Book Excerpt from Coach Sheri’s Top Life Coaching Tips: Live Each Day with More Peace, Passion, Energy and Joy eBook. Introduction:

Welcome to my Top Life Coaching Tips, 2nd Edition. I created this eBook for you. I am sharing these tips in random order and I intend for you to choose the ones that resonate with you and then forget the rest. You may want to browse through all of the tips at one sitting- or read one each day…you choose. I want you to be inspired and to live the life of your dreams- the life that you were meant to live. I consider the most essential piece of success is to guard and guide one’s thought life. Many of my tips are directly related to how you think and its impact on your life.

I have created links throughout my eBook for your ease of use in case you would like to visit any of the suggested resources as you read through my tips. I welcome emails and I also would love to connect with you on twitter and Facebook . See the above page for my contact information links.

If you enjoy my Top Life Coaching Tips, you may also enjoy my book, Keys to Living Joyfully .

Love and Blessings,

Coach Sheri

As you read through these tips- you may notice some feelings and fears coming up for you regarding making changes- so I wrote this poem for you:

Daring Something New

by Sheri Kaye Hoff

Committed to being open

Stretching

Growing

My heart trembles

My mind turns

Palms are damp

Fear growls around me

As I try something new- unknown

Part of me wants to give up

Part of me thrills to the challenge

I am on the edge

The verge of choice

Terrified of a mistake

Yet driven to move forward

Slowing down my breathing

Resolve enters my heart

I push on-

daring to dive

into my new adventure

The peace of decision

and rightness enters my heart

I am certain.

(Sheri Kaye Hoff 2010)

Tip 1: What are you thinking?

What are you thinking about? Your thought process may go something like this: I have three deadlines I am trying to meet, children that need to be dropped off/picked up, I missed my exercise today, and I have to balance my checkbook before I spend one more dollar….and so on-then it starts all over again. To pull yourself out of a vicious circle of negative thoughts, you need to make a conscious effort.

Refocus your mind. Think about your big vision and your big goals. Stretch, move around. Distract yourself and then consciously pull in thoughts that uplift you.

Use your affirmations like my favorites: “I am so happy and so grateful now that I have peace, energy, joy, and passion every moment of every day.” I am so happy now that I inspire people daily” and “I am so thankful that I have all of the time I need”. You will find your energy level changing as you purposefully redirect your thoughts.

Tip 2: Giving generously

I could be listening to the news on any given morning and of course, the topic would probably be “the terrible economy”. What happens in your mind when you start thinking about how bad the economic outlook is? Some things that typically pop into people’s minds are spending less, lowering expenses, and, yes, people perhaps think about giving less. It is at precisely this time when giving generously is important. It is a sign of faith and it creates a deeply satisfying feeling of being able to give. I notice that when I give generously, not only do I feel great, but other great things seem to happen around me. Ask yourself today, who needs me? Who needs my help? How can I make a difference?

Tip 3: Time and Passion

When I was at a research conference in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to pop into a time management workshop. I am always eager to get tips and ideas that I can pass on to clients or even learn for myself. One thing that struck me as I was sitting in this presentation is the importance of passion. The speaker mentioned passion and passion is one of the subjects that I frequently write about.

Sometimes, it is easy to forget about passion when individuals have deadlines looming and they are immersed in a list of “have tos” and “shoulds”. When this happens, it is a good idea to take a step back and evaluate the situation. Remember that passion led you to the project. It is probably still there somewhere just waiting to be rediscovered. If it is not there-can you shift the project to someone else? Or is there some way, some new approach that will ignite your passion again?

Think about the projects that you have completed while you felt the heat and drive of passion. Maybe it was a new change initiative that positively affected others in your community? Maybe it was a need that you saw and felt the urge to find a remedy? Perhaps you came up with a brilliant idea for a story, an article, a book and you started writing and never looked up until you accomplished your goal. My suggestion is to find ways to tap this natural passion and natural curiosity that we have as human beings.

Stop making it so hard. It should be easy-when you feel passion…

To get this free ebook: Contact Coach Sheri

Do you have some goals that you have been talking about for 6 to 12 months? Your goal might be starting a business, getting a better job, moving, or maybe something else. I am asking that you take a look at that goal and ask yourself: What have I done to make it happen? What progress have I made over the last six to twelve months?

