I recommend Leider’s book because it is one of the best I have read on purpose and mission. He has managed to synthesized many key ideas and topics related to purpose in a concise and clear manner.

For anybody wanting to explore the issues related to creating meaning in their life and work, s/he will find this book very worthwhile.

“Greed, excess, irresponsibility and lack of regulation in the financial system have left wounds that will take several years to heal…recessions should come every three to four years to keep fear and greed within limits, good and bad times have to succeed each other every three to four years otherwise greed become geometric or fear becomes excessive.”

In a speech given in Montreal, December 2008

Here are some great techniques to sabotage your success!

• Have no clear sense of direction or clarity and you don’t know what you want.
• No motivation. Motivation is what makes you want to get up in the morning. It comes from desires and needs. Fear can be a good motivator sometimes when you use it in a resourceful way.
• Not wanting responsibilities. If your dream comes with a lot of responsibility, you may not want this, so develop a dream that is realistic and meaningful for you.
• Fear of success. Yes, some individuals feel undeserving of success and can’t handle it when it comes along. Perhaps you subconsciously fear it may change what you have presently or your relationships. To overcome this feeling is to become successful in another area of your life. Allow yourself to win. Success can become addictive.
• Fear of failure. But then if we don’t fail, then that’s probably because we haven’t done anything. Let yourself fail. Often. That’s the way we learn and  grow. Some people say there is no such thing as failure…only feedback. It is the environment’s way of telling us we haven’t quite got it right, yet , but to continue trying.

So, what to do with our sabotage techniques?

• Honestly evaluate what they are. List them.
• Replace them with positive empowering thoughts and action that will bring you closer to your goals.  Remember that great truth: “What you focus on, is what you’ll get.”
• Get a partner who respects and admires you to help you stay motivated and on track.
• Reinforce powerful beliefs and visualize yourself succeeding.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Woody Allen

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” Napoleon Hill

Meditation better than medication…i.e. Plato not prozac.
In December 2008, the London Daily Telegraph reported  that psychologists from the Universtiy of Exeter published a study into “mindfulness-based cognitive therapy” (MBCT) finding it to be better than drugs or counseling for depression. MBCT marries Eastern meditation with Western Cognitive therapy. “Patients are taught the simple technique over 8 sessions and then practice it at home for 30 minutes a day.”

The technique revolves around “mindfulness meditation” in which a person sits with eyes closed and focuses on breathing. Concentrating on the rhythm of the breath helps produce a feeling of detachment, and the individual comes to realize that thoughts come and go of their own accord, and that the “conscious self” is distinct from  thoughts. This realization is the key to the transformation that many people experience.

Now that we’ve all decided that this is as good a time as any for a recession (’What you focus on is what you get’), here are some tips for transforming our old way of life:

• Cut back on useless expensive items and cook dinner for your friends, get them a nice bottle of wine or beautiful flowers
• Spend more time with family and friends. Go for a walk, spend some time catching up or writing to old acquaintances. Rekindle friendships.
• Take the time to live in the moment. Contemplate a sunset; go to a botanical gardens and smell the flowers; make the best of those moments; savor time and the people around you; volunteer at a hospital or go spend time with individuals who need attention and affection. Get a dog or cat and learn from them.
• Join a group; a dance class; get involved helping others. Helping others, dixit the science of positive psychology is THE answer to everything and a shortcut to happiness.
• Now is a good time to do something different or new. When is the last time you’ve done something for the VERY FIRST TIME? Now, is the time to do it again and reap the joy. Leave your comfort zone behind…Create that new vision for yourself and your environment.
• Focus on prosperity and wealth…and encourage others to do the same thing. You’ll soon see the recession recede. I promise.

Utiliser la science de la psychologie positive dans la pratique du coaching

Vous vous rappelez peut-être que dans une de mes dernières infolettres, je mentionnais l’importance de toujours « se concentrer sur ce que nous désirons et jamais sur ce que nous ne voulons pas. » Et bien, il y a tout un domaine d’étude nommé « psychologie positive » qui est l’étude de ce qui est positif chez les individus. Cette approche développe une étude rigoureuse de la santé mentale complète. En résumé, c’est l’étude des conditions et des processus qui contribuent au bonheur personnel.

