Insurance Blog of Florida

I’m telling you – this lady gives some awesome advice. I’m sharing another blog that she posted about getting out of that “rut” that you may be in. It’s great advice! Please share it!

Feeling down is one of those states of mind that I see way too often. I’m not underestimating real issues such as depression and other health concerns; however, I also know that the term ‘feeling down’ might just be a little overused these days. I can understand. With the impact of the economic climate on jobs, housing and everything else, it is natural that at some point we just feel exhausted and like giving up.

Well, if that is your case, I am speaking to you today. The truth here is that while OK to take a break to renew our spirits and to recharge the physical and mental health; it is not healthy to allow ourselves to fall on the ‘feeling down’ trap. I think it is especially important to think very clearly about the realities of our states of mind and start grabbing the bull by the horns.

Pay close attention to your feelings and emotions. If you find yourself feeling ‘down’ way more often that you’d like and provided that there are no physical or mental health issues; then it is time to wake up and smell the coffee. Bottom line: life goes on while you are feeling sorry for yourself. Granted; there is a lot of stuff happening that you may not have control over. I agree. But the key point is that there are many other things that you DO have control over. Start with you! When you start to feel better, the whole panorama starts to change. Here are a few of my ideas on this subject; I use the acronym TBA…Trust, Believe, Accept.

Trust: in order to move forward you have to trust that you have what it takes to move forward. That simple. You have to trust that circumstances can be changed and that your intuition and wisdom can lead you to greener pastures.

Believe: believe in yourself. Sounds corny and almost cliché but the reality is that if you do not believe that you are unique, special and already possess the talents necessary, nobody will.

Accept: Accept and love yourself the way you are. It is important because so many people wish they were someone else, or that they had what someone else has…Also, accept that there are some things that you cannot control (death, some illnesses, for example.) Ultimately you do have control over yourself, your attitude towards life and towards change and finally, you need to acknowledge that there is always a choice.

Although these TBA principles overlap a little, it is important to me to name them individually. I strongly believe that when you love and accept yourself; when you believe that you have the power to change things and when you acknowledge that you have a chose; you will feel empowered to make things happen and as far as I know; forward action is the best medicine for feeling down. If you are busy doing, creating, moving; you probably don’t have time to feel down. Plus, feeling active goes hand in hand with being alive and what better feeling that knowing you are doing what you were meant to? By your choice and by your own calling. Start today, start right now; ask yourself whether this feeling of being ‘down’ is real and has real merit or whether it is a reflection of a state of mind that shows inaction, helplessness and despair. There is always a choice and I urge you today to choose to get out of the rut.

If you find that you are down and don’t know how to get unstuck; life coaching might be for you.

© 2010 Maria Martinez

Maria Martinez is a Professional Life Coach; she works primarily with individuals seeking to identify areas in which they want to increase their level of awareness and take life to the next level. By providing support and accountability, individuals reach higher and greater goals; balance life at work and at home; and enjoy time doing things they most love. ‘Create the life you want; Start within.’

For more information about Maria Martinez and coaching services go to www.inneractivecoachingonline.com or via e-mail: inneractivecoaching@gmail.com

This is a blog that was written by a friend of mine who happens to be a life coach.  I found it very interesting and thought it was worth sharing!  I found things that I can apply to my own life and hope that you will be able to as well. 

Enjoy…

The Key to Life is Balance

As a Life Coach it is my job to interact with people. More often than not, people come to me complaining that there is something missing in their lives. They hate their lives, their jobs, their partners and often have a hard time figuring out what IS going right for them. When I start asking questions, it becomes clear that so many of us are spreading ourselves so thin, that other aspects of life become fragile and at times, fractured. And since we are so busy with what we ‘have’ to do, we resent that we don’t have more time for other things, sometimes we even get physically sick because we don’t take care of ourselves and furthermore, we wait until our relationships are a disaster and we don’t know where to turn to look for help.

Yes, we are responsible to make time for the different tasks, obligations, and responsibilities that are required from us. Whether from work, around the house, activities we volunteer for, they all require of our time and energy. However, I think that the key to life is balance. I don’t think we should ever forget that our bodies need time to be replenished and that when we are gentle with ourselves, we are better able to handle all the challenges that will pull us in every direction within our daily lives.

The other angle here is that when we think about balance, we cannot forget that it cannot all be about work, or fun, or any given concept. When we play too much, then there are other areas that will be neglected. For instance, if we are too focused on any given activity we lose perspective as it relates to all the other things that matter. Life is composed to a lot of little circles that interconnect; that intersect on a point named you. In order to make it all work, my advice is to stop overlooking what is obvious.

