Slow Down Fast Personal Coaching and Lifestyle Design

Whether you’re a full time corporate employee or a solopreneur, there have been times when clients or bosses drop large projects into your lap.

Suppose someone hands you a five-pound box of paper and tells you that it’s part of a project that’s due next week!

Or what about if you’re creating a business model for your own company – that’s a pretty voluminous project.

Here are some must-have tips for streamlining the work so that things get done right and move forward according to schedule. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

How many times have you read a quotable quote by a famous person and thought, “I wish I could have such great insight”?

One-liners are often meaningful and memorable, but what about the context they were taken from? While it’s great to be remembered for snippets of brilliant conversation, it’s better to be memorable for being a great conversationalist as a whole.

If you’d like to heighten the value of your conversations, here are some tips to consider. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

I was skimming through some Christmas posts of mine from a year ago and came across one I’d like to share with you this year.

Here’s a little history of Charles Schultz and A Charlie Brown Christmas:

Would it surprise you to know that Charles Schultz, the creator of the extremely successful and enduring Peanuts cartoon, battled many of the same disenchantments and struggled with self-confidence as did his comic-strip characters? He did.

Additionally, he stirred controversy with A Charlie Brown Christmas. CBS executives wanted a comedy from Schultz, but he found he couldn’t be true to himself by compromising his message. The network was reluctant to use children for the characters’ voices. Moreover, they didn’t want that religious message.

But Schultz held strong, and Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and Snoopy’s version of Christmas became one of the most popular and dearly loved specials of all time, including today.

The single biggest lesson to be learned from Charles Schultz: Persistence.

PERSISTENCE is defined as continuing despite difficulties, opposition, or discouragement.

• Stick to your intuition even when struggling with opposition and self-doubt.
• Be true to yourself. Don’t comprimise your beliefs.

Happy Holidays to all of you, and Merry Christmas Charlie Brown !!!
(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Here are the 12 Most-Read Numbered Posts in 2008 at Slow Down FAST:

12.    5 Tips for Becoming a Better Listener
11.    5 Qualities of Successful Relationships
10.    6 Ways for Effecting Change in Your Life
9.      6 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Busting Out of the Rat Race
8.      5 Signs It’s Time to Slow Down Fast
7.      6 Ways to Be a Friend Without Involving Money, Gifts or Obligation
6.      5 Ways to Reconnect to Your Inner Child
5.      10 Great Productivity Web Sites
4.      5 Signs You’re a Pleaser and What to Do About It
3.      5 Simple Tricks To Make You Smarter
2.      8 Essential Ingredients to Master Your Time
1.      The Causes and Cures of Procrastination

Thank you all for your support throughout the year, and best wishes in all your future endeavors.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

By now, the preparation for Christmas Day has reached its absolute peak.  The last minute gifts are being bought and grocery lists are being prepared for the holiday feast.  While preparing for the more obvious aspects of Christmas, we can also prevent post holiday blues by preparing for the emotional aspects of the day itself.

What, exactly, causes post-holiday blues?  For many, the simple reason is that the day doesn’t fulfill expectations.  Disappointment leads to the big let-down that many of us feel the day after Christmas (or any big event), and the best way to avoid it is simple:  lower your expectations.

Unrealistic expectations can lead to repeated disappointment, but the good news is that “lowering the bar” can reduce, if not eliminate post holiday blues and help you achieve your goals of peace on earth and good will toward men.  Some examples may include: (more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

I know it isn’t year-end yet, but experience and observation have shown that not many people want to begin the heavy lifting of reflection and self-assessment near the Holidays.

So, after 700+ posts in 2008, I’m publishing the 12 Most Read Posts at Slow Down FAST so we can all get a jump on the new year.

Thank you all for your support throughout the year.

Here they are:

1. The Causes and Cures of Procrastination
2. Mindhacks: 5 Ways to Increase Creativity, Productivity and Intelligence
3. How to Overcome the #1 Fear: Public Speaking
4. 8 Essential Ingredients to Master Your Time
5. Do Not Wage Psychological Warfare
6. Stuck in a Rut? Fire Up Your Creativity with These 7 Steps
7. What Are You Passionate About?
8. See How Easily You Can Handle Change
9. How to Maintain Professional Boundaries
10. 5 Simple Tricks To Make You Smarter
11. 5 Signs You’re a Pleaser and What to Do About It
12. From Greedy to Grateful – Appreciating What You Have

Please subscribe to the Slow Down FAST RSS feed:   

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

by David Bohl

With the holiday season upon us, sometimes along with the merriment comes an overdose of certain folks who grate our nerves or cause us just a bit too much inconvenience. This article is NOT about wreaking revenge on such individuals, but figuring out how to limit their inflence in your life so that you have more time to focus on the really important things!

Warding Off “Emotional Vampires”, Giving Bad Friends the Boot

Emotional vampires sap us of our life force with their neediness and ability to attract drama/stir up trouble wherever they go. Friends like this start off seemingly normal– and then suddenly you find yourself being dragged down a perilous path of emotional blackmail and destruction! After a while, you realize that you don’t care for the way the “emotional vampire” treats people, whether it’s other friends, neighbors, business associate or even the check-out girl at the grocery store. You feel frustrated over the lost time it takes to deal with such a person and the complications they invite.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

“I finally learned that you cannot help people unless they really need help, are willing to be helped, want you to help them and ask you to help them. Even then, you can only help them to help themselves.” ~ Vincent Collins

Please subscribe to my RSS feed:

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

WHAKATE – Life Design Matters blog has picked Slow Down FAST as its #3 Personal Effectiveness blog.  Thank you!

Please subscribe to my RSS feed:

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites