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12/27/07

What Are Your 'True' Desires for 2008?

Normally at the beginning of the year you are asked to make a list of your New Year Resolutions. In other words, what have you resolved to do in 2008? What have you put your mind to or decided that no matter what this year you are going to do? What are your goals? Today, I want to ask this question in a slightly different way. What are your desires for 2008? Think about your heart desires. What are they? Let’s take it even a step further. What desires do you believe God has placed in your heart?

I’ll give you an example. When I was a little girl growing up in England, I remember I used to always pretend to be the teacher when I ‘played’ school with my friends. And when I wasn’t being the teacher, I wanted to be the teacher. Those desires to be a teacher were strong in me until I reached high school, and did a little research and decided that I wanted to follow money instead of my desires and dreams (not a good idea!). So I took a slight detour in life and decided to become an engineer. I graduated from college, started my engineering career, but realized that though I was content there was still an empty spot. After 6 years of praying, God helped me to get back to my true desire. The desire I was born with. The desire He created me with. The one He placed in my heart. ..to teach. However, I realize now that I am a teacher of life. Through speaking, coaching and writing, I teach people how to live a fulfilling life; with or without the material things that we desire. Though I had other desires, I know that what I am doing now is who God created me to be. Although I took a detour, He guided me back to my true desires; the desires that happen to be His desires for me. And yes, that empty spot is now gone!

So what are your heart desires? What have you been running from because you felt you wouldn’t make enough money, or you weren’t talented enough? What burning desires have you been squashing with other wants? Your true desires aren’t necessarily going to be easy to fulfill, but take it from me you will have more peace and joy if you follow those desires that God has placed in you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t ignore it. Just follow it.

Take a moment in the first week of this New Year and ask yourself the following questions to discover or rediscover your true desires.

1. What desires did I have as a child?

2. What ‘nudges’ have I been ignoring over the years?

3. What desires (or passions) continue to be emphasized (or verified) in my life through music, books, people and circumstances?

4. What do people tell me I should be doing?

5. What thoughts am I blatantly running from?

6. What profession or career would I pursue if I was told I would be given one million dollars every year for the rest of my life?

7. What do I really want to do but I’m either afraid to do it or don’t know how to do it?

This year make a New Year’s resolution that you are going to invest in yourself. Carve out some time in your ‘busy’ schedule to answer the above questions. If you are interested in getting help, I can help you through one of my coaching programs. Whether you are a bank executive or a stay at home mom, I can help guide you to discover, then set goals and achieve your life’s purpose. Trust me, you will be glad you did and it will add a little more spark to your life to pursue your passion. Visit www.DivineDiscipline.com to find out more about my coaching programs or better yet, contact me at 813-343-4112 to schedule a 30 minute complimentary session to try it on for size and find out more about our different coaching programs. We have one to fit your budget.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

I pray you have a desirable, purpose-filled New Year!

12/20/07

Giving the Gift of Love!

So I’m sure that many of you have heard that love is an action. It’s really not about how you feel like treating that person today. It’s kind of like a child. You may not feel like getting out of the bed today to go to work, but you love them and want to provide for them. You are loving them.

So let’s see how we can exhibit acts of love this season, and beyond.

We know the easy and obvious for some of us. Go to a soup kitchen. How about your old neighbor across the street? Have you been over there lately to ask if they needed any help? I did this the other day. They said that everything was fine and they didn’t need any help. The point is I asked, and if they ever need help they’ll know who to ask.
Get up early and make breakfast for your family. How about even giving them breakfast in bed? They may look at you crossed-eyed, but that is OK, it probably will make you feel better for performing such a loving act.

Be a little more patient with your spouse when he/she doesn’t get what you are trying to tell them. It will help you to be less stressed if you focus on being nice. Be patient with them (and yourself). In fact, for those of you that pay attention to how your body responds in various situations, pay attention to how and where your body gets tense when you are angry, frustrated or stressed.

Knowing how and when your body is tense will help trigger you so that you know when you are getting stressed or frustrated, before it gets full blown.

I shared three things you can do to give the gift of love. Take 1 minute (I know you are busy but I only asked you for 1 minute) and add 3 of your own ideas to your gift of love list. Now commit to doing at least one of these ‘acts of love’ this season and beyond.

Smoochums to you all and I’ll talk to you next week!

12/12/07

Stressercise!

Have you monitored your stress lately? Are you allowing the little things to get to you? Is your energy being channeled into fueling your problems thus increasing your stress? How do you handle stress? Do you let it build up until you explode? How about doing something simple to help reduce your stress.

As technology increases, and we attempt to discover ways to do things faster, it appears that more and more people are become more stressed. Learn to manage your stress before it reaches it's peak. If you wait until your stress has peaked, you are probably doing damage to yourself physically, spiritually or emotionally. Here are a few quick and simple stressercises that you can do to help reduce your stress and help you to stay focused.

Breathe it out!
While at your desk at work or driving in the car do the following.
1. Breathe in deeply. Count to 3. (Slowly)
2. Exhale for 7 counts (count slowly).
3. Good job!
4. Now do this again.
5. And again!

Refocus!
Are you rushing from one meeting to another? Try to refocus in between.
1. Close your eyes. (please, not while you are driving)
2. Count to 10.
3. Think about the meeting you are about to attend.
4. Visualize the positive outcome that you want to occur in the meeting.
5. Now tell yourself that this can happen.

Stretch it out!
Is your body a little stiff from all of the hours at the computer?
1. Stand up.
2. Stretch both of your arms straight up to the sky.
3. Count to 10.
4. Now bring your arms out and down (in a circle) very slowly, until your arms rest by your side.
5. Close your eyes.
6. Breathe deeply and slowly for 10 seconds.

While you are doing these exercises, your mind may tell you that you don’t have time. Try to focus on the exercise and not on what you were doing or what you are about to do. If you take 3 minutes to unwind and de-stress, it will provide you with a more focused mind, which will in turn increase your efficiency and effectiveness at work.

12/05/07

Living in the Moment

How often do you just live in the moment? Sometimes, it behooves you to do just that. We all go through seasons, and when we are going through a fall or winter season, it appears as if the world is coming to an end. Bills may be piling up. You're looking for a job, but no job offers are coming your way. You are having challenges with your spouse or other family members, appliances are breaking down, false accusations are coming your way at work, not to mention the fact that you are agonizing over what to get everyone for Christmas. And the list continues to go on and on.

You may be experiencing one or two of these situations or possibly even all of them at one time. It can be very overwhelming. You need to just take a moment and live in the moment. That’s what I do (eventually). Take a moment to live in the moment. Looking forward and worrying is not going to change anything. Looking back and agonizing is not going to change anything. This moment is it. The past is gone; you have no control over the future, so receive the gift of the present that God gives to us and make the most of it.

Live in the moment by taking a moment to breathe. Breathe in deeply and then exhale slowly. Do this a few times until you feel the tension relaxing from your body and your heart rate getting back to normal. 'I don’t have time', you say. You will have time if you get sick. So take the time now to avoid more problems in the future. Aahh! That feels good right?

Live in the moment by writing down all of the things that you can thank God for. Make a gratitude list. Believe it or not, despite everything that is going on, there are things you can be grateful for. You lost your job? But you still have your family right? You are having problems on the job? But you have a warm bed to sleep in tonight right? I just gave you a jump start. Make a list. Stretch your mind.

Live in the moment by taking 5 minutes to think of something funny and laugh. Give yourself permission to laugh. Give yourself permission to choose joy today. Live in the moment and laugh. It is good exercise for your emotional muscles and for your face.

Give yourself a break and a chance to do a few of these things to live in the moment. You will be glad you did. There are other things that you can do to help yourself to get centered so that you can live in the moment and better handle what lies ahead.

If you want to find out more, give me a call. I offer 30 minutes of complimentary coaching and will provide you with some actionable tools to navigate through your challenges.

People who have had only 30 minutes of complimentary coaching with me have experienced the following:

• clarity on the direction that they should be going
• confirmation of their passion and purpose
• a sense of peace
• actionable tips to help self-coach themselves from negative thinking to positive thinking
• clearer more strategic goals for achievement
• improved their energy and performance
• and more…

Give yourself a gift this Christmas. The gift of clarity and direction. Call me at 813-343-4112.

Live in the moment and give me a call right now!

11/28/07

Tired of Being Tired? Then You Need to Rest!

How guilty, shameful or disappointed do you feel when you go through a “down” period? What do I mean by a down period? You are successful in some areas. You have other aspirations that you are striving for, and then all of a sudden you get weary and discouraged. Just out of nowhere!

You’ve been hopeful. You’ve been preparing. You’ve been waiting. You’ve been searching. Now you are tired of all the above. You don’t know why but though you know what you are aspiring towards will happen you are just tired of aspiring and waiting. You just want it to happen now! You are weary and you just can’t do this anymore. Here's my suggestion to you...rest! Don’t do anything. Don’t worry. Don’t contemplate. Don’t complain. All these things do is drain your energy anyway. Just rest! Take a day. A week. A month. I mean take a rest from DOING. Take a rest from trying to figure things out. Just relax. Take a relaxing bubble bath. Spend time with your family. Time you say you are going to make but never do. Call the friend that you said you were going to call back…2 months ago. Go for a walk with your spouse and reminisce about when you first met. Just rest! Take a break. You deserve it. At the end of this break you’ll probably discover something that you weren’t aware of, or you were aware of but you haven’t acknowledged.

Yesterday, I came out of a three week emotional and spiritual battle. Unless I told you, you probably wouldn’t have known because I knew I had to go through it quietly and for the most part alone. I did share it with 2 or 3 of my friends that I knew would walk thru this with me through their prayers but that was it. I was having a hard time implementing the tools I use and teach, but I used them anyhow. I was stuck and stuck deep. I came out by using the basics of the tools and exercises that I use. So I'd like to share just the fundamentals with you.

1. Journal. Write down everything! What you are thinking, sensing or feeling. Write down what you don’t want to feel and what you want to feel. Write, write, write!

2. Be Grateful. We just had Thanksgiving but it doesn’t have to stop there. Write down what you are grateful to God for. Can’t find anything? Here’s one, you are breathing, that means something can change. It may be radical or heart wrenching but something can change for your good because you are alive!

3. Choose Joy. Decide that you are going to choose to move towards joy. Even when you don’t feel like it, decide that you are going to respond in a joyful manner. It doesn't mean that you are going to be bubbly, especially since right now you are not feeling bubbly at all. But it may mean that instead of being non-responsive, you respond. Or instead of being reactive in situations, you respond with kindness. Responding with the essence of joy doesn’t mean that you ignore your feelings, but remember we have acknowledged your feelings already in step one. Now we want to move towards healing. It’s going to feel weird, hypocritical and awkward, but joy is not just a feeling but a choice. Therefore most of us have to practice it over time. Remember your ultimate source of joy is always God. Ask Him to help you find ways in your life.

4. Be Quiet! Don’t share your situation with everyone. Don’t share with everyone how you are feeling. Most either don’t want to hear it or don’t know how to help you. It may not make you feel better anyway. When asked how you are feeling say, 'I’m looking forward'; 'Holding on’, 'Staying strong' or something like that. This way you are not lying but you’re not rehearsing your deep rooted feelings either. If you must share, be realistic and honest with yourself. Share only with people that can not only empathize but that will encourage you with wisdom or prayer, instead of helping you to rehearse and open the wounds, making you spiral back into the deep pit that you are trying to get out of.

5. Wait for your next inspired action. What is the next thing you should be doing? Ask God what you need to do next or who needs to help you. Now wait for the answer. Yes waiting is often the hardest part, but it is worth it. It may not come to you today. In the meantime, just focus on steps 1 thru 4. When it comes, don’t be afraid to get confirmation, to do what you need to do, or to delegate to who you need to delegate to.

While working through your emotions, don't focus too much on your feelings. You are probably not going to feel like doing this. This is the hard part. Do it anyway. You will feel better later.

During the hustle and bustle of the Holidays you may feel that resting is not an option, but if you take the time to rest, you’ll have more energy to spend a joyful time with family and friends.

These exercises are the basics for what you can use to coach yourself out of an energy drain or discouraging season. If you are interested in finding out more, contact Divine Discipline, so we can discuss further how you can learn how to manage your thoughts and emotions thru any situation. Contact me at 813-343-4112 or Clestine@DivineDiscipline.com.

Now get some rest!

11/14/07

Your Fear Is Lying to You Right Now!

We all have some level of fear. Some of us are so used to it that we have another definition for what it is. You justify it. You make excuses for it. You allow it to hinder your progress. Fear is something that keeps you from experiencing the peace, joy, increased wisdom that we all want to experience. Fear hinders you from experiencing the joys in the relationship that can come from love, respect and effort.
I had a mild experience with fear recently.

I purchased a computer a few months ago and needed my files, software etc. transferred from my old computer to this new computer. Well, I had several reasons (I thought) why I couldn’t do this right away. Eventually I realized that I had a minor fear of transferring the information to my new computer which has the new Microsoft operating system, Vista. I began to hear many horror stories of Vista and software not transferring, etc. I had spent many months setting up my old computer with the right bells and whistles, and software that could help me run efficiently or so I thought. I didn't want to use this "efficiency" that I had taken so long to create. My old computer a month ago started to slow down…like molasses. So slow, I had to have a book to read while it was “thinking” or processing information. My friends thought that was funny, eventually I didn’t. It was taking me a day to do what should be done in a couple of hours. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I took my old and new computer to a professional to get the files transferred.

Well guess what happened this week when I started working on my new computer? It was like light speed (compared to my old computer)! And talk about increased efficiency!!! Also, not only does it have Vista but it also has Microsoft Office 2007. I LOVE IT!!!! A sense of peace came over me and I felt invigorated. Did I have challenges with learning the new software…yes but I breezed through them easily. Am I still learning a few things? Yes, but I'm also having fun learning it. Did I have some software that doesn’t seem to be “vista ready” yet…just one. I think I can live with that because the pros outweigh the cons.

So what is the lesson I want to share? Fear comes in different forms.

1. Intellectualized Fear. We use our current knowledge to intelligently explain and justify why something will just not work or why we just can’t do something. However, our intellectualization often doesn’t speak to what can or will be. If you look back in your life, you will see evidence of this.

2. “Comfort Zone” Fear. We use our fear as a place of comfort. In other words, even though we are not happy in our current situation (like how I had to read a book while using my old computer), we are comfortable because we know what to expect. Even if it isn’t good. When we don’t know what to expect (the unknown future), it makes many of us uncomfortable.

3. Adopted Fear. Some of us have adopted fear from our parents. We don’t like doing something but when asked why, we don’t know why. When we look back, we see that we have the same fears our parent(s) or someone very close to us, had.

Our fear often lies to us. It tells us things that are not true. It tells us what we shouldn’t do when we should. It tells us who we could never be when deep down in our hearts God has placed the desire and evidence. Fear does what it can so we cannot experience joy, peace, liberation, and excitement. Fear does what it can so we cannot achieve the dreams that we were designed to achieve.

There are two things I’d like to encourage you to do when your fear rears its ugly head:

1. Stop hiding. When your fear tells you not do something, get into the habit of doing it. Tell yourself to stop hiding, especially if you know this will take you a step closer to reconciliation or achievement.

2. Do it Afraid. Courage is not doing something without fear; it is doing something with fear.

I want you to run from your fear and run into maturity, newness, increase.

