I sat looking at the screen on my Dell, learning how to build a web site in a day for a course on web-based businesses. Fascinating but true. I have been working on building a web site for another great business idea; however I was overwhelmed by the engine that runs the business from web hosts to name hosts and things like that. The teacher tells me how important it is for business success to give something free, to build a list. He talks on about eBooks, how easy it is to get information; copy, change detail and paste. One only needs a domain and host to continue. I was lucky I had a domain name -- “goforlifecoaching.com” --
that I had registered this as part of my final assignment in a course titled Executive and Life Coaching. Cutting and pasting is totally against my way of thinking, but I continue with the process.
Later on, my mind being active and alert……
Why did I continue paying for the domain name two years later?
What if my web idea doesn’t work?
Why not do what this teacher says and try this internet marketing lark?
What about life coaching?
Decision time…..
I have plenty of time on my hands.
The cost is minimal.
Way forward…..
When I don’t know what to do, I go with the artist strategy. Dip the brush into paint and dab it on a blank canvas, follow with a stroke, then another and before long…. I put pen to paper, drew a circle; a wheel, a brilliant coaching tool. I discovered the best material was deep inside my head, this process, this way forward and this eBook.
This is not just an eBook; this is a coaching program. I thought long and hard about writing this. Is a program like this good for people? If so, what are the benefits? The answer is simple: life coaching can be very effective. I have seen some remarkable results. On the other hand, life coaching can be expensive and people are often concerned that they may not get results. Sometimes they don’t get results; the reasons vary from not having any rapport with the coach to the Success doesn’t just happen
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coach not picking up on the client’s agenda. People who will partake in this program want their life to be different; they want positive constructive change.
Some will want to start a new business; some will want to get a new job, and some to buy a new house. Some will be here just searching; they just don’t know what they want. People will come because they want fun, joy, happiness, success and fulfilment from life.
This program is different because normally in life coaching, the clients come with their agenda, while this program revolves all around success. Normally the clients set their own tasks, so I had to design tasks I feel should work with the long term objective in mind.
Life coaching is most effective on a one to one basis, but it can be costly and it can be difficult to get a life coach in the area that one can work with comfortably. I find many clients don’t require this one to one coaching. One to one coaching is mostly covered by four sessions over four or five weeks. This is a totally different approach. There is one disadvantage to this program and that is that I am totally depending on you to be true to yourself, to listen to your deep down thoughts.
The reason for this is in one to one coaching the coach listens at a deep level picking up on metaphors, for example “I’m at the foot of the mountain”. We often say what we are truly thinking by using metaphors without being actually aware what we are saying.
In this eBook there are some great tools and techniques such as The Wheel of Life. There is plenty to think about and lots of questions to ask yourself.
Now I’m not an author. I’ve often thought I’d love to write a self help book, but sure haven’t they all been written before? What could I write that someone hasn’t written about? As I’ve just said, I’m not an author so this is a coaching program more than a book. I’ve kept it short and to the point. I’ve left out the anecdotes about Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Viktor Frankl and Nelson Mandela. I find using stories in self help books a distraction because to compare an ordinary person with these great people can be more negative than positive. One needs to take one step at a time, not get overwhelmed. This eBook is totally for you. It’s about you, and it’s your way forward.
All I ask of you is that you take it one day at a time. Look at the experience like a blank canvass, and please God in the end you will have the makings of a masterpiece.
Please feel free to email me tommymacken@goforlifecoaching.com.
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28
Get Going
“Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand
still.”
Chinese Proverb
Success in 28 days. Is this guy for real?
Yes in 28 days you will eat, sleep and drink success at a subconscious level. On a conscious level you’ll be too busy to focus on success. It doesn’t matter what success means to you because you can have it all. The downside -- give yourself a serious talking to and follow this program. I promise you this is designed for everyone. My policy is to keep it simple; however, I have to take you out of your comfort zone. I have to push you to get the result you require.
Imagine I’m your personal coach; you desperately want to succeed- to move forward. You are paying me thousands of dollars a week. I’m aware you want results. Moat people say they want success but they never do anything about getting success. At this point, you need to commit yourself to learning new skills new habits and new thoughts. REMEMBER ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN
WORDS. So let’s get started !!!!!!!!!!!!. Let me stimulate, challenge, push, drive, inspire, influence, empathise, love and encourage you.
