"Do
not ask what the world needs: ask what brings you alive
and do that,
because what the world needs is people who are alive." -Howard
Thurman
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Feature Article
Don't Just MAKE those New Year's Resolutions - KEEP Them!
How many times have you set New Years resolutions only to
be disillusioned by completely forgetting about them? What
can you do differently this year to really make your goals
stick and become reality? According to researcher Dan Goleman,
author of the best selling books, Emotional Intelligence and
Primal Leadership, in order to achieve we must be emotionally
engaged and that requires "connecting our efforts to what
really matters most." CREATE YOUR GOALS BASED ON YOUR
VALUES!! And, what are "values?" Your values are
not what your parents told you are important, what your friends
think is motivating or even what you think your spouse or children
want you to value. Values are what absolutely must be present
in your life for YOU to feel fulfilled.
One of the first things
we do, as professional coaches, with our clients is to help
them identify what is most important
to them. What are you truly passionate about? Think, feel,
listen for what really inspires YOU and makes you fulfilled!
If you're not absolutely sure, do the values clarification
exercise below and find out. Remember that this clarification
process is for you! Align your resolutions with your values
and improve your opportunity for success this year.
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Clarify your values
4-steps to Identifying Your Key Values
There are no right answers
in this exercise, only true answers. Be honest, spontaneous,
and don't think too much about it.
1. Find yourself a quiet
place and time to be alone with your thoughts.
2. Write about
a peak experience in your life. Write about a time that was
especially sweet for you, when life was just
flowing and rewarding. Where were you? Who else was present?
What did it smell, taste, and sound like? Capture as much of
this experience as you can on the paper.
3. What was present
in this experience that was really important? What made it
so wonderful? Were you alone or with a group of
people? If you were alone, you may value solitude. If you were
with a group, perhaps you have a value around community. Was
it a spontaneous time or a planned event? You may have a value
called "flying by the seat of your pants" or value
called "predictability is good." List 3 or 4 values
from your peak experience.
4. How are your New Year's resolutions
aligned with the values you have identified? For example, if
you've identified a value
around partnerships or camaraderie and your resolution is the
classic "get in better shape", then you need to design
a fitness program that includes working with a partner or a
team.
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About Our Newsletter
Intentions
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Intentions: tools
and information for living on purpose. Here, you can expect
to find useful
news and exercises to help you create transformational learning
and change in all aspects of your life. What do we mean by "transformational"?
We mean real learning and change that lasts, new ways of being
and new ways of being in action. Not the kind of change you
experience on a quick diet.
Our goal for Intentions, published
once a month by The Lora Banks Coaching Group and Light the
Way Coaching, is to support
you in creating a passionate and purposeful life by using many
of the processes we use in professional coaching for individuals
and organizations. We will show you how to identify your most
closely held values, how to weave those values into a vision
and life plan and how to create an action map that really works.
Each month, we'll share insights from hundreds of hours of
coaching individuals as well as groups and teams. We will show
you the basic tools we use with all of our clients and give
you ideas how to use them yourself. Also, we'll answer some
of your questions about coaching - to take the mystery out
of it a bit.
Our co-editors are both professional coaches trained
at The Coaches Training Institute in San Rafael, California.
Lora
Banks, principal of The Lora Banks Coaching Group has over
15 years of experience in management, marketing, and training.
She resides in San Francisco. Joannie Jorczak, principal of
Light the Way Coaching is a coach who loves working with people
in transition. She has over 10 years experience leading students
and professionals from around the world into more fulfilled
and balanced lives. Joannie currently resides in Torrance,
California.
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Complimentary Coaching Session
Learn More
Mining for values is one of the places we start with
our clients in the professional coaching relationship. If you've
completed
the Values Clarification exercise in this issue and you want
some feedback from a professional, contact us to schedule a
completely complimentary professional coaching session with
one of our coaches. There is absolutely no obligation. In fact,
we recommend that you explore with several coaches before entering
into a coaching relationship. Happy New Year!!
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Coming
Next Month
Create a Compelling Vision
Once you have identified your most
closely held values, what must absolutely be present for your
fulfillment, what's next?
In February, we'll show you how to bring the pieces together
to create a compelling vision for your future. We'll introduce
the concept of future self through visualization and show you
how to create a life purpose statement.
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