Exciting News

Hi Friends,

I have some exciting news. I have launched a new site called Action Vision Coaching Research and Review.

Everything you need for personal development all in one place. There are just so many wonderful things I want to share with you so this site is devoted to that.

You can find all the best books, coaching programs, resources, motivational and inspirational material for your personal growth and development on the site. Check out the review page where a book or coach program is highlighted. If you want to go back to it, go to the blog and look in the category list. The book store has all my recommended books and the resource page is full of wonderful self-help material and links, all for free. You will find that my values of building good character, positiveness, generosity, kindness and making a difference are reflected in my recommendations.

Each week I am adding more books and resources so be sure to check back regularly. Here is the link to go now: http://actionvisioncoaching.weebly.com/ either click on it or cut and paste the link into your browser.

Remember to pass the good news and link on to your friends. They can sign up for the mails on the site too and I don’t mind if you Tweet the link around to your Twitter followers if you like.

I’m looking forward to interacting with you more closely.

Wishing you all the best,

Coach Dana

http://actionvisioncoaching.weebly.com

Making A Difference -- (MM13_074)

Quote of the day:

“Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” — Warren Buffet

Reflection:

This quote jogged my memory about a story that always encourages me about how even one person can do a lot to change the world no matter how bad things look at the time.

In 1923, a young man was on a walking tour in France. The area was barren and desolate of trees. There was little farming being done because of the lands poor condition. The villages were rundown and many of the people had deserted the countryside because of the situation. The young traveler ended up staying at the cottage of an old shepherd. He observed that the shepherd was spending his evening hours sorting nuts. Once sorted, the shepherd would put them in a knapsack, and as he led his sheep to graze the next day he would plant the nuts along the way. The young visitor said to the shepherd, "It will be years before these trees ever get to where they could do you any good! You might not even live long enough to see them grow!" But the shepherd replied, "Yes, but some day they'll do somebody some good and they'll help to restore this dry land." Twenty years later when the young hiker returned  to the area he was astounded at the change. It was now covered with a beautiful natural forest of all kinds of trees! Grass, shrubbery, bushes and berries were flourishing, and the wildlife had returned. The soil was moist and the farmers were cultivating the land  once more. The efforts of one man brought an entire region back to life again, restoring its economy, its wildlife, its agriculture, its water, its soil, and even its population--all because of the foresight, diligence, patience, sacrifice, and faithfulness just to do what one man could do, day by day.

So if sometimes you're discouraged with the way the world is, don't give up! Reflect on this lesson from the shepherd. One man made a  big difference, and so can you.

Affirmations -- (MM13_073)

Quote of the day:

“Affirmations are like prescriptions for certain aspects of yourself you want to change.”  — Jerry Frankhauser

Reflection:

Most of us battle negative thinking at some point in our lives. We put ourselves down for real or imagined faults and weaknesses, or we compare ourselves negatively to others. The use of positive statements, called affirmations, that you can repeat to yourself is a proven technique for overcoming negativity. The key is believing that what you are affirming is possible, because once you believe that a certain thing is possible, it is. It takes practice to focus on the positive, but in time you will see results.

As we learn to apply positive affirmations to ourselves and everyday situations, we begin to see ourselves and life in a more positive light allowing more positive things to come into our lives.

Start using your prescription today and see what changes come about in your life.

Wishing you all the best,

Coach Dana

(Compliments of http://www.actionvisioncoaching.com/)

Risk Taking -- (MM13_072)

Quote of the day:

“The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try.” — Debbi Fields

Reflection:

The fear of failure often stops us from trying new things. Part of overcoming fear of failure is realizing that no one ever reaches every single goal he/she sets for him/herself.

Sometimes new priorities come into your life, or you realize something is not all that it is cracked up to be. Whatever the case may be, just because you don’t complete a goal doesn’t mean you are a failure. It just means you found out it’s not for you, but you’ll never know that if you don’t give it a try.

Once you understand that it's impossible to meet every goal you set for yourself, it takes the pressure off and will allow you to feel more confident to reach for the stars.

Help yourself to take a chance. Write down one dream you've always wanted to go after but have been too afraid to set goals for. Then, write down the steps you need to take to reach that objective and take the first one.

Wishing you all the best,

Coach Dana

(Compliments of http://www.actionvisioncoaching.com/)

Forgiveness -- (MM13_071)

Quote of the day:

“The one attitude which gives rise to hope amidst misunderstanding and ill-will is a forgiving spirit. Where forgiveness becomes the atmosphere, there hope and healing are possible.” — C. Neil Strait

Reflection:

There may be things in your life that you're angry about, things that people have done to you which were wrong. There may have been hurt and lack of care, or hardship  that you have experienced, no matter what the cause of deep hurt in your life may be,  forgiveness is the road to healing. Forgiving someone doesn't mean that you are saying another was not to blame. It's not exonerating them from their actions if they were in fact wrong. But forgiveness is letting go of weights that try to hold you down in a terrible state of resentment and discontent. Forgiving others is an important step in your own healing, and without it you may not heal. The bottom line is that when you forgive someone who has wronged you, you are then able to get over the hurt and to move on into the future without the events of your past affecting you negatively. The act of forgiveness is really to the benefit of the one who forgives.

