Successful pursuit of happiness requires intentionally pursuing counter-intuitive life strategies.

Over 40 research studies have shown that cultivating gratitude reliably increases our happiness, improves our relationships, and makes us healthier.  As coaches, we may have our own practices to amplify and sustain our gratitude.  In over a decade of coaching, I’ve found that each and every client has found their own path to accessing gratitude and creating unique practices that work for them.  Simply witnessing their evolution increases my endorphins and happiness.

What are the benefits of living in and from gratitude? What does identifying its presence in the variety of my life create?  Take a look at the diagram, below.  Is there an area where you could turn up the volume? 

Years ago, I needed to be more grateful for my husband.  I was in a mindset that everything he was doing wasn’t the best way and it was definitely diminishing my joy and positive life attitude.  From folding towels to how the dishes were arranged to what books or TV were of interest, I was focused on what he was doing wrong.  My coach and I were exploring my angst and desire for change, when the insight came to journal 3 things a day I appreciated about him.  Within a week, it naturally moved to 5 and soon, my gratitude for this soulmate and love of my life soared to over a page.  I still use this technique whenever I feel dissatisfied or critical—a light goes off and now I can shift instantaneously, most days.  We can use our knowledge about how the brain works to keep this positivity growing.  

From benefits to resources, here are two to incorporate more gratitude in your life (so glad there’s no limit).

Online Interactive Quiz & 7 Practices

http://happierhuman.com/how-grateful-are-you/

 This interactive quiz and the list of practices provides guidance about whether the practice is to stimulate your adaption toward gratitude.

Gratitude Ripple Effect 

• What went well today? 
• Who do you appreciate for today?

Here’s how it goes:

1.  Bring attention to your relationships on a daily basis
2.  Spend sixty seconds to recall 3 positive memories of the day, conditions that resulted in more energy and positivity 
3.  Name for yourself 3 people you appreciate and are grateful for their presence in your life.

What Can Happen?

Not only does your focus of attention here strengthen you, the message transmits to others, creating a ripple effect of gratitude. And, you might just take an extra minute and let those persons know!

Now let’s shift to your clients—what would support them and which ICF Core Competency is applicable?  How about #7 – Evoke Awareness? You can invite gratitude with your clients with prompts and practices that create client awareness.  

Here’s an example —

Send one or two questions that invite your client to reflect on how gratitude is showing up in their lives.

• What activities are increasing your energy during the day?
• Who are the people that add positivity to your attitude and mood?
• How do you sustain connection to these experiences so you see and choose these opportunities more often?

Our brains are very busy and the world gives us what Lao Tzu called the 10,000 distractions and I would posit with social media and the internet, we can say 10 billion distractions. Questions help to focus our minds. Where we focus our attention allows the brain to make new connections.

With awareness of new connections we gain clarity about our motivation and possibilities so we may choose how to align our new actions toward more desirable results, consciously

May you enjoy this autumn with a renewed sense of gratitude and abundance.  Surprise someone with a random act of kindness and if possible, do it anonymously.

Blessings, ICF Oregon!

Blog is by Past President of ICF OR Sarah E. Graves, PCC, and Janet M. Harvey, MCC, former President of ICF Global and current board member of ICF Institute of Thought Leadership.

November also brings a national holiday that has tragedy and genocide, a stark contrast to schoolhouse history.  Educate yourself with the resources, below, and appreciate that you’ve chosen to live in “interesting times.”  Our courage and commitment to civility is our choice and our challenge.  

Here are some articles on USA origins of Thanksgiving:

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/11/25/native-americans-thanksgiving-mourning

https://www.insider.com/history-of-thanksgiving-2017-11

https://www.salon.com/2018/11/22/have-millennials-stopped-celebrating-thanksgiving/

Here’s the link to the scene with Wednesday– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iGbxUAM0cc

“I want to provide a deeper dive by providing five tips to build your confidence when working with the ‘top dogs’”

In my recent presentation with the ICF Oregon Chapter I shared what I believe are the key elements to ensure that an executive coaching engagement is successful. I want to provide a deeper dive by providing five tips to build your confidence when working with the “top dogs”- those senior leaders responsible for leading others in challenging organizations. Being a dog lover and parent to my two dogs ChowMein and Wonton, I must fully disclose that top dogs are extraordinary to work with!

1. 1. Remember that leaders need you! It is very challenging to lead effectively in today’s organizations, whether working in non-profits, start-ups, or a global Fortune 50 company. Leaders that invest in executive coaching recognize they need support to reach their highest potential and become the leaders that others want to follow. According to a recent ICF global survey, 99% of participants found the experience of coaching satisfying, or very satisfying and the ROI is $4-$8 for every dollar invested. Often clients will receive a ROI in their personal and professional lives that reaches far beyond their engagement investment! Providing a confidential, safe, experience where leaders can respond to powerful questions and deep self-reflection will result in business and personal transformations that often are life-changing.
   2. You are not the expert, your client is! As trained coaches, we have the knowledge and awareness to know that we provide the safety, environment methodology, and the use of powerful questions to help our clients tap deeply into solutions that are within themselves! Executive coaches know that the power of coaching comes from allowing the client to develop deep insights and to apply learnings in a practical way to their daily challenges. You can relax and trust that you have the ability to help your amazing clients reach their full potential as they create their own goals and measurements that inspire themselves and others!
   3. Goodness begets more goodness! As a coach works with their clients, the secret of achieving amazing goals gets out! Many of my clients have extended their coaching engagements, many have returned for additional support, and many have referred me to their colleagues. As clients see the value and the impact in very practical ways, they will spread the good news to their peers and stakeholders ,and the good results blossom like a spring day in the northwest! As more and more organizations enjoy the powerful impact of executive coaching, the business world thanks us by spreading the good news!
   4. Coaching is a calling – answer the phone! Truly dedicated executive coaches have a passion for their work and feel the call to coach deep in their bones! Of all the leadership development work I have done in my career, coaching is what I find most fulfilling because it is what I know I am called to do and it is where I see the most impact.  When you are satisfying your calling, it isn’t “work”- it is just a part of your core being. I truly love the clients I work with and I am inspired every day by them! Having coached for the past twelve years, I know that coaching becomes a natural way of life for coaches. It is not a career; it is a calling!
   5. We can make the world a better place, one leader at a time! Remember that leaders need us and our experience, training and expertise can help make the world a better place, one leader at a time! Knowing the value you bring to others can provide you the inspiration and confidence to walk down this path if it is your destiny. Enjoy the journey and the joy of helping others to realize amazing growth and transformation!

I’d love to hear your thoughts. And please contact me if you are interested in participating in my upcoming virtual Executive Coaching Masterclass where I will share templates, tools, tips and resources for ensuring that you blossom as a successful executive coach.  For further information, you may reach me at: tammi@peoplesensellc.com. Sessions will begin February 22nd.

Thanks and regards,

Tammi

Andrea Leda is the featured speaker at our chapter event on Tuesday, December 8th 2020, titled:

Create a Small, Engaged Community of Your Best Clients Without Relying on Social Media or Large Speaking Events

This sentence poured from my pen this week:

“I want to  have a relationship, not a platform.” 

Do you ever feel the pressure to be bigger than you are, to grow,  expand, or be exponentially greater than this moment right here?  Have you ever questioned if maybe we’re missing something  with this guidance? 

I know I do. 

I want to give you permission to step aside from the pressure for  just long enough to question its true value in your life and work.  But since I can not give you permission (only you can do that), I  will give it to myself and share a little about my process. 

I did not get into this work to be a social media maven, to grow  a massive email list, to understand click funnels, or to master  Facebook algorithms. 

I got into this work to be in powerful relationships with  people and subsequently, through people, to possibility. 

I got into this work to be of service, to help in any small way,  to trust the ripples made, and to create money through  kindness and congruency.

I believe coaching reminds people of their innate strength, their  inherent wisdom, and their freakin’ right to a brave and wild  existence. And all that strength, wisdom, and bravery is good  for all beings and our planet. 

But sometimes, I am weary of the coaching industry and the  over-used ineffective business guidance for our industry. 

I am weary of self-help aisles and the hyper-focus on “individual  success” and “self-improvement” because it often leaves us  feeling like if we aren’t “healing” something or expanding then  there is something wrong with us. 

I am weary of coaches who teach business but have yet to  model success in their own businesses. 

I am weary of business coaches who teach “their proven  system” which requires they leave you OUT of the equation  in order for it to succeed. 

I know that 2020 has thrown a massive curveball our direction  and it has required us to make hard choices, sometimes daily. 

It has made us look to our communities in whole new ways for  support.

It may even have you questioning if now is the “right time” to  go all-in on your business? 

There is no way I can answer that question for you but I can  share one thing I am certain of – relationships are why my  business thrived this year. 

It wasn’t my email list or my social media feed that mattered  when things really mattered. It was the connections I had with  real people, who’d come to know me over time. It was the  support I’d handed out for years consistently and the right  placement of value in this work that kept things not only  grounded but growing this year. 

Should you focus all your attention on relationships over  massive platforms? 

I can’t answer that question for you either – because only YOU  can know where you thrive. 

But I can tell you this – where you find the MOST joy today in  your work is 100% where you’ll find the most joy when you’re  wildly successful.

What MATTERS and is most VALUABLE in your business? For me, that would be, without a doubt, people. 

Through everything I’ve created, every successful and failed  idea, every program launch, and every iteration of my business  the one place I always come home to time and time again is my  people. 

Be good to your people and you’ll never want for anything as  a coach. 

Creating clients is an art and a skill. I believe EVERY coach has  the skill to create clients and yet I see so many struggling to do  so consistently, confidently, or predictably. 

Would you like to learn how I create clients no matter the events  in the world? 

Would you like to learn how I had my best months in the history  of my business during COVID? 

Would you like to know if I needed a client, what I would do? 

Then join me on December 8th with the Oregon ICF as I share:  

How to have a successful coaching business with a small,  engaged community: Tools and methods to create your best  clients without relying on social media or large speaking  events

• The dos and don’ts of growing an engaged community for your coaching business 
• Why measuring “likes” and “comments” is not the way to create loyal and engaged clients 
• What is relational value, why do you need it and how do you build it? 
• How to create a community that is engaged and eager to stay connected to your business 
• How to grow your business with free content you actually enjoy sharing 
• The only three places a client is created (and the one you’re probably spending too much time and energy on) 
• And more!

To being brave in 2021, 

Andrea