MEND IN 2010

Have you ever felt that things are not going your way in your relationships, your finances or your career no matter how hard you try? Do you feel you are working harder for less? Do you feel as if every day is a struggle even though you try to stay positive and hope for the best? Do you feel anxious or feel like you live in fear because you don’t know what the future holds?

I have contemplated many if not all of those thoughts recently. I wondered what is wrong with me. I am an optimistic person. I enjoy life; I have lots to be thankful for. For goodness, sake I am a coach and the title of my book is “Coach Yourself to Greatness.” How can I be down on myself?

The reality is we all struggle from time to time. That life can be hard and unfair. And things don’t always go our way. The difference for me now is if I am down, I don’t stay down for long. I credit my Mom for giving me the gift of resiliency. I can bounce back; if I fall I get right back up.

The big difference is I can get on the “mend” quicker than I could before, I can coach myself to Greatness and live my Authentic Life. So can you by slowing down long enough to become aware of our thoughts and feelings.

The key is to become mindful ( be still) and reconnect with the Power of the Universe that lives in us; transcend what is happening around us and tap into the intrinsic wholeness that allows us to be open and receptive to balance, harmony and the Presence of the moment. When we can be with what is, peace comes within our souls and hope begins to rise up in us… We begin to mend.

Here are 10 ways to MEND in 2010:

1) Be generous. Give more than you think you can. I am not talking about material possessions. Give more of your time, a smile or a compliment. Be aware of the affect on you and the other person.

2) Practice GRATITUDE. Really practice it. I name five things I am grateful for in the morning before my feet hit the floor. At night I write down five good things that happened to me that day. We live in abundance we just have to remind ourselves.

3) BE STILL. Being still has worked miracles in my life. We are all so busy that we miss out on the simple pleasures of life, a conversation, a wink or a walk in nature. Practice mediation, being still even for 10 minutes will work miracles in your life. We all have 10 minutes we can give to ourselves.

4) Let go of delusional thinking. Most people are not thinking about us. We create these delusions in our minds which make us upset and angry. And ultimately causes us to disconnect from the people we care about the most. When we get angry and “go off” telling someone how angry they have made us we are instantly giving our power away. I use to do this all the time. Now I try to “sit with it” before I speak and reflect on what it is about me that is causing this particular thing upset me. Is it about me wanting to be right or wanting to control a situation? ‘Sitting with it’ can lead to self – awareness and freeing ourselves of old ways of thinking that no longer serve.



5) Have a TRUSTING heart. I don’t trust as much as I once did. When you have been hurt trusting seems a little more difficult. We may not always understand what is happening to us. But we can always respond with a trusting heart, trust that the process will take us where we need to be. The first element is to look deeply into what it is we can trust in ourselves. It always starts with us.

6) Be honest. I listened to Oprah on XM radio today and they asked the question what is the lie we tell ourselves. I repeated it to myself what is the lie I tell myself. The first order of honesty is to be honest with ourselves without blame, shame or judgment.

7) Be Hopeful. I am also a basketball coach and my team is struggling with close losses, injuries, personal problems and lack of confidence. I want very much to inspire them to do their best no matter what the circumstances and to help them embody a spirit of perseverance. How do I do this? I do it by drawing on my personal resources of strength in service of moving toward our goals. Realistic hope bonds people together and moves us together toward our desired end. Stay positive. I find hope through my spiritual practice.

8) Learn the lesson. I have a quote which says – in all things learn the lesson. When something is going on in my life and perhaps I do not fully understand why, I have learned to pause and ask the question what are you here to teach me. If you miss the lesson here, you are also likely to miss the lesson there. Learn the lesson and share the story. Someone else can learn from you!

9) Practice Self-efficacy. Understand what we can control and have an impact on is an key ingredient for successful people. We have the gifts and talents to accomplish our goals. Plus, believe (have faith) in positive outcomes and a sense of One’s personal power to affect the ultimate results.

10) Not Practice. Over the last 8 months I have not practiced yoga like I had before and what I noticed is it’s harder to hold the poses and my mind wanders. The same principles apply to life that apply to yoga. When you don’t practice these tools you see the effect of not having done it for awhile. So it’s paradoxical, you learn more about oneself by coming back to the tools and practicing them then if you never stopped.

Thus you have it; you are on your way to mend in 2010. Now the fun begins, practice these tools and you can begin living your authentic, holistic and healthy life.


For more information on personal coaching, authentic living and leadership development please contact me @ info@trudilacey.com