Slow Down Fast Personal Coaching and Lifestyle Design

Sometimes life can be like a clothes dryer.  You can feel hot, tumbled around, and dizzy from the fast-paced demands of life.  Round and round we go, ending up in the same place we began, feeling we made no progress in our lives.  Unfortunately, many of us willingly step into such chaos, and with what results?  You are left parched, without the refreshing moistures of life, twisted into a tight ball.  There is no “fluff” setting in such a lifestyle – only high heat.

Each time you take a tumble in the dryer, a little bit of lint is left in the trap – the little bits of you that eventually leave your life thinner, and you wondering where it went.  These are the wasted moments that can’t be refound, the unnoticed skimming of time off your days that eventually pile up into a wad of loss.  Don’t you sometimes wish you could gather up all those balls of lint and weave them back in to a whole fabric of yourself?

And we shrink, too, each time we go through the hot dryer.  We draw up and the sleeves are too short, the body too tight.  We have a hard time making life fit anymore.  We cover up the condition of our clothes with artificial perfumes and softeners, a consolation for their wear and tear.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We could take the more leisurely approach to drying our clothes by hanging them on an clothesline.  The morning sun is warm on your back as you pin each item on the line, the dampness of the sheet caressing your face.  The breeze dances the clothes on the line, gently exchanging their dewiness for that fresh smell of the outdoors that only clothes dried on a clothesline can have.  There is no shrinkage, no thinning.  A little fading perhaps of the darker items, but also a brightening of the lighter – isn’t that how life should be?

Is it as fast and convenient?  Probably not.  And, some fabrics come out a little stiff.  But you have had the sublime pleasure of standing in the quiet sunshine, of seeing each item as its own shape, rather than part of a tumbled mass in a hot, crazily circling drum.  You have heard the morning chorus of birds in the trees, inhaled the aroma of cut grass in the air – and eventually, you will have dry clothes, too.

Best of all, on some drearier day when the sky is rainy, you will have the delight of smelling that summer day as you pull a clean shirt over your head, reminded of the fullness of living.  Now, isn’t that better than dealing with the heat-breathing dragon in the basement?

Liz Rhodebeck, a freelance writer, likes to take note of the everyday moments of life in her poetry and essays.  See her website at www.waterwriter.com.

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by David Bohl

Do you get grumpy often?

Maybe you feel anxious, restless, impatient, or generally discontented?

Did you ever notice those other people who always seem to be floating on a cloud, beaming over whatever mundane occurence is transpiring? Are they for real?

What about the merry jokester who manages to find levity in even the most depressing of scenarios? What’s THAT guy smoking, and can he hook you up with some?

The truth is that not everyone is tired, fed up and pissed off! Some people really do count their blessings. Some are just buoyant. Now, I’m no psychologist, but in my personal experience, I’ve found that if you change your habits, you really can elevate your spirits and your mood.

In life, being a happy person is half the battle!

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It seems like every time you turn on the TV these days, the stock market has sunk even lower and the housing market isn’t looking so hot either. People are getting laid off from their jobs almost on a daily basis and with it being an election year, everyone in America is looking for some kind of a change (no matter who wins the election).

Well, go ahead and take a big sigh of relief because I have some good news to share with you. Even though we’re going through a bit of a rough spot doesn’t mean you just have to throw up your hands and deal with it. Learn how to build your own wealth in a bad economy–and realize that it’s about more than what shows on your resume. Take matters into your own hands and take action now.

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Every day, we’re bombarded by television commercials, celebrity spokespeople, and advertisements telling us the “right” way to live.

We are told to strive for unattainable lifestyles and to model ourselves after unrealistic, airbrushed models.

Sometimes you need to step back from this virtual reality and ponder what life is really about. Will that Mercedes or those anti-anxiety medications really make you happier, or are they only temporary solutions to deeper issues? Examine these five myths about how you should be living your life and start living the way you want to live.

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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…)

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Let’s face it, the workplace can be like a battlefield. It’s hard enough that you have to huddle in a little cubicle, slagging away every day to support yourself and your family, but you also have a bunch of workplace drama that you usually have to deal with, too.

While this is not true of all work environments, there are some people in your professional crowd that you definitely want to avoid. Learn the traits of these professional piranhas, and stay out of their treacherous pond at work, so you don’t get eaten alive and watch your career go down in flames.

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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…)

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by David Bohl, Personal Coach and Lifestyle Designer

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a leader as “a person who has commanding authority or influence.” Though this definition leaves room for leaders who influence their followers in a negative manner, such as Adolf Hitler, there are many leaders who have changed the world for good. In taking a page from the book of these modern-day leaders for positive change, you can improve upon your own life.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah’s rags-to-riches rise to fame is a well-known story, especially since she has been noted as the most influential woman in the world. However, despite the fact that she can afford the best of the best, Oprah has remained true to her humble roots. Being at the head of a media empire as large as hers has subjected her to criticism and mocking, whether aimed at her weight, her romantic life, or her choice of reading material, but Oprah has found a way to succeed in spite of the naysayers. Through all of her ups and downs in the public eye, Oprah has upheld her own values and done things the way she believed was right. Take a tip from Oprah and follow your gut. It doesn’t mean you will be without hardships or criticisms, but when you do achieve something great, you’ll know it was because you stayed true to yourself.

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Go Green! That is the new war cry of everyone from food manufacturers to financial institutions, as more and more people take on the responsibility for preserving our environment.

As citizens of the world, each of us is responsible for the health of our planet. Our choices and our actions contribute to the well being or deterioration of the environment. Yet, it’s our earth, the only one we have. If we don’t care about the environment, who will?

Who will preserve the quality of the air? Who will restore our natural resources? Who will help make the planet safe for many generations to come? You will! Anyone and everyone can participate in making our world a safer, less harmful place.

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