This is the first book I have ever seen that starts at Chapter 28. Already we are doing things differently. You will get into the swing of things shortly and get used to having a deadline and a countdown. You may even get hooked on this countdown. Have a celebration on day 28. Decide now -- a weekend away, a romantic meal for two, something you would really appreciate. Think about this for three or four minutes, then write in down here in big red writing, even clip a photo if it helps you to focus on this celebration. Don’t just say a meal for two.
Describe this celebration. I am bringing Sandra to the New Horizons Indian Restaurant. We are dressed to thrill with her in that little black number, etc! Even book it now!
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My celebration on the last day is:
Each day we will have a different topic to read. Take your time reading this topic.
Print it off, get a highlighter or red pen to underline any point that means something to you. This is all about you. You may want to keep this totally private or you may want to share it with a friend, spouse or whoever. Personally, I wouldn’t share this experience with too many people because while the time is right for you now, it can’t possibly be the right time for most people around you at the moment. Let’s be frank and honest; you don’t need their negative attitude and feedback. Most days you will have daily challenges Each and every one of these is important. The answers are within you, but if you don’t do the homework, you won’t pass the test.
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Put your heart and soul into this, and remember a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You have taken that first step downloading this book.
The rest of the steps will be harder, but we will do them one at a time, turning success into a simple strategy. Most self help books on success are for people who read, yet they say that only one in ten finish reading these books. I want you to be aware of this for the next 28 days. Anyone can be a quitter; in fact it is a lot easier to quit than take on a challenge and see it through.
You downloaded this book; if you’re not going to see it through, drop it like a hot potato now! Don’t be wasting my time and yours. You can go watch the soaps or something, but remember your favourite actor on that soap didn’t get where he is today by quitting at life’s simple challenges.
Sometimes you have to take a few steps back in order to go forward. Now! I’m going to take the bold task of asking you to forget your ideas and dreams of what success actually means to you. For the next week let’s just get on with this program. At this stage we are generalising; you will get the full picture in the end.
Study and understand this quotation by Victor Frankl from his book Man’s Search For Meaning.
Don't aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the
more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be
pursued; it must ensue... as the unintended side-effect of one's personal
dedication to a course greater than oneself.
Success means much more than being a celebrity, being a famous singer or acquiring wealth. There are many famous and wealthy people who have made failures of their personal lives.
Holistic life coach?
In order to succeed in 28 days we are going to become aware of the importance of each realm of life at all times: Body, Mind and Spirit.
The first sector of this process is what I call the discovery sector. You will be looking at your life as it is now, looking at your values, talents and strengths, basically getting ready for moving forward towards success. You are going to have to trust me and do some tasks even if they seem foreign or unusual to you.
Each day I will set tasks designed to increase your energy levels and to help as you develop your focus. This is all about taking responsibility. For this program to work 100%, and it will work 100%, you have to be totally honest with yourself and you have to follow through 100%!
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Your daily Coach tasks will have a correct box.
It’s your responsibility to do these tasks, then tick the boxes. It’s all part of the process; it has to be done. Get into a new daily routine. Remember the old routine hasn’t worked.
Unfortunately there are no quick fix strategies here. Success is all about doing.
We all know what we should do, but we don’t do what we know. While I don’t go into pushing religion, many might find it helpful to say a prayer with the tasks.
The Power of Prayer can be a huge help.
Being successful requires dedication and commitment. So, do you have what it takes?
Warning !!!!!!!!!!
This is not a la carte coaching.
There is no such thing as half a success.
To succeed, follow the Tasks to the letter T, in other words no short cuts.
Some of you will go the extra mile and do extra tasks. The benefits will be even greater.
Day 1 Coach Tasks.
1. Get up 30 minutes earlier than usual: “Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
2. Read for 15 minutes: “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” Mark Twain
3. Affirmation: write this on a card and repeat often today and each morning for the next twenty eight days. I Am a Success Now and Always, Because of This, I Have Peace of Mind, Joy and Happiness. “Positive affirmations wake up your inner resources.”
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4. Take a walk or do a chosen exercise for 15 minutes:
“Exercise is the key to creating change in a person’s physical, emotional and mental states.”
That’s it. It’s really simple, just a matter of doing it.