Whatever fear is hindering you from; this is your call to action.

Your fear is lying to you right now!!!

So get up and walk out of your fear into the joy of discovering something new.

11/07/07

Do What You Know

How many times have you given someone advise and they say “I know that”. We often “know” something but don’t do what we know. Knowing and doing are different things. To know something is to “perceive directly with the mind or senses” or “to regard as true beyond doubt.” That said, it appears that for many of us knowing something beyond doubt is not enough to propel us into action.

Many people know what they should do, talk about what they should do, stress about what they should do, share with others what they should do but then don’t do what they know to do. One way to relieve your stress is to do what you know. Do what you know you should be doing. Laziness, procrastination, lack of energy, fear, doubt, and lack of planning are a few reasons why we don’t do what we are supposed to do.

In my new book, Knuggets of Knowledge to Get Unstuck, I share the following story that helps us to understand how it looks for many of us who are doing nothing with what we know.

"Imagine if someone handed you a suitcase with one million dollars and told you that you can do with it as you wish. Excitedly, you take the suitcase to your home, to the house that needs a new roof, new plumbing and new electrical outlets. You tell every one you meet about the suitcase with a million dollars. (Of course, I wouldn’t recommend that!)

You tell your good friend who always lends you a hand and was recently in an unfortunate accident that totaled his car that you are now in a position to help him. You tell your neighbor who is trying to send her child to college not to worry. The scenarios continue. You tell everyone about the money, and they can all think of worthwhile ways to use it. Yet the suitcase continues to sit in your house that is falling apart. Each day you come home to the suitcase with a million dollars in it. You look at it. You get excited about it. However, you don’t do anything with the money. You don’t put it in the bank. You don’t invest it. You don’t try to fix your house. You don’t try to help your friends. All you do is get excited about the suitcase with a million dollars in it and tell others about it.

This is what many of us do with our knowledge. Knowledge is priceless. We get excited about it. We tell others about the knowledge we have obtained. However, for many of us, the story ends there. We don’t do anything to turn our knowledge into power through action. You need to do something with the knowledge you acquire. Apply it to your own life. Help others by sharing it. Empower yourself by allowing your knowledge to fuel your actions." Excerpt from Knuggets of Knowledge to Get Unstuck, pp.20-21

Just like in this story, our lack of action doesn’t dictate what we know, so what can we do to take what we know and do it?

What are some of the ways that you can nudge yourself out of being stuck in this area? How can you do what you know instead of stressing about what you need to do? Try the following:

1. Challenge yourself. Hold yourself accountable for something. Challenging yourself helps to increase your energy even if it is just a notch.
2. Do some self-coaching. Write down why you don’t want to do what needs to be done. Write down what the benefits will be if you do this. Write down how it felt the last time you did this task, even though you didn’t want to do it. How did it feel after you did it? Didn’t you feel relieved? Don’t you want to feel relieved again.
3. Set a deadline to get this done. Now that you have coached yourself, play “beat the clock” with yourself. It makes it fun and gives you a challenge.
4. Just do it.
5. Decide on a healthy and safe reward. How you are going to reward yourself once this is completed. A 5 minute break? Going to lunch? Calling your friend in Italy? Pick something that will give you a hug.
6. Remove or don’t engage in activities that will throw you off track. If there is an activity or person that always throws you off track or hinders you from doing what you know you should do then don’t do it. For example, if you know checking email will postpone the beginning of a major task for 2 to 3 hours then save checking your email for lunch time or the end of that day.
7. Tap into your “want to” factor. It’s not about feelings, but about your will. In Joyce Meyer’s book entitled “A Leader in the Making”, she talks about the “want to” factor. Sometimes we may not feel like doing something, but your will or spirit “wants to” so you do what it takes to do what you know.
8. Get help. Say a prayer and ask for guidance to move you along with what you should do. Be open to possible changes to what you think you should do.

Right now, I’m sure there is something that you should be doing that you are not doing. And if you do it, it will help to relieve your stress and take one more thing off of your to do list. It will help to increase your energy and give you more peace. So do what you know!

10/31/07

Maybe it’s Time for You to Move!

My friend sent me an email that said she opened a fortune cookie with the following saying, “Sometimes traveling to a new place leads to a great transformation.”

Wow! How profound!

Where are you heading? Are you just living from day to day? Stuck in a routine that doesn’t make sense? Or are you traveling on the road called life to a destiny that you have been introduced to? Do you have a plan of action for your life? Or even if you don’t have a plan, do you have a vision or know your life’s purpose?

Are you feeling stuck? Bored? Or maybe you enjoy your life but there is an area of your life that you are questioning? Maybe that is a sign that it’s time for you to move!

Whether it is a physical move, a career move or a moral move, consider the answers to these questions to discover if it is time for you to move.

1. Are you on the path to living the life you desire? Or are you living someone else life?
2.If your life was to unfortunately end tomorrow, would you be happy with what you have accomplished in life? Even if you did not see your dreams realized?
3. When you wake up in the morning, do you look forward to the day ahead, or are you wistful about what is to come?

Ask yourself these questions in front of the mirror. Say it out loud. Now wait. What is the first thing that comes to mind? That is probably your honest opinion. Don’t start to analyze or justify. Be honest with yourself.

So, based on your answers, do you know that you are where you should be?

Or do you think it is time for you to move?!

10/23/07

It’s OK to Love Yourself.

Have you heard the biblical saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself” ? Let’s focus on the “yourself” part of this statement. Do you love yourself? I’m not talking about being conceited or a narcissist. Do you love yourself as the greatest book of success (the bible) defines love? Let’s take a quick test (you know how I love to give tests). I’m going to ask you 3 simple questions and I want you to answer them honestly.

1. Are you patient with yourself? Are you patient with yourself when you don’t achieve something as quickly as you would like to?
2. Are you kind to yourself when you make mistakes? Or do you call yourself unkind names like ‘stupid’ or ‘idiot’?
3. Do you envy others? Deep down inside do you tell yourself that you don’t have what ‘they’ have?

There is another biblical saying that starts like this, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy.” In other words, if you aren’t patient and kind with yourself more than likely there are those that you aren’t patient and kind with.

You can’t give what you don’t have. If you don’t love yourself then how can you truly love someone else?

Face the truth. You are loveable and worthy of being loved. Love yourself.

The next time you make a mistake be kind to yourself. Build yourself and your mind up. Tell yourself something kind like, “I made a mistake but that’s OK. I just have to work on improving in this area.” And might I add, as you improve, be patient with yourself. Don’t envy the speed at which others are progressing.

Be kind to yourself.
Be patient with yourself.
That means love yourself.

Now meditate on that!

10/17/07

A FREE Teleseminar - The Power of A Pregnant Man - November 12th, 2007 - 7pm E.S.T.

RSVP to receive the teleseminar phone number and access code!

Hello Readers

I hope you are all in good health and that your minds are prospering, so that you can receive the wonderful things that God has for you.

The 2nd Monday of each month I host a teleseminar group called the Empowerment Club.

Each month I share empowering success tools to help one improve performance, increase your energy, develop success habits and achieve your vision & goals from the inside out.

Monday, November 12 at 7pm E.S.T. we are having our first guest speaker, Colin A. Forde and because his information is so thought-provoking and powerful, I thought I should open up the Empowerment Club* this one time, as a complimentary event, and invite others.

What is the Power of a Pregnant Man?
So far, it has not been documented that any man has been able to get physically pregnant (although I did read about 15 years ago that a medical team was looking for men who would be interested in an experiment that they were conducting on that matter!). However, it is possible for a man to become spiritually and emotionally, and morally pregnant. It is possible for a man to become pregnant with the dreams and visions that God has placed in him. So what are we talking about when we talk about the power of a pregnant man?

The Power of A Pregnant Man is a powerful new book written by Colin A. Forde. It is about freeing yourself so that you can be the person God created you to be. It's about freedom from doubt. Freedom from fear. Freedom from unforgiveness.

This book will stretch your faith, stretch your walk, stretch you to think about things you've never thought about before. But most importantly it will help you to "give birth" to your highest expectations.

If you want to start aligning your thoughts and actions,
so that you can really achieve your goals and dreams you were Divinely designed for then you should attend this FREE teleseminar!

Are you ready to RSVP?
Send an email to Info@DivineDiscipline.com
(include your name, mailing address and phone#)
OR call 813-343-4112

About the Author
Colin A. Forde was born in London, England, and is renowned for his charismatic, confident, and well credentialed medical business sales experience. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in Communication and holds a M.S. degree in Mental Health Counseling and Psychology and a B.S. in Communicative Disorders. Although he did not appear on Donald Trump’s hit show “The Apprentice,” Colin was a top 25 finalist nationwide out-of-over a million applicants.

In his current role as President/CEO and co-founder of the prestigious Forde Group, Inc., Colin designed The“3E” Formula which was developed to help physicians, sales personnel, and senior management staff become more effective communicators and also enhance their platform presentation skills.

And of course he is also the author of The Power of a Pregnant Man.

Are you ready to RSVP now?
Send an email to info@DivineDiscipline.com
(include your name, mailing address and phone number)
OR call 813-343-4112

Need to Know When and Where This Event Is?

When: Monday, November 12, 2007 E.S.T.
Where: In the comfort of your own home, car or office (It's a teleseminar so it's over the phone!)
Cost: FREE*
You must RSVP to receive the conference call number for November 12th.

*The Empowerment Club is normally $19.95/month but I decided to open this one session to the public, for F*REE, because I wanted to invite others so they can hear this powerful information that Colin has to share, and so you can get a feel for what the Empowerment Club is all about.

A Free Gift For Someone Special!
RSVP before November 5th and you will be eligible to WIN a power pack.
Just send an email to info@DivineDiscipline.com with your name, mailing address and phone number so that we can mail you the power pack if you win.

The POWERPACK**(a $180 value) includes:
-The book The Power of a Pregnant Man by Colin A. Forde
-What You are Telling Yourself Could Be Killing Your Dreams CD featuring Clestine, The Purpose Coach
-Knuggets of Knowledge to Get Unstuck by Clestine, The Purpose Coach
-45 minutes of coaching with Clestine, The Purpose Coach

RSVP now so you can be eligible to win this powerpack.

**You must be present throughout the call to win this powerpack!

Now are you ready to RSVP?
Send an email to info@DivineDiscipline.com
or call 813-343-4112.

When you RSVP you will also receive a Thought of the Week each Monday morning in your email inbox to empower you through the week!.

TELL A FRIEND OR TWO!

Expand Your Abilities With These 5 Cognitive Exercies

The American Heritage dictionary defines ability as “the power to do something”. It is also defined as “skill or talent”. We have all been created with amazing abilities to do something. However, it is amazing how often we hear the phrase, “I can’t do this.” or “This will never happen for me.” Stop telling yourself what you can not do. It shuts your mind and heart down before you can even explore the possibilities. As my friend, Colin A. Forde and author of The Power of a Pregnant Man, says “You will never go, where your mind has never gone before.” Challenges don’t appear in our life to show us what we can’t do. They are there to help us discover what is possible or what we have the ability to do. Since we have all been created with the ability to do something, it’s amazing how many people give up when challenged or when things change.

The next time you are faced with an issue or challenge, consider doing the following 5 cognitive exercises. It will eventually help you to expand your abilities:

1. Ask yourself the right question. Instead of thinking about what you can’t do, write down what you can do at this time. We often ask ourselves the wrong question. Asking what you can do will open your mind to the possibilities that you may not have been able to see or were not willing to accept.
2. Do something vertical. Pray for guidance and assistance, then wait for what happens next. You may or may not have to participate in the next action, but at least you participated in it someway and did something by asking for help.
3. Expect assistance. Since you’ve asked for help, expect the help to come when the time is right.
4. Consider the possibilities. Look at this situation as an opportunity to sharpen or expand your abilities – your skills and talents.
5. Embrace the gratitude attitude. Be grateful for what you’ve been able to do so far and what you are about to discover about your abilities.

Try these 5 cognitive exercises to expand your abilities and see what happens.

So, the next time you are faced with an issue or challenge, what are you going to do?

10/10/07

A Penny for Your Thoughts!

I’d like you to do an exercise.

You can take a break now or later, but I’d like to encourage you to take only one minute to do this exercise.

Get a stop watch, or watch with a second hand, and in one minute write down everything that is coming to your mind right now. Don’t hesitate or evaluate your thoughts. Just write them down as they come. Even if they don’t make sense, just write them down. Whether it’s a sentence, a visual picture, or day dream, just write your thoughts down.

Now let’s take a look at this list.

What are you seeing?
What is it telling you about yourself?
Where is your mind going?

Whatever you focus on is where your actions will follow and eventually your destiny.

So here is another question for you.

How much value do you place on your thoughts?
Often times your thoughts will take you down a path that you shouldn’t be going down.

Take one thought from your list.
Formulate it into a sentence.
Say it out loud.

Does this speak to what you really want?
Is it lining up in the direction that you should be going?
Is it focusing on what is important?

A penny for your thoughts!

Many times our thoughts are worth just that…a penny.
It’s not that we are mindless creatures and don’t have any good thoughts to contribute to anything, because our Creator created us with great minds. Each of us were created with the capacity to have brilliant minds and creative thoughts, however, many of us have conditioned our minds to pick up the first thought that comes to mind and run with it. Often times it’s something negative or in the opposite direction of what we should be thinking.

Now take this thought that you wrote into a sentence and re-write it to say something that is encouraging or that lines up with where you desire to be.

For example, you may have on your list, “I’m tired of these bills. I’m never going to be able to manage my money.”

You can re-write this thought to say, “I will start working towards financial increase through improved financial management”.

Doesn’t that sound better?

You’re not taking a mega step that you probably wouldn’t believe anyway (such as, “today I am going to get one million dollars.”), but you are taking baby steps in your thought to move you towards where really desire and need to be.

Now read that revised thought every morning for a month and pay attention to what you see happening around you to support this new thought.

Turn your penny thoughts into priceless, valuable thoughts that support you in the direction that you really want to go.

Remember,

“As a man thinks, so is he.” -- Proverbs 23:7

10/03/07

Can the Real 'You' Please Stand Up?!

There are many fads and fashions out there. And let’s not talk about the rapid speed that new gadgets are being released. IPOD, iphone…can anyone keep up? By the way, I don’t have either. I don’t feel behind the times or left out. Why? Because I am very comfortable with who I am and where I am financially, etc. At some point I’ll get one, but right now I’m OK not having one. Having an ipod or iphone does not mean that you are not comfortable with yourself, so lets make sure that is clear. However, there are so many people that are trying to satisfy inner desires or define themselves with things. However, the joy lasts for a short time.

Recently the toy industry has had to recall countless toys from the toy store shelves due to lead paint. Sixty Minutes had what I thought was a great commentary a few weeks ago that went something like this, How many children play with the toys endlessly anyway? When I thought about it, I realized that was true. When my niece and nephew were small, they were so excited when they received new toys. They would run off and start to play with these toys. Then give them a month or sometimes a week and the novelty wore off. Before you knew it they had a very large (no extremely large) box of toys that they no longer played with. Not because they had out grown them intellectually, but because they had lost the interest. It was no longer satisfying them. However, they always found an interest in dragging my dining room chairs in the middle of my great room, maybe an old box and a blanket and creating a pretend house. That never lost its interest and it helped them to exercise their creative juices. (And yes, auntie was often solicited to be one of the members of the cast!)

