Word Of the Week #584: Action
October 14, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #584: Action
Action – something that people do or cause to happen.
Is it easy for you to take action? Do you ever second guess yourself? Is there something you know you should take action on that you are putting off? What is stopping you?
I felt a really strong desire to re-run this WOW. Steve Straus, the author of ST E V E ‘ S…3 – M I N U T E…C O A C H I N G, who I have featured before, sent this titled “Row Your Boat.”
“Wayne Dyer was the first person I heard tell this story, but I believe he gave credit to someone else. It has been around a long time and tells of several great truths.
Row, Row, Row
(Be in action. The universe rewards action.)
your boat,
(Your’s. Not someone else’s.)
gently
(Enjoy the process.)
down the stream,
(Go with the flow. Stop fighting.)
merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
(You could be a grump about it, but don’t be.)
life is but a dream.
(Chose to have very good dreams.) ”
— Copyright 2009 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. —
I just love this one! How about you? This week focus on what courses of action you are going to take. Do any relate to your job situation? How about your personal life? How would it feel to live your dream and row your boat gently down the stream? Enjoy the ride!
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WOW Word-Of-the-Week #502: Confidence
March 19, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #502: Confidence
Confidence – belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities.
Do you have confidence in yourself? Do you tend to second guess yourself? When confronted with problems or challenges do you believe you have the power and ability to handle them?
Once again I received another S T E V E ‘ S.…3 – M I N U T E…. C O A C H I N G that totally hit home for me!
Steve writes, Today’s Topic – PRINCIPLE: Confidence
(Principles are basic truths that, when applied,
cause success to come to you easier and quicker.)
Confidence feels pretty good, doesn’t it? A warm, things-are-possible; enjoyable, moving forward, free kind of feeling. Here are two aspects of confidence.
First, how do you get or have confidence?
Surprisingly it’s not about learning stuff; confidence is not about knowledge. Sure, it always helps to learn and understand,
that’s a common topic here in S3MC, but learning about confidence does not cause it, it must be experienced.
The two great experiential teachers of
confidence are — successes and failures.
In other words, feedback. The feedback which comes from actions attempted. You either got what you wanted (aka success) or you didn’t (aka failure). The more your actions lead to what you want the more you gain confidence in a particular area. Paying attention to the feedback, rather than judging yourself, quickens your journey up the confidence curve.
Second, what keeps us from gaining and feeling confidence? It’s the part of the above mentioned feedback which has been labeled as ‘failure.’
For most people, aided by a culture’s focus on being number1, failure (not being numero uno) is too painful to contemplate, so no attempt is made. Thus, no confidence is developed. Some people seem to live by a no-try-no-cry model.
The more you focus on the powerful and beneficial effect of confidence, the more you’ll try, the more feedback you’ll get, the more pleasing outcomes you’ll experience, the more confidence you’ll develop. Then you discover that confidence is a marvelous, clean, uplifting source of energy.
Coaching Point: Do you pause from time to time to experience, even wallow in, the feeling of confidence?
— Copyright 2011 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. —
This week’s focus is on confidence. Do you have confidence in yourself? Do you feel confident doing your job? If at first you don’t succeed will you try, try again?
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #476: Reserves
September 18, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #476: Reserves
Reserves – something saved for future use or a special purpose.
Do you have money set aside for a special event or experience? Do you feel guilty spending money on yourself? Are your spending habits driven from your childhood experiences?
Once again I received another S T E V E ‘ S….3 – M I N U T E…. C O A C H I N G that totally hit home for me!
Steve writes, Today’s Topic – PRINCIPLE: Order What You Want
(Principles are basic truths that, when applied,
cause success to come to you easier and quicker.
Growing up in a family with modest financial means and being children of parents who experienced the Depression my brother and I were shaped by several unspoken ‘rules’ about money. One which was spoken, a lot, was to “not order anything too expensive” on the rare occasions when the family went to a restaurant.
What we wanted came in a distant second to what was financially ‘appropriate.’ 
You may be thinking that was a useful approach to money and at one level it was. Obviously, if you only have a dollar, ordering two dollars of food is not a good idea. However, our family awareness of the cost of food…no, not awareness…obsession, led to a self-imposed price prison. It carried over to other areas and took years to catch and then correct.
You may want to revisit your money spending beliefs. Money limitations can be resolved simply by choosing to create reserves and then live from that place.
Limitations in areas besides money can be resolved by creating reserves in each. Energy/vitality, ideas/creativity, love/relationships, time and space, all benefit from having reserves. Reserves help transcend limitations.
When you order what you want without first looking at the price to see if you can ‘afford it’ you experience a delightful freedom. If it feels too scary to do so, don’t go into that restaurant!
