Author Archives: faithmonson

by | November 30, 2012 · 9:03 am

GPS Your Best Life- Are you a Front Seat or Back Seat Driver?

by Charmaine Hammond and Debra Kasowski

Are you a front or back seat driver?

You have probably heard phrases like “you are judged by the people you associate with” or “your results I life are a result of the people you choose to have in your life”.  Our lives mirror the people we choose to associate with the most. Who do you associate with…. Front or back seat drivers?

Front seat drivers are people who support others; help them find their way, show patience when there is a detour or a wrong turn, and who offer to share the driving on a long or tiring journey.

Back seat drivers have the potential to drain your passion and deplete your positive energy. Backseat drivers often find fault with or complain about others, tell you what to do, or nitpick at issues. The great news is that you have the power to choose a) which type of driver you will be, and b) who you let in your vehicle on the journey of life.

How can you ensure that you bring more front seat drivers into your life?

  1. Be conscious of how much time you devote or spend with backseat drivers. Set boundaries, and provide respectful feedback if need be. The truth is that sometimes people simply don’t realize how they are coming across, or how their behavior is impacting others.
  2. Demonstrate self awareness and ensure your actions, and attitudes are closely aligned to front seat drivers.
  3. Notice the warning signs. Your body sends signals (such as knots in your gut, a drifting mind to escape the dialogue, discomfort, or a urge to be defensive), this is an opportunity for you to a) notice, and b) choose a response.
  4. Define, honor and protect your personal space. Make sure that you are open to receiving as well as giving. Allow others to support and assist you, as you are doing for people in your life.
  5. Practice ways to respectfully end the conversations that you are uncomfortable with.
  6. Model front seat driver behaviors, you will likely find that front seat drivers stick together.
  7. Forgive yourself and move on. Often when people make mistakes, they turn into their own worst backseat driver… self blame, put downs and making the situation worse. Instead, breathe. And breathe again. And Forgive. This allows you to get back into the front seat with ease, grace, dignity, and new learning.

You will likely notice that being a front seat driver is a much easier way to live life, and reach your goals faster.

 

Charmaine Hammond and Debra Kasowski are the authors of GPS Your Best Life- Charting Your Destination and Getting There in Style.  Jack Canfield, co-author of The Success Principles and Chicken Soup for the Soul says that “Charmaine and Debra show you how to navigate through life’s inevitable roadblocks and obstacles with ease and grace, so you can reach your desired destination”. To find out how to GPS Your Best Life, visit www.gpsyourbestlife.com

 

Comments Off on GPS Your Best Life- Are you a Front Seat or Back Seat Driver?

Filed under Guest Blogger

Tagged as , ,

by | November 23, 2012 · 9:01 am

GPS Your Best life…The What and the Why Make the HOW possible!

by Charmaine Hammond and Debra Kasowski

“If you don’t know where you are going, how can you expect to get there?”  This is a quote by Basil S. Walsh.

The challenge for many people is knowing where they want to go, and what they want to have, be and achieve. ]

Imagine going to a mega mall that you have never been to, one where you could get lost in the parking lot, let alone in the mall. Amy and Emma had were overwhelmed by the size of the mall, and how they would find their vehicle after a day of shopping. As they entered the mall they noticed the “you are here” sign. Taking note of the current location was the first step in finding their car at the end of the day and navigating through the mall. This sign helped them Get Positioned for Success (GPS).

To GPS your best life, you must first know where you are, then visualize where you would like to be, and finally map out a plan to get you there. Here are a few tips to help you GPS your best life, and get there in style:

Knowing where you are:

Knowing where you are right now… not yesterday and not tomorrow… but right now, is the first step.  Take a few minutes to acknowledge your strengths, your values and what makes you who YOU are. Think about the quality of the relationships you are in (friendships, business collaborations, marriage or dating, family relationships, and your relationship with yourself). Consider the aspects of your life that are comfortable or better yet, going well. What about the areas where you feel off course?

Knowing where you are is the first step in getting in the driver’s seat to create your best life.

Where you’d like you go:

Once you have a sense of where you are, think about where you would like to go, or what you would like to do, be and have. Sometimes people discover their purpose (true calling), some were born with it, and in some cases, their purpose finds them. Your purpose or true calling is your WHY. To get greater clarity on your true calling, ask yourself these questions:

What revs my engine?

What do I love to do that feels effortless?

What do people acknowledge my strengths to be?

When I sit back and imagine my life as it could be, what does that look like?

When you are crystal CLEAR on the “what and the why”, the how begins to emerge

Mapping a plan to get there:

Sometimes people try to map their plan before they are CLEAR on the what and the why.  Mapping your plan is the how. When you know what your life is like now, and what you envision for future, you can map out how to achieve that reality.

Chunk it down, think about the actions in bite size pieces. Write down every possible action (don’t’ worry about the order of the steps) to make the goal a reality. Every day, choose five mini actions, we call this your Daily Five GPS steps. Little steps lead to consistent action and big results.

And along the journey remember to acknowledge your growth and successes, and share them with others.

 

Charmaine Hammond and Debra Kasowski are the authors of GPS Your Best Life- Charting Your Destination and Getting There in Style.  Jack Canfield, co-author of The Success Principles and Chicken Soup for the Soul says that “Charmaine and Debra show you how to navigate through life’s inevitable roadblocks and obstacles with ease and grace, so you can reach your desired destination”. To find out how to GPS Your Best Life, visit www.gpsyourbestlife.com

 

 

 

Comments Off on GPS Your Best life…The What and the Why Make the HOW possible!

