10 Minutes Of Quality Time A Day

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Nicolas

We've been working on spending 10 minutes of quality time a day with a few clients and the results have been interesting.

For one thing, most expected great results in little time and of course we all know it rarely works this way. What also came up is the fact that we accept to do almost anything in order to get rid of what bothers us in the first place. Most of the time, this "getting rid of what bothers us" doesn't just happen with a single exercise but with a series.

The 10 minutes of quality time is essential on a daily basis for many reasons. First and foremost, it re-empowers you again. It allows you to dictate when and how you will step away from the flow of life and allow yourself to be with yourself for 10 minutes, undisturbed.

I cannot stress how important this step is as empowering ourselves in these days and age is crucial.

Second, as time goes by, you will lose expectations of resolving everything at once. 10 minutes a day will first allow you to catch with yourself and give you a bit of a breather. this is important if you are to make rational and knowledgeable decisions.

Another important aspect of spending 10 minutes on your own without interruptions is that it helps you center yourself. This is something you can keep with you. As you develop this into a routine, you will keep it with you for longer periods of time.

Try it for a while. What is a while? Over a month. Try it for three months at least and see how many more results you will see. Then after that, drop me a line.

How To Spot The Ego Taking Over

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Nicolas

Most people feel bothered when they don't act in integrity. That feeling is not a pleasant one and you feel out of balance. Mostly, it happens when the ego takes over and you lost control. So what can you do to spot the early signs and place trigger points to remind you to not let it run lose?

There are five obvious aspects of an ego gone wild: anger, hatred, judgment, control and
pride, amongst the biggest ones. These are the five ways our ego can
manifest when we forget about it and let it lose with unpleasant results. While we all judge, get angry at times and feel an urge to control, most of these things can be controlled with simple awareness.

Watch yourself more often. We spend the first five years of our lives controlling our body for better handling of objects and movement but never did the same with our minds. By being mindful, aware of our moods, we can spot when the ego spins out of control.

The ego isn't a bad thing. In fact, we need one to function in this society but it needs to be tamed in order to pay well with others while being used as what it should be, a tool to represent the cumulative sum of your experiences.

Taking Environmental Action

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Nicolas

A new group called 350 has launched a campaign to make today, the 24th of October this year.

The idea is to raise awareness, a much needed thing to happen worldwide and something coaching works with very closely. What the 350 group looks for are for individuals to take action in their communities and call, write, etc. on world leaders to sign a climate agreement.

To find out what is happening worldwide, click here to go to their site. Already New Zealand has gathered an impressive following.

Taking Time For Number One

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Nicolas

One of the prerequisite of fulfilling yourself and being more present with yourself is… spending time with yourself. Sounds simple but how many times do you do? If you don't, why not?

Imagine what is really happening ff you can't take ten minutes for yourself. Do you have control of your life? If you can't take 10 minutes to being with yourself, thinking, reflecting, how much control do you have over moving your life where you want it? Reclaiming control over your life doesn't have to be strenuous or difficult. It starts bits at a time.

You remember the enlightening question we asked a while back, of how to eat an elephant? One piece at a time. If you realize something has to change, you can do something as simple as taking 10 minutes to yourself by being alone. That will help regain some control over your life and make you realize, ultimately you can chose. If you can't do tat, ask yourself what is your level of discomfort on a scale of 1 to 10? And talk to me.

Do it now or later

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Nicolas

As I sit in front of my computer, I have a choice. Work now or do it later, even tomorrow.

In a rare turn of event in southern California, it is gray outside and the need to drink tea and watch a warm movie sounds alluring. Of course, there is also a need to work and do my writing.

I subscribe to the Kabbalah Center newsletter because their timely insightful hints always jolt me. Today's point was proverb that goes something like: laziness pays off today, work pays off tomorrow!

How true.

How To Outwit The Ego

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Nicolas

Most of us struggle keeping the monkey mind in check. The monkey mind? You know, the other expression for ego. So how do you keep the ego from deceiving you?

The obvious answer is to keep your awareness around where and how your thoughts arise. Here is a clue. 99% of the time, your reaction is based on the ego. The ego can be a great tool if used wisely, but left to its own device will serve as a powerful reminder that little awareness leads to a life of little control and worse yet, not knowing yourself.

So take a break before reacting. Remember to take a deep breath before you answer or react and you will see that most of the time, the ego was there to answer for you and not let you truly be who you are.

Simple, no?

Celebrating My Accreditation With The International Coaching Federation!

Posted on October 10, 2009 by Nicolas

I would like to announce that I have received my ACC from the International Coaching Federation, ICF at last.

This is good news as I have been studying for about two years.

Unfortunately, the ICF now wants to scrap all three levels and make a single one for all. We believe it is not worth it and simply not fair to those who have worked years on the MCC, PCC and our ACC.

What do you think?

For more info, check out: ICF, or the site that takes a stand against it here.

Balancing productive life with enjoying oneself

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Nicolas

If there is one thing I am blessed with, it is the innate capacity to balance a productive life with enough on the side entertainment.

While I spend most of my time coaching and taking classes at CoachU, I also spend another good chunk of my tie writing about electric cars. It has also afforded me the privilege of test driving some amazing cars, such as AC Propulsion's all electric eBox, Alfa Romeo amazing and unique 8C Competizione and a few others you can see from our blog, Electricnick and my articles on the Examiner.