Une des principales pratiques de cette science s’appelle
« inverser l’attention » (reverse the focus), c’est-à-dire devenir conscient de ce sur quoi nous portons attention. Lorsqu’un individu se concentre sur ce qu’il veut, le bien-être augmente et la dépression diminue. Les autres aspects de la psychologie positive sont : apprendre à se concentrer sur ses forces ; contrôler les émotions positives ; créer de l’espoir et se connecter à une raison d’être et aligner les valeurs aux visions. Toutes ces approches sont employées dans le processus du coaching, explicitement ou implicitement. Pour plus de renseignements au sujet de l’approche de la science de  la psychologie positive, je recommande un livre de Martin Seligman  « Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment » (2002).

Using the science of positive psychology in the practice of coaching…

You may remember when, in a past newsletter, I expressed the importance of always “focusing on what you want and never on what you don’t want.” Well, there is a whole new area of science called positive psychology which is the study of what is right with individuals. It develops a rigorous study of complete mental health. In a nutshell, it is the study of the conditions and processes that contribute to happiness.
One of the main principles of this science is to  ‘reverse the focus’, i.e. to become aware of what we paying attention to and then choosing what we really want to focus on. The idea is that when an individual focuses on what he wants, this leads to increased well-being. Other aspects of positive psychology are learning to focus on one’s strengths; harnessing positive emotion, building hope, connecting with purpose and aligning values and vision. All these approaches are employed in the coaching process, explicitly or implicitly. For more insights into this exciting new science, may I recommend Martin Seligman’s book  “Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment” (2002).

Coaching a senior executive is always a challenge.Some issues a coach will deal with…
1) Solitude. “It is lonely at the top”.  Being a CEO is tough and many individuals in that position, contrary to popular belief, have a difficult time coping.

2) CEOs have a very limited life ourside of work. With 16 hour days, the feel tremendous strain to keep up relationships with their spouse, children and friendships. They are usually 24/7 slaves to their jobs.

3) A global economy means mobile CEOs.  Many spend much energy and time in planes, in new residences in different country. Sounds exotic but is it really?

An executive coach will help a CEO to learn to drive their own agendas instead of letting the business drive them. A coach will encourage an executive to build an active support network. He will help him work out a schedule so s/he can spend more time with a spouse and children. Finally, he will point out the importance of staying in top physical and mental shape.

It is said that more than 40% of the people in the workforce fear retirement.

The principal challlenge for individuals considering retirement is to look at the things they identify with. A person’s ego can be totally identified with a role or a position in society. People connect achievements with who they are. Indeed, the challenge of retirement is to find a sense of purpose beyond the job or social context of a career. When I once asked one of my colleagues if he had ever considered retiring, he looked at me and said: “But who would phone me if I retired?” Much of his identity was dependent on his colleagues and network at work.

The retirement process is especially difficult for individuals who have put all their eggs in the ‘career basket’. These people have not developed relationships outside of work and once they leave the nest, they find themselves isolated and lonely. Not having dedicated time to developing new interests and relationships, retirement is experienced as a stressful time. Combine this with the lose of status, attachment to a job title or a perceived important position in a hierarchy, an individual will have many new challenges to confront when considering retirement.

Finally, many people associate retirement with preparing to die! Their perception is that this stage of life means poor health and sickness which is far from reality.

The answer: create a vision, find a sense of inner purpose and make objectives and a plan for the next 3 years. Phasing into retirement is commonplace nowadays and offers a soft landing, a positive transitional period and time to refine the plan.  Consider retirement as just another type of lifestyle the same way individuals do when they get married and have children and find a new job. The best time to prepare for retirement is when you still have a job. Sit down with a life coach and begin making a plan!