Life as We Know It.

The life we have is one that we know for sure. Regardless of how we feel about it, we accept that it is ours, even if there are many things that could use fixing. We complain often, dream of change, and sometimes even relish in the golden moments that make us smile. Yet we continue on the same path, because the ‘known’ is what creates comfort, even when the known is uncomfortable. Why?

If you’re going to be uncomfortable anyway, why not get out of your own way and create something new and different?!  Yes, you are in your own way. That job you have yearned for, the business you have wanted to start, the exercise program you have been dabbling in for decades, is all possible, if you move aside.  

I have often questioned others, and myself in search of understanding the difference between the people that have what they want and those that simply talk about having it. Interestingly, there are many things in common: a strong sense of self, a knowledge of ones own strengths, an understanding of what doesn’t work for them and a real desire for movement. Those are the qualities that make change possible.

What distinguishes those that act on their desires and those that don’t, are their differences.  People that actually create change are willing to let go of what they know and live into the creation of what can be next (the unknown).  They do not live into the drama or the fear of it, but instead, confidently create such a real picture of what they want, that it doesn’t feel unknown at all. In fact, they talk about it so often that they feel it already exists. They don’t give up because the money hasn’t come in yet, or the waistline hasn’t budged, but keep moving, knowing that in time all of that will take a life of its own.  These individuals don’t simply check off their lists in hopes of achieving the end result, they follow the steps because it is what they are passionate about and know that the result will follow as well. 

For those of you still stuck in your ‘reasons’: family needs, time, money, etc., this is a hard concept because you have been repeating your story for so long that your story feels factual! I can just hear your inner voice now: yeah but she doesn’t know what my life is like! What I do know is that we all have busy lives and family obligations as well.  The ‘do-ers’ just don’t get stopped with the reasons, but instead create their life around them: getting up earlier in the morning, working an extra job at low cash-flow times, and being choosier about what can and can not be attended to.  Your life will get in the way.  Your job is to see them as hurdles (to be jumped), not roadblocks.

Here is the perfect example that many runners will relate to. You are out for your third run this week and can’t believe, again, that you are struggling. There is an unbelievable feeling that perhaps you have grown heavier, more sluggish, and older.  You are certain that you can no longer run, because maybe ‘they’ are right. Maybe your life is too busy for this right now, or you are just getting too old. Until…you decide to buy a new pair of sneakers. Suddenly you hit the streets and your stride feels long, your legs feel strong, and your breathing is controlled and calculated.  It is then that you remember just how old your shoes were, and what then seemed like fact, now isn’t even part of the conversation. Instead, the conversation revolves around signing up for a race! I mean, why not? You are in great shape!

Your life as you know it, is just that. Changes can occur over night though, simply by what you do and say. Don’t get stuck in what seems like ‘fact’.  Whatever facts you have convinced yourself of, will look different with a new pair of sneakers. 

www.GellerCoaching.com

Be Productive Now.

It is later than you think.
Ever wonder why your energy level has so many peaks and valleys? Do you wish you could keep your level at the highest peak, or even somewhere in the middle, so you could be more productive all the time?

Typically as human beings, our weeks are filled with highs and lows of energy because we allow our emotions to dictate our productivity. If only we had no heart, right? Wrong. Actually, the fact that we do have great emotions can be very healthy and can help us be more productive on a daily basis, but only if we learn to regain the controls.

The key is to focus on what you feel when in the middle of an energy high. What occurred that gave you that energy in the first place? If it was something as simple as a well balanced meal and 8 hours of well needed sleep, then great! That will be simple to replicate and will be in your control. But usually it's not that simple.

Typically we get physically charged when we are emotionally charged, which often stems from a specific event. For example, the start of a new job, a new client signing on, or a promotion may provide just the energy you need to stay focused and excited all day long, allowing you to make those cold calls you have been putting off, or finally completing a days long list of tasks. The problem is that if outside stimulation is needed to create action, when it doesn't exist, you may feel unable to be productive. The solution lies in acknowledging your lack of control and the desire for change.

Before I give you back the well deserved controls, though, think about what goes through your mind when you are at your peak performance? Do you feel unstoppable and wish you could bottle the feeling? Perfect! Because you can...

In that moment, become aware of every sensation in your body. Be conscious of the smells, the sounds you hear, your thoughts and the adrenalin rush. Be acutely aware that these feelings continue, even though nothing around you is occuring. What began as a result of great news on the horizen, has now formed into sensations actually separate from that event. In fact, the burst of energy is an event all by itself and can be recreated again and again, without an outside event even happening.

Let's return to the idea that this excitement all began because you learned you were going to be signing on a new client. Perhaps nothing else has occurred beyond that point. Yet even without papers being signed, or money in hand, you feel energized based on what 'will' occur. Get it? That energy you were feeding off of was really just from the desire of great things to come!

Now you can own the controls! The next time you are feeling in a slump and can't get motivated, visualize exactly what you really want to happen. If you're in sales, imagine that today is the day you are finally going to get that large order. Create the visual in such detail that you can actually see it, taste it and feel it. Don't roll your eyes at the thought of it and say, 'yeah, I have seen this day before...it's not going to happen.' Everything lives in your speaking, so once you change the conversation in your head, you can change the way you act as well.

