Jackee Holder - Be Your Own Best Life Coach: Take charge and live the life you always wanted

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Athough the contents of this book were checked at the time of going to press, the Internet is constantly being updated. This means the publisher and author cannot guarantee the contents of any of the websites mentioned.

Copyright Infinite Ideas Limited, 2009
The right of Jackee Holder to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2009 by
Infinite Ideas Limited
36 St Giles
Oxford, OX1 3LD
United Kingdom
www.infideas.com

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of small passages for the purposes of criticism or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP, UK, without the permission in writing of the publisher. Requests to the publisher should be addressed to the Permissions Department, Infinite Ideas Limited, 36 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LD, UK, or faxed to +44 (0) 1865 514777.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9781905940653

Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Designed and typeset by Baseline Arts Ltd, Oxford
Printed in India

Brilliant ideas

The moment you stop what youre doing and start reviewing your life is the time you begin a process of change.

The aim of this idea is really simple: youll carve out the time in your busy schedule to meet with yourself, on a regular basis.

The notebook, long on the scene well before the first ever computer showed its face, is undergoing something of a revival. The notebook is a great holding place for your ideas, creative thinking and other bits and pieces.

Use the CREATE model as a path towards your success.

Negative beliefs wont magically disappear overnight. But is that any reason to believe your own hype? When you learn to manage and master your beliefs youll be well on the road to even greater success.

To bring about real and lasting change get into the habit of asking yourself the right questions. The right question, well formed and asked with clear intention, will point you in the right direction.

Need clarity on an issue? Got no one to talk to? Ever thought about talking to an empty chair? Far from being a sign of madness, talking aloud can really help to clear the air.

What sort of goal-setter are you? Do you write a goal down or do you just move into action?

Thinking small is the new way of thinking big. At the heart of every action, whether large or small, is a series of tiny, tiny steps that will have to be made to complete the task.

Got too much to handle? Having problems keeping on top of your work? Heres how to prioritise so you can spend more time on the things you really want to do.

Its a myth to think that you have to be in the mood to be motivated. When you know what motivates you, youll be better equipped to call on those influences when you need them.

What we want and what we actually need falls into two different camps. Wants are desirable whereas needs are essential. The trick is knowing how to work out which is which.

When youve worked out what your wants and needs are, the next step is to identify what your values are. With your values intact, your life will feel like it is being lived with integrity.

Ruminating over the past could be holding you back from enjoying both the present and your future.

Failure is a life skill that offers you information about whats working and what isnt.

Learning how to say no puts you in charge, reduces stress and provides you with the valuable opportunity to speak up for yourself.

Your skill in interpreting events and experiences for better or for worse lies in your hands. Learn to nurture a positive point of view.

Everyone has a shadow side, parts of our personalities and our character that weve judged as bad or not good. Normal instinct is to hide this part of our personality away from others and ourselves.

Are you aware of the patterns of defensive behaviour that youve cultivated over time that act as a form of protection against people, events or experiences that have caused you pain?

One sure way to let go of the past is to learn to forgive. But forgiveness is not just about forgiving others. Forgiveness is also about forgiving yourself.

To be really effective youll need to create time in your day where you have quality time to think. So what can you do to make silence your friend and you a friend of silence?

So you find yourself missing deadlines, daydreaming or loafing. But what if procrastination is much better for you than you think? The trick is knowing when procrastinating is OK and when its not.

Want to know how to free up valuable minutes in your day? You cant increase the number of hours in a day, but you can get more from the time that you have by changing the way you use it.

Can you find 15 minutes in your day that would account for free time? If the answer is no then you need to do something about it right now.

Whats the one thing you could stop doing that would make a difference to your productivity? If you can work out the things to let go of, youll get better at knowing what to focus on.

One of the easiest ways to increase your energy and get great results is by the simple process of removing tolerations (things and people that drain your energy) from your life. So out with the old and in with the new.

We are a nation under stress. It is evident in the grind of the daily commute, the sandwiches eaten at speed at our desks and the TV dinners consumed with little or no connection to whats on the plate.

Do you find yourself worrying and obsessing over everyday concerns? Not sleeping at night because of all thats on your mind?

Excellence is all about bringing your best self to the table.

All defining moments in our lives are variations on all three of the above. Your take on those moments will impact on the way the movies of your own life end.

Whether you believe it or not, the more action you take in your life, the more confidence youll develop. Action begets confidence and not the other way round.

Were all born creative whether we tap into our creativity or not.

Was your natural creativity and spontaneity interrupted at some point early on in your life by critical individuals who failed to see the value and gold in your creative expression?

Feeling blocked? Need some inspiration? Why not use the time-honoured natural remedy and take yourself for a walk?

Were much better at taking care of others than we are of ourselves. But the most important person to start taking care of is you.

What lights your fire and what puts it out? Lets find out what you need to do to keep your passions alive.

No, not the latest Masters and Johnson sex therapy tip but a novel way of finding out what it is you really want to do with your life. Get creative and have fun designing and fulfilling your own life purpose.

What does it take to be the real you? Bringing together the parts that you love, loathe and hide are the beginnings of the new authentic you.

Want to get ahead? Then focus on your strengths. A good starting place is to ask yourself: What am I naturally good at that other people find hard to do?