Say YES to Personal Choice!

yes.jpgby David Bohl

Are you aware that you are at choice in every area of your life?

When I ask that question of my personal coaching clients they sometimes get very quiet, then say, “No. I don’t feel like I make all my own choices.” That’s a very common response. Many people feel like other people make choices for them, dictate what they “should” do, how they should do it, when they should do it, what they should eat, what they should wear, etc.

It begins, of course, with our parents. Until we’re at an age where they can trust us to make our own, correct decisions, they make our choices for us. If they were controlling, over-protective parents, they may not have instilled in us the opportunity to develop our ability to make our own wise decisions. Thus, we may have grown into adults still looking to others to choose our life situations. Or they may have taught us how to choose and take responsibility for our choices and we became confident, self-assured adults.

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7 Tips for Streamlining Your Life

From my article Get Prepared to Streamline Your Life at Dumb Little Man:

istock_000006479984xsmall.jpg“As a business owner, I’ve learned about several effective tools needed to run an efficient business. I utilize systems, strategies, and support, to keep my business running smoothly and profitably. And I’ve seen how if I apply some of these same tools to my personal life, I can streamline it as well.

So whether you have your own business, work for a company, or run a household, if you manage your life like a business, I can guarantee you’ll be surprised at the results. Here are some tips taken from my experience that can be valuable for streamlining your life:”

Read the rest of Get Prepared to Streamline Your Life.

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Emotional Vampires, Time Suckers, and Other Characters to Avoid During the Holidays and Always

vampire.jpgby 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.

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A Thanksgiving Recipe for Gratitude

dinner.jpgby David Bohl – Life Coach and Lifestyle Designer

Baste the turkey? Check. Craft a cornucopia centerpiece Martha Stewart would be proud of… check. Buy an extra place setting for Aunt Flo’s new fling. Check.

Your Thanksgiving to-do list may be complete in your eyes, but have you forgotten the purpose of the holiday in all the excitement and hubbub? This Thanksgiving, don’t lose sight of the deeper meaning behind your 20-person, eat-till-you-drop get-together: gratitude.

Whether you’re a first-time Thanksgiving host or you’ve been serving up white and dark meat for years, it’s easy to get carried away in the details lose sight of the true spirit of the day. But don’t forget that especially during the holidays, it’s important to slow down. Take time to stop and smell the pie – and be thankful for that wonderful aroma!

Slowing down at Thanksgiving means stopping to reflect upon all that life has bestowed upon you! Why not start a Thanksgiving tradition of gratitude? It can be as simple as going around the table and sharing what each person is thankful for — or taking a moment to read a special poem aloud around the dessert table.

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Improve Your Meetings With Right-Brained Thinking

From my article Can You Improve Meetings with Right-Brained Thinking? at Dumb Little Man:

istock_000005809739xsmall.jpg“If you want to spur creativity, capture and hold attention, and promote innovation and interaction, you need to create a space that stimulates the creative, social side of the brain – the right side”

Read the rest of Can You Improve Meetings with Right-Brained Thinking?

How to Change “Why” into “Why Not?”

sky.jpg“With positive internal dialogue, we can create self-power.”

~ Deepak Chopra, The Spontaneous Fulfillment Of Desire

Unfortunately one of the most common phrases in our language is “I can’t.” People say, “I can’t be that,” “I can’t do that,” and “I can’t have that” more often than they realize. And more often than they would if they knew how it kept them from being open to the possibility for more in their lives.

The more you look for reasons WHY you “can’t” be, do, or have what you want, the more you limit your chances for WHY NOT? Why not be the way you want to be? Why not do what you want to do? Why not have what you want to have?

Do you really know the answer to those questions? The answer is: because YOU say so! Only you limit what you can be, do, and have. Only you and your limited thinking, your limited attitude, your limits on what you think is possible are holding you back.

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Using Your Subconscious to Succeed

From my article Harnessing the Power of Your Subconscious Mind at Pick the Brain:

istock_000005809751xsmall.jpg“Imagine that the subconscious mind as the puppeteer pulling the strings of the conscious mind. It’s like an enormous warehouse storing all the experiences, impressions, ideas, lessons, and beliefs you’ve ever had. It’s like your computer’s hard drive, that is, if you save your data! And back it up. So when the conscious mind needs to make a decision, for example, it pulls up data from its storehouse or hard drive to help make an informed choice. Now all this is pretty much done unconsciously.”

Read the rest of Harnessing the Power of Your Subconscious Mind.

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Do You Need Help? Read This!

istock_000007178358xsmall.jpg

“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

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Slow Down FAST Hits Top 5 of Personal Effectiveness Blogs

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

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6 Personal Organization Tips That Will Save Your Life!

cleancounter.jpgby David Bohl, Lifestyle Designer

It’s really not that hard to stay organized once you get there… but the getting there can be a challenge. I’ve often wondered if some of us are born with an organizational gene and others are born with a messy gene. It seems some people have a knack for keeping order everywhere around them–in their car, office, and home. And others create messes wherever they go!

For those who do not have this innate ability, it’s fairly easy to learn tips that will not only bring peace of mind, but can literally save your life. Losing your keys, misplacing important documents, or not being able to find your medication can all have life-threatening consequences.

More often, most of us want to be organized in order to have a life that flows more smoothly, with less stress and chaos, and more structure and efficiency. Whatever the reason for creating order, you will enjoy the results. Here are some top tips to get there:

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