True Balance Life Coaching

Happy New Year!

This is the the time of year when life coaches and personal development bloggers have a field day sharing tips and ideas about how to strut your stuff and live your best life. With the new year comes a clean slate. A blank page.  The chance to begin again.

If you are ready to improve the quality of your life, chances are you will begin to make changes in January. With transition comes the comfortable pull of ‘the way things have always been’. This force is strong and can often overpower newly minted resolutions before they have a chance to germinate.

I choose to live in a resolution free zone.

I prefer to evolve and improve my life with incremental steps toward profound change. Reflecting on my successes and failures in 2011 helped define my personal intentions for the new year. While I have lofty intentions and enormous dreams, I expect occasional setbacks. I believe you can correct your course of action and begin again at any time. Falling off the wagon does not mean you’ve failed.

If you are ready to make some changes, check in with how you feel about the following areas of your life to determine which area needs the most attention.

• Relationships
• Health and Wellness
• Career and Business
• Finances
• Spirituality

When I look at each area of my life I see that improving my health and well being is most important. And while I improved my nutrition in 2011 with whole foods, super foods and healthy tonics, I let my active yoga practice and physical activity falter. This is not a new experience. I’ve played tug of war prioritizing regular exercise  for many years.

Currently, I am marveling at the increased size of my Buddha belly. When the waistband of my favorite yoga pants began rolling off my waist,  it was time to get moving again. Excuses,  self-sabotage and getting away from the ritual of moving my body each day lead me here. Can you relate?

Here’s what I know. When I regularly move my body,  I am a much happier and healthier version of me.  The rituals that lead me back to this place of out-of -shapeness must be altered. I know how great I feel after practicing yoga, taking a brisk walk or going a few rounds with my heavy bag. I plan to get my ass out of my comfy chair more often in 2012. I’ve created a new ritual that will support my success. And when I inevitably fall off the wagon, I will dust myself off and get back on again.

Self Improvement begins with clear and focused action.

• Identify what you wish to change
• Get real about where you are you right now
• Identify where you want to go from here
• Create a new daily ritual to get you from where you are now to where you want to be.

Another thought about Personal Intentions….

Brilliant entrepreneur and marketer, Chris Brogan recommends contemplating and claiming three meaningful words that represent your intentions for the new year. I love this approach. When you identify your three words they become guideposts to help you stay on course with your personal evolution.

My Three words are:  Simplify – Practice – Generosity

This year I plan to simplify my life by letting go of the past. I plan to practice what I preach and move my body. I intend to be extremely generous with everyone I have the good fortune of sharing my time with.

My young daughter proclaimed her three words (fun, surprises and dominance) while standing on top a giant mound of snow.  You know what they say about apples…

• What area of your life needs the most attention right now? What are you going to do about it?

• What three words will you choose to represent your personal evolution in 2012?

Pace Smith from Freak Revolution shares a thought provoking post.

Enjoy!

Do you ever feel guilty about reading self-help books or blogs when there are people starving elsewhere in the world? Do you ever feel like global tragedy dwarfs your personal tragedy? Do you ever feel small or insignificant, wishing you could make a difference but overwhelmed with the vastness of it all?

This post is for you.

Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” He didn’t mean that if you want to create world peace, become a peace activist. He meant that if you want to create world peace, you must first find peace in your own heart. How many angry peace activists have you seen? I’ve met a couple. They march in protest rallies, carrying anti-war signs and railing against the government. I believe (and I think Gandhi would agree) that they’re going about it the wrong way. The path to peace doesn’t wend through anger or violence. The path to peace begins inside yourself.

People who try to change the world without first changing themselves burn out, instigate infighting, or otherwise undermine the goal they’re trying to achieve.

People who heal themselves before healing the world radiate empowerment, possess quiet determination, and have the peace of mind necessary to turn big dreams into reality.

Changing yourself, creating the life you want to life, is a revolutionary act. People aren’t inspired by hypocrisy. People are inspired by those who practice what they preach. Choosing to live a happy and empowered life will show others that they can choose the same for themselves. Living your own best life and sharing your joy with others will inspire those around you to seek it for themselves. There are billions of people out there who would be looking for something better if they only believed that something better were possible.

They’re waiting for you to show them.

Pace Smith is the co-leader of the Freak Revolution, a community of passionate world-changers with alternative lifestyles and more importantly, alternative mindsets. She and her partner Kyeli are passionate about changing the world in ways that foster connection over control, authenticity over conformity, and love over fear. Their latest project is the World-Changing Writing Workshop, where aspiring writers learn the skills they need to create change.