Willpower as a key to goal attainment

Willpower actually has three faces, according to Kelly Mc Gonigal,  author of the Willpower Instinct. There is "I Will Power," "I Won't Power," and "I Want Power." Every willpower challenge requires doing something difficult, or taking a path that is opposite what we usually do, or what might be most tempting. Meeting goals require a significant amount of willpower and it requires that the prefrontal cortex of the brain is very active.

The 3 regions of the PFC corresponding to each type of will power are:
1.  The upper left side of the PFC specializes in "I Will." It helps you move forward with or stick to difficult, boring, or stressful tasks.
2. The right side of the PFC specializes in "I Won't." It helps you resist temptations and cravings.
3. The "I Want" region is in the middle and it keeps track of goals and desires.

The prefrontal cortex is the most sophisticated and energy consuming part of the brain. In order or the prefrontal cortex to serve us well, it needs adequate glucose through the foods we eat, sleep, and training via meditation and other mindful practices. In addition, it needs external support by way of removing external distractions, clear definition of goals, and encouragement from others including family, friends, and coaches.

Here are a few ways you can boost your willpower when it is being tested:
1.  Immediately boost willpower by slowing breath to 4-6 breaths per minute. That is approximately 10-15 seconds per breath.
2. Increase willpower by stepping outside for fresh air and a "green break."
3. Take a refreshing power nap.  Even 10-20 minutes can restore and re-energize the PFC.
4. Use imagery to address a craving. Temptation is like a wave on the ocean. Rather than battle it the temptation, allow it to crest like a wave and dissolve gently into the shoreline.

There are many other ways understanding the nature of willpower can help you reach your goals. 

Stay tuned to future blogs where you will learn more about this topic and how it can help you uncover personal potential.

Ann C.Holm, MS ACC CCC. Ann is an ICF certified coach with a lifelong interest in brain science. For 25 years, she coached brain injured clients toward cognitive recovery with an emphasis toward optimal functioning in the community. In 2009, she started a coaching practice in order to serve any client who wishes to uncover personal potential through increased awareness of how the brain works, and knowledge of psychological type preferences. Ann holds a B.A. in Psychology, Speech and Hearing Sciences (1983) and a M.S. in Speech and Language Pathology (1986), both from the University of Michigan. She received Life Coach training from the Coaches Training Institute in 2008.  She is also an MBTI Master Practitioner and currently one of less than 100 MBTI practitioners worldwide certified to administer the newly released MBTI Step III.  Her website is www.annholm.net/

My story of light

Whatever you're doing today...

Perhaps you could take a moment to pause..

Light a candle... (you might be doing that anyway)

And create an intention...

And remind yourself of your story.

I searched for a new story about light.  We're all celebrating it, each in our own way.

But I kept coming back to the strongest of images. 

The children's faces as they light the candles for Chanukah.

Counting Christmas trees as we drove through a cold and blustery Dublin night.

The candles lit in the church where I heard my first mid-night mass. 

The Chanukah presents placed lovingly around the table set for Friday-night-dinner.

And I realized that I don't need a new story.

This is my story of light.

This is my holiday story.

And it is a story of gratitude.

Gratitude for those moments and memories.

And immense gratitude to the wonderful people in my life; family, friends, clients, colleagues.

With thanksgiving just passed and the holidays coming soon, this is the perfect time to hold that magical space for story. 

To be truly thankful for the blessings of stories past, present and future; the memories, the relationships which are expressed through story and become your reality. Take a moment to tell that story!  

I can't wait to see what story awaits us in 2013!

What story are you creating during this holiday season?

Lisa Bloom, PCC is founder of Story Coach Inc. and the Certified Story Coach Program.  Download her ebook ‘Using Stories to Get Great Clients’ at http://www.story-coach.com.

S.E.T Yourself Up for Success

“If you can achieve your dream alone, then your dream is not a big enough”
~ Teresia LaRocque, MCC

I have a very important question to ask you: Do you have enough support in your life?

Who can you call when you need back up, to brainstorm business strategies, or in moments of emotional crisis?  A solid support network allows you to be your best, achieve what you want, and be the entrepreneur you’ve always aspired to be.

Most of us find it hard to ask for help. Sometimes it makes us feel weak or inadequate. Sometimes we get so used to doing things on our own that the idea of getting help just doesn’t cross our minds. Asking for support is a sign of strength and ambition, an indication that you’re ready to take on more in life.

Consider people who have experienced great success, or have contributed greatly to the world or their communities. They didn’t do it alone. While you need to know that you can depend on yourself, if you continue to do everything on your own you will limit the level of contribution and difference you can make in the world.

Creating a World Class Support Team:
There are three basic types of support: S.E.T - Strategic, Emotional and Task. Each type supports a different side of you and your business, and they are equally important.

Strategic Support comes from people with more experience or perspective than you have, such as a colleague, mentor, coach or mastermind group. It could also come from someone you hire, such as an assistant or lawyer. They help you shorten your learning curve, find resources, and create faster, better results.

Emotional Support is something that every person needs. As an entrepreneur you can count on having great and not so great days, there will be times that you will ask yourself: would I better off getting a full time job? This is when we need to turn to the people in our life where you feel safe enough to confide your greatest fears, seek comfort and really bare your soul. Sometimes it’s the emotional support that helps put a business back on track – or even on the fast track.