Filed under Guest Blogger

Tagged as , , ,

by | June 19, 2012 · 9:30 am

Confessions of a Success Sherpa

by Faith Monson
www.FaithMonson.com

Sherpas are the guides who help mountain climbers safely reach the crest of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world.  I don’t climb mountains, but some days, it feels like it.  Instead, I help my clients reach their personal peak—in business and in life.

Sometimes, it feels as if we’re climbing up hill, carrying heavy baggage, breathing thin air.  When that happens, it’s my job to know the safe trails, recognize the skills and limitations of my client, and be a ceaseless source of encouragement.  It’s a combination of recognizing real-life pitfalls, knowing the path, and believing that my client can do what he or she has set out to do.  It’s hard, but it’s worth it for the view from the peak.

Every good guide has his or her own tools for tackling the trail.  Here are few of my favorites:

A 360 evaluation.  Since people are usually blind to their own true strengths and areas for improvement, I take a look at what others have written, such as testimonials or interviews.  It’s amazing what will surface when we step back and see what other people value about my client that he or she didn’t even think was important.

Competitor research.  I look at my clients’ competitors until I find something new and different or better and excellent or something that gives me a new perspective on my client’s approach. I want to see the variety of ways the best people in their industry are presenting themselves and their services.  Once we have a fresh look at the competition, we can best decide how to differentiate, where we can adapt something they’re doing, or where the market sees a gap we can fill.

I’ll be sharing more of my Sherpa Secrets over the next few posts, with a goal of helping you think about the tools, mindset shifts and approaches that can help you get unstuck.  There’s a reason people hire Sherpas to climb Mt. Everest –it’s because they couldn’t get to the other side without help.

Comments Off on Confessions of a Success Sherpa

Filed under Coaching, Dreams

Tagged as , , ,

by | May 14, 2012 · 9:38 am

Doing an End-of-Day Review is Powerful – Here’s How…

by Marilyn Suttle

The end-of-day review is a powerful tool I use to improve my performance with clients, while raising the bar on my personal effectiveness. It’s a simple practice that only takes a few minutes.

Right before leaving work at the end of the day, ask yourself:

What went well? What would I do differently next time? What do I appreciate about my customers?

Here’s why:

When you ask, “What went well?” it unleashes your brain to zero in on all the wins of your day. That makes you more resourceful.

When you make a habit of noticing what’s going right, you’ll more readily apply those same tactics to future situations.

When you ask, “What would I do differently?” it gives your mind time to rehearse better ways of responding to future challenges. Those mental rehearsals can catapult your effectiveness. It also helps you to avoid self-blame, shame, and guilt.

When you ask, “What do I appreciate about my customers?” it keeps your attention on the people who are the reason you’re in business. It helps you get your mind off the one or two curmudgeonly customers that bring you down, so you can see the overall purpose and value of all those who do business with you.

It creates a sense of closure to your work day so you can be more fully present at home with family and friends.

Not all self-reflections are helpful. Some can even sabotage your success. “What went wrong?” is not a resourceful question. It makes the little problems big and big successes little.  Rather than rehearse better ways of handling workplace issues, you’re left chewing on troubles. As you leave for the day, you’ll feel frustrated, and your resilience will tank. You won’t be much fun across the dinner table with your family and it sets you up to start the next day from a less resourceful vantage point.

It also helps to do a similar end-of-year review. One thing that came from doing it yearly is I now keep a notebook to capture these reviews. Capturing these small daily reviews helps to recognize how small things done consistently leads to massive results in your business, profits, and sense of wellbeing.

What do you think? How could you build upon what’s going right and make adjustments to better serve your clients?

Marilyn Suttle is an international keynoter, and success coach for those wanting to attract and retain happy customers and expand their personal power. She specializes in creating prosperous cultures of excellence by creating “Suttle Shifts” in the way people think and act to get further faster and with less stress. Her bestselling book, “Who’s Your Gladys? How to Turn Even the Most Difficult Customer Into Your Biggest Fan” is the result of decades of experience and extensive interviews with CEO’s, managers, and front line staff of service focused businesses. Visit www.MarilynSuttle.com

 

Comments Off on Doing an End-of-Day Review is Powerful – Here’s How…

Filed under Guest Blogger

Tagged as , , ,

by | November 4, 2011 · 10:33 am

Freebie Friday From Our Very Own Faith Monson

by Faith Monson
www.FaithMonson.com

Are you ready to claim the professional life you’ve been dreaming about?  Whether you dream, of finding a job that you really love, business success, or financial security, the first move is up to you.  The old proverb about a journey of a thousand miles beginning with a single step is true—but it leaves out an important piece: To begin your journey, you need to open the door.

I want to give you my new “Opening Doors” e-book, a guide to re-imagining your life and claiming your inner power.  It’s my way to help you awaken your spark and refresh your passion to make your dreams a reality.

This free, complete e-book–“Opening Doors”–is my gift to you. The door is open; it’s up to you to take the next— just click on the download link and learn the simple steps that can help make your dreams into reality.

Remember-get your free complete e-book. What open door is waiting for you?

Comments Off on Freebie Friday From Our Very Own Faith Monson

Filed under Uncategorized