I want you to ask yourself a question. Are you comfortable with who you are? Too many adults are still not comfortable or sure who they are? And if you don’t know who you are, then you can’t show up as the authentic “you” wherever you go. Can the real 'you' please stand up?!

Have you ever seen the movie, Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere? Julia Roberts plays a woman who on the outside is confident and loving life but on the inside is unsure of who she is. She comes to that realization with a reporter (Richard Gere) asks her what type of eggs she likes. She is unable to answer that question because for each fiancé that she had (I believe it was four) she would adapt to what they liked so they would like her. Only to be afraid at the altar and run (thus the title). She realized she had no clue as to what type of eggs she liked. She had lost herself in trying to be like someone else.

What about you? There may be one area in your life that you are sure and comfortable. You know the career that you are pursuing is your passion, but you have never thought about what style of clothes or hair you really like. You have somehow adapted to what your parents said, or corporate America said or society is saying at that time. Or maybe you are comfortable with your fashion statement, but are realizing that the career that you are pursuing is not your passion and you are unsure what your purpose is.

Don’t despair. Let’s look at 3 areas (there are more) that you should consider to find out who you are.

1. Be honest with yourself. In my new book, Knuggets of Knowledge to Get Unstuck, Knugget #7 is Be Honest with Yourself. I discuss how we often do a good job of excusing our weaknesses or negative character. I go on to say that we should not justify but rectify. Be honest with yourself and God. Go in the bathroom, stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself the areas that you need improvement. That does not make you a bad or lost person. What it does is brings things to the surface so that you know what needs to be worked on. We all have areas that we need to work on. That is life. That is growth. You and God can work them out.

2. Discover your passion. In discovering my passion, it helped me to find my purpose and also find myself. I discovered that I love encouraging others. I discovered that I am free spirited, creative and that I am not conservative. I discovered that I have a zest for life and that I am an extrovert. In other words, I get energized around people. This helps because I am a speaker. See how everything ties in together? In my new book, in the section Getting Unstuck; Making It Personal, at the end of Knugget #8: Discover your purpose. Know your gifts, I ask some key questions. For example, If you were told you were going to receive one million dollars each year for the rest of your life, what would you do with that money? Another question, what games did you play as a child? How about, List something people tell you that you are good at doing or that comes naturally to you. These are a few questions or commands that get you thinking about who you really are.

3. Ask the Designer. One day I was having problems with a software program that I was using. My technical friends couldn’t help me. I asked around but no one was able to help. I tried figuring it out also (that’s the analytical side of me), but to no avail. So I eventually decided to contact the software design company. After sometime, they were able to assist me with the troubleshooting to figure out the problem.

Your creator knows who you are. He is the one that designed you. So if you are stumped, ask the designer. Over time, and step by step, you’ll start to see, hear and discover things about yourself. Look at it as a fun discovery project.

Enjoy evolving and discovering. Age doesn’t matter. You’ll be surprised how many senior citizens have come to me saying that they are lost and not sure who they are or what they should be doing next. Try the three things above for starters and enjoy what you discover.

09/26/07

Change Your Perception.

There is a biblical saying that says that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That says to me that I need to change what I’m thinking. Many of us have perceptions and beliefs that we have developed over the years and it would take an army to change them. Many of our perceptions are rooted in nothing but fear or our own desires to be right.

If you change your perception (or thinking) you will often times experience a different outcome. Over the summer, God has led me to change my perception of a certain situation. In other words, take the focus off of what people had done or are doing to me and focus on who I am and what He has placed in me.

Lo and behold, there is now a change in my relationship with these people and a change in my situation. It is a more pleasant and relaxed environment. Regardless of whether or not there is a change in the individuals, I am able to move forward in a more harmonious atmosphere.

Try it!

We tend to focus on the wrong thing. Stop pointing the figure everywhere else. We blame other people and situations. Start pointing your finger at yourself. Not in a critical way, but look at it as continuous growth and maturation (no matter how old you are you can always grow and mature).

Change your thinking. No matter what the situation, if you chose to do the right thing, instead of thinking that you have to do what your emotions (anger, fear, etc.) is telling you to do in that moment, you will start to see a shift in people and situations. I said start. Don’t make a laundry list of what you think they are thinking or how you think they will react. Stop thinking those negative thoughts! Start responding in the right way, regardless and see what happens.

Renew your mind. Change your perception. It is a contributing factor in getting a better outcome. Think about what the other person may be feeling in this situation. Put yourself in their shoes. Sometimes resolution means respectfully, candidly yet loving confronting the person. Other times it may mean walking away because they also need to mature or heal.

Decide today that you are going to change your perception. Don't look at things in a negative light, but look at how things can work out best in the end.

09/19/07

Creating Time For Your Family

Often times when a person finds their purpose or is focused on developmental goals, balance is not maintained. Therefore something or someone is neglected. Unfortunately, we tend to neglect those who are closest to us. Generally speaking, family or those we call family is a very important part of our development. Family can provide a nucleus of wisdom, encouragement, support, recreation and rest. One way to ensure that we continue to receive moral and emotional support is to encourage family relationships.

We should schedule family time. For many of us if we don’t schedule it, then it won’t occur. Allow this time to be exclusive, non-interrupted time with the family. Schedule something that is fun, educational and/or healthy for the entire family. Fun activities help to create a more relaxed atmosphere, and possibly reduce any guards that may be up in a family nucleus. Laughter helps people to connect and open up. As busy as you may be, make the time.

Here are a few ways that you can spend time with friends and family:

a. Plan a family outing (it doesn’t have to cost anything. It could be a walk in a wilderness park)
b. Have a family game night once a week or once month.
c. Discuss family issues together once a week.
d. Make a weekend meal together.
e. Wear the same colors or style of clothes to an event, church, etc.

Healthy relationships are important and take time to develop. Start with some of the ideas above. Spend time with your family. You only get your family once in your lifetime.

09/12/07

Let’s Get Physical!

Your mind, body and spirit are connected. If you do not feed or maintain one of the three areas, the other two areas will break down eventually. If you are not eating properly, for example, you will eventually start feeling sluggish, tired, or not motivated to do anything. Your desire and motivation will be affected, thus it will be hard to motivate or discipline yourself to do what you need to do. Many of us eat what we want, when we want, how we want and where we want. Even if you feel that you are performing well mentally and spiritually…imagine how much more mentally and spiritually in tune you would be if you were also in physical shape.

Try these 7 simple ways to develop a healthy body.

1. Exercise. Develop an exercise routine that is right for you and that fits your schedule.
2. Eat healthy foods. Lot’s of vegetables and grains.
3. Drink lots of water.
4. Make it a habit to get fresh air every day.
5. Get enough rest.
6. Plan times of recreation.
7. Try to sleep in a comfortable, peaceful environment.

When your body is healthy and alert you have more energy to exercise your self-control and more energy to be more disciplined in the areas you need to be more disciplined in. It creates energy that alerts the rest of your being that in this moment I am motivated so let’s get something done.

Take the time now to write down one physical goal that you are going to try to attain by the end of this year. It could be as simple as walking around the block every day. Start now and journal the transformation over the next 3 weeks. Let’s get physical!

09/05/07

Give Yourself Permission To...

Many of us are so busy ‘doing’ that we are slowly but surely ‘doing’ ourselves in. We don’t give ourselves permission to rest, be patient, rejuvenate or wait. We just let everything pile up then we collapse with our tempers, our physical ailments, our fears, our confusion.

Imagine one morning you eat your breakfast as you normally do. You don’t wash the plate that you used for breakfast but you use the same unwashed plate for lunch. Dinner comes around and you use the same plate again…however, it’s still not washed. The process continues. Day after day after day. You start to get a very unhealthy, crusty layer of food on your plate that mixes in with the fresh food that you are eating. Uuggghhh! What an awful thought.

Sounds unhealthy, terrible and disgusting right? Right! However, many of us are doing the same thing with ourselves. We pile up each circumstance or problem, enduring each situation. Oftentimes we are on auto pilot. Not giving ourselves permission to rest, relax, let go, be patient or wait. We don’t give ourselves permission to be refreshed before going on to the next week or the next situation. We are not just mind and body. We are mind, body and spirit. When we neglect our spirit, it affects our minds and bodies, and then we end up with a nice, or should I say, unhealthy, crusty layer of tension, fear, anger, doubts, etc. that we can’t seem to let go of. They pile up and then we break down.

Give yourself permission to do a little spiritual maintenance each day. It won’t hurt you, but over time you feel more refreshed and things will be clearer. Here are just a few ways to refresh your spirit.

1. Pray. I do this while driving, exercising in the morning, during my quiet time, while working at my desk…practically anywhere. Recognize that God created you so He knows how to maintain you also. Give God your problems and ask for the answer. Give yourself permission to let go of the problem. Give yourself permission to be patient and wait for the answer. It could come immediately or tomorrow, or a week or year from now. Wait expectantly for the answer. It may come while talking to a friend, it may come while working on a project, and it may come through a song you are listening to, reading or watching. It may come by paying attention to everything around you as you walk or drive to your next destination. It may come in that still small voice. Be open to how it comes.

2. Spend time in nature. Give yourself permission to relax and reflect, even if it is for 5 minutes. Give yourself permission to enjoy the quiet and down time. Give yourself permission to enjoy nature.

3. Journal. Give yourself permission to be authentically you while you write. First, record how you are feeling in this moment. Second, record how you want to feel. Third, record what you are thankful for or what you can be thankful for. Now give yourself permission to enjoy being grateful. Aahh! Doesn’t that feel better?

4. Breathe. No really. Breathe deeply. Give yourself permission to do this silly exercise right now. Inhale for 3 counts and exhale for 7 counts. Do it again. Slowly! Now do it one more time. How are you feeling?

5. Get Organized. Organize your files, or your desk. Tidy your bedroom. These can bring a level of peace and tranquility to your soul.

6. Live in Color. Add some bright colors to your wardrobe. Paint one of your rooms a bright color. You’ll be surprised how it helps to give your spirit a jolt of energy.

7. Take a Break. Here is an obvious one that many of us don’t do. Take a lunch break or a 5 - 15 minute break in the morning or afternoon. Try one of the things above. In fact, take a break now.

Try one or all of these things. But try them one by one. Do them over and over again until it’s a part of you. Give yourself permission to rejuvenate your spirit.

08/28/07

The Happy Zone

This past weekend my niece who turned 10 years old this month, and my nephew, who will be 13 years old in December, spent the weekend. They brought so much joy and energy into the house. By the end of the weekend I was tired, but at the same time I felt refreshed and exhilarated. We went to four different parks, and walked along several nature trails for a couple of hours. We also went to play miniature golf but due to a sudden downpour we ended up having to play arcade games instead. It was great energy and we had a lot of fun.

During the weekend, I had a conversation with my nephew where he shared with me his happy zone. He said that his happy zone is to watch TV and play on his game boy or Nintendo. All things. His happy zone consisted of certain things being in his life.

That is pretty much how many of us think.

"If I had more money, then I would be happy."

"If I had a college degree, I would have the job I want and I would be happy."

"If I was married, then I would be happy."

"If I had children, then I would be happy."

What about now?!

How can you be happy now?

Many of us feel that in order to be happy we have to have something that we don't currently have.

Yes, we'll probably be happy in that moment, but then something else comes along to get our focus, then we are thrown out of the happy zone again.

So, how can you experience real happiness?

Well happiness is really a total body experience.

In order for us to have complete happiness, we need to participate in life. That’s right. Not just exist but participate. Total participation. Mind, body and spirit.

Focus on these three things:

1. We need to condition or train our minds to line up with enjoying the important things in life. Your relationship with God, family and improving self.

2. We need to develop a healthy body through our diet and physiological exercises. Our mind, body and spirit are interconnected, so a healthy body helps us to have more energy to develop better habits for a healthy mind and eventually a healthy lifestyle.

3. We need to nurture and feed our spirit. Develop your relationship with God. Take a walk on the beach or in a park. Experience and appreciate the peace and tranquility of being out in nature, as well as, how it can draw you closer to knowing God. Allow it to soothe your soul.

By the way, true peace does not mean that things are quiet and that nothing is going on. True peace means that in the midst of turmoil or a situation, you are centered; comfortable in your relationship with God and able to respond instead of react in a negative situation.

Decide that you are going to participate in your life.
Stop just existing and start living in the 3 areas of your life … mind, body and spirit.

Participate in life with your whole being and discover your true happy zone. Not the things of life, but that which brings joy to your soul and entire being.

08/22/07

Don’t Resist Your Transition

Over the last few months, I have noticed a certain “shift” if you will. It’s very evident with the conversations I have in my coaching sessions, and also the people that I meet through networking or during my speaking engagements. There are many people who are currently in transition, fighting what needs to be a transition or are about to be transitioned.

What do I mean by transition?

Many people are between jobs, getting out of a job or about to discover their purpose and move into a new career. Others are coming out of long or deep relationships and healing so that they are more of a whole person for the next relationship. Whatever the case may be, many people are in transition right now. Our transition is a crucial part of our life. This is where we learn more about ourselves. We see what we are really made of. We discover what we really want to do or who we really are created to be. This is where we discover our coping mechanisms. Understand that transition is an important time in our life. Don’t waste this time in a negative space. Use this time to do the following:

1. Reflect. Look at how you dealt with things in the past and if this is the right way to deal with things. Take a look at your job. Were or are you happy there? Was this the right fit for you? Consider your career. If you are currently in between jobs, are you passionate about what you were doing? Are you utilizing your gifts? What can you do in the future to improve your job or career? What about that past relationship? What can you learn and do differently in your future relationships? Ask yourself questions that will make you face yourself and your situations so that you can make some healthy decisions on where you are going next.
2. Research. Discover who you really are. Discover your passion. Volunteer at a non-profit or church. Go to your local library and read up on different careers that you have an interest in, whether you feel qualified or not. What resonates with you? Discover the kind of person you are so you know who you really want or need to be with.
3. Renew. Renew your mind and renew yourself. Begin to embrace the real you that you are discovering during this transition. Don’t be afraid or run from this person. Maybe you discover your purpose. Embrace the new discovery and …
4. Respond. Don’t just observe what you have discovered. Respond to it. Take steps towards changing your career/purpose, if you realize that you are on the wrong career path. You may make plans to make that transition now or over the next 5 years, but don’t stay in the same position. Don’t respond by doing nothing. Don’t respond by not making a change. Let this transition period be a valuable time in your life. If you discover that you have been attracting the wrong people. Consider staying out of a relationship until you are really comfortable with being who you are and know who you are. Respond to change. Respond to God. Respond to life.

Transitions in our life are not a bad thing. It is a time for us to rest and re-evaluate who we are. It is a time for us to be repositioned to where we need to really be. It is a time to learn about ourselves and others. It is a time for us to gain wisdom and develop our character muscles. Don’t resist the transition. Learn what you must do during this time so that you can move on to the next level with more wisdom, character and peace.

