Advice from a Personal Success Coach

Any personal success coach worth her salt would agree that people who stay in jobs they hate, or relationships and situations in which they are chronically unhappy, are not only missing out on the joy life has to offer, but are literally putting their health at risk at the same time.

In what areas of your life would you like to achieve greater success?  State-of-mind (attitude towards life and work) absolutely affects your performance and your outcomes.

A rough pre-assessment of success coaching clients is often used to reveal not simply career and financial “health”, but also honest and strong personal happiness.  If you were to use a scale that goes from 1 - 10, 10 being that you are consistently happy with your day-to-day life 90-95% of the time, where would you rank?  If the answer is five or six, the following six strategic tips will assist you in creating the mindset of someone not only financially successful, but personally happy and fulfilled as well.

Success and Happiness Tip #1:
Live by your definition of happiness and success.  Many people feel an ongoing sense of dissatisfaction with their lives or businesses because they are using someone else’s “happiness measuring stick”.  Comparing your life and achievements to those of others, and using their criteria rather than yours is a sure fire way to lose the happiness game.

Finding your definition of happiness may take a bit of personal growth work.  It is worth it to spend the time it takes to soul search about what constitutes a balanced, quality life to YOU.  This is where a coach can be particularly useful.  Your personal definition of success may look different from what you see most people accepting.  Real happiness and success depend upon you dancing to your own drummer.
 

Tip #2:
Take happiness breaks using a fun and joy list.  Many people don’t realize how much more productive they can be by feeding their souls and hearts throughout the workday. Lunch hour not withstanding, 10-15 minute happiness breaks are real attitude and brain-boosters.  A checklist prevents you from saying “I wouldn’t even know what to do with myself if I took a break from work.”

Tip #3:

Make a long list of things you like to and love to do.  Now go through the list and determine which activities you could do, even if just for a 15-minute time slot.  How about having a family photo album with pictures from your last family vacation?  That’s probably good for a 15-minute reverie!  Maybe all you can squeeze in is 10 minutes in which to plan some fun thing you will do on your day off.

Believe it or not, that is a happiness booster too, because you will be spending 10 minutes intensely thinking about that fun ahead of you.  It may even feel “weird” as you develop balance and add fun and joy to your life.  In this fast-paced, “get-ahead” society that idolizes intense striving for success, many people walk around feeling worried about taking time out for their own pleasure.  Professionals, executives, managers and workers alike will usually tell themselves that they will find balance and fun after they’ve reached their goals.

Working like this and delaying joy is actually counterproductive to the success desired. Adding fun and happiness doesn’t mean slacking off.  It can be planned in, just as you would plan an appointment with someone else.  It’s a personal success appointment with YOU!
 

Get more tips from our personal success coaches, continued . . .

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