Yes, that’s it for today, it’s really quite simple. If that little voice in your head (and that’s all it is a little voice) is saying things like “I don’t know what to make of this guy”, don’t worry about it. Most people are listening to something like this; however, we are just going to ignore this voice for now. In order to succeed there are times when ignoring is the only answer. (Internal dialogue that chatters the voice that is continuously going on in our head, see Chapter 21.) Success doesn’t just happen
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27
Success
“Success to me is the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve been prepared, I’ve done absolutely everything I could do that’s in my control to be prepared. And I guess part of success is being committed to enjoying the process. So for me that’s success….”
Anne Donovan
Welcome to day two. Today I want you just to think about success. What is success? This is the Big Question. Success comes from the Latin “successus”, which means an outcome. For each of us the answer is different as we all have different outcomes in mind. Today I am talking about success in general. Read this, take it in and remain open to success.
Success is a feeling of pure satisfaction deep inside oneself, a feeling brought on by an achievement that is both honest and challenging.
Successful is when you have accomplished thousands of these successes and are motivated to go for thousands more.
When we talk about success in general, there are two interpretations: success in your eyes and success in the eyes of other people. I can own a business, a big house, a private jet or whatever and be a success in the eyes of other people, but in reality Success to me could mean being happily married to the same woman for the last twenty five years and the rest just happened because I believed that behind every good man is a good woman. One could give loads of examples, but at the end of the day success is deep inside oneself. There is always going to be somebody to think or say “You should have done things differently” or “You could have done better.” Forget about these people if you feel in your heart you have given your best; if you feel satisfied with your achievement, this is success.
Warning! One of the prices of success is the more successful you become, the less comfortable your unsuccessful friends will be with you.
Success is here for everyone -- it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. It is not your background, the way you were reared, your education or any environmental situations that make you a success. It is what you do with what you have that makes you a success. You may have heard the expression “The Black Sheep of the Family.” This guy has the same background, but he doesn’t have the same values or work towards the same goals as the rest of the family.
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Success is often wrongly associated with material wealth. This is purely superficial. What good is it if a man gains the world and loses his soul?
As I said, it is what you do with what you have that makes you a success. You are going to spend the next 26 days focusing on this task. Doing with what you have -
- utilizing ,focusing, organizing , learning, enjoying.
Lastly ask yourself “Why not me?” and “Why not now?”
Look at successful people you admire. Why did success come to them?
Get stuck into these tasks, and it will be you !!!!!!!!!!
Why not me? Why not now?
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What does success feel like to me at this point in time?
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Day 2 Coach Tasks.
1. Fill in above tables “Success”.
2. Get up 30 minutes earlier than usual once again:
“Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
3. Read for 15 minutes: “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” Mark Twain
4. Affirmation: I Am a Success Now and Always, Because of This, I Have Peace of Mind, Joy and Happiness. “Positive affirmations wake up your inner resources.”
5. Take a walk or do a chosen exercise for 15 minutes:
“Exercise is the key to creating change in a person’s physical, emotional and mental states.”
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26
Integrity
“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.”
W.Clement Stone
Today I am going to talk about integrity. Yes, this is usually near the back of every success book. That’s another reason we have Chapter 27 at the beginning of this experience. In order to have true success, one must have this deep seated honesty. I believe integrity is the foundation of true success.
What is integrity?
Integrity comes from the Greek words 'integritas' and 'integra' meaning whole.
1. Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.
3. A sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.
(Dictionary.com)
I can imagine what that voice in your head is saying right now; just remember to ignore its negative thoughts for a while. I’m no saint and I don’t know many saints, however we are starting out on a journey together so let’s aim for this sound, unimpaired or perfect condition. We all have done things we could regret; just leave them behind, if they’re bad enough confess them to someone and get them off your chest, if not just forget them and get on with this process. From now on let integrity be to the front of your mind. We all know of some famous person who “Had It All” only to loose it over-night because of one of foolish, ill thought out act.
That’s integrity in a nutshell. Now I want you to have a look to see where integrity comes into your life.
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Find a quiet room, turn the key, switch off the phone and lock the world outside the door.
I want you to look at your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to integrity, write down things you will do to strengthen your integrity.
Are you listening to your inner self, or are you allowing outside influences to affect your thoughts?
For example:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Good name & character
Do tend to talk about people behind
their
back
Good at keeping my word
Taxation dread paying these
What I will do to put things right.
Treat others as I would want to be treated.
Sit down and deal with taxation affairs.
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Integrity
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
1.
1.
What I will do to put things right:
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