08/16/07

From Stuck to Unstuck

Excerpt from the book, Knuggets of Knowledge to Get Unstuck

She was a young woman who was shy and insecure deep down inside. She was stuck. She had a fleeting sense of her ability to lead others, but she wasn’t sure in what. Her vision of who she was, was blinded by her perceptions of her own identity. Yet, when she looked at others, she saw their great talent and wondered why she didn’t have special talents of her own. Oh, she knew there were things she was capable of doing, but she felt that she didn’t have talents that she did exceptionally well. She felt she didn’t shine or stand out in any area of her life. However, that was not true. Her perception of herself had her stuck. She felt mundane. Just average. A part of the crowd lost in a sea of people. She was officially stuck. Stuck by her own mental and emotional barriers. Stuck in her own insecurities.

In Corporate America, she excelled at her craft. She said the right things, wore professional suites and even wore an air of confidence. Yet deep down inside there was someone else that needed to be seen. She felt as if she was going through the motions of life. Why? Because, she was still stuck.

She failed to recognize her own talents for organizing people and events. She failed to acknowledge her ability to lead people. She failed to understand that she had an aura that made people feel comfortable coming to her and bearing their soul. She failed to recognize that her colleagues, friends and even strangers valued her advice and that she was an encourager; always encouraging others to press forward. You see on the outside, what the world saw was a caring, confident, multitalented trustworthy, powerful woman, but inside she felt differently. She didn’t recognize that she was a starter and creator; a pioneer who goes beyond the norm and paves the way for others to follow. She didn’t recognize what others saw because she was stuck. She was stuck in a prison of wanting to be liked and accepted. Stuck in the area of wanting approval. Stuck in disapproval of herself. Just stuck in her mental and emotional prison.

As she grew, she acquired well paying exciting jobs as an engineer, but she still felt empty inside and not quite capable. Where was she supposed to be? Who was she supposed to be? What was she really supposed to be doing? Who was she created to be? These questions often haunted her soul.

As time marched on, she began to recognize that she really did have exceptional talents and skills. She began to recognize her value and that she was a valuable woman. However, she was climbing that Corporate ladder and as she continued to be promoted her salary increased. Ah yes, the almighty dollar. How could she possibly let go of that. However, she finally began to realize that engineering was not what she was created to do. But the money was so good! Again she was stuck! This time she was imprisoned by the desire for the almighty dollar. She was following the dollar signs instead of following her heart. Boy was she stuck!

After years of searching, reflecting, praying, persevering and achieving, she became free. Free of the mental barriers that had her imprisoned for years. Free to pursue the success that was waiting for her and was rightfully hers. Free of an unhealthy desire for the almighty dollar. Free to be truly successful. Free to be who she was created to be. Aaah! She was finally unstuck.
Who is this woman? That woman is me. A woman that grew up to be a powerful yet practical, energetic yet engaging international speaker, life coach and author.

So What About You?
Some of you have made many accomplishments in life and I want to commend you for that, yet there is an area of your life where you have been stuck. You’ve been stuck for weeks, months or years. Without knowing your situation, I will venture to say that it is your mental barriers that are keeping you from moving forward. For some it is possibly because you are waiting for that great something or someone to propel you forward. Yet for others, it is a lack of desire or willingness to make the effort or take the time to do what needs to be done. Getting unstuck akes time, your energy (effort) and your determination, among other things, but those are a good start.

Too many people whether a corporate executive, an engineer, an investor, an administrator, store clerk, a housewife, or an actor are stuck. Stuck in unhappiness. Stuck in a dead-end job. Stuck in their negative thinking. Stuck in unhealthy relationships. It’s time to get unstuck in at least one area of your life.

The nuggets of wisdom in this book are a collection of applicable lessons I learned to help me get unstuck from my mental, emotional and spiritual prisons. If you apply over and over again everything from this book that resonates with you, until it becomes a part of you, you will get unstuck. You deserve to live a fulfilling life. You deserve to experience the freedom and power you experience from truly being who you were created to be. You deserve to be unstuck. Be a part of the Get Unstuck revolution. Now let’s get started.

Click here to order the book or call 813-343-4112.
$14.95

08/08/07

BUILDING THE BRIDGES IN YOUR LIFE

Last week, the lives of many people took a tragic turn in Minneapolis. Not only did the center of the bridge collapse physically in what is being called the Twin City Tragedy but the center of the lives of many of the survivors and the victims’ families seemed to collapse in an instant.

My prayers go out to you and your family, if you are personally being affected by this tragedy. My friend’s niece crossed that same bridge minutes before it collapsed. Why she was spared and others not, I don’t have that answer. But I do know that this tragedy should not be in vain.

For those lives that were lost, let the rest of us draw a lesson from this. Maybe this gave you a wake up call to forgive that friend that hurt you… 5 years ago. Or maybe it gave you a jolt to help you realize that life is valuable and we don’t know when it ends for each of us. Maybe that was what you needed to decide that you will live a healthy, fulfilling life and pursue your purpose. Maybe it jolted you to become a better person or seek God for yourself. Whatever the case may be I hope it made you think about your life, where it is and where it is going.

I heard the reports from one of the recovery officials. He said that in order to discover the cause of the collapse, they would take the pieces of the bridge reconstruct it and then go from there. He predicted that it would take approximately one year to draw a conclusion. This lead me to want to you a question. What bridge has collapsed in your life? It could be professionally – you lost your job. Emotionally – you are depressed or discouraged. Or maybe spiritually – you have ignored God and your relationship with Him. What about mentally – you are making the wrong choices and it is affecting not just you but your family.

Whatever bridge in your life seems to have collapsed, this is your wake up call. It’s time to pick up the pieces, evaluate, and then repair. Try these 5 simple techniques to start repairing your bridge:

1. Allow yourself time to release. Release pressure. Release the sorrow. Release the pain.
2. Allow yourself a period to heal. Healing may mean not being so active but spending time being, listening and reflecting. It could also mean spending time helping others. Find out how your mind and body likes to heal.
3. Decide that you are going to look forward, because whether you participate or not time is moving forward.
4. Journal how you are feeling during the rebuilding process. Journal what you need to do and when to get back into the game of life.
5. Solicit support when you need it. It doesn’t show weakness. It shows strength.

Since I heard the tragic news, I have been praying each day for peace, comfort and strength for the families of the victims. Let us all continue to pray and also use this as an opportunity to also extend a hand to those in our circle or community who need comfort, support or help.

07/29/07

Stop Giving Yourself Permission to Be Defeated

Over the last few months, I've been hearing the voice of defeat in the conversation of many people. If you are feeling defeated in an area of your life, then you are not alone.

One of my friends sent me an email sharing a situation that she found herself in. At the end, she felt defeated but she ended the story with these words. "I could not give myself permission to feel defeated."

A definition of defeat is to prevent the success of something. When we submit to the feeling of defeat we are hindering the success that lies before us.

So how can you press through or overcome the feelings of defeat?

1. Acknowledge your feelings. Ignoring your feelings is just another way to avoid facing them. Acknowledge how you are feeling.
2. Ask Why? Don’t ask why this is happening to you, but ask why you are having these feelings. Take a look at why you are really feeling this way. Don’t be afraid of what you discover. Don’t blame anyone (yourself or others). Just observe and take note of your feelings.
3. Control Your Self-Talk. Don’t speak negative things to yourself or about anyone else. It really doesn’t solve the problem. All that does is magnify the problem. You don’t want to magnify, you want to solve. Speak positive affirmations that line up with where you want to be.
4. Let It Go! Once you’ve acknowledged and discovered why you are feeling defeated, let it go. Don’t own it and keep it. Release some of the pressure. Do something positive that will relax or energize you. Take a bubble bath. Go walking. Pray. Play golf. Go to a café and read a book. Do something that relaxes you and will help you to come to terms with the real reason that you are feeling defeated.
5. Try Another Way. You may feel defeated because you’ve been trying things your way...over and over again...and you keep getting the same results. Consider looking into other ways that you can solve your problem and try it another way.
6. Get Help. Nobody achieves success in any area…alone. Swallow any pride that you may have. All pride does is hinder or abort your success. Ask for help or find someone that has achieved what you want to achieve and find out how they did it.
7. Be Patient. Overcoming your feelings of defeat may mean doing something a different way but it may take time to achieve what you want to achieve. Be patient with yourself, God and others. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the earth created in a day. Don’t expect your successes, whether it is in a relationship, career achievement, or whatever it may be, to happen over night.

Try these steps over and over again and go from feeling defeated to knowing that overtime things will be okay.

07/25/07

It’s Not Time to Leave Yet!

I remember in 2003 when I had finally accepted the fact that it was time for me to leave my job and start my business. The last two weeks were the hardest weeks that I had to experience at that job. I was full of anticipation for what lay ahead, not to mention the fact that I felt that I was ready to leave a year before but new it wasn’t time. Timing is everything. If we leave something prematurely we can end up with major problems down the road. Once I gave my 2 week resignation it was really hard to focus on my work. The excitement had me anticipating what lay ahead. However, I stayed put. I stayed focused. I stayed committed. I stayed responsible. I stayed.

Leaving before my time could have:

1. Aborted or hindered any additional lessons that I needed to learn or skills that I needed to develop.

2. Planted a subconscious seed in the minds of my boss, colleagues and staff, that I was not as reliable or responsible as they had thought, thus causing potential obstacles or barriers in the future.

3. Weakened my perseverance muscle. Something one needs a large helping of when starting a business.

4. Lessened my chances of obtaining references from my previous employer.

Do you get the picture? At the end of the day, your reputation and integrity is what will stick with people. Yes they will remember your skills, but they will carry your integrity and sense of responsibility in their hearts. Your character will take you a long way.

You may be in a situation right now where you are more than ready to leave, but you also know that right now is not the time. Your time to leave may be a week, a month or a year from now. However long you have to wait, stay in the game with integrity, with honest, and with the attitude that you are going to do your best; learning all you need to learn right up to the last day. Be a good student of life and learn what you need to learn now.

To this day, my previous boss trusts me to do things that he wouldn’t trust others to do.

Your reputation will precede you and carry you for many years to come. Stay in this phase of the game...to the end. It’s not time to leave yet.

07/18/07

You Are As Valuable As Pearls In Mud

I wonder how many people opened this email?! That title almost sounds like an insult doesn’t it? Actually, I did a little research. Pearls can be found in fresh water or salt water, and often have to be cleaned of mud once discovered. They are unique in the sense that it is probably the only gem that you can use in jewelry once found. All other gems must be polished or fashioned before they can be set in jewelry.

This made me think of our value. Many of us are walking around waiting for someone or some situation to validate us. The truth is God placed our value within us and it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks. What really matters is that you were designed as a valuable, precious gem. If no one has ever told you, I’m telling you that you are a valuable gem. You have been designed with beautiful treasures waiting to be discovered.

Some of us are like pearls in mud. We are in the deep, dark murky waters of circumstances of our lives. Financial constraints, broken relationships, unemployment, questionable business deals and uncertain futures surround us. We focus on the darkness of the negative things that we are currently seeing in our lives instead of the positive. The truth is that we are pearls in mud. We were each created with value. We were each created with purpose. All we need is to be cleaned up so that the world can also see our value. The funny thing about pearls is whether they are in mud or not they are still valuable. Whether someone finds them or not they are still precious. God has placed pearls of wisdom, value and purpose within us. Don’t allow anyone to tell you any differently. Whether you are going through hard times now or not, you are still valuable. Whether someone acknowledges you or not, you are still precious. Tell yourself today that you are a beautiful valuable gem that the world is waiting to see. You are as valuable as pearls in mud!

07/10/07

Reduce Your Stress; Reduce Your Mess!

Tell me, have you gotten yourself into any messes lately? Did you explode during a staff meeting then feel guilty afterwards? Had a hard time finding something you needed? You know you saw it sometime this week but just can’t find it right now. Tired of being late? Tired of being unorganized? Are you tired of being stressed?

Symptoms of Stress
Some of you may not be aware that you are stressed, because you have been experiencing a level of stress for so long that it has become a part of you. Let’s take a test. See how many of these apply to you.

• Headaches
• Sleep disturbances
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Short temper
• Upset stomach
• Job dissatisfaction
• Low morale

Having these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have stress, but it could. Evaluate yourself for about a week or so to see whether or not you are truly under abnormal amounts of stress.

Evaluate Your Stress
Here are a few things you can do to evaluate your stress through journaling. Writing (using a pen or pencil on paper) is such a powerful tool. For some reason, typing does not have the same affect as typing. There is a cognitive reason, but I have to do more research so for now we’ll move forward. I want to encourage you to keep a stress journal for the next week. In your journal observe, record and evaluate the following:

1. Record the date and time of each entry.
2. Record your stress triggers (what was the root cause of the stress).
3. Record how you are feeling.
4. Record how your body responds.
5. Take note of how frequently the same stresses occur.
6. Take note of the most stressful situations.
7. Record how you managed the stress.
8. Record how you should manage the stress.

Keeping a stress journal forces you to identify your stress triggers and once identified you can decide how to reduce or eliminate the stress from your life.

How To Reduce Your Stress
If you are not a part of the Empowerment Club, I would like to encourage you to join. The Empowerment Club for the month of July was “Reduce Your Stress; Reduce Your Mess!” I discussed the four most significant ways to reduce your stress. Everyone also participated in a stress reducing exercise. The club members had fun, were more relaxed and learned a little more about their stress and how to reduce it.

For the month of July, you’ll receive a FREE copy of the CD Reduce Your Stress; Reduce Your Mess! when you join the Empowerment Club. If you are interested in joining the Empowerment Club click here. If you want to find out more information email Info@DivineDiscipline.com or call 813-343-4112. You will also receive a copy of my newly released book Knuggets of Knowledge to Get Unstuck by the end of the summer.

Next month, I’ll be discussing Why Time Management Equals Self-Management. Get some friends together and join the Empowerment Club. Click here to find out more about this fun and empowering club.

07/04/07

Your Silence Speaks Volumes

I remember one of my first encounters with securing a training account with a company. I sat in the office of the director of that department. As she looked through my catalog of keynotes and seminars, she asked me what my fee was for a couple of workshops. I shared my fee and then there was silence. It was a thick silence that in the early stages of my business made me uncomfortable (It no longer makes me uncomfortable). “Maybe I should add another workshop for the first fee”, I thought. “I don’t want to loose this account. Maybe I should give them a discount as a first time client”. Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak, I remembered an article that I had read about sales. It said that when you share your fee with a potential client you should then keep silent and wait for them to speak. You should not be the first one to break the silence. As hard as it was for me to do that I decided to listen to that advice. I kept silent. As awkward as the long silence was for me, it ended up speaking volumes. She eventually broke the silence by saying, “I’m sorry. I was just looking through your catalog and decided that my staff need to hear quite a few of these workshops that you offer so do you think you could do 5 to 6 of them in an all day seminar?” I assured her that I could and shared the fee for an all day seminar. I ended up doubling my contract, because I allowed the silence to work. You see the silence gave her time to think about what she and her staff really needed.

James 1:19 in the New International Bible says “…take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” In other words, we are often so quick to say what we are thinking or what our opinions are in uncomfortable situations. We allow silence to pressure us into doing something or saying something that we shouldn’t do or that we regret later.

Wisdom often tells us to keep silent. Silence will often:
1. Give us time to understand a situation.
2. Give the other person time to really think about what they really want.
3. Helps us to not say something that we will regret later.

The next time you are in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, that is pressuring you or that is making you angry, consider being silent for a little longer and see if your decision or the other persons response is what you originally thought it would be. Remember, silence speaks volumes. Consider making today your official day of silence.

06/27/07

Being Held Accountable.