Coaching Point: Do you have the freedom to order what you want?
— Copyright 2010 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. —
I too come from “Depression” parents. We just had a heat wave (with humidity) in San Diego and we didn’t turn on the AC because it cost so much money. My brother (just as cheap as me) said, “You have it. You can afford it. Turn it on.” So I did and because we switched to LED bulbs last month it wasn’t as big a bill as I expected. Still a big one though. Ouch! For those of you who know me well know my motto: I LOVE spending money and I hate wasting it – you can’t wear utilities or a room upgrade!
This week’s focus is on reserves. Do you have unspoken rules about money? Have you placed limitations on your life? When was the last time you experienced a “delightful freedom.”
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #460: Remarkable
May 29, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #460: Remarkable
Remarkable – worthy of attention.
When was the last time you did something remarkable? How many people acknowledged and/or commented about it? How did it make you feel?
Once again I received another S T E V E ‘ S….3 – M I N U T E…. C O A C H I N G that I felt was perfect for the follow up to Vicky Oliver’s four tips on how to put on a happy face at work and smile all the way to the bank from the last two WOWS’.
Steve writes, Today’s Topic – PRINCIPLE: Remark-able
(Principles are basic truths that, when applied,
cause success to come to you easier and quicker.
Do people remark about you to others? Are you remark-able?
In a world which is increasingly an always-on, real-time, technology-based experience have you noticed what you value more and more?
It’s probably direct human connection.
A thread which runs through the profiles of outliers who disrupt society is that they share a sense of feeling disconnected, isolated, and have a need to rail against the ‘system.’
Disconnection is painful.
When you experience your life as being a part of a greater whole (yes, you are an instrumental part — the rest of us need for you to play!), when you feel connected to other humans, your life is better. Not because I say so, but because you say so. From the fortunate position of being a Coach I get to hear your stories.
You, and I, like feeling connected.
You effortlessly foster connection by being remarkable. When you show up, when you play, when you stumble and get back up, when you create whatever there is for you to create, people remark about you. They tell others. Your connections multiply and deepen.
This doesn’t you mean you must be the best ever, front-page, most-adored. It means only that you do You full on.
Remarkably, that’s plenty.
Coaching Point: Do you feel Remark-able?
— Copyright 2010 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. —
This week’s focus is on being remarkable. Do people often remark about you to others? Is your life better when you feel connection with others? What can you do that would be worthy of attention?
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #398: Resentment
March 22, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #398: Resentment
Resentment – anger, bitterness, or ill will.
Have you had an emotionally disturbing experience that you seem to keep reliving in your mind? Do you have a habit of accepting negative treatment without voicing any protest? Do you feel that your achievements go unrecognized, while others succeed without working as hard?
Once again I received one of S T E V E ‘ S….3 – M I N U T E…. C O A C H I N G emails and thought it was very profound. He writes, “What an experience resentment is. A roller coaster ride of emotions. A depletion of energy. An internal journey to….where?
We’re all familiar with anger. It’s loud, clear, and easily felt. Getting on top of, and handling, anger is a well-known life improver. Resentment is subtler than anger and its presence is frequently overlooked.
The essence of resentment is that it is totally an ‘inside job.’ No matter what happens on the outside — what ‘they’ do — when you are 
experiencing resentment it is by your own hand. This may seem a harsh assessment to you, but think about it for a moment.
Feeling resentment means you are sitting in judgment, tapping into your deepest internal programming about what you think is right and wrong, and are choosing (sure, it’s unconscious, but it’s a choice nonetheless) to experience a physical and emotional reaction. The cost of the feeling of resentment is thus totally borne by you. The outer world changes not at all.
The good news is that when you become conscious of experiencing resentment you become at choice as to whether you want to continue to pay the price. Simple awareness can lead to you letting go of resentment. It serves no useful purpose to keep it.
Coaching Point: Do you resent hearing this?
Copyright 2012 Steve Straus. All rights reserved.
Interestingly I found this on Wikipedia, “Robert C. Solomon, a professor of continental philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin, places resentment on the same line-continuum with contempt and anger. According to him, the differences between the three emotions are as follows: resentment is directed towards higher-status individuals, anger is directed towards equal-status individuals and contempt is directed towards lower-status individuals.”
This week’s focus is on resentment. Do you ever feel used or taken advantage of by others? Are you harboring any ill will for someone? Did you know that resentment does not have any direct negative effects on the person resented? If it serves no useful purpose to keep it, wouldn’t it be easy for you to let go of your resentment?
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“Forgive to be free. Forget you have forgiven to be freer.” – Bob