Thinking Ourselves Back On Course There is a saying in the counseling field, “If you don’t like it, change it.  If you can’t change it, change the way you look at it.“ This may mean how we think about a situation.   Because of the nature of their positions, many times executives, directors, managers and supervisors feel they can maintain control over every aspect of their lives, both private and professional.  They feel that they can compartmentalize life, separating private life from professional.  Attempting to do this will typically cause significant problems, because our private and professional lives do overlap each other.  We can’t ignore that what goes on in our private lives affects our professional lives, and what goes on in our professional lives affects our private lives. When problems arise in either arena, we begin to see a snowball effect of things going wrong, poor business decisions, health issues, relationship problems etc.  It’s at this time when we think we can solve the problem ourselves; we are faced with a crisis.  When faced with crisis, we develop tunnel vision.  Unfortunately the more desperate we become, the more likely we are to grab the first solution that appears in that “tunnel”, which many times causes us to not make a good decision.  We do this because we want to rid ourselves of the confusion and pain we’re experiencing, and get our lives back to the way we are accustomed to them being.  We find both areas of our lives have been impacted during this time and both have begun to suffer, compounding the problem. Our moods, our behavior, how we feel and react to things, as well as our environment change based on our thinking.  Have you ever noticed that when you don’t feel well or are having a bad day, that everything else seems to be less then desirable? As Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre once said, “if you lose a game, you can come back next week and try again.  But in life if you lose you may not get a fresh start.” Remember, once a moment is gone, it can never be recovered.  One way that we can overcome a period where everything in our lives appears to be negative is to change our thinking.  Begin thinking positive thoughts and your entire world will begin to become more positive.  Our thoughts and your entire world will begin to become more positive.  Our thoughts take the lead in our lives, whichever way we allow them to. Another Way to Overcome Negative Moments in Your Life First let us begin with a question.  “What do you have in common with any famous athlete?”  The answer is that you are good at what you do, and that is why you are in the profession that you’re in.  Now ask yourself the question, “How are you unlike that same athlete?”  Most athletes today have personal coaches and trainers, and most business professionals do not.  If there are team coaches and trainer, why do most athletes have a personal coach and/or trainer?  The answer is simple.  To have someone dedicated to only their needs and help them maintain or improve on their skills.  These athletes have someone dedicated to paying attention to their behaviors, moods, actions and development.  This coach points out areas where the athlete may have deficiencies, presents options and works with the athlete to improve in those areas so they are, as the saying goes, “On the top of their game.”  Every professional could benefit from having a coach available to help him or her with development so that they can stay “on the top of their game.”  As stated earlier, when our personal and business lives overlap and we become overwhelmed by problems in either one, we may lose sight of our goals, and begin to neglect our duties and responsibilities.  Like the professional athlete, you could also benefit from a personal coach to help you develop or maintain the necessary skills for your professional or private life, so as to live a more productive life.   Call 715-573-2583 for your free coaching consultation to see how Personal Development Group can help you “stay on top of your game.” Quote “Taking Action” “It is not impossibilities that fill us with deepest despair, but possibilities that we have failed to realize.”    Robert Mallet, poet, playwright   Many of us set goals, but like New Year’s Resolutions, they fall by the wayside for one reason or another.  Goals accomplish nothing without action.  To achieve your goals, you must not only get started, you must also stay on task.  A personal coach can keep you focused so that you can reach your goals and realize your full potential