Often times when you are attempting to accomplish something, it helps if you have someone that you can be held accountable to. Most of us are not disciplined enough to be our own accountability partner, so how should you hold yourself accountable?

• 1. Confide in Someone You Trust.
  Find a person who has wisdom and who you can trust to encourage you as well as give you a good verbal nudge. Share with them what you are trying to accomplish and your milestones then ask them to be your “alarm” and reminder.

  2. Electronic Reminders.
  If you have an email program such as Microsoft Outlook, use the reminders that are provided to give you an audio and visual nudge. Set alarms at each milestone and specifically record what should be accomplished by that milestone.

  3.Partner with Someone.
  Partner with someone who is trying to accomplish the same or similar goal as you. You probably won’t want to be the first one to let the other person down. This will probably encourage you to continue going or to do the tasks s that need to be done so that you are not the first one to fail.

  4.You Got Mail!
  Give a trusted, responsible friend or colleague a self-addressed stamped sealed envelope with a letter written by you to you. In the letter, talk about what you want to have accomplished by a certain milestone (i.e. loose 10 pounds by September 30, 2007). Put some words of encouragement and affirmations in your letter also.

  5.Make an Announcement.
  Tell your friends, colleagues, neighbors, family, pets, anyone who will listen, what you are trying to accomplish and by when. Often times when we know we have an audience, we will be more accountable and push ourselves to accomplish the goal, so that we are not embarrassed in front of everyone.

  6.Life Coach.
  One of the best ways to hold yourself accountable is to get a life coach (such as yours truly!). Not only can a coach help you achieve your goal but we can also help you develop habits so that you are more disciplined in accomplishing your goals.

Depending on your personality type, you should be able to pick at least one of the tips above and hold yourself accountable so that you can achieve your goals. It’s like giving yourself a much needed nudge. Choose at least one today and see how it works for you. Or better yet try them all.

06/20/07

It's Time to Get Ready!

We are half way through the year, so I thought it was a perfect time for us to do some re-evaluating. At this point in the year, you have either moved full steam ahead in pursuing your goals and dreams, or you are still contemplating and hesitating. It’s also possible you are still unsure as to what you should be doing.

Let me assure you of one thing. We were each created for a purpose, so whether you are aware of your purpose or not you have one. The rest of your life should be devoted to seeking and fulfilling your purpose. No matter where you are on the purpose barometer, this time of the year is a good time to prepare yourself for what lies ahead.

1. Let go
It is a good time for you to re-evaluate the company you keep. Are they supporting your future goals or dreams? Are they hindering you? If they are hindering you, then you need to let go of these friendships. Are you still in that unfulfilling, dead-end job? Are you still being overlooked? This is a good time to pursue your new career or purpose and let go of your current job. Do you need to let go of that unhealthy relationship? Do you need to let go of your mental barriers that have you trapped in life? Do you need to let go of your credit cards (i.e. get rid of them) so you can develop healthier financial management habits? Take a look through other areas of your life and see what you need to let go of. Make room for what’s ahead.

2. Prepare Yourself
In order to get ready for what lies ahead do you need additional training? Do you need to create more time in your schedule? Do you need to meet people from different circles? Don’t wait until your goal or dream is upon you. Start preparing now so you are well prepared when you get there.

3. Be Uncomfortable
Do what? Yes. Get uncomfortable. Whenever you are pursuing a goal or dream there is a period of discomfort. This is where you are being taken from one level to the next. This is the time period where you have to go from old to new. You may have to meet new people. Learn new skills. Do something new that you have never done before. Don’t run from the discomfort, but run with it. (Don’t confuse this with being unhappy, despondent or discouraged in a job or unhealthy relationship.) Along with the discomfort will be some excitement and the desire for achievement.

Enjoy your summer of re-evaluation. It’s time for you to achieve your goal and dreams. Or at least to start walking towards them.

06/13/07

Try Another Way!

I read a story this morning that I believe will illustrate the point I want to make today.

In 1980, Mt. Saint Helen erupted. The South Pacific Northwest experienced devastation because of it. Rivers were hindered by debris. Wildlife and fish died.

However, less than a year later, scientists discovered that the salmon had managed to survive despite the clogged rivers. They had simply utilized alternate waterways and streams, some of which were only less than 6 inches deep. The salmon had found another way.

When you come to an obstacle, it may mean that you must try another way. Your obstruction could be leading you to another way or helping you to start over. Don’t look at challenges as failure; consider doing what you need to do another way.

06/06/07

Take Your Fear Out of the Driver's Seat.

You are driving down a beautiful, scenic country road. You are sitting in the back seat. You can’t quite see who is in the driver’s seat, but you look straight ahead and the trees start to whiz by mighty fast. The road has major snake curves and the car is squealing around the corners. You realize that you are holding your breath; the palms of your hands are hurting because you are digging your nails into your hands.

The driver looks in the rear view mirror on his cap is written the word FEAR….

Is this a dream you wonder or is this your life?

Are you allowing fear to chauffeur you around?

As a life coach and empowerment speaker, I too often meet talented, wonderful people who are floating through life with an external shell that says “I can do anything,” when deep down inside they are crippled by fear.

What fear are you allowing to take you hostage in the back seat and chauffer you around? I’ve met managers, entrepreneurs, successful business owners who are harboring fears that have them locked into a job or situation and hindering them from pursuing their next success level or a dream.

Are you fooling yourself?

Fear does not discriminate. Often times you can’t identify fear in a line up. However the person that is being chauffeured by fear may look like they are enjoying the good life, but are really on the road to destruction or a never ending cruise down a country road.

Let’s take a test…
1. Do you enjoy your comfort zone?
2. Do you complain about the job, relationship or situation you are in but then don’t take any action to get out of this situation?
3. Are you good at encouraging others to move forward, but then hesitate to encourage yourself to move forward?
4. Do others see you as an achiever, but deep down inside you see yourself as a failure?

If you said yes to any of these questions, then you very well may be allowing fear to be in the driver’s seat of your life. Try these simple tips, repeatedly, to help you face and overcome your fears.

1. Be true and honest with yourself. Admit that you are afraid to take this next step.
2. Now identify the fear. What are you afraid of?
3. Identify why you have that fear?
4. Now that you have faced the fear, what do you have to do to move forward with or without the fear? Write it down. Step by step.
5. Think about what things will look like once you move forward. Now embrace that thought.
6. Establish a support system and maintain it. This may consist of friends, mentors, motivational CD’s or books.
7. Write down affirmations to support yourself. Read them 7 times a day. Out loud!

Take your fear out of the driver’s seat! Try these tips to help you break free from your fears and get started on your road to success.

05/30/07

What Fragrance Are You Giving Off?

Years ago, while working as an engineer, I had the privilege of working for Bill. He was the Sr. Manager in the Quality Engineering department. One day, he decided he wanted to take me to a meeting of the powers-that-be. A meeting of the president and VP’s of various departments. I had the privilege of watching influential men loosing their cool while debating or arguing over various items on the agenda. They were all for the most part giving off a “funky” fragrance. They exhibited pride, anger, doubt, disbelief, jealousy, and selfishness which gave off a funky attitude or should I say a funky fragrance.

Then I witnessed what I continue to strive for. Bill gently, yet with candor, confidence and wisdom interrupted the eruptions and presented his point with respect, wisdom, and confidence. What I noticed was he had commanded control of the room because in speaking calmly yet candidly he had the attention of everyone. The yelling had stopped. The angry faces seemed to calm down. Bill had a positive and powerful attitude. He had a sweet and pleasant fragrance.

What attitude or fragrance do you give off when you are under pressure? Is it a sweet fragrance of confidence, wisdom, respect, patience and joy? Or is it anger, jealousy, arrogance, and ignorance?

We each have a fragrance (attitude) that we exhibit when under pressure. This fragrance reveals the attitudes or characteristics that may have been dormant until something brought us to a pressure point.

Wisdom and confidence often reveal themselves as patience, honesty yet respect when under pressure. These are all pleasant attitudes or fragrances to exhibit under pressure and show wisdom and maturity. Fear, pride, jealousy and greed often rear their ugly heads as anger, jealousy, deception and selfishness when under pressure. These are funky fragrances. Age has nothing to do with wisdom and maturity so my question to you today is what fragrance are you giving off?

The next time you are under pressure, take a step back to observe your response and if it is funky ask yourself why you are responding in that manner. More than likely you are either afraid or jealous and need to figure out once again…why that is. Turning your fragrance from funky to sweet or pleasant is possible, but will take time.

Make a commitment to yourself and society to help yourself grow in the personal arena so that you can reflect a sweet fragrance…great attitude…when under pressure.

You will be surprised how much more respect, and admiration you will receive because of the change.

05/23/07

Are You Listening to Your Life?

A funny thing about life, it gives us all the bells and whistles that we need to make it through. Are you so busy that you are not paying attention to your own life? Let’s take a closer look at this…

The Nudge
When was the last time you felt that inner nudge? When we don’t listen to that inner nudge we tend to regret the decisions that were made. Here’s an example. A woman got up to go for a drink in the middle of the night and she felt that inner nudge. She felt a great need to take her baby out of the crib. She took a baby out of the crib and seconds later there was an earthquake. Where the baby’s crib once stood was now a pile of debris from the roof. She felt and paid attention to the inner nudge.

Repeating Circumstances
Are you experiencing patterns in your relationships or career? We often inadvertently get ourselves into patterns that we may or may not want to be in. Choosing the same type of people, experiencing the same situations in our career, are things that should trigger us to stop and take a look. If patterns have been reoccurring in your life or over the last few months, is it possible that you are creating or attracting these situations. Is it possible that you need to learn something from these situations to help you get out of your comfort zone?

The Heart Prick
Have you ever been in a conversation when somebody says something that pricks your heart or makes your heart jump? Or some people say it’s as if a light bulb went off. I call that the prick of your heart. When this happens it probably means that you have to pay attention to what is being said and find out what it means to you.

All three of these life signals are just ways set up to help guide us or to provide us with the help or information that we need to make a decision in a certain area of our life. These signals could come close together or months apart. Or some people only get one signal and get the message.

Whether you are a corporate executive, a house wife, an entrepreneur or a student, learning to listen to your life can help guide you to make better decisions in life.

05/16/07

Your Mind is a Valuable Gem

Have you ever been to a museum? Isn’t it wonderful to walk from room to room viewing the valuable items? Admiring them in their glass case? Everything is done to make sure that the items are not touched or damaged. Don’t you think that we should do the same for our minds and thoughts?

Many of us treat our minds worse than we would treat our car, clothes or jewelry. With these items, we do all we can to protect them and keep them clean. With our minds, some of us allow almost anything to come into our minds or spirit, thus affecting our thoughts.

We need to protect our thoughts. We need to treat our minds like a valuable gem. We should do what we can to protect it and keep it clean. Wondering why you are always thinking negative and depressed? Have you considered what you are listening to or reading? Are you letting negative information or news come into your mind? If you are a person that gets depressed easily or thinks negative all the time, you should consider some of the programs that you are watching, the music that you are listening to and the material that you are reading.

I have a coaching client that is going through some major personal problems and a few months ago he decided he needed to take a break from the news for a while because he realized that it wasn’t helping him spiritually or emotionally. He was protecting his mind as much as he could during his situation.

Look at your mind as a valuable gem (whether you think it is or not). Do something to protect it so that it starts to feed you positive, healthy thoughts instead of negative unhealthy thoughts.

Tell yourself that your mind is a valuable gem. Now do something to protect it and keep it clean.

05/09/07

Are You Having Trouble Waiting?

Being patient is something that I have had to develop over the years. There were areas of my life that I was patient. In other words, I was patient with people, but I wasn’t patient when it came to my career. I went through the five years of college that I committed to (I attended a cooperative university)…patiently. However, after that my patience seemed to fly out of the window.

Waiting is something that is becoming harder and harder for many because technology is becoming faster and faster. We are so used to getting something quickly that it is programming us to expect everything quickly.

How many times have you been standing in line at a ‘fast food’ restaurant looking at your watch, frustrated because the person (or car) ahead is not moving fast enough? How many times have you been standing in front of the microwave getting knots in your stomach because the food isn’t warming fast enough? How many times have you been upset because your email is not working or is ‘slow’ so you are compelled to have to ‘fax’ the document?

We have been programmed to expect things faster and faster, however, in order to achieve success and live our purpose we have to develop a patience muscle. Success does not come overnight. Despite the fact that we have shows like American Idol, America’s Next Top Model, and other such programs, that help to propel a person or two to stardom at top speed, the majority of us have to work hard , learn from mistakes (ours and others), and persistently apply the success techniques and wisdom that we have gleaned. All of that takes time (months or years), and patient persistence. Those who are unwilling to patiently persist are subconsciously willing themselves to potential failure or a mundane life.

If you have a purpose or career that you are pursuing or there is a dream that you want to achieve, understand that there is a period of waiting.

This waiting period is not a period of doing nothing. It is the season where you discover, learn, grow, and develop all of the wonderful successful attitudes and behaviors that you will need once you arrive.

So enjoy (as much as you can) your waiting period.

One day you will look back and be glad that you waited with patient persistence.

05/02/07

Did You Hear What You Said?

How many times have you talked yourself out of doing something that your heart said you could do?

We should evaluate what our minds are telling us, but there are times when we have the ability to do something and we tell ourselves that we can't.

We were each created with an amazing ability for greatness.

What are you talking yourself out of today?

Are you procrastinating again or are you allowing your fear to hold you back?

Consider stretching yourself today.

Try one thing (that is healthy and lines up with your passions) that you have been thinking about but keep pushing off. If you need help doing it, then swallow your pride and get the help to do it.

This week try one thing that you have wanted to do but just haven't had the courage to do. While you are moving forward, pay attention to what you are telling yourself. Are you talking yourself out of it...again?

Just try it...

Have you been thinking about writing a book? Stop telling yourself that no one wants to hear what you have to say, or that you have no time. Try writing something down for 15 minutes...there that's a start.

Have you been thinking about pursuing another degree, but your mind is telling you that you are too old or that you are not smart enough? Try taking just one class to see how things go.

Don't talk yourself out of doing something before you try it.

Listen to what you are telling yourself and start lining up you self-talk with the goals that you want to achieve.

I Have One Question for You?

Do you have an area in your life that you are stuck?

For example:

-You are writing a book but you have gotten stuck.

-You have a desire to start a business but you are stuck. You are not sure how to start or where to go.

-You want to advance your career but you are stuck with fear. Fear of whether or not it's too late or worth it.

-You are stuck in a relationship that you know is not good for you.

If so, please send an email to me at Clestine@DivineDiscipline.com sharing the area in your life that you are stuck.

I love to hear what is going on with my readers so much so that I will give you 30 minutes of complimentary coaching to get you unstuck.

Thirty minutes might not seem like a long time but read what happened to a gentleman who got 30 minutes of complimentary coaching from me. He was at a crossroads in his life and he needed to make some major decisions. Read what he said...

"....I was at a crucial turning point in my life. I was unable to decide what path I needed to pursue in either family, spirituality or career. I only knew that I felt a strong need to do some inward analysis, something to let me know with surety that I was on track. I certainly had many skill sets that I could call upon, had made significant gains in the past, but now I needed to make a heartfelt effort to identify my life's purpose. Clestine, The Purpose Coach helped me to first define my goals and then provided me with tools to prioritize them. Not only did I identify the direction to take, but with their help I was able to pinpoint the precise job that would start me down this life fulfilling path. I would highly recommend Clestine, The Purpose Coach to anyone seeking to find their purpose in life."

David Bradshaw
Techincal Analyst
Albion Inc., Nashville TN

There you have it.

Give me a call (813-343-4112) or
email me at Clestine@DivineDiscipline.com and
let me get you unstuck in one of your areas.

You have 30 minutes to spare...right?

Until the next time...stay F.E.D.
(Focused, Empowered, Determined)

-Clestine, the Purpose Coach

04/25/07

Are You Hooked?

This week is going to be short and sweet. I’m going to get to the point.

When you plan, do you make sure that your goals are measurable?
Notice I said when you plan. I am assuming that you write down some form of plans for your personal and professional life. Even if it is from week to week, that is a good start.

So here is another question. When you plan do you have a hook?

What is a hook?

A hook is what I call a measurable goal.

When you have a measurable goal, it gives your mind something to hook onto. It provides a trigger for your mind to remind you that you need to do something or that something is coming up soon.

Try it.
Write down your goals and make sure they are measurable.
Some of you should go even as far as to read them out loud so you can hear them in your spirit.

The key is to then listen to the reminder that your mind gives you. Here is where many of us fall short. We don’t listen to the mental reminders and then end up procrastinating; however, that is another topic for another day.

Get hooked on setting measurable goals.
Set a hook for each of your goals.

For example, instead of saying I will get my masters degree, how about saying I will get my masters degree in Business Administration with a minor in entrepreneurship by June 2009. That gives your mind something to hook onto. It tells it specifically what degree and specifically when we want to achieve this goal

I know that life happens, so sometimes we have to take unexpected or unplanned detours, but at least if you have a plan you are going in a definitive direction instead of just existing. (Read last weeks article about existing).

Of course you have to set milestones to help you to attain your goals.
You will also have to discover what you must let go of (sacrifice), along with other things, but maybe I’ll talk about that next week.

Until then, get hooked!

04/18/07

Are You Living or Just Existing?

I read an email offering prayers to the families of the victims of the Virginia Tech Tragedy. This person encouraged us to allow this tragedy to remind us that life is precious and that we should live it fully. We should fulfill the ultimate life that God created us to fulfill.

So this leads me to ask you three questions that I hope will give you the nudge you need to do what you need to do to live your dreams.

What is Your Purpose in Life?
What are you passionate about and are you doing things to feed your passion in a positive way? You are programmed for a particular purpose. Let your life be a journey of discovering that purpose then living it…fully.

What are your primary gifts and talents? Are you utilizing them on your job or in your career? Are you developing them through life’s training? Life’s training offers many opportunities to develop our talents. It’s up to you to choose them.

Are You Stuck in Life?
There are many who just exist in life. Stuck and unable to move forward to live their dreams and hearts desires. I worked as an engineer for 8 years, but after the first 2 years I realized that there was something missing. I was working hard but on working hard on the wrong path. Once I discovered my purpose and passion (to empower you through writing, speaking, training and coaching), I had to change my thinking, habits and attitude, so that I could start living my purpose.

The year before I started to pursue my purpose, I lived with fear. I allowed the fear to hold me hostage. I was stuck. Full of desire, but afraid of failure. Full of passion, but afraid of not being able to live the lifestyle that I had gotten accustomed to. Full of purpose, but afraid of not being able to pay bills in the beginning. Full of peace (that this is the direction I should be going), but afraid of not knowing what to do to get started. I allowed myself to stay stuck.

Thank God circumstances arose that forced me out of my comfort zone into my life purpose. It was uncomfortable and hard at first but it was sure worth it. I am so glad I got unstuck. Aren’t you?

Don’t let a tragedy be what it takes to get you unstuck. Create your own energy and opportunity to get out of your comfort zone, and live your life’s purpose by living your life on purpose.

Are You Living or Just Existing?
Are you fulfilled in life? Or are you just going through the motions. The Virginia Tech Tragedy helped us to see that tomorrow is not promised to no one and that if we are going to exit this world suddenly (or unexpectedly) let it be said that we lived our life purpose, lived our life on purpose and lived it to the fullest!

04/11/07

What You Are Telling Yourself Could Be Killing Your Dreams

What are you telling yourself these days?
Is what you are telling yourself affecting your outlook on life and killing your dreams?

As my business grows, I see more and more how God has blessed each of us with an amazing ability to do great things. However, we often don’t discover those hidden talents or skills until we are under pressure or placed in a stressful situation.

Allow me to introduce you to three cognitive characters that most of us are not quite aware of. Little me, me-me, and big me. Little me is the one that tells you what you can not do. The one that voices those childhood fears over and over again. Me-me is the person that you are now and talks about what he/she sees around you…now. Big Me is the one that we are striving for. The one that listens to the dreams that God has placed in your hearts and speaks about your abilities and possibilities.

Identify Your ‘Little Me’
Your Little Me tries to squash your desires when you try to achieve your dreams.

My ‘Little Me’ told me that I couldn’t speak and that no one would want to hear me speak (Boy was she wrong!). I recognized this 6 years ago and started to ignore what ‘Little Me’ was telling me. The more I ignored 'Little Me', the more I experienced the amazing skills and talents I had. I discovered my ability to empower people to live a fulfilling life through coaching, speaking, training and writing. If I had listened to my ‘Little Me’, I would be stuck in a job somewhere supporting someone else to live their dreams.

Put ‘Little Me’ in his/her place.
Many of us are still listening to ‘Little Me’. We are still allowing that little girl or little boy inside of us to dictate what we can and can not do. We allow ‘Little Me’ to tell us which job we can apply for, which dreams we can achieve, and what relationship to be in.

Would you allow a 6 year old to tell you what you should and should not do? Of course not. Then you shouldn’t let your ‘Little Me’ dictate to you what you can achieve.

‘Little Me’ is Killing Your Dreams
I’m here to tell you that ‘Little Me’ is killing your dreams. You are quite capable of doing what is in your heart. Granted you will need help in certain areas, but you can achieve the dreams that burn in your heart. Yes, there is a price to pay for achieving your dreams, but the price is worth it in the long run. ‘Little Me’ will tell you otherwise. If you listen to 'Little Me', you won't achieve your dreams.

Start listening to ‘Big Me’
Your ‘Big Me’ speaks about the Divine dreams that were deposited in you. Sometimes it may seem impossible, or not make sense, but one day you will look back and realize ‘Big Me’ was right and ‘Little Me’ was wrong.

All this talk about ‘Little Me’, ‘Me-Me’ (we won’t even get into detail about them today) and ‘Big Me’ sounds silly, right? Sometimes you need to hear a message that you have heard multiple times (but not applied) in a unique way so that it takes root in your heart.

All I’m saying is to pay attention to your self-talk. Monitor it. Make sure it is lining up with wisdom and where you need to go and not lining up with where you came from. Make sure your self-talk is supporting your dreams and not killing your dreams.

04/04/07

If you haven't taken the 21-Day Challenge...You may want to read this!

Have you registered for the 21-Day Challenge yet?

The 21-Day Challenge is a fast-paced tele-coaching (group coaching over the phone) program designed to build momentum and motivation to achieve your goals.

The 21-Day Challenge has been running for 3 months and we are getting great feedback about this energizing program!

Read what people have to say about the 21-Day Challenge...

I am now thinking more positive and achieving what I set out to do!

"Clestine I'm charged and ready to go!"

"I am so excited!"

"I feel like I'm not going through this alone"

"I feel energized. This is great!"

"I wish I had done this sooner!"

Be a part of the growing number of people that are taking the 21-Day Challenge!

We all have areas that we are stuck or are having a hard time moving forward in...

Don't let another day pass you by!

Join the growing number of people who are taking the 21-Day Challenge.

I want to help you with one of your small challenges or goals.
Join me in the 21-Day Challenge.

Decide what small challenge or goal you are going to overcome and register to be a part of the next 21-Day Challenge program.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
-It is not an 'achieve goals quick' program.
-You will be a part of a group of 3-6 people who will support each other through this process.
-You will participate in four (4) 30-45 minute tele-coaching sessions(on the phone). Every Tuesday evening for 4 weeks.

This program is designed to help you achieve a small goal and build momentum for the larger goals. You'll develop motivation, and perseverance to help you achieve your goals!

YOUR INVESTMENT:
This tele-coaching program is $87 per person.(A $385 value!)
You don't want to miss this great offer!

WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE:
1. Support and tips from Clestine, The Purpose Coach
2. Phone number and access code for four 30-45 minute tele-coaching sessions.
3. Tips from Clestine's Reach Beyond Your Limits program.
4. The strategy-packed, empowering, 21-Day Challenge E-Journal
5. A personally developed strategy to achieve your goal.
6. Cognitive tools to help you achieve success.
7. Support from a group.
8. A great sense of accomplishment!
9. A BONUS session so that is 4 sessions total.
10.Motivation, Inspiration, and Energy!

READY TO REGISTER?
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 21-DAY CHALLENGE.

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING TO THE GROUP TELE-COACHING SESSIONS
1. A winning attitude
2. A small goal you want to achieve in 21-days!

NEED MORE INFO?
Send an email to Info@DivineDiscipline.com or call 813-343-4112.

REGISTER TODAY for the 21-Day Challenge group.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

NEXT SESSION:
The next tele-coaching group starts Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 7pm E.S.T. This program is filling up so ACT NOW!

DON'T DO THIS BY YOURSELF. INVITE A FRIEND OR TWO.

Is Your Networking Not Working?

Is your networking not working? Maybe you are not approaching it the right way. Have you considered networking to build your business relationships? How about to discover a new career or seek employment? Networking is not just a way to find clients or customers but a way to build long term business relationships that will pay off in the future.

You should network so that it is a win-win situation. Consider the following three (3) tips to enhance your networking experience.

1. Develop a powerful 30 second infomercial
Do you have a 30 second infomercial that you share at networking events? Your 30 second infomercial should tell everyone who you are. It should also tell others what you do and the company you are representing. The final and one of the most important points of an infomercial is to let people know what a good lead looks like for you. If you know who you are looking for (a good lead) and know how to describe who you are looking for then others will remember who you are looking for.

2. Develop win-win relationships
When you go to a networking event, go with the mindset that you are looking for long term, win-win relationships. It’s the people that know you and enjoy your company that will remember to refer you. You can’t develop a lasting relationship with 100’s of people in a week. Get to know each person. Connect with the right people. If there are 2 or 3 people who you naturally connect with or there are people that fit within your leads profile, then that is a good start.

3. Bring something to the table
In this new business relationship, what can you help them with? Bring something to the table. Every good relationship is win-win. It’s give and take. Who can you refer them to? What doors can you open for them? Consider what you can give and not just what you can receive when you network.

Look for the right group to network with. Remember the 3 important points above. Don’t go looking for what you can receive but also go looking for what you can give. Be determined that you are going to spend some time getting to know those you network with and allowing them to get to know you. Sound like dating? It may be business but it is a relationship. Network for the long run and you'll see how well it pays off.

03/28/07

The Work-Life Balancing Act

How are you doing with balancing work and your personal life?

Is your work spilling over into your personal life?

Is your personal life spilling over into your work?

Because I have my own business, it would probably be easy for me to allow my professional and personal life to overlap. On occasion it does, but the majority of time I make sure that I keep a good balance between my personal and professional life.

Oftentimes people wait until they are stressed before taking a vacation or taking a break. Why wait until you are stressed. Learn to recognize when your stress levels are rising.

Learning how to balance your work and personal life, can help reduce stress, nurture a healthy attitude, and improve overall work performance.

Think about these questions as you consider whether or not your professional and personal life is balanced.

Do you have one day a week set aside to spend with yourself and your family?
Do you bring work home or have you made a decision to leave your work at work? (except on those rare occasions)
Do you exercise on a regular basis?
Do you have a personal life plan that you have mapped out and are following?
Do you keep your personal phone calls to breaks and lunch time?
Do you find ways to strive at work and to make work more enjoyable for yourself and others?

These are just a few questions that you should ask yourself to start thinking about whether or not you are able to balance the work-life balancing act.

If you are interested in helping your staff improve performance, develop success behaviors and attitudes and balance their work & personal life, contact us at Divine Discipline and ask us about our seminars and coaching programs that will help your staff improve in these areas.

03/27/07

JOIN THE EMPOWERMENT CLUB!

What is the Empowerment Club?
It is a one-hour monthly tele-conference (seminar/group coaching on the phone) program designed to help people develop positive and successful habits and behaviors so they can get to their next level of success. Each month you will discover cognitive tools and develop strategic actions to not just desire but live a successful life...spiritually, personally and professionally.

Your transformation and transition starts with developing positive and successful thoughts in the area in which you want to change then developing a plan of action to diligently and persistently pursue. This isn't a get-it-quick program. Our purpose is for you to have lasting results. That takes time...one purposeful, strategic step at a time.

You will develop...
-Success Behaviors to help you get to your next level of success...in your professional, personal and spiritual life.
-Positive Attitudes to help you persevere through your challenges
Ways you can improve your energy and performance (based on your personality)
-Goal achievement strategies that work with (not against) your personality type
-Skills in building healthy, supportive relationships...in your professional and personal life
-The attitude and methods needed to "share" your value (a.k.a. sales/marketing of your business)
-Your professional image
simple financial management habits
-And more

Who Is Clestine, The Purpose Coach?
A life coach, empowerment speaker and author.
I empower people to align their thinking with success behaviors so they can achieve success with strategic goals and purposeful actions.
I also help professional men and women (particularly women) determine their purpose and live their life on purpose so they can live the abundant life they were designed to live. Find out more about me at www.DivineDiscipline.com

Previous Empowerment Club Topics:
May - Getting to the Next Level Starts in Your Mind!
June - Three (3) questions you need to ask yourself before you start a business or new career
July - Reduce Your Stress, Reduce Your Mess!
Aug - Did You Forget What Time It Is?-Why Time Management Equals Self-Management
Sep - The Power of Silence

When is The Empowerment Club?
The 2nd Monday of Every Month at 7pm E.S.T.

Next Empowerment Club Topic:
October 8 - The Five Willpower Principles

What You'll Receive as an Empowerment Club Member:
-Exclusive phone number and access code for the Empowerment Club
-A free copy of the achievement workbook called, "The Goal Achievers Self-Coaching Power Guide"
-FREE or EXCLUSIVE OFFERS on CD's, DVD's, books, etc. each month
-Tips on personal and professional development
-Exclusive discounts on Divine Discipline products and events
-Support and accountability each month from your club members
-Exclusive Empowerment Club emails each month to continue to support you in the area discussed that month
-Automatic subscription to the Thought of the Week electronic mailing
-Guest speakers and experts each month
-Discounts or special offers from our guest speakers/experts
-And more

The Free Product That Club Members Received In July:
My motivating CD, "What You Are Telling Yourself Could Be Killing Your Dreams" . This 15 minute motivational CD helps the listener discover who is holding them back and what you can do about it.

What Empowerment Club Members Are Saying:
"Wow! This is really helping me to get past some of my mental barriers"

"I didn't realize I had an issue in this area. Clestine, you helped me to see it and make some changes. Thank you!"

"This is just what I needed!"

Your Investment:
$19.95/month
First month is free!
(Cancel at anytime - but we know you won't want to!)

Clestine, I'm Ready to Join Now!
CLICK HERE and REGISTER
(through a secure paypal link)

Still not sure?
Call me at 813-343-4112 or email me with any questions that you may have.

Once you join the Empowerment Club, my assistant Kim or I will send you an email with the telephone number and access code for the Empowerment Club monthly call.

As of October...
When you join you'll receive a FREE copy of The Goal Achiever Self-Coaching Power Guide. (Regular Price: $34.95)

This workbook will help you discover your passion and achieve your goals.

I'm looking forward to helping you get unstuck, reach beyond your "perceived" limits and get to your next level of success!

NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Call 813-343-4112 OR
Email us at Info@DivineDiscipline.com

03/21/07

Illusions of Your Success Life.

What is an illusion? It’s an erroneous perception of reality. Many of us desire to be successful but because of our erroneous perceptions of reality we end up spinning our wheels and not attaining what we want to attain.

There are many illusions people have when it comes to success but let’s just look at a few of them.

“Follow the money then everything will be okay”
How many of you are in a job that you are tolerating? You feel somewhat trapped because as you climb that corporate ladder your income is also climbing. I remained in an engineering career for 8 years because I kept climbing the ladder and making more money. Even though my heart was telling me this was not what I was created to do (or be), I kept following the money because of course there are bills to pay and a lifestyle to maintain, right? Take it from me, if you follow your purpose, whatever money you are supposed to receive will eventually over time come to you.

“I don’t have what it takes to do what I desire”
If you have a burning desire in your heart, then you have the ability and skills to do what it takes to achieve it. When I started my business, that’s when I discovered new talents that had been buried, just waiting for the right time and right profession for it to show up. If God placed the desire in your heart, then He will also equip you to live it.

Something else I discovered when I started my business. Whatever skills I needed that I didn’t have, I didn’t have to worry about. People with the right skills seemed to show up at the right time.

“I can do what I want to do”
Here is a statement that many of us subconsciously make and live by. Granted we are all created unique and have our unique collective mannerisms and characteristics, however, in order to achieve success you have to follow the principles of success. Doing what ever you feel like doing won’t get you very far, and if it does get you somewhere you won’t stay there very long.

Life provides many illusions, but successful people are the ones that recognize illusions of life. They live by the right morale standards and success principles. Don't allow the illusions of life to keep you back.

03/14/07

Is Your Desire Enough?

There are times when we desire to move forward but our desires are not enough. Desire resides in our heart. It is the cousin of hope. I want to go to Hawaii but wanting and desiring is only the beginning. Desires express what you want, but want is not enough.

You now need to participate in receiving what you want. Everything should line up with what you desire…your mind, your body, you spirit.

Begin to feed your desire with the possibilities that lie ahead. You can do this by creating a possibilities board. Post pictures, thoughts, your plans, the budget or anything else that pertains to what you desire.

Align your thoughts with your desire. Thinking the opposite of what you want does not support your desires and won’t support your beliefs or attitudes. When your thoughts go in the opposite direction, redirect them. This technique takes time, patience and practice, but don’t give up. Press through your situations and thoughts until it is easier for you to redirect your thoughts.

Act as if you have it already. If you were told that what you desire will occur, what would you do? Whatever you would do, do it now. Once you are sure your desire is the right thing for you and the right timing, make preparations for what you desire.

Make room for your desires. Get rid of what will not support what you desire or what is in the place of what you desire. You must make room. Your desire is not enough. Line up your mind, body and spirit and watch your desires turn into your endless possibilites.

03/07/07

When You Get There Will You Stay There?

The managers position. A bigger house. That new healthy relationship. We each have some aspiration, whether great or small, that we are aspiring to.

Whether or not you used success principles to get to your level of success the real question you should be asking yourself is “When I get there will I stay there?”

How many times have you heard of a person winning millions of dollars in the lottery only to have lost it in a short time afterwards? Or how about the celebrity, who like a shooting star, rises to the top only to come crashing down. How about when a friend buys the latest SUV only to have it repossessed months later.

We all want success but once we get there what are we going to do to stay there?

Once you achieve success you want to be able to maintain the success you’ve achieved and then even go to the next level. Check out these 10 ways to maintain success and see how you measure up.

1. Discipline, discipline, discipline. Discipline hurts but the long term results are rewarding and long lasting.
2. Control your tongue. Learn when to speak and when not to speak.
3. Listen. Be quick to hear and slow to speak.
4. Maintain your knowledge gain. Continually maintain and increase information that can support your success, then apply it!
5. Work hard. Play hard. Success doesn’t come from sitting and doing nothing. You have to work hard to get what you want but also remember to balance that with recreation.
6. Loosen your sense of humor. Learn to laugh at yourself and enjoy each day.
7. Eat healthy and exercise. A healthy body encourages a healthy mind.
8. Get adequate rest. Proper rest allows our mind to rejuvenate and our bodies to repair itself.
9. Make time for family and friends. Don’t forget those who are important in your life. Success is better celebrated with family.
10. Give back to the community and serve others. People remember what you do, not necessarily what you say. But most importantly, it is good to serve others. Remember you didn’t achieve your success alone. Somebody helped you with something along the way.

02/28/07

Be Honest with Yourself!

Do you find it hard to be honest with yourself? Remember the old saying “honesty is the best policy”? Well that also includes being honest with yourself. Facing your weaknesses is a good start in pressing through your weaknesses.

While on the road to success, one must be open and honest with oneself. Do you have a problem that you need to overcome that you can’t seem to control? You need to be open and honest with yourself and God.

Often times we do a very good job of excusing our weaknesses or negative characteristics. We find reasons why we said what we said or did what we did. We often justify instead of rectify. One of the first steps in correction is exposing the problem.

First, Stand in front of the mirror and admit to yourself and God what your problem is. Don’t be afraid. You are not less of a person but more of a person for facing the problem.

Second, confide in someone. Someone you can trust to hold your accountable (not hold it over your head), but keep it to themselves, until you are strong enough to handle any criticism.

Third, pray and ask God for help. You can’t do this alone. Recognize and accept the help that is sent your way.

Fourth, Get rid of any items or disassociate yourself from people that will pull you into the bottomless pit of guilt and despair.

Be honest with yourself.
Face who you are.
Define who you are.
Embrace who you are.

Develop success habits and behaviors and enjoy yourself as you mature and grow.

02/21/07

Discover the Secret of Motivation!

The pile of papers on your desk. The untidy draw. That book that is almost completed. That new exercise class you've been meaning to take. All projects that are doable, but often times are left undone. You realize you need motivation but there is one thing that you have to face about motivation.

The secret to motivation is that you have to do something and then the motivation will come. You have to act out your motivation before you feel it. Often times people wait to be motivated when the truth is that we have to do something first before the feeling of motivation comes. For the last two weeks I have been going to bed late and getting up early (lots of projects). This morning I was a little tired. I was not ‘motivated’ to get out of my bed and go walking, but I know that I have to act motivated in order to be motivated. I got up and went walking. Guess what? As soon as I stepped out the door and saw the sunshine and felt the cool breeze I was motivated. I had to do something first to get motivated.

How many times have you procrastinated only to have to take care of the project in crisis mode, then you discover it really wasn’t that bad after all. Do something then the motivation will come. Try these simple tips to help get you started and build motivation:
1. Talk about the end result. Stop talking about how long it is going to take and how hard it is going to be. This draws your energy. You want to do things to feed your energy. Start feeding your spirit the end result. What is going to happen once you take care of the project.
2. Feed your positive energy. Discover what energizes you and do things to feed the positive energy.
3. Get support. Get jump started with a life coach, accountability partner or friend.
4. Delegate what you can’t do. If at all possible, delegate the portions of the task that you are unable to do.
5. Just do it. Don’t rehearse the negatives. Stop complaining. Just get up and do what needs to be done.
6. Make it fun. Play music. Play beat the clock. Do it in a different place. Do it a different way, but do something to make the project fun.

When you set your mind and body in motion, it creates more energy to push your mind and body a little more, so you can get and stay motivated.

02/14/07

Are You Willing to Pay the Price for Success?

There is a cost for everything that you want. Clothes, furniture, job, relationships. You or someone else has to pay for what you want. Even the things that you get for free. Someone put time, their heart and effort into whatever you received.

If you have to pay for what you want, don't you think you should pay a price for success?

Often times we get comfortable in the situation that we are in. Being comfortable doesn’t mean that we like the situation that we are in, but it means that we get into a comfort zone. Our comfort zone is a place where we are used to the routine or familiarity of a situation, yet we don’t want to do anything to make the necessary changes to get out of that situation.

Laziness, fear, and pride will keep many in their comfort zone. It’s a zone that is not as “comfortable” as it indicates. You may dislike your job, but like the pay check and have decided that it would be too difficult to start another career, even though your heart is tugging you towards another career. You may be unhappy in your relationship, but remain in the situation because you don’t want to be “alone”, even though your heart is telling you that this is not a healthy relationship for you. You may want to start your own business but are afraid of the unknown and would rather stay miserable in the ‘comfort zone’ of the job. You know that you will receive a paycheck every week (whether you like the amount or not). You know where your desk is (whether you like the location or not). You know the people you work with (whether you like them or not). Whether or not you like your situation, you know what to expect. Or do you?

Why wait until you go to your job and receive a pink slip at the door. Why wait until you are deeply physically or emotionally hurt in your relationship before walking out? Why wait for a major crisis to achieve the success that waits for you. Don’t let the price of your success be out of your control.

Bring some level of control to your success by taking the proactive approach. If you are passionate about a new career then do what it takes to start that career. There is a price to pay but in the long run you will reap the reward of peace, happiness and fulfillment. So you are alone for a few months or years after leaving your unhealthy relationship. Use this time to get to know the real you. Expand your horizons. Explore the things that you like to do. So you can’t pay a few bills while starting your new business? But haven’t you been there before and didn’t you eventually get to a place where you could handle your bills?

Don’t allow the price of success to deter you from achieving success. There is a price to pay for everything. Wouldn’t you rather pay the price for success now than pay a price for remaining in a place of unrest and unhappiness?

02/07/07

One of the Most Important Questions You Could Ask Yourself

This week I was faced with computer issues. My computer has locked up and I could not get into my files. I tried everything I knew that normally worked, but no matter what I tried it didn't work. Of course my first thought was to say, why me? But I didn't. Instead I asked, how can I solve this problem?

The question why me turns your focus away from a solution or delays success. The question, how can I, helps to create positive thoughts that affect our attitude then actions. Asking myself, how can I, trigged my mind to look for a solution and helped me to think about the computer store down the street. After visiting the store, they were able to give me some great advise on how to resolve the issue and how to possibly avoid this problem in the future.

Asking how triggered my mind to solve this problem and kept me in an achievement mode. Asking why would have focused my mind on the defeat and not achievement. Eventually I would have had to call some IT person, but I probably would not have had the right attitude.

The problem was resolved and my positive attitude and energy were maintained. I had the right energy I needed to face the solution and look forward to achievement because I had asked myself the right question.

The next time you are in a challenging situation, don't ask why, ask how can I?

01/31/07

Special Message to Nicholas!

This message is going out to a young man named Nicholas who is going through some personal struggles (and to anyone else who needs to read this message).

Life is sprinkled with challenges and trials. I have heard it said that whatever doesn't kill you is meant to make you strong. Hang in there Nicholas! Don't allow your circumstances to make you bitter but turn your lemons into lemonade. In doing so, you will become wiser, stronger, happier and be able to embrace better what life has to offer. Many people are praying for you. You will make it through this. Just like I made it through mine and others made it through there's. Be encouraged!

Think Beyond Your Circumstances.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to hear Jesse Jackson at the University of South Florida Sundome in Tampa. One of the things that I remember him saying is dream beyond your circumstances. The first step or phase that I discuss in my Reach Beyond Your Limits seminars is Think Beyond Your Limits. It is a success behavior that is universal. If your mind doesn’t believe or know where you are going, your actions won’t either.

When you need to get something in another room, you tell yourself in your mind (or think it) first, then you go to the room to get it. Sometimes you go through this process so quickly that you aren’t consciously aware that you are going through this process.

Your mind needs to use the same process with your dreams and goals. Think where you are going first. Don’t stop dreaming about where you want to be. Granted, there comes a point in time when you must move beyond dreaming (I’ll talk about that another time), but don’t stop dreaming. Don’t stop hoping. Your mind must be able to believe it first, before it can encourage your body to follow. Remember your thoughts affect your attitude and your attitude affects your actions.

What are your dreams? What goals do you have? Do you have a desire that is stuck behind reasons why you feel you can’t achieve your dream? Do you think your too old? Too young? Too tall? Too short? Not enough education? Not the right education? I can tell you from personal experience that whatever you believe you can do, with prayerful perseverance, purpose, time, determination and empowerment, you will achieve it.

God placed your dreams in you for a reason. Think about the people that will be blessed and encouraged if you fulfill your dreams. It’s not just about you, but about those who will be affected when you achieve your dreams. Any challenges you face are designed to provide you with more wisdom and strength. So rise above your circumstances in your thoughts first. Think beyond your current circumstances so that you can Reach Beyond Your Limits!

01/25/07

Create Your Own Opportunities

I meet too many people who have desires but are waiting for the right time, the right moment, the right person, the right opportunity. He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.* I think that says it all. In other words, stop looking at all the problems and challenges around you as a hindrance. Look at them as an opportunity to grow. With the clouds comes rain to water the seeds that were planted!

Successful achievement is in direct relation to what you believe. If you believe that you can, then don't wait for the will of someone else or wait for the opportunity to come to you on a silver platter. Pray for the will to make it happen.

In today’s society, we can sit at our desk and make a purchase via the internet or phone, communicate to a friend, conduct research on a topic, order a meal, perform a bank transaction and more. We can do almost everything via phone or the internet. It is almost as if we are sub-consciously programming our will to remain in the ready position but never get to the get set or go position! Our minds may be active but the message isn't translating physically.

Will is the mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses a course of action. Can is the mental ability or possession of a power, right or privilege. (The word is also defined as a metal container). Many of us are operating in a state of ‘can’. When we say I can we are saying we have the ability and often times end up containing our abilities. We take the seeds of our ideas and allow them to shrivel up and die. However, when we say we will, we are saying that we are choosing to take action. The word ‘will’ holds you accountable to do something. Now isn’t that more powerful?!

God has blessed us with the power to achieve but many of us have the ability within us contained. We think about it. We talk about it. We write about it. We discuss it, but then we don’t do it! The clouds or challenges around you are designed to help the seeds of greatness within you to grow. If you had to have major surgery, which would you prefer to have? A surgeon who had successfully persevered through the challenges of separating siamese twins or a surgeon who has successfully performed several simple and easy routine operations. The first I’m sure.

Make a decision today that you are going to turn your can into will. Take action! Turn your thoughts into actions. Turn your desires into achievements. Decide that you will struggle through the challenges to help you develop your willpower.

You should know me enough by now that I’m not going to leave you there. I like to provide you with strategic actions or cognitive tools to help you transform. I want you to join me this year in Reaching Beyond Your Limits. Bypass your mental limits and visualize the possibilities.

Here are a few tips you can use to create your own opportunity instead of waiting for it to come along. Stop looking at the clouds as a problem and start looking at them as the challenge that will help you to grow.

1. Don’t wait any longer. This is for those of you who have evaluated and re-evaluated. Contemplated and discussed for weeks, months or years. Stop looking for someone to come along and pull you up out of your ‘can’. Start looking on the internet, the news, a book or magazine for ideas that you could use to create your own opportunity. Better yet we often have ideas that pop in our heads that we dismiss. Write these ideas down and run with it. (Check with wise counsel and like-minded people to make sure your idea is feasible. But then again all things are possible to him who believes!)

2. Breath life into it. Have you listed all of your options? Have you recorded your vision and created a plan? Consider with whom you can share your vision? Don’t leave your thought, purpose or opportunity contained in your ‘can’. Release it to your will to take action. Is it different? Creative? What will make you stand out from the crowd? Think about these questions as you plan for your pursuit.

3. Know the value. Whether it is a product or service, a job pursuit or whether you are creating a new habit you need to know the value. Know why you are doing this. Make sure your why is strong enough. If your why is strong enough, you will creatively discover ways to press forward and reach beyond your limits to success. If you don’t believe what you have to offer is valuable (or that you are valuable), then how will anyone else. Moreover, I might add if you don’t believe it is valuable then might I suggest that you may want to reconsider what you’re doing or do what you must to build up your thoughts of yourself.

4. Do it Afraid! If you wait for fear to go away, you won't do much. Once you know that what you’re doing is what you are supposed to do, do it regardless of the fear that is rising in you. Doing something new can always create the emotion of fear but do it anyway. Most often than not, you’ll be glad that you did.

5. Get others excited. Is there someone that will encourage you and get excited with you? Once you have done your research and you have mapped out a plan. Create a story. It doesn’t have to start out with the local news station. It can be with a few friends that believe in you and are willing to help you ‘test’ your theory, try your product or prepare for whatever it is you need to do. It could be rehearsing for a job interview, or doing a mock run for a program you are developing. Whatever the case may be, their excitement will encourage you to press forward.

6. Create incentive. Create a reason for people to collaborate with you, try your product, participate in your program or support you. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you love yourself and value yourself enough to do this, then love your neighbor enough to help them do there thing also. Give back. Help them out. Support them in their healthy pursuits. Later on down the road it may help to create another opportunity for you.

7. Be prepared to work hard. Whenever you try something new or do something different it is going to take a lot more energy than your normal routine. Why? You have to deal with the naysayers. You may even have to fight with your negative thoughts. You are creating something so that means possibly starting with nothing. That is hard. Rome wasn’t built in a day and God took 6 days to create the earth, so why should your project or achievement happen quickly?

If you want to learn more about creating your own opportunities, inquire about our Perform Beyond: Learning to Managing Self seminar. Contact Kim at kim@divinediscipline.com to find out more.

Don’t let another day pass you by without creating your opportunity to achieve your goal. Get excited. Get creative. Get going!

*Taken from Ecclesiastes 11:4 Amplified Bible Version

01/17/07

Be an Achiever. Challenge Yourself.

What does it mean when you challenge yourself? The American Heritage dictionary defines the word challenge as a call to engage in a contest, fight or competition.

Are you ready to challenge yourself? Too often, we wait for life to challenge us, or we don’t move until life challenges us. When you challenge yourself, your response and time are more manageable. When life challenges us, it can throw us into an immediate negative reaction or timetables that may not fit into our schedule.

Are you ready to fight those thoughts that are telling you that you can’t when you really can? God created each of us with the ability to achieve great things.

Have you thought about engaging yourself in your own achievement contest or competition? When you have a goal that you want to achieve or a situation that is a challenge for you, look at it as a competition with yourself. Motivate or engage yourself by turning your goal achievement process or your challenge into something that is fun.
Challenges are designed to motivate you to grow, learn and discover. Don’t resist the process but embrace it.

Try a few or all of these tips to help you through your challenges.

1. Make it a game. Turn the challenge into a game. What if you challenge yourself to accomplish your goal or a milestone that leads towards your goal, in a certain time period. You could call this game, Beat the Clock. For example, I challenged myself to drink 4 glasses of water before 12noon each day.
2. Reward yourself. At the end of each milestone, give yourself a healthy or simple reward.
3. Get rid of negative thoughts. Replace your negative, degrading thoughts (those thoughts that tell you why you can’t or why this won’t work) with positive, empowering thoughts.
4. Change your self-talk. Pay attention to your conversation with yourself. Are you your worst supporter? When your negative thoughts arise, are you agreeing with them and giving them life? Or are you telling yourself what you plan to do are going to do and can do?
5. Write out your plan. Have a simple plan that maps out the steps for you to follow. When you feel like giving up just look at the next step of your plan and follow it. You’ve already thought it out, so now it is time to ‘just do It’.
6. Just do it! Think about why you are doing this. Make sure your why is strong enough. Now just do it!
7. Get an accountability partner. Share your plan with a trusted friend who will help challenge you. Then give your friend permission to ‘check in’ with you to encourage you to get to each milestone.

It’s more fun to challenge yourself, than it is to have someone else or life challenge you. Don’t sit back and wait for life to challenge you. Challenge yourself to achieve your goals! Step into the game called life. Challenge yourself today!

Take The 21-Day Challenge!

I want to challenge you to challenge yourself.

How about starting on a small challenge (or goal) to help build up your momentum for the larger challenges? I have heard that it takes 21 days to break a habit. Let's test the theory together.

I'm challenging you to stop talking about it and just do it!

I want you to start small. Developing your 'motivation' muscle with something small will then help strengthen you mentally and spiritually for your larger challenges/goals.

I have been committing for years to drink eight glasses of water a day. Finally, a few weeks ago I said, 'Clestine, stop saying you are going to do it. I challenge you to stop thinking about doing it. Just do it!’

I created my simple personal motivator and got to work. It worked. I am now 16 days into drinking eight glasses of water a day. The wonderful thing is I developed a simple plan. I created a simple motivator. My 'why' was strong and simple. My how was simple and easy to follow. Best of all I'm enjoying it! I am no longer thinking about why I don’t want to drink the water. I am now thinking that I need to drink the water.

I want to help you with one of your small challenges or goals. Join me in the 21-day challenge.

Decide what small challenge or goal you are going to overcome and register to be a part of the 10 who are apart of this 21-day challenge program.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
-It is not an 'achieve goals quick' program.
-You will be a part of a group of 10 people who will support each other.
-You will participate in three (3) 30-minute tele-coaching (on the phone)sessions. Once a week for 3 weeks.
-It is complimentary.

This program is designed to help you achieve a small goal and build momentum for the larger goals. You'll develop motivation, and perseverance to help you achieve your goals!

YOUR INVESTMENT: A winning attitude and commitment to yourself.

READY TO REGISTER?
Send an email to Info@DivineDiscipline.com and write in the subject line 'I’m ready for the 21-day challenge!'

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING TO THE GROUP TELE-COACHING SESSIONS
1. A winning attitude
2. A small goal you want to achieve in 21-days!

WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE:
1. Support and tips from Clestine, The Purpose Coach
2. Phone number and access code for three 30 minute complimentary tele-coaching sessions.
3. Tips from Clestine's Reach Beyond Your Limits program.
4. The Take the 21-Day Challenge E-Journal
5. Support from a group.
6. A great sense of accomplishment!

REGISTER TODAY at Info@DivineDiscipline.com and be a part of the 21-Day Challenge group. Remember to put "I'm ready for the 21-Day Challenge" in the email subject line.

Not only February and March, but now April is also BOOKED!!!!

NEXT SESSION:
The next tele-coaching group starts Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 7pm E.S.T. This COMPLIMENTARY program is filling up fast so ACT NOW!

DON'T KEEP IT TO YOURSELF. TELL A FRIEND!

01/10/07

Rise Above Challenges by Thinking Beyond

Yesterday morning, as I was walking, I looked up into the sky and saw a bird. This bird was gliding in the sky. Not flying, just gliding.

It was cold and windy, and as I pressed forward, the bird reminded me of the eagle.

Eagles can detect when a storm is coming. Did you know that? The eagle flies to a high spot and waits for the wind to come. When the storm hits, it positions it’s wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. So in other words, the eagle doesn’t avoid the storm, it uses the wind pressure in the storm to lift it higher.

How do you deal with adversity or challenges in life? Do you run from the storm? Only to have to run from the same ‘storm’ again and again? Leaders and reachers use the adversity and challenges of life to learn whatever lesson they need to learn, so that they can rise above their situation and reach beyond their limits to their next level of success.

Do you flap your wings with negative energy such as anger, frustration, discouraging thoughts or harmful, unproductive words when faced with adversity or challenges? Or like the eagle, do you face your storm and rise above it by elevating your mind using wisdom and maturity?

Are you able to think beyond what is going on in front of you? Or are you able to recognize that this too shall pass and ask yourself, ‘how can I handle this in a mature and wise manner’?

When facing the storms of adversity or the challenges of life, ask yourself the following questions to help you think beyond your limits to reach above your storm or challenge.

1. What can I learn from this adversity or challenge?
2. What act of wisdom can I use to rise above the winds of the challenge instead of allowing the winds (challenges) to defeat me?
3. How will things look when I choose wisdom and maturity vs. my normal derogatory or debilitating reaction?
4. What thoughts do I need to discard to rise above the challenge?
5. What thoughts do I need to adopt and hold onto to rise above the challenge?

Asking yourself these questions will help you think beyond your challenge to reach new heights. Thinking beyond doesn’t mean that you ignore the challenge. It means facing the challenge with elevated (mature, wise & great) thoughts.

We have to reach for who we want to be. ‘Reach’ is an action word.

My challenge to you in 2007 is to Reach Beyond Your Limits and start to take action by thinking beyond your limits.

Stop existing and accepting.
Start reaching and achieving.
Elevate your mind and think beyond your limits!

Think Beyond Your Limits is a new module in my new Reach Beyond Your Limits seminar series/program. If you are interested in empowering your staff at a company meeting or conference, contact Kim at 1-830-632-9996 or kim@divinediscipline.com and ask her how you can book Clestine to help empower your company, professional association or private organization to Think Beyond Your Limits to the next level of success.

01/08/07

Don’t Do That Again. Do Something N.E.W.!

Remember when you were little and you were reprimanded for doing something wrong? You’re parents or guardian probably said something like this, “Don’t do that again!”. However, in your small, not yet mature mind, telling you not to do it is not telling you how not to do it. But as we grew, we painfully discovered, if we touched that stove again we would get hurt. Through our little challenges, we learned to not do it again! (of course there were a few things that we just didn’t want to let go off!)

Fast forward to adult hood. You are in the 1st month of the year 2007 and some of you have New Years resolutions. Others don’t. Here is a message for you. Don’t do that again!

Don’t make another New Years resolution that you are going to break.
Don’t keep passing up promotions that you want in your heart, but don’t feel you qualify for on paper.
Don’t eat another piece of chocolate cake and then beat yourself up after weighing yourself on the scale.
Don’t remain in that debilitating, unheathly relationship.
Don’t continue to be unreliable and then blame everyone else.
Just don’t!

But I’m not going to just leave you there.
This is a New Year, so we need to use my N.E.W. method to achieving success.

Navigate
Empowerment with
Wisdom

NAVIGATE through your challenges
Like the captain of a ship who has to navigate through rough seas, so we have to navigate through the rough waters of our own lives. The best sea captains are those who have had to navigate through treacherous seas. If you were going on a six month expedition on a boat, who would you want to be the captain. A person that had been a captain for 10 years, but never experienced rough seas only calm waters, or a person who had 5 years experience, but had experienced 10 different storms that he had successfully navigated through. The latter I’m sure.

See your challenges (rough waters of life) as a way for you to learn how to navigate through challenges so that you will know how to handle the next situation better. Your challenges are designed to help you to develop your own HOW TO manual. Don’t just allow the waters of life beat you up, but learn from your challenges and learn HOW TO rise above that challenge or through it the next time. In other words, navigation is a choice. Choosing the path that you are going to take.

And remember not to keep you navigation tactics to yourself. Share it with others.

EMPOWER yourself. Don’t wait for someone else to do it.
When you are empowered it gives you the drive you need to reach beyond your limits and press to success. When you are empowered, it is encouraging to your spirit and when your spirit is encouraged, it is more likely to select more positive, wise thoughts that will then drive you to more positive, wise actions.

Read books, listen to CD’s or watch positive, empowering programs or information. Feed your spirit with positive things this year. Learn how to empower yourself instead of waiting for others to empower you.

WISDOM saves you many problems down the road.
When you use wisdom, you may have some mental or emotional frustration (or pain) up front, but you will reap a magnitude of benefits later.

Wisdom tells you to be silent when you want to speak. But then later, you discover your silence reaped you great rewards. (I’ll share one of my experiences later).
Wisdom tells you to be patient when you want to rush on.
Wisdom tells you to partner when you want to do things alone.

Three years ago, I had a meeting with a potential client to provide training for her staff. I had done my homework on sales and how to solicit new business. During our meeting, the individual asked me the fee for a half-day seminar. I shared the fee. The prospect was quiet. The silence made me uncomfortable and so I decided that I should justify the fee and maybe even throw in another workshop for good measure (I really needed the money and didn’t want to lose this client). Just as I was about to open my mouth, to justify or rectify, I remembered the article I read on sales. It said something like this. Silence is golden. Whoever speaks first wins. Enjoy the silence and allow the prospect to think about what you have said. Let them speak first. I immediately closed my mouth and though I was uncomfortable, I decided to choose wisdom this time. My prospect spoke first and decided to do a full day seminar!!!

Imagine that. I doubled my contract with them. If I had spoken, I would have had half of what I ended up with, and at a lesser value.

Wisdom maybe painful at first, but trust me, you reap the benefits later.

So in this New Year, decide that you are going to do something N.E.W! Don’t make the same mistakes or the same habits. Learn through your challenges. Apply what you have learned through your challenges and grow. Navigate Empowerment withu Wisdom. It is another way to say choose empowerment through wisdom. If you choose wisdom it will empower you to make it through your challenges. So Navigate Empowerment with Wisdom and have a very Happy N.E.W. Year!

01/02/07

Happy New Year or Happy New You?

Happy New Year and Empowered New You to all!

Well we are at the beginning of another year?

When you look back what do you see? Challenges? Victories? Unanswered questions? Lessons learned? Heartaches? Joy’s?

Whatever you see in 2006 is now in the past and looking back will not help you as you move forward except to remind you of what happened. Yes you can worry, fret, cry, be angry but that is not going to change anything in this moment.

How about 2007? What do you see in your future? Do you see accomplishments? Victories? Challenges?

Two Thousand and seven is now laying before you like a blank painters pallet ready to paint his/her heart. Ready to create a masterpiece.

Yes you have probably had victories, challenges, and failures in 2006. But begin to write what you want 2007 to look like. Write it down. Visualize it. Get excited about it.

Now begin to do everything you can do to make 2007 what you envision this year to be.

Don’t do what you did last year, because you will get the same results.
Do something different! Challenge yourself to be more disciplined. More courageous. More obedient to the voice of success. More diligent. More optimistic. More of you.

You must be more of you in 2007! Because at the end of the day, you are all you can control. Expect nothing but great things in 2007.

It will come with a price. Sacrifice. Renewal. Stretching. But in the end it will be worth it.

Do you want a happy new you! Know that it comes with a price. But the cost is worth it.

Happy New Year, and Happy New You!

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