1. Come to terms with the fact that something is wrong; you cannot change what you don’t acknowledge. Working 60 hours at work may help you get the job you want; but is it worth it if you get sick or your spouse is unhappy?

2. Accept that you might need help; you don’t have to be Superman or Superwoman; nobody expects you to- Share your experience with others and listen to what they have to say. After all, no man is a world and your circle of family and friends can help you overcome barriers.

3. Make a commitment to change; understanding that something is wrong is critical. Denial will never help you get to the next level. Be honest with yourself; are you spending too much time with friends? Not enough time taking care of yourself?

4. Break the challenge(s) down into bite-size pieces; completing small tasks gives you an immediate feeling of achievement and that boosts your confidence. Writing goals and objectives down is a visual way to see where you are and the steps needed to push forward. It is also helpful to check them off as you complete them. You may need to shift things around and yes, it might take time.

5. Involve others as necessary; delegate tasks at work or recruit someone to help you at home to get the work done. You may want to hire a teenager to help with your kids for a couple of hours while you get a massage, or you may want to barter services to get work around the house done. Ultimately, it is about regaining control of your time.

Life balance is without a doubt; one of those concepts we hear over and over and over and many of us just don’t get. Achieving balance is also what I call ‘work in progress.’ We ought to check in with ourselves daily or any time a new task presents itself. Do I really want to do this? What is the cost involved? (Not necessarily monetarily.) A good friend and colleague of mine is selective about the things she allows on her agenda. She classifies the things she has to do by whether she feels good about them and whether they will be fun do to. Granted, I know that there are some things we absolutely have to do and I get it. My position is that with the ‘must do’s’ we ought to adopt a perspective of ‘want to’ in order to regain a sense of control.

When I think of life there is so much that comes to mind! Good times with family and friends, achieving career success on a job I love, traveling, seeing my children grow and giving them opportunities in life, helping others, fulfilling a life of faith, experiencing crafts and arts…so much more! So my call to you today is about making a commitment to life a balanced life. At the end of the day, it cannot be all about work, or any one thing! Live life to the fullest and enjoy all life can offer…you will feel empowered, better about yourself and in control. Nothing and nobody can take that away from you and if you are struggling to reach a sense of balance in your life, Life Coaching might be just what you need.

© 2010 Maria Martinez

Maria Martinez is a Professional Life Coach; she works primarily with individuals seeking to identify areas in which they want to increase their level of awareness and take life to the next level. By providing support and accountability, individuals reach higher and greater goals; balance life at work and at home; and enjoy time doing things they most love. ‘Create the life you want; Start within.’

For more information about Maria Martinez and coaching services go to www.inneractivecoachingonline.com or via e-mail: inneractivecoaching@gmail.com

Well, I did it – I just took my very first college final.  Let’s go ahead and get the basics out of the way.  I’m 33 and just started college in January.  I’ve wanted to go since I was about 20 but life kept getting in the way.  When I graduated back in 1994 I had no intentions of going to college but as the years went by, I found myself longing to learn something – ANYTHING!!  My Dad really wanted me to go too, for about 3 years in a row he handed me a check at Christmas and told me that I could do what I wanted with it but that he wanted me to enroll in a class or two.  Each year, those checks went to something else that needed to be paid instead of tuition.  It was all I could do not to break down when I was leaving after enrolling in my first class, I looked to the heavens and thought, “Well Dad, I finally did it”. 

That brings us to today – there are some things that I’ve learned, besides the math that I was supposed to be learning. 

I’ve learned that I’m not nearly as cool as I thought I was.  I was so sure that when I walked in on day one that the others in my class would be like, “wow, that’s a RAD book bag”.  What actually happened was I was the one that always had to open AND THEN close each zipper on the book bag because I couldn’t remember which slot I put my stuff in.  Imagine the noise…

I’ve learned that 19 year olds are still the same as they have always been, they just have more gadgets. 

I’ve learned that I’m not the only “late bloomer”, about half of my class was my age, or even older.  It’s never, EVER too late to go back to school.  All you need is determination to make it happen. 

I’ve learned that education is one of those things that another person can never take from you and one of the most valuable things that you can do for yourself.  I don’t care how old you are; even if you’re approaching retirement, if you want to learn, go back to school.  Make it happen!!

And a note to Dad: I’m doing it late, but I’m doing it.  I’ll make you proud…