I know these are not easy words to accept if you happen to be in the mist of pain, but just as a doctor sometimes has to hurt the patient momentarily by giving them a shot, so these words of truth may also hurt, but they are never-the-less, for your own good. We all need to forgive from time to time. There is no shame in it, but there is great relief and healing when you truly let go and forgive from your heart.

If you are struggling with the thought of to forgive or not to forgive, think about these words carefully.

Wishing you all the best,

Coach Dana

(Compliments of http://www.actionvisioncoaching.com/)

Thoughts are Important -- (MM13_070)

Quote of the day:

“We lift ourselves by our thought. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always everywhere." — Orison Swett Marden

Reflection:

Our thoughts are very important, yet we often think that they don’t matter much, because they seem small and invisible and therefore of no consequence. But the truth is, our thoughts really have the power to make or break us. Through the thoughts we think about ourselves, we can conclude that we are valuable, or we feel worthless.

Make an effort to think positively about yourself. You are unique. There is no one who is exactly like you in the whole history of humanity. That in itself makes you of great value!

Focused, Dedicated, Disciplined (MM13_069)

Quote of the day:

“No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.” -- Harry Emerson Fosdick

Consider:

It is a wonderful thing to have lots of creative ideas however, if you don’t have landing gear in place you may find so many ideas can be more of a hindrance than a help. Like the quote implies--it is just a bunch of hot air, but if you can harness those ideas and focus on one or two at a time that energy can really take you places.

There are so many intentional and unintentional distractions that can get in our way of doing the most important things. It is important to discipline yourself to stay on task. If you need help to focus set an alarm to ring on the hour. When the alarm sounds do a focus check by asking yourself three questions: Are you doing what you most need to be doing right now? Is what you are doing going to bring you closer to your end goal?

Then deliberately re-commit to not just what you are going to do over the next hour, but also re-commit to who you are going to become. This will help you stay focused and on track.

Wishing you all the best,

Coach Dana

(Compliments of http://www.actionvisioncoaching.com/)

No Impossibilities -- (MM13_068)

Quote of the day:

“There are few who realize what possibilities are locked up within them until some necessity compels them to attempt something they have always considered impossible.” – Author Unknown.

Consider:

When Michelangelo was ordered to decorate the walls of the Sistine Chapel, he refused. He had never done any work of that kind, and said he could not do it. But he was told his refusal would not be accepted. When he discovered that there was no alternative without unpleasant consequences, he mixed his colors and went to work. And thus came into being the world's finest painting.

Is there anything in your life you are accepting that you can’t do?

Wishing you all the best,

Coach Dana

(Compliments of http://www.actionvisioncoaching.com/)

More Precious Than Jewels -- Motivational Minute (13_067)

Quote of the day

“The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

Consider:

Starting your day off on the right foot determines how the rest of your day plays out.  Some say the first 30 minutes to an hour after you wake up is the most important part of the day. Seeing as these early morning moments are so important, and realizing that this time has a significant influence on the quality of every minute that follows, it is key that you use this time wisely.

I personally have a morning ritual. The first thing I do before getting out of bed is give thanks for four or five different things. After cleaning up, I read some inspiring, uplifting, positive material, followed by writing in my journal, including writing one or two affirmations to keep in the forefront of my mind during the day. I then spend a short time meditating or praying. All this takes about 30-40 minutes, which I gladly set aside, as I have seen what great benefits this practice has on my life personally. 

You may feel that you don’t have so much time to spend, but I assure you if you fill your mind with good and positive thoughts first thing in the morning—only the best of thoughts that motivate you to take good, positive action—you will notice that the rest of your day will consistently unfold in the most marvelous ways. Like the quote says, by taking in “words that enlighten the soul” you will find they “are more precious than jewels”.

Wishing you all the best,

Coach Dana

(Compliments of http://www.actionvisioncoaching.com/)

Fight Negative Self Chatter -- Motivational Minute (13_66)

Quote of the day:

“It is our duty as men and women to proceed as though the limits to our abilities do not exist.” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Consider:

I often hear people say, “I feel that I'm never going to be good enough.” They are listening to their negative self chatter or giving in to a limiting belief they have.

It is my firm conviction that each one of us must fight this negativity with all we’ve got.

So often our problems are in the "thinking," because the more you dwell on the negative, the worse it gets. When you give in to negative self chatter or limiting beliefs, it effectively cancels out the positive energy that would help you overcome, because when you listen to the negative, you feel you don’t deserve help or other blessings. When you give in to negativity, you relinquish your power to fight back. Once you're in the grip of negativity, it's very hard to be free of it,  because the negative chatter tries to convince you that you are  right where you belong.

My recommendation is to refuse to believe whatever your negative self chatter is feeding you, and to do as the quote above says, “proceed as though the limits of our abilities do not exist.”

Wishing you all the best,

Coach Dana

(Compliments of http://www.actionvisioncoaching.com/)