Be productive now. It is later than you think!

Life's Pot Holes

After 5 weeks of training through the pain of what felt like broken ribs, I finally went to the doctor. It seemed like a mute point 5 weeks later, but there was an unexplainable pain that was traveling around to my rib cage in my back, which was unbearable. Not unbearable like I was going to stop training, but bad enough that I was back to putting heat on it every day and whimpering out loud. As suspected, though, I got x-rays, only to find that no, I had not broken a thing, but was just dealing with bruised ribs and some swelling around the tendons.

The treatment? Advil. Although I had been already been taking it regularly, I was relieved to hear that they were recommending taking it even before I began my training workouts. This was the best news yet! The doctor also mentioned that within another 5 weeks of time, I should be completely healed and not feeling a thing. Five more weeks? Fine, I had made it this far, only missing out on 3 days of training, what was another five more weeks?

I was in triathlete form and was not about to stop now...with or without the Advil.

www.LesleyGeller.com

Life's Pot Holes: Day One.

I had set out for a long ride on my road bike. Long, because that was what the triathlon training schedule reported was the workout. I do not think for myself while in training, I live by the small print on my schedule. Gospel. I don't bail out when tired, I don't do half, and I don't alter the workout. It was the training, and I just did it. Sometimes I was tired and sometimes I felt great, but either way, I did it. It was Sunday and it wasn't day one of training, but day one of what I would experience in the way of Pot Holes.

Since it was Memorial Day Weekend, and the skies were casting a beautiful and sunny weekend, it was the perfect time to get the long ride in. I had just the right oatmeal in me, outfit ready, sunglasses in tact and even a little suntan lotion. All that was missing was my son. I had promised he could ride with me, and was still sleeping peacefully with the other teenage cousins who were severely sleep-deprived. By 10am I was beginning to worry about the amount of traffic on the boulevard, though, so I woke him and by 10:30am we were on the road. As I gave him strict rules about being acutely aware of his surroundings, I realized I had more to think about than just my own safety, which I was very aware of always on the streets.

I played it safe while he was with me for the 45 minutes, not riding too quickly, staying off the main streets as much as possible and being extra cautious around all the side streets. Once I dropped him off, a sigh of relief came over me that he made it safely and I began my own ride, with another 45 minutes to go. The weather could not have been better. The overcast skies, 65 degree weather and the confidence that I had made the right choice about leaving my jacket behind...which was my son's idea. Or so I thought.

My cadence quickly picked up as I enjoyed the flat road of Long Beach Island and was anxious to get off the busy mainland and head towards the Lighthouse. 19, 20, 21, 22 miles per hour...perfect. The traffic was picking up, though and with each metal grate in the road, the more aware of the traffic I became. At the first grate I checked over my shoulder. Enough space to go left and into the lane, skirting around the grate. A few more blocks and I hit the second grate. I again peered over my shoulder, but seeing there with no way to sneak in, I prayed I could go to the right. I had about 7 inches of clearance and hoped I could quickly maneuver through it. I might have even closed my eyes. No, not the smartest of decisions, but made it through. The third grate came upon me and again, I glance to the left. This time there is a flood of traffic. I quickly look off to the right and my heart begins to race, panic in my chest. To the right of the grate is not the smooth patch of pavement I had previously rode through. No, in fact, there was a small pot hole to the right of it. Being new to my rode bike, I had no idea of how well my bike, nor my riding would fare, but was very clear that there were no other options.

I gripped my handle bars, wishing death on them and not me and braced myself. I remember hitting it and being lifted in the air. I remember thinking, can I recover from this? I did not know if me feet were clipped or not, I just knew the bike was not on the ground and I was no longer in control. The next thing I remember is the front end of my helmet slamming to the ground and me being crouched on the shoulder saying, oh f---k. I didn't know where my bike was, nor did I care. I didn't feel pain, but I was sure my world was somehow spinning.

An elderly couple came quickly to my rescue and while I didn't look up, I did hear them ask if they should call an ambulance and I thought, dear god, no...not going to the emergency room. It's a holiday. Am I okay? Am I? Body check. Am I hurt or just confused from being flipped upside down?

They offered to take me and my bike back to my house, and while I couldn't make much sense of what had happened or what state I was in, I knew that going home was a good idea. I even knew which direction to go in, so I figured I wasn't that bad off. Though as I stood up, something was definitely wrong.

Ow, ow...I yelped, holding my ribs. Pain was searing into my rib cage, yet all the rescue woman was talking about was a tiny scrape on my elbow. Was I internally bleeding? Or could I ride home by myself? i should have worn my jacket. I wouldn't be bleeding. I sat still in the mini-van as if there were no pain, as if I had not just come close to death, as if it didn't bother me that I wasn't going to get in my 45 more minutes of riding. Could I go out later and do it? Once I had recovered? But once in the door of my house, in the safe arms of my dad, I knew there would be no more riding for the day. I also knew how lucky I felt to be alive.