5 Ways We Avoid Discomfort & How It Restricts Us To Lead

When we attempt to avoid discomfort, we actually make things even more uncomfortable than they have to be. Sometimes all it takes is one uncomfortable conversation to solve a problem, or better yet, implement a brilliant idea. The bottom line is that our ability to get comfortable with discomfort, not only raises our own effectiveness; it also separates true leaders from followers.

True leaders are willing to confront discomfort with ease, while those looking at the back of their heads would prefer to uncomfortably shy away from discomfort. So, what are the signs that you, or someone you know, chronically avoids discomfort and how do others perceive it? Here’s a list of what I like to call, the all too common “discomfort avoiders”

7 Reasons To Stop Cursing Work

Why is it that so many people in today’s world view hard work as the antitheses to success? In the eyes of many, it seems like unless you are off sailing the world, lying on a beach, playing tons of golf, and living a life of leisure, you might actually be failing. So, what’s the result of this type of thinking? And, better yet, how successful is it in, well, actually achieving success?

I often come across people on an ongoing quest to accumulate wealth, while limiting their involvement with actual work. Their ultimate goal is to live life to the fullest by avoiding too much responsibility that comes with the word. So, what happens next? Well, quite often, these same people end up calling a career and executive coach, like me, feeling “stuck.”

Learn Why Connecting With Problems Heightens Your Creativity

A common theme amongst many ancient philosophers and spiritual leaders is the concept of connectivity as a pathway to creativity. In other words, when we feel deeply connected to something, then we allow it to inspire and empower us at the same time. Yet, when we separate ourselves from these same things, we instead, exacerbate our own feelings of isolation and dis-empowerment – a tough space for anyone to experience much of any creativity.

Now, just think of how differently we might show-up in both our personal and professional lives, if we made an effort to actually view our problems as a part of ourselves, instead of trying to separate ourselves from them? Better yet, how might the world start to look if we fearlessly chose to step inside of our problems?

Discover How To Own Your Mood And Claim Your Day

Picture it. You’ve been prepping for a third interview for quite sometime, and you are really excited to shed your knowledge and discuss future possibilities with an exciting company that really interests you.

In fact, the rest of your week revolves around the outcome of this meeting – you’ve placed a myriad of tasks on-hold, and you’ve even waited to schedule some personal appointments before gaining a better understanding for what’s next with this potential employer. Then, last minute, your interview is unexpectedly canceled. There you are left with a new void on your calendar and a preoccupied mind that was planning on a much different outcome for the day.

So, now what? It makes perfect sense that many of us might feel a little disappointed and even impatient with this type of situation. This could cause things to go one of two ways: either the rest of the day will unravel from a state of powerlessness, or we will empower ourselves to seize the day, no matter what.

7 Energy Levels Influencing Money In Your Life

Recently, I was interviewed by Hilary Hendershott on Profit Boss Radio about how our attitudes inevitably shape the way we experience money. Our money beliefs form early in our lives, and they typically are tied to our upbringings. Once you understand what’s behind these beliefs, you can challenge those that are holding you back.

At every energy level, there are unique core thoughts, feelings, and actions that affect our experiences. Let’s look at the seven different forms of energy that filter our perspectives on money. Which energy level filters your money views?

3 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Hiring A Career Coach

As a career and success coach who has worked with all sorts of clients at various stages throughout their professions, I’ve seen major differences between clients who have made breakthrough transformations from our partnership and those who simply had a nice experience from our time together. While the latter shows up and goes through the motions of each meeting, tool, and exercise, the former takes things a few steps further by enthusiastically engaging in our sessions and making them purposeful for practical implementation into her everyday life.

Unlike other “helper modalities,” where the helping professional is the authority — like therapy, mentoring, and consulting — in coaching, both the client and coach work together as a team. In other words, the client takes the reins of her own life and collaborates with the coach, who helps guide the process of getting her from somewhere functional to somewhere exceptional.

At the end of the day, those who benefit the most from coaching understand that the power of the partnership is all in the alliance they build with their coaches. So, if you are about to work with a coach, who is sought-out by you individually or by your company, I recommend you ask yourself the following key questions before you invest any time or money.

Increasing Your Intuitive Connection

Have you ever noticed how easy it is for us to discern what we might do if we were in another person’s shoes, yet at the very same time, struggle with a decision of our own? Why is it so easy to see things with complete clarity when it comes to a situation outside of ourselves, and in the same moment, feel foggy about a situation presented within our own lives? Whether dealing with a big decision related to your career or contemplating what to do in a particular relationship, knowing what’s best for yourself can be tough when personal feelings cloud your perspective.

So, how do we establish a strong connection with our own intuition? Here are some helpful tips for accessing your internal voice of wisdom...

Quick Tips For Fun Goal Planning

THE OPENINGS BETWEEN THE CLOUDS

Goals. They are as effective as we allow them to be.

When we briefly think about our goals, only to set them aside in some unknown compartment within our brains, we limit our potential of attaining them. On the flip side, when we take steps to formally declare a goal to the world, on a piece of paper and to ourselves, then we establish a formal contract with the universe, which as Paulo Coelho describes in his book The Alchemist, “conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Career Coaching, Life CoachingNina CashmanNovember 19, 2014Goals, 2015 Planning, Visioning, Goals Before StrategiesComment

Reframe The Past, So It Doesn't Frame You

CONTROL THE SAIL NOT THE WIND

Your past does not define you. It’s you who defines how you perceive your past experiences, as well as how you will allow them to impact your future – for better or for worse. While the past is far from your identity, the way in which you define it has the ability to impact the experiences you create moving forward. If you view circumstances from the past as successful, then they have the power to fuel your drive and enthusiasm towards further success.

Paving vs. Proving

All too often, we get stuck on the idea that we need external proof to validate our own ideal image of ourselves and our lives, before we get started on something that’s important to us. In other words, if there are no external signals to prove that what we want is truly possible, we quickly turn a blind eye to our ideal images, and then block ourselves from growing into them.

You’ll Know What You Want, When You Know Who You Are

WHO ARE YOU?

Many people come to me wanting to craft a vision for themselves or their careers paths. “I’m not sure what I really want” they say, “can you help me figure it out?” Sounds as easy as writing a Christmas list, right? Well, yes… almost. If you are willing to take a step back and think about who you really are first, then developing a vision for your work, and your life, will flow more naturally. Better yet, crafting strategies to turn your ideas into realities becomes a much clearer process, when you know who you are at the core.

Career Coaching, Life CoachingNina CashmanOctober 8, 2014Inner Who, Inner Voice, Higher Self, Inner Guide, Higher CoachComment

If You Can't Trust You, Then Who?

TRUST YOURSELF

Sometimes clients come to me with a clear expectation of wanting me to deliver pieces of breakthrough advice. Now, don’t get me wrong, the path to self transformation is colored with a multitude of personal breakthroughs along the way. But what makes them so monumental is the fact that we are able to process new pieces of information on our own. This aids us with personal buy-in to more easily embrace new ways of thinking.

Career Coaching, Life CoachingNina CashmanSeptember 30, 2014Self Trust, Self Confidence, Self Belief Comment