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Here in the United States it's the day before Thanksgiving, which is the perfect reminder to invite gratitude into your life. Gratitude is more than just giving thanks, however; it’s a quality of being and an emotion that you can feel deep in your heart. For something that you can practice in just minutes a day, gratitude also comes with a cascade of benefits that will improve nearly every aspect of your life. 

More Than Giving Thanks

Most of us say thank you every day. We say it to the checkout clerk at the grocery store, to our kids for putting their dishes away, and to the stranger holding the door open for us at the coffee shop. Most of these interactions are conditioned responses rather than sincere expressions of gratitude, which goes a lot deeper.  

Don’t get me wrong, a simple thank you can have a powerful impact on both parties when genuine gratitude backs it up - and that’s the feeling I’m...

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 Chasing your dreams and changing your life for the better isn’t easy. It requires you to step out of your comfort zone again and again, something most of us would rather not do. Over the next few weeks, I’m sharing thoughts and strategies to help you get more comfortable with being uncomfortable, so you can start taking action and create the Extraordinary Life you’re dreaming of. First up is courage. 

 I’m going through my fifth recertification for High Performance Coaching right now, and in today's class we role-played the coaching session on courage. It got me thinking about how subtle courage is in our everyday lives. For most of us, being courageous isn’t about running into a burning building to save a bunch of kittens, but it’s showing up in smaller (though just as scary) ways. 

Everyday courage looks like setting strong boundaries, trying new things, breaking bad habits or...

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Have you ever wondered why you’re struggling to achieve a goal when you want it so badly? I’ve been hearing a lot of people struggling with this, which is why my podcast has been heavy on the cheerleading lately. You definitely are not alone! The struggle to move from what you don’t want into what you do want is more common than you might think. So why does it happen, and what can you do about it? I have some answers. 

The Struggle Is Real

When I work with clients who are feeling stuck and just can’t seem to reach the goals they so desperately want, they feel like they are banging their heads against a wall. “I want this so bad! Why can’t I make it happen!?” Very often, it turns out that they are the ones holding themselves back, though they don’t see it. (Hooray for an outside perspective!)

The trick to ending this stagnant situation is to take action… but when you’re stuck,...

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Have you ever noticed that you get what you expect out of life? That what you think is going to happen does? We all live with an unconscious expectation of ourselves and our own lives, and this expectation not only determines what we have in our lives, but it also represents what we're willing to settle for. It’s a very powerful emotion and one that few people ever learn to harness to improve their situation. That’s a shame, because whatever you expect with certainty is what you will get in your life.

Ralph Charell said, "Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations." So what are your expectations for your life? Are you excited about your future or do you face it with apprehension, fear, or even dread? These thoughts can be about the far away future or what you expect for your day. 

Why We Keep Low Expectations

For many people, the future holds too many...

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The other day, my yoga teacher Kofi said “The Yogi is someone who takes responsibility for the thoughts that go through their mind.” I love the simplicity and deep meaning behind this quote, and it fits perfectly with my recent podcasts on managing your thoughts. This week, I want to talk about managing your thoughts when things aren’t going your way. 

Balance is a Myth

I find that many of my clients come to me feeling overwhelmed about having to do it all, while also wanting more out of their life. It feels like they can’t keep up in life as it is, so going after their bigger dreams seems impossible. My coaching approach is an active process, and I know (and want you to accept) that your circumstances and the balance between the different parts of your life will always be shifting. 

What this means is that I encourage you and show you how to take action in your life, so you can learn as you go....

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Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could create a life roadmap so you knew exactly where you were going and which forks in the road to follow toward your goals? Since “the great pause” over the past 2 ½ years, I’ve been hearing a lot of “well, what now?” from within my network. It’s hard to feel sure what steps to take next after all the uncertainty, but I have five questions that will help you find clarity. Your answers will also serve as a roadmap, something you can refer to when faced with tough decisions or when you don’t know what to do next. 

I encourage you to think about your answers and write them down. There is something about writing that cements the thoughts into your mind, and makes them more tangible. It will also serve as a reference that you can come back to anytime you need. 

If you’re ready to jump back into life and achieve your dreams, I’d love to...

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Last week I shared strategies on how to train your negative thoughts to be more positive because the thoughts that move through your head have everything to do with your confidence, success, and even your health. (Check it out here.) This week, I’m taking that concept one step further, and sharing how you can set up your internal environment for those positive thoughts to flourish. In other words, what can you do so that your brain is more receptive to the positive messages you're sending it? 

Studies show that you can prime your brain to be more open to feeling confident, positive, and to making healthier choices both for your body and your mind. You can physically alter your brain circuitry to promote more positive responses with simple practices that anyone can fit into their day. 

Give Meditation a Chance

Meditation has been around for literally thousands of years, and for good reason. If you’re the type of person...

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We are exposed to a lot of negativity in the news and media, and you can try to avoid that. But you really shouldn’t have to be exposed to negativity in your own head. Your inner dialogue is one of the biggest influences on your confidence, self-esteem, and the results you create for yourself. If your negative inner voice is too loud these days, I have ways to help you turn that around. 

You Are Not Your Thoughts

Some people are naturally more positive and have an empowering inner voice. If that’s you, then that’s amazing! It didn’t happen by accident. Either you grew up with people that taught you to speak to yourself that way, or you've developed a positive-thinking habit and your life likely reflects that positivity.

For the rest of us that lean towards negative thought chatter, know that you aren’t alone. Researchers from the National Institute of Health estimate that we think about 50,000 to...

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 We tend to associate creativity with painting, crafting, or music, but it goes far beyond that. I know that I never thought of myself as creative until my husband pointed out how I can create meals out of anything we have on hand. Still, you don’t need to make something to express yourself creatively; creative expression is all about how you share your unique identity with the world. 

Creative Expression

With my coaching clients, we spend an entire session on creative expression because it’s so important to living an Extraordinary Life. It’s about sensing and exhibiting the true you. It’s about voicing your ideas and leaving your authentic mark on the world. Being the REAL YOU is at the core of your Extraordinary Life. 

Comparison can get in the way of your creativity, but so can consuming the creativity of others. With so many movies, tv shows, Tik Toks, Instagram reels, social media, etc.,...

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I recently had the opportunity to interview the personal trainer Jenny Roth of Coaching Character. She is full of life and has built her unconventional business by breaking the rules and on the radical belief that you’re the expert of your own body. 

The Real Expert

There are a lot of experts out there doing the things they are best at, helping others with their talent, and making a living at it. As a personal trainer, Jenny is an expert in strength training and movement, but she takes a different approach. Rather than showing up to each session and telling you what your body needs, she wants to listen to your body first. 

In the early years as a personal trainer, she saw a lot of people being dismissed by “the experts”. The younger, fitter trainers would dismiss the complaints, concerns, and experiences of their usually older clients when they shared how they felt. It really struck Jenny that anyone, even herself,...