Task Support comes from those who help you get things done – your assistant, housekeeper, babysitter and the helping hands of those we love. The support of these people allows you to have more time and energy for the things you love to do. Delegate those things that drain you first; then the things that are a poor use of your valuable time and attention. Remember what people pay you for. No one pays you to go to the dry cleaners.

Cultivating a strong support network and asking for help is a crucial skill to master. Tto really serve your family, your community and your customers, you have to have support! Decide to let go of the lone ranger mentality and make collaboration a fundamental way you do business.

Teresia LaRocque MCC

Teresia LaRocque MCC, is Director of Entrepreneurship and Business Building Mentor for the Erickson Business Center –  www.ericksonbusinesscenter.com at Erickson College International www.erickson.edu. Teresia is a pioneer in the booming profession of personal coaching, the first recipient of the International Coach Federation’s Master Coach Credential in Canada and cofounder for the Vancouver International Coach Federation chapter.  Teresia is committed to supporting coaches to take their talent and passion for coaching and make their entrepreneurial dreams come true.

Teresia is the founder and facilitator of the Passion into Profit Program, a customized business building program offered through the Erickson Business Center. For free business building tips and advice, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EricksonBusinessCenter.

Have you read the November Coaching World?

In this issue:

• Find out “What You Didn’t Learn in Coaching School” and “The Secret of Income as a Coach.”
• Get personal branding tips from the author of Personal Branding for Dummies.
• Find out if the “Trade-Off Effect” is killing your revenue
• Learn how to drop a difficult client
• Get Tips on measuring ROI
• Learn how to select a specialty and maximize your reach
• Find out our must-read coaching resources

Don’t miss this issue—it’s full of insightful articles, videos, case studies, and research that will give you ideas that you can start using today!

 

Read Coaching World now!

 

Download a PDF of Coaching World.

Intuitive Intelligence® Leads to Purpose, Prosperity, Playfulness

Intuitive Intelligence® Coaching will help you cultivate rock-solid self-confidence, see results, and reach your goals faster than trying to do it all on your own.  In fact, some recent clients learned how to tap into their Intuitive Intelligence to:

• Find the time and money to start a new business;
• Save thousands of dollars and redirect their business; and
• Earn 60 percent more -- in less time!

Intuitive Intelligence combines your innate wisdom with the power of a proven success system to empower  business owners.

 

How?

 

Each one of us carries within the finer, more complete person we are capable of becoming.  Intuitive Intelligence® is about bringing your essence, your purpose to consciousness and expressing it in tangible, practical ways in your personal and professional life. 

 

Intuitive Intelligence® will guide you back to the YOU that you most want to be and re-ignite a sense of freedom and adventure in your life in a way that has you creating and experiencing more success on your own terms.  Here’s how the process works…

 

1) Take Stock of Right Here, Right Now

You need to know where you are right now before you can take that next step to where you most want to go. In this step you get a deeper sense of what’s been going on.  What’s been missing? What got lost along the way?

 

You don’t need to start all over; nothing you’ve done was a waste. 

 

2) Claim -- What Do I Really Want? What Do I Stand For?

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will lead you there.  You will get in touch with who you most want to be and what you most desire in your wildest vision of success for your life and career. 

 

You will learn how to clear the endless chatter from your mind so you can hear your own natural Intuitive Intelligence® perhaps for the very first time. 

 

You will be able to achieve this by creating a life and business strategy in such a way that your business model supports the life you want to leave so you don't end up being in servitude to a monster of your own creation.

 

3) Give Yourself Permission

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got.  That means in order to create something new (no matter how big or small) to bring about what you most desire, you need to make a choice to do things differently.  This choice point, this decision is the spark that will ignite the fire and inspire your future. 

 

4) Create Breathing Room

Living a meaningful and productive life often has more to do with what you remove from your list of commitments than what you add to it.  Just like a fire needs air to burn, you need to free up space and energy for the magic to occur.  This space needs to be created on all levels – your physical space, where you commit your time and energies, and within your own mind.

 

5) Anchor Your Efforts with Confidence

Who you get to be has far more to do with your success than what you do.  If your life feels like churning waves on the ocean, the time is now for you to get in touch with the still waters deep underneath the surface.  It is impossible to be confident when you're being tossed about with the tide. 

 

Learn how to anchor yourself with simple and effective techniques you can use on a daily basis and on the go in your busy life.  Using a proven process developed especially for Intuitive Intelligence®, you will find yourself making wiser decisions that serve you with ease, confidence, and without feeling guilty. 

 

6) Release Fear, Expectation, and Judgment

Fear, expectation, judgment, and past experiences can keep you stuck. 

 

Paula Gregorwicz

You will walk away confident in who you are and knowing that you can handle whatever comes your way. 

 

7) Rejoice in the Journey

Alchemy is a process of becoming more of who you really are.  It is a journey, not a destination.  Life throws new challenges, circumstances, and desires at you every day.  We will set up automatic regular daily systems and habits in your life so what matters most to you is not thrown to the backburner.  You deserve to have fun, freedom, and happiness today, not just "someday." 

 

By Paula Gregorwicz, ThePaula G Company, Business Coaching for Women.