I don’t mean…beat yourself up…but honestly reflect. Have you done anything? Are your efforts inconsistent, or half hearted? Maybe…you need to change your goal…or maybe you need to step into some action steps. Be honest with yourself. Are you really taking action…or are you just thinking about your goal? I see this often with small biz folks…they think they are always working, when in reality, often they are only thinking about acting.

Exercise: Write down five things you accomplished in the last two weeks that got you closer to your goal, then write down five action steps you commit to this week. Pick one to do today. As you begin acting- keep a notebook handy so you can keep track of questions that come up. Then ask your coach, ask colleagues, ask friends,  search google, search articles,  etc…for the answers.

If you are wondering where to start with your action, pick the action steps that have the most impact.  For small biz- some ideas are list building, product development, sales, communicating with your list, blogging, marketing , social media (careful…this can eat up a lot of time- be strategic). If you are trying to get a job or a better job: Update your resume and actually apply for some jobs (research is implied here- but I know lots of people who comb through internet postings for hours and hours- then never apply for anything), network- in person and online, add to your skill set,  make follow up calls, etc.

Success Tip: Keep your self on track by completing an Accountability Worksheet each and every week. (Keeping track of goals and accomplishments, questions, and actions).

Hint: If you are trying to accomplish a goal: daily, consistent action, gets you there.

Don’t let another six to twelve months go by…heck, don’t let another day go by- work on your goals today.

I would love to know what you are doing to stay on track with your goals?

The Top 2 Challenges that People Face

I have been surveying people for over a year by asking them for their top three challenges. Everyone who signs up for a free strategy session with me- fills out a form where they can list their top three challenges that they face. Consistently- wanting to feel peaceful and relaxed about money and desiring inspiring work have been the top two. ( I do, sometimes, find that during our initial discussion, these top two are really masking something else).

But let’s look at money issues and inspiring work.  

You can feel peaceful and relaxed about money no matter how much money you have or lack of money that you have.   

So, when you feel that bills are looming and overwhelming, how can you feel peaceful about money? Set the intention that your inner-peace is not related to money. Learn to be peaceful and relaxed in the present moment.

What do I mean by this? For example, let’s say you have a bill due on the fifteenth and it’s the fifth. You don’t know how you are going to pay this bill and it’s an important bill. Your past reaction to situations like this has been to fret, worry, and lose sleep. Instead of experiencing all the worry, you can bring yourself fully present through some deep breathes, feeling your feet on the floor, and recalling a moment when you successfully met a financial challenge. Pat yourself on the back for your success. Recognize that you have made it this far in life. As you calm down, your thinking clears and you are more open to intuition. You may get a brainstorm around taking care of that bill. Maybe you think of something you can sell, or another solution pops into your head which is exactly the right solution. Approach every money issue from a place of peace and calm.

What about inspiring work? You may have heard stories about people quitting their jobs and starting companies and eventually becoming millionaires. Yes, this can happen, but I am not here today to tell you to quit your job and start a business. I am here to tell you that no matter what you do, you can find something inspirational about it. If you have ever watched the reality TV show the Under Cover Boss- you have witnessed entry level employees with repetitive tasks and their lights still shine in their work.

I do think that everyone has a purpose – something that ignites passion and fulfillment. While you do inner work and soul searching to uncover this purpose and to determine your path, you can still shine at whatever you do.  You can be inspired and inspire other people. The key is to find something that you love about the job. When I was in high school, I worked at a fast food restaurant and came home each night smelling like a French fry. There was a lot not to love about working in this environment, but I focused on the customers, I loved talking to people and helping them. Guess what I love most about my coaching practice today? Talking to people and helping them. I knew my purpose as a teenager. Yes, I lost my way a few times as an adult, but the essence of what I love about my work has stayed the same.  My work, now, just exists on a higher level.  My challenge to you today- is for you to find something inspiring about your current work. As you learn what inspires you- your path will unfold.

Stop waiting for some day to be peaceful, relaxed and inspired. You can have all of these elements in your life today.

Post your comments here.