfume, dinner out or that perfect gift – are a necessity if you feel love for another person.

Team building is too often looked upon as “some things” to do instead of “some ones” to become. Teams are composed of people, not parts like a machine. In fact, it is time to stop treating your body and life as parts, somehow separated into bits and pieces. If we only use our left-brain mental constructs, this is how we tend to focus. For example, traditionally we see teams in terms of strategies, tasks, and dollars-and-cents measures (“bottom line”).

The most empowering question anyone can ask of a child, or even an adult, is "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" A child will respond with wide-eyed wonderment and enthusiasm while the adult will often respond with a woeful look of that was then, this is now retort. "He who trims himself ...The most empowering question anyone can ask of a child, or even an adult, is "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" A child will respond with wide-eyed wonderment and enthusiasm while the adult will often respond with a woeful look of that was then, this is now retort.

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. - Ellen Goodman I love this quote. This could very well be the difference between those who will struggle in the